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ans Serif">It's Wednesday morning. You're half-way through the week. As you wake up, you ask yourself, "why am I struggling so much?" Struggling in your business, that is. You are about 2 years into your work. You've made many new connections, you've revised your promotional materials and accomplished some great goals. Yet this internal voice keeps asking, "what am I doing here?" You question whether you should get a job or "stick it out".

ans Serif">How did you reach this point? You didn't see it coming. Both new and well established business owners face a multitude of transitions throughout their professional journey. What once worked for you, no longer works. Does

this mean you should quit? At one time you enjoyed working from home, but today you are bothered by the isolation. At one time you enjoyed setting your own work hours and appointments, but today you find it extremely difficult to separate yourself from your work. This is especially true if you're a consultant. At one time you were willing to do just about anything to make your business a success. Today you question whether its worth the stress.

ans Serif">Wow. That's a lot to handle. Take a deep, deep breath and ask yourself these questions instead: "What if I was no longer working in isolation?","What if I enjoyed more time away from my responsibilities?", and more importantly, "What if success is right around the corner?"

ans Serif">Success means many failures overcome. So how do you get to be where you need to be? Instead of aiming to accomplish an enormous abstract goal, break it down into smaller, more attainable ones. Reward yourself with a massage, new shirt or mini-trip as a positive reinforcer. Instead of isolating yourself wondering how you're going to get by day to day on your own, schedule lunch meetings, regular networking groups and surround yourself with strong mentors. Every time I need a boost I find someone to talk to. For example, I go to the gym where I meet up with an independent yoga instructor who offers words of motivation, encouragement and of course, new exercises to reduce stress. This woman is mature but has more flexibility than any 20 year old I've ever seen! She's one of my mentors but doesn't know it.

ans Serif">Although drive and ambition come from within, we are not machines. Sometimes we need to find inspiration from outside sources to help keep us moving. I found inspiration from a book titled, "Who moved my cheese?", written by Spencer Johnson. It discusses how we "complex humans" dislike change and would rather suffer than do something differently if the old "way" no longer works. We don't have a boss to direct us. We must manage ourselves, which leads me to my last point: When should you stop everything you're doing?

ans Serif">If you find yourself asking any of the above questions, stop right now. Before you can logically assess your situation or set new goals, you must let go of everything you're doing right now. This answer is so obvious that you may miss it. I'll repeat: stop everything you're doing and get a life!