What To Do When Things Suck

While I love being an entrepreneur and there’s nothing else I’d rather do, it sometimes TOTALLY SUCKS.

Everything rides on my shoulders (no wonder my back has been killing me lately - seriously), it’s constant stress, lonely and the ups and downs can slap you like a redheaded stepchild. Which I am, by the way.

In the down cycles of life, it’s easy to let fear, self-doubt and panic have their way with us. It can even happen in the up cycles…being too busy, dreading the coming of the next down cycle or even feeling like we don’t deserve it.

Here are 5 things you can do when life totally sucks:

• Ask for help. While it was really, REALLY hard for me to do, I finally reached out for help. I’m working hard to grow my business and continuously improve my skills, but there are a LOT of things I don’t know. I’m a self-starter and like to do things myself, but I’ve basically been using popsicle sticks, wooden matches and hot glue to build my business, while there are backhoes, cranes and metal beams available. It’s ok to not know everything in life or be able to do everything yourself! Stop wasting time and energy and find people and resources to fill the gaps.
• Remember why you’re doing what you’re doing. Whether you’re a stay-at-home parent, a student or work in the corporate world, it’s easy to get caught up in the grind of immediate day-to-day details, long hours and the never-ending road in front of you. Not fun. When I think about how much I love being able to make a positive difference in people’s lives, it’s all worth it and keeps me pushing forward. If you have no idea why you’re doing what you’re doing, now is a good time to reflect. Maybe it’s time for a change.
• Burn it off. A workout is the best way to change your state of being. It rids your body of stress hormones and produces bliss molecules like endorphins and endocannabinoids (think marijuana without the munchies!). It gives you time and space away from your problems. You can think about everything or nothing. I just had someone tell me they “rage lifted”: lifted weights so hard and with so much anger because of a crappy day at work. Thanks for big muscles, jerk boss!
• Is it true? I was having a bad day and found myself thinking “My life totally sucks!”. And then I managed to laugh, because I asked myself if that was really true. And it wasn’t. AT ALL. Just one thing sucked big time at the moment, and I was letting it overshadow all the goodness, love and abundance in my life. We are evolutionarily hardwired for negativity to assume the worst, but the next time the voices in your head are planning for the end of the world, ask yourself “Is it true?”. It’s most likely not.
• What’s working? And that brings us to gratitude. It’s easy for the most negative, immediate circumstances in our lives to overshadow all the good. Take one minute to write down all the things in your life that are working, and that you are grateful for. It immediately changes our perspective.

At PowerHouse Performance we offer keynotes, half- and full-day programs in addition to one-on-one coaching to help leaders and employees improve resiliency, performance, confidence and health. Please let us know how we can help your organization.