Nine years ago we got our first dog. After a few months it seemed like a massive mistake.
She's a beautiful collie cross, who we brought home from a rescue centre. Everyone who sees her mentions her beautiful eyes ... which she uses to full effect.
For the first few months everything was exciting.
"Breakfast?! Oh wow - best thing EVER!"
"Go for a walk? Oh wowwww - best thing EVER!"
"Biscuit? You're KIDDING! Best thing EVERRRRR!"
In her eyes we could do no wrong.
Taking her for walks was fun. We got to play. She ran around with other dogs. She chased squirrels. We chatted with other owners.
Every day.
Every week.
Every month.
Until eventually ... going out for a walk didn't seem so much fun. In truth, it felt like a chore.
Conversations with other owners reduced to head-nod greetings. Nothing new to say.
This was just something "we HAD to do" ... every single day.
Having a dog? - what WERE we thinking?! Had this been a crazy idea?
Then there was a new dog appeared on our daily woodland walk. A puppy. Full of life. Bounding around with unquenchable energy.
This lovable bundle of joy was a reminder of how WE felt in those first few months.
Why did it seem like a chore now? What had changed?
Just one thing - it had become ROUTINE ... almost mechanical.
We'd forgotten WHY we wanted the dog in the first place.
It was like a wake-up call, a realisation - we had FREEDOM and CHOICE to enjoy our time with our lovable pet. As we walked in the woods EVERY day, we could see changes through the seasons. We listened to woodpeckers. We glimpsed deer (far too fast for the dog to get anywhere near).
And the sunrises! Magical.
These were always there ... hidden in plain sight. We just needed to "wake up" and remember WHY we wanted the dog in the first place.
It seemed like a mental "trick" but there was no magic - we just needed to remember our WHY.
Maybe you can relate to this too?
It doesn't just happen with dogs, of course - it happens with EVERYTHING.
Starting a new relationship - exciting at first (hopefully a LONG time!) ... then (eventually), routine.
The same is true with your own business.
Those heady, exciting, nerve-wracking first days, weeks and months ... eventually become routine.
And it's the routine that KILLS life.
It's "routine" that makes us "busy" ... yet not having the LIFE (or lifestyle) we dreamt of when starting out.
Gaining the first client was a thrill. It was "proof" you COULD create a business.
But "routine" turned it into a JOB ... one where one day is pretty much like every other. And if you don't do the work, you don't get paid.
Typically, THIS isn't what you imagined when starting the business.
Maybe it doesn't have to continue this way?
Maybe we CAN change the routine?
Maybe it's important to remember the REAL reason we started in business?
It wasn't just for the money ... was it?
Maybe it was about having freedom too?
In which case ... what might be in the way?
Would NOW be a good time to start?
Wishing you all 3Fs
Chris
(The 3Fs: Financial security, Freedom and Fulfilment 2 out of 3 isn't bad ... but is "not bad" all that's possible?)