As business owners, we often wear many hats, and it’s easy for our passion to turn into an all-consuming grind. For two decades, I found my nose pressed firmly to that grindstone. While I was incredibly blessed with an amazing wife and partner, along with two wonderful kids, I realized I had neglected a core need: to socialize and build relationships outside of work. Working constantly in Ottawa meant I was consistently interacting with staff and clients, but my personal social circle beyond professional connections dwindled as people moved and life happened around us.
Towards the end of last year, a shift came. I’m incredibly fortunate that we moved to a place where we’re surrounded by trees. Now, I merely have to walk down the dirt road or into the woods to appreciate the beauty around me, if only for a few minutes. This simple act of disconnecting, even briefly, has become my routine to recharging allowing me to continue pushing forward with renewed energy. Working for myself certainly brings its own unique stresses, but it also provides a flexibility that I’m truly learning to embrace.
With this significant change in my surroundings and work rhythm, I’ve found the energy I was lacking to go out and meet more people within our local community. It’s been incredibly rewarding. Between the valuable events hosted by Frontenac Business Services and the many other local gatherings around Frontenac, I’ve been able to start rebuilding a sense of personal balance.
While the work is important, so is replenishing one’s personal well-being. Finding those moments to disconnect and build connections outside the immediate demands of business isn’t just a luxury, it’s a deep need in most. It helps fuel us so we can move forward, tackle the next task, the next hurle, or the next day, creatively and with renewed intention.