I want you to take a moment to think about Bob Cratchit from “A Christmas Carol” and his ability to smile in the midst of everything he endured. An ailing child, a miserable boss and a job where he had no chance of ever-moving up. Isn’t that the reason you became an entrepreneur? To no longer work for the boss who would get paid more than you but do less was the dream. To be in control of your earning potential was the goal. Then you finally did it. You took a leap of faith and started your own business. Ah, but where there is energy being used……….burnout is always just around the corner. Life happens, frustration happens & feelings change. I wanted to share with you this week four simple tips to beat burnout.

Let’s start off by determining what burnout is and what it does. Burnout is when you get to the point of feeling drained by the task you are doing. It becomes a chore instead of something you love. Burnout occurs when your gifts and talents are devalued or when you find your trying to fit into a mold that someone else has created for you. For example, in retail the turnover rate is extremely high because burnout happens very quickly. Employees are not seen as valuable individuals. They are a person with a number that is supposed to fit into the mold of their company.

Here are five simple ways to beat burnout in entrepreneurship.

1. Remember your why?

It’s okay if your why has changed from when you first began. Often times it will change as you grow in business. Your why will keep you pressing forward when your mind and body say quit. Your why will determine your heart for the business that you have started. It is the fuel that will keep you moving in between good days and bad days. You can always go back to your why when you start to feel burnout coming your.

There may be multiple reasons why you choose to move forward with your own business. For me it was family, freedom and finances.

2.Create short reachable goals that lead to your major goals

A goal is reached by first taking a leap of faith and then followed up with strategic steps. There are times where entrepreneurs will take that initial leap of faith and then attempt to keep leaping afterwards. That will create burn out quickly. Making your journey more measurable allows you to see progress as it is being made and helps

3. Allow yourself some downtime to just relax in your favorite way

The things that bring us joy can often energize our current state of mind. From a bubble bath to some quiet time reading a book, that time away from work can be the difference between you quitting or staying. It gives you the ability to just relax. People today are so busy multi tasking that more times than not they fail to complete the large number of tasks they have given themselves. Attempting to do too much will eventually overwhelm an individual when they do not complete a task. Scheduling some me time throughout the week or just weekly can make a big difference.

4. Be honest with yourself about your personal limits

It’s okay to not know how to do something. There is always someone who will know how to do what you may not do well. We don’t have to do it all. I repeat……………………..You don’t have to do it all!!!! Being an entrepreneur means knowing when to handle things on your own and when to outsource. This journey will become a lot more difficult if you can’t be honest with yourself.

Always keep in mind that entrepreneurship is a journey that will continually have ups and downs. There will always be something new you can try or learn but keep yourself and your family as a high priority.