If you want to grow your business into one that’s profitable, lucrative and fulfilling, the amount of information out there can be overwhelming.
From sales techniques to marketing strategies, we can learn so many techniques – and yet sometimes the things which make the biggest difference are so subtle, you could miss them.
Today I want to let you in on a simple but very profound mindset shift that, in my experience, makes all the difference to the success of your strategy.
It’s one to bear in mind whenever you’re trying something new, whether you’re:
- Creating a brand new business from scratch
- Pivoting to bring yourself into greater alignment after an internal shift
- Playing with introducing a new element to a business that’s already working
Let’s start with where most of us find ourselves. You’re following your calling, and along the way, you’re figuring out what works for you in business.
Maybe you’ve taken your previous corporate experience, completed a new training, or you’re exploring an emerging talent you’re now ready to share with the world – and you’re discovering what it’s like to run your business from your heart.
Only, it’s vulnerable. When your soul’s deep calling is intertwined with your financial success, and let’s face it – probably a bit of ego too – things can get complicated.
You’re eager to learn and try things out, and wary of making a fool of yourself or making a misstep that could lead to a costly mistake.
It’s exhilarating – but it can also be terrifying at times.
So when a new idea, pivot, or different opportunity comes along, you experience a mix of emotions:
Enthusiasm, joy, and excitement: Wow! This feels great! This could make a huge difference!
Your intuition, trust in Spirit (Source, the Universe or God – whatever your personal connection is) and instincts to serve your clients’ highest good pulls you forward.
And also, there’s some fear and trepidation: Of course, this looks good… but will it work for me? Doesn’t everything sound great online? What if this doesn’t work out – will I lose my reputation? My investment?
Those fears, triggers, and skepticism pull you back – often with some of the voices of authority figures who questioned you in the past blended in. (If you had a parent or teacher who never believed in your value, you might have internalized that criticism and find it emerging here.)
And of course, the underlying fear for many of us who’ve taken a leap of faith: will I have to go back to the place I left behind?
The big mistake many people make
Of course, this is totally natural. We all feel a blend of emotions – and if you’re just starting out, you might be surprised to know that even the most seasoned leaders experience a mixture of excitement and fear.
The difference is, they’ve learned not to let it stop them from moving into action.
What I see a lot of less-experienced retreat leaders do, is pull back. They go “half-in”. In other words, they allow themselves to be pulled toward the strategy by their excitement, and held back by their doubt, so that energetically they’re stuck.
It shows up in this kind of thinking:
“I’ll give it a try… but I won’t commit’.
You can’t judge a strategy if you haven’t gone ‘all in’
You could compare this approach to someone who really wants to be in a deep, committed relationship – but is so afraid to have their heart broken, they can’t actually open up to let another person in.
So they start a new relationship, show up for dates, get to know the other person – but the whole time, they’re holding back from truly committing to the relationship. They’re not willing to risk being hurt, and that wall stops them from experiencing intimacy.
But unless we’re able to open up fully to our partner, we’ll never experience the deeper level of intimacy we crave.
Relationships where one person isn’t committed will stay at a “surface” level – and even if they have the potential to be truly connected, deep partnerships, they’ll never progress unless we’re able to show ourselves fully to the other person.
And the same is true in your business.
You can’t fully know if a strategy is going to work unless you go “all-in” energetically to making it happen.
That means not only talking about it, planning it or even implementing it but really believing in it. Opening yourself up to the possibility of it not working, and finding the strength in that vulnerability and trust.
So often people create a strategy and then begin to doubt whether it’s actually going to work before they have even followed all the way through.
As soon as you do this, you are subtly pulling back your energy from that action – and significantly decreasing the likelihood that it will work.
Fear of failure blocks focus
Now, believe me, I know that it’s not always easy to fully commit 100% to something when we don’t know if it’s going to work. I’ve been guilty of this exact same thing many, many times!
Most of us find even the thought of failure really challenging. And so we hedge our bets, try multiple techniques to get to where we want to go, and reassure ourselves that if one of them doesn’t work we’ll still have others to fall back on.
If this webinar doesn’t work, I’ll just go back to in-person speaking events
Sales calls feel risky, but I can always email my list if I need to fill places
I’ll offer this one retreat, and if it doesn’t sell I can rely on my 1:1 work to pay the bills
Can you see how this kind of back-and-forth energy feels draining?
It stops us from moving fully into our flow because we’re scattered, constantly trying to pay attention to multiple projects and goals instead of pouring our energy deeply into one clear point of focus.
And you know what? The best part of all is – letting go of everything else and committing to ONE clear strategy feels really, really good.
The power of committing fully
When you go “all-in” and commit to operating in a fully present, fully committed way to whatever you’re doing, it feels good. In fact, it’s a much more rich and rewarding experience to let go and move into the flow than it is to stay on the sidelines, feeling as though you can’t quite dive in.
Just getting to experience that deep trust in what’s calling you, and in the decisions you’ve made, is reward enough.
Too many of us never allow ourselves to really believe in what we’re doing.
We’re trapped by our doubts and fears, instead of allowing ourselves the freedom of a clear focus.
Of course, I’m not suggesting you stick blindly with a strategy that’s not working. When you go “all-in”, you’ll pick up on whether this new approach is a fit for you much more quickly than if you’d stayed scattered and spread out. You can course-correct fast, and align more deeply with your purpose as it evolves.
And you never know, it just may work brilliantly! And then what? You’ll have shown yourself that the real fear was in seeing how awesome you truly are!
Would you like to get deep clarity on your one focus?
If you know there’s a new strategy you’re wondering whether it’s wise to fully step into, why not speak to our coach? We’ve opened up a few calls to connect with Julie, our Associate Coach, so you can get clear on what your next step is – and allow yourself to shake off the doubts and second-guessing to move into action.