Has your get up and go got up and gone?

I’ve read a few posts this week from business owners who have lost their mojo, their drive, or their sense of purpose. They are drifting, wondering if they are doing the right thing. They’ve lost the joy in their businesses and doubt whether they will ever find it again. Are these feelings you recognise? I certainly do.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my business and have as many ambitions for it now as I did when I took it over three and a half years ago. But am I the right person to drive it forward?

Why now?

For many of us the last two years have been a form of hell. Our lives and businesses have been challenged in ways we would never have anticipated pre Covid 19. We’ve flipped, we’ve pivoted, we’ve adapted, and we’ve found ways to keep going. We’ve had to draw deep in the well of resilience. Surely we should be reaping the benefits as restrictions ease and we are allowed to go back to ‘normal’?

But what is normal? Our lives have moved on since early 2020. Some of us have aged! Our children have grown, and some have moved on to the next stage of their lives. Many employers have adjusted their working arrangements. In my experience we are still working out what normal now means.

It’s no wonder then that many of us have hit the proverbial brick wall. It’s like adrenaline has kept us going for two years and now we’re coming down from the rush.

How to cope

How do we get over these challenges? I believe we need to be gentle with ourselves. Giving ourselves time and space will help. We should avoid rushing into decisions that we might regret.

Many of us have not had a proper holiday for two years or more. It’s easy to lose our sense of perspective when we are too close to the coal face. Taking a break from work over the long Jubilee weekend might give us a sense of perspective. Better still taking time off for a proper summer break should help. Time off will allow us to recharge our batteries and replenish the resilience well. It will also give us space to think and to breathe.

Time and space are important but so is support. That’s where your network comes in. Having people to talk to who can empathise with your feelings and provide you with a sounding board really helps. You’ll want people who know how to listen effectively. People who can suggest ideas you haven’t thought of. People who will challenge you to reach the best decision for you but who won’t impose their ideas on you. People who will give you the time you need.

Be careful when seeking support. When you are feeling down, or overwhelmed, lots of people will probably want to help. That can lead to confusion. Everyone will have their own opinion, probably all valid but not necessarily all helpful. Too many opinions just add to the overwhelm.

Decide how much support you want and how best you can get it. You might find another business owner understands your issues better than a family member. You might decide you need a coach, or you might prefer a mentor who has been there, done that and got the t-shirt. Or it may be that a mastermind or hotseat session will just get you going.

When you’ve decided what support you want and who you want it from then be really clear about what you need. Remember you are in the driving seat. You programme the satnav for the type of route you want, and you retain control.

There will always be options. We should avoid rushing into closing some of those options when we are overwhelmed, depressed or out of sorts. Keeping things ticking over until we have the space and energy to make a decision we won’t regret is probably the right thing to do just now.

I’m the eternal optimist and I believe that we will find our way forward. It may take some time and it may not be what we expect. In the meantime if you would like the support of fellow business owners we’d love to meet you at a Fabulous Networking meeting either in person (we’re back in Alton, Ealing, Farnham, Fleet, Guildford and soon Wokingham) or online. For more details visit https://fabulousnetworking.co.uk/events/ or message me.