Maintain the flame of passion without burning out by Madhurima Sappatti
Can you avoid burnout as a creative entrepreneur? Every entrepreneur often reaches a spot on their journey where they feel their passion die down and burnout take over.
Most of us come from a space where we start the journey of entrepreneurship after having worked in a 9-5 or go against the grain of what people consider “normal jobs”. Things have thankfully changed post-pandemic, but the stigma still exists of following your passion and running your own business. For both the entrepreneur and the people they are surrounded with!
Some push through and start their own business with a lot of motivation, passion, and sacrifice that takes the shape of letting go of their stable jobs and walking the path less travelled.
There is both excitement and nervousness that comes with finally giving in to our passion and just going for it. After all, why wouldn’t we want to be that 1% of people who make it?
But Tough Times Are Bound to Sneak Up On You
With this comes the moment when we face our first obstacle, no matter how well prepared we are, we’ve never faced anything like it. And you fall into the valley of despair, and you start to believe that every negative thought and limiting belief that you always believed in will bite you in the arse and not let you go.
You will also feel like everyone who warned you against starting your own business was right! And most likely, it will start to push you and make you question yourself:
- Are you doing it right?
- Are you wasting your time, energy, money and other resources because you deluded yourself into believing that you can make a business out of your passion?
This is what happens and why it is important to not let this stage overtake us.
Because if it does overtake you, even the best of us let go of boundaries and sense, and dedicate ourselves completely to the business and ensuring that it succeeds no matter what.
This can lead to us neglecting our:
- Relationships,
- Sleep,
- Mental health, and
- The very FREEDOM that made us want to start our own business.
The side effects of this and the constant stress that we are living in can manifest themselves into:
- Trouble with our physical health,
- Lack of energy,
- Problems with sleep,
- Increased levels of anxiety and depression,
- Feeling burnt out
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Anger
- Irritation
- Disgust
- Depression and more.
Which inevitably leads to more damaged relationships. And the cycle continues, with no way out.
What to Consider If You Are Experiencing Burnout
If you are in this space, I invite you to think about these questions:
- What you are sacrificing and if it is worth it?
- Is this a sustainable process to build my empire?
- What is it going to take for you to stop, look at and rework the way you create your empire?
- If I keep going, and I succeed, would this be the way I would like to continue building my empire?
- Is this what and how I envision myself working on building an empire from my passion?
- Is this way of living going to help me remain in love with my passion, or am I taking all the love away from it?
It is time we take a look into this and build our empire with love and abundance!
Tips for Avoiding Burnout as a Creative Entrepreneur Before it Happens
If you wish to follow your passion and not burnout by the end of it all, here are some tips that you can try.
- Spend time every day in the morning to think about your passion and what you wish to achieve by utilizing it.
Remember that you can either choose for your passion to burst and disappear like a firecracker or choose to let it burn like an everlasting flame. The best way to do this is to focus on what you can do with your passion instead of what you haven’t been able to do so far. Future instead of past perspective!
- Take time to learn something you are passionate about.
We get so hyped up and stuck on our DOING that we don’t spend time learning and receiving. Make sure you spend some time where you are observing and expanding as an individual. This can also look like getting inspired by materials that fuel your passion!
- Take regular breaks to avoid overwhelm and burnout.
An exhausted engine runs slower than a well-rested one. Take breaks throughout the day to ensure that you are allowing your brain to relax and reset in between bursts of focused work!
- Declutter your mind space.
Don’t add everything that excites you in your mental workspace. Organize how you wish to work on your projects, file them away, and start by working on things one step at a time! Even if you are a multi-tasker, ensure that you don’t have too many projects running at the same time and don’t attempt to do all of them at once! Check out this wonderful course I created if you need support with this!
- Create space for FLOW.
Break your days into routine and flow blocks, where you can focus on routine tasks and get them done before moving onto blocks of time where you can experience and work with Flow! This is the time when you will be working on what excites you and allows you to learn and grow as an individual and still stay in touch with what ignited you to start this journey. Seeing your passion as a source of inspiration rather than an impetus for action will guide you on the right track!
- Ask for help.
A lot of times we get stuck because we don’t have any help and we feel alone in the realization of our dreams. You can always get help from a mentor, coaches, or even online courses, forums, and videos. Many have traversed the path that you are currently walking on.
Allow yourself to be in a space where those who can support you, can support you. We might feel the urge to figure it out on our own, and we probably can! However, a mentor or a coach can help you fast-track the process, and make better mistakes instead of repeating the ones that have been made since time immemorable. Plus sometimes, all we just need is a pat on the back to get us up and moving again!
- Reward yourself.
This is important to remember when you are being productive in your day-to-day life. Reward yourself for every small step that you are taking towards realizing your goals! A reward system is a way to get you motivated to keep moving forward and achieving your goals!
At the end of the day, multiple tips can support you on your journey to ensure that you don’t burn out while following your passion! However, you know best what you require support with, so feel free to pick up whatever resonates with you the most!
Keep Your Creative Passion Alive
Hope these tips help you avoid burnout as a creative entrepreneur! Feel free to join my free community, Stress Busters, and send me a message if you need support with stress and burnout!