When I decided to leave my corporate job and become an entrepreneur alongside my husband, friends told me I was brave.
Three years later, when I decided to return to corporate, I didn’t feel so brave anymore. I felt a lot of other things but was not brave.
A few years later, I felt like I had lost my mind when I decided to become an entrepreneur again.
My journey as an entrepreneur began over 13 years ago. Durning that time, I’ve experienced highs and lows and challenges and triumphs. I’ve had my good days, my good, and the days I want to quit, and others when I’m reminded why I keep doing it. Overall, running a business is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
When we start our journey, we are passionate, full of excitement and hope. But over time, these feelings wane. And you may find yourself no longer in love with your business.
Maybe this has happened to you. What do you do when this happens? Do you get a divorce? Do you stay but feel stuck and perhaps even resentful?
Or you may decide to fall back in love with your business.
The truth is that falling back in love with your business is something that you need to do regularly.
I remember that someone once told me that the first person you had to sell your product or service to each day was yourself. I didn’t understand this at the time, but I do now.
You must continuously fall in love with your business to keep the spark, the passion alive.
Let’s find out how.
Let’s look at seven ways to fall back in love with your business.
When you started, you had a purpose. There was the reason you were motivated to embark on the journey. Take some time to reconnect to your original vision. Your original why.
What inspired you to start this business and take this journey?
Once you reconnect with your original why, you can reignite your passion when you began or renew your sense of purpose.
Consider creating a vision board with things that represent your why. Include images of the things you want to achieve. Use this board every day to remind yourself of your why, your vision, and where you are heading.
Create a list of your values and make sure the business you are currently running is still aligned.
It’s easy to veer off when we are faced day in and day out with challenges. You start to make decisions, get advice from others and make changes in response. But if you don’t keep your values in mind when you make those changes, you may find yourself running a business that is no longer aligned.
If you discover you are no longer aligned, plan to revisit and readjust so you can realign.
I forgot some of my values or non-negotiables when I changed my business at the start of 2020. Then the pandemic hit, and I had to make new decisions fast. It wasn’t until the end of 2020 that I realized that the decisions I had to make because of the pandemic realigned me to values I didn’t consider as I made the initial changes in 2020. I’m thankful today that I was forced to realign.
We get frustrated with our business because we compare ourselves to others. We see them as doing better than we are or living a better life than us.
The truth is that we only ever see people’s highlight reels. We don’t see the challenges and struggles behind the scenes. We also don’t know the journey they have already traveled to get to where they are.
The bottom line is don’t compare yourself. Instead, use their success or perceived success to inspire you, use it as proof that it can be done, then turn your focus to your business and what you uniquely offer. Don’t use others to rob yourself of joy.
One big reason we fall out of love with our business is burnout. The overwhelm of the never-ending todo’s and all the hats we must wear is draining.
Often, we spend all our time in and on our business with little time for anything outside of our business.
I remember that when I first became an entrepreneur, my husband and I were ballroom dancers, but within months we gave it up because it seemed like we didn’t have time. We gave up a lot more before I started to resent my business.
To fall back in love, start to live your life again. Spend time on things you love to do with people you care about. Take care of yourself. Play and rest.
This means setting boundaries for work hours, delegating, or outsourcing some tasks so you can focus on those things you do best. Look for ways to automate or streamline your processes.
Consider that there are todo’s that are not necessary and eliminate them.
Once you find yourself doing things away from your business, you will likely find a renewed interest in your business and experience more energy and focus when working.
Are you feeling stuck? Restless?
Your unhappiness may have more to do with the lack of growth and progress.
It could be time to look for ways to grow your business and yourself.
Reassess your goals and look for new opportunities. Opportunities that will challenge and excite you. Look at new products/services, explore implementing new technology, or launch into a new market.
Alternatively, look at growing yourself. Invest in your personal growth. Consider doing a workshop, or course, or going to a conference. You will acquire new knowledge and skills that you are excited to learn and implement the new ideas into your business.
I find it energizing to learn new coaching techniques I can implement into my business through updated or new packages.
As entrepreneurs, we are terrible at celebrating our wins. We tend to look forward constantly. Look to the next goal, todo, or idea. But we don’t stop to celebrate what we have accomplished or how far we’ve come.
However, when we stop and recognize even the smallest wins, we can ignite a sense of accomplishment and motivate you to keep progressing.
I like to list the things I accomplished at the end of the day. I call them my wins. At the end of the week, it feels great when I can see all the things I got done.
It can be lonely being in business for yourself. Therefore, it is essential to surround yourself with like-minded people who can inspire you, support you, and are your cheerleaders.
A mastermind group can be a great way to keep your energy for your business high. At our mastermind group, we start by celebrating our wins. We also understand the challenges, hold space for each other, and offer guidance and advice when asked.
A coach is another way you can get support in your business. Someone who will listen and help light the way. A good coach will help you feel good about who you are, where you have come from, and where you are going. They will see you and help you remember why you are doing what you are doing.
Falling back in love with your business requires you to take some action. It means remembering why you started the business in the first place; it checks to see if you are still aligned, challenges you to set new goals, and learns new things. It also requires you to remember that your life is more than just your business.
Every entrepreneur needs support. Make sure you have some for yourself.
What will you do to fall back in love with your business?
The only way to do great work is to love what you do. Steve Jobs
The only way to do great work is to love what you do.
Let’s stay connected. I offer monthly tips to help you with productivity and self-leadership.
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