That seems a little backwards, doesn’t it? People who read the above may conclude one of the following about me:

1) I’ve either gotten my sayings really mixed up or;

2) I wrote this during happy hour.

Neither, I’m glad to say, is true. I think most of old adages offer some good advice, no matter what their origin. Unless you haven’t guessed already, the adage here I’m referring to is, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” It’s a philosophy that I hope we all live by.

But what about the way you treat yourself? Do you really treat yourself the way that would treat others?

We make so many allowances for the way others act and sometimes bend over backwards to make accommodations for a late invoice, or work late to get out that report for a demanding client. Does this sound familiar?

We all want to do well in our businesses and make a good impression on who we work with, but that also means taking a good look at areas where you can treat yourself a little better. Are you putting an extraordinary amount of pressure on yourself to put out a new tweet about your business on the hour every hour? Have you been ignoring your filing or doing your taxes in favor of other work?

The problem with ignoring your own wants and needs, both personally and professionally, is that we often become frustrated at setting ourselves unrealistic goals or deadlines. This can become reflected in the quality of work that you do, or how well you treat a client. That’s ironic, considering you were going out of your way to treat them how you would want to be treated. Instead, you’re treating yourself and them in a way you would never want to be treated in the first place.

Hiring a consultant to help you manage your time and reflect on the processes that aren’t working for you may point you in the right direction. There’s no need to feel embarrassed- running a small business is hard! A good consultant will remain non-judgmental about what hasn’t been working for you, and might be able to offer suggestions as to what can help. This doesn’t have to be a painful process to put more pressure on yourself. It could be as relaxing as spending an afternoon airing your grievances out over coffee. It’s definitely a way to start becoming kinder to yourself.

Still worried about what a consultant might say about learning how to treat yourself better? Keep in mind they may have heard an old adage or two about that themselves.

What are some of the ways that you’ve treated yourself kindly lately? Comment below and tell me how it makes you feel. No, really. We could all use some pointers sometimes. Don’t forget to check out the business section of the blog for more common-sense-advice-that-you-knew-already-you-just-needed-someone-else-to-tell-you-it-type articles. But of course, you knew that already. You’re so smart.