1.) Remember Why You Started– When you first took the leap of faith to make a living from what you love, what was the reason? When we have a great business idea, we get so excited about it and dive right in wide eyed and bushy tailed. This is the “honeymoon” period of your business where everything is amazing, you’re super motivated, and things are running smoothly. Then shit gets real. You enter into the “messy middle” where things start to go wrong. You’re tired, frustrated, and angry. Somewhere in all of the mayhem you lose sight of your vision and its beautiful beginnings. Take the time to recall the moment you decided to start this journey, and stay there for as long as you can. You’re going to need to revisit that moment frequently to get through the muck.

2.) Do Anything BUT Work– And don’t think about work either. It’s easier said than done and some may disagree with me, but I’ve found that when I am so overwhelmed with failure, walking away for a short while is the best thing to do. If I continue to work when I’m spiraling down mentally, I make poor business decisions, I become inefficient, and I won’t make the most productive use of my time. Take this time to hang out with friends, catch up with family, and just have fun. The work isn’t going anywhere. It will be waiting right there when you get back. Trust me.

3.) Pray, Meditate, Release– Like the saying goes, “When it Rains it Pours”. Two prospective clients fell through, you keep hearing “no”, you just received bad news in a personal matter—all happening simultaneously. When you start feeling like you are the unluckiest person in the world, chances are you need a mental adjustment to break those negative thought patterns. While we are not in control of everything in our lives, I am a firm believer  that we are in control of more than we think (insert any Law of Attraction quote here). When your business has put you under a lot of stress and fills your mind with negativity, you won’t get a positive outcome. I’m not saying to be in denial that you are feeling negative emotions. The key is to let it go. Negativity is inevitable. Embrace the emotion, admit there’s a problem, and move on as quickly as you can. Yell, cry, run five miles – do whatever works for you. Find some sort of (healthy) release and do it.

4.) Be Honest with Yourself– The greatest disservice anyone can do to their own progress is lie to themselves.  During this break, take time to clear all the clutter in your head and be completely honest with yourself. I mean brutally honest. When you feel like you’ve done all you can and you’re not getting the results you want, ask yourself this question: “Did I REALLY do all I could do to get the results I wanted?” Chances are the answer is – “No”. Most likely you didn’t exhaust all possibilities, you weren’t consistent, and/or you didn’t follow the formula you set for yourself.

5.) Ask for Help– This is the perfect time to get another pair of hands, a fresh new mind, or another perspective in the mix to help you do and see things you are unable to grasp. The Entrepreneurial path can sometimes be a lonely one. Most people will never understand why you chose that path, which leaves you feeling like you have to figure out everything on your own. You’re not alone. Join a mastermind group, get a mentor, hire an intern. Do whatever you can do to take some of the burden off of your shoulders. It will change your life.

6.) Re-strategize– Trial and error (there will be a lot of both) will be the only way to figure out what works for you and what doesn’t. If something you’re doing isn’t working, try something else. During your break take time to come up with a new plan. At the very least make some adjustments to your current one, and then put it into action.