I don’t know why, but it’s always been extremely hard for me to speak up about how I feel or what I need, or even just talk about myself in general. I’ve mentioned my struggles with mental health before, so I’m guessing it’s a winning combination of that plus my introverted/people pleasing nature, and on top of that I’m stubborn, so that doesn’t help either. I always try to do as much as I can by myself, since I know I can get it done and it will be done in the way I want.
At the studio, I was originally a one-man-show; I did all the teaching, marketing, scheduling, desk work, cleaning, etc. After a few weeks I was really burnt out; I was getting daily headaches and panic attacks. It took me a few days of practicing, but I asked my business partners for help because I realized I had to stand up for myself, since no one else could. It was hard for me to admit I couldn’t handle everything on my own, but it went well because then a week later we hired some other black belts to come and help out.
I now have people who come in and help out with paperwork, class management, and phone calls. Its so much better and we run a lot smoother, although I ran into my same problem again as I had to delegate tasks to the helpers. I’ve never been a boss or the head of a company, so having employees working for me was a completely new experience. At first I would just do as much as I can before the other employees arrive, because in my mind it would take too long to train them and if I did it I know it got done in the way I wanted. Eventually, burnout came again, and I needed to ask for help again. I started creating tutorial videos for all employees to watch so they know what to do and how to do it, and I slowly but surely was able to unload tasks off my plate. I ended up creating employee task lists so that way they have checklists of what to do everyday, and by the end of the day I don’t have anything left to do after teaching all the classes.
I’m still on a journey of asking for what I need, and I’m still working on finding my voice and saying the right things. But I can feel that I’m getting better, and the more I ask for help it actually gets a little bit easier each time. Reach out and ask if you need help, even if it’s something small and seemingly minuscule. No one else can stand up for yourself and know what you need, other than you. Stand up for yourself, and you’ll thank yourself later.
