I show you the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to my entrepreneur journey but don't be confused by what you see or haven't seen - this shit is hard as hell.
Last week, I wrote about the cute picture that you see in the header of this article. The post was about the reality of parenting and how it’s not as easy just looking at a picture and thinking life is hunky dory.
The picture in the header was taken at the doctor’s office. She was in a very happy and silly mood that day. Meanwhile, I was adjusting from the day before. I fun-filled day of Daisy being:
Sassy
Crying
Starting fights with her siblings
Extremely short nap
Crankiness
Disobedience
Breaking toys, things, etc
Need I go on? Daisy was being a holy terror. Those kinds of days are EXTREMELY CHALLENGING.
Let’s get some perspective: this isn’t just a parenting thing - this is a parenting AND entrepreneurial thing. It’s a combo deal. Being a parent is challenging enough. Add on the fact that I'm working from home as an entrepreneur and it goes from challenging to Crazy Town in a New York minute.
I currently watch my little girls from home - Skylar (4 years old) and Daisy (2-½ years old). Sky has preschool on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. While Sky is in school, I must make time for Daisy with activities. Activities range from:
Playing Barbie’s
Play-doh
Writing
Coloring
Learning words, letters, numbers, etc
Reading
Taking walks and playing outside
And the list goes on. These things go on with Skylar at home as well on days she doesn’t go to school. I can't just go in a corner and do what I want. I can't just make videos or podcasts on demand. There’s no such thing as “down time.”
As an entrepreneur, I use social media to extend my brand. Social media is used for me to network, connect and find new customers and clients that need my mindset coaching services. I do a hell of a lot of work to market effectively. Here’s what I do on social media daily:
Social media LIVE on one of the major social media platforms
Daily videos via YouTube and IGTV
Daily posts on all major social media platforms
Post 7-10 times on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat story feeds.
Daily article on LinkedIn
Article on other sites (Medium.com or my website: therealfredlee.com)
2-3 podcast episodes
All of what you see me do on social media is a fraction of what I do for my business.
For my business, I do the following:
Send daily FRED’S DAILY COACHING TIP as a text message.
Daily emails to customers
2-4 Private Facebook group posts that involve my videos, articles and audio posts.
Answering questions via texts, emails and phone calls from my clients.
Private group LIVE
This is my daily schedule. EVERYDAY. With kids at home. This is not easy, it’s extremely challenging. This is why I work to show the good, the bad and the ugly part of this entrepreneur journey. I need to show aspiring entrepreneurs what this process looks like when you have kids.
I don’t ever get a chance to work 1-2 hours straight through. I don’t ever get “down time.” I don't ever feel comfortable enough to just sit still and do nothing.
This is the real deal when it comes to being an entrepreneur dad/husband. So how do you get through this kind of challenge? You have to have a Teflon Don Positive Mindset. It’s that simple.
If you don’t know how to buffer your mindset from the bullshit that happens everyday, you’re going to go crazy and quit. If you don’t create a rock solid mentality, you will quit what’s hard and resort to doing what’s easy.
The picture of Daisy at the doctor’s office was a snippet of Daisy smiling after giving me 24-36 hours of hell. I worked through that hell. I still has to be dad through that hell. I had coaching calls, text messages and emails to answer from my clients that I still had to answer to.
Remember: when you’re looking at another entrepreneur’s life from the outside, you must consider that you don’t know the struggle behind the pictures and videos that you see online. I’ve even decided to start a family vlog a few months ago to bring people deeper into our AUTHENTIC lives.
And just so you grasp an idea of the totality of everything: have you considered how I’m even able to record a vlog after the long list of daily tasks in my business?
If I make this look easy, I’m doing a damn good job. But the reality is that it’s hard as fuck. And that’s why I show you AUTHENTICITY.
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