It’s a holiday week, a quieter time for many businesses, and for that I hope to leave you with some food for thought to ponder your success as an advocacy practice owner…
One of my favorite quotes is one that has been attributed to two well-known people. Henry Ford said it first:
If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.
Then Mary Kay Ash (as in cosmetics) put it more eloquently:
If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can’t, you’re right.
Of course, the translation of both is that our ability to accomplish what we want to accomplish is all in our heads, in our attitudes. It’s less about ability and more not letting anyone – mostly ourselves! – convince us that we aren’t good enough.
The problem is – how many of us have those voices in our heads that tell us that we are “less” than what it will take to succeed? How many of us let our heads stand in the way of our success> I know it happens frequently. In the past when I have written about the Paralysis of Analysis, I have heard from many of you, asking if I have been reading your minds.
I was reminded of this problem when this article crossed my desk from Success Magazine (online version) – shared by a member of APHA. Doubtbusters: Erase Self-Limiting Beliefs by Tory Johnson (gotta love her first name even if she can’t spell it!). The article speaks to this concept of letting our heads stand in the way of whether or not we will succeed, of doubting ourselves into not doing what our dreams tell us we want to do.
The psychological brick wall of CAN’T – which too often turns into the brick wall of WON’T.
Tory then goes on to explain how to get past these specific psychological brick walls:
- No. 1: I’m not good enough to charge a decent fee for my services.
- No. 2: I’m not worthy of being in this space.
- No. 3: I’m not as good as they are.
- No. 4: I’m afraid of success.
If you find yourself wallowing in this “less than” mindset, then I throw down this challenge to you. It’s time to begin thinking differently; rearranging your head space, being positive, and moving forward.
- Start by reading the Doubtbusters article.
- If you’d like a visual reminder, perhaps to post above your desk, here’s a download for you: a small poster of Mary Kay’s quote.
Then come on back here and tell us how your thinking is changing and what we can do to support you.
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