Tis the season to cozy up by a fire and just relax, which is just what I’ll be doing in less than 10 days when I return home to the Pacific Northwest. I’m not the only one looking forward to a little downtime. I know all of you have been very busy lately and are as excited to relax this holiday as I am. Confession: I have been feeling completely unmotivated to do “real” work. This cozy moment by the fire cannot get here fast enough it seems.
In the past couple of weeks I have been slowing down since the big launch of my Fan Page Transformation program (this is not so different from how one might take a big nap after pulling an all-night study session). This lack of motivation has shown up recently, every time I sit down to write a blog post or to record a show, I find myself at a loss for creativity – something I’m used to having an abundance of.
So, out of curiosity, I went looking for the answer as to why I’ve been procrastinating and feeling unmotivated.
Of course, out of this search has come fabulous information that I want to share with you. It turns out that we are not alone in this feeling. I’ve chatted with both my mentors and clients, those who are feeling stuck, lost, or unmotivated, and it is clear to me that rest is needed. To help you get through this feeling (and in light of the holidays), this is for your entertainment & inspiration. Ultimately, I want to help you harness your creativity in new innovative ways so that you might be an even more fabulous entrepreneur come the new year.
Today I dare you to hibernate. Just relax…
This need for hibernation happens at a time when our personal lives get busy; we’ve just run what I call a business marathon and completed a major launch, and/or we are at a crossroads trying to decide what is next. Rest is so important during this period.
Note that I’m not saying ignore your business – I’m saying enjoy the fact that as an entrepreneur you set your own schedule.
In this time of what I call business hibernation – we must push forward, pursue innovation, and act on inspiration.
I recently had a conversation with a client of mine and she was challenged with writing content for her fan page. She said, “Chelsey I have no idea what to say, or where to start. What’s a good time to post?” To me, this is a sign that hibernation is needed, as you need a rest from all of these overwhelming thoughts. This will help you move from a feeling over overwhelming to a space and time in which the content is flowing from your lips and creativity and ideas come easily.
It’s easy to hit this sense of overwhelming, because we get caught up in the business of business.
The business of business is the what, when, where, and how of creating an online experience that engages your customers. After feeling unmotivated to write my blog post and record my radio show, I scanned through Twitter for blogging tips, and I noticed something – and it’s your one big takeaway from today – and that is that “when we get caught up in the business of business, we lose sight of our passion and our why.”
We start our business as a hobby, as something we enjoy doing on the side. Most small business owners have “real” jobs. Then we decide there is a business opportunity so we start promoting it and making it the best possible business it can be.
Let’s take a look at who the most successful business owners you know… They have something to say. They pull you in.
If we look at great bloggers you know and people who are making their blogs really drive traffic they are people who have something to say. A story to tell. & ultimately their blog is a creative relief.
Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of great blogs with people who are strictly content and business but this applies in those situations as well. Bottom line: the most successful of blogs have this drive, this passion.
And during this holiday season, it is so important to hibernate and rekindle your passion. Passion is an amazing power, if we can learn to harness it as business owners. I want you to think about why you started your business and to remember the feeling you first had back then.
Don’t fight hibernation, feel it. It is the holidays after all; a time to relax and enjoy time with friends and family. But more importantly, this relaxation time can help you find your inspiration again, just in time for the new year.
Then start to pay attention to when your creativity visits you so that you can return to find your creativity whenever you need it in the future. Create your content in a state of mind that is at total clarity with your why & the passion that drives you daily.
with love ♥ Chelsey
