Are You Stuck in a Financial and Emotional Rut?!

I facilitated a workshop last week and I can conclude that this was the theme of the day – being financially and emotionally stuck, as an entrepreneur!” It never fails that when you get a group of solopreneurs into one room, everyone has the same thing on their mind – how do I find new clients and make more money?

I have the simple answer to that – get out of your own way! Whether it is because of your poor work habits, your conditioning and beliefs about what is possible or the fact that you are hanging around the wrong people – nothing changes until something changes.

It is the start of a new year. What are you doing differently in order to grow your business this year? Or, is this the time when you make the decision to give it all up and……..get……a……(gulp!)…….J.O.B.!

“All the significant battles are waged within the self!” – Sheldon Kopp

Each of us has been given a gift – and every solopreneur has a dream and a passion! Shame on you for getting in your own way and not allowing your gifts and talents to be shared with the world. Really, shame on you. There are so many options available to you to ‘learn different so that you can do different’! However, it does take a ‘no-excuses’ approach.

“The true conquest lies in penetrating the self-imposed barriers, those limitations within our minds.” – John Amatt

Here are the hard questions I want you to ask yourself today.

Are you procrastinating because of fear? I know that many of you won’t even create a Vision Board because just the thought of putting your dreams ‘out there’ (possibly for others in the house to see) scares the pants off you. As well, once it is ‘written’, it becomes real. So, we opt, instead, to clean our desk, get another cup of coffee, call a friend……….anything, not to get it done! I know – I’ve been there.

Is it because you don’t know what you don’t know? That was my light-bulb moment a few years ago when I realized that the way we do business has changed – I recognized that I didn’t know HOW to do things different in my business. I made the decision then, to take the leap (and the deep breath) and hired a high-level coach.

Have you have set low expectations for yourself? Every person I spoke with in the past week (when asked the question directly) has shared that their revenue last year was less than $15,000! Yes, that’s what I said – LESS than $15,000 for a year! You see, you get what you expect in life – so what are your expectations for this year?. Using systems and leverage techniques, we can help you take that number sky-high this year.

Do you think there is too much competition? The competition, my friends, is inside your head – NOT in the outside world. When you are unclear as to what you do, who you serve, why you do the work you are doing - there is a very real belief that the competition is stiff. We act in accordance with the truth as WE believe it, not as it really is.

Do you believe there is only the one way to do business? NOT! When you create leverage and passive streams of revenue, you can sell while you sleep (soundly!). It’s easy to do – when you know how. This one thing made a huge difference in my revenue over the past 18 months.

When you set yourself up for success, are you afraid of what ‘they’ will say and think? Well, I have only one thing to say about that: Who Cares! As you grow, develop and succeed with your business, there are some people that you will leave behind. Some people are just not good for you.

Are you unsure of the next step to take? The thing is – you must take a step forward. You don’t want to repeat what happened last year in your business, do you? Well, DO you?

CONCLUSION

The reason I wanted to write this article was to give you a ‘wake-up’ call. We all need help – and that includes you. If you want to stay in a financial and emotional rut again this year, then don’t change a thing. Be happy with what you have! Hang out with the same people. Network at the same places. Stay stuck behind your computer. Keep giving away your products and services with the hope that, one day/someday, somebody will recognize that your generosity has value. Keep working crazy hours and deal with the guilt of not spending time with your children and family.

OR – be bold and take action. Stop telling yourself, “I can’t” – and start thinking: “How can I?” Get out of your own way. Do not stop and look around to see who is watching……..take a risk, make a quantum leap, invest in yourself and in your business – and see the difference this will make in your life and in your business – a weight will come off your shoulders immediately – I guarantee it. Take on 2011 with a vengeance!

Where are you allowing indecision to hold you back from changing your business?