On trusting yourself as a business owner (and a human)
Running your own business means figuring out a lot of things yourself. And that can be really hard.
I've been talking a lot with clients lately about forging your own path. About taking inspiration from other places and people, but deciding on your own framework or scaffolding.
Because we are often not taught to do so, this can be really hard. And the voices out there--of capitalism, productivity culture, other business owners, family, friends--can be so loud.
How can we still hear and discover our own voice? How can we be confident in the decisions we make in and for our business (and our lives)?
I'd like to invite you to pay attention to how you feel when you make decisions in and for your business. Take some time to think or journal about these questions:
What kinds of stories are you carrying? Whose stories are they really? Is this your own story, or a story that you've inherited from your family, friends, or elsewhere?
What kinds of feelings come up? How does thinking about the alternatives make you feel?
When are you second-guessing yourself? At what moments do you have an idea for your business or life, but catch yourself thinking, 'oh but it will never work', 'no one else does it like this', 'this is against the business advice I've read', or 'what will [person XYZ] think?'
two strategies to practice trusting yourself
When you have an idea for your business or life that feels good but scary, let it percolate a while. I often take 2 or even 4 weeks to keep things in the back of my mind. In that time, I tend to think about the idea first by myself, and only then share it with two or three trusted friends.
Tap into how it feels inside. This becomes easier once you've identitied the stories that you're carrying: for instance what society says about how you should be working, how you were raised in respect to money, what you think your partner might think. Write them down if it helps, and then write down the alternative next to them.
Remember: what you feel is true. Your decisions are your decisions, and your life. You can trust how you feel.
I've been working a lot around this myself and wrote a longer blogpost on how I'm trusting myself as a business owner. In it, I write about the stories I'm carrying around money, marketing and what a business owner is supposed to do, as well as how I forge my own path.
fancy chocolate | I recently rediscovered Akesson's 75% chocolate with pink pepper. 75% is usually not dark enough for me, but I love this one.
a book | last month I read Sam Walton’s Everybody Needs Nature. In Search of the Nature Cure. I know and like Sam, so was extra pleased to discover what a great read this is, on the ways in which we can contact with nature in all forms (affiliate link).
Heiter magazine | Katharina of Heiter Magazine crowdfunded the first paper Heiter Magazine, filled with seasonal inspiration and everything you need to lead a slow, joyful life. It looks gorgeous.
How do you feel about trusting yourself as a business owner (and human)? When do you run up against a lack of self-trust, and what has helped you trust yourself more? I’d love to know, so please leave a comment below ✨
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