How to Overcome Slumps and Rekindle Your Business Passion
Do you find yourself disengaged from your business that once got your blood pumping? You’re not alone. Many entrepreneurs who were once incredibly passionate about their business enterprise, find themselves miserably disenchanted with their now mundane routines. Being your own boss was exciting in the beginning, but not so much anymore. Or maybe your business hasn’t been running like you planned. A financial upset can easily make a once enthusiastic business owner disappointed with how things have turned out.
When you are in the midst of a slump, getting out seems impossible. But the most successful entrepreneurs are the ones who persist and persevere through their slumps. Even when their passion fades, they find a way to rekindle it again. Here are some suggestions to help you do just that:
Take on New Opportunities
One of the elements that made starting a new business so exhilarating was the excitement of doing something you had never done before. If you find yourself struggling to be excited, look for opportunities to take outside your comfort zone, or do something you wouldn’t normally do. This can be as simple as getting to know a new coworker or rearranging your office. Or it can be as big as partnering with another business for a promotional campaign. Find an opportunity that excites you again.
But Eliminate Time-Fillers
Taking on too many new opportunities may leave you feeling overwhelmed rather than invigorated about your business. Evaluate which of your tasks are just busy work and which are helping move your business forward. The more valuable tasks are going to be the ones that get you excited and get you out of your slump.
Create an Updated Business Plan
When you first started your company, your passion was your purpose. But without that spark, you may feel like your business has no direction. One way to find meaning again is to go back to the basics and write out a business plan, or update one you already have. Doing this can redirect your focus and take you back to what your drive was in the first place. It never hurts to have a little reminder.
Don’t Throw a Pity Party
Clinging to a “woe is me” attitude isn’t going to help you to climb out of your slump. We appreciate when others sympathize with our struggles and offer their support. However, this doesn’t help fix the problem, but keeps us stagnant.
Don’t look for pity, “look for solutions.” If you choose to stay the victim, then you are making the choice to stay in your slump. Take a proactive approach and choose instead to look for ways to get out of your slump.
Look Around You
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When times are tough, we fall into a habit of only seeing the bad in our lives and in the world around us. Listening to the news and catching up on current events doesn’t help us either.
Some of the best advice we have on this is from the young Anne Frank. Noted for her unyielding optimism and wisdom beyond her years, Anne did not see eye to eye with her mother on how to act “in the face of melancholy.” Her mother’s advice was to think of how much the world was suffering to put your own worries into perspective. But Anne disagreed. She said, “I don’t think Mother’s advice can be right, because what are you supposed to do if you become part of the suffering?” Instead, Anne offers her own advice: “Think of all the beauty in yourself and in everything around you and be happy.” The bad will always be there if you are looking for it. So choose to look for the good instead.
Being caught in a slump doesn’t mean that you or your business are failing. What you choose to do from here on out is what matters. Make the changes you need to get out of your slump, and remember to always stay focused on your priorities and goals that give you life, purpose and meaning.