A lot of businesses are finding things slow lately. This isn’t surprising, considering the political situation. When you have a democracy crumbling with a cognitively challenged tyrant at its reins, it’s pretty understandable that business would slow.
We humans generally crave stability and security…or at least the illusion of them. When we don’t feel those conditions, many of us hold our breaths hoping to force them into being. It’s as if somehow controlling our breath will help us to control our surroundings.
Emotionally, I get it, but it’s not very logical. Think about it: when you hold your breath, literally, what can you do? Not much and not for very long. So, when we hold our breaths, either literally or metaphorically, we don’t do anything else—including buying things or marketing our businesses or creating, etc.
When things feel overwhelming, as they do these days, many people hold their breaths and, essentially, shut down. It’s super normal.
Pema Chodron, the brilliant Buddhist nun, has written extensively on leaning into uncomfortable feelings, of sitting with them, and of the illusion of control. Control, particularly of outside things, is an illusion. We actually do better by letting go of trying to control things over which we have no control; especially things like other people, or the political situation[1].
Part of letting go is feeling the scary feelings—of letting yourself know it’s okay to feel scared, or worried, or unsure. But, and here’s trick number 1, try to do that with a little separation: instead of saying “I’m scared” say “There is some fear arising in me.” Change “I’m angry” to “Anger is arising.” Using the passive voice may piss off English teachers and legal writing professors, but it’s a great way to be less overwhelmed by whatever is going on inside you at any moment.
It also encourages curiosity about whatever is going on. “Pain is arising” can lead to “Is it sharp or dull? Where does it seem to be originating? Is it constant or does it kind of come and go?” The more we ask questions about whatever is sucking in the moment, the less of an onerous bugaboo it is.
Most of us who have been in business for a bit will likely recognize that things have been slow before. It happens. Sometimes we can do everything right, and it’s slow. Sometimes a pandemic hits, or an Orange Monster gets power, and it’s like everything work-wise stops. Scary? Infuriating? Frustrating? Sure! But also impermanent. Whatever is going on with your business will change, even if you do nothing.
We can, in all of that, let go of trying to control the uncontrollable and, instead, simply do our work. Make art. Market your business. Make connections with other humans. Rinse. Repeat. In doing the mundane work, and especially by breathing through it all, we become more fearless. And, before you know it, without holding our breath, things will change.
[1] Okay, before you get all in my grill about that last bit, we can only control what we do in regards to the political situation. We can’t make fascists stop being fascists, for example, but we can refuse to enable them by not shopping at stores that support the fascists and by voting.