You may be at the stage where your desire for a dream business is just beginning to stir in your heart and soul. Maybe you have taken a few action steps in that direction, or perhaps you have already launched and are deep in the adventure of transforming your vision into reality. Wherever you may be in your journey as a heart-centered entrepreneur, I suspect that you have some familiarity with the place we are going to explore in this article.
When I experience it, I call it a "funk." Allow me to paint a picture for you.
It is a feeling of heaviness, low energy, maybe even numbness. You struggle to stay focused and motivation is severely lacking. Instead of enjoying a creative flow, projects feel hard and stressful. Fear and anxiousness creep in.
As your sense of overwhelm and frustration builds, you wonder where on earth your passion, joy and inspiration have gone. After all, you are supposedly living your dream!
Are you with me? If so, I imagine you are more than ready to examine the following important question. As a dedicated, spirit-driven, high energy entrepreneur, what are you to do when this happens?
Well, first things first. Take a deep breath! Then another. And keep breathing.
And then remember this truth. Whenever you are feeling lost in this kind of energetic swirl, you STILL have absolutely everything you need to take generous, loving care of yourself and your dream. You can be with your experience in an empowered way, receive the rich learning that is available to you and find your way back home to your inner joy and inspiration.
I am delighted to share that the more funks I move through in my entrepreneurial journey, the more I realize the sizzling power of a few key shifts. So I invite you to consider the following when you are craving inspiration and aching to reignite your inner fire.
~ Shift from Delaying to Deciding. Lingering in the land of indecision can be an enormous energy drain. If you are a master of never ending contemplation, you know exactly what I am talking about. Given this risk, how mindful are you of ALL the decisions related to your dream that you are postponing? And can you see the price of this procrastination... emotionally, physically, financially and energetically? Remember that your inner fire burns stronger with action. You are meant to expand. Own your decision making power and be ready to enjoy the splendid energy surge that follows.
~ Shift from Critical to Curious. When we find ourselves struggling to keep our inner fire lit, we can enter the dangerous territory of self-criticism. Basically, we start beating ourselves up. And it is not pretty! We slip into judging our experience, labeling it as bad and wishing it would go away. I am certainly still working on being gentle with myself when I am visited by one of my funks. Can you relate to this fight? If so, you are most likely painfully aware of how this harsh reaction intensifies the negative vibes and locks you into the resistance and low energy. So the shift I want to offer here is curiosity. Instead of choosing judgment and being critical, you can choose radical curiosity. Simply be curious about yourself and your journey. Observe and wonder from a place of love, compassion, openness and trust. And the more curiosity you can cultivate, the more fuel you will add to your inner fire.
~ Shift from "How" to "What and Why." Obsessing about the "how" of our dream inevitably leads to a downward spiral in the arena of joy and inspiration. Before you know it, your energy has plummeted and you are immobilized. So how do you reignite yourself if you have been derailed by the dreadful "how?" Give your undivided attention to your "what and why." Reconnect to your reason and passion for being engaged in your grand adventure in the first place. What is growing your heart-centered business REALLY about? Who are you committed to BEING? How are you compelled to SERVE? From this place of clarity and conviction, you can more easily trust that your answers and resources will definitely appear as you need them. Immersing yourself in this energy of aliveness and purpose will light you back up and support you in riding the waves of inspiration once again.
~ Shift from Head to Heart. This shift is all about nurturing yourself in a way that allows you to connect more deeply with your heart and intuition. It is about shifting your focus away from the incessant mind chatter that can accompany a "funk," truly opting out of the exhausting inner dialogue that can quickly extinguish your inner fire. Be willing to engage in a genuine check in with yourself and Source. What would best serve you in releasing the struggle? How can you reclaim your natural state of joy? And as you embrace this process, never underestimate the profound wisdom and guidance that your body has to offer.
~ Shift from Forcing to Fun. How much fun are you having in your journey? Seriously. If you are noticing a lack of fire in your belly and heart, chances are you have been missing out on the fun. Without a doubt, some of my biggest lessons involve giving myself permission to play at the exact moments when fear and conditioning tell me that play is the LAST thing that is needed. Most of us have been taught to fight or force our way through our challenges, to try harder. Yet this approach fails to support us in reigniting our joy and hearing the call of divine inspiration. Truthfully, one of the best ways to tend your inner fire is to pamper your playful spirit. So I encourage you to ponder how you could play more and push less. What would it look like for you to truly let go and enjoy the sweet release?
As a final thought, I would like to offer a quote by Arnold H. Glasow that reminds us of the value of honoring our inner fire. "Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire."
As a Transformation Coach, Carrie Garber works with heart-centered, aspiring entrepreneurs who are longing to create a business rooted in passion and meaningful service. They are aching to launch the business of their dreams but are stuck in fear, self-doubt and overwhelm. Carrie helps her clients to cultivate the clarity, confidence and courage they need to move forward with their vision and build a solid foundation for a thriving business and a juicy life.
