Q:

I love being my own boss. But I must admit, sometimes the discouragement overwhelms me. How do you press through these times?

A:

Thank you for your transparency. And I totally understand; many women battle discouragement. Here’s the thing: the beliefs we have about ourselves will seep into our business. So, it’s important to check your mindset. Make sure that patterns of thinking aren’t secretly sabotaging your best efforts.

We can know everything we need to know, take every class there is to take, and still sabotage our success. We can start to feel overwhelmed, overbooked, or overcome by deadly distractions.

Here are some lessons I’ve learned on the journey:

1. Be aware of your self-talk. Our mental conversations drive our performance.

2. Watch your prophecies. What we believe will happen to us, will. Or normally does. If you seek negative, you will find it. Seek a positive outcome.

3. You are not a fake. Watch for imposter syndrome. Sometimes we step out and call ourselves into successful ventures. We must call ourselves a speaker before someone will book us. But that very step frightens many of us.

4. Watch for these mindset mishaps:

• The Excuse mindset – we always have an excuse
• The Victim mindset – it is someone or something else’s fault
• The Bad Choices mindset –we don’t make healthy choices
• The Doormat mindset – we don’t value our talents
• The Insecure mindset – we are afraid to promote ourselves

What holds you from success? What blocks your mind?

Need help surviving in the business world? Submit your entrepreneurial questions to Diane at diane@dianecunningham.com. Please note that all questions selected for public display may be edited for clarity and privacy and become the property of NACWE.