Entrepreneurial Soul
7 Key Shifts in Thinking from the Entrepreneurial Trenches (Pt 2)
In part one of this series, I talked about how important failure is to success, and ended by saying If you haven’t failed, you haven’t been taking big-enough risks! In this , I want to take things a step further and share with you 7 key lessons I’ve learned along my own entrepreneurial journey. From
Entrepreneurial Soul Gameplan Step 6: Execute Your Plan Working with Virtual Assistants
Facing the Sting: Why Solopreneurs are destined to stay that way forever
I just found my way to a post that stopped me dead in my tracks and lit my bottlerocket to the moon. This guy is bananas – as a bit of a marketing snob and wordsmither myself, I’m mesmerized by Peter Shallard’s (@PeterShallard) poignant way of communicating the honest-to-God truth about what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur.
In his post, “The Truth – Why Solopreneurs are destined to stay that way forever,” Peter cuts right to the soul of what is keeping so many independent professionals stuck
Entrepreneurial Soul
The Heroic Secret of Successful Entrepreneurs – part 1
I talked to a long-time friend and colleague today about his experiences as a first-time entrepreneur; like many of our experiences, it’s been full of highs and lows. The thrill of starting a new venture often leaves in its wake a tattered battlefield of failed experiments, expended-effort-to-no-avail, frustration and disappointment. Then, we’re thrilled by the wins again.
It’s easy to drop into dark periods of second-guessing oneself when the going gets tough. We wish we would have done certain things differently, “if only” and “why didn’t I” thoughts racing through our minds as we tried to figure out what we should have done, and should do now, spinning ruthlessly around the why-didn’t-I.
Blog Entrepreneurial Soul Gameplan Step 3: Package Yourself to Solve Problems Gameplan Step 6: Execute Your Plan
Finding clarity when you’re feeling blocked, uninspired, overwhelmed, stressed …
I recently had a conversation with a colleague who knew he needed to take things “to the next level.” He was feeling pressure financially (as we all do at times; I mean, doesn’t almost anything that ails us almost always have some kind of financial impact?) to “make things happen,” yet he felt stuck.
This is a frustrating part of being an independent professional, for sure. We get busy “doing” things, taking care of clients, and when we start to feel the pressures of responsibility to get our businesses to a certain level, in the midst of our struggle, we feel SO uninspired. Sometimes, we get to the point where we even feel bored with what we find ourselves doing every day with our clients — not a powerful space to be in if we want to attract more business, right?
Blog Entrepreneurial Soul
The Business Owner’s “Dark Night of the Soul” – Our “Rite of Passage”
At a recent coaches meeting here in Nashville, I had a conversation with a coach who told me, “If someone asks me how they should transition to coaching from full-time employment, I think I would tell them that they should find part-time work to supplement their income until they get their coaching practice off the ground.”
I’ve mused similar things when I’ve hit a point of anguish in my business, particularly when I’m not making the money I need to make–and it hurts.
So many things go through your mind, and every insecure thought you’ve been trying to ignore blares in capital letters, accompanied by very loud music:
Blog Entrepreneurial Soul
You are brilliant – Shine bright!
As independent professionals, many of us consider being and making money as the “litmus test” of our success as we contribute to the world … we ultimately want to make a difference, to live our passions everyday and to find fulfillment as we make our mark on the world.
It’s amazing how owning our own businesses often tries our conviction–the very nature of the process tries our souls, reveals our insecurities and our fears, and exposes our demons.
I love great quote by Marianne Williamson (from A Return to Love). I think this is especially important for us to remember as we persevere through this journey:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.It is our Light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own Light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our Presence automatically liberates others.