There are the obvious reasons. Without marketing, accounting and business skills, owning your own business can be more than just challenging. It can make you go broke. In fact, there is a book written on this subject called the E-Myth.
Many people go into business for themselves thinking they can do it better than others. And many people do it and succeed. But there are also many that fail. So, let’s look at some of the reasons why.
But, for a lot of us, it simply comes down to fear and anxiety, self-sabotage and unconscious hidden beliefs that are preventing us from achieving our goals. As you read, this you may be feeling doubtful, but let me explain.
I have worked with many people over the years who have big dreams but end up sabotaging themselves and not achieving what they want. Why, you ask? It’s simple. We don’t want to make liars out of ourselves! If, at the unconscious level, you don’t believe you deserve success, or it feels unsafe to succeed (maybe you will be exposed), you will do everything possible to sabotage yourself.
In fact, that was exactly the case with Jennifer. Jennifer always wanted to be an attorney and felt that she could really make a difference, but deep down she didn’t think her dad would still love her if she out-shined him. So she started ignoring phone calls and not following up, and she didn’t prepare for her cases. It was as if the 8 year old version of Jennifer was running her practice. Not logical at all. But then, humans are not entirely logical beings. We respond to life from an emotional, and often unconscious place and then back it up with distorted logic that matches our reality.
Then there is Sue, the therapist. Sue felt she didn’t deserve and was always worried about what others would think of her. So she played small, undercharged for her services and worked harder than her clients until she almost burned herself out.
And we can’t leave out Trevor, the dreamer. Trevor always had million dollar ideas. He was constantly starting projects, but never following through or finishing them. Trevor came to me originally for his anxiety, and he talked about how passionate he was about his new business venture, but for some reason he just didn’t follow through. He had spent thousands of dollars building his business, but when it came to putting himself out there and marketing it, he was so concerned about how others would see him that he never did what he needed to in order to get his business off the ground.
Each of these people has a passion for something they love, but their fear and unconscious, hidden, limiting beliefs dictated their actions…not logic. Fortunately for each of them, they recognized something was wrong that they couldn’t solve on their own. We used EFT to uncover their fears, hidden beliefs, and unconscious contracts that were keeping them stuck. And we worked through them all. Allowing each of them to see the reality of their situations, and to take action from a new, healthier perspective. Which allowed them to make new choices and create more positive outcomes for their business and their life.
It is so important to have a passion. It’s what makes us feel alive and gives us a sense of purpose and drive. But if you are not following your passion all the way through to great success, be brave enough to ask yourself, “What am I really afraid of and where does that come from?” If it gives you anxiety just thinking about these questions, then you know you need to reach out and ask for help. If you are following your passion and recognize that you are also sabotaging it and can’t seem to overcome it on your own, you don’t have to fail. Sometimes it’s a simple fix and a small tweak in how you are viewing yourself or your business. Other times, you need to invest in accounting or marketing or something else in order to grow your business. Either way, if you are not doing what you know you need to do, reach out and ask for help! Invest in your business and yourself.
Doing this work allows you to follow your passion to its successful conclusion and could just change the world for the better. It could change the quality of your life, the lives of those you love and your customers and clients.
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With lots of love,
Jenn Goddard