by Brigette Mashile, founder of Roka Roko
I don’t work on Sundays. No wait, I don’t do anything on Sundays! And this seems to boggle a lot of minds. People have numerous reasons why I should see them on Sunday. It’s fascinating. I have thus far taught my body to refuse all when I wake, I can literally spend the entire day (10 hours) in bed reading, eating and watching things on the laptop. Lazy right? Yep, yep, yep. But I have my reasons - give me a chance to explain.
I work Monday to Saturday. Even if on the Saturday I am just seeing 1 client or 2; its work. The process of waking up, getting ready, eating at a specific time and going to the place of work alone while most people are nursing Friday night fun bodies is taxing. Notice that because I work on Saturday it means I need an early Friday night in. Saturdays are mostly very quiet with just me at the office park and my clients only. I love these days because we work under minimum pressure with so much freedom.
My work is mostly physical. I drive, actively shop for fabric, and do anything and everything the business needs; I do patterns standing; I stitch sitting; I do consultations with clients standing; etc. The only time I can sit is at home, on the couch. Oh how I look forward to that couch everyday, LOL! By the time I leave the studio, I am physically exhausted. But somehow I still force a 2km run and cooking supper. You see I AM super woman. Told ya!
I leave work mostly between 6pm and 8pm. Sounds ok for an entrepreneur? Well, if you think that I have been standing, sitting and consulting from 10 am to 8pm…. Imagine. I actually think I am abusing my body; I am trying to change I swear. It is so physically taxing. I am as good as a construction worker who digs pit toilet holes daily. Ok maybe not that extreme, but close!
After work on a Saturday I still have to go do things other people do on these days. These other people are called family and friends. So after work on some Saturdays I attend parties, lunches, brunches, or attend to some or other type of help needed by someone. All I am thinking while doing these is SLEEEEEP! I love them all, but really after fittings on a Saturday afternoon, I deserve a nap, no?
Finally, my body gets depleted. How do I know? I start making little silly mistakes on dresses; I start hating my phone, or I just feel like eating a burger constantly. This is my body telling me STOP. If I don’t listen, it’s a flu next. My body is one that has such instant feedback; it does not take long for it to tell me I am now treading on thin ice. And I learned a long time ago to listen to the body.
I receive so many “can I see you on Sunday” messages. And I have finally conjured up the confidence to simply say, ‘NO”. On Sunday we are selfish so that we can be selfless Monday to Saturday. We are like cars when they go to get serviced. It is only natural to need to refill yourself after depletion. Pick a day in the week and intentionally do nothing on that day. I mean nothing. I mean only waking up to go to the kitchen for food and to the loo. ONLY! So far it has worked wonders for my body and brain.
Brigette Mashile is the founder and creative force behind Roka Roko, a custom fashion design business based in Johannesburg, South Africa. The company passionately delivers quality tailored and trendy fashion to make their customers happy, and specializes in styling women by creating unusual combinations with fabric, culture and style. Brigette has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Witwatersrand and a Fashion Diploma from Studio5 School of Fashion. She’s a former fashion buyer for a major retailer in South Africa, and an international direct selling company. She’s been passionate about fashion since the age of 10 and gained invaluable experience in the fashion world running informal fashion creation businesses until the day her own Roka Roko brand was born. Find out more by visiting the Roka Roko website www.rokaroko.co.za
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