Work-Life Imbalance: How to Keep a Nasty Breakup From Wrecking Your Business Don't be too hard on yourself for just going through the motions. At least you're still moving.
By Kimanzi Constable Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Love can be a funny experience. It can make you feel like nothing exists but the two of you in the moments you share together. Or, it can depress you, derail your focus and drain both your ambition and your motivation. In either scenario, your business could be the unfortunate bystander of a normal human experience. It's easy to lose focus when the relationship isn't going as planned.
There may come a time when the relationship is be beyond repair. One or both of you will decide that the relationship is over. Depending on how "in love" and invested you were, a breakup could turn into a nasty experience. No breakup is easy, but there are some breakups that hurt you in more ways than you thought were possible. Here are four ways to keep a breakup from hurting or destroying your business.
Acknowledge your feelings and talk to someone you trust.
Our natural tendency as humans is to keep everything to ourself. Talking to others, including friends or family, is hard and feels terribly messy. The problem is that you end up living in your head. You play through every fight. You linger on all the good times. You act out, in your mind, how things could have gone differently if you would have just made better choices. This extensive time stuck in your head distracts you and makes you feel terrible.
The best way to deal with any problem is to acknowledge that there is a problem. The second best way is to vent and get advice. Acknowledge your feelings and all the thoughts that are in your head. Talk to a close friend, family member, or counselor about what you're dealing with mentally and emotionally. Let it all out and take good advice when you get it. It will feel like a weight is lifted off of your shoulder and it could keep you from living in your head.
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Create a new plan for the next four months.
To keep on track through a hard breakup you need a fresh plan. After you have acknowledged and vented your feelings, sit down and create some new milestones for your business in the next four months. Set firm goals with deadlines attached to them. Make yourself accountable to a friend, a colleague or a mastermind group.
Wake up each day determined to do whatever work that will help you hit those goals.
Work even when you don't feel like it and change your environment.
At the end of the day, even when you don't feel like it, you make progress when you do the work. There are tasks you could do with your eyes closed, so do those tasks. That will help your business grow as you do them consistently.
If you can, change your work environment. Get out of your house, the office or wherever you normally work. Changing your workspace will break you out of your routine and/or a place that's associated with your feelings.
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Commit to becoming the best version of yourself.
After you have processed everything, you will realize that this new time alone can work tremendously in your favor. Use it to become the best version of yourself in every area of your life. This might mean new goals for your health, relationships or business. Commit to putting in the work required to become the best you.
I experienced a nasty break up this year. I thought I could handle what I felt but those emotions overwhelmed and sidetracked me. My business was thriving, but the breakup killed my motivation. I forget about my goals. I was in a funk for months while my business suffered. I was able to overcome the funk and create a plan to get back to growing. It took taking all of the steps that I talked to you about today but they worked.
Our feelings have a strong hold on us. A nasty breakup can bring out emotions that have the power to hurt you and your business. If you can find a way to get honest with yourself and address what's going on inside, you can assess and take the next steps to fix the problem. You worked hard to start your business. As hard as a nasty breakup can be, it should not take you away from the reason and dream behind your business.
