380 How to Bounce Back When Confidence and Motivation Take a Hit
Practical Strategies to Reignite Your Drive and Rebuild Momentum
in Business
In this episode, Kelsey dives into one of the most common struggles for entrepreneurs: feeling deflated, unmotivated, or directionless.
She shares her personal experiences, mindset shifts, and actionable strategies to regain confidence, rekindle motivation, and get back on track in your business.
Whether you’re dealing with a rough month, client setbacks, or just general burnout, this episode is packed with practical guidance to help you bounce back faster and stronger.
Key Takeaways:
Normalize deflated moments: Every entrepreneur experiences low confidence or dry spells; knowing this helps you respond faster instead of feeling stuck.
Content constraints for motivation: Limit your platforms and output to reduce overwhelm; set achievable content goals and stick to them consistently.
Surround yourself with the right people: Engage with mentors, masterminds, peers, or inspiring content to challenge your thinking and reignite drive.
Timestamps:
[0:51] Why low confidence and lack of motivation are normal in entrepreneurship
[2:51] The highs and lows of leaving corporate life to run your own business
[07:29] Return to rituals to regain energy and inspiration
[12:56] Tip #2 How to put constraints around content creation to build consistency
[15:17] How to overcome perfectionism and get content out into the world
[17:50] Tip #3 Surround yourself with inspiring people (mentors, masterminds, peers)
To connect with Kelsey:
Access the transcript for this episode:
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Kelsey [00:00:00]:
You're listening to the Visionary Life Podcast. I'm your host, Kelsey Reidl. Each week I'll bring you conversations with the most visionary humans on this earth in hopes that you'll be able to absorb their wisdom, avoid their failures, and feel less alone on the roller coaster ride that is entrepreneurship. This season, I'll be chatting with creative thinkers, masterful marketers, brick and mortar shop owners, brand builders, and people just like you who have a story to share or a vision that inspires. If I can share one quick secret with you before we get into the episode, it's that we all have a little bit of visionary inside of us. You know, that spark that nudges us to pursue our full potential in this lifetime. But perhaps somewhere along the line, it got covered up. I'm here to tell you that it's never too late to explore that inner voice and access the brilliance deep down inside of you.
Kelsey [00:00:52]:
It's in you. It's in all of us. Let's dive in. Hey visionaries. Welcome back to another episode. The topic today is a juicy one. It's how to bounce back. When your confidence gets shattered, your motivation dries up.
Kelsey [00:01:07]:
Maybe you feel directionless in your business right now. And let me just first say that that's pretty normal. So I want to share some strategies, some mindset shifts. What I've done when I've had these moments before because nobody's immune to them. They're going to happen at any stage in your entrepreneurial journey. Sometimes it happens on a monthly basis. You might be in a dry spell where you're like, oh my God, I can't shake this funk. I just want to first say that, like, it is okay to be there.
Kelsey [00:01:40]:
And one thing that Layla Hormozi says in some of her content is like, how quickly can you bounce back? Right? We're all going to have these shots taken to us, whatever that means to you. A client is upset with you, you got some hate comments online. You have had a month where the money isn't quite rolling in and you just feel deflated. It's going to happen. So to expect that that's not going to happen is to set yourself up for failure. So if we know that it's going to happen, we're going to have hard days. We going to have angry messages, we're going to have upset clients. How quickly can you bounce back? What is your time to returning in a good mood? Do you know how to speed that process up? Do you avoid getting taken out for weeks or months because you understand that this is all part of the game, right? I know that we are all dreamers here and we want to think that when we work for ourself and everything's going to be sunshine and rainbows, right? You probably quit your corporate job because you just didn't like the bullshit.
Kelsey [00:02:51]:
You didn't want to be around the colleagues. In my case, I didn't want to wear the friggin outfits. I remember, like I had to go shopping for these blouses and these trouser pants and I honestly just hated what I had to wear. That was a motive for me getting out of corporate because I wanted to wear a jean vest and some ripped shorts. But yeah, I mean, like we all have this vision when we leave our corporate jobs or our previous line of work that okay, I'm gonna go work for myself and everything's just gonna be better, everything's gonna be easier. I'm not going to encounter hard days. I'm just gonna be on this like perpetual trajectory of growth. Okay? That is not a realistic expectation.
Kelsey [00:03:35]:
Yes, that's probably going to happen for a lot of you. But don't expect that everything's just going to flow without any upset, without any challenge. Because as hard as it is to say, it is not easy to build a business and it will test you and stretch you and morph you into a person you didn't know you need to become. And that's a tough reality to confront. And like I said already, no business owner is immune. So if you're sitting there going why the hell am I deflated? Why aren't the clients pouring in? I launched the website, but it's not converting. This is just real talk. Keep bouncing back, keep accelerating that speed at which you're able to bounce back so that you can stay in the game, so that you can become a millionaire or a billionaire or whatever your goal is to help millions of people.
Kelsey [00:04:30]:
And I can share all of this only from where I'm at today as somebody who's been in the game for over eight years. In fact it's almost been a decade that I started my freelance career 10 years ago. And there are many deflated moments that I could share with you and, and explain to you how I was on the verge of quitting. But I would take some steps and I would recalibrate and I would always recommit to the vision that I had. No amount of upset, no amount of angry emails, no amount of lack of self confidence could get me to go back to that corporate job. And yes, did I have to work part time jobs at Orange Theory? Did I have to teach spin classes? Did I have to start a product based business? Did I sell 97 social media course? Did I become a personal assistant where I was literally booking a client's trips to Mexico to make ends meet in those early days? I did it all, you guys. I am no stranger to hustling for money to make ends meet so that I could focus my best energy on my business and to be able to walk this path out of being a full time entrepreneur. And so I get it.
Kelsey [00:05:45]:
I've had these moments. But I've really learned how to come back after a deflating moment and show up as an even better version of myself. And to really remind myself that I am not my business. I am a person. My business is my business. So if I'm feeling personally attacked or if I feel like I'm in a weird mood, that's all good. My business is separate. I can show up, I can, you know, go on a run, go on a walk, come back and come into the business with an objective mindset.
Kelsey [00:06:16]:
I honestly think too many of you listening, you like, you're confused. You are your business identity. And yes, this is a really gray area because even in my own situation, my company is registered as Kelsey Rydle Consulting Incorporated. It's my first and last name. So yes, my, my identity is deeply wrapped up in the business. But when something happens to the business, I say, that's okay. My work day's done. I'm gonna go be a present mama.
Kelsey [00:06:46]:
I'm gonna go run around the playground with my, my son. I'm gonna hang out with my husband and listen to music and dance on the back deck. And I don't care. I let it go. I let these things go. When I'm feeling deflated, I unmotivated because I don't want a life where I am constantly attached to what's going on in the business. All that to say today in this podcast. I just want to share a few ways to bounce back when your confidence gets shattered, when your motivation dries up a little bit, when you feel directionless, which I know many of us can, especially as the goal posts keep moving forward and you're like, where do I even go next? So let's get into it.
Kelsey [00:07:29]:
Okay? The first way that I recommend bouncing back when your motivation dries up, when you feel directionless, is something I call the R2R method. R2R just simply stands for return to rituals. Whether you're conscious of it or not, we all have Rituals that make us feel alive, that make us feel like ourself. And even when I rewind to the very first online course that I built, teaching business owners how to take their expertise online and create a course, it was called the Visionary Method. I literally remember the most impactful part of this seven part course. And I had workbook on workbook, I had hundreds of pages of content written out. The most impactful question I could ask any of my students in this course was what inspires you? And are you doing that? So the R2R method, return to rituals is returning to the rituals that make you feel inspired, that make you feel whole, that make you come alive. Because if you are not doing that, you're probably showing up to your work days, to your business, with a very flat energy.
Kelsey [00:08:48]:
And if your energy is flat, your revenue is flat, your social media growth is flat, your course launches are flat, your clients energy is flat, it all ripples out. It's kind of one of those like woo woo business concepts, but it, it's very, very real. I know this for certain because I really try hard to rev my energy up before a day of work, before a day of coaching calls. And when I get on zoom with a client, I am high energy. Yes, I will always match their energy. But if a client is like coming to me and they're vibing and they're winning and they're succeeding, can you imagine if I had had a bad morning? I crushed like 80 Krispy Kreme donuts. I decided to watch trash TV, I decided to throw laundry all over my floor and not clean it up. And then I show up to a coaching call, not feeling my best because I haven't returned to my own rituals, I haven't taken care of myself.
Kelsey [00:09:52]:
And then they show up, they're winning, they like just lost five pounds, they just did a whole week of meal prep, they've exercised every day, they have practiced a positive mindset. Can you imagine the energy mismatch or misalignment that's happening there? So all this to say, I really think that a return to rituals is actually step one. When you're feeling unmotivated in the business because you show up technically as the CEO of your business, right? And even though I'm saying you are not your business, you are, you're working on behalf of your business. So you put your energy into the company. And when you put a lot of energy in, a lot of energy is going to come out. And you can't do that if you haven't taken care of yourself and if your rituals are off. Hey visionary, the search engine game is changing fast. I mean, how many times now do you open up ChatGPT where you used to actually just open Google or Bing? AI driven tools like ChatGPT are rewriting the rules of what it is to play the digital marketing game.
Kelsey [00:11:02]:
But don't panic. You just need to pivot ever so slightly if you want to rank your business in ChatGPT. And if I could just interject for a second and go off script, I. I am getting so many leads these days who are saying to me, I found you on ChatGPT. So here's the deal. You guys know I'm passionate about SEO. Google still matters, but AI is a new layer to this game that you cannot ignore if you want quick wins. I want to teach you exactly how you can do it and I want to simplify it for you.
Kelsey [00:11:34]:
What you can do is head over to kelseyridle.com chatgpt I have a brand new free bonus training on how to rank on AI search engines, how to rank on ChatGPT essentially. So I want you to jump in and future proof your marketing strategy. Grab this free training KelseyRidle.com Chachi BT or click the link in the bio. This Training is only 30 minutes long and it's going to teach you everything you need to know to get more leads, more clients and more money into your bank account. For me, that is starting my day with nature. Starting my day with a power walk. I just did that this morning. I walked my son to his daycare.
Kelsey [00:12:15]:
Then I went to the market and I grabbed a coffee and a scone because I had an hour. I knew that that makes me feel so much joy sitting in that beautiful environment, sipping a cortado with oat milk, having a blueberry lemon scone. Like what a great way to start the day. I don't have time to do that more than like once every couple months, but when I do, it really nourishes me. And sometimes I just do a two minute ritual. Like I'll put on my favorite song, put my earbuds in and I'll dance around the house. You know, for me, movement, nature, coffee, conversation with my, my local community, hanging with my family. Like these are my return to rituals.
Kelsey [00:12:56]:
And there's other more extreme things too. But for the most part I only have time for micro rituals on some of these busy days. So method number one of how to get your confidence back, how to reinstate your motivation, how to find direction. You guys return to rituals R2R. Okay, tip number two is put a constraint around your output of content creation. Now, I'm saying this because a lot of my clients come to me and they say, kelsey, I haven't posted on Instagram in weeks because I'm not motivated. I want to be on LinkedIn, but Blobbity, Blobbity, blobbity. Or I used to send newsletters to my list and now I don't anymore.
Kelsey [00:13:42]:
I want a blog so that I can get more traffic from Google and ChatGPT. But so, like, the excuses go on. And you guys, I get it. We are small teams here. There is just simply not enough time in the day to. To be on all these platforms. But I never ask clients to post on more than, like two to three platforms at any given time. Usually it's just one.
Kelsey [00:14:06]:
It's like, choose between Instagram or LinkedIn if we feel like those are the two best places, and then go for it. But here's what you can't do. You can't go dark for months at a time, and then when you have a course launch coming up or when you need a client, you show back up. I just. We can't be doing that. Right. Consistency is going to be your best friend when it comes to making sure that your business is always moving forward. I was going to use the word chugging forward, but, like, I don't like that imagery.
Kelsey [00:14:34]:
I don't want to just chug forward. I want to be on this flywheel where I can actually turn clients down. I don't have to constantly be searching, pulling teeth to get in conversation with people. I just want the business to be moving forward at a beautiful speed. And. And anytime I need clients, I can kind of like tap into that pipeline, let people know I am open for biz and make sure that I have clients booking in. And for that, for those of you who use social media, who use content marketing or any version of a content strategy, whether it's blog or YouTube or podcast or email or substack or threads or Facebook, you have to stay consistent. So you need to get back in a content flow.
Kelsey [00:15:17]:
And I realized that when you're unmotivated and directionless, it can feel impossible. You might be staring at a post going, I don't know what to say. So I totally get that. And yes, it is very challenging to come up with something, but this is where you have to put a constraint around your lack of output. So I learned this from Jesse. Oh, my gosh, I'm blanking on his last name. Savannah Bananas, the baseball team. Jesse Cole.
Kelsey [00:15:47]:
He says that when he was coming up with all the cool stuff that the Savannah Bananas were going to do, that he actually put a constraint around experimentation. So he would say, okay, every day we have to share five wacky ideas of how to make baseball more awesome. And he couldn't shut down his laptop until there were five wacky ideas shared with his team members. In your case, if you're feeling unmotivated, put a constraint around your content. Say, okay, I have to post once a day, even if it's just one Instagram story. And it has to be a photo with an inspirational quote over top of it. Like, make it so easy that you cannot ignore that. Like, you could literally just chatgpt.
Kelsey [00:16:33]:
What are five inspirational quotes about marketing? Grab a photo of your garden from your camera roll and post it. Or maybe you do a carousel post or just text on a background. So put a constraint around it. Make sure that it's, like, a specific goal. So I'm going to post three times a week for the remainder of this week. And get yourself into an environment where you know this content creation will be easy. So maybe posting out of your dingy basement is not working right now. You're not feeling inspired.
Kelsey [00:17:03]:
You haven't left your house in too long. It's been, you know, whatever, too hot to go outside like it is here in Ontario. Just kidding. It's never too hot, in my opinion. I love this heat. But yeah, get yourself out of the house. Like, choose two hours where you go to the local Starbucks if you love it there. Or go to a park with your laptop and say, I'm not leaving here until I have four posts written.
Kelsey [00:17:27]:
If you never put a constraint around this, you will probably get caught in this perfectionism trap. You. You'll never publish things. You'll never get enough data to see if it's gonna work. And so we need to follow the advice of Seth, Seth Godin, who's one of my favorite marketers. He says to just ship your work imperfectly. Like, finish writing and ship it. Send it to the world.
Kelsey [00:17:50]:
Send it to whoever needs it. Stop getting caught in the perfectionist trap. Make sure you output something on a consistent basis. You never go dark. And sometimes that involves a constraint and a new environment. So that is tip number two. Tip number three, when you're feeling unmotivated, uninspired, sometimes it's because you're not around the right people. And I often feel this, like, yearning to get into different rooms, to be challenged in the way I'm thinking to stretch my brain as it relates to my consulting business.
Kelsey [00:18:27]:
But the truth is, I don't have a ton of friends who are operating a similar consulting business with similar dreams as I do. So I've had to make an insanely concentrated effort to go meet these people, to get in the rooms, to join masterminds, to build out a network, to literally just find mentors through listening to podcasts. Like, I'll turn on a YouTube video of someone that I follow who I know has something inspirational or a story to share, and I listen to them when I'm in a funk. Because we cannot just stay in our own head if we are only surrounding ourselves with people who are complaining about their work, who are just very content and. And, you know, happy with where they're at, which, hey, nothing wrong with that. I go through many seasons where I'm like, I'm good, but when I want to be stretched, when I want to not be directionless, when I want to not be unmotivated, I can't be hanging around people who are doing the bare minimum in a job. Again, not a bad thing. But how do you possibly reach for more when you're not in the energy of more? So here's what I would do if I was feeling like I didn't have a bunch of peers.
Kelsey [00:19:44]:
So, first thing, I've created a little group with two of my business besties, and we have this app called Marco Polo. We talk to each other about business on there, of course. We talk about life, we talk about our kids, we talk about, hey, I'm out on a walk. Look what I'm seeing. But we also express, like, our biggest business challenges and desires in there. So that would be step number one. Step number two, I would know who your, like, digital mentors are. I have a bunch of people I follow on Instagram, on podcast, and on YouTube.
Kelsey [00:20:17]:
And if I'm feeling uninspired, I. I know I can go to their content and they will light a fire under my ass. And I love that. And I've met some of them in real life. I've not met some of them in real life, but I know that they'll always just, like, shake me up and get me really fired up. So that's one way that for free, you can tap into some really inspiring people. I would also join Masterminds, so I talk about this in almost every podcast episode. But I love getting around the right people and paying to be in rooms, paying to go to events, paying to fly into the US to go to a Two day, like master class on something.
Kelsey [00:21:00]:
Because when you're in that energy, you naturally, by osmosis, pick up on that stuff, you bring some momentum home with you, you get all these golden nugget ideas and you get out of your funk instantly. I am convinced that if you're in a business funk, just getting to an event could get you out of that funk. Getting to an event or a conference or some sort of meetup with industry peers might be the catalyst to you realizing that you've been in isolation, you've not been having very awesome, inspiring conversations. Your partner can't relate to the big dreams you have, the friends you're surrounding yourself with, Perhaps they don't have a vision to be in business for themselves. And again, that's okay. But you should also connect with people because if you don't, you're going to find yourself going, ah, I don't know if this is possible. Well, of course it's possible because so many people do it. But you're not seeing those expanders in your life.
Kelsey [00:21:59]:
And sometimes we do have to pay for that kind of stuff. Sometimes it's just a matter of reaching out to a few people who you're like, hey, I like your energy. Can we meet up for coffee? So never be shy about asking yourself, like, you know, who is someone I want to befriend? Can I create some genuine connections so that I don't feel like I'm in isolation on my laptop? What would happen if I got around people who get it and who pushed me to think bigger and who pushed me to imagine more for my life, for my business, to show me the, the path to. Maybe it's doubling your business revenue, tripling, quadrupling. Someone else has already done it, right? So why not you? So there you guys have it. So there are my tips for getting out of that feeling that your confidence is just so low, that your motivation is not there right now, that you don't have direction. Try one of these tips. So one or two or three? Number one.
Kelsey [00:23:04]:
I don't even remember. Guys, what was number one anyways? You know, get back into your content flow, use the R2R method, build out your support network. Those are the three. I just don't remember which order I shared them in. But these are all ones that I feel extremely passionate about. You can probably hear it in my voice. I wouldn't be able to record this podcast in one take if I didn't actually care about these strategies and I didn't actually believe that they worked. So please let me know on Instagram if you intend on trying one out.
Kelsey [00:23:34]:
I'd love to hear from you. As always, I hope this little quickie served you guys well and I will see you in the next one. Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Visionary Life. I love bringing you these conversations on a weekly basis, so it would mean so much to me if you could help me out by rating and reviewing the show on either itunes or Spotify. It just takes a second. And if you don't want to rate the show, you could also just take a screenshot of the episode and share it on your social media platform of choice. Tagging me at Kelsey Reidl. I'll catch you in the next episode.
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