When you’re building your practice you're going to hit moments when you feel discouraged. Maybe you feel overwhelmed by your marketing activities. Maybe you feel worried because a few clients leave. Maybe you feel deflated because you don’t get a big response for a workshop or a group you’re offering. Maybe you talk to a potential client and they choose not to work with you. Or maybe you just feel a lack of inspiration or optimism.

This is not the moment to give up. It is the moment to access your tenacity.

Take a step back and see the big picture of your practice building. Remember that building your practice is a long-term process. Always have a clear strategy that takes you at least 3 months forward, and have a vision of your practice that is at least one year away. When you’re feeling discouraged, lean on your strategy and your vision.

Many therapists I work with go through times of feeling discouraged. One therapist I work with went through a discouraging few months. Some long-term clients left, she had some health problems, and she started to believe she just wasn’t “cut out” for private practice. She had already been through a few other careers and had tried working as a therapist in agencies. Private practice was her dream because it gives her the freedom to do her best work.

I helped her get back in touch with the big why of building her private practice. I helped her access the vision of her practice a year away. She recommitted to her strategy and followed through with her daily and weekly commitments like weekly networking and a simple online plan. Within six months she had doubled her income from that low point. Her tenacity paid off.

Here are some questions to answer when you’re feeling discouraged and need to access your tenacity.

What is your practice building strategy for the next 3 months? (This should include networking and an online strategy)
What is your vision of your practice one year from now?
Who in your life knows you are building your practice and believes in you? (Hint: you can lean on those people when you need a reminder of why you’re doing this.)

You don’t need to do this alone. If you’re serious about creating and following through with a great practice building strategy, set up a free consultation now.