Being an entrepreneur is not easy and sometimes you need to find ways to fall back in love with your business when you’ve lost your mojo. When we love what we are doing everything seems easier because our actions come from a higher vibrational place. You’ve heard the saying, “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.”
But what do you do when you’re in a funk and you’re not “feeling the love” for your business? First off, don’t get down on yourself. It happens. We can get so caught up in all the unpleasant busy work that has to get done, that we can get overwhelmed, feel confused, frustrated, and even angry at times and wonder, what are we doing?
Think of it this way. Being in business is like being in a relationship. You were brought together for a reason. You said “yes” to the business you’re in and no to all the other options. You’ve experienced periods where you were ecstatic with your work. So you know you can love the business you’re in. But like any relationship, it’s going to have its ups and downs.
To fall back in love with your business when you’ve hit a bump in the road you might have to be intentional about it and take specific actions. You might have to do things to help you combat some negative thoughts such as:
I’m not as good as my competitors
Maybe this business was a mistake for me to go into.
There’s too many facets to running this business and I’m feeling overwhelmed.
I’m a fraud and I’m not fooling anyone.
I’m so exhausted! I can never seem to catch up.
I’m frustrated that success is taking so long.
Your Business is Like One of Your Children
For all of you reading this who are parents, then I want you to consider this: Your business is an extension of who you are and you could almost think of it just like one of your children. Remember how you felt when you became a parent for the first time? You could take all those thoughts I just listed and say that is how you felt at times being a parent. Didn’t you feel periods of ineptness? Overwhelm? Frustration? Not good enough? Exhaustion?
Your business is your baby. And there are going to be times that you’re going to feel like it’s too much. Nothing is easy. Everything is a chore. You try to do it all and you feel like you’re failing. And when this happens negative thoughts creep in. I’m here to tell you that whenever you have all those negative thoughts and emotions about your work, it’s perfectly normal. It’s part of being in a relationship together. There are times it’s going to feel like it’s more than you can handle. You might actually hate it some days. That doesn’t mean you can’t fall back in love with your business. It just might take some work to get there.
So when you go through one of these downturns in your business and you’re just not “feeling it” right now, what do you do?
You turn to the power of love, that’s what you do.
When you open yourself up to love then everything is possible. Love is one of the highest vibrational feelings we can experience. When we are immersed in love then we put ourselves in a state where the magic happens. Magical moments are like the spark plug that sets everything into motion. Sometimes all it takes is one magical moment to fall back in love with your business to get your enthusiasm back.
So here are some suggestions to get that lovin feeling back. I’m loosely using the 5 love languages illustrated in Gary Chapman’s book The 5 Love Languages.
Words of Praise
There is nothing that reignites our excitement more than words of praise. When someone tells us what a good job we’re doing, how much they appreciate our service or our product it just gives us a warm fuzzy feeling inside. So start a file or a notebook that is a place where you can keep these special words of acknowledgment. When you get down on yourself open up the file or notebook and read some of these heart felt testimonies.
If you don’t have any “thank you cards” or testimonies yet, then periodically write a thank you card or letter to yourself. In these cards remind yourself how far you’ve already come. Write a “remember when” statement where you recollect who you were earlier in your business. Remind yourself how much you have grown and changed.
Write an “I love my business because…” card to yourself and post it at your desk where you see it everyday.
Another thing you can do is make a focus wheel. Draw a circle on a piece of paper and in the middle of it write a goal you have in your business. Then all around that goal, either in lines likes spokes on a wheel or just all over the paper, write down all the things you’ve done so far that are helping you reach that goal. You may not be there yet. But you’ve made progress and sometimes we have to look back at how far we have come.
Quality Time
Sometimes just spending a little quality time with our business can light a fire under us and help us fall back in love. This could be as simple as reading a motivational book, doing some EFT (tapping) on negative emotions you’re feeling, or writing down your goals. It’s proven that writing down goals, whether they are short or long term, helps us be more focused, intentional, and productive. And who doesn’t love being productive?
You could also take some time to listen to a TED talk or podcast from someone in your field. You could spend a few minutes journaling the feelings that are coming up for you. When we put our frustrations and other negative emotions down on paper it’s a way to get them out of our head and heart so we no longer have to dwell on them.
Another way to spend time with your business is to consider a problem that has been upsetting you and take time to brainstorm for some solutions. One great way to brainstorm is to go for a walk and openly have a conversation with yourself. The mere act of physically moving forward helps you to feel like you’re making progress. You can also do this on paper as you write out your questions and answers. Here are some questions to consider:
How can I look at this problem from a different perspective?
What limiting beliefs do I have that are holding me back from reaching a solution?
Who do I know that I could reach out to who could help me with this problem?
What resource or information have I overlooked that could help me right now?
Another way to spend time with your business and fall back in love with it is by taking time to clean out the clutter. Clutter sucks our energy and bogs us down. Clean off your desk. Organize your email inbox. Clean out a drawer or a file cabinet. Go through digital files and trash what you no longer need. Sometimes just doing some behind the scenes cleaning can energize you both physically and mentally.
Invest in your business
This suggestion requires you to spend some money but it doesn’t have to be a lot or on big ticket item like a new computer. It could just be a new computer bag or phone case or a cell phone grip. How about investing in new marketing material such as new business cards or promotional products? You could invest in digital products that help your business run smoother such as financial software programs, new CRM program, or an automated communication program. When you invest in things for your business it reinforces your commitment to your business. It tells the world that you love your business and are proud to take care of it. Investing is an act of love and no gift is too small when it helps you do things easier, faster and more efficiently.
Acts of Service
One of the best ways to fall back in love with your business is when you turn it into an act of serving others and offer something for free. It becomes not about the money but about how your business can help others. You can also reward old customers/clients with specials that are just for them. Take on leadership roles or volunteer positions at networking business organizations. Sign up to be a speaker at these groups. Post comments on social media groups you belong to that support and recognize other members. Find ways to be of service to others and look for opportunities to give referrals and connect people with solutions to their problems. Adopt a non-profit that aligns with your business (or personal) mission and donate your time or percentage of your profits
Connect with other businesses
Reach out and connect with other businesses that you’ve already been doing business with, such as your local cleaner, hairdresser or coffee shop and see if there is a place to leave your business card. Or just ask them if they know anyone who would be interested in your product/service. Create joint ventures or partnerships where you can collaborate with other related businesses. Join a mastermind group. Offer to barter your product/service.
Reach out and connect with someone who you haven’t spoken to in a long time and send them a “thinking of you” card. Ask someone to have coffee for a one on one meeting to find ways how you can support one another. Create “positivity cards” which have an uplifting quote on one side and your QR code on the other. Leave them everywhere you go, i.e. restaurant tables, public bathrooms, check out counters, or bulletin boards. This is an easy way to leave your special touch wherever you go.
Being in business for yourself is complicated
Being in business for yourself is complicated. It’s a lonely, rewarding, exhausting and fulfilling proposition. Just like any relationship you will experience highs and lows. Enjoy the highs and those times when you are absolutely, positively “in love” with your business. When you hit a low point, don’t get too dishearten. Just a few simple actions can help you fall back in love with your business and create momentum that will lead to success.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the writer and do not necessarily represent those of The We Spot, its employees, sponsors, or affiliates.
