5 Quick Fixes for Discouragement
“For the love of God, do not forget to resist constantly a displeasing frame of mind, and never cease to begin again at all times” (Venerable Bruno Lanteri).
So many things in building a business depend on us:
Communicating how we help people
Developing our core product
Networking
Sales
Scheduling
Content creation
Supply chain issues
Marketing
Delegating
And so much more!
Did I mention family, exercise, sleep, leisure, and the all-important prayer time to support all of these responsibilities?
Everyone Gets Discouraged
Sara Blakely, founder of SPANX, describes the entrepreneurial life as a roller coaster: On the upside, a huge new client! On the downside, life is hard—will it ever get better? Her advice:
It’s really important when you’re starting out as an entrepreneur to create a board of advisors that’s your support system. I’m talking about the people that make you feel good, that can give you the energy and the pep talks that you need. And know who they are. Write ’em on a piece of paper. I wrote down the four or five people in my life that make me feel the most confident, make me feel the best. And they didn’t even really know they were on my board of advisors, but they were. And they were the people when I was hitting the valleys, which happen often as an entrepreneur, the times I wanted to give up or the times that I thought I cannot do this anymore, I would pick up the phone and call them.
Help Is on the Way
We all need someone to help us fan the flames when we’re discouraged—when we feel like nothing is working out and our efforts are futile.
I just got off a call with a fellow coach and co-work buddy. She had texted me, “My mindset is in the toilet. I don’t want to bring you down, so it’s okay if you don’t want to meet with me today.”
My response: “Perfect! You can spend our co-work time climbing out of that hole.”
I suggested she try these five steps:
Put on something nice like you mean business. Then, ask God’s help to do His will.
Be aware that you’ve been hijacked by your brain’s limbic system, the “cave-woman” brain at the base of your skull that stores fearful memories and is always scanning for danger. Instead, move your thoughts to your front, “thinking brain” to intentionally turn discouraging thoughts (which are lies) into hopeful thoughts (which are the truth).
Pick one thing that has inspired you in the past, like notes from a class, a Scripture passage, a blog post, a webinar, or a video.
Let yourself be reinspired by that one thing. Journal the positive thoughts that come from it, and observe yourself moving from fearful to hopeful.
Write down one thing you’re inspired to do right now to move the needle in your business, no matter how small. Make sure it’s an action (lists and plans don’t count here) like checking in with a former customer to see how you can serve them today, checking in with a potential client to let them know you care, doing something scary you’ve been putting off, and breaking down a daunting goal into smaller parts and doing one of them.
At the end of our co-work time, my friend said, “I feel so much better. You should write your CWIB article on what you told me.”
One More Thing
Celebrate somehow: a mug of hot chocolate, a bubble bath, or a call to a friend to share your win.
Remember Your “Why”
It’s easy to forget that we’re in business because God has called us to it and that our core mission is to serve him and his people—and that he’s doing the heavy lifting.
You’ve heard of work/life balance. Let’s pray today for a God/me balance—and not try to take on the job of God Almighty, who alone can bring abundant fruit from our little efforts.
Rose Folsom helps Catholic women go from restless to resilient by guiding them to a closer connection with God – in a way that feels joyful and natural to them. Rose is a convert, Lay Dominican, and spiritual director who has helped over 9,000 Catholics have a deeper relationship with God in prayer. They come away with peace that the world cannot take away. Download Rose’s free 31-day prayer journal, “Bless You Daughter: Praying with Resilient Women of the Bible.”