Want to Quit?

Want to Quit?

Did that subject line just jump out at you?

Was it enticing? Or bringing up fear?

“Want to quit?”I Quit card with bokeh background

Can you give yourself permission to quit?

All entrepreneurs, I believe, have wanted to quit their business. It gets hard, it’s stressful, it’s anxiety-provoking, it’s confusing, it’s – well, sometimes it just seems impossible. And the temptation is to quit, get a job, and forget the whole thing. It would be soooo much simpler. Right?

Do You Really Want to Quit?

Think about that for a moment. Look at that subject line again. “Want to quit?” Then close your eyes and see how that feels in your body. You’re thinking about quitting. You imagine what that would be like.

How do you feel? What is the emotion coming up? Do you feel happy? Sad? Angry? Check in to the intensity of that feeling, on a scale of 0-10.

If you feel happy at a 7 or higher, then maybe quitting is the way to go. You can always start again, with this business or something else that’s more in alignment with you.

If it makes you feel sad, I’m guessing your business is your passion. This feeling of wanting to quit will pass. You are not alone.

You Are Not Alone

I have not yet met or talked to or heard about an entrepreneur who didn’t want to quit at one time or another, or multiple times. It’s about stretching ourselves past our comfort zone. We try things, they don’t work, or it takes too long to come to fruition. We get anxious and frustrated and want to cry. We get mad. At ourselves, others, the business itself. “It’s not working!” “This is impossible!” “Why did I ever start this in the first place?”

Sound familiar? Hey, I know all about quitting. I’ve started – and ended – several businesses. When I first graduated with my Master’s degree in counseling, I thought I had achieved my lifelong dream. I began a life/career planning practice. I had a few clients. But it wasn’t jiving. I had excuses: The economy was headed for a recession; Who would pay me for my services? I gave a lot away. I wasn’t making any money. I quit. I got a job.

When you feel like quitting, think about why you started. Motivational background.

Several years later, my contract came to an end. I started another business, arranging events for women newly re-entering the workforce. I had a business partner. I set up all the speakers for it, wrote the marketing, people were excited. My business partner pooped out on me. She didn’t get the space booked. I felt deflated. I gave up. I quit. I got another job.

Fast forward to 2003. I had started a full-time hypnotherapy practice in 1999, helping clients to heal from their phobias using EFT/Tapping. I loved the work. But…I wasn’t making enough money. I was charging dollars for hours. I had no idea about target markets or niches or packages. I did great work, my clients got great results fast, but then I’d say “okay, bye”!

I got discouraged. I quit. I got a job.

See the pattern?

Are you familiar with this in your own life?

This time, I declared, would be different. In 2012, I started to plan for my next business. I loved working with clients but this time I learned about niches and target markets and social media. I’m still learning! I hired a coach to help me. I studied with Margaret Lynch to clear my money blocks that held me back over and over. I became one of her coaches so I can help others do the same.

I still have times I want to quit. I cry. But this time, I talk to my coach and my accountability partners. They bring me back to reality. They remind me to use Tapping/EFT to cut through those feelings of stress and anxiety. It changes my feelings of helplessness to hopeful.

Could I quit? Sure. But I don’t want to. I can do this. I AM doing it.    

                never quit

And you can too.

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