Does starting a business feel like an uphill battle?
There is so much to do, with so much resistance in the way.
From the moment you even have a business idea, your brain steps in with thoughts of:
‘That will never work’ ‘you don’t have what it takes’ ‘no one will buy that from you’
Why the hell is this??
Well there are 3 main things your brain has evolved to do
1) Gain pleasure
2) Avoid pain
3) Use the least amount of energy
These are the strategies our brain has learned to give us the best chance of survival. So starting a business to your brain means you are going to DIE!!
When you start a business, you have to do the opposite of all these things.
Why?
Everything is new!
You have to go out and FAIL!
There will be confusion.
Rejection!
You have to face a lot of uncertainty with each step! Not to mention facing your very own doubts, fears, and worries.
To be successful, you need to put yourself in harm’s way and face all of these dangers!!
What makes it more difficult??
Many people want to feel more positive emotions than negative emotions. Sounds reasonable, right??
But when are unwilling to feel uncomfortable and negative emotions, you DON’T face the danger. You hide, procrastinate, doubt and self-sabotage your way back into the cave of safety.
You can predict that your brain is going to FREAK OUT when any of these issues arise.
When you are going after your dreams, taking risks, facing fears and making a difference in your life by adding value to others, you can expect half positive emotions and half negative emotions.
This is a healthy balance and does not mean anything has gone wrong!
It just means you are facing what’s necessary in order to grow a business and grow personally.
So whenever I’m coaching entrepreneurs in facing these ‘dangers’ there’s I think I look for, and that’s if they have a strong commitment.
Another way of putting it is- Do you have a strong reason why you must follow through no matter what?
If you have a reason why this journey is a MUST, none of those dangers will deter you from your goals.
Think about why you are on your journey.
Is your reason ‘why’ going to be big enough to hold you to your commitments? Is it going to drive you to stay on course regardless of how you feel? When you get knocked down and feel super vulnerable, will it provide you with energy to get up and continue moving forward?
In my experience, this is what new entrepreneurs have in their head when I ask them
‘I want to have the freedom to travel and spend time with my family. I want to do work I love and be my own boss so I can earn an income to support my dream lifestyle.’
In other words, they like the sound of having their own business, they want to have a business and what it might provide for them. However, they aren’t willing to do and feel what’s necessary in order to achieve it.
The reason
What does a compelling reason why look like?
Those who find the strength to move forward are often serving a mission that’s larger than them.
They are truly looking to make a difference, serve a cause, improve the lives of others and contribute in a way that taps into their spirit.
It’s true that we will do more for others than we do for ourselves. Why not use that as leverage and find a purpose that’s larger than us?
How can you be an example for those you love?
How can you get in touch with the values that matter most to you?
What’s a purpose that’s larger than you to form your compelling reason why?
Answers to questions like these will provide the energy, motivation, and resourcefulness to move past the level of discomfort that your brain thinks is dangerous.
So next time you or someone in your entrepreneurial community is struggling with fear, confusion, uncertainty, rejection or failure,
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