Are you afraid of success?
My guest for a recent Instagram Live CANDID CONVERSATION was Certified Online Business Manager + Dubsado Specialist Devin Lee.
If you’ve tuned in to any of them, or caught a replay, you’ll know that I start by asking each female business owner the same five questions. I do this so that you get a sense of the person, her expertise, and her approach prior to us diving into our topic for the talk.
The third question I ask is “What is the one mistake you see female business owners make when it comes to <insert area of expertise>?" — in Devin’s case that became… “when it comes to their client experience?”
Here is what she said:
“I see, and this breaks my heart, when people get too precious about their client experience. For example, spending way too long writing an email because they want the email to be perfect.
And she continued with her observations as to why people get too precious about every word and detail.
Then, in what was a bit of a bombshell for me, Devin shared…
“To me that signals that you are afraid to take things to the next level and doing busy work.”
I was not expecting that.
And so I probed a bit deeper on this. Because for me, what Devin shared demonstrated that when this is happening, it’s fear that is driving behaviors that are counterproductive to business growth.
To which she added:
“You’re doing the busy-work because you’re afraid to do the big work that could change your life.”
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Whether your goal is to level up your business by reaching out to organizations to book speaking engagements, connecting with another entrepreneurs for a potential collaborations, carving out time in your schedule to think deeply about the needs of your customer or research and brainstorm new offerings, you need to be focusing your time on what matters most.
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Think about the question posed above, and if you come to realize that you are afraid of success:
Be kind to yourself - put another way, don’t beat yourself up
Awareness is 50% of the solution, because now that you know, you can:
Spend some time alone, with a journal, and write it out - get to the bottom of exactly why success scares you, your beliefs about success and what it means, you might be surprised
Pay attention to your habits - when are you taking on something that someone else could easily do as way of avoiding the higher value, more impactful activities that only you can do in your business
Pay attention to your thoughts - when negative thoughts are arising, the should’s, the have-to’s
When you get to the point of doing the big, scary things, pay attention to your body - notice where and fear shows up and, if needed, take a few breaths to release any stress and tension, knowing it’s a natural response
Like every long-standing pattern, it takes time to undo this fear. Like everything in life that (you decide) is worth having, it’s worth the effort.
Don’t break your own heart.
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If you’re stuck somewhere in the process of starting a new business (or recently did so), here's how I can help:
1. Launch Your Business Group Coaching Program
A group coaching program for women ready to make the leap from employee to entrepreneur, or those who recently launched, designed to turn your vision into your dream business. Registration for the Fall cohort is coming up in mid-October - for all the details, add your name to the waitlist here.
2. VIP Days & 1:1 Business Coaching
For female entrepreneurs who have recently launched their businesses, or see the opportunity to pivot in a new direction, or those looking for immediate, high-touch support and strategy, my 1:1, intensive, 8-hour days focused on Brand Messaging and Business Launch Plans, and ongoing coaching help you get the clarity needed to get your new business or offerings out of your head and into the world. Find all the info here.
Not sure what you need? Book a call and let’s chat.