PP 191: I Resigned from My Role as Firefighter

I have an announcement.

Effective the day of the this recording, I am officially resigning from my role as firefighter.

Do you ever feel like you’re chasing other people’s emergencies and putting out their fires rather than addressing your own, or you are responding to every single text message and email immediately for fear that the world will go up in flames if you don’t?

Well, it’s time to step out of that firefighter role.

I Resigned from My Role as Firefighter

We did not get into our jobs into our lives into our small businesses to play the role of firefighter. This may not apply if you’re a doula or a midwife, any type of caregiver or even an insurance salesperson who has to be on call for clients who have emergencies. But for most service providers, I know we often get those emergency or urgent or important emails, obscure times of day and our clients feel like we need to respond to them immediately.

This should not be happening when we’re having those initial interviews with prospective clients, and I say interview because it should not just be the client interviewing us, but it should also be us interviewing the client. We should be setting up a protocol and a standard for what our operating hours are, and how to get in touch with us in the case of a true emergency.

I Resigned from My Role as Firefighter

As an Infusionsoft Certified Partner, and as a digital marketer, I know things don’t always go as planned, so I know that when the client is in the middle of a launch, I need to keep an eye out. But for the rest of the time, there shouldn’t really be emergencies. I do check my email, in the evening and on weekends, but if it becomes a regular occurrence, so with a client that they constantly have an emergency, or that something is always important, then there’s an issue.

I did not set up my business to be dealing with emergencies because I want to be able to cater to the needs of my family and also to my own needs.

I Resigned from My Role as Firefighter

If you’re finding yourself in the firefighter role, then I want you to definitely take a look at what’s going on. start setting up boundaries from your clients, and if you find that difficult to express in person, then just slowly start stepping away. You do not need to respond to every email or Skype message or text message immediately unless that is something that was specifically discussed in your initial interview.

You give yourself the space to breathe and live and really enjoy life. Resign from your firefighter role. Trust me it will be worth it in the long run. Now with this said, go forth and make it a positive and productive day.