Do you ever stare at your to-do list and think, “Ugh. I don’t feel like doing any of this.”
Have you ever had weeks, even months, when you felt totally uninspired, empty and disinterested in your business?
All those plans, projects and goals you made, the ones that felt so exhilarating just a month ago, they now seem… stale. Unpromising. Boring. And oppressive.
You know you should be doing something, anything, to move your business forward, complete projects and make stuff happen.
But you just…. can’t.
For whatever reason, you don’t have the energy, interest or willingness to constructive, positive action.
You tell yourself, “Come on! Snap out of it! Now!”
But the more you push, the more resistant and sluggish you feel. And isolated. Because while you’re caught in quicksand, your fellow entrepreneurs are zooming by you, full speed ahead. You watch as they churn out new offers, celebrate big wins and leap tall buildings in a single bound. And you wonder… “Am I ever going to feel any differently? Is this ever going to end?”
Yeah… been there. Done that. It’s not fun.
That heavy-limbed, watery-eyed limbo-land where you know you’ve got to get on the stick and friggin’ do something if you’re ever going to move your business forward… yet every action and every option feels so oppressive that even the threat of foreclosure can’t light a fire under your butt.
For 3 months, from November, 2016, to January, 2017, I lived in that kind of flat-lined funk. I felt absolutely no passion, desire or interest in any of the many plans and projects I had lined up. I still loved working with my clients, but I had zero desire or energy for my own business-building projects.
After 3 months of this, I thought, “Maybe I’m done. Maybe this is it. Maybe I just need to call it quits.” I wasn’t upset by this thought. I just held it in my consciousness as a real possibility.
As I write this now, I can’t help but smile and shake my head.
Because for the last 3-4 weeks, I’ve been on fire! I bounce out of bed every morning filled with eagerness and excitement. Every day, I’ve got a million fun and inspiring ideas I want to explore. New ways to make it easy and fun for entrepreneurs to liberate their voice, express their brilliance, boost their confidence and use their words to attract and engage their perfect peeps.
I took part in a Facebook Live challenge and had a blast sharing tips, interviewing colleagues and just showing up. I bought a green screen and I can’t wait to create more short, fun videos filled with quick tips. I can’t stop thinking about the courses I want to teach this spring and fall. And the copy makeovers I’ve been doing lately are feeding my enthusiasm, giving me more ideas, and making my clients really, really happy.
So… you’ve probably wondering… how did I go from Frumpy Franny to Unstoppable Susie? How did I, after 3 months in the dead zone, catch this massive wave of irrepressible inspiration, excitement and giddy joy for my biz?
Did someone slip a magical elixir into my water?
Did I get pharmaceutical assistance?
Am I on some kind of energy-boosting diet?
Nope.
The truth is… there wasn’t any ONE thing that helped me make this shift. It was a combination of things. 5 things. Which I’ll share with you now.
5 Steps For Getting Out of a (Long) Funk and Into the Flow
#1 Don’t Fight It
While I was in my uninspired, apathetic state, I didn’t fight it. I didn’t try to force myself out of it. Something inside of me knew… this is important. This is necessary. This is exactly what needs to be happening right now.
Sure, I was scared. Scared that I’d never be able to shake off that heavy cloak of indifference. But I also knew that whatever might happen, I’d be okay.
I firmly believe that by not fighting what was happening, I was able to not only find my way out but reach dizzying new heights of energy, desire and creative joy.
When you land in a deep, dark hole, and nothing you do seems to lift you out of it, let go. Don’t try to claw your way out. Trust the darkness. Know that it’s full of rich nutrients that will feed your soul, your creativity, and your love for your business.
#2 Sniff Out the Truffles
Did you know that pigs can sniff out and find rare, expensive truffles even when those truffles are buried 3 feet underground? (I’m talking about mushroom truffles, silly… not the chocolate kind!)
Well, when you’re in a funk, get down and get pig-like.
Here’s what I mean.
Even when nothing feels fun or inviting, even when the lightest task seems dreary, there’s always something pertaining to your existence that is slightly appealing. There is. You just have to sniff it out. And once you do, let it be your point of focus. Your rare, treasured truffle.
When I was in my 3-month funk, there were 2 things that could get me to raise my head off my chest and think, “Yeah… I can do that.” Those 2 things were: my work with my clients, and optimizing my YouTube channel.
So, I just focused on those two aspects of my business. By doing so, I not only got a tricked-out YouTube channel (thanks to Edie Clarke of Virtually in Sync. She helped me every step of the way. I can’t recommend her highly enough!), I nourished the little bit of interested and lively energy I had. And that little bubble of energy started to lift me up and out of my doldrums.
#3 Make Lists of Everything You Love
When I hit month three of my passion paralysis, I started a practice of writing down all the things I loved about my life, my business, my relationships, my home… everything. Every morning, I would start the day by writing 1-2 pages of everything I loved and appreciated in my life and biz right now. From my cup of tea to the way the light streamed in the window, to feeling strong in my body to my connection with my clients, to my house, my kitties, my friends, and on and on and on.
This one practice, I believe, was instrumental in my transformation. It kept me focused and aligned with Love and positive energy. It fed my heart and started to tickle my creative impulses.
But it wasn’t the practice alone that made the difference. It was doing it consistently, every day, whether I felt like it or not. I believe it was the consistency that super-charged the power of this practice.
What can you do every day to stay focused and aligned with Love, appreciation, joy and gratitude? You can start your day with a list like mine. Or end your day in the same way. You can take x-amount of time every day to do one thing that brings you joy or simply makes you feel a little more alive.
Take on a simple daily practice that lifts you up, and do it consistently, every day, for at least 30 days. And watch out! You’ll be setting the world on fire in no time.
#4 Stop Hiding and Share What’s True
By my very nature, I’m a happy, bubbly, positive, joyful person. People know me by my exuberant, loud, spirited personality. So, when I had my chronic case of the cranks, I did my best to hide it.
I was ashamed of it, embarrassed by it. It felt like a weakness, an affliction.
Luckily, I had trusted friends and colleagues with whom I could confess the truth. It was hard to tell them, “I don’t give a shit about my business any more. Nothing feels good. Nothing excites me. I think I may be done.” But I did. And doing so helped me 1) stop feeling like such a loser, 2) start asking questions that cut through to greater clarity, and 3) get interested in what was happening rather than wishing it away.
When you fall into a funk that seems to be lasting forever, reach out to those you trust. Tell them how you really feel. Let yourself be seen and heard as you are, not as you wish you were. Speaking your truth out loud to someone who can hear it without judgment or the need to rescue you is immediately healing. And it allows the energy that is holding you captive to shift, move and let go.
#5 Go to school
You know all those online courses you’ve bought and then abandoned over the years? All those free pdfs, 5-day challenges, list-building workshops and other “shelf help” you’ve got stored on your computer?
THIS is the time to choose one and dig in.
Sometimes, when you feel no desire to do anything but as little as possible, it’s because you’re running on empty. You’ve been creating and creating and doing and doing and planning and planning…. and your creative well has run dry.
Time to fill ‘er up! By learning something new. Let in someone else’s brilliance and let it spark your own. Take advantage of all those courses you swore you’d finish but hardly even started.
Just as I was beginning to rise out of my funk, I remembered this course I’d purchased years ago on email marketing. And on a lark, I started looking through it, jumping from one part to the other in no particular order. Suddenly, I was hooked! I couldn’t stop consuming all this great information. I felt as if I were being fed some vital nutrients my dehydrated brain desperately needed. The more I consumed, the more I wanted to DO something with this information. And so, I did.
I wrote an email. And that email was so much fun to write, it gave me ideas for two more emails. So, I wrote those. And suddenly, I was back in my creative flow. Not only did I have new ideas, I wanted to act on them! I was excited about them.
One Very Important Point!
Once your funk begins to lift and you start to feel some excitement and inspiration for your biz again, follow that inspiration wherever it may lead you. Don’t stop to ask, “Does this make sense? Is this really what I should be doing right now? Shouldn’t I see if this fits into my overall strategy?” Gack! Don’t question! Just follow your impulses, your reawakening desire! Even if it seems to be leading you in a direction you’ve never considered before.
If you stop to ask questions or demand that your inspiration “make sense,” you’ll kill it. You’ll cut off the flow and push yourself back into the swamp of “I don’t give a damn.”
Nurture and strengthen your inspiration by following it, feeding it, and having fun with it! Let go of the outcome and go with the flow!
I so hope you never need these 5 tips for getting out of a funk. But they will serve you well if you ever do. Just remember, don’t fight it. And don’t judge it. Let yourself be where you are and know you won’t be there forever. Then, follow whatever tiny rivers of inspiration or interest you can find within your heart. Focus on what you love. And feed your brain and your spirit by learning something new.
When was the last time you were in a funk that seemed never-ending? Do you remember how you got out of it? Tell me what worked for you (and what didn’t) by leaving a comment below.