Are you feeling like you're supporting everyone else's dreams or business and no one is supporting yours?
This leads to feelings of overwhelm and frustration and it's what one person emailed me about and said "I had an emotional breakdown and was strongly thinking about closing my business." If you're in that spot, I want to share 5 messages with you today to help you navigate the very real feelings that are happening.
I received this email in response to this article on burnout with Dr. Sharon Grossman.
Original Message:
"Thank you for this email and the resources on your website because it saved my business. I had an emotional breakdown last night and was strongly thinking about closing my business down because I wasn't making any money yet and I was tired of supporting other's businesses and no one was supporting mine. Again thanks"
**This was also a podcast episode (episode #190. Use the player below if you'd prefer to listen to this message.
5 Reminders When It Feels Like Nothing Is Working In Your Small Business
You're not alone, this is part of entrepreneurship
I'm so sorry to hear that you're in this tough spot of entrepreneurship.
Please know that you're not alone. I know that doesn't make it better immediately but often times it's helpful to know that you're not the only one feeling this. This is part of being an entrepreneur but it's the really tough part of it. People often say "if it was easy, everyone would do it" and that's the case with entrepreneurship.
You're going against the grain, making your own path and that's tough. It's like stepping off the walking trail and creating a brand new path for yourself. You'll have to cut down limbs, clear the path and likely get cuts and scraps along the way. It's new so it's hard and we all go through this.
No matter what you think someone else's experience is, you're not seeing the full picture so please know that it was hard for them too.
*If you're feeling super alone in business, having support of a coach is a great option. If I feel like a good coach for you, check out my coaching options >> HERE.
This Feeling Sucks But It Won't Last Forever
Here's the part that's super annoying to hear when you're in the middle of something hard. It won't last forever and you'll look back later and know it was for a reason. I'm certainly not trying to say that you need to think that now but what I want you to remember is that it won't last forever.
Find comfort in knowing that the feelings you have a real and justified but they won't last forever. The sun will set today and rise tomorrow and eventually this will get better.
Pause and step away from the day-to-day
When things feel like they are falling apart, you'll likely want to double down on business work and tackle it all at first. But a better thing to do is to step away from the day-to-day tasks in business and do something that will help you relax and get a new perspective.
Take a walk
Talk to a friend or biz bestie
Take a few days off
Pause things in your business for a period of time
Delete social media apps
Unsubscribe from email lists
The key is to step back and pause from business related tasks and consuming content that is aiding in the feeling of "everything is sucking".
Most of the time we are looking at other people's business and that leads us to thinking negatively about our own. In this moment it's important to pause the consumption of other people's content and focus on our own mental health as well as our business health.
Come back to your WHY for entrepreneurship, not passion but WHY
I would ask you -- WHY do you want to be an entrepreneur? Not what is your passion. Not what do you help others with. Why do you truly want to be an entrepreneur?
I'll share my WHY so you can see what I mean. My WHY is that I want to be in control of when I work, who I work with and what I work on. It's this deep down WHY that allows me to push through the tough days when nothing is working because my WHY is stronger than the resistance I'm up against. I want this for you too.
Why do you want to be an entrepreneur? Take some time to actually think about the answer to this question and be sure to be very honest with yourself. The answer is just for you and you don't have to share it with anyone else.
Once the sting goes away, identify the lesson learned through the hardship
After the fog clears and you're not in a place of feeling like everything is falling apart in your business, ask yourself "what was the lesson in this?"
I can look back to the times when I've thought "is this working? is this worth it? can I make this work?" and it's often that it was right before a positive shift happened in my business. I don't think that's because of chance, I know it's because the doubt and uncertainty fueled my fire.
It's often during these times that after I stepped away, I realized what needed to happen next and I made a change in my business for the better. But it's only because I was able to ask myself "what was the lesson in this".
We all go through hard things in our business but it's those who always look for the lesson that are able to use the tough stuff to help build the business.
Take Away Message / Action
Step through these 5 reminders if you're feeling like it's all crumbling. And if you're lucky to be in a place where things aren't crumbling right now, save this for when you hit the point because we all hit it many times.
Remember that you've got this. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Know that you've got this and you do have support. I believe in you and I know this moment will be one you look back on and say it helped you decide on your next steps to building the life of your dreams. But I also know this is unbelievably hard right now.
So be sure to give yourself permission to pause as you navigate the hard parts of entrepreneurship and lots of grace along the way. I'll talk to you soon.
My current coaching options can be found >> HERE. But even if I'm not the coach for you, find your coach to help you push through the fear and take action.
"You are not alone. The feeling is awful but won't last forever. Find the support you need. Remember your why. But most importantly, pause from the day-to-day before making an emotional decision."
- Amanda McKinney
Looking For More Support
If you're feeling stuck, dealing with self doubt and have realized you aren't taking action, I'd love to help you.
Check out my current coaching options available so I can support you in the way you need.