The scary moment when you realise you have no motivation left

Deep breath time as I am out of my comfort zone and have a confession to make.

Last month I had no motivation for my business.  Phew – I said it!

I had a lot going on last month and was left both physically and emotionally drained.  This created a downward spiral that I struggled to get out of.  I am normally full of energy and motivation and the one who is keeping everyone else buoyed up.  But suddenly I was the one needing help and I simply didn’t know where to turn.

I was having a mini-meltdown!

I didn’t want to get out of bed and when I did, I didn’t want to work.  Everything I did was half-hearted and felt like I was wading through treacle.  I had no motivation to carry on with my business.  I was having a mini-meltdown!

I was afraid of admitting how I was feeling as people expected me to be the leader.  If I wasn’t coping and asked for help, how would people view me, especially clients?  I was scared of them losing faith in me and not wanting to work with me again.  If I had no motivation, how could I motivate them?

I had been struggling alone with a major family issue that sprung up out of the blue.  I started to feel ill and all I wanted to do was lie in a darkened room and cry.  I actually felt like I was in mourning.  I was mourning my old self that felt like it had died with no chance of being resurrected.

Missed opportunities

I missed a number of valuable opportunities that were right under my nose but that I either missed until it was too late, or quite simply, didn’t have the energy or inclination to take advantage of.

I felt desperate.  I felt alone.  Two weeks went by and then something happened.  A video popped up in my inbox from the wonderful Sarah Marshall from Tapping Into Money Girl.  I felt compelled to stop everything and watch.  And it was as though she was talking to me personally.

I was self-sabotaging!

Self-sabotage

My business had been going so well that I had got scared.  I had hit a money block of taking it to the next level.  The self-doubt has started to creep in, who was I to be earning that level of money?  What if I hit a level that I couldn’t sustain?  Would people expect more of me if I took things to the next level?

Once I had taken a step back after watching Sarah’s video, I realised what I had been doing.  I had been shortcutting tasks.  I had been talking myself into a feeling of self-despair.  I had stopped taking care of myself and as the two are so intricately entwined, my business was suffering.

This was such a huge admission to make to myself, but it had to be done.

Time to recharge

I took a couple of days out to recharge my batteries.  I took a cold hard look at my business and knew things had to change.  I had to stop giving so much of myself away for free.  I had to practice what I preached and start charging my worth.  I had to take this business to a whole new level.  I owed it to myself and to my clients who needed what I had to offer.

And now, a month on, I am so much happier.  I have taken on the support I needed to really move the business forward.  I have had a brand refresh, I have had a price review and I have new packages to offer.

And wow!  What a difference it has made.  My business is now rocketing once again and I am in exactly the right mindset to enjoy it and make the most of it.

If you are feeling stuck and you have no motivation, please don’t do as I did for so long and suffer in silence.  Speak to someone, get support, drop me a line if you like and use me as a sounding board.  That first step of reaching out for help is the hardest but you will be so glad you did.