I think it’s fair to say that sometimes being an entrepreneur is hard and lonely. You have a different mindset than many of your friends and family members, you are always having to hustle, the business is always in your thoughts…you have clients who won’t (or can’t) pay, you wonder if you are doing everything you can to grow your business and you often work from home at really weird hours. It is normal to feel discouraged or in a slump occasionally. Everyone gets motivated differently but here are a few resources to help get you up and excited again.

1. Get out. We talked about this earlier

but it sometimes helps to get out and actually be with people. Even if it is dragging the laptop to your local coffee shop. Or, because you may not have real co-workers, find a freelance group that works together. Most major cities have these opportunities. Try Meetup.com under Freelance to see if there’s a group for you. It’s nice to be with people who speak the same “entrepreneurial” language as you.

2. Read The Dip by Seth Godin

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. Seth will remind you that slogging through the tough times is what differentiates successful businesses and people from the others. Pushing through “the dip” is crucial and he’ll walk you through the how and why.

3. Add these blogs to your blog reader (like Google): Steve Pavlina, Good Vibe Coach

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, Genius Catalyst (be sure to sign up for Michael’s newsletter-killer content), Jonathan Fields The Salton Sea

, and Escape from Cubicle Nation. Trust me. At least one of these blogs will offer you a gentle boost each day.

4. Visualize yourself as powerful, successful, motivated and happy. Get to what that FEELS like. Hey! You can call it new-agey hocus pocus but professional athletes do it! They spend time working with their coaches visualizing sinking that putt, slam-dunking that ball, winning that gold medal. Why shouldn’t you?

5. Take a day off. It is soooo easy to think and do for your business 24/7. Don’t. I find the fastest way to do this is to absolutely not open the computer at least one day per week. I don’t check email. Period. And I spend that day however I want. Our brains and hearts need a break. Give them one!

Now c’mon readers. We need more than these five ways! Share your favorite books, blogs, tips on putting a bit more pep in our entrepreneurial step!  

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I’ve spent a busy week, hitting a lot of live networking events and realize that I’m energized and excited. As much attention as online networking gets, the “old school, offline” way of networking is still advantageous in many ways. But you have to manage these relationships in a different way than your online contacts.

It begs repeating that when you go to live events, take plenty of business cards and prepare to shake a lot of hands. Have your elevator pitch

ready and don’t be on the look out for who can help YOU. Look for those people who need your help. I generally seek out overwhelmed and under supported entrepreneurs. But I also generally just enjoy chatting with, and getting motivated by, others who are running their own small businesses. Collect business cards and, after you chat with someone, step away for a moment to make a few notes so you remember details about who they are as people…not as potential customers.

The real work begins when you get home though. You must have a good contact management system. Whether it is Outlook or a newer Web 2.0 version like Big Contacts The Phantom of the Opera the movie

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, don’t sit on all that information. Spend a few hours getting everyone’s details entered. Now you are ready to follow up. For those new contacts with whom you had a strong connection, a phone call to simply say “Hi! I really enjoyed meeting you and discussing x, y, z. Did you enjoy the event?” and nothing more. DO NOT PUSH for business. You’ll come across as slimy. Just remind the person that you exist and you had a connection. They are far more likely to contact you when there is a need-or when they hear of one. 

Also consider sending out real notecards with a handwritten message. Don’t send out mass, general emails. For some new contacts, an email is most appropriate, but include a bit of info about each of them like “enjoyed discussing how the economy is affecting small business” or “I loved hearing about your dog, George!”.  

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Good Will Hunting psp The Nutty Professor movie called “Who’s Got Your Back? The Breakthrough Program to Build Deep, Trusting Relationships That Create Success-and Won’t Let You Fail” (I know. Long title). Ferrazzi is also the author of Never Eat Alone and you can listen to a free teleseminar from him here. Another classic is “How to Work a Room” Eye for an Eye buy Free Willy film The Happening download Hookers Inc. psp by Susan Roane.

Meeting others in person allows for a more accurate impression and is likely to buy more loyalty. Go gussy up and go do some offline networking. If you need events, check out Meetup.com or LinkedIn for opportunities in your area!