Nathan Hangen

Getting Over the Mountain

Running a business on your own is tiring and I know exactly how you feel. You wake up every day hoping to tackle the world, but by the time you go to bed you are worn out, exhausted, and frustrated at trying to tackle a to-do list that never ends. No matter how much you get done, you always feel like you could have done more. You’ve got a deadline of when you plan on quitting your job and you know exactly how much money you need to make to pull it off. If you just had more time, more energy, less distraction, or more help, you might be able to do it, but as it stands now, you are running out of hope.

You Are Not Alone

I’ve deal with feelings like these for most of the past year as I try to prepare myself to escape from cubicle nation (or in my case, military nation). Most of the entrepreneurs I talk to feel this way, regardless of whether or not they are already meeting their goals or not.

As a business owner, it stands to reason that you need to be prepared for every scenario, so we over-analyze both our successes and our failures. We’re afraid that our latest product sales are too good to be true or that an income stream will dry up overnight. We’re afraid that the minute we quit our job, everything will fall apart and we’ll be left with nothing but shattered hopes and dreams.

Get a Grip

While planning for the worst has its own merits, at some point you just have to stop worrying and let things happen as they must. Being afraid is OK, but living in fear and a state of constant stress is the mindset that keeps people from shooting for the stars. If you let your fear paralyze you, you’ll be moved to inaction rather than action. You will start doing what feels good rather than what you must do, which means you’ll let your dreams die once more. And realize this: the more we allow ourselves to give up…the more we develop the pattern of giving up. Over time, this becomes your natural reaction…a habit of giving up and letting yourself off the hook when things get tough. This is not how dreams are made..this is how lives go from extraordinary to ordinary. If you let yourself off the hook now…if you don’t go for broke…you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. Don’t be that person!

If you are tired of constantly moving uphill, then take some time to put things in perspective because sometimes, it isn’t our effort that needs to change, but our reference point. If you think that nothing is working out, you’ll feel like you are always trying to get to the next hilltop, not realizing that you are already on top of one that looks nice all on its own. Here’s what I recommend:

• Break your goals into practical and achievable “mini-goals” that give you small benchmarks on the way to knocking out larger goals. If you want to climb Mount Everest, set up smaller goals of reaching each camp along the way. Having smaller goals helps you experience some feeling of accomplishment now, which makes it easier to persist for the big payoff.
• Be low on your wins and high on your losses. What I mean by this is to avoid extremes in your handling of positive and negative results. Things are never as bad as they seem, but they are also never as good as they seem. Learn to stay somewhere in the middle and let the path reveal itself to you. The Tao of business, so to speak. Sometimes, bad news isn’t bad news at all, so don’t let it get you down.
• Set reasonable goals – I don’t mean that you can’t set a goal to make 1 million per year, but as an initial income goal, that number is slightly absurd. My plan was to make 3k/month, then 5k, then 10k, etc. Although my goals were staggered 6-12 months apart, there’s no reason you can’t shoot for less. Don’t set yourself up for failure from the start.
• Save money, even if you feel like spending it. As you start to make money online, you’ll feel a tremendous desire to blow your income on things you don’t need. After all, it’s money that isn’t planned for, so why not! Do yourself a favor and start saving as much of it as you can. Don’t let yourself get used to spending it unless you absolutely must. Business expenses are fine, but even those should be accounted for.
• Celebrate your fire – You are already defining yourself as a game changer simply my trying to start your own business online. You’ve got the passion, desire, and intensity necessary to make the jump. The problem with these emotions is that they use a lot of energy. Even though every day brings you closer to the life you desire, you finish each day feeling burned out. This is fairly common, but it doesn’t mean you aren’t getting ahead. It simply means you need to take a step back and congratulate yourself for being committed. Celebrate the drive that seeks to separate you from being ordinary. Remember…just because you feel like you are struggling does not mean that you are.
• Take a minute to stop at the top – Before you tackle that next hill, or even that first mountain, take a minute to stop and enjoy the view; there’s no hurry. Spend a bit every morning or every evening reflecting on how far you’ve come. Meditate on it, chill out to some music, sip some tea…whatever. Just enjoy it, it really is beautiful up here

Recommended Posts

• Get it Out
• It is up to You to Save the World
• How to Build a Business on a Shoestring
• The “B” Word is Missing – Let’s Bring it Back
• Becoming a Crusader

Like what you see here? Click Here to check out my guides and courses or make it simple and Hire Me.

Also, please leave a comment and click that cool RT button. Thanks!