3 Powerful Exercises to Use When You Feel Doubtful, Stuck Or Overwhelmed in Your New Business

In my work as a psychotherapist, I give my clients cognitive-behavioral strategies to conquer depression and anxiety. I have found that many of these cognitive-behavioral strategies translate well to my coaching practice.

The women small business owners I coach, especially those who are new, can sometimes hit blocks that leave them doubting their abilities, feeling stuck or overwhelmed. I find that these three cognitive-behavioral exercises work well to move them forward.

3 Powerful Exercises to Use When You Feel Doubtful, Stuck Or Overwhelmed in Your New Business
By Kate Sanner

1. Look for Clues – When you begin to doubt your abilities to succeed, it’s time to look for clues. Look in the recent past for the times when you did solve a difficult problem, when you succeeded despite the odds, when you were able come through at the last minute. Acknowledge your abilities, your ingenuity and your resourcefulness. Write these down – this is your list of successes to read over whenever you feel self-doubt. Keep adding to the list every new accomplishment and breakthrough.

2. Rate Your Performance in a Different Light – Let’s say you have been struggling with a project and you feel as if you’ve hit a wall. It’s time to rate your performance…but in a whole different light. On a scale of 0-10, zero being no progress and ten being the completed project, rate your progress so far. Let’s say you rated yourself a 3 out of 10. Now ask yourself why you rated yourself so high? In doing so, you will see the three in a positive light…after all, it’s not a zero. Then ask yourself: “What skills did I use to get me to a three?”, “What resources did I access to get me that high?”, “What personal qualities did I draw upon that made me get to that number?” Write these down. Now ask what you can do to get to a 4 out of 10…don’t focus on the 10, just focus on getting to one point higher.

3. Partialize and Prioritize – Often times when you are in the midst of a big project for your business, you can find yourself overwhelmed by the enormity of the task. Break down the project into more manageable parts then prioritize the tasks in each part in terms of importance. Concentrate on one part at a time and do the most important things that will give you the biggest rate of return on your time in each part. You’ll feel a sense of relief as you watch your to-do list of tasks begin to be ticked off one-by-one.

Being a new small business owner can bring special challenges that can keep you stuck, overwhelmed and frustrated. Having a business coach can be an invaluable asset. Kate Sanner is the CEO and founder of Vivacity. As a coach and consultant, Kate helps a woman on the verge of doing great things to take the leap into the life she has been dreaming of…whether it’s starting a business, writing a book or fulfilling a life long ambition. Once a woman has made the jump, Kate then provides tools and resources so that a woman can continue to take herself to new levels and to maximize and monetize all her efforts for continuous growth, financial gain and success. To get a FREE copy of Vivacity’s “The Think and Play BIG System”?, a 10 Step, 46-page guide,- a $57 value – that shows you how to bring your vision for your enterprise into reality and onto new levels, go to http://vivacitynow.com and fill in your first name and primary email address in the box in the upper right hand corner, then click on Yes, Send My System Now.

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