It's not so uncommon in our busy world to feel stretched thin. We lean into the good—time with our families, an interesting hobby, a peaceful walk—and we lean into the taxing too—the busy, the obligation, the favor. As a work-from-home parent I'm constantly inhabiting multiple roles (and aren't we all?), and as my son just recently turned two, I found myself trying to recall who I was when I wasn't tending to my family and my business. 

My aunt, a mother of two grown children and lifelong entrepreneur with multiple thriving businesses, recently sent me a note to say she remembered this season of life well. She talked of giving so much to her family, and to her business growth. She said if she had to do it over again, she would take more time for herself, and not just leave herself with the leftovers.

Collaboration has always been a value I uphold with my clients; never condescending or presenting myself as the final authority, but trusting my clients as partners who are the experts in their own business, knowing that they have entrusted me to showcase that through design. But as I move forward mindfully, I realize collaboration comes through also knowing when it makes more sense to trust the professionals in areas I am not strong in such as photography and legal. As service providers, we need to place value in investing in others, just as our clients do with us. Of course there are times when business is lean, but there comes a point where your growth is limited if you don't hand off some of the responsibilities to people better able to manage them so that you can spend more time doing what you're great at and want to be known for.