How To Act Like A Boss When You Don't Feel Like One

We all have our good and bad days in business. Isn’t it funny though how we take our good days for granted and when a bad day comes, it seems like the end of the world and we’re ready to throw the whole business in the bin?Over the years I have taken a number of dramatic phone calls from coaching clients, friends and colleagues who, on their bad days are completely overwhelmed with running their businesses and are convinced that the only answer is to shut up shop. (You would be surprised as to how successful some of these business owners are too!) Been there before? Heck yes, I feel ya! I still get days like this!The thing about being a creative entrepreneur is that there is never an end! When you’re in a 9-5 you can get somewhere. A promotion, manager role, director, bonus, long service leave, paid holidays (oh the luxury). There are benchmarks that you can measure yourself against to say ‘hey I’ve made it’.But when you are chasing your dream, the bar keeps on moving. There is always more to do, another goal to reach and never ending ‘shit to get done.’ Don’t get me wrong, it is also one of the greatest joys of being an entrepreneur. So many ways to grow, cool stuff to achieve and nothing is ever off the table unless you say it is.The struggle is in how to keep up the ‘boss game’ even when you’re having a shit day. Here are 3 simple strategies that I use so I keep my boss game strong.1. Ask yourself, ‘what would someone who loves themselves do?’ Maybe you do need that holiday or it’s time to hire some help or outsource boring tasks. Take a moment to consider if you’re taking care of you? You can’t expect to be on your best game if you’re not looked after and no one knows what you need better than you. Don’t wait around for someone to give you permission to chill the f**k out, give yourself permission and just do it.2. Embody a super hero. Stay with me on this one. The trick here is to ‘fake it til you make it.’ Often our minds hold us back from seeing how awesome we really are. We become our own biggest critic and downplay our incredible abilities. What we are good at though is idolising someone else's skills, be it a character from a movie, an idol, mentor, family member or friend. It is easier for us to see the good in someone else and notice qualities that make them great than it is to see it in ourselves.So here’s what I want you to do next time you’re feeling over it. Think of what you would need to get the     job done, pick yourself back up, thrive or succeed. Now imagine someone who is doing that or has those qualities. How do they walk, talk, email, live, dress, smile etc? Now embody them! Draw on the good that you see in them and act it out in you, play pretend until you become it. The reason you are drawn to the qualities in that person is because you have them inside of you, you just haven’t fully owned it yet.3. Listen to music.  One thing that is guaranteed to get me feeling like a boss is good old fashioned gangster rap and a dance off. Sometimes it pays to put the computer way, stop thinking and just dance your heart out like a true boss. To help you out, I’ve put together a ‘LIKE A BOSS’ playlist on spotify for you to utilise in times of need. Follow the playlist here and get dancing!