No calling in sick – you are the chief cook and bottle washer
Calling all chief cooks and bottle-washers! No calling in sick for you, no sir.
A few weeks ago I posted an article entitled “50 Things I Wish I Knew Before Going Into Business For Myself”. On that list, tip # 11 actually was “No calling in sick – you are the chief cook and bottle washer”.
Well, I thought I’d share with you today how exactly that works in the real world of working from home.
Flying high to feeling low
Monday started off like any other Monday, crazy busy. First there is always the customer with an emergency that pops up over the weekend. Fires are something you just get good at putting out…eventually.
Next, there is the Monday morning motivational team call. These calls are the kindling to light my fire for the week. There are always brand new business partners sharing business tips they learned at the monthly training in their local areas. If you are on Facebook you saw the business tip graphic I made using one of their tips on the call.
Checking over the to-do list keeps me on track and off of Facebook needlessly. Sure I need to answer messages and make sure there are blog posts for everyone to read and share; but, if you are like me you can easily get sucked into spending way too much time looking at pictures and engaging in chit chat.
After a few customer phone calls and one to my truck driver, we had an unexpected group of visitors. Yes, my son, his girlfriend and the kids. Oh boy, how can grandma resist getting to spend time with those kids? So, I finished up the paperwork and orders that needed processing and left the office to eat lunch with my family.
The benefits of working at home for yourself is that your lunch hour can be however long you want it to be…mine turned into two hours plus. Around break-time, I excused myself to lie down…just for a little bit. I didn’t wake up until the next day. Yes, I slept right where I laid my pretty little head down.
The sad part is I didn’t get to say goodbye to the kids. The funny part is income continued to come in whether I was at my desk or asleep on the couch.
Remembering when makes the medicine go down little easier
My husband and I reminisced tonight as we ate dinner remembering the few times that I called in sick when I worked at the bank. My supervisor was always making me feel guilty for not coming in, sick or not. So, of course, in I would go and share whatever I had with every other human I came in contact with. It’s no wonder sickness, disease, fatigue and depression are so rampant today. Goodness sakes people. Have a heart.
One and a half days I slept, visited the bathroom and more… (I’ll leave that to your imagination) and didn’t feel guilty one bit. Working for yourself, at home enables you to work hard when you need to work. You can take time to rest, recuperate when you find yourself stricken with a bug or simply just need to regroup.
When you have the right tools, the right people to work with, it enables you to have an income that continues to provide for you and your family. No calling in sick when you are the chief cook and bottle washer and you work at home? No worries about what the boss will say if you need that day off…just take the time to get better and get back to work doing what you love to do…at home.
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"Very well put. I've been with a health and nutrition company for over 26 years and I understand exactly what you are going through. I shiver to think what my health might be today at age 68 had I not stuck to my guns as far as practicing what I preach. Yes, I fall off the wagon regularly but my daily routine life reflects taking care of my health. That way I can keep up (somewhat) with my 7 grandchildren. You keep it up, Carla". 
"For most people the thought of venturing out there in pursuit of your dreams, in a place outside of your comfort zones is just what stops them. But I could sense your excitement not resentment in going against the competition. In planting your stake and truly making a difference in the clients experience. That's ultimately what matters, the rest just falls so easily into place. Thanks for that reminder"! 
Carla, I’ve got to say that I LOVE your focus on the joys and challenges facing women over 50. I’m definitely in that camp! I’ve been inspired by your candor, practical ideas, and refreshing determination to joyfully tackle life. The hours we’ve spent on the phone, in person, and through social media have enriched my life immeasurably. YOU are one Fiery Grandma, and I love your style! 
I have known Carla Gardiner for 6+ years. We met at a business training for bring business online. She is a business women at heart and willing to do the hard things to make the results show up. I have watched her run a business, work a job and take care of her family. She is a go getter when it comes to putting in the work to build her business to the level of being able to enjoy her grand kids.
She is the example that age is not a limit it is a tool for sharing knowledge to those she empowers to use their own skills and talents. Excuses are fuel to push her to learn and apply. I have seen her scared to death about implementing new technology and rock it out despite the learning curve.
I love watching you grow into your greatness Carla! Don’t slow down. 
"Carla, you are a model for me to follow. I love your site. And, I like what you have to say - very kind, very gracious. I have to say though that nothing in my life has ever been crystal clear". 
"I've known Carla for 5+ years and can tell you that she has lived every bit of this and more. We shared tears and laughs and hard work....you will enjoy getting to know Carla."
You are absolutely right in saying that you can stretch your lunch hour however long you want it to be. The freedom you get from working home is indeed like no other. Sure you do not want to change what you do now, do you?
You are so right, Lorii. Working from home for yourself is very liberating. With that freedom comes a lot of responsibility, too. Building a business is the same whether it’s in a corporate setting or from the comfort of home; you will have good days and not so good days. But, the difference is the equity you build is for you and your family, not some board of directors or shareholders.
Oh no…that’s not good at all. How are you feeling now? And yes, it is great to have the added flexibility of working from home, able to adjust as needed and still keep things progressing!
It is very important to be able to make our own schedule. Thank you for this article Carla.
What you’re talking about is the personal responsibility and accountability that are key to being a successful entrepreneur, Carla. And the flip side of that — the payback — is that when you truly need (or want) time for yourself, you know you can take it because you know the buffer you’ve accumulated … or what it will take to catch back up. Oh, freedom!
You hit the nail right on the head, Sharon. I’ve learned that not everyone wants to, nor should work from home for themselves. Some people are better suited to work 9-5 then leaving the decisions and headaches at the office. Guess that’s why the rewards are so rich for those who choose to fight the fine fight of entrepreneurship.
I love the flexibility of being my own boss and only having to answer to myself when things do not go according to plans.
Very true, Pat. The balance comes in when we get to call our own shots…do we?
Sometimes I allow me to get out of balance when calling my own shots like when I over commit.. but have to keep moving.
Not fun stuff Carla. Hope you feel better…
No it’s not fun Norma. But, I’ve learned that thanks to Protandim my recovery is lightning speed compared to not using it. My friend’s mom was down for 3 months and 2 rounds of antibiotics to knock out the same bug. I recovered fully in 4 days. Big difference and my health is renewed for more sharing with others.
I couldn’t agree more with you in this post Carla! It is really nice when you can make your own schedule and allow yourself to be happy with your family when unexpected opportunities come! This just happened to me yesterday and I feel so good to re-start all my activities. Thanks for making the “guilt” goes totally away!
Thank you Meire. It took me awhile to get it…that I am in control, working from home. But, finding that balance took even longer. Sometimes the best teacher is experience.
Ha! So funny, Carla! My lunch hours rarely stretch that long; I usually end up either gobbling something at the computer or putting it off so long I become ravenous! But on the other hand — I took a mental health day last week (after 25 straight days of work; what was I thinking???) — and went to my favorite Florida Keys beach. It was amazingly restorative…and something I could not have done without feeling guilty if I worked in someone else’s office.
Good for you Jackie, the mental health day that is. If I may be so bold to give a word of advice? Don’t do what I used to do…put off eating smaller meals to save time…I gained over 100 pounds in a year doing just that. Grab fruit, veggies anything low in calories that you can easily consume at your desk, yet are good and not full of empty calories or processed carbs. When I used to work at Public Health we all had “time off” allotted to mental health days…we all need that when we work from home, too.
I hope that you are feeling better Carla. I too was under the weather last week and it was awful. I got the food poisoning that has been in the news over the last few weeks. I spent several days laying around on the couch and for several days I took the time that I needed to rest and didn’t work on my blog, which is rare for me.
Sorry to hear you got sick, Christy. Food poisoning is awful. Hope you have bounced back and are feeling better. Now, I’m down again…can’t figure out what is going on…but, I know that without my Protandim it would be much worse and go on longer.
I was sick a few months back and it required surgery.. the day of surgery and the day after i didn’t miss a beat! feel better!
Whoa, I didn’t know Rob. Hope you are back to your spunky self…well, I know you are.
Thanks so much for sharing, Carla! I’ve had times where I thought I’d take a nap and woke up the next day! Working from home is great, I wouldn’t change it for the world but it is still work and we do get tired…once in a while. Love this post! 🙂
Thanks Alexandra. As I respond to this article another bug has taken me down. Not sure what is going on this summer but wow…I am so tired of not feeling 100%…at least I recover faster than others because I take care of my health, right?