8 “Mindset Mess-ups” that keep you from Success as a Christian Woman Entrepreneur!

The entire month of January, we are training on the power of your mindset at the National Association of Christian Women Entrepreneurs.  We are blogging about it, discussing it on the CAFÉ call, learning about it from our experts, and taking stock of ourselves with our template for the month on self-sabotage.

But first you might be asking, what in the world is a mindset?

What is a mindset?

A mindset is a set of assumptions, methods or notations held by one or more people or groups of people which is so established that it creates a powerful incentive within these people or groups to continue to adopt or accept prior behaviors, choices, or tools.

A mindset is often a set of beliefs or a way of thinking that determines somebody’s behavior and outlook.

How do you see the world?

What is your mindset?

What mental habits are keeping you stuck or holding you back as you pursue your business?

How does your mindset relate to being a Christian female entrepreneur?

When we begin to build a dream, to build OUR dream, it changes us.  Looking at the world through the eyes of a business woman is a different view.  Your mindset is made up of your world-view, your self-talk, your tapes, your culture, and more.  It affects how you run your business.  It is a big shift in our thinking to move from an employee mindset to that of an entrepreneur.   There are so many internal levels of change that we must travel through.

For me, my mindset is a daily decision, as well as a journey.  It is both.  It is a choice.  Many times it comes down to my self-talk.

As a Christian female entrepreneur, we know that we must “renew our minds” and that we need to “speak the truth in love”  but we tend to not do this very well to ourselves.

Let’s talk about some ongoing challenges that you might encounter that I love to call “mind-set mess-ups”.  These 8 thought patterns or beliefs can creep up at any time and in any order.  They can often arrive in a group too. Which ones do you tend to struggle with?

Mindset Mess-Ups

1. EXCUSES MINDSET:  This is the mindset where you always make excuses for why you can’t succeed or move forward in your business.  Stop making excuses for your business, your employees, your past, your office location, etc.
2. VICTIM MINDSET:  We can often tend to act like a “victim” related to our business because we might feel new or that “they” must know better.  Don’t be a victim of people who want your services but don’t want to pay you.  Watch out for thinking you have to be a “volunteer” and do your Christian duty since what you do comes easy to you. And don’t be a victim to that one client who takes all of your time and does not adhere to your “business boundaries”.
3. BAD CHOICES MINDSET:  Stop making choices that don’t make sense for your business model or your current financial reality.  Don’t get talked into advertising that won’t work for your type of business or product such as an ad in the yellow pages (yes I had my business listed a few years ago so I have made this mistake).
4. BLAME MINDSET: No more of the blame game…no more blaming the bad economy, your mother, your husband, your lack of funds, your former boss, your kids, or anyone else. Stop blaming your location too. (and the opposite of this is that the longer you are looking and comparing yourself to others, the less you are doing the work that is in front of you to do)
5. DOORMAT MINDSET:  Own your own power. Stop giving away your power to whoever is in front of you.  Be your own advocate.  Be your own boss.   Act like the C.E.O. that you are.  Give yourself permission to turn off the phone, set office hours, go to a private location.
6. INSECURE MINDSET:  Stop putting yourself down and not giving yourself the recognition you deserve and trusting in your own strengths.  You have the skills.  You have been through the training.  You most likely don’t need another certification before you get started.   Don’t be addicted to the learning and the research and never “get out there”.
7. OVERWHELM MINDSET:  Stop filling your time with appointments, projects, and tasks that do NOT produce revenue or increase the business.  Always ask what is the R.O.I. (Return on Investment).  And always ask yourself, “What would the C.E.O. do?” and then do that.  Also be wary of over promising with the amount of time it will take to complete a project and then getting even more overwhelmed.
8. SELF-SABOTAGE MINDSET:  Creating a recipe for disaster and inviting failure by doing any or all of the above.  We are good at self-sabotage when we are used to failing.  Stop it.  Claim success for yourself.

As a former mental health counselor, this group of mess-ups is very familiar to me.  I see them all the time in myself, and in my clients and in the members of NACWE.  Stay tuned for more information on this topic as we journey through this month as I share about mindset miracles,  the inspired women succeed recipe, and much more!

To get the mindset support and training you need this month and every month, come join us as a member of the National Association of Christian Women Entrepreneurs and I will gladly be your business therapist!  Join us today! http://nacwe.org/nacwe-membership/

Diane Cunningham is the Founder and President of the National Association of Christian Women Entrepreneurs. She is a “business therapist”, plane crash survivor, author, consultant, speaker, marathon runner, and fun friend.

Find out more about NACWE and why 165 women joined in the first year at www.nacwe.org. Connect with Diane at www.facebook.com/DianeCunningham for fun updates, silly videos, and lively conversation.