How to rekindle your love for your business
The Spark. We know it so well. It’s that little ember that burns inside your soul, generating motivation, ideas, enthusiasm and passion for what you do in your business.
Until it doesn’t.
Until that little spark starts to burn out in a slow decline of exhaustion, disillusion and confusion. We know it so well.
And you know what? IT’S TOTALLY NORMAL!
We’re here to help you nurture that spark, keep it stoked and give it a little attention so that you feel it more frequently, and use it to keep you going.
So let’s start at the beginning:
What is The Spark?
Your spark is often linked to your WHY – your reason for doing this all in the first place. Your reason for being, and for taking this crazy entrepreneurial leap. It represents your core values and what you deem important in your life, be that: travel, freedom, family time, flexibility, integrity, control over your income etc.
The Spark can make those early days of business feel like the honeymoon period – you’re excited, a little scared, but you can see the potential… (it could even be love). The Spark guides the way, giving you a purpose and helping you get through the initial challenges and hurdles of starting a business.
You feel invincible!
So why does it fade away?
Because: Life. And Business.
As you start getting caught up in the day to day responsibilities and mundanities of your business, it’s normal to lose that sizzle. The daily grind of running the show will always take it’s toll, you’re probably wearing many hats, so it’s normal to run out of energy for the things that don’t align with your values.
We’ve been taught that motivation is the key: every morning it’s up to us to get motivated to start the day, but as Mel Robbins says:
“Motivation is garbage. You’re making a mistake if you think at some point you’ll feel ready to do the things you’ve been thinking about… the problem isn’t a lack of motivation. You need to empty the trash in your head before you’ll discover the treasure of your life. You can’t control whether or not you’ll wake up and feel motivated, but you can always choose what you think or do next.”
And here’s what to do next:
1. Get back to your WHY
Keep coming back to your Why. What prompted you to start your business in the first place? What was the vision in your head that made you take that final leap? What is it that gets you out of bed in the morning?
Get to know who you are and what your biggest purpose and values are in life, because chances are it’s these that made you start your business. Was it to spend more time with family? Freedom to rule your days as you like? Authenticity? Connection?
Write your WHY on post-it notes, create a vision board, do something to remind you every day of why you do what you do. And then do something every day that aligns with this ake action, you’ll find some sparks along the way.
When you spend time doing things that are aligned with your values, you’ll feel recharged. Inspiration raises your energy – and that’s where you’ll find your spark.
2. Network with like-minded people
The world of Entrepreneurs is a niche. It’s comprised of passionate lone wolves, who often feel misunderstood and alone on this crazy journey. Your friends and family won’t always understand you, and they won’t understand your big audacious aspirations – and maybe that’s OK. The key is to create or join a community of like-minded people who have visions and goals as big as you do – let them inspire you, advise you and build you up. We know what you’re going through, we know how hard it can be to take action when you feel stuck, to keep moving forward when you can’t see the way.
To quote Will Smith in his recent book, “it’s nearly impossible for the quality of your life to be higher than the quality of your friends”.
So it’s time to ask: who’s quality of life do you want? Find your tribe and let them speak life into your business.
If you can’t get in the right rooms or find your community just yet, then even listening to podcasts can do the trick. Here are some of my favourites that always get my creative juices flowing and add some passion to my Spark:
Bossbabe podcast
Women of Impact with Lisa Bilyeu
Impact theory with Tom Bileyeu
The Marie Forleo podcast
3. Step away
If none of this has worked, it could be that you’re burnt out. Burnout is a Thing when you run your own business, and it’s probably the main reason your spark has fizzled away. Like with any relationship, sometimes too much time spent together can be suffocating 🙂 There’s no easy fix, other than to step away.
Turn off your emails, and take a complete break from work. WITHOUT GUILT. You have to give yourself complete permission to switch off and recharge. So go on a trip for a few days, get into nature, get back to YOU. Once the pressure is off and your energy is restoring, the creative juices will start to flow again. The space and freedom of being in flow will help reconnect you to Why you’re doing all this in the first place.
It will reconnect you to your Spark.
As with any relationship, keeping the passion in your business means you have to make it a priority, and you have to keep things interesting. Keep learning new things, keep going to networking events and business seminars and conferences. Surround yourself with people who force you to uplevel, and make sure you’re not the most interesting person in the room. The restlessness is normal, it’s why you’re an entrepreneur in the first place. Feed your mind, ignite that Spark, and just keep moving forwards – even when it’s hard.