Hi there! I’m Christina, a mom of two littles, a licensed mental health therapist, and a soon-to-be children’s book author! Thanks for checking out my site. Look around! I’m sure there’s something here for you! This post is about my interview with Authority Magazine and Thrive Global, and 5 ways to navigate the emotional rollercoaster of being an entrepreneur!
In February 2019 I started this website — my therapeutic motherhood blog Real Life Mama. And when I started writing, I was completely naïve to the fact that I was starting a business.
I thought I would write, good people like you would read, and all would be fine and dandy.
And to some extent that has happened, thanks to organic searches for what I’ve written about. But for the most part, if I don’t share about my posts on social media, it could be crickets.
It’s like the age old question: If a blog falls in the forest is anyone there to read it?… Or something like that.
The Business of Blogging
There is so much involved! And I really had no idea. Below is a non-exclusive list of the variety of tasks you tackle as a blogger, and generally as a small business owner.
Running a blog requires:
- A website — which means you’ll likely have to figure out how to create, design, and maintain a website for yourself, at least at first
- Original content creation (and a content calendar if you’re better planned than I am)
- Copy editing (and some more copy editing, and some more again)
- SEO optimization
- Photography and photo editing; or a stock image resource if that’s not your jam
- Bookkeeping if you’re spending and making money
- A social media presence and the knowledge and know-how to grow and engage your following
- An email list, meaning you have to attract subscribers and figure out email list forms, etc.
- And more that I can’t even think of right now!
You see, there is so much to do, learn and manage. It can be time consuming! And sometimes your metrics don’t amount to what you would hope for how much time and energy you spent.
Running a blog can be like running a small business, and you want it to do well. You want to see “success”! And as you trek onward, you have to navigate the emotional rollercoaster of being an entrepreneur.
5 Ways to Navigate the Emotional Rollercoaster of Being an Entrepreneur
Owning a business is no joke when it comes to your resiliency for all the ups and downs. I have learned so much through on-the-job trial-and-error, and I hope my learnings can benefit others.
Earlier this month Authority Magazine and Thrive Global interviewed me about how I ride the emotional highs and lows of entrepreneurship.
I created for them the video below. Give it a watch!
In summary, this is my advice:
1) PURPOSE
When you can’t see the forest through the trees, and you feel lost in the details, you need to pull back and remember your purpose. Why are you doing what you started in the first place? Keeping your “why” in the forefront can help make any bumps and bruises along the way feel insignificant.
2) MINDFULNESS and ACTION PLAN
Using mindfulness, you can gauge your stress levels and emotional lability. When you feel you are getting overwhelmed or too stressed out, it’s time to employ your action plan, which are your coping skills. You might need to up your self-care, or down your output until you re-center.
3) METATHINKING
Metathinking = thinking about thinking. Our thoughts, and the words we say to ourselves in our thoughts, are powerful. If our self-talk is unkind, it is likely unhelpful, and by examining our own thought patterns, we can intentionally shift to more helpful, supportive thoughts.
4) GROWTH MINDSET
“Failure” in your business journey doesn’t feel so dire if you see setbacks as an opportunity to grow and develop. Research the growth mindset to assess whether your mindset is fixed or one of growth. And then work at maintaining a growth mindset.
5) SUPPORT SYSTEM
You can’t carry the weight of all the highs and lows on your own! Find your people, whether they’re friends, family, business colleagues, or other professionals from a networking group or association. You need to have people to help pick you up when the tips above aren’t cutting it. And more than anything, you need people to celebrate your success!
And if you’d like to read the actual articles, click below!
