Looking for Inspiration?
As a business owner, there are days when everything seems to be happening but nothing seems to be changing. Are you feeling stagnant? Overwhelmed? Uninspired? Here are some of the things I do to keep myself moving forward on the days when I’d rather just stay in bed with a good cup of coffee because things are “good enough”. I don’t want to be “good enough”, though. I want to be awesome. Sometimes my inner demons tell me that’s not going to be possible, for any number of reasons. They can get loud. Does that happen to you? Here’s how I shut those demons up.
1. I read books.
The two I have most enjoyed this year are:
ReInvent Yourself, by James Altucher
Fair warning, if you’re going to read Reinvent Yourself, you’re also going to have to watch 8 Mile and listen to some Eminem. He’s not touring this year, by the way – if you want to see Eminem in concert you’ll have to go to Reading, Leeds or Glasgow. He’s headlining music festivals there. That was a rabbit hole I didn’t plan to go down…but I really have a new appreciation for Eminem!
2. I talk to other entrepreneurs.
Sometimes I talk to people I know. Sometimes I go through my LinkedIn network and call people I’ve never spoken to.
Sometimes I rifle through the pile of business cards on my desk from the shows I attended last year. Lacking the get up and go you need today to make your business better? Worried about how you’re going to solve a problem? Talk to other people. Isolation breeds depression. Nobody talks about it much, but entrepreneurship can be scary and isolating. Left unchecked you can spiral to very dark places. Feeling overwhelmed? Start talking to other people. Don’t wait. Find your tribe, then lean on them. Who knows? Maybe your quick call is the boost that person needs in their life today. I have met some of my very best friends and biggest champions by reaching out to people on Twitter who inspire me! (Ahem, Jodi, Katherine, Lisa, Other Lisa – I’m looking at you!)
3. I work side by side with my team, doing the same job I did when I started my company.
On days where I’m struggling to solve a problem, I go back to basics. Why did you start your company? What problems were you trying to solve? If I need motivation to tackle a larger problem, I pick up the phone in our call center and start dialing. I quickly remember how and why I started my business, and then I move on to tackle the bigger problem feeling confident in my abilities. Don’t lose sight of the things that give you joy! I started my company with a laptop and a phone. I started my business because I loved cold calling and knew I could build a process that others could use to make their companies successful. I don’t want to forget that. If your business started as one person solving one problem for one client, maybe a trip down memory lane is in order.
4. I talk to my family.
Not about work. My kids think I’m the greatest thing in the world. Sometimes seeing myself through their eyes helps me get refocused. Sometimes I just need a big hug and an “atta girl!”
5. I talk to my friends.
Not about work. I talk to the people who knew me way before Managed Sales Pros was even an idea. They love me, they don’t care about my margins or my top line or my other nonsense. They just want to know how I’m doing. Me. Normal Carrie, not Entrepreneur Carrie. I get trapped in my work, sometimes I need to be reminded that I had a life before this, and that it was good, too.
6. I give back.
Are you mentoring? Are you volunteering? I work as a start-up mentor. I volunteer. I do service work for my 12 step program. Sometimes I just wander around the grocery store handing out gift cards. Or buy lunch for the guy at McDonald’s nursing his small coffee. Or whatever. My life is pretty good, even when it’s chaos. I can forget that. Being helpful gets me out of my own head and back into a place where I can receive good things from the universe.
7. I follow blogs and subscribe to newsletters. I save great content to share and reread.
My favorite blog right now is Edgy Conversations . I like it so much that I invited the writer to join me for our Tuesday webinar series. Next Tuesday, April 25, at 1 PM ET, you can join Dan Waldschmidt (ultramarathoner, business strategist, keynote speaker) and I for a webinar on creating a winning company culture. Our primary focus will be fostering sales success, so if you’re looking for inspiration to solve a sales related problem in your company, this will be an hour well spent! Register here: Tuesday Talking Points.
Looking for more sales-related inspiration? Our webinars are all available on demand!
Bonus: Do you watch Bojack Horseman? Do you need The Movie Star Speech? You’re welcome.