Whether we like it or not the thing that is really keeping us from reaching our full potential as female entrepreneurs is not what’s happening externally to us, husband, kids, websites, products, funding.. – it’s the US!
We are what’s holding us back by buying into our own limiting beliefs.
So what is a limiting belief? It’s thoughts or stories we tell ourselves that are not supporting us in our quest to achieve whatever success means to us.
We create our beliefs through what we were taught consciously and unconsciously by our parents, through social norms and our own experiences.
For most, these beliefs were not made consciously by female entrepreneurs. The good news is though that all beliefs are changeable when we bring them to our conscious awareness. We basically make them up, so why not make them into something that serves you instead of holding you back?
I wanted to share with you today 5 limiting beliefs that I commonly come across when working with female entrepreneurs so that you can consciously begin to change those that are true for you.
Although many people think that it’s only a fear of failure that holds us back, fear of success can also hinder us just as often.
Here are just a few of the ways fear of success can play out for us:
If, like most people, you have experienced being on the receiving end of an icky salesperson who is only interested in making a sale at any cost, whether you need their item or not, then it’s easy to see why you might believe that people hate being sold to. It feels gross and the salesperson comes across as being pushy and untrustworthy.
The truth though is that people only hate being sold too badly.
If you think about it, have you ever had a great buying experience where you have been listening to, helped, and guided whilst knowing that the person selling genuinely has your best interest at heart?
That’s what sales are all about. Sales are simply about exploring what the client’s problems are and then seeing if what you have is a good fit to solve them. If it is you doing business together and if it isn’t then you don’t.
Many people have an innate fear of rejection, so much so that it can paralyze them from putting themselves into a situation where nothing might happen.
You will inevitably get no’s in business if you are successful you will have heard a whole load of no’s.
It’s what you make those no’s mean that’s important. No doesn’t have to mean that they reject you or that you are no good, here are a few things that no could mean instead that you could try on:
How often do you find yourself being asked by someone “How’s business?” and you hear yourself replying, “it’s going well thanks” when it’s going anything but well
While we only allow others to see that everything is perfect, we miss out on the opportunity to reach out for the help and support we so desperately need.
Women often believe that they need to be seen as having it all together, the perfect business, perfect children, perfect marriage, perfect life; they want others to believe that they can do it all.
Well, what if we can’t? What if we need to reach out for help and that thinly veiled façade of perfection we’re hanging desperately on to like some kind of security blanket, is stopping us from reaching our shining, amazing potential?
We are all only human after all; no one has it all together. No one!
Women are born nurtured and the belief that they are there to look after others first can be strong. But often this happens at great expense to them when they continually put their needs to the bottom of a very big pile.
This can play out in their personal lives in terms of their partners, family, and friends. It can also spill into their businesses where they are taking care of their staff, clients, suppliers, business partners…
They’ll pay their staff first, give clients discounts when they don’t think they can afford it, tie themselves up in knots trying to please difficult customers, agree to do work over the weekend when they don’t want to and so the list goes on.
When we are listening to the safety demonstration on an aircraft they tell us that in the case of an emergency, when the oxygen masks fall, it’s important to remember to put yours on first before helping others. To look after others, we must first look after ourselves.
Entrepreneurship is an exciting journey full of opportunities and challenges. While entrepreneurs focus on growing…
Building wealth involves earning money, protecting it, growing it through investments, and ensuring it can…
Product packaging offers advantages to your brand that cannot be overlooked. A reliable packaging solution…
Starting a financial startup is exhilarating - but it’s no walk in the park. Between…
Truck accidents often lead to catastrophic injuries and death. If you have ever found yourself…
Flooding creates an ideal environment for mold growth, as water can infiltrate walls, floors, and…
