CONFESSIONS
Today I am doing something a little different for Talk-O Tuesday and sharing some things that I’m sure any entrepreneur can relate to! In the few short years I have been on my business journey, I have learned that most of us have, at some point, felt like we didn’t know enough to start a business or that we wouldn’t be enough of an expert to make a difference in someone’s life.
As a business owner, it can be hard to build the confidence and find the courage to put yourself out there. The business world is large and intimidating so it is natural to feel inadequate or to suffer from imposter syndrome, especially in the beginning. I promise you, every single business owner out there has had those thoughts and feelings at least a few times in their business journey, so you are not alone. The key is to not let those thoughts and emotions hold you back.
It is important for you to know that you are not alone when you question your ability and qualification to do something. To help with that, I am going to share my own thoughts and limiting beliefs that may have held me back from launching my business sooner and that still creep up on me from time to time.
Sit back, listen up, and enjoy some confessions from your hard-charging communication coach!
1. CONFESSION: I get nervous for speaking gigs. Yes, I am human, and even though I love speaking to groups, I still get nervous. I have just learned how to harness the nervousness and turn it into excitement and momentum to positively impact my performance. If you ever see me speak at a live event, you will probably notice that I carry cue cards – this is not just to remind me what I am supposed to say next. I literally have to give my hands something to hold on to so that I stay focused, and my nerves stay in check. Sounds weird but try it…next time you have to speak to a group, hold onto to something …a microphone, cue cards, or something that you can use in your presentation.
2. LIMITING BELIEF: I’m not good enough to get clients. I know for a fact that all of you have had this thought and probably still have it even if you do have some clients. The good news is, you are good enough, and the fact that you worry about not being good enough means you care enough to make yourself better. However, don’t let this thought consume you to the point that you don’t get out there and ask for business. If you don’t ask for business, you won’t get any.
3. CONFESSION: I am a procrastinator. I am not the type to get things done weeks in advance. I work best under pressure, and I take it to the extreme sometimes. Even my weekly articles are usually written on Monday night about 2 hours before I need to submit them to my VA so she can load them into the website and prepare the email to be sent out to you all. I write all my emails and articles personally (in case you were wondering) so fitting their preparation into my schedule can be a little tricky. I just know that it has to be done by Monday night, so I usually tackle it Monday afternoon. This works for me, even though it does cause me some stress. It is something I am working on improving as I know I won’t be able to put tasks off to the last minute as I continue to get busier!
4. CONFESSION: Sometimes I don’t know what to say. Planning weekly content can be challenging. I try to plan out my topics a month or two in advance but sometimes it is a struggle to put together something I think will be of interest to my audience (aka: You). Thankfully I have great resources in social media and google to help me generate ideas when my brain decides to take a hike. Sometimes I feel like if I don’t write at least 700 words, the article isn’t long enough to be a value. But again, that is wrong! It isn’t about the quantity of the words in the article. It is about the quality of those words! If I can write you a 400-word article that is packed with information, then I have done my job!
5. LIMITING BELIEF: No one will want to read my content. You guys, this is so far away from the truth but somehow, we convince ourselves it is the only truth that exists. Someone, somewhere needs and wants to hear what you have to say. It took me a while (I mean like a year or maybe even longer) to convince myself of this and start this blog. I was afraid I might not be able to come up with a new article every single week or find a way to make the mundane parts of communication exciting enough for people to be interested. I was wrong, as are you when you tell yourself that you can’t create content worthy of your audience. You CAN do it, and you will.
6. CONFESSION: I’m not super comfortable networking…yeah, I know, this is supposed to be one of those things that all business owners are good at and love doing. I’m pretty good at it (now that I have practiced my quick-intro like a thousand times…) but I still get awkward at networking events. But you know what, I don’t let my awkwardness stop me. The only way to get passed the weirdness, is to dive right in. So I just go for it. It has taken me a loooooooong time to get the courage and mindset to be able to network. I have a lot to learn and a lot of connections to make but I will keep showing up and making them one by one! The best part is that every time I go to a networking event, I get a little better and a little more comfortable. (This is why I always tell you to practice…the more we do a thing, the better we get at it and the bigger our comfort zone gets!!)
One thing I have learned through coaching and training other business owners is that we all struggle with mindset and limiting thoughts at least once in a while, but we are out here doing our best and that is what counts. It is important for your clients to understand that you have dealt with the same issues, thoughts, struggles, and limiting beliefs that they are dealing with. This shows that you can empathize with them and that you have found a way to successfully overcome them!
I hope you enjoyed this article. I plan to share more of these confessions from time to time so that you know we are all in the same race. We are in the trenches together just figuring out how to share our knowledge and expertise with the people that need it!
Thanks for stopping by! Let me help you overcome your limiting beliefs about your ability to communicate effectively with your audience! Head on over to my resources page HERE to download my free e-book, get on my email list, book your call, connect on social media, or see what’s different about my coaching style!
Hope to see you soon!
Ciao for now!