Mompreneurs are a special breed. You’ve taken a chance to be at home with your kids and run a business at the same time. Somedays it feels like it’s all falling down around your ears. When you are working you feel guilty for not giving the kids all your attention. When you’re playing with the kids all you can think about is the 101 emails you need to answer. I have yet to meet a Mompreneur who doesn’t think she’s failing at one point or another.
Reality Check
Let’s talk turkey about this Mompreneur business, because I don’t want you dropping out of the race at the first set of hurdles like so many do. Being a working mom is hard and being a Stay at Home Mom is hard, combine the two and you can be guaranteed there are going to be times you don’t do either well.
The Bad Days
Somedays you will want to throw that computer against the wall. At least once a day the kids just won’t cooperate and you’re efforts will feel fruitless. You will have days (probably a lot of them) when you feel like you are all alone, or even worse making a mockery of yourself.
Somedays you’ll look around your house and wonder when that bomb went off. If you even have a pair of clean underwear left because it’s been so long since you did laundry. And why do the kids insist on writing ‘clean me’ on the dusty furniture?
You will have days where your mind wanders and you dream of having a ‘regular job.’ You know, one where the kids are safely tucked in daycare and you go to work and collect that regular weekly paycheck.
You will have all kinds of days like these, some worse than others. But these days are not the days when you give up. These are they days that you take note and learn from.
Change Your Mindset
When you are faced with these days, step outside, take a deep breath in and out and remind yourself about your WHY. Why did you start this crazy journey in the first place?
The big winners in business (and life) are not the smartest, strongest or prettiest. They are the ones that don’t give up. If they get knocked down, they get back up again and try again the next day. They believe in their vision and their why and they never let go of it.
Let’s Get Practical: Tips for Surviving ‘Those’ Days
Find and Follow ‘Experts’
There is so much available online to support you. If you are struggling with a certain aspect of your business find and follow someone who is already succeeding at what you want to do. Watch and learn from what they are doing, how they are doing it and replicate it in your style, in your business.
Get the right mindset
If I’m feeling totally lost, I stop myself and examine my mindset – 99% of the time the negativity is coming from me – not the outside world. Go and watch inspirational videos on YouTube. Go and read blog posts from thought leaders like Oprah, Gabby Bernstein, Sarah Prout, or Jen Sincero. Flip the gears in your brain back in a positive direction.
Prioritize Health and Wellness
When I am tired or rundown, I really try to not just ‘suck it up’ and push through. Being responsible for not only a business but a family as well is hard. If I’m not running on all cylinders it pretty much all falls apart. Instead of trying to be Super Mom, try to get an early night and snuggle up and watch DVD’s with the kids and give your mind a rest. Try to go to bed early. Some days you might even just shelve everything and do nothing but the basics and pick it all up again the next day. A total perk of being your own boss.
Speak Kindly to Yourself
I have caught myself thinking thoughts where I’m being really mean and nasty to ME – I mean there is no way I’d ever talk someone else the way I’ve talked to myself. I’ve said things like ‘this is never going to work,’ ‘why am I bothering? No one cares,’ ‘I’m not good enough,’…and worse.
If you notice yourself doing this, stop and take yourself out of these thoughts, stand back and intentionally turn them into a positive affirmation. It might be something like ‘I am a successful woman’ or ‘I am meeting the needs of my business and my family every day.’
Reframe the negative and then believe it, feel it, and see it. You’ll be amazed what the Universe will deliver.
Be Grateful
You can take a bad day and do one of two things with it. You can either try and block them from your memory and move on from them quick smart, or you can be grateful for the lesson they are showing you.
Instead of living in denial of the hard days, start training yourself to be thankful for the lessons you learn from them. Business is like life and it ebbs and flows. The real key is seeing these hard times as a signal for re-evaluating where you want to go and how you are going to get there. Be grateful for what you are learning during these hard days.
Join like-minded communities
Being a Mompreneur can be lonely (okay so you aren’t ‘alone,’ those tiny people are hanging out with you, but you know what I mean). Being able to talk and vent to other business minded women who can relate, will quickly affirm for you that these low days are normal and you really aren’t alone.
I rely on my amazing online Facebook communities to see me through the rough patches. These groups have become an invaluable resource to my business and sanity. Three of my favorite Facebook communities I participate in are:
Mums with Hustle - An amazing group of supportive Moms who run a huge variety of businesses.
The Socialite Suite with Brenda Ster (a fantastic group of Solopreneurs and Direct Sales business women)
Blogging on Your Own Terms - A fabulous group to be in if you are a blogger.
Embrace change
Accept that it might be time to look at changing your goals. Deciding to change how you operate or even start a new type of business is not a failure. Don’t fall into the trap of seeing a change in direction as a waste of time and money. Anything you’ve done up until now has been an investment of time and money into your life education.
Identify what works and what doesn’t, what you like and what you hate. Use that information as fuel to create your next venture.
Final Thoughts
When you move through these hard days with the least amount of resistance you will find your business will start to move forward and you will see the rewards for your determination.
Mompreneurs, don’t give up. There are days of doubt and worry and overwhelm. There are days of feeling like you’re the only one in the world having these thoughts. You’re not. You’re doing this because you have a dream. You know there is a better life for your family. You can do this.
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Before You Go
