Five Rules For Life: Patricia Santos, Co-Founder Of Volition Beauty

In this installment of Five Rules For Life, Patricia Santos, Co-Founder of Volition Beauty (on the left) shares her non-negotiables. Here they are, in her words.

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1. Know when to dress up (and dress down).

Professionalism is a must, but from time to time, I just want to wear my yoga pants and hair in a banana clip and there’s nothing wrong with that. On those days, making one less decision (what to wear) seriously helps me save my brain power for much more important tasks and my day in the office is exponentially more productive. Give yourself a break every once in a while and don’t beat yourself up over it.

2. Be scrappy. 

I was scrappy before starting my own company, but after the experience, it’s definitely amplified itself. We’re not a huge company with a huge budget (yet) but that doesn’t mean we can’t do just as much as they can. With the right attitude and commitment, we can accomplish all we aim to accomplish.

3. Keep your inbox at 0.

I’m the biggest advocate for sorting and deleting emails from my inbox. Seriously, this is my biggest piece of advice for keeping organized and on top. I can’t go to bed if my inbox is not clear because it’s a sign that I procrastinated and didn’t move the ball forward. It’s never too late to start! You’ll thank me for this, I promise.

4. Find a balance.

Sometimes I check my email at 4 in the morning and sometimes I take my team out for happy hour at 4 in the afternoon. It’s called balance, right? Being a workaholic takes a toll on your mental and physical health so taking time to cuddle with my dog (and kids) after a long day helps me recharge and bring back my focus.

5. Don’t take yourself too seriously.

Yes, having a professional demeanor in the workplace is always recommended. But at the same time, having a healthy sense of humor has also gotten me a long way in my career and in life! We all do embarrassing things or make mistakes (it’s inevitable), so being able to laugh or brush it off helps me to get over the problem and get to the solution. Plus, it makes work and life more fun. Work is stressful already, it becomes too much of a grind if you aren’t having a good time!

Thanks, Patricia! Stay tuned for more installments of Five Rules.

 “Five Rules,” is a series on Rouge18 in which I ask others to share their five rules for life about anything and everything. You can learn a lot about a person by reading which five things govern their actions, no? 

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