Guilt.
It is one of those emotions that really gets in the way.
Whether it's the worry that we aren't delivering a high enough standard of service for our clients (when we know deep down that we are), or the fear that we aren't spending the time with our kids that we could be (yes, we see them daily, but is it quality time? Is it enough??)
For lots of us, when we're going through our daily activities at work and at home, guilt is right there with us - telling us we're not doing a good enough job, or causing us to question our decisions and priorities.
I asked a fantastic group of entrepreneurs what triggers guilt in their day-to-day lives and they said the following:
- Leaving the office before 5pm
- Enjoying ourselves when we are having a break from looking after children!
- Setting up boundaries to protect our working hours
- Feeling like our homes aren't as clean and tidy as we would like them to be
- Asking for help with household responsibilities or childcare
- Charging what our business services are truly work
- Knowing that we have done 'enough' for our clients!
But like many emotions, guilt doesn't just have to be a negative experience - it can also have a positive impact, if we take the opportunity it provides us.
Using Guilt Positively
Guilt creates a choice. It is part of us noticing that something doesn't feel quite right, and it alerts us to something that may need our attention.
For example, if you feel guilty that you haven't spent enough time with your partner, your guilt presents you with a choice. Either to ignore that feeling and carry on regardless, or to use your discomfort as a prompt to do something about it and fix the problem.
So one of the best things we can do with guilt is to take a pause, and evaluate for ourselves: 'Is this guilty feeling highlighting anything to me that I need to take action over?'
Unproductive Guilt
However, so often guilt is a spinning wheel that never gets us anywhere.
One of the reasons we hate feeling guilty so much is because we feel the accusation it brings, but we don't take any action as a result. We bury the feeling and hope that it won't resurface, then feel crushed when it does!
It's what can leave us feeling 'stuck' in business and in life, because this kind of guilt is all about fear.
What will my team think if I leave the office before they do?
What will my friends think if I hire a cleaner?
What will potential clients think of me if I raise my prices?
It goes against all of our instincts, but did you know, the best thing you can do with this kind of guilt is tell it to 'shut up!'
As an entrepreneur, your mindset is one of the most important tools at your disposal. You need to be able to step past guilt, so that you have a clear mind and a clear conscience.
If there are things that need fixing, take the opportunity that guilt provides to fix them.
If you know you haven't come through for a client in the way you should have done, give them a call and put things right.
If you aren't spending the time with family that you want to be, then start planning your schedule around them rather than trying to slot them in around your work.
But if it's just about fear and self-criticism, you would be better off telling guilt to 'shut up!'
So think about the ways that guilt really hits home for your business.
Do you need to take action as a result, or do you need to tell guilt to 'shut up'?
If you know that you want to start moving forward in your business, and you're tired of feeling guilty and just squashing down that urge to take action, I would love to help you get the most out of guilt with my free guilt-busting checklist.
Jessica is the Work/Life Balance Business Coach, and helps female entrepreneurs who want to reduce their stress levels and make more money from their existing business.
Coming from a background in project management and business development, she spent 4 years running a start-up company and experienced first hand the exhilaration of growing a successful 7-figure business. However, this can come at a price and she noticed that so often, ambitious growth comes at the expense of our health and life outside work.
Because of this, Jessica has a real passion for showing entrepreneurs how to prioritise self-care and wellbeing whilst achieving amazing things through their business - something she believes is possible for businesses everywhere, if we will only exercise our ability to choose something better!
Her #1 goal is to empower entrepreneurs everywhere to OWN that choice, and create a business that works FOR them, not against them.
To find out more and join her Facebook community for ambitious entrepreneurs, visit: http://www.jessicafearnleybusinessconsulting.com/