Entrepreneurs-to-be tend to be stopped from leaping by a few insidious, but very common mindset problems. If you’re a nine-to-fiver on the fence, are you falling prey to one of these?
Problem #3: The Money Pity-Party
This is like the common cold of mindset problems. Everyone’s experienced this at some point or another, to varying degrees. We think, ‘Whoa, it’s tough. The economy sucks. I don’t make enough money/people in my job don’t ever climb the latter, I’ve got too many bills, I have too much debt…” Where it gets icky is when we start to believe that we don’t have a choice or that we cannot change our situation. We se ourselves as victims.
The Mind Hack: Own Your Money Choices & Edit, Edit, Edit…
It’s time for an honest pill. Look at your finances (I know, yawn) just for a month, as a sample. How much of your spending is based on actual need? Truth is, very little. That means, everything else is based on choices. And guess what? Choices can be changed or reviewed. So have a look at the *choices* you’ve made, and choose at least one you can change to empower yourself financially and start taking back your power.
Problem #2: Analysis Paralysis
Entrepreneurs-to-be spend a lot of time thinking creatively. It breaks my heart when I hear those brilliant minds focusing on any and everything that can go wrong. Or even, just as they waste their time and talent over thinking and psyching themselves out, once they’ve got a legitimate strategy. They’re so busy going through every scenario (good, or, mostly bad and ugly) that they’re drowning in what-if’s and options (most of them unlikely) and they can’t make a decision. Much less get any traction. They’re frozen by fear or overwhelm. In either case, they’re stuck.
The Mind Hack: Use The Magic Words “For Now”
By all means, do your research and draw up a plan (for your exit + for your biz). But once you’ve got a solid strategy, discuss it with your coach or your partner (someone you trust has your best interest at heart) and commit to it. Tell yourself, “I’m doing this, for now.” The keywords are “for now”. I find it helps calm the voice that says “but you also must do… and prepare for…”. Those are magic words, because they also mean that your commitment to your biz and its plan can evolve.
Problem #1: I’m not worthy (Wayne’s World was on to something…)
Ah. The worthiness (or lack thereof) mindset. It’s a tricky one, because a lot of entrepreneurs-to-be don’t even know they are suffering from it. We’ve heard about self-esteem for years from best-selling psychology authors. But is that enough? You see, many of us will project this image of confidence, and we’ll even have mostly positive self-talk, but for some damn reason, every time the dream is within reach, it slips through our fingers and well, “guess it wasn’t for me afterall.” That’s self-sabotage and self-fulfilling prophecy, darling. I discuss this a lot in my work, but what’s way underneath this veneer of confidence and even, overall positive self-image, is an agreement that one is not worthy of their dream / that good things happen to other people.
The Mind Hack: Agree to Disagree
Notice how you felt and what you told yourself when you gave up on your childhood dream. Notice where your mind went when you didn’t land that dream job, or get that promotion you worked so hard for. When you’re super bummed, do you feel like a failure and the world is confirming your “rightful place”? Remember to be honest with yourself…
Undoing agreements is deep, serious, introspective work. But when you explore those feelings and thoughts, ask yourself “what do I believe?” and write spontaneously the first words out of your mouth. Ask yourself that same question, over, and over, several times. Eventually, the shell will crack and you will find the nugget. When you do, darling, say goodbye to that belief and write a new one. For example, you may find that you believe “people in my family don’t succeed”, which you can replace willingly with “I succeed at anything I set my mind and heart on.” And to that, we say “YAYA!” as a toast to the new agreement.
What’s your main mindset problem? Do you suffer from another? Share below.
