Being in business can be hard. There are lots of times when you might doubt yourself and your ability to succeed. Sometimes you might even be ready to throw in the towel.
In times like these it is important to regain your focus. Don’t let the nasty self-doubt monster take hold. You can do this and you will!
Here is what to do if you feel those niggling thoughts creeping up…
Identify Self-Doubt
When things aren’t going as well as you expected, it is easy to doubt your business and yourself. At one time or another, the fear has got the better of us all. But you can’t let the doubt paralyse you and prevent you from moving forward.
Instead, recognise the doubt that you are feeling. Acknowledge it. Then, try to get behind the scenes and discover what is causing you to doubt yourself. Once you know what is making you waver, you can come up with a solution to tackle the problem.
“Dreams Do Not Work Unless You Do”
No one ever said that running a business was going to be easy. In fact, some days it is downright hard. But, anything that is worth doing will take a bit of hard work.
If you are struggling to make any progress in your business then it could be self-doubt that is holding you back. Try to narrow things down and set yourself a specific goal. Break that goal down into milestones, then work out what you need to achieve each day to hit your milestones.
Focus really hard and work your tail off to get there. Once you start to tick off your milestones then your confidence will build. Once you’ve got some quick wins under your belt, you will prove to yourself that you can do it and banish those feelings of doubt.
“Opportunities Don’t Just Happen, You Create Them”
If you are waiting for your business to take off on its own, then you might be waiting a while! In order to make your business a success, you need to position yourself to succeed.
While it can be nerve-wracking, you should take every opportunity to create possibility. That means networking (online networking can be a fantastic way to begin if the thought of a room of strangers terrifies you), utilising smart marketing, creating valuable content for your ideal client, and raising awareness for your brand.
Putting yourself out there can be hard, so start small and think of all the positive opportunities you are creating for your business. Start taking meaningful action.
“We Are Only Busy With The Things We Say Yes To”
When you are feeling the doubt, it can be easy to distract yourself with busy work. The kind of work that takes you away from the activities that are going to grow your business. Or at the opposite end of the spectrum, you could be feeling overwhelmed with everything that is on your plate.
Whether you find yourself filling your days with meaningless tasks, or overfilling your days with too much work, you need to prioritise what is important to you. Your time is valuable, it is a currency as precious as money. Perhaps more precious as you only get a finite amount of it every day and in your lifetime. You should use it wisely.
Prioritise your tasks to make the most of your time. That does not only include your business tasks, but your family and social commitments too. Which are the most important to you and which can you let go?
“There Will Be Haters And Doubters And There Will Be You, Proving Them Wrong”
Unfortunately haters and doubters come with the territory of business. Everyone will have an opinion on what you should be doing, and often they are the people that care about you the most. But these people may not know the first thing about running a successful business. So try not to take too much of their well-meaning advice to heart, even though it can cause you to doubt what you are doing.
There are also times where you will come across full blown haters. Ones that troll your business page and project negativity. While they are hard to deal with, you can actually take it as a positive sign. You obviously have a strong message, or something worth attacking. Keep doing what you are doing, and prove them all wrong!
Self-doubt can creep into your business without warning. While it is a common thing that many business owners experience, it does not mean that you should let it overcome you. Always try to identify what is causing you to doubt your abilities so that you can find a way past it.
Remember, you got this! But if there is ever any time you need a helping hand or have any questions get in touch with us! We are always happy to help.