If you’ve ever felt burned out, stuck, or drained of passion, you’re not alone. Every entrepreneur hits that wall. We call it burnout, distraction, or stress, but really it’s just negative energy. And here’s the hard truth: negative energy isn’t the problem. It’s the signal.
I was recently working with a client who came in exhausted. He described classic burnout, long hours, low motivation, no spark left in the tank. He wanted to fix the pain right there. But instead of rushing to soothe it, I asked questions. What’s creating this feeling? What’s underneath it? Pretty quickly, we discovered the real issue: he had the wrong person in the wrong seat. That misalignment in the business was leaking energy every single day. Once we fixed that problem, the burnout didn’t just lift, a whole cluster of other pains disappeared too.
That’s the breakthrough most leaders miss. You can chase the pain, or you can solve the problem. When you chase the pain, you’re always patching holes. When you solve the problem, you stop the leak at the source.
Think about what that means for you. Negative energy might show up as stress, frustration, or fatigue. But under the surface, it could be a strategy gap in sales, a breakdown in communication, or someone sitting in the wrong role. If you only treat the pain, you’ll be right back here again next quarter. If you solve the problem, you free up energy, for yourself and for your team.
This is what I call Return On Energy. The real payoff isn’t just more productivity. It’s clarity. It’s alignment. It’s the ability to lead with vision instead of constantly fighting fires. That’s when you finally get to spend your time where it matters most: defining purpose, driving strategy, and setting direction for the future.
If you’re feeling that drag of negative energy right now, don’t ignore it. Use it as a clue. Ask yourself what problem this pain is pointing to. Solve that, and you’ll find more energy, more focus, and more momentum than you thought possible.
Ready to explore how this works in your business? Let’s talk. Reach out today and see what solving the real problem could do for your energy.
