Wanting the Perfect Business Is Holding You Back: How to Manage Your High Expectations And Still Feel Fulfilled

I was talking with a friend the other day about expectations, and specifically how they can set us up for disappointment, depression, and even self-destruction.

We’ve all had times in our lives when people we’ve cared about or looked up to – our friends, siblings, partners, bosses, teachers, mentors, etc. – have totally let us down. That deep-down sinking feeling (you know the one…) is disillusioning, and it can be a real blow to the relationship.

Looking back, though, we have to face up to what we were really asking of these folks in the first place: more than likely, that’s superhuman levels of support, understanding, patience, brilliance, determination, and perfection, 24/7 or on-demand.

Who can live up to those too-high expectations?

As business owners, we can just as easily fall into the same trap with our businesses, having too-great expectations about what roles they can play in our lives. Then we suffer the consequences when our businesses inevitably come up short.

In fact, I’m willing to bet that a lot of the dissatisfaction many solopreneurs feel about their businesses can be traced to this very problem.

Not sure if this is you? Keep reading, and ask yourself as you go along if any of this applies to you.

Your Business Means the World to You…

The women I work with and who make up our online community on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and this blog are passionate about their work, feel fiercely dedicated to their businesses, and know they do work that makes a difference.

It’s no surprise that the majority (and maybe you?) expect a whole lot of great things in return!

In addition to helping people and bringing in big bucks, you want your business to be exciting, interesting, challenging, fun, inspiring, and fulfilling … all the time.

Sure, you have rough days every now and then, and on those days you cut your business some slack.

But what about the longer “blah” stretches, when you feel uninspired, worn out, or just plain bored? When you can’t help but ask yourself, “Is this business really doing it for me any more?”

If you haven’t been there yet, you likely will be at some point (so this is your heads-up), and this is a TOTALLY NORMAL THING to experience and all part of the reality of owning your own business.

…But It Probably Shouldn’t

While many businesses start out being super fulfilling in every way imaginable, I haven’t seen a single one that can stay this way forever.

But here’s the thing: this is only a problem if you think it’s a problem. It’s all about expectations.

We all know how risky having too-high expectations can be, because we’ve all been there in one way or another – whether we’ve placed someone or something on a high pedestal or we’ve been teetering up there ourselves, trying not to fall off.

When it comes to your business, it’s also good to keep your expectations in check.

Building a business from scratch and making it a screaming success takes time, patience, and a lot of freaking work. It’s a long road full of ups and downs, twists and turns, probably some backtracking and maybe some detours.

That doesn’t mean it won’t also be phenomenally fulfilling. At times, it totally will be! It’s exciting to pursue a new niche or explore new territory; it’s challenging and interesting to develop new programs and products or improve ones you’ve already created; and it’s super rewarding to market something so well that it sells out.

Bottom line? It’s unreasonable to expect your businesses to continually be all. these. things.

Not only is it unrealistic, but it can also lead to some pretty serious consequences. I’ve coached women who were experiencing overwhelm from trying to derive too much at once from their businesses, others who had grown bored with their work and restless after achieving some success, and some who were so dissatisfied they were considering taking a break from or dismantling their businesses altogether.

That’s the thing about expectations, in life and in business: the higher they are, the harder you can fall.

Check in with Your Expectations

As tempting as it is to expect your business to always be amazing and play a ton of different roles in your life at once – and it is soooo tempting – it just doesn’t work that way.

Actually, there isn’t much in life that does work that way. We all go through ebbs and flows with everything, from relationships with family members and friends to how we feel about a hobby, exercise, or a certain type of food. Ebbs and flows are normal!

Just as you keep your lofty expectations in check in your personal life, you can and absolutely should check in with yourself every now and then about where you’re at with your business and what your expectations might be.

In fact, let’s all do exactly that right now!

Ask yourself the following questions, and then use the comments section to share your thoughts.

> What are you missing that your business isn’t providing for you right now? Do you want more fun or excitement? More of a challenge? More collaboration or teamwork?

> Is there something else you need but haven’t found in your business? Can your business provide it? Or might you need to find it elsewhere?

> What can you change or create to fulfill this need?

Your business can bring you a lot of satisfaction, but it doesn’t have to give you everything. In fact, it can’t.

The really, really good news is that as the owner of your business and your life, you are in total control. You are resourceful, powerful, and capable of making any change you see fit on both fronts.

In short, you’ve got this!

Join the Discussion in the Comments!

I’ve shared some of my thoughts on the role expectations can play in our businesses – now I’d love to hear from you!

What have I missed?

Do you have any advice for someone dealing with this issue?

What did you discover about yourself and your business by walking through the questions above?

And finally, how can we help??