Four Traps that Catch Entrepreneurs

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in
print as long as the resource box is included. Please notify me
of publication by sending a website link or copy of your
publication to claudette@metavoice.org.

Word Count: 618 words, 65 characters per line

Thanks, Claudette Rowley
==============

Four Traps that Catch Entrepreneurs
Claudette Rowley Copyright 2003


"A problem cannot be solved on the same level that it was
created." - Albert Einstein

Trap #1: I am my business.

Truth: Who you are is so much bigger than your business. Your
business is simply one expression of you. You as a person are
complex and multi-faceted, and in the best of situations, your
business doesn't define you, you define it. Just as it's
unhealthy to let a relationship define all of who you are, so is
it unwise to allow your business to completely define you.

A common subset of this trap is: "If my business fails, I'm a
failure." When discussing this topic with clients, I often hear
two responses to business success and failure. When an
entrepreneur fails, she or he often falls right into self-blame.
And when an entrepreneur succeeds - "I just got lucky" is a
common response.

Trap #2: If it's worth doing, it must be hard.

Truth: This is a consistent message in our culture. If something
is worth doing, we think it must involve incredibly hard work.
When I coach entrepreneurs, I often ask the question "How could
this be easy?" The notion that hard work equals worth is so
embedded in us, that we sometimes feel uncomfortable when a great
opportunity drops in our lap or new venture comes together
seamlessly. Yes, as entrepreneurs, we work hard when we need to.
However, hard work does not have to include the notion that
struggling, suffering and working 80 hours per week makes us
better entrepreneurs or more virtuous people. As much as
possible, let it be easy. Accept great opportunities, and let
people help you.

Trap #3: My success is measured in profits.

Truth: Expand your definition of success. What does success
actually mean to you? Success is measured in many different
ways, profit being only one of them. Are you making a social
contribution? Are you creating an innovative product? What is
your vision and are your realizing it? Do you have autonomy and
control over your own time? Success is relative and a matter of
perception. One person's success is anothers failure. How high
is your bar? Some entrepreneurs set the bar so high for
themselves that they can never "succeed" in their own minds.
They can't win - kind of like a dog chasing its tail.

Trap #4: I can't have what I want.

Truth: Often as entrepreneurs, we feel that we must follow a set
of rules about how to "do" entrepreneurship. These rules may or
may not match what we want as entrepreneurs, leading us to feel
like we can't have what we want. For example, you might identify
that you want to structure your business so that you don't work
on Friday afternoons. In response, you might hear a voice in
your head that says something like, "You'll never be successful
unless you work as many hours as possible."

You get to want what you want. In my own life, and the lives of
my clients, I've noticed that the more closely aligned my life is
with what I want - the more easily my business flows to me.
Here's why: when you are doing something you don't want to do or
don't like to do, it drains precious mental, emotional and
physical energy from you. Remember a time when you were so
engaged in an activity that you forgot to look at the clock. You
might have forgotten to eat lunch or missed an appointment. When
you're that "high on life", you create energy. When you do what
you deeply want, your energy flows in a positive direction,
creating opportunities that might not have previously existed.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Claudette Rowley, coach and author, helps professionals
identify and pursue their true purpose and calling in life.
Contact her today for a complimentary consultation at 781-676-5633
or claudette@metavoice.org. Sign up for her free newsletter
"Insights for the Savvy" at http://www.metavoice.org.