What Limiting Beliefs Do You Keep Bumping Into?

I've just facilitated a teleseminar series called "Unsticking Your Business" with a group of wonderful Conscious Entrepreneurs. During the 3 weeks of the class, each participant gained her own insights about Beliefs that are limiting her success and have resolved conflicts those Beliefs were causing in her business. Everyone is moving ahead with updated Beliefs about her business success.

One participant, whom I'll call Sally, talked about the process of becoming aware of her limiting Beliefs. Every time she talked, in my imagination I would see her walking into a dark room and bumping into big pieces of furniture - Victorian horsehair couches, elaborate coffee tables, and oversized ottomans. Hard on the shins when you can't see where you are going!

Our Beliefs can be like that - putting obstacles in our way. We can trip over a limiting Belief numerous times because we can't see it, but it's definitely there. 

How do you know what you are bumping into? What do you do about it?

A good starting point is to look  issues that keep popping up in your business.

Do you experience any of the following?

  • Fear of putting yourself, your products or services out there (marketing and sales)
  • Clients or customers that aren't really in your Sweet Spot (playing to your strengths)
  • Cash flow that is dicey or sporadic (under-valuing yourself and your products/services)
  • Not enough time to plan and dream because you are putting out fires all the time (so much activity that you cannot respond to changes in your market and your business)
These common small business challenges can be linked to Beliefs you have about your business. You could believe that it has to be difficult, that you have to struggle, that you have to under-perform or under-earn. If you believe any or all of those things, you will continue to bump into them and bang your shin (or the business equivalent of it).
 
What to do? (And rest assured that I know that owning a small business or professional practice MEANS that you have challenges!)
 
Like Sally, you can begin shining a light on the "furniture in the room" or the Beliefs you have about your business and your success. Here are some actions you can take:
  1. Talk to a friend, coach, or trusted advisor about the challenge points in your business. 
  2. Ask yourself what could be causing these challenges. Do you have a particular approach or attitude that's getting in your way like anger, frustration, or defeat?
  3. Get relaxed and ask for an insight or a solution to a challenge you are currently having.
  4. When you get an idea about how to approach your challenge, consider acting on it - especially if it a small action which will not radically change anything you are already doing. For instance, if you get the idea to take a 10-minute walk during the middle of the day to think and reset, try that. If you get the idea to fire your business partner, you may want to rethink that one and begin communicating instead!
  5. Get some outside help turning on the light to see your Beliefs. A business coach or business development counselor (check for a Small Business Development Center at a university or community college in your area) can help you learn best practices and solutions other entrepreneurs have used to meet similar challenges.
  6. Affirm your value and that you can solve your business challenges. 
Remember, you are in your business to make a living but also to expand your consciousness, abilities, achievements, and service. Accepting the challenges of your business will help you use it to learn from mistakes and celebrate your victories.

 

Posted on on Feb 25, 2010 Print PDF


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