Why is nothing working out for me?


Sometimes no matter how hard you work, no matter how many ways you try, no matter how many hurdles you climb over, it still doesn’t work for you. You can’t get the clients, you can’t earn the income, you can’t get past that hurdle, or you can’t have that conversation. You just can’t create the practice you’d like to have.

It’s so disappointing and frustrating isn’t it? And everyone who has had their own therapy practice has had those times when it just isn’t working out the way they want. If you find yourself in that space, here are some things you might think about…

photo (41)Accept the reality of your situation (and don’t beat yourself up in the process): I’m not saying give up or give in, but actually look at where you are, and the impact that that is having on you. Acknowledge your efforts to date, and appreciate yourself for trying. Then accept that it hasn’t worked so far. Maybe your strategy isn’t working because it’s not the right strategy for you, or it’s not the right time, or the right place.

You’re probably NOT doing anything wrong!: Most people assume that if things don’t work first time they have some block, or are doing something wrong. Not necessarily so. Sometimes we have to grow into things. There are skills we need to learn, and there’s information we may not yet have. So…

Give it time: Remember the Law of the Harvest. You can only force things so far. It takes bamboo seeds four years to show growth above ground, babies take nine months to grow, and it takes a while to generate a practice!

Count your blessings: Situations are rarely completely negative, but sometimes we can become so focussed on the negative that we forget how much is actually going well. We focus on the clients we don’t have, rather than appreciating the ones we do have and the growth, learning and income they have brought us. In our rush to criticise ourselves for not being able to earn the income we’d like, we forget to appreciate ourselves for our clever management of very limited resources.

Take stock of what you’ve done so far: It may be more than you think, and usually, these things take far longer to yield results than we think they should. Make a list of all the actions you’ve tried so far. Could any of them be revisited? Often contacts need to be reminded of our existence several times before the message sinks in. Take time to appreciate how good your client work really is. Think of a client where the work has gone really well, and remind yourself of how they were when you started out together, and how far you both have come.

Get a second opinion: If you’re satisfied that you really have tried everything you can, and nothing has yielded results, try getting a second opinion. Often others can see things that you may have missed, or can offer a twist you hadn’t thought of. Consider getting professional advice and support, especially if you think you have emotional blocks in some areas.

Take a break before trying again: Like trying for a baby, sometimes the energy of effort gets in the way! Our photo (40)insistence that the Universe yield to us the results we want can be the very reason we can’t receive it. Go out, have some fun, think about something else for a while. Laugh at other times you fell into despair just before things changed for the better, and remind yourself how you never can tell what’s around the next corner.

Reassess your goal, and maybe refine or reduce it: Small steps tend to come easier than large ones. Maybe you’re stretching yourself too far outside your comfort zone or range of abilities. A common example of this is where people who have no experience of running their own business give up their day job and expect their practice income to replace it. Yes, for some people this gives them the push they need to make it work, but for most it just adds a level of financial pressure that gets in the way. Goals should be realistic and achievable in the short term. By all means have your dreams, but don’t insist that you accomplish them overnight.

If things aren’t working for you, and you’re tearing your hair out not knowing where to turn next, I’d love to help you. Contact me here for you free 20 minute consultation.