No matter how passionate or driven an entrepreneur you are, there will be times when you feel dejected and in the dumps. It happens even to the best of them. So, do not feel guilty about it.
Life is about ebbs and flows. When you are striving to achieve your goals, the journey can be long and the distance can take a toll on your spirit and faith. Self-doubt can creep in and you may second guess yourself a thousand times.
This is normal. It is perfectly fine to feel down every now and then, but what is important is that you do not stay that way for too long. It would be erroneous to let yourself dwell in such a negative state for a prolonged period of time.
You will end up getting depressed and will spiral down a vortex of negative thoughts and emotions. It is extremely easy to go from a productive state to a negative state. So, you must be on guard and when you feel like you are down, use the 11 tips below to pick yourself up.
- Action
Sometimes getting up and moving forward is the best way to get you out of the funk. That is why Thomas Jefferson said, “Action will delineate and define you.”
If you encountered failure and you’re feeling down, learn from your mistakes and get back on the saddle, and start galloping. That is what action is.
Feeling down because things are not moving fast enough? Well, do more. Take massive action. Do what Grant Cardone says in his 10X book… multiply your actions by 10 and you’ll have no time to mope around.
2. Take a break
Sometimes you just need to calm your mind and rest. Give yourself a 3-5 day break for you to feel better. You will come back refreshed and rejuvenated. It is important to do things you enjoy while on the break. Do not just sit around regretting your mistakes and feeling bad.
3. Treat yourself to something nice
Go ahead and buy yourself something you have always wanted. Or take a short 4-day vacation. Do whatever you need to in order to feel better.
4. Speak to someone
Sometimes it can be cathartic just to vent and pour your feelings out to a listening ear. You may either speak to a counsellor or your close friend or your mentor. Just speak to someone if that is what you need to do to feel better.
5. Watch an inspirational movie
There are many inspirational movies that can help you shift your internal state. A few examples are:
- The Pursuit of Happyness
- The Legend of Bagger Vance
- The Greatest Showman
- Invictus
- Glengarry Glen Ross
Watch these movies and feel inspired. Alternatively, you may read motivational books or watch motivational gurus on YouTube. All that matters is finding content that inspires you and makes you feel better.
That is all you need to shift gears from negative to positive.
6. Exercise
This point is so straightforward it does not need explanation. The benefits of exercise cannot be overstated. Exercise daily and you will feel better.
7. Meditation and deep breathing
When you are panicky, deep breathing can instantly calm you down. That is how powerful it is. So often, we breathe in a shallow manner. Spend about 5-10 minutes (3-4 times a day) practicing deep breathing. Not only will it de-stress you, but it is good for your health.
Meditation is another excellent practice to calm your chaotic thoughts that are in constant turmoil when you are feeling down. Look at it as a way to declutter your mind and silence the negative noise that is controlling you.
Once you can do that, it will engender better thoughts and emotions in you and you will be more willing to get up and get going.
Besides these 7 points, you can always try other methods such as:
- Rewriting your goals
- Decluttering your home and work-space
- Setting small goals and achieving small wins
- Engaging in activities that take your mind off things
Not all methods will work for everyone, but there is definitely one method above that will work for you. The key is to find out which method flips your switch and lights you up.
Once you discover it, you’ll always be able to rely on it to fire yourself up and keep going whenever you are down. During your entrepreneurial journey, there will be many times when you feel like you are in a slump. Knowing how to come out of it will be very advantageous to your success.
