Admit it. You regularly lie to yourself. What? You don't? See there you are lying again! We all have limiting beliefs that are holding back out entrepreneurial success. Some of us feel we are not worthy. Others feel we need more money. And others feel without prior experience there is no chance. No matter what your limiting belief is, it IS limiting you. Here are TPEs who successfully broke through their own head junk. Now it is your turn to do the same!
1. Perfection
Busting Through The Head Junk: I work with a lot of female entrepreneurs and the mistake I often see (I was once in this boat too) is the pursuit of perfection. Striving for a great product or service is one thing, but holding your company back because everything isn’t “exactly perfect” is a costly mistake.
Busting Through The Head Junk: I used to believe the lie that sales was beneath me. I thought all salespeople were slimy and unethical, and sales was synonymous with high pressure. Then I started my own business and had to sell my services!
My big lie almost put my fledging firm under when I lost my biggest retainer account and had to learn how to close new business. Luckily, I had run across the owner of a local sales training franchise. I was supposed to interview him to see if he'd be a good speaker for my local chapter of Public Relations Society of America...and instead he sold me on sales. I signed up for his training just a few weeks before losing my big account.
Working with a professional sales trainer who has a deep sense of ethics, who teaches a zero-pressure approach, and who really sees his profession as honorable has made a huge difference for me. Sales is a very specific skill set--and if you find yourself thrown into that role, I highly recommend people get professional training from someone who teaches effective, ethical sales techniques.
Believing that "sales is beneath me" cost me a lot of money, opportunity and heartache. It was one very costly lie.
Busting Through The Head Junk: My lie was telling myself I didn’t have enough education. I assumed other people believed I wasn’t qualified to do what I love to do. I finally had to decide what was more important: my passion or my fear.
I started my company in 1996. It has allowed the program it manages, to survive, thrive, and expand. I will always get the chance to learn more. I may not always get the chance to make a difference.
Busting Through The Head Junk: In my mind I knew I had to have money to be successful. I started to help other entrepreneurs even when I could not help myself and that is what keeps opening doors for me.
Busting Through The Head Junk: One lie that I've inherited that has historically held me back is that I am not already an expert. The belief is that something needs to be different in order for me to be ready to attract the level of business, clientele, engagements, etc, that I desire.rn rnI can't say in full honesty and authenticity that I have discovered how to entirely deconstruct that lie, but what I have done to initiate that deconstruction is to shift my attention away from the whole internal conversation about whether I'm good enough, and instead focus upon what my purpose is - or what it is I am here to do. When I think about what my footprint is, what my legacy will be and what my purpose is, the whole question of whether or not I am actually an authority becomes moot. And instead, I become motivated to engage fully in my life's project and become focused upon making a significant impact. And that's when I seem to be simultaneously most effective and able to attract the outcomes I desire. With least effort.rn
Busting Through The Head Junk: My negative thought : "I know nothing about being an entrepreneur." I overcame this by doing what HAD to be done each day. Entrepreneurship is a crash MBA program. In two years, I'm not only skilled in product development but also guerrilla marketing, blogging, strategic planning, sales and customer service. It's been a fun ride!
Busting Through The Head Junk: I would often get the little voice inside tell me I am not good enough to do well and that I will not make a ton of money. For years this held me back. But after watching The Secret, and learning about how to use the subconscious to get what I want, I began to apply that. I would visualize what I wanted everyday, and before I knew it, I began to see results.
I would come up with an idea or thought, visualize it as actually happening, put feelings into it, feel like I already had it, and put strong faith into it as well. Then I would take the appropriate action required, and when I did, the subconscious mind would take over and manipulate the universe in such a way that I would end up getting what I wanted or thought about.
Busting Through The Head Junk: "IT TAKES MONEY TO MAKE MONEY!" I must have heard that statement several times growing up. The idea was that we use our money to create wealth - right! Except then I lost 1/2 of my trading account in 2 days due to a really crazy mindset about money and scarcity and greed.
Without money, I had to search what was "in my hand" right then worth money and I realized that it was my ability to speak and coach other people to master their mindset and not make the mistakes I had made. Immediately doors opened for me and clients started hiring me and getting results.
How exactly did I get over that "It takes money..." thought?
I put a rubberband on my wrist and for three whole minutes I would make the statement: "It takes money to make money." Then I would immediately snap that rubberband so it would hurt, and I would comfort myself with my truth: "No! It takes CREATIVITY to make money!"
Seems like a crazy exercise, but those three minutes changed my silly belief (by attaching pain to the thought).
Busting Through The Head Junk: I think the one lie that had been holding us back was the fear that when we chose to grow our small company we would lose that entrepreneurial spirit and company culture that we've built over so many years. But we've realized that many other tech companies have overcome this (Google, Intel, etc.), and that the solution is really continuing to have faith in the way that WE do things, instead of getting caught up in the rigid bureaucracy that many larger firms fall prey to because they do things they believe they're obliged to do as a large company.
Busting Through The Head Junk: The biggest lie that I had was, "You don't deserve success yet ... you should have to work harder for it!"
I don't know how this lie was planted but it was really holding me back. Kept me thinking "things can't be better NOW, it's got to happen in the future."
Here's how I broke free of this lie: I took a logical approach to killing it with the correct information. I thought to myself, "Paris Hilton didn't do anything to be born a millionaire ... so this whole business about not being able to be successful because you don't deserve it MUST be bunk!" and just like that, I've used logical reasons to kill this lie every time it rears its ugly head.
11. How To Create A 360 When You Are A Soloprenuer
Busting Through The Head Junk: There was one point in my career when I wondered if I was really making a difference in people's lives. It seemed like I was working hard but I kept having doubts if what I was doing was effective enough. It I was different enough, creative enough. I decided to ask everyone in my network, Clients, Suppliers, Friends, anyone I was in contact with on a daily or weekly basis, to send me 3 words describing me, via an anonymous FREE survey tool called Survey Monkey. The responses I recieved were phenominal. I had NO IDEA folks thought so highly of me, or how powerful they thought I was. It was a great boost to my self esteem and one that replaced a whole lot of negativity. I highly recommend it. Of course, you have to be prepared for negative words as well, but in my experience, they were all GREAT!!! It's a great way for a soloprenuer to have a 360 like experience
Busting Through The Head Junk: As I tried to build my business, I had this nagging feeling that "They won't come." I broke free from that by watching a LOT of inspirational movies to put things into perspective and to grow courage to face the excuse. "what's the worst that could happen?" was my internal prompt. "well, the seats won't be filled and I will feel like I can't manifest, and I am supposed to be teaching about manifesting!" ...then the question asked itself again: "And with that, what is the worst that can happen?" On and on it went, the question asked itself with every response, taking me deeper into my fear. Until finally I realized, "This is ridiculous." I am wasting a whole lot of energy divorcing myself before I have even set the wedding date! And so I created that talk, and three people came. I got a client out of it, that led to another client. So three ain't so bad after all. Better than none, I say.
Busting Through The Head Junk: I struggled with the thought that I didn't have enough experience to run with the big dogs. It boils down to me talking negative about myself in my own mind."You don't have enough experience to do this, why continue?"
The break through didn't hit me until a very good friend and someone I highly respect in my industry looked at me and said "Why can't you see yourself the way others see you?"... "You are successful and have so much to offer, but it can't happen until you see it yourself."
That was a turning point in my life and I realized that it didn't matter how NEW I was to the business. As long as I was willing to learn, believe in myself and continue to grow, things would start falling into place.
The minute I started changing those thoughts to positive ones and seeing myself as one of those BIG DOGS the pieces started to come together!
Busting Through The Head Junk: It's a young world, I lied to myself when I first started my business. Who would want to hire a middle-aged woman, I wondered, when all these fresh-faced college grads were coming in to the workplace, computer savvy and wickedly wired. After my first contract with a major organization landed at my feet, though, I realized I had no real excuse. I began marketing in earnest then and the major clients kept right on coming (leaving all my fresh-faced competitors in the dust). I've never again doubted Leroy Satchel Paige's words about mind over matter.
Busting Through The Head Junk: I have to say I don't believe in excuses. However, if you are burnt out, or feel overworked, then you should take a break: it's okay to not get work done. We don't have to work all the time. Do something else. Change gears. Be easy on yourself. Read something entirely different. Go dancing! You'll come back energized to work and work more effectively. Be kind to yourself and be balanced. You will get the right type of work done, inspired and focused.
Busting Through The Head Junk: I had this belief that if I didn't eat breakfast I would stay skinny and still have energy to get through the work day being able to stay sharp and focused. I was wrong; my productivity tanked.
For an entrepreneur breakfast is crucial to keeping your energy levels high throughout the day. We don't always get the time for healthy meals but we can start our day off right by fueling our body with good nutritious food. It has often been reported that you should eat your biggest meal of the day at breakfast and I have recently blogged about that. Try it and you may find that you actually have more energy as the day unfolds not less. I did. I quickly got over the belief that breakfast wasn't cool and am grateful everyday that it dawned on me that perhaps breakfast was important to my overall success. Everything is so much brighter now I feed my body to get it going each morning.
Busting Through The Head Junk: Yeah, thought I needed a lot of W-2 employees to be successful. I only had a few in the beginning and kept telling myself that more employees would make things grow. WRONG. More people who are relentless in the pursuit of excellence creates growth. Now we have two W-2 employees and team of great "partners." The only "size" that matters to me, now, is the size of our clients' ROI.
Busting Through The Head Junk: Everyone always can do something and are never without options. To believe otherwise perpetuates a flawed view of the way things work.
I learned a valuable lesson. So goes your mind goes what's transpiring in front of you. The truth is, you always have options and your faith in the truth of that can be a pretty powerful way to open doors you felt were absolutely locked.
Busting Through The Head Junk: Quit thinking about the skills you don't have. Right now, the unique set of quirks, skills, attitudes & experience make me the best in the whole world at what I do. What you don't know how to do, you can hire out.
Busting Through The Head Junk: I became a teacher because I was told that was better for a woman. I believed that I was too soft for business, since I didn't want to have to go hardline assertive to succeed. When my students dared me to make a rap record, saying a white woman couldn't rap, I realized that stereotypes only last if you believe them. I had to be a good role model for them and my own daughter so I became the first white female rapper and then the first woman to start an independent record label. I learned that if you believe in yourself and your abilities, NOTHING can stop you. I knew I was smart and capable and found ways to navigate the all boys network of the music industry, without being tough and assertive and still earn respect. It all begins in your head!
Busting Through The Head Junk: My biggest lie came from myself; that maybe my idea was not good enough to share with the world. I only knew I wanted to help people.
You will never know if you don't try and in hindsight, are always more sorry for what you don't do, especially in the way of sharing your passion. The world is waiting to listen to what you have to share and will be a better place for it. Do It Now!
Busting Through the Head Junk: My biggest lie was that I told my self I wasn’t an expert. I thought being and expert required years of education and many college degrees. I finally realized that as an entreprenuer, I’m a expert because others are willing to pay for my knowledge.
Thank you,
James Taylor
Mike Michalowicz
@James – Thanks for your transparency. The morale of the story, that I read into it, is we are what we label ourselves. We need to be very careful about saying what we CAN’T do, since we will prove ourselves right. Instead, we need to label ourselves in a position of strength, and we will prove that we CAN do it!
- Mike
http://www.seerstonehomes.com Alison Moore Smith
Great list. I love seeing what all these people have done.
http://sociallyapps.com Slav Ivanov
This is a powerful list. Love the site too.
Have you considered breaking up your big articles (like this one) into smaller posts? It might hurt the flow of the article, but it’ll be much easier to read. Or you could post small chunks and then combine them into a big article.
Mike Michalowicz
@Slav – That is a great idea (meaning, no I had not thought of that). Thanks!
http://www.adaliaconfidenceandsuccessblog.com Adalia John
Yes indeed we have zillions of limiting beliefs floating around in the Universe. As with my clients until they delete, or re-frame their limiting beliefs about self, money, the world and its inhabitants, moving forward is challenging and most of the time impossible.
http://slashdot.org/~Londonescorts/ StephanJade
Great story you got here. It would be great to read more about this topic.
