“I am relatively new into running my own business, having worked in a large corporate previously. How do you overcome the mental challenge of that little voice that says - you aren't good enough or - what if you advise someone and you get it wrong etc!”
Great question, and one that all of us who make the transition from employee to business owner ask ourselves more than once!! Here are a couple of simple strategies for overcoming the anxiety monkey that sits on your shoulder just waiting for you to make a mistake…
Most of us have been raised to believe we have to be good enough… we have to deserve… we have to perform… we have to deliver… we have to continually prove ourselves... we have to…………. (the list is never ending!).
So the first step is to recognize that the little voice inside our head probably did not originally belong to us. I use a simple tool of sending all of those niggling negative thoughts back to wherever they came from (with consciousness attached). If you do that every time you have some doubts, that little voice has absolutely no power and you’ll find those thoughts will disappear. You don't have to know who gave them to you, but you do need to be willing to choose another reality!
The second strategy I use is to ask some questions that change the energy of these thoughts and create new realities…
What if you didn’t have to prove anything to anybody in relation to your business? Who would you be? How would you conduct your business? What choices would you make? What other possibilities could you create and generate which go way beyond what you can imagine right now…?
What if there was no right or wrong? I see business as a series of choices… it is my job to offer my clients a range of possibilities they may not have thought of yet… and it is my clients job to make the choice that will work best for them. I may guide them towards an effective model for making a choice, but I don’t make the choice for them. Ultimately, all clients are responsible for their own business decisions and your contract and insurances should cover that clearly.
If they are into judgment and making you (as the consultant or coach) into their scapegoat it’s worth asking if they really are your ideal client!! Of course, if you have made a mistake, do whatever is required to resolve the issue fairly - your reputation rests upon it! Most people will be very decent if you are proactive and committed to finding a solution that works for the client.
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