You Can Motivate Yourself to Start Again After a Business Failure. Business failure sucks. Even after you’ve accepted that your business failed, you’re won't be over it in a day or two. For me, writing down what I’m grateful for everyday improves my mood. I also find the time to give back by volunteering with nonprofits. Rewards feel good. In fact, research has found that rewards are responsible for three-quarters of why you do things. Remember, failure accompanies success. It’s those small steps that will lead you to success. Additionally, visualization helps make success seem more tangible and can help reinforce positive mindsets.
The fear of failure is a leading killer of motivation. Starting a business isn’t for the faint of heart but you can overcome fear and take that critical leap of faith.
But, if you think it’s tough to motivate yourself to try once, try motivating yourself after a business failure. I won’t sugarcoat this. Business failure sucks. It’s stressful. You want to curl-up in the fetal position — permanently. I’ve failed. So has Bill Gates, Arianna Huffington, Jeff Bezos, Thomas Edison, Vera Wang, Tim Ferriss and Lawrence Ellison to name just a few. We are all in good company here. In fact, only 20 percent of businesses survive their first year.
Don’t let the statistics and nay-sayers stop you from pursuing your dream. While failure is always lurking around the corner, it’s not the end of the world when a failure happens.
So, you are going to fail but you can always pick yourself back up. This list will help you — but no one can do the list for you. You will have to take these for yourself. It may be hard, but take a step into your future.
Accept it, learn from it, move on.
I get it – I honestly do – you’re still in disbelief. You’re heartbroken. You’re freaking out over money. The thing is, the sooner you accept that your business failed, the sooner you can learn from the mistakes that you made and start moving-on.
Think about what you could have done differently. What mistakes did you make? Confront that so you won’t repeat them in the future. Trust me. It will help you grow both professionally and personally. But here’s the kicker — don’t dwell it on for long. Accept it and start looking towards the future.
As the legendary Johnny Cash once said, “You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don’t try to forget the mistakes, but you don’t dwell on it. You don’t let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.”
Take time to heal emotionally.
Even after you’ve accepted that your business failed, you’re won’t be over it in a day or two. It’s a process that may take weeks or months. You may never get over it completely. That’s all right. You can learn to move through this failure. Remember, just don’t dwell on it.
I have a friend whose spouse was killed in a car crash. She had the business to run and her small children. She had to keep going. She began moving through her tragic loss by being alone and breaking down completely. But she did this breaking down only once a day, in her closet, for 10 minutes. She set a timer and allowed herself deep, dark, loud grief.
Her way works for her. You have to find something that works for you. Save yourself. Until you’re in a better spot emotionally and mentally, take the time to heal.
When my business failed, my wife and I went to Disneyland. It took our minds off the failure and lifted our spirits — after all, Disneyland is the “happiest place on Earth.” Once I returned from that little vacation, I felt better. Not 100 percent but enough to get the ball rolling on my next move. I grieved for a while, but did not let everyone see it.
Get positive.
When are you least motivated? It’s when you’re down in the dumps. As explained in Temptation: Finding Self-Control in an Age of Excess:
“So procrastination is a mood-management technique, albeit (like eating or taking drugs) a shortsighted one. But we’re most prone to it when we think it will actually help…”
“Well, far and away the most procrastination will occur among the bad-mood students who believe their mood could be changed, and who had access to fun distractions.”
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