I just got back from a week-long vacation (to Boulder, Colorado and Santa Fe, New Mexico – it was freaking magical) and have been in a very slow-moving state this week. Like, feeling like my feet are moving through molasses. I haven’t been inspired to write my normal cheery emails. I haven’t been inspired to come up with amazing new programs. And I’ll I’ve wanted to do is sit outside in the beautiful spring air and watch the bees pollinate the flowers.
Hence, this blog post. Because people need to KNOW that nobody is fired up 100% of the time. Nobody is “on” all of the time. (Um, not that people actually think I’m “on” all of the time, but still.) I think we ALL have those moments where we want to burn the whole business down and just hang out with the daisies. But before you throw your entire business into the trash, you might consider one of these ideas in order to see if, perhaps, your business doesn’t need to be completely trashed.
- Know that this is normal. Every entrepreneur in the universe has these moments. Yes, every single one. Or, at least, every single one that I’ve ever known, heard speak, heard on a podcast, follow online, etc. So, please know this: you are normal.
And having “down times” is normal. Just like there are cycles in nature of sowing and then reaping, we gorgeous humans also have cycles. So your fallow cycle may actually just be a time that the seeds you have planted are taking root and burrowing deep within the ground. Rest in that knowledge for a little while and, even though it might feel like the darkest night, know that morning IS coming.
- Take a break. Maybe it’s time for some rest or a vacation. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and mojo-less, it could be simply time for a vacation and/or some unscheduled time. For me, if I have too many things on my calendar in a day or a week, without feeling like there is enough “dream-time”, then I start to feel antsy. (And, I know this isn’t a world-rocking revelation, but it’s still something to check in around for yourself. Do you just need a break, baby girl?)
- Stop doing the stuff that really drains you. Maybe it’s time to let go of some more of that ole energy shiz-nit. You know, the people-pleasing, the over-giving, the “I have to do this because they’re paying me” kind of stuff. Where are you still believing that you have are not allowed to push back, or say no, or simply just no longer DO that stuff that drains you? This might be a case where you need to seriously uplevvel your energetic boundaries with clients, friends, family, team, or vendors. Where have you allowed other people’s needs and desires to trump yours?
- Determine if you’re being called to something new. Maybe the lack of mojo is because you’re being called to move in a new direction, whether that’s a new sort of client you’ve been wanting to work with, or that new program or service you know in your heart you’re supposed to be launching, or that new direction entirely you’ve been avoiding, even though your soul is calling out for you to run, run, run in that direction. Well, yeah, if those things are tugging at you, it’s going to be really hard to show up for the old kind of clients, the old kind of program, the old stuff…when something new and beautiful is trying to emerge. Listen, it’s really hard to make space for that stuff to come forth when you’re still clinging to the old. Even if (or pheraps especially if) the old stuff is making you great money. I mean, that security IS hard to let go of, but if you know there’s something else out there that you’re supposed to be doing or shifting into, then how can you slowly start to step onto that path today. You don’t have to completely burn the old stuff (the business, the client avatar, the membership, the programs), or at least, not yet. But start to take a step into the direction of the new, whatever that means for you.
- Maybe it’s time to raise your prices. Sometimes, I don’t feel called to keep doing a program or even to offer my 1:1 programs when I know that even just one more client is going to make me feel frazzled and overwhelmed. And so, my subconscious just goes into “chill” mode, and I stop doing the things that will move me forward in my business. This can sometimes be a sign that it’s time to raise my prices. So, check in with yourself here: if you doubled your price on your program or service, would that make you excited to share it with the world? (This may or may not be the answer.)
- Get more support. Okay, again, this one is maybe not revolutionary, but sometimes the lack of mojo is simply a sign that it’s time to uplevel your support game: the boring drudgery of stuff that it takes to run a business (or household) can contribute to “lack of mojo-ness”, and so we just want to head for the hills (or, the backyard). Which means…yeah, maybe time to have someone else do that task. You are the visionary of your company, not the worker bee. How can you be the visionary, though, if you’re pouring over spreadsheets or spending hours on Canva, trying to get that graphic “just right”? You can’t. You have to spend even more time in your creative flow mode, and that means (yes) handing over more pieces of the puzzle to others.
Do something totally outside of your comfort zone. Do something that has nothing to do with your business at all, but you’ve always wanted to try. Maybe that’s a new Zumba class, or making a sculpture, or cooking a new food. Using a different part of your brain is going to wake up all of those little creativity sprites in your brain (okay, not their scientific name) and allow you to see where you could introduce more creativity into your current business. (See above: you’re the creatrix, not the worker bee, so we have to ensure that you’re getting as much creative-juice time as possible!)
