Whoa! What a week! School started for Jude, which was fantastic! He was a little nervous at first, and by the time I went to pick him up on his first day, he didn’t want to leave! It makes me feel so happy to know that he’s happy 🙂 Here is a picture of him on his first day, ready to take on the world!
How many of you feel this way in your business? That you can tackle this beast of building a business on your own? That you’ve got this? I read an article this week that talks about the complete opposite and how some entrepreneurs even commit suicide. Not good. Read on for more info. on this topic.
“So you can do it alone, right?”
I am amazed at how many entrepreneurs think they can do this alone. Grow their businesses, that is. I was just reading an article earlier this week that talks about how common depression is amongst entrepreneurs. This is due to the fact that they measure their self-worth by their business results. It’s also due to no one talking about the reality of what’s going on. Many feel alone and think they have no one to turn to. If they admit they are sinking, they will appear as failing.
I remember when I first started my business; my friends would ask me how many clients I had. I’m still not sure what that was about. Were they jealous and hoping I was failing? Were they just nosy? Was this a way to be supportive? I’m not sure how that would have been the case to be honest. The more I think about it, none of my best friends ever asked this, so I think I have my answer.
Regardless of their reason for asking, it left me feeling horrible. Was I supposed to admit I only had two clients? I felt completely judged by my results. I would usually answer, “oh a couple”. Then I started fibbing a little and would say, “ oh a few”. Two can be described as a few right?! I remember a coach telling me to respond with, “why do you ask?” I never quite got up the courage. I felt worthless and like a complete failure.
It’s funny – now that I’ve up leveled my own business so much – it really doesn’t matter how many clients I have. I could have two, each paying $100 k. It was me that was putting the judgment on only having two clients anyway, and what that meant for my bottom line.
This also went the other way for me. I remember having a confrontation with a friend once, not too long after we moved from Canada to California. It had nothing, and everything, to do with business all at once. I felt really vulnerable after moving here and took that confrontation personally. It had a huge impact on my business. I no longer felt confident in what I was doing, and I was questioning everything. It took me over a week to shift it. Not good for business.
The bottom line is that when we are business owners, everything seems connected. We tend to take things personally, and it’s hard to separate business from personal. I can tell you that once I felt good about myself, and realized my bank account didn’t represent who I really was, everything shifted. It also involved digging out the fears that were really holding me back. I can let you know first hand, that this is super hard to do on your own. I read so many self-help books and gained a really great awareness around how to create a great life. BUT nothing helped me see my obstacles until I invested in myself in a BIG way! That’s when things really shifted. You’re forced to figure it out. Having a supportive mentor makes ALL of the difference. Besides, it’s lonely trying to figure it all out on your own. Why would you want to do it that way? If you have someone that can help you see your own worth and get the results you want, isn’t it worth it? It’s not worth going down a tailspin and enduring unnecessary suffering. Reach out – whether it’s to me or someone else.