Dear women entrepreneurs,
Once I finally realized that my goals were more important than my fears, everything changed.
I'd spent so long people pleasing, so long wearing the persona of introversion and staunch professionalism, and so long playing safe to avoid judgement, that I had been crippling my potential for success.
I was more concerned with what people thought of me, than I was about what I thought of myself. And so I avoided being visible in my business, and just hoped that the right people would find me. And I avoided being outspoken in my business, for fear I wound up offending people. And I spent great chunks of my time hiding behind social media, pouring over blogs and email marketing and tinkering with my website (that was barely even getting a thousand visitors each week).
So, how do you turn it around, if you find yourself in this situation?
1. Realize that the only opinion that truly matters in this world, is your opinion of yourself. Let go of comparisons and ask yourself, deep down, "What am I most proud of about the person I am?" and, on the flip side, "Where am I concealing my true genius; from myself, and from others?"
2. Acknowledge that the only way to avoid judgement and criticism is to be sheep-like; and you are NOT a sheep! So go out there and be unashamedly YOU!
3. Pay attention to all of the little things you do, that make little difference to your success, but are protecting you from having to face the scary things that have the potential to explode your results. Make a choice to prioritize the BIG stuff.
4. Notice where you are indecisive, afraid of messing up and afraid of investing in yourself, and make a decision to stop wearing that mask of fear. Take it off and begin making some calculated decisions to accelerate your success. As all good leaders know, a bad decision is better than no decision at all.
5. Recognize that if you are not exploiting your ultimate talents, at the very highest level of which you are capable, then you will never fulfill your highest potential, and will always end up with under-par results.
6. Stand up and be counted. Do not hide. Do not worry. Do not cringe. Just DO IT. Your audience don't even know you're there if you never talk to them. And while blogging and social media are amazing tools, they are rarely enough to build a truly breathtaking business.
Jo xx
Jo Davidson is a Coach, Author, Columnist and Motivational Speaker, who has forged a successful career supporting women to fulfill their potential, by casting off fear, abandoning limitations, and taking massive action to achieve their goals. Connect with Jo today at The Fearless Women's Circle.