This Issue: Do you have the Entrepreneurial Blues?

Ever think about getting a regular job?

Yesterday my email stopped working properly. I got this message, which is enough to scare the bejeesus out of anyone who relies on EMAIL to do nearly all of her work.  

“Five of your accounts have connection failures.”  Apparently, I could receive email but none of my email outboxes were sending properly.  

What a pain in the butt!  It made it almost impossible to get anything done.  Each message I sent has to be resent, and then it landed in my outbox and I had to be checking constantly to see if the connection had been made and the outbox emptied. It was a terrible day.

Do you ever have technical problems that interfere with your ability to get stuff done?  I see your hand raised! You are not alone.  Everyone is raising their hands.  After all, we didn’t get into the entertaining business because we were all about The Tech.    

So what do you do when that happens?  When I worked in corporate, I used to complain to my secretary, and she would just call the IT department and some nerdly fellow would come to my office, push a bunch of buttons, restart my machine, and then all was right with the world!  Those were the days! 

But now?  I live alone, don’t know anyone in IT, and have to solve this problem all by myself.  It’s days like these that I wonder if being an entrepreneur managing my own business is worth it. 

Do you ever feel that way?  Do you ever feel like throwing in the towel and just getting a JOB?  A regular JOB? A job where someone can train you, supervise you so you don’t make any mistakes, provide you with resources from h.r., legal, IT, so you never again have to deal with email accounts that have connection failures.  

What is the best way of overcoming these horrific self-doubts?  How do you adjust your mindset, knuckle down, start working to get the problems solved, and then move on?  I don’t have all the answers, but I can share with you a tremendous article from someone who has also experienced the “Entrepreneurial Blues.” 

The excerpt below is reprinted with permission from Gretchen Fleener, an artist, author, book publisher, MOM, wife and online store owner.  Her words helped me when I wanted to throw in the towel yesterday, so I thought I would share them here.    

"It’s not your fault!

Cue “Good Will Hunting” quote! Your business may have come to a complete halt but remember...it is NOT your fault! The state of your business right now is not in any way a reflection of your passion, your hard work, your skill or your determination. 

It’s not forever!

For every zombie mother of an infant who thinks her sleep deprivation will NEVER end, there are at least 10 empty nesters saying, “cherish this time...it goes SO fast!” I know the phrase “this too shall pass” is not comforting in the trenches, but everything does eventually end, even pandemics, and while this feels SO long in the midst of it, when you look back it’s only going to be a small fraction of your time on this earth. So if you can just survive and wait it out, events WILL come back!

It’s okay to be down. 

Just try not to stay there. Even the most joyful and cheery of us can lose our motivation and happiness for a while. It’s important to remember that yes, even though there will always be people who have it SO much worse, you have every right to be sad and mourn your own losses. Heck, your pity party may be the only party you get to attend this year! Take a 5 hour nap, binge watch Netflix and wash down that pint of Ben & Jerry’s with a glass of wine if it makes you feel better for a little while...just be sure to re-focus on what makes you feel better in the LONG run. And do NOT hesitate to reach out for help if you are having trouble climbing out of that slump! It is a major sign of STRENGTH to seek & accept help when you need it, NOT weakness!

Do what makes you happy.

I am never at a loss of what to do with myself. My creative brain is full of a million project ideas at any given moment, and with a little more time on my hands I’ve allowed those crazy ideas to move to the front burner more often. Yes, even I’ve had some days where I’ve been too sad to even do what I love. I even signed up for the Inspiration to Paint group this month thinking regular painting would do the trick, and couldn’t even get past day two! But I always find myself eventually coming back around while doing something I enjoy or am good at. Whether it’s learning a new thing, or immersing yourself in an old passion, do whatever brings a smile to your face, and do it as often as you can! If you can find just a few moments of enjoyment and even one smile in every day, you can get through this! Plan to do at least one fun or relaxing thing for yourself every day. Having something to look forward to, big or small, is a key to happiness! Lord knows everything big we all had to look forward to was cancelled, so those small things are now taking on huge importance.

Do less of what doesn’t.

I’ve always made dinner for my family most week days, but with the entire family home 24/7 for the last 6 months I began to feel like I was stuck in a perpetual loop of cooking, feeding people, & cleaning up after them. I realized my boys are old enough to learn to cook and contribute to the family, and declared Tuesdays their night to make dinner. It’s been awesome! They are taking pride in their new skill, and I’m kicking up my feet to read while they cook for me! Next up: lunches! Start with just one thing you’d like to NOT have to do, and figure out how to NOT do it anymore! You’ll be amazed at how good it feels to control a little piece of your anxiety, even if you can’t fully control your business right now!

Focus on others.

I am always surprised at how much this really helps my mood when I’m down. When I’m helping others, not only is my focus turned away from my own problems, but using my time to do good makes me feel accomplished and selfishly fills me up too! Find a way to help out a friend in need. Volunteer at church or school. Offer to pick up and deliver groceries to someone who can’t get out. Sent hand-written cards to friends & family telling them how much they mean to you. I guarantee you’ll find yourself distracted from your problems!

Separate passion from profession.

Vincent Van Gogh said, “Your profession is not what brings home your weekly paycheck, your profession is what you’re put here on earth to do, with such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling.” The phrase “you aren’t your profession” doesn’t typically resonate with artists like us who have worked so hard to make our passion into our profession. But we need to remember that the only thing Covid has taken away, temporarily, is that paycheck. We may need to find a paycheck elsewhere in the meantime, but our passion, our talent, our years of honing skills, cannot be taken away by a pandemic. Don’t give up on your passion now when you need it most! If you’re getting down, it’s time to turn your focus from making clients happy to making yourself happy with your art. Your art may have lost it’s paycheck but not it’s powerful impact!"

Gretchen Fleener began face painting 25 years ago at a local amusement park for $4.25 per hour plus 10% of each $2 cheek art face she painted. Little did she know her schooling and career in Industrial Design would lead her back to running her own full time face and body art business! Gretchen is now the owner and operator of Paintertainment.com, an online retailer and source of tools, supplies and free instruction for face and body artists worldwide. In addition to running her shop, Gretchen acts as an entertainment agent in the Minneapolis area, has self published 7 face & body art books, is editor of Wet Paint magazine, creator of Step-it-Up Stencils, founder of the Glitter Glamper, and loves traveling the globe teaching workshops. You can find out more by visiting www.Paintertainment.com, and following her on Facebook @Paintertainmentdotcom, @GlitterGlamper, and @WetPaintMag.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Diane Spadola has 18 years of experience as a face painter and body artist. She founded Bella Faccia Painting after 16 years in corporate marketing and business development. Her specialty is coaching other artistic entertainers to grow their businesses and earn a full time income. To subscribe to Diane's free, weekly newsletter for artists and entertainers, “Brushing Up with Bella Faccia,” visit  www.accelerateyoursuccessprogram.com and grab her freebie.