This month, I celebrate one year in business.  For many at this stage, this is just the beginning of caffeine-ridden days, constant chaos, and a never-ending cycle to stay afloat. For me, however, I have decided those days are gone.

You might think it’s because I am tired, which certainly is a factor. However, if there is one lesson I have learned from starting a business, it’s that the work is never ending; it doesn’t stop until you make it stop!

I will continue to work hard and put in the “entrepreneurial hours” but I am going to stop killing myself to get to the finish line and start enjoying my entrepreneurship a little. Let’s face it: being burnt-out won’t get me anywhere, either.

I can vaguely remember the days when we got the morning paper delivered to our door and took about 30 minutes to read through the past days’ events while sipping a cup of coffee.  Now, we’re checking our email, on our smart phone, while in a meeting in order to ‘get more done.’  We are connected 24 hours a day, watching our social media streams splurge with the latest updates.  We love the world of immediacy, but even I have to admit… it can take its toll.

Many of us are on information overload and a lot of it is our own doing. We need the newest, fastest, smartest, and most “up-to-date” of everything.  Although in its early phases, Google+ is an example. I have only played around on the new social network for a few hours, but, at this point, I feel like it’s too similar to Facebook and just one more log-in and network to manage (as if we didn’t have enough).  Now, before you plus users burn me effigy, I am not saying there aren’t some amazing things it can do. Maybe it’s even better than Facebook. But, do we really need more, more, more? We talk about building a relationship with our customers via social media but I wonder how much time we spend learning with what channel to communicate with them rather than serving them.

If you haven’t noticed the irony of this post yet, let me state it. Yes, I am a “social media person!” But, that doesn’t mean I forget the fundamentals of all of this: the people.   It’s essential to unplug, unwind, charge your battery, whatever it is you do and enjoy just ‘being.’ Heck, it might actually enhance your relationships.

As I celebrate my mini-milestone, I think of the over-quoted, but so credible words of Ferris Bueller: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”