The “Pinball” Effect
There’s a moment in business that almost everyone experiences, even if we don’t always talk about it out loud. It’s that quiet feeling where things just aren’t clicking the way they used to. You’re showing up, you’re doing the things, but the results feel different, and suddenly you start wondering if something is wrong.
If that’s where you are right now, I want to remind you of something simple but powerful, gently:
You’re not broken. Your business isn’t broken either.
You’re just stuck—and that’s a place you can move through.
When Your Business Starts to Feel Heavy
What makes this stage so frustrating is that it often sneaks in after things were going well. You were consistent, you had momentum, and then slowly, things started to feel harder.
Perhaps you’re posting because you feel like you’re supposed to, but it’s not sparking meaningful conversations. Maybe sales have slowed down, or the excitement you once had just isn’t there anymore. Instead of enjoying your business, it starts to feel like a list of things you should be doing.
That’s usually when the thought creeps in: “Maybe this just isn’t working anymore.”
But more often than not, it’s not that your business stopped working. It’s that you’ve hit a natural pause point where something needs to shift.
The Urge to Pivot Too Quickly
When things feel off, the instinct is to change everything. Try a new platform. Follow a different strategy. Do what someone else is doing because it looks like it’s working for them.
The challenge is that constant pivoting keeps you from ever building real momentum. Every new platform or idea takes time to grow, and when you keep switching, you’re always starting from the beginning.
Sometimes what feels like a dead end is really just a small bump in the road. And if you stay with it a little longer, you might find you were closer than you thought.
The “Pinball” Effect in Your Business
If you’ve ever sat down to work and felt pulled in ten different directions, you’ll understand this feeling right away. It’s like being a pinball, bouncing from one task to another, never quite settling long enough to make progress.
You feel like you should be everywhere—posting, messaging, learning, creating—while also keeping up with life outside your business. It’s exhausting, and it’s not sustainable.
This is where a reset becomes less about doing more and more about doing less, but with intention.
You Don’t Need to Be Everywhere to Be Successful
There’s a lot of noise around where you “should” be showing up, especially in social selling. It can feel as if you’re not on every platform, you’re missing out.
But the truth is, a strong business is built through consistency, not constant expansion.
Choosing one or two places where you genuinely enjoy showing up and where your people already are allows you to focus your energy in a way that actually creates connection. And connection is what drives everything in this business.
When you simplify where you show up, you create more space to show up well.
Coming Back to F-O-C-U-S
One of the most grounding ideas shared in this conversation is that FOCUS means Following One Course Until Successful.
It’s a simple concept, but it’s easy to forget when things feel slow or uncomfortable. Most people don’t walk away when things are going well. They walk away when they hit resistance.
But that resistance doesn’t always mean you need a new direction. Sometimes it just means you need to stay the course a little longer.
And if you reach a point where you truly feel like you’ve given it your full effort and it’s still not working, you can move forward knowing you made that decision from a place of confidence, not frustration.
When Overwhelm Leads to Checking Out
One of the more honest moments in this episode is the reminder of what we tend to do when everything feels like too much. Instead of taking action, we check out.
We scroll. We procrastinate. We find small distractions that feel easier in the moment.
And while that might give you a quick break, it often leaves you feeling even more stuck by the end of the day.
A more supportive approach is to pause, step away briefly, and then come back to one simple action. Not ten things. Just one.
That’s how momentum starts to rebuild.
A Simple Reset You Can Start Today
Instead of trying to overhaul your entire business, this reset starts with awareness.
Take a few minutes and think through what’s really going on for you right now. Notice what feels heavy, what feels frustrating, and what you’ve been avoiding. Pay attention to what used to feel fun but now feels like a chore.
This isn’t about judging yourself or fixing everything at once. It’s about getting honest with where you are so you can take your next step with intention.
Because when you can name what’s weighing you down, it becomes much easier to lighten it.
Moving Forward with a Fresh Perspective
If your business has been feeling off lately, this is your invitation to come back to the basics.
Focus on connection. Keep things simple. Choose consistency over trying to do everything at once.
You don’t need to start over. You just need to reset in a way that supports both your business and your life.
And that’s where things start to feel good again.
If you want to hear the full conversation and continue with the rest of this series, you can listen to the latest episode here:
https://susanlarimer.com/its-me-susan/#newest-podcast-episode
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