Written by: Ana Parra Vivas, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Would you like to become an entrepreneur? And do you believe it requires too much time, a big investment, and a special set of skills? Well, in today's world we can be entrepreneurs, have a full-time job, and at the same time be the best mom we can be. I say this because I am one of them.
You can be a freelancer writer, online coach, start an online store, social media manager, graphic designer, event planner, provide pet services, interior design, and more. It really depends on your passions and skills.
I was an entrepreneur since I was a kid. I always loved to sell things. Yes, if you want to be an entrepreneur, loving sales or loving to provide value to others is the main part of being an entrepreneur.
When I was in elementary school, I learned how to make beautiful chocolates and they had different fillings. I thought these chocolates were the most amazing thing and I knew my classmates would love them as well. There were no beautiful chocolates sold in the school store. This was back in 1988 in Colombia, South America.
I started making these chocolates and I sold them during recess, kids loved them. And just like that I was an entrepreneur at ten.
You can become an entrepreneur with very small or zero investment and you can dedicate the time you want to the business. The only thing you need is the desire to generate extra income.
What if you would like to generate extra income, but there are doubts or the desire is not there yet?
Here are my suggestions to overcome this:
1. Overcoming self-doubt
Doubting your capabilities or thinking you are not ready yet can be overcome by convincing your subconscious mind you are ready.
All your beliefs including the concept of yourself are in your subconscious mind.
Our minds are divided into the conscious mind and the subconscious mind. Here is how it works. The conscious mind makes the decision to read a book or study a new subject. Let's say you keep reading about the same topics, with time these ideas will go to your subconscious mind and will become your beliefs and habits.
If you doubt your capabilities to start a business or grow a business, it is because you have in your subconscious mind a belief in failure. This failure was implanted in your subconscious mind when you were a child.
For example, going back to my story of how I sold chocolates at recess during elementary school. What if my mother, instead of supporting me to sell them, criticized me for this idea? Or what if my teachers told me to stop and told me it was stupid? Well, I would grow up thinking I was incapable of being an entrepreneur.
Self-doubt is a negative belief that gets into our minds through repetition. We can change what is “stored” in our subconscious mind using positive concepts/affirmations and repeating them daily.
Here are examples of affirmations I would use to change self-doubt by believing in yourself.
I attract success and abundance because that is who I am.
My potential is infinite.
A way to change a negative concept of ourselves is by repeating affirmations out loud. You can use the above affirmations, or you can use your own. Make sure they are written in the present tense and only have positive words.
Repeat the affirmation five to ten times in the morning, afternoon, and before going to sleep. When repeating the affirmation imagine yourself being a successful entrepreneur, and don’t forget to imagine a bank account full of money.
Learn more affirmations from Proctor Gallagher, they are free to use.
Here is the link.
2. Cultivating a growth mindset
A growth mindset is one that believes abilities can be developed and always sees challenges as opportunities to learn.
The truth is that there is not a specific school for entrepreneurs. You learn most of the things as you go.
When I decided to become an author, I did not know anything about publishing a book. I learned during the time I was working on the book. Therefore, how do you stay mentally strong to see challenges as learning opportunities instead of roadblocks?
The answer is by practicing healthy mental habits. One of the habits I practice daily is saying affirmations out loud. However, this is not the only habit. I also:
Practice meditation.
Gratitude: Writing in my journal the ten things I am grateful for.
Listen and read my goals.
I do these activities in the morning, and I call it a “Morning Ceremony”. I call it a ceremony because it is sacred, and I cannot start a day without practicing it. This practice gives me the daily vitamins to stay on the same energy as my goals and to only attract what is needed to manifest my goals.
Practicing healthy mental habits helps you to develop a growth mindset. You learn to harvest the good and move on from any situation instead of staying stuck.
3. Embracing failure as a learning opportunity
If you expect to fail in your journey as an entrepreneur, that is exactly what is going to happen. We get what we expect.
Now that you understand where the idea of failure comes from you can start replacing that belief with a belief in success.
You can replace that belief with the daily practice of healthy mental habits.
I understand that there are situations in your entrepreneurial journey that look like failures. However, they are not. They were only opportunities for you to learn something and become better. The most important thing to remember from this is that you polish your goals.
When we start an entrepreneur journey, we start thinking that certain businesses or goals are the ones that will take us to the top. This can be true. However, I have experienced and seen from other entrepreneurs that their businesses have changed during their journey. For example, they started selling chocolates then they became authors 😊.
When I was selling chocolates in elementary school, my audience got tired of the same chocolates. I was not providing value anymore, so they stopped buying. I got sad and cried. However, I learned about providing value and not just selling. I also decided to discover my real purpose in life. It took years, but I discovered it.
Here is something I practice that I learned from Reverend Michael Beckwith in one of his books:
1. It is what it is; accept it (it will either control you, or you will control it).
2. Harvest the good (there is good in everything, seek and you will find it).
3. Forgive the rest (forgive means letting go completely; abandon and release).
I hope this article empowers you to start your business or continue the one you have. The power is within you.
I explain more about these topics, more about healthy mental habits, and provide guides and templates in my book I Trust My Inner Voice. You can get it here from Amazon.
Here is the link.
Ana Parra Vivas, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Ana Parra Vivas can help you reconcile your personal and professional life to achieve a successful and well-balanced lifestyle. She can guide you to manifest the life you dream of.
After achieving success in a high-level marketing position at a Fortune 500 company and in her family life. She felt frustrated and guilty that her career was taking away time with her children and husband. She did not feel fulfilled as a woman. All of these negative feelings and thoughts caused her stress and anxiety.
Drawing on her own experiences, Ana has created a unique program that teaches women how to discover the root cause of their problems. This program implements healthy mental habits to eliminate fear and anxiety and create a thriving, peaceful, and harmonic life.
