What to do when you feel stuck in business

What’s important to remember is that if you want change to happen, sometimes you have to be the change.

As I sit here with a soothing cup of peppermint tea, looking out at my garden, I’ve been reflecting on my own transformative journey through self-employment. I’m enjoying a break between client calls, using the time to enjoy the calm and  re-energise with one of my phone-free walks. Listening to nature is a wonderful way I find to relax and calm the mind, so if you find your brain is feeling rather busy. Why not try taking a walk phone-free with no music or podcast, and notice how you feel afterwards.

Running my own business has changed my life in so many ways. It’s unlocked my creativity, in ways, way beyond my expectations. I’ve discovered a love for public speaking (opening up about my own experiences to support others) and embraced my ability to think outside the box. But it hasn’t been plain sailing, and like so many of the truly amazing people I coach, there have been times when I’ve struggled. Times when I’ve felt stuck. Unsure what to do next. Frustrated that some areas of my life are thriving, whilst others are mundane.

The reality of running a business is that it all falls to you.

The truth is, the blessing and the curse of running your own business is that you are in charge of all the decisions. At first, it feels freeing. To be entirely in charge of your own destiny. It works when you know the direction you’re headed. Yet, there are times when it feels the complete opposite. You feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the decisions you have to make, and worry night and day about how to make the right decisions.

If you’ve experienced those feelings, perhaps you do now, I want to assure you that this is totally normal. It is not uncommon to feel stuck in your business and to procrastinate over how to move forward, let alone what to do next for your business. Maybe you’re unsure what you want for your business anymore.

Coaching can be your ally when you’re feeling stuck.

You don’t have to work it all out on your own. What helps many of my clients is having someone to listen without judgment, who asks the right questions to help them gain clarity on what it is that they want, allowing them to problem-solve challenges themselves.

If you’re sceptical about coaching, perhaps it’s all a bit too mysterious or dark art in your opinion, then I’m going to shed a little light on what it is that I do. I want to share with you some of the strategies I use myself and with my clients to paint a clearer picture as to what coaching is, and specifically what it’s like to work with me.

Strategies for when you’re feeling stuck in your business.

These are genuine strategies that my clients put into practice to help them move past the feeling of being stuck, and ‘walking through treacle’ as I describe it. There isn’t a set order; pick and choose a strategy to try.

Skill Swap

To help you reduce the feeling of overwhelm and to tackle obstacles blocking progress in your business, find someone with the skills your business needs. Invite them to share their skills to help you, and in turn, you offer your skills to help them. It’s a brilliant way to outsource and can often alleviate the stresses of negotiating contracts and reviewing costs.

Putting yourself first

I’ll admit this one raises eyebrows at first, but I can’t emphasise how important it is to put yourself first. Putting yourself first is not selfish. I have to nourish myself before my clients, I have to. Without doing so, I fail to give my clients the best of me. It takes us back to the start of this blog. I am making time to nourish myself and refuel my energy, not jumping from call to call. Believe me when I say, you can find time for yourself throughout the day. Even just a loop around the block (listening to nature, remember, not a podcast) will build up that tank. Think about your environment and find what you can fit in, as opposed to excuses for something that’s too big.

Making time to plan

I’m going to make a bold statement here: weekly planning for food has been revolutionary for many of my clients. It’s important to take time to plan. Planning your life as well as your business. If your life is busy and hectic, this may feel counterintuitive at first, but trust me, it will save you hours in the long run. Food planning, for example, takes just 10 minutes to plan your family meals for the week, as opposed to 15 minutes to decide what to cook every day.

This strategy works because it takes away the mental processing from each day, and helps to quieten the mind. I’d love for you to give it a try and let me know how you got on.

Be the change

If you’ve embraced the opportunity to try out any of these strategies, I would love for you to share how you felt after. My emails are always open –

What’s important to remember is that if you want change to happen, sometimes you have to be the change. Sometimes you have to go first. Change doesn’t magically happen because you’re stuck somewhere, unable to move forward.

This is the approach I’ve adopted and it’s led me to grow a business I love and a life where I feel totally fulfilled. It’s led me to write this blog and share my knowledge with you today.

If you’d like to explore how my coaching could help you to be the change you need, you’re welcome to join me on a free discovery call. This is your opportunity to share with me why you feel stuck, and potentially take that first step to change.

Success starts with believing in yourself—I’ll help you see what’s possible and help you take flight.

 

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