I believe when you initially start a business, there are unending amounts of enthusiasm and dreaming to be had. In the beginning, you don’t mind pulling all-nighters, working on the weekends and giving of your heart and soul to your fledgling business. Now I’m not saying that you ever lose that enthusiasm and those dreams, but sometimes they begin to fade a bit due to the reality of the business world. Those unending days and lost weekends, begin to add up and you start realizing that you are just exhausted and the business that you love is starting to infringe on your sanity. You think to yourself this dream was supposed to solve my work-life balance and instead you realize you have no balance. This scenario isn’t unusual, it’s part of the ups and downs associated with starting and growing your own business.

It is important to realize early on that there are going to be times in business ownership that you are going to want to throw your hands up and walk away because your dog-tired, beat-down and half-dead. It’s at these times that the big dream you had has to resonate, because if the dream doesn’t mean something to you, walking away becomes your dream. So what can you do to preserve your sanity and your dream? Below are a few of Rhyme & Reason Design’s ways to combat the business owning blues.

1)    Surround yourself with a strong support system, people who believe in what you are doing. These people can be loved ones, trusted mentors or business peers.  Whoever they are, make sure that they are the type of people who can motivate you to keep going, offer advice when needed and help you find the silver lining.

2)    Find a hobby. I know that sounds crazy, but you will be counterproductive if you fixate on your business to the point that you have a meltdown. So avoid that by hitting a tennis ball, tapping your toes or swirling a paintbrush. Whatever it is that makes you happy, don’t lose it, because that mental break might actually provide you with your best ideas yet.

3)    Have a plan. Know what to do when things get tough. Don’t wait till the last minute to prepare for a problem, have a crisis plan in place to lessen the damage.

4)    Don’t give up. Because I promise when it’s your dream, the good days will always outshine the bad ones.

Now at first, you may find it difficult to drag yourself away from work for a couple hours to indulge in a hobby and crisis planning may seem scary, but believe me, when you are happy and prepared, there’s nothing you can’t accomplish. Now, if you’ll excuse me I’m off for a run.