Over the years, I've struggled with so many mindset blocks, I can't even count. They kept me stuck, broke and, most importantly, unhappy and unable to enjoy my work. 2015 was probably the year when I became aware of most of my limitations (which was no fun) but it was also the year I tripled my business and I want to believe that me dealing with those limiting beliefs played a very important role.
Then, I've started coaching entrepreneurs and the same blocks appeared over and over again, and something is telling me that you need to hear this, especially as 2016 is the year of the monkey - a great year to find success in your business.
There are lots of mindset blocks out there, but I've found the following three to be the ones that gave me and my clients the hardest time.
Before we dive deeper, though, I'd you to understand two very important aspects of dealing and working with your blocks:
- the first step is to become aware, but the trick is that the moment you become aware you will start seeing these blocks in all kinds of situations. No need to freak out - It's normal and by doing this you actually take their power away.
- just because you became aware of your mindset blocks, does not mean that you are done with them forever. They will come back, but you will be more prepared to deal with them now. Imagine that these blocks were probably formed in years or even decades of thinking in a certain way, so give yourself time to heal and move past them.
BLOCK #1: "WHO AM I TO BE AN EXPERT!"
Or to teach people.
Or to have lots of clients.
Or to help people be happy, wealthy or healthy.
Sounds familiar?
This mindset has kept me from becoming a business coach for about 18 months.
Unfortunately, this is a common block among creative people - coaches, healers, designers and artists. Why? Because of our nature of being creative, of seeing things in a different way, we had to deal with a lot of negativity, doubt and shame in the past.
That negativity lowered our self-esteem and brought a lot of voices in our head that either talk us out of everything that might prove we are worthy or laugh at us for being too naive, for being dreamers or unrealistic.
That negativity lowered our self-esteem and brought a lot of voices in our head that either talk us out of everything that might prove we are worthy or laugh at us for being too naive, for being dreamers or unrealistic.
How can you move past this particular block?
First, as I told you already, become aware of it and of all the ways it shows up in your life.
Secondly, work on your self-esteem. This will do wonders for you because it will help you feel more worthy of anything and, besides increasing your business, it will increase your level of overall happiness and balance.
A good book that I recommend is "The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem" by Nathaniel Branden - it literally changed my life!
Repeat after me: "I allow myself to be an authority in my industry and it's okay. I am worthy of success."
BLOCK #2: "EVERYTHING I DO HAS TO BE PERFECT IN ORDER FOR ME TO..."
...enjoy life, enjoy, grow, be abundant, happy, love myself, make enough money, be successful, be appreciated.
Or everything has to be perfect otherwise:
- it won't work.
I wish you'd say that nothing sounds familiar to you, but I know it does.
Usually, this perfectionism appears because you read about how someone else became successful using a particular strategy and you try to copy that, which is great, but you try to copy that in a perfect way. Even worse, you feel like if you don't copy that strategy perfectly, it won't work for you and you feel like everything you did was in vain because it's not "perfect".
Don't let the perfectionist side of you dictate your life. Perfectionism is like fear -- you can listen to it, accept its opinion but don't let it stop you from realizing your dreams.
Don't listen to everyone out there no matter how successful they are! If it does not resonate with you, forget it! If you try to apply every strategy that works, you will become so overwhelmed that you will not do anything! Pick a strategy and stick with it long enough for it to produce results.
Picking a strategy is the same as setting a goal - it should be exciting and a bit out of your comfort zone!
Also, allow yourself to enjoy life every now and then - it's not all about being productive, creative and focused!
Repeat after me: "I trust that everything that I do is perfect the way it is. I trust that my journey is perfect as it is. I trust that I will reach my goals at the perfect moment for me."
BLOCK #3: "WHY CHARGE FOR MY KNOWLEDGE?! IT'S SUPER SIMPLE!"
If you've been doing what you're doing (coaching, design, consultancy, writing or whatever your creative niche is) for a long time, you probably feel like everything is so simple.
Because you feel like everything is so simple, you also feel like a fraud when charging people money for something that is "so simple". This feeling will only get you fewer clients/business and you are really not helping anyone with this attitude!
The truth is that it is only simple for YOU! Not for your clients - that's why they come to you.
It's simple because you did that thing a thousand times.
It's simple because you studied your industry for years.
It's simple because of all the money you've invested in courses and books over the years.
It's simple because of countless hours that you've put into figuring out certain things.
BUT it's not simple for everyone -- remember that!
Repeat after me: "It's okay to charge money for my time and knowledge."
There are countless blocks that might stop you from achieving your dreams (some more important than others), but what's more important than anything is to keep moving forward!
em>Mihai Herman is a business coach for creative entrepreneurs with a strong passion for self-improvement and marketing.