I have recently made a decision to move on from a serious entrepreneurial burnout that led me to ponder whether is entrepreneurship really meant for me, and should I proceed further along this path. Or should I tangent off, and resume the traditional climb-the-corporate ladder route.
During this phase, I doubted and harbored hesitation in every step that I took. This struggle plagued me for close to a year, and the only internal reason that drove me to work on my business despite the struggle, was responsibility to my business team, family, friends as well as clients.
To my business partners and clients, it was the promises which I have made to them, to work together to see us till we achieve what we want. To my family, it was to show that my decision to venture into entrepreneurship was not an incorrect decision. To my friends who were concerned about me, it was the promise of sharing the glory and happiness with them, when the business blooms and become a tremendous success.
For friends - whether you are working or building your own startup - if you are going through your respective burnout phase, it is important for us to stop battling this inner struggle alone, and confide in someone or a group of people who are able to provide us better perspectives to progress forward.
Right now, I would not say for sure that I would not go through another burnout phase. But I am certain that I have discovered methods and a mastermind alliance that will help me to pull through another similar phase.
There are three key elements that really helped me to snap out of my struggle:
1) To win our mind on a daily basis - If I had chose to focus on the things that I could do, and not the things that I am not able to do, and focus on winning in the things that I could do to make a difference in my business or in my own personal growth, I would have walked out of this phase better.
2) Be Grateful ( Write a daily gratitude list if needed) - This is very important as during this phase, we will tend to have a shorter fuse, and we will feel that life is like our deep arch nemesis whose sole purpose is to make us suffer on Earth. To avoid getting into the rut cycle, I find that choosing to focus on the things that I am grateful for, such as having a roof over my head or having my family members in good health, helps me to dispel such thoughts.
3) Never Stop. No matter whether we feel like dying or feel victorious, never stop taking small steps to move forward.
With that, I hope my heartfelt sharing in this blog-post, provides helpful perspective to you if you are facing burnout or at the very least, insights that can be used if you do ever experience burnout phase just like me at any point in life. :)
