Who knew that when you first made the leap to become a business owner, that it would turn out to be one of the most life-changing decisions you could ever make?
I’m not talking about the massive financial freedom you can achieve…
Or the joy of being your own boss, setting your own hours and spending more time with your family & friends…
Or even the unprecedented positive impact you can have on other people’s lives…
I’m talking about the personal journey of self-discovery you’re guaranteed to embark on.
The waves of ups and downs…
From the soul-destroying ‘make you want to curl into a ball and have the ground swallow you up whole’…
To the soul-enlightening passion and intensity you feel for what you do.
For me, becoming a business owner has been the single most powerful and enlightening thing I have ever done in my life.
And yes, I have children…
And I believe I’m a better Mum because of it.
My mind has been opened to so many new possibilities, opportunities, and beliefs that I have no doubt that I am a better person now because I’m an entrepreneur.
Becoming an entrepreneur gives you the power to create the life you truly want to live. You get to set the rules.
I’ve always been a spiritual person, right from childhood and my skills an Intuitive have grown immensely throughout my journey. As a Marketing & Mindset Coach, I can finally use these skills to get to the core of a clients worries, fears or problems.
Today, I want to share with you 4 things that being an entrepreneur has helped me overcome and hopefully, these will help you on your personal journey of too.
From Self-Doubt to Confident
One of the first things you’ll discover you need when you’re an Entrepreneur, is confidence.
And this can be so damn hard for many of us!
I’ve lived with anxiety & depression for over 20 years and you may feel that it can hold you back from starting your own business…
I’m here to tell you that it won’t!
I’m so much more confident now that I ever thought possible before.
I remember the first time I took a train to London on my own to meet my cousin for her birthday – I was TERRIFIED.
I sat on the train, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, constantly checking the time, what station we were at, the map to where I was going, if I had the right date and time…
What was I going to say to all these people I had never met before? I hated big crowds, noisy places, speaking to people I didn’t know…
Now I can confidently travel to a location, speak in front of a room full of people and understand that I have something to give.
I can take part in online summits and reach thousands of people and share my experiences, my knowledge and help other people.
I know now that illness, whether physical or psychological doesn’t have to define you.
A lovely lady named Karyl Iles once said something to me that changed the way I looked at myself:
“You don’t need to be confident, you just need to have the courage to take the first step. Confidence comes when you’ve done something a few times”.
That simple statement shifted my mindset in a million different ways and helped me throughout so many aspects of my business!
If I were you, I’d write that down on a post-it and stick it to your computer!
You have something to offer people. You have value.
From Invisible to Recognised
I spent ten years in my first business as a professional wedding & portrait photographer hiding behind the lens…
Not wanting to be seen or heard, not wanting to be the center of attention or have anyone even notice me.
It all changed when one day, the night before a big 12 hour wedding, I found myself doubled over in excruciating pain, and the Paramedics rushing to my aid.
As I sat there, being hooked up to an ECG machine, with wires sticking out all over my body, people knelt down all around me, breathing into a paper bag, I knew something had to change…
I knew I had to change. It was time to face my own fears and step out from behind that camera and let my own true value show through.
Sometimes, it takes a life & death moment for us to see what’s right in front of us.
I understood, right then and there, that I had still been hiding!
I had chosen a career where the focus wasn’t on me. Where I could stay invisible.
The thing is, no-one wants to be invisible in their life.
We all want to be seen as important.
We all want to mean something, to have value and to leave a legacy.
For me, becoming a Coach has allowed me to give other female entrepreneurs, just like me, the independence, impact & income they deserve.
The independence to be their own boss. To choose what kind of life they live. To make their own decisions, to be important in their own right and to show them that they have value too.
Now I show up all over social media, in front of thousands of people every day, my face is front and centre on camera, on video, in images and marketing material.
No longer am I afraid to be seen.
And because of this, I’m not only able to help even more people, but I’m recognised as an expert in my industry and asked to collaborate on joint ventures with others!
From Imposter to Worthy
Perhaps one of the most important (and predictably, one of the hardest) mindset changes you’ll ever need to make, is to go from feeling like you are an imposter, to knowing that you are worthy.
You know that feeling when you’re too scared to say ‘Yes!’ to something?
When you put off going Live on Facebook, sending that email, speaking at that event or publishing your blog post?
That’s all because you feel ‘unworthy’.
Have you ever thought…
- ‘But there are so many people who know more than I do about XYZ’
- ‘Why would they listen to me’
- ‘Who would buy from me instead of X?’
But what makes one person more ‘worthy’ than the next?
You can be born a millionaire and still feel unworthy of money.
You could be the nicest, most helpful person in the world and still feel like you aren’t worth saving yourself.
It doesn’t matter where you come from, where you are in your life right now, or what your circumstances have been in the past – all that matters is that you are alive, and because of that simple fact alone, you deserve to live your life in the best, happiest and most fulfilling way you possibly can.
From Uncertainty to Belief
I’ve spent thousands of pounds on coaching, mentoring, training, online courses and the like, even when I haven’t had much money to spare.
Even when my business was in its infancy and I didn’t have clients on the calendar and sales coming in every day.
Chances are, you’ve passed on many opportunities to purchase something that you knew would help you grow your business faster or easier – and probably in a better way that you are doing on your own right now.
And although you may think you said ‘no’ to a coach or course because you thought you didn’t have the money for it at that time, it’s actually far more likely that your brain was stuck in ‘uncertainty’.
Often we feel uncertain about spending money if we don’t believe that the value we’ll receive is worthwhile.
But if the value is there for you (for example, you know that a particular training will help you sell more products via email marketing) then it’s not really about value.
It’s about the belief that you have in yourself.
The most successful entrepreneurs know that they have to invest in themselves to grow their business.
You constantly need to be moving forward, taking the next step and believing that you are worth the time and money you’re investing.
Your beliefs will determine every single moment of your personal & business life. They alter your decisions, your emotions and your actions.
When you switch from uncertainty to the belief that anything is possible, you uncover a universe of opportunities at your fingertips.
Conclusion
These have been the most powerful mindset shifts that I have made in my business and I hope that by sharing these, they will help you too!
Being an entrepreneur is about constantly evolving, learning & growing in all aspects of your life and business.
It’s about designing the life you want to live and always wanting to be more & give more.
I can’t wait to see what’s around the corner for you!