3 Things You Can Do to Move Forward When You’re Stuck in The Hard
I don’t know who needs this reminder right now, but there are a lot of people on social media who are faking it.
Faking success. Faking happiness. Faking love. Faking knowledge. Faking sobriety. Faking friendships. Faking support. Faking entire lifestyles.
We are surrounded by frauds. And for the most part, we would never know it because we are so busy worrying about what everyone else thinks about us that we don’t stop for a second to consider how much of what we see is a false narrative.
In the past 6 months, I have had hundreds of conversations with entrepreneurs who are at their breaking point. Entrepreneurs just like you and me. They are stressed, exhausted, depressed, uncertain, unclear, and frequently unmotivated. They are in The Hard.
Unmotivated because they think they are the only ones who are struggling. Unclear because they have no idea what lever to pull to make a change. Uncertain because they don’t know why things aren’t working. Depressed because they think they are the only ones who aren't successful. Exhausted because when you spend all your time stressed, you’re fckin’ tired. Stressed because the pressure to “keep up” is ever-present, and BTW, it’s not possible to keep up with something that isn’t even real.
So the first thing you need to know is that if you’re feeling any of these things, you are NOT alone. Even if it feels like you’re the only one struggling, you aren’t.
Need someone to talk it through with? Book a free consultation.
The second thing to know is that whatever the situation is - it’s not permanent. It might feel like it is, but trust me, it’s not.
Truth be told, I spent a significant portion of 2023 on the verge of quitting. Even though I had clients. Even though I was consistent with social media. Even though I had built something I was proud of. Even though I had revenue coming in the door. I found myself feeling like it wasn’t enough. Like I wasn’t enough. I started comparing my scream season to other entrepreneurs' dream seasons. And that’s a very ugly headspace to be in when you’re doing something as hard as starting or growing a business.
Here’s what I know for sure… being an entrepreneur takes grit. It takes perseverance and sometimes it requires us to tune out a lot of the outside world because so many people are riding high on telling the world how well they are doing (even if the stories being told aren’t exactly true). And when you’re not doing well, it’s hard to see your way through everyone else’s bullshit. You just feel behind. Alone. Lacking.
Nobody is immune to feeling like this, even if they aren’t talking about it. Even if they are screaming the exact opposite from the top of a social media mountain.
Here are 3 things you can do to move forward when you’re stuck in The Hard.
➡️ Ask yourself, “What is the next step I can take?” and then TAKE THAT STEP! We tend to think that progress comes in big things, but the truth is, more often than not, progress comes in small, consistent actions.
➡️ Assess what parts of your business are truly making money. As humans (and as really smart entrepreneurs), we are in the habit of telling ourselves lies. One of the biggest is that everything we do matters. The truth is, we’re lucky if 20% of what we do significantly contributes to our bottom line. Do a brain dump of the activities you regularly do in your business and then analyze it. Get real honest with yourself about what’s important and what isn’t. Outsource if you can - and if that isn’t financially feasible, then stop doing it until your financial situation changes. You may find that you never need to start doing those things again. It takes surprisingly little to keep your business running if you remove the fluff. Need some help with this? Book a consultation.
➡️ Make an offer. This may seem both stupid and pointless - I mean, if it was as easy as making an offer for your services, wouldn’t all your problems already be solved? Here’s the thing we tend to forget: just because a post or offer on social media doesn’t get much (or any) engagement does not mean it’s not having an impact. I can’t tell you how many times someone has reached out to me and said, “I follow everything you do on social media, I never comment or like it, but I watch everything you do.” And that’s why it’s so important to stay consistent on social media.
The Hard will pass. You will get through it. And you can do that without living a fake life on social media.
XOXO,
Julie
PS. If you’re really feeling stuck - book a free consultation. You never know what may come of it.
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