The responsibility of taking care of aging parents will fall on our shoulders.  The shoulders of us, the entrepreneurs.

 

Which means that not only will entrepreneurs be dealing with the challenges of running a business, we will in addition be challenged with taking care of an aging parent - at the same time.

 

Can you think of someone that is taking care of an aging parent and simultaneously running a business?  It could be a colleague, neighbor, friend - it could be you.  What you might notice about this person is that they are putting themselves dead last every single time.  

 

And because of that, you notice they are struggling.

 

 

Share with them what you are noticing.

 

Often times as entrepreneurs we run it all - from marketing to finances - and everything in between in our businesses.  And because we run our businesses so well, we don't want to admit when we don't know what we don't know - like how to integrate our aging parents into our lives - and business life.

 

Take that colleague, friend or neighbor aside and say to them something like, "I notice that you look tired", or whatever it is you are noticing.  It's so valuable to let them know that you see them.

 

This is just the first step into integrating aging parents into running their business and lives.  

 

You might find this story valuable to share:

 

During her Freedom in Focus Discovery call, my client Joslyn shared that because of the stress of taking care of her aging mother AND of running her business, she was coping by taking a platter of cake (chocolate, thank you very much) and a bottle of wine with her to her room, shutting the door and lights off and consuming both the cake and the wine.  She said she did this to push her feelings down.   To numb her emotions.  I asked her one question that she says helped to pull her out of despair.  Would you like to know what that one question was?

 

 

Her answer - "Nothing."

 

My second question was - Would you like some help with that?

 

She answered yes and as a result of that yes and through my coaching, Joslyn's relationship with her mother improved.   The way she ran her business improved (revenue went up!) and the way she managed her feelings really improved - she lost weight and felt better.  She was able to integrate her business, life and taking care of her aging mother.

 

Who do you know that is an entrepreneur and is struggling taking care of an aging parent?

 

Having a conversation with them and letting them know that you care and that you notice them struggling is the first step to helping them integrate taking care of an aging parent into their life - both work and personal.

 

One way that entrepreneurs who are taking take of an aging parent can be seen and heard is to join the Taking Care of Business While You Take Care of An Aging Parent gathering.

 

Click here to register so that you get the Zoom link to join me and other entrepreneurs just like you who are taking care of an aging parent on Friday, June 30th at 2 cst/12 pst - for the monthly gathering of Taking Care of Business While You Take Care of An Aging Parent.