As entrepreneurs, we know what it’s like to spend a majority of our days doing things in an effort to push our businesses forward. Whether it’s coming up with ways to get new customers, creating new services and products to offer, or any other task that requires high energy and a lot of drive, the reality is that going this way day in and day out can be exhausting. And it can leave you trying to push when you feel like you’ve got no push left.
So what can you do if you’re stuck in an I-can’t-push-anymore slump and you really want to get out versus giving up on your hard work and dreams all together? Fortunately there are some options.
Remember That Sometimes Slumps Are Necessary
I liken this to how an addict typically has to hit rock bottom in order to advance upward. Sometimes you just can’t progress until you get so low that the only way to go is up. Plus, this is often where great ideas are born, which makes it easier to accept these types of times, as you know that they are necessary in order to put you right where you need to be in order to move forward.
Perhaps Marc & Angel Hack Life describe it best when they say that, “Sometimes things must change so you can change. Sometimes you must break a little so you can get a peek inside to see what an awesome powerhouse you are. Sometimes mistakes must be made so wisdom can be earned. Sometimes you must overcome heartache so you can begin to follow your heart again.” Exactly.
Give Yourself a Break
If you’ve been doing nothing but pushing, pushing, pushing, then a little break may be all you need to recharge your batteries and find your lost energy yet again. That makes this a perfect time to take that vacation you’ve been wanting to take, or to go somewhere you’ve never been (even if it’s only a few miles down the road) to experience something new. This strategy works especially well if your lack of drive is due primarily to boredom with performing the same actions over and over again or frustration from putting in long days only to feel like you can’t get ahead. So give yourself some down time and it might be enough to get you back on track.
Do Something Inspiring
When you feel like your shoes are filled with cement and every step is a struggle, it often helps to get inspired, as this has a way of immediately turning the cement into feathers, tremendously lightening your load. One option suggested in a post on Impossible.com is to “watch someone do something impossible.” Essentially, by reminding yourself that others have accomplished major feats, it can give you the push you need to keep working toward achieving your own impossible-feeling feat. Not sure where to find someone doing something amazing? Here are some YouTube videos of people doing impossible things. Watch a few of them and prepare to be inspired.
Remind Yourself of Your “Why”
This is one I use when I feel my energy lagging, so I know that it works. All you have to do is take a moment to reflect on why it is you’re working so hard to push ahead. Simply getting back in touch with what drives you to want to move forward, the whole reason you opened your own business to begin with, has a way of helping you through when all you really want to do is quit. Are you doing it to give your family a better life? To help save your community? To be able to donate more to charity? To help make someone else’s life better, happier, or easier? Let that energy, that vision, drive you when you don’t seem to have the energy to drive yourself.
These are some options to consider, but if you have your own strategies to help you through those I-don’t-want-to-play-anymore slumps, please share them below. I and other small business owners may be able to use them to help us out when we need them…which may give you more push too!
I’m always interested in learning other small business owners’ thoughts on relevant topics and issues, so if you have a comment or unique article idea, feel free to contact me at [email protected] (put “Businessing Magazine” in the subject line, please). If I use it, it’s a free link to your website!
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