Yesterday you wrote down your ultimate goal for your business. Today, it’s time to get real and brutally honest with yo’ self, and discover what has been holding you back from reaching your ultimate goal.
I’m not talking outside influences (though they do, of course, matter, and you can write them down if you wish) – I’m talking deep within your
mind and heart – what limiting beliefs about the world and yourself are you holding on to that keep you from truly going for it and reaching that
goal?
I’ll let you in on a little secret… after reading and listening to hundreds of entrepreneurs from all walks of life over the last few years, fear of failure
is the number one thing holding them back.
Is that what’s holding you back, or is it something else?
I’ll let you in an example from my own business. I am mostly a self-taught silversmith, and I have a limited skill set. The only formal training I’ve EVER done is a weekend course.
And yet, I’ve built a full-time business making sterling silver jewellery for thousands of people around the world. I could have let the limiting belief that ‘I’m not skilled/experienced/trained enough to make a business out of this’ hold me back. But I didn’t. I just did what I could do, and did it exceptionally. I molded my business to suit my skills, not the other way around. And it worked.
You don’t need to know everything, or be an expert in everything. You just need to know enough and be good enough to take the next step. And then the one after.
First and foremost, you MUST believe in yourself. Believe you are capable. Know that you have the knowledge you need or the passion to figure it out.
If you don’t believe in yourself and your work, you will find it almost impossible to grow a successful business, because you’ll always be looking over your shoulder, waiting for someone to ‘out you’ as the fraud you believe yourself to be deep down.
Dig deep, find those limiting beliefs and thoughts, and start consciously challenging them.
Action Steps
1. Make a list of all the limiting thoughts and beliefs that have been holding you back.
2. For each negative/limiting thought or belief, come up with a counter that you can say to yourself silently when that limiting thought or belief pops up.
For example, if one of your limiting thoughts is ‘I can’t figure this out’ – your counter could be ‘Everything is figureoutable’.
Maybe a limiting belief you hold is ‘I’m not technically-minded enough to sell online’. Counter this with ‘I can learn anything I need to to reach my goal’ or ‘I can get help with the things I’m not confident doing alone until I am’.
There is ALWAYS a way.
