You want to start a business or you already have – that’s amazing! You’re on the right track to achieving your dreams. That’s a great start. We all have dreams for a reason. That dream was given to you. It was planted in your mind for you to do something with it – but what you do with it is what matters.
We can all live in the face of fear. Heck, it’s easier isn’t it? Letting fear control you so that you don’t take chances? When you do this, there’s no risk of failure, right? Sure, that may be true, but then you risk feeling regret and let me tell you, the risk of regret is MUCH larger than the fear of failure.
It’s time to put those excuses behind you. It’s time to go after your dreams, no matter how big they are – it’s time to make the reality. It’s time to learn how to push those fears aside, take the steps necessary to create your business and how to make that business the more powerful than you ever thought possible.
Yes, this all may sound scary; trust me, I’ve been in your shoes. But you know what? I took those fears, pushed them aside and created not one but many businesses. Today, I’m here to share the ups and downs with you. I’m here to help you learn from my mistakes and to show you how I built the most powerful businesses I ever dreamt of so that you too can do the same.
It all starts with this one phrase ‘no more excuses.’ Are you ready to join me? Let’s get started.
GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION
First, you must give yourself permission to go after your dreams. You may not even know what those dreams are right now. If not, start there. Think about what’s on your heart. Ask yourself expansive questions to see what’s important to you, what is it that you want to create?
Once you have a sense of where you want to be, it’s time to give yourself permission – permission to reach your goals. No, there isn’t going to be a fairy godmother that comes down and waves her magic wand, giving you permission to move forward. You have to give yourself that permission. It’s time to go after what you want. Isn’t that enough of a reason to get going?
Yes, you are going to take risks. Heck, you may even stumble and that’s okay! It’s a part of the process. It’s how you handle those stumbles that matter. Mistakes aren’t bad unless you don’t learn from them. What does that mean? It means asking for help. It means looking around for supportive people – the people that believe in your hopes and dreams. You need the people that understand your vision and want to see you succeed.
It also means distancing yourself from those that aren’t supportive. Don’t let them take the power from you. It’s time to regain that power, surround yourself with those that believe in you and take the next steps to move forward.
GET INSPIRED
Inspiration is everywhere you look if you open your eyes wide enough. Look for people (like me) that have been there, done that. Listen to their message. What did they go through? What do they wish they did different? What did they do that was so awesome that it led them to the amazing heights they are at today? These are the people you want to inspire you.
Look for impactful messages. You’ll find them everywhere – websites, podcasts, blog posts, and social media pages. Be selective about you who follow – don’t follow the ‘fakers’. Only follow those that have true success and can inspire you to be where you want to be. Not everyone is going to align with your beliefs and that’s okay. It’s up to you to find out who aligns with you and follow them.
FIND MOTIVATION
You need the will to work. Starting a business is hard – I’m not going to sugar-coat it. You need the will to pick up the pieces when you make mistakes. You need the ability to give yourself grace when things go wrong and you need the energy to reach your goals.
Motivation brings joy and happiness. When you feel motivated, you won’t have to work hard to find the motivation – it will drive you. It’s when you focus on what’s missing that you lose motivation. Are you looking at the glass half empty or half full? That’s where it’s at. Focus on the half empty and you are going to find the problems with starting and running your business and you’re going to run out of gas fast. If you focus on the half full aspect, you are going to see your progress and keep moving forward.
It’s all about creating your life, not just surviving it. Focus on the things that you can control. These are the things that are possible. When you focus on everything, the possible and impossible, your motivation will go flying out the window. You can make a difference in the world, but you need the motivation to do it.
LEARN HOW TO APPLY IT
So you know where you want to go and you know where you are now. The space in between there is application. Action is what paves the way to achieving your dreams. Sure, anyone can have dreams, but only a select few actually achieve them. Why? Not everyone puts in the action or the work necessary to meet those dreams.
Action means taking one step at a time. It means taking the time to adjust when things don’t go right and trust me, they won’t always go right. If you plan your actions, you can then put them to work. But again, give yourself grace throughout the entire process. Don’t beat yourself up if you make a mistake. It happens. In fact, mistakes are good – they give you a chance to learn and to grow.
It’s all about adjusting. If you make a mistake, stop and learn from it. Where do you need to go from here? Readjust the plan, put the action steps into place and then get back to work. It’s all a learning process that when put together will create a beautiful outcome.
IMPLEMENTING YOUR STEPS
So you’ve put in the work and you’ve thought about the actions you need to take. Now it’s time to put your actions where your words are. It’s time to implement. Make sure your steps are practical – reachable. Don’t make them so overarching that you set yourself up for failure – that’s certainly not motivating. Instead, keep the steps simple and doable. Make it so that you see progress quickly and easily. This will keep your motivation going and push you to keep growing and doing.
Life is not meant to do alone – you need support! Starting a business is an amazing dream, but it’s hard work. Running and growing a business is even harder. Don’t do it alone. Find inspiration, read about successes and failures and surround yourself with those that believe in you. Before you know it, you’ll be on your way to building the foundation for a successful business.
