Written by: Claire Maynard, 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.
As business owners and entrepreneurs we know how important it is to operate outside of our comfort zones, that that is how our business grows and how we impact more people. We are full of ideas and potential projects, buzzing from all the ways that we can help people. We start or maybe even finish, books, courses, articles, collaboration proposals, group programs, new products. Then we freeze, the mindset monkeys kick in, will this work? Is it any good? Will they like it? Will they buy it? And so the projects and creations we were so excited about and have worked so hard on, stay sat on our laptops, helping no one.
This actually happened to me recently, I spent months putting together a pocketbook full of tips and guidance on mindset, confidence, motivation and inspiration. The concept was “a pocket-sized pick me up”, I loved the idea and worked hard on it. Then when the moment came to share it with the world, I froze. Eventually, I bit the bullet and uploaded it to Amazon, when the email arrived to say it was live I felt nervous and scared rather than excited and accomplished, it took me 2 days before I told anyone it was there or started to promote it. When I shared it on my social media I was open about my nerves in sharing this but said it wouldn’t help anyone just sat on my laptop! This prompted someone to reach out to me and say how tempting it is to sit with creations and that my bravery was inspiring. That is why I wanted to write this article, to help others to bite the bullet and share their creations with the world
So how do we do this? How do we share our creations and zone of genius with the world? Firstly, it’s important to remember that there is no such thing as failure, everything we do, every new thing we try, we either succeed, learn or grow. I say this first because fear of failure is the biggest reason for not following through with things and not getting outside of our comfort zones. So if you can realise that failure doesn’t exist, you can remove that crippling fear.
Next, we need to have confidence, confidence in ourselves, in our abilities and in our creations. To do this we need to believe in ourselves and our work, trust ourselves and recognise that we are learning and building skills and ability on an ongoing basis. Ask yourself, why am I doubting this? Is that actually true? Why do I feel this way about the project? Get to the bottom of what’s knocking your confidence and then face it head on. You will most likely find it just lies your subconscious is telling you to try to keep you safe, but it’s not serving you, it’s holding you back.
Now my next point is one that many in the business world will struggle with- let go of perfectionism! Shocking I know! But really, nothing’s ever perfect, or ever will be, so holding back on certain things because they’re not perfect is a sure fire way to stay stuck exactly where you are. And to be honest, perfectionism is overrated, we know that people buy people and buy from people that they like, know and trust, people who are relatable to themselves in some way. Very few people can relate to perfection, we’re all a little flawed and like to know that others are too.
And most of the time the only person that will know to notice it’s not perfect is you! Another very important thing to avoid is comparison, or comparison-its, as I like to call it. Comparing ourselves to others can be our downfall, it causes self-doubt, insecurities, lack of confidence, procrastination, imposter syndrome and stops us from taking action. It’s a disease! Ways to avoid this are to stay in your lane, have your goals and action plan and stay laser-focused on reaching them, don’t look up to see what others doing. Don’t compare the start or middle of you’re journey to someone else’s end, you don’t know how long they’ve been working on their business, you don’t know what they’ve sacrificed to get it, you don’t know who’s helped them and you don’t know what their starting point was.
Remember that you are your superpower, no one else can be you and you can’t be anymore else. There are people out there who want what you are offering, who will be drawn to you and your personality over others, however, they will be less likely to be drawn to you trying to be like someone else. And finally, stop making it about you, it’s not about you! Sorry, I know that one stings! But really, the work you do, the unfinished projects, the unpublished work, the secret products, they’re not about you, they’re there for the people you want to help. How many people do you have the potential to be helping right now with the “thing” you’re not sharing? Think about them and the impact it could have on them, the difference it could make. Don’t be selfish, share it with the world!
And remember, if it isn’t received as well as you’d hoped, art doesn’t sell as much as you’d like, it’s not personal, it’s not a reflection on you, because it’s not about you. If people aren’t interested in your business, your products, or service, it’s not that they don’t like you, or you’re not good enough (or whatever fibs your mindset monkeys are telling you), it’s just that they don’t need what you’re selling right now.
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Claire Maynard, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Claire is a qualified and accredited life coach & confidence coach, specialising in mindset & visibility coaching for women in business.
Claire is a featured guest expert, live trainer, guest author, guest blogger, magazine contributor and Amazon best selling author.
Claire is passionate about helping and empowering women to believe in themselves and achieve their goals. To develop their confidence & mindset, to become visible with their business and live the life they desire.
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