Sometimes people don’t want to talk about it, but if you are growing a small business you are going to have discouraging days. And, yes, I’m having one of those days, and that’s the reason I’m writing this post. I’m going to share it here to get it out of my system, and also hopefully help anyone else who is having a discouraging day with their business. If today isn’t a discouraging day for you, perhaps you can keep the following short list of trigger actions to help you next time you do have a discouraging day. Also, if you have any additional suggestions, you could share them here to help all of us!
The most damaging part of discouraging days is the potential for “spiraling down”, so the following three things are designed to stop the drop and keep you moving in the right direction, even if ever so slightly. If you make a deal with yourself to do these things, you will keep yourself gently afloat until the small successes inspire you to go full speed ahead again.
1. Do one thing to take care of yourself. As Stephen Covey and others put it, you are your own golden goose. If you don’t take care of the goose (you), you won’t have any potential at all for golden eggs. This can be as simple as putting on makeup even if no one will see you, walking around the block, eating a good meal, blocking out nine hours to sleep, taking a shower or fixing a cup of coffee your way. Or you might do something slightly more substantial, such as signing up for a course you’ve been meaning to take or scheduling lunch with a colleague. Be careful not to allow damaging self-indulgence or addictions to masquerade as “taking care of yourself.” Let your brain govern your choice more than your heart or impulses.
2. Make a tiny plan for your business. Start small, so there’s no chance of failing. What small step can you take to move in a forward direction? File a small stack of papers, clean your desk, schedule a brainstorming session with yourself or others to begin thinking about a new product, call the accountant to schedule a training session about your new accounting software or move the furniture in your office. Or go a little bigger–but not too big. You don’t want to pile “overwhelming” onto “discouraging”! Attend a chamber of commerce meeting, place an ad in the paper, call a meeting of your advisory board or clean out a new storage room. If you can, choose something physical and avoid spending very much money, which only adds stress.
3. Do something for someone else. It’s true what they say about “getting out of yourself” to help fight off depression and discouragement. Other people need us, and everyone has things to give. The fact that we are needed can be inspiring and the act of giving somehow breaks the shell of indecision, depression, discouragement and other destructive moods that trap us in negative thought cycles. Again, don’t do anything big at first on a discouraging day. Do something small and meaningful. Call an elderly relative just to see how he or she is doing, take groceries to them, send a check to your favorite charity or arrange an automatic monthly contribution, sign up an employee for a professional development course he or she has been wanting to take or go down to the soup kitchen to serve.
Those three things never fail me, and I also reach out spiritually in my own way to something greater than me. Don’t discount the power of that. Once you do these three things, you will automatically feel the movement of your business in the right direction, and discouragement hates that. You can discourage your discouragement and get moving toward better days.
