Experts say that the most vulnerable time in a marriage is years 5-7, when the romance has generally faded and the couple is immersed in the power struggles that emerge in every marriage. With hard work and commitment, that couple can work through the disenchantment and anger of these times and create a more lasting, and ultimately satisfying, love. It is no coincidence that your marriage is more vulnerable to an affair during this period of time. Just when you have come to loathe the idiosyncracies of your spouse, you meet up with someone who seems to have none of these annoying habits - the grass starts looking greener somewhere else.
Business owners go through cycles in their business, too.
After several years of working hard at the business, if you haven't achieved your financial goals, if the work has become boring and routine, if you are tired of customer complaints, long hours, working from home,or whatever dissatisfactions your business holds, you may start feeling the itch to look elsewhere. That's normal, and may even be good for your business. As you'll see from the following story, leaving your business for a period of time may rejuvenate you, much as a separation in a marriage can reignite the love that was forgotten. Karen is a Lancaster, PA business owner who spoke candidly with me about this issue, but asked for anonymity. She has been running her own business from home for seven years, while raising her daughters, now pre-teens.