You’re finding the journey tough sometimes, huh? You want to be a successful entrepreneur, but something feels off.
Sometimes you feel like you don’t deserve this attention. The voice of self-doubt kicks in.
Why would people really be interested in your products and services? Why would they want you?
You don’t have any experience in running a business. Who do you think you are? How could someone like you possibly be a successful entrepreneur?
I’m going to share something with you…
Do you want to know what’s really making the journey so tough for you?
It’s you.
You’re letting your perceptions of who you are dictate the decisions that you make and shape the business that you’re building.
You don’t stop to consider if you should be doing something differently because you have deep-rooted beliefs of who you are as an individual and as a business owner.
There is more to what you see in the mirror.
There was a time in your life when you were different – you were younger, you were less of something, you did more of something.
see a penny, pick it up
At a recent networking event, the organiser asked us to all pick up a penny from the table, notice the date stamped on the coin, think back to that year and recall something life-altering that occurred then.
A few people went ahead of me and each had something different to share – one had just left school and decided to no longer be a wallflower, another had embarked on an around-the-world trip which led her to eventually become a successful travel writer, and one had faced a tragedy which reshaped his values and led to new definitions of what was important in life.
My penny read 1999 – the year I graduated from high school, left my childhood life behind, and moved to New York City to start university. It was a new chapter of my life, one full of adventure and independence, and also a year of tremendous personal growth.
Looking back on that year reminded me of the strength I had then to start afresh and this memory renewed my self-confidence. I’ve made many giant transformational leaps in the past and landed on my feet. I know I have the resources within me – strength, courage, determination, creativity and motivation – to make my own business a success.
who is the person in the mirror?
My transformation is not unique. You have also experienced moments in your life where there was a turning point, a shift in thinking, or clarity in your identity as a person.
There are positive lessons that you can take from your past and reuse in situations over and over again.
To help you access your inner strength and resources, ask yourself these three questions:
1. Take a penny out of your wallet and think back to that year. What did you learn from that year that can help you in your business?
2. If you could believe one thing about yourself that would make you even more successful than you already are, what would that thing be?
3. What are you currently assuming about your situation that is making the journey harder than it needs to be?
over to you…
As always, I’d love to hear from you. Share something you’ve learned about your inner strengths and resources that will now have a positive impact on the way you run your business.
I’ll answer Q1 here… My 10p coin is dated 2000 – the year I graduated from university. I didn’t attend my graduation ceremony as I was taking a wonderful group of American teenagers on a tour of St Andrews (Scotland) and they so kindly and generously created a graduation ceremony for me on the windy golf course! I learnt that when a community of people love you and believe in you, they’ll pull out all the stops and take care of you. I see that same thing happening now with my You Inspire Me team, so in this moment I’m feeling very grateful for them and how they’re allowing my business to flourish.
Nice exercise, Danielle 🙂
What a great story! I’d love to hear other people’s response to the coin game too.
Hi Danielle. I picked a penny with 2010 – the year I embarked on a psychotherapy course that changed my life and was what pushed me to work for myself eventually in my other career. The course involved a lot of self analysis which helped me to see where and why I tended to hold myself back and not believe I could make it on my own. Nowadays I know I can and am making it, but I could do with a bit more confidence in terms of actually marketing my skills and feeling that it is really me I am talking about when I sell myself! I never fabricate at all but sometimes when I say positive things about my work I read it as arrogance or elaboration when actually it’s the truth and it is what I need to do to get clients.
Great post by the way, really got me thinking.
Hi Jennifer. Thanks for sharing your penny story. I wonder if the other two questions I posed could help out with having that confidence. You have something great to give, yet no one will know if you don’t tell them! 🙂
What a great exercise.
I’ll also answer question 1,
Mine was a 2p from 2004. The year of our 10th wedding anniversary & we decided to raft the Colorado river through the Grand Canyon. We were also in the process of trying to get our life back after failed infertility treatments. It was life changing as well as being mentally & physically challenging. I learned that;
If the climb is hard, then it’s OK to ask for help.
If you don’t give up the view from the top is amazing.
I can do more than I thought I could.
After this I started to change my life & these 3 beliefs have helped me through, particularly in the last couple of years. So thanks for reminding me.
Lesley – I particularly love “if you don’t give up the view from the top is amazing”. This thought brought such a smile to my face and made me remember some of my own journeys, so thank you for reminding me of those!
What a great pause for thought… My £2 says 2009. It was the year I decided to take a whole year off from the NHS ….but by the end of it, I realised I was still shackled at home with commitments and still unhappy. I came to realisation that I was playing small Big time! It was the start of inner transformation for me which has taken until this year to reveal itself 😉
I would believe that I can get out there and be visible and effective. What gets in my way is my social anxiety concerns :/
Thanks for sharing your story Lisa. As with Jennifer, I wonder if the other two questions can help break through your social anxiety concerns. If you knew that you ARE visible and effective, how would that change your situation?
I’m loving this penny game! Just picked up a penny dated 2005 (it’s as though you planted it!). I’d decided to move out of London to Hampshire and although I didn’t have a home, job or circle of friends to go to, I knew if I put my mind to it it would all turn out OK in the end. It well and truly delivered. This exercise has reminded me of the power of trusting and that if you know what you want (and work hard towards achieving it), anything is possible. Thank you Danielle. A great start to my day.
Lisa – I’m so pleased to hear that this has been a great start to your day!