Starting out in business is an exciting time, you go in with a burning desire to succeed but as time goes by the reality of business can starve you of oxygen and cause burn out.
Running a business certainly has its advantages but maintaining passion and enthusiasm in business over time can be a challenge. It’s a lonely place with responsibility always starting and ending with you, with nobody to pat you on the back when you’ve done a great job or support you when times are tough, It’s no wonder 50 per cent of small businesses don’t last more than three years and nearly 70 per cent not more than 10 years.
There are two sides to every business with equal positives and negatives. Losing drive and enthusiasm creates the need for external motivation which overrides internal inspiration. Your current mindset of difficulty and hardship overtakes the enthusiasm you once felt.
But… There are many ways you can beat the business blues and rediscover your passion.
Five tips for beating the business blues
1. Know your why
Why did you go into business? – until you rediscover why it was so important to you the how to fix it will elude you.
Go back to the beginning and ask yourself, WHY did you choose this business? Once you reconnect with why the how becomes an inside job.
Stop trying to find solutions if you really want to reenergise yourself to find the lost passion, you’ll never find it focusing on problems.
2. Practice the attitude of gratitude
Focus on everything you like about the business rather than aspects you don’t like – the more focus on the difficulties, the more difficulties you notice. A powerful way to re-activate gratitude is to write every single aspect you are grateful for about your business and working for yourself, at least 50-100. The exercise has more impact when you write: handwriting forces you to slow down and see the big picture triggering creativity: It is proven to give you better memory recall and problem-solving skills.
3. Who are your customers and how to better serve them?
Shift your energy towards the customer. What can you do to make their experience better? The more you give the more you get back. When times are tough focusing on problems with money, motivation, staff, bills – all create extra stress. Think about your customer and how they benefit from your business.
4. What were your original goals? What are your new goals?
What would you like most to achieve? Write every day before work the three most inspired actions, you can take today which will help you achieve your daily goals – it’s important to set realistic daily goals to build your self-worth and the worth of your business. And tick off every task and goal – set longer term goals at the end of month that are obtainable and achievable.
5. Affirm your appreciation
Everyday spend a few moments to reflect and write all the things you appreciated for the day. The more things you find to appreciate the more appreciation you’ll have and the quicker you’ll change your attitude.
The difference between a successful business and a business which is struggling is frequently linked to the mindset of the leader. If you start making positive changes in your mentality and actions, you can change paradigms to achieve the desired outcome within your business.
Follow these steps and watch your business begin to show signs of improvement.
Louanne Ward, Relationship Strategist, Writer and Motivational Speaker
