THE REAL REASON YOU'RE EXHAUSTED IN A BUSINESS YOU LOVE
Welcome to the SOUL-LED & SUCCESSFUL SERIES.
This is letter two, so if you’d like to start from the beginning you can find letter one by clicking here.
LETTER TWO:
Over the years I’ve realised that there seem to be two types of exhaustion that impact us most as entrepreneurs. There’s the run of the mill kind where you’re just exhausted from working too hard. This alone can lead to burnout, but there’s actually a second type of fatigue that is often even more difficult to overcome. It’s misalignment exhaustion (and yes, I do wish I’d come up with a more catchy name for it!).
Misalignment exhaustion slowly eats away at your confidence and self-trust when you have this constant undercurrent of feeling that something isn't right in your business. It's more than the exhaustion and burnout that can come from working too hard, it's an exhaustion that makes you question who you are, what your purpose is, and what you're capable of too.
It's easy to know that something isn't right in your business. It's easy to know that it feels heavy and complicated. It's easy to know that something has to shift if you want to do your soul's work for the long term. But it's not easy to know what to do about it. It's not easy to see exactly what shift needs to happen. And even if you can see it, it’s not easy to actually make the change.
That's because misalignment doesn't usually happen in just one decision. It usually happens over time in many small ways. You don't notice it at first because it's easy to do one uncomfortable thing, but over time as these decisions and strategies compound you suddenly find yourself close to breaking point. But how do you dismantle an entire business without being left with no clients and customers and a confused audience? This is why so many of us stay in a state of misalignment and exhaustion. IT’S ALMOST EASIER TO KEEP PUSHING THROUGH THAN IT IS TO START MAKING THINGS BETTER.
This is why I rarely recommend burning it all down. Sometimes dramatic action is absolutely the best move and you'll know if it's right for you, but usually we can create change in a much gentler, more stable way.
When I felt burned out in my business I felt like everything was wrong. I felt like all of my offers were exhausting. I felt like the only way to bring some relief and ease into my business was to scratch my offers entirely.
I've noticed that this pattern is really common. When we're exhausted and desperately craving ease and the ability to share our work and still feel free, we start to attribute the heaviness to our entire business.
But what if it's just one element of this offer and one element of another offer? What if it's just one facet of your visibility strategy, not the entire plan? What if it's just one mindset shift that could make a difference? What if it's the expectations you're holding yourself to, not the actual running of your business?
It can be so hard to see the nuance within your own business because, like I mentioned earlier, the misalignment builds over time. It's not just one thing, it's several, but what if the several things are actually just small components of your business as a whole?
This is the kind of work I love to do with my clients so if you’re craving private support from me through this process you can check out my services here :)
For me, the moment when I finally felt like I could breathe again in my business happened when I started asking myself 'why.' Why am I doing it this way? Is it because I thought I had to? Is it because that's how everyone else does it? Is it out of habit? Is it out of fear?
When I started asking myself these questions it took me above the feeling of frustration that was permeating how I perceived my business. It allowed me to see clearly again and that moment of clarity created space to see different possibilities.
So I want to tell you that you don't have to fix everything all at once (because that just adds to your exhaustion). It is actually surprisingly simple, though not particularly easy, to bring alignment into your business. It just requires you to understand who you are, start asking yourself questions, seek support if you need it, and above all else, focus on simplicity.
WHEN YOU’RE ALREADY EXHAUSTED, DRAMATIC CHANGE COMPOUNDS YOUR OVERWHELM, BUT SIMPLE SHIFTS CREATE PROFOUND RESULTS.
This is the work we start together in my FREE audio series You Are The Magic. Just click here if you’d like to join us :)
In your corner always,
Michelle xxx
P.S. Click below for letter 3 :)