Are you having one of those days when you're about ready to jump out of your skin? Is your anxiety level reaching a point where it's taking away from your ability to remain positive and productive about your opportunities?
If so then you need to get busy "investing" in your future. By that I mean, go for a walk/run/bike ride - something to use up some of your excess energy and wake up those "good hormones" to get moving around in your body & mind. Next, make sure your desk is cleared of clutter. Seeing clutter can make you feel even more anxious and out of control. Organize your desk, your closet, your car...garage, whatever appears to be a mess. What this will do for you is again, use up some of your excess anxiety/energy and give you a visual that will show you immediate results. Yes, you did it! You cleaned up and organized these areas and it will feel good by giving you a sense of accomplishment. You need this because as time goes by and no client calls, no calls inquiring about your services, you begin to feel more and more removed from your successes. Don't let that happen.
This is when it becomes a mind game...mind over matter..I'm sure you've heard this expression many times and that is because so much of our life is about that. The reason I bring this up is because it is an important point. So many people accomplish things in their life not necessarily because they are smarter, more talented, more lucky or financially more able...sometimes what gets them to their goals is their ability to mentally stand strong.
I had a landlord who ran marathons like they were just a walk to the corner store. He did them regularly and without any physical problems. As time went on he decided he wanted to challenge himself so he made the decision to train for the ultra marathons and this for him was the big endurance run held up in the Sierras...the name escapes me right now. Anyway, as I mentioned, running 26 miles was nothing and even working up to 50 was pretty much ok but then as he increased past that mark it became more and more difficult. Now I would have thought that maybe it just was to much on his body but one day I bumped into him one day and asked how training was going and he said he'd given up the goal. "What?!!" I remarked. He proceeded to explain that he learned he that he could get ready physically but he just couldn't make it mentally. No matter how many times he tried...at a point he couldn't mentally push on and through the wall.
The same holds true for the many people out there who are self-employed, running a small business or ramping up a start-up...it becomes a game of mental strength. Pushing yourself mentally through those days when all seem hopeless. I had a day like that yesterday. I felt do discouraged that driving home from a meeting I realized tears were running down my face...why? Because it's scary out there...it's not easy putting yourself on the line each and every day. It's not fun, sending out your letters or flyers or cold-calling when you are tired and seeing your bank account get closer and closer to being empty. But these are normal reactions to the world of self-employment. To a world that could be very new to many of you.
Just keep going. Keep focused on who you are and what your business is...involve yourself in one of your marketing tools. Examine your 'target market' and see what you can do to improve your approach. I was reading an article about just this subject How to Define Your Target Market Read it and work on answering the questions. In fact, take your laptop and this article and go to your local coffee shop or park and work on this in a different environment. Change your location and you'll change your state of mind but keep moving forward!
Looking back is only a reminder of where you came from...focus on where you're going and how successful you will feel when you get there.
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