The Peaceful Mompreneur

The Vulnerable Space Between Success and What's Next

• Aliese Halcomb

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Have you ever reached that milestone you've been praying for, only to feel strangely empty and anxious afterward? That post-breakthrough crash is real, confusing, and surprisingly common among entrepreneurs. 

I recently experienced this emotional dip following a successful summit. Despite wonderful outcomes and many answered prayers, I hit a wall when the intensity suddenly stopped. The transition from constant action to relative calm left me feeling vulnerable and directionless – exactly when I should have been celebrating! 

This pattern mirrors Elijah's story in 1 Kings 18-19. After his dramatic victory against the prophets of Baal, calling down fire from heaven in a spectacular display of God's power, Elijah immediately plunged into despair. His mountaintop miracle was followed by a valley of emotional exhaustion – a pattern many of us recognize in our business journeys.

The vulnerability we feel post-achievement comes from the abrupt shift from high-effort mode (where we feel productive and purposeful) to a stillness that can feel disorienting. When all our energy has been channeled into meeting a goal, the absence of that driving focus creates an unexpected void.

Through navigating these transitions, I've developed three practical strategies: First, prepare by identifying what genuinely replenishes you (nature, certain relationships, creative activities) and schedule those immediately following your big event. Second, remember God remains sovereign during both the hustle and the stillness. Third, maintain your spiritual disciplines, as consistent time with God provides stability through these emotional fluctuations.

How do you recover after reaching a milestone? Share your experience or try these strategies after your next launch. The crash may still come, but you'll be better equipped to navigate it with intention and grace.

Grab the Healthy Sustainable Weekly Rhythm Guide for Busy Moms ► ► https://aliesehalcomb.com/weeklyrhythms

Speaker 1:

hey, friends, you know that moment after a big launch or a huge breakthrough, through a milestone that you have been asking the lord to help you get to, and you should really be like celebrating and on top of the world, but instead you kind of feel like empty and a little bit anxious, maybe even a little bit lost. Yeah, doesn't make a lot of sense, but that's where I am, and I know, talking to lots of other business owners, that often we all feel like this after something big, a big breakthrough that the Lord, that God, has given to us, right, like we want to be excited about it because it's awesome, but there's something about it that is hard and we are just vulnerable after the breakthrough. And so, like I said, I'm going through this right now. I just had a summit a couple of weeks ago and there's a lot of follow-up afterward and it was awesome and had such a great time and such wonderful things happened. But then it was like a brick wall right, all of a sudden, I didn't have to be working, um, all the hours and I didn't have to be checking in on a million people and there was no effort to have be doing because there was nothing to do? Um, I had done it already, so I had to go back to normal rhythms of life, which are fabulous. I love them. But I've just been putting in all of this effort, and one of the things is the reason why we feel like this wall, this emotional vulnerability, is because we were doing so much and this wonderful thing happened, right.

Speaker 1:

And then afterward, our efforts, efforts there's no effort to be done um, god has provided all this wonderful stuff happened. And now you are feel like now, what? Now what? And so, like I said, it doesn't make sense. You did the thing, you followed god's lead, you showed up in your business with boldness and faith and it worked, or it didn't. Either way, it feels the same, and now you're wondering what to do now. So that is what we're going to talk about. We're going to talk about how, even the greatest victories and the crashes that come afterward, and so we're going to start with the story of Elijah, because, well, why not start in the Bible?

Speaker 1:

Right? And it's a great example, because in 1 Kings 18, we get to see Elijah do a wonderful miracle, this great thing, right? If you have been in church circles or anything, you know the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal, where he called fire down from heaven to take um to to, uh, from God, um, and so he did this miraculous thing, like he wet the wood, like, if you haven't read the story, it's super good, it's so cool, right? Both parties, the prophets of Baal and Elijah, who was by himself, um, they were supposed to ask their God God's, I guess God or Ba or Baal to just light their altar on fire. And the prophets of Baal could not do it. Obviously it did not work out for them and they were doing all kinds of crazy stuff to get their god to do it right. But he did it and I'm sorry this is not real.

Speaker 1:

But then God did an amazing thing, and not only did Elijah get get fire from heaven, he got them to pour water on it like a lot of water read the story right a bunch of water on it, and it licked up every bit of that moisture birds, everything on the altar and it was just crazy and so like, this is a high that elijah is on and he is killing it, like the Lord is doing this great thing, he's staying in there, he's there doing the stuff that God has asked him to do and it is exciting and wonderful. And then right afterward he goes away and he has got a pity party going on and I can relate and I'm assuming that if you've been in business for five minutes you can too because God does this miraculous thing and the next thing we know, we're like why am I even doing this? This is the dumbest thing I've ever done. There's nothing good, am I? Did God even ask me to do this? In Elijah's case, he just asked God to kill him, right? I have not gotten to that point hopefully you haven't either but he just he said he's in a bad spot, right. And so I feel like I have been going through that some.

Speaker 1:

I am on the tail end of the emotionalness of it, but I wanted to talk to you guys about it because it is so real and I didn't know that it was a thing that lots of people go through, especially business owners. There's this high of doing these things and then it just crashes down after and I feel like I've never heard anyone talk about it before. So I want to make sure that if you're going through something like this, you are not by yourself. It is totally normal and totally a thing that happens. But we can set ourselves up for success in the Lord before the crash really happens and so like it's there because we're in a vulnerable state right afterward. But it doesn't have to be, it doesn't have to take you down. Okay, and I've. I've found myself um, I've done several workshops and spent several speaking engagements, like in public or like live, like physically that's what I'm trying to say and on um, on the internet and so. But after all of them, I feel just like this, and so I have worked out some systems that have helped me figure that out. Afterwards, sometimes I do a bad job or setting myself up for success and I'm kicking myself for that too, but typically I can know that it's about to come and I can set myself up well, and I want to give those things to you as well. So how do we navigate this afterward?

Speaker 1:

Now you have launched the thing, you've done all the work, you're killing it. Some great things have happened in your business, and now you feel like emotionally lost. Maybe, you know, not just emotionally lost Maybe you feel business-wise lost, like what next right Before you go in, or if you aren't, if you don't get to it before? There's a couple of things that you should do. Right, I want you to be prepared. Right, that sounds stupid, but it's true. Be prepared, you know yourself, and if you don't know exactly what to do, maybe a spouse or best friend can help you decide. Like, what is it that I need most? After a launch, after an event, after a speaking engagement, after a big sale, whatever it is that you have going on in your business? Like, where and how do you get filled up most? Right, I really love being outside. I really love having projects to do and being with people, but particular people, not anybody.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so after this particular summit that we had and I wish I could say that I set this up on purposefully, but I did not, that's totally like sovereign and did this for me. We had we went on a trip to see some friends a couple of hours away and they just bought this big property and so we cut down trees and we like played outside and sat around in the yard and just like hung out outside and with particular people that fill me up and give me joy and like mentors in my life. And so it was me, my husband, my son and some really good friends, and that is really good for me, but that may not be good for you. You may not need sunshine and people, and, you know, pulling trees out of the ground Like that might not be something that helps you. You know, get back to your roots, back to your rhythms, back to your basics, grounded in Jesus, right? So what is that for you? Does that mean? Um? Does that mean journaling?

Speaker 1:

Um, I'm a big fan of journaling, especially through my emotions that I can't seem to understand, and so journaling may be something that you can do right after an event, and you can work through all of your good, bad emotions, um, from the event and and all that. Or maybe you need to spend some time by yourself, maybe you need to get a pedicure, maybe you need to put your feet in the sand, whatever that looks like. You can prepare yourself before the event itself, to be ready afterward. Right, I wish I would have set that event up, or that trip up on purpose. I did not, but next time I will set something up like that, where I'm going to spend some time with some very specific people in my very immediate family doing something outside. That is what makes me feel better, and so, like, what is it that makes you feel better, and plan that for right after your event is over Right, after all, the follow up is through, right after the sale is completed and you don't you're like not still in that go, go, go, rush mode, which all events require, right, and so figure that out beforehand, set yourself up for success afterward Right, you know just before you even start, and so you'll feel better even before that, after you know what I mean.

Speaker 1:

You know what I mean, okay. So, other than that, like I also want you to not forget the truth, right, that God is God. So, like that's a huge deal. Like I'm saying it and it doesn't sound like an epiphany to anybody, but here's the thing when we're running the way you ran for an event or for a workshop, or for a summit or a conference or a big sale, then you are doing a lot of things, a lot, and all of that effort feels like you're in control, and it's important because we need to be owning what we do and where God has called us to and steward our time and your effort is necessary, but God is still the one in control and we have to believe that in the rushing and in the effort and in the moving fast and the making things happen, and also in the aftermath and in the, where all the chips fall, and then the slowness. And in the rest and in the regular routines and rhythms, because God is still God and he's still in control and he's still the one that makes all the things happen. You can put all the effort into something and it may fail. Or you could be sitting on a beach or in your backyard or playing with your kids on the floor and amazing things are happening and you didn't even know they were happening. Right, because God is in control and we, as Christians, have to believe that, no matter what.

Speaker 1:

The rest is hard for me, and I feel like it's hard for a lot of entrepreneurs, because we have this God-given drive right. It is a good thing to want to work for the Lord and want to move forward and want to build the thing up that God has called you to, but God's also called us to rest and be good stewards of our emotions and our time and our energy, and so that means sitting still when you need to. So be reminded that God is still God. So that's the first two things right Be prepared, set yourself up for success afterward and then remember that God is still who he says he is. The last thing is do not waver in your quiet time, in your time with the Lord.

Speaker 1:

Whenever I was running, running, running before the summit, I was making sure that everything fit in and I just wanted to be like with the Lord and do this and do that and a million things and all the stuff that you have to do. But then when the dust settled and there was nothing to do, I found myself just kind of being lazy, right, like there's not a million things to do, I'm going to sleep in, I'm going to watch too much TV at night and doing all these things that I know are not good for me, and not spending the time with the Lord. That I should be Right, and so I don't want you to fall into that trap that if you you know, if you're not running a million miles an hour, maybe you don't need Jesus, which is just not true. Like and I know that. But it was easy for me to fall into this thing where it says, like just rest, just rest, just rest, which is important, resting is good, but like this is not the rest that God intended. This was the rest me being lazy.

Speaker 1:

And so do not waver in your devotion to the Lord and your time with the Lord, and keep that at the center, because he really is the one that's going to get you through the down after the high right. And so those are the three things that I do, and I recommend, and I hope I do better every time that I um do another event, and I would like you to do as well, because I think that would be super good for you, right? So be prepared, set yourself up for success. You know you ask a friend, ask your husband, ask your wife, I guess, if you're a man and just find out what it is that will help you the most afterward. And set that up before you go, even start, remind yourself of God's truth. God is God, and don't waver in your time with him, because it really will be the thing that helps you through all of this. Okay, my friends, that is it, so I will talk to you next time. Bye, guys.