Small Business Information

Get Out Of The Rut And Back On the Track


Do you sometimes find yourself just going "through the motions" of your business from day to day? Has the excitement gone out of your daily routine?

What happened? Remember way back when you began doing this? You were excited and enthusiastic about what you were going to do. What went wrong? Where did the excitement and enthusiasm go? More importantly, how do you get it back?

Of course, this may be a signal that it is time for you to make some changes or to "move on." On the other hand, maybe you just need to get back in touch with why you are doing this in the first place.

If you are in your own business, it may not be possible to move on, so you'd better learn ways to bring back the excitement. There is nothing more depressing than to see a small business owner (or employee) who has stopped enjoying their work. These are the people who sit in their stores or offices just waiting for the day when they can retire. They feel "stuck," unable to get out. They have lost their zest for living.

Are you one of these people who are just going through the motions? This is surely a "death rattle." Your life is too important to let it slip by, living a life, as Throeau said, of "quiet desperation."

If you had all the information and tools you needed to live your dream life, would you use them? Yes? Click here

How can you put back the zest? For starters, go back to your original business plan or personal journal and re-read the reasons you embarked on this business or career in the first place. What were your goals? You must have been excited back then.

Are these reasons still valid? Do they still ring true for you today? If they do, get back in touch with the "feelings" you had before. Sit quietly and mentally "go back" to that time. Feel the feelings you had then. Get the juice going again. Relive the experiences that led you to this place. Rekindle the flames you once had.

If you have drifted from your original purpose, perhaps you need to re-think why you are doing this now. In the case of your own business, maybe you need to change or modify your original direction. This could be as simple as offering a new product or service, something that gives you passion. Perhaps you could open new markets or venture into exporting to get your juices going again. Do something that puts the joy back in your day. Paint your store! Change your tie! Perhaps all you need to do is delegate some of the tasks you dislike and concentrate on doing what you love.

Complete this simple exercise. On a sheet of paper, answer the following two questions:

1. What I really enjoy about my work/business is that I... (This could be that you have the opportunity to travel to interesting places or meet people or help others, whatever you enjoy most.)

2. The real benefit to my customer from my work is...

I know a building contractor whose attitude toward his work changed when he changed his perception from that of simply a contractor to realizing the real benefit of what he did was he helped people turn their dreams into reality. This had a major impact on his self-esteem.

Sometimes, I run across a store that still has one of the old signs that read: "Through our doors pass some of the finest people in the world. Our customers." Maybe it's corny but I can't help but feel special in a place like that.

If you are going to a job today just because you went there yesterday, you are in a danger zone. You deserve to be enthusiastic, excited and even ecstatic about your livelihood. Sometimes you have to re-create that feeling.

Remember the words of the late Norman Vincent Peale who said that what happens to us is not nearly as important as how we interpret what happens.

Live with passion!

© 2004 Jim Donovan - PO Box 1147, Buckingham, PA 18912 - (215) 794-3826

Jim Donovan is the author of "Handbook to a Happier Life, a motivational speaker and coach. For a no cost bonus product & more, visit http://www.JimDonovan.com

If you had all the information and tools you needed to live your dream life, would you use them? Yes? Click here ==> http://www.jimdonovan.com/ebookoffer.html


MORE RESOURCES:

ABC News

Kerry, Snowe, Schumer Push Sec. Paulson to Purchase Small Business ...
MarketWatch - Nov 20, 2008
John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Ranking Member Sen. Olympia Snowe and Sen. Charles Schumer, a senior ...
Is TARP Really a TRAP? BusinessWeek
Is TARP Really a TRAP but is Scott Malkinson really Scott Malkinson? thestockmasters
all 282 news articles


Boston Globe

Small-business loans still flowing
Boston Globe, United States - 11 hours ago
While Mainzer, like other small business owners, is worried about the slumping economy, "We didn't see a clampdown" in lending, she said. ...


Small Business Scene: Drager's Classics
Seattle Post Intelligencer - 14 hours ago
If you know a small business we should visit, e-mail us at smallbusiness@seattlepi.com. Jeri Drager sells cars from the heyday of the American automobile. ...


Estacada News

UPDATE 1-Fed's Kroszner-small business credit access shrank
Reuters - Nov 20, 2008
... businesses have tightened substantially since last April," Kroszner said in prepared testimony to the House of Representatives Small Business Committee. ...
Fed's Kroszner Says Small Business Suffering from Lack of Access ... Cbonds. Info
UPDATE: US Officials: Econ Woes Big Hurdle For Small Business EasyBourse.com
$1.6 Trillion in Bailout Funds Fail to Find Their Way to Small ... PR Web (press release)
Insurance Journal - Reuters
all 49 news articles


EPA Reform of SPCC Rule Benefits Small Business
MarketWatch - 21 hours ago
The Office of Advocacy of the US Small Business Administration is encouraged that the EPA listened to small business and included those provisions in the ...
SBA steps aimed to fuel small-business lending Finance and Commerce
Small business loans dwindle The Tennessean
Hardscrabble economy nicks SBA lending in San Antonio, nation Bizjournals.com
Huffington Post - BloggingStocks
all 22 news articles


ASTA Asks Obama To Expand Small Business Lending
Travel Agent, NY - 5 hours ago
The move is a follow-up to ASTA's recent letter to the Small Business Administration (SBA). On November 18, ASTA wrote to the SBA asking that the agency use ...
Tough times for small businesses Staten Island Advance - SILive.com
all 3 news articles


Small business focus of Detroit mayoral debate
DetNews.com, MI - Nov 20, 2008
The forum at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History focused on small business, and candidates testified about how they fostered economic ...
Detroit mayoral candidates make their cases Detroit Free Press
Detroit's top candidates favor a strong mayor DetNews.com
Mayoral candidates to hold forum Detroit Free Press
all 10 news articles


Wells Fargo named top small-business lender in Texas
Bizjournals.com, NC - Nov 19, 2008
Wells Fargo Bank, NA has been ranked the leading small-business lender in both the United States and Texas, according to the latest Community Reinvestment ...


PR Interview: How to Pitch to ‘Fortune Small Business’: 6 Strategies
MarketingSherpa.com (subscription), RI - 5 hours ago
SUMMARY: You work for a small business with under 100 employees and less than $100 million in annual revenue. Getting your story into 'Fortune Small ...


Banks offering more loans to small business, BBA claims
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - 4 minutes ago
Banks are still increasing their lending to small businesses, with total loans up 10pc so far this year, according to the British Bankers' Association. ...

Small-Business - Google News

Home | Index | SiteMap