What it takes to be a better leader and serve your customers better?

Two things you've got to have pat down in business: Be a leader of it and serve your customers at all times.

But something that isn’t talked about enough in the business world is how to keep doing these to things without exhausting yourself. Because let’s be real, you are not a smart phone that can be plugged into a socket for charging, while being in use simultaneously.

You have to find ways to charge your battery efficiently so it runs longer.

Today, I call it the ‘Fill your own jug first”.

Dear high-achievers, this is a non-negotiable. You must charge your battery and fill your own jug first.

Fulfill your basic needs first - inner and outer. This will allow you to show up better and serve others better. Here’s why: An empty jug only makes sounds without real substance, and also an empty jug burns out faster. But a jug that’s all filled up with the right fuel, will pour real goodness to others and will go on for longer.

If you’re in this for the long run, you have to learn to start filling your jug first. 

Yes, I am talking about caring for yourself i.e. charging your inner battery.

This means setting aside time to assess your needs and then actually fulfilling them. 

This also means learning to look past the inevitable guilt or uneasiness that will come up, and staying committed to self-care anyways. With time, when you start seeing how it actually helps you care better for others, create better things in your business to serve others, you will no longer feel the unimportance of it or the guilt around it.

So, starting right now, get your calendar out, block time off once a day - even if it’s just 5 to 10 minutes - to pause and do something to fill your jug. 

You can thank yourself later. 

Harjot Mann, MD

Mindset & Leadership Coach.