Boundaries Lead to Freedom

About twice a week, Chris and I drop off our dog Skyla at the local Doggie Day Camp. It’s similar to day care for kids, but with less patty-cake and more sniffing of butts.

Skyla adores the staff there, and her doggie friends all have fun names like Khaleesi, Scooby, and Moose.

You might be wondering why Skyla goes into day care when I work from home could take care of her between client calls. Any of you moms who work from home know exactly why I put her in day care.

I need some quiet time to actually get some work done!

Anyhoo, when Skyla’s at camp, she gets to be as rough and feisty as she wants to be. If that means hours of playing catch and climbing the jungle gym, then she does it.

She gets to be a carefree wiggle butt because of boundaries. There are walls keeping her in the play area and another fence around the outdoor park.

It’s a funny paradox: boundaries lead to freedom. She can be free because she’s safely contained.

I certainly can’t let her run around like a maniac in our neighborhood. First, it’s illegal, and second, she could be hit by a car, dognapped, or eaten by a gator (we live in Florida).

Boundaries might seem like a killjoy, but they’re essential if you want to be your truest self.

This applies to your life and business too. When I began coaching clients years ago, I used to take anyone at anytime. I was never “off,” and it was exhausting.

I also used to let people cancel at the last minute, be late with payments, and otherwise walk all over me.

Thankfully, I created my own business standards and boundaries in order to protect myself and be the best coach I can be. I have set business hours, and I’m much more involved and engaged during my client calls.

Do you have boundaries in your business? Where could you set some rules so that you can have more freedom?

If you need to establish some boundaries, check out Startup In 60. My new group coaching program focuses on setting clear routines, schedules, and policies in your business.

And that’s good for you and your customers.

Before I wrap this up, here’s picture of Skyla because she’s so cute. My furry coworker!

Registration is now open for Startup In 60! Click here for all the details and learn how to build your business from scratch in just 60 days.

And be sure to join the Startup In 60 Blog Party to share your best time management tips.

3 Comments

  1. richelle on May 5, 2015 at 7:21 pm

    Boundaries are so important. Some creatives tend to resist boundaries because they are afraid their creativity will be shut down. It can actually be crazy creative to limit yourself to making a drawing only using circles, or just 3 colors, etc. the boundaries force you to be more creative. I just linked to this article from my post for the “Startup in 60” blog party. The circle of life 😉
    xo,
    rs



  2. Erika on May 1, 2015 at 9:40 pm

    I love boundaries and hate them. I find them hard to stick to if I make the boundary instead of it being imposed by someone/something outside of myself. I’d love to hear more about making the boundaries I create stick without throwing me into feeling trapped by it.

    Skyla is sooooo cute! 🙂 I bet she’s a fun coworker!



    • Sage Grayson on May 2, 2015 at 8:42 am

      That’s a good point! It’s easier to stick to boundaries when we make them for ourselves. And Skyla is a sweet puppy and good company for me. 🙂