Daylight Savings Time just ended. It’s 5 pm and dark outside. All you want to do is go home and watch reruns of Modern Family. I get it. It takes energy and fizz and a sense of purpose to get up off the couch. It takes a passion for something bigger than eating mac ‘n cheese and searching for cat videos on YouTube.
Sometimes business sucks the life out of you. You started a business because you have a passion for something. Maybe its the day-to-day craft. Maybe its the lifestyle that having your own business creates. Regardless, life happens and your business may lose the luster it once had. The passion that once drove you fades. So how do you rekindle the fire? STOP. Take a deep breath and try these 5 easy ways to re-energize your passion for your business.
- Lighten up. We are all going to die. We can choose whether or not we are going to live. Be present. Be joyful. Infuse energy into each day. Call it forth, from wherever it is. Breath it in. Resonate with the passion you have for what you do.
- Test yourself. Pick a 5K, or a marathon. Put the date on your calendar. Search online for an appropriate training schedule and put that on your calendar, too. So what if your knees hurt or your fat jiggles or you get a headache. All that will pass if you keep after it. That’s where the expression, “through the pain,” comes from. It goes away if you stick with it. Why not run a race or jump out of an airplane or swim across a lake…for what it will make of you to train for it, and attempt it.
- Commit to your Craft. Whatever it is that you are passionate about, give yourself the time, energy and discipline to get good at it. Pull out the calendar again (calendars are good for imposing accountability!) and pick a “Decide Day.” Your “Decide Day” is the day you ask yourself whether or not you are going to continue to pursue your passion. Is it a business? Is it art? Is it athletics? Is it a profession? Commit…and develop your excellence, without questioning whether or not you should. Then, on “Decide Day,” decide. But be all in until that day.
- Make it Worth Your Time. Raise your prices. Most people I know are undercharging for the wonderful services and goods they provide. How do I know? Because they aren’t making any money. Raising your prices is a great way to make more money. Mathematically, it is the only thing you can do that will drop dollars straight to the profit line of your P&L. Ergo, raise the top line! So what if someone says, “No?” Read a book about sales. Take another swing. Ask again. As long as the perceived value of what you are offering is greater than the price, you will make a Sale. At any price. Figure out how to communicate the value of your services. Ask enough questions to determine if what you offer is actually of service to the person you are engaging with. In other words, learn how to Serve and Sell. It’s not your price that’s keeping you from making a Sale. It’s you. And you can change you.
- Call 10 people. Today, there are 10 people who are going to hear from me. I am going to love them and be of service. I am going to ask good questions and listen. I just might make a sale. Learn to rediscover your passion through other people. They will remind you of WHY you are in business in the first place.
I want to hear from YOU! What do you do to restore your passion for your business?
