This is an excerpt from our Calling the Shots Ebook.
Sometimes, I want to fake my own death and move to The Bahamas. I feel sluggish, lethargic and about as uninspired as a kid in a mortgage broker’s office.
Creativity is a fickle thing. And we often feel the furthest from it at approximately 3:14pm when all our energy has been sucked dry from a lunchtime meeting and a morning spent preparing for it. If your never-ending to-do list is putting the fire out on your creative spirit, you need to have a set of jump-start leads at the ready to ignite your creative process again.
When you work for yourself, there comes a point where you have, in fact, created a job of your own making. You’ve settled down into your routines, settled into the pattern of busy times and not-so-busy times, and you aren’t as freaked that you’ll never get another client again (but sure are grateful when you do!) You’ve systemised things so that you’re ahead of the curve and feeling the flow.
And not only are your responsible for balancing the books, rallying the troops, paying the people and keeping the plants alive (literally), but you’re also responsible for your own wellbeing and ensuring that your mental health is solid enough to keep carrying you forward.
When you’ve got the head-full-of-cotton feeling, it’s always good to find some inspiration to fill you back up again. It’s time to get re-inspired. Get off social media and into something worthwhile. Find a podcast that makes you laugh, pick up an old faithful book that you know does the trick, head to your local newsagent to score a good mag, or wander through the streets to soak up the creative energy floating about.
If you are committed to sticking with your dream through thick and thin, then I have some good news for you: it’s entirely possible to get the fire back.
Here’s my list of top tips to set fire to your biz in the best way possible.
- Set some fresh goals, stat.
Goals are a force to be reckoned with, when we list them out, we start to have a burning vision to see them come to pass. Every few weeks, I take time to sit down and devour inspiration from a number of sources. I read books, I listen to podcasts, I cyber-stalk my idols, I churn through magazines, and I walk along the beach just taking it all in. Taking time to brainstorm and refocus your energy can be incredibly satisfying and inspiring, as well as produce an instant spark. Write them down, say them out loud, meditate on them, and begin to self-actualise all the exciting new goals you’ve set for yourself.If you need to get other people in the room, hold a brainstorming session over lunch with your team. Refresh their dreams, the company goals and point back towards the overarching vision. All while eating donuts. - Create!
Get off those emails and turn back to your first love: creating! Conduct a photoshoot, listen to a podcast, write something that’s on your mind, paint, draw, douse yourself in glitter. Create a workspace that’s worthy of your best work. Keep it tidy, keep it pretty, make it green, and make sure there’s always epic tunes playing. While you’re at it, have some fun freshening up your copy and your images. Reflect on whether your current website accurately depicts the current you, and evolve accordingly.As you take a creative detour, let your people know that you’re still alive, but are merely taking a form of sabbatical to get those juices flowing again. - Invest in you.
Check out an event, take a course, see a musical, watch a film, attend a conference, meet with your mentor. Take time out for yourself to immerse yourself in things that will inspire and refresh you!If it’s a holiday you need, then flipping book one! Make sure you’re positioning yourself in the exact right place you need to be in order to bounce back like those tiny bouncy balls that used to drive your mum crazy when you were a child. - Rework your spending.
Feeling flat? Chuck a Regina George and take the gang shopping. Retail therapy is a wondrous thing, but we’re talking rebranding. Put your money where your mouth is when it comes to your brand, and attract all those magical people you’ve been so passionately chasing.Meanwhile, critically analyse your current spending. Where is all that money going? Pointless subscriptions? Overheads you could eliminate? Where are the holes where your money is bleeding from? Cutting the fat from your spending means more money for exciting things like millennial pink walls and delicious g trees. Make it rain inspiring, beautiful, attractive branding!
To continue reading and get access to another 4 hot tips to get your creative juices flowing, download our ebook and head to chapter 3.
P.s. To encourage some positive new financial year resolutions, for a limited time only, we’re bundling together the ultimate entrepreneurial bundle to offer you a healthy balance of inspiration and practical application. Saving over $50, you’re not going to want to miss out on this!
Image credit: Joost Termeer
