This is a touching story about the power of developing a healthy entrepreneurial mindset.Recently, I received a phone call from a woman who has been p...
This is a touching story about the power of developing a healthy entrepreneurial mindset.
Recently,
I received a phone call from a woman who has been part of my online community for several years and who had contacted me a year earlier as well. She had attended many of my free trainings and left appreciative comments on my blog. Curious, I checked out her website and saw that since our conversation a year earlier she had made little progress and was still at the starting gate. She hadn’t taken any of what she’d learned and applied it to making her website professional looking and attractive to prospects. She didn’t even have an opt-in form. And according to Google’s ranking system, she had no ranking and no visibility.
When we spoke she told me that she thought she might finally be ready for coaching. I asked her what had changed. She said that she just wasn’t making much money and was tired of working for practically nothing. I asked her what she had done to make progress since we had spoken before and what she had done to put into action all she learned from my free trainings. She admitted that she hadn’t done much differently but had appreciated the information and learning. I asked what was holding her back and she said she didn’t really know. She just felt stuck and confused and discouraged.
When we dug further we discovered that she was facing some roadblocks and beliefs that were stifling her business growth. First of all, she didn’t believe in herself enough to invest in her business. She treated it like a hobby and deep down didn’t have the confidence that making crucial investments in coaching, education, technology and marketing would yield real results. She also suffered from poor money health. She charged too little, was in debt, barely paid her bills each month, and had relied on her ex-husbands income until they divorced. Now she was on her own and financially lost.
These entrepreneurial mindset roadblocks were stopping her from stepping into her power, saying yes to opportunities, getting the help she needed, and most of all they paralyzed her and prevented her from taking action. No action equals no results.
At this point in the conversation there were tears because sometimes the truth hurts, but it can also set you free. We agreed that for her to move forward there would be some discomfort and fear but that’s where you find growth. And she found a way to sign up for coaching to get her business on track. She was finally ready for a breakthrough. She was finally ready to step away from playing the part of the little girl dependent on others and step into being the powerful, brilliant, talented and independent woman she was capable of being.
I often meet brilliant women who are in the same situation. They have lots of knowledge but don’t know what to do with it. So they don’t take action. I get it because I was there too. For many years when I was in my 30’s and early 40’s I spent more time focusing on my late husband’s brilliance as a chef and building his reputation then I did on my own talent as an entrepreneur. He never really even asked me to do that. What’s up with that? Once I had my “aha” moment I was so scared because it meant I had to go after my dream and not someone else’s. That breakthrough eventually led to the successful business and financial independence I enjoy today, but it was hard won.
Each year I invest thousands into my business and I get a better return on the investment than I ever would in the stock market! If I’m not stepping out of my comfort zone, I’m on default. If I ever start feeling defeated or like a victim it’s a warning sign that I need to step right back into my powerful, confident self. It means I take 100% responsibility for the results I get.
If you find yourself working to get everything just right before you take action and start promoting yourself, that’s a warning sign that you’re scared someone might not respond to what you offer. Yet only when you have the courage to boldly state your position, what you believe and what you offer, will you start to see real money and wonderful clients flowing into your business.
For me, the tool that keeps me in my power is meditation where I can reconnect with the part of myself that is beyond my daily experiences and is my deepest knowing. This is the place where I find a well of joy, confidence and endless creative ideas. It’s also where I summon the courage to take action. Then I get the help and support I need and I meet my goals.
You can read this and keep doing what you’re doing, or you can read this and say, “This is the day, my day, when I start to change”. Which will it be?
