We’re going along, working away and doing just fine. Perhaps we have a business plan and a budget and our keeping the wolves at bay when, one day, restlessness comes knocking at our home office door. We just start to feel unsatisfied, wondering if this is really all there is or if we’ve made a mistake by starting our own home businesses? What does a business owner do when the waves of restlessness hit?
Restlessness is to be expected. I don’t really know why we all get periodic bouts of it—maybe it is the moon, the weather, or as a friend of mine likes to say, it is just “our turn.” But it can be rather disconcerting and make us wonder if we are really on the right track or if this whole home business thing is just not for us any more. When I start to feel myself get restless or antsy or even frustrated, I try to tell myself that it is probably temporary. I may very well feel differently tomorrow or next week. Meanwhile, I can see if there is anything in the restlessness that I need to pay attention to…
By this, I mean that restlessness may be signaling that we HAVE gotten into a rut and that we are not taking chances or feeling particularly inspired in our work. Has it been a while since I’ve made any changes or learned something new? Or have I been spending too much time at work and need to balance my life out with some other activities? Restlessness may be trying to tell us that we just don’t have enough variety in our lives and are getting stuck in the same old track.
I do think we can listen to our feelings of restlessness without overreacting. We can give them time to ruminate and see what we can come up with without having to throw out the baby with the bathwater just to get rid of the uncomfortable restless feeling. Chances are, it might inspire us to make some changes and then the antsy feelings of restlessness will pass.
Also: Five Ways to Clear Thinking
The Relation Between Moodiness and Boredom