If you feel like you’re in a slump or you’ve even fallen out of love with the industry, you’re not doing it wrong…you’re either bored or overwhelmed. It’s a common cycle that most beauty professionals go through at least once, sometimes twice, a year.
The good news is you can break out of this cycle and fall back in love with the industry and your business. All you have to do is recognize the pattern and learn how to break out of it.
How? Let’s dig in.
The Phases
Each phase has very distinct patterns that make it easy to recognize where you are in the cycle. Knowing where you are on your journey is crucial to staying motivated year round.
Inspiration
In this phase, all you see is a world of possibilities. Your professional life feels like it’s at its happiest. You’re clear on what you want, even if you don’t have all the steps laid out to get there yet. You don’t mind doing the work because you feel like you’re going to get somewhere with it. You can find inspiration through social media, advanced education, books, industry mentors, or whatever lights you up. You’ll move through the Inspiration phase throughout the year.
Education
Once you have the inspiration and an idea of what’s next, you have to learn how to do it, right? Usually, what you need to learn is something you don’t currently do or haven’t done before, so this phase is crucial. Education, luckily, is found pretty much anywhere in our industry. Examples are live classes, hair shows, independent or brand educators. Rather DIY It? Consider books, magazines, podcasts, or one-to-one coaching. (Interested in one-on-one coaching? Keep an eye on @thethrivingstylist in the new year!) Remember, whatever you invest in is what you’ll get out. Linger in this phase a bit longer or invest deeper to make sure you understand the topic and have a plan to get results.
Action
Let’s be honest: education is nothing without the application. Applying the skills you learn in the Education phase might go smoothly or it might be a little rocky. Give yourself grace and know that what you’re doing right now is a great step towards an incredible outcome.
Some actions you might take are:
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Social media marketing
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Website development
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Local marketing
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Retail sales
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Service upgrades
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Create an employee handbook.
This isn’t an exhaustive list of actions you can take. Tap back into your inspiration and what you learned in the Education phase to take the right action. You’ll stay in the Action phase for a while. Sometimes it’s weeks, months, or even the better part of the year, depending on how big your project is. Keep making progress, even if it’s baby steps.
Overwhelm or Boredom
No matter what action you take or how much effort you put in, a fork in the road always appears. You get the choice of one of two paths:
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Overwhelm. Overwhelm happens when we don’t spend enough time in the Education phase to clearly define the steps to take in the Action phase. This can make you feel like you don’t know what you’re doing or you feel like your efforts didn’t work. You’ll feel like the hamster on the wheel, trying to act but your vision never comes true. You end up frustrated, confused, and overwhelmed…then the negative thoughts enter in.
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Boredom. Sometimes you achieve success—yay!—but then you start wondering, “What next?” You’ve conquered that, checked that off, and now you’re bored.
How to Conquer the Cycle
The cycle sounds pretty good until you hit the Overwhelm or Boredom phase, right? How do you skip that phase and move back into Inspiration?
Awareness. It’s easy to say but can be hard to do. The next time you come to that fork in the road, notice it, then move back to the Inspiration phase. Moving back to the Inspiration phase will always and forever be the secret sauce. The next step? Creating a life where you receive weekly inspiration. This is crucial because as soon as that inspiration, that zest dims, you slip back into doomsday again. Focus on finding some time every single week to live life with eyes wide open. For some, that’s sitting down and journaling for five minutes. Or doing some self-reflection to tune into what phase you’re in in the parking lot before you head into the salon. Find a source of inspiration that lights you up and tap into it weekly to hold the Overwhelm or Boredom phase at bay.
If you hit a place where you feel like you don’t know what you’re doing anymore or your tank is empty, go back to Inspiration and work through the phases in order. They will get you where they need to go.
If you need help finding that inspiration, that education, or taking that action, check out our annual planning system, Wealthiest Year Yet!
