I'm Not Happy! You're successful but miserable. Here's what to do when your dream business is no longer your dream.
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Q: I am a successful business owner, but I can hardlystand to get up in the morning. I want to quit my business and moveto L.A. to return to my life as a professional musician. Of course,everyone tells me what a mistake this would be--they say"You're too old" or "Now that you are a success,you want to quit!" I've tried to give up this dream, butit simply will not rest or fade. How do we know when our brain islying to us? If I were happy, wouldn't I know it?
A: Yes, you're right. You would know if you werehappy. If, day after day, you can hardly stand to get up to faceyour business, you are not happy. Not wanting to get up in themorning is one of the main signs we list in Changing Directions without Losing YourWay as an indication it's time to make a change. Youcan trust your feelings on this. They're screaming atyou--throwing a tantrum, in fact! How much more miserable do youneed to become before you're convinced? This is how many peoplebecome ill.
Of course, if you decide to put your business behind you, youcan't be sure where following your dream will take you. Willyou be successful in Los Angeles? You can't know. But itdoesn't sound like you can live with yourself until you findout where this dream will lead you. Who knows what you will findonce you're in L.A. By following your heart, you will learnwhat you're yearning to discover at this time in your life.
Your friends may be right. You may decide leaving was a mistake.But mistakes are our teachers. They show us the right path. A yearfrom now, you will have learned a great deal about what is andisn't possible. You will know more about yourself and aboutwhat possibilities await you.
To help finance your future career, perhaps you can find someoneto sell your business to or turn your accounts over to for a lumpsum or a percentage of the revenue over a period of time. Since youhave a business to sell, you may want to use a business broker.(See our articlefrom last month for more on business brokers.)
And, yes, you will know when you're happy! You'll lookforward to getting up in the morning.
Paul and Sarah Edwards are the authors of several homebasedbusiness books, including Working From Home. Their latest book is The Entrepreneurial Parent.
