As entrepreneurs, it’s so easy for us to think that everyone knows what we know and that what seems basic to us is basic to our clients.
We lose sight of the natural gifts we possess or exactly how much time and energy we’ve put into becoming the best at what we do.
Don’t Take Your Knowledge For Granted
One of my clients is a jeweler. Her work amazes me. I have no idea how she does what she does, but she’d probably be surprised by how little I know about stones and settings because for her, it’s simple.
It’s so easy for us to see expertise in other people and so hard to see it in ourselves. When we take what we know for granted, we have a hard time working up the courage to share our skills and ourselves. We’re afraid of being laughed at or not being taken seriously.
We start to think that sharing our expertise is no big deal.
The Trap of Other People
What often happens with this line of thinking is that we start to watch other people and judge their reactions to our work.
I worked this morning with a woman who’s trying to get clear on what exactly it is that she offers clients.
Instead of connecting to her own abilities, she started the call talking about the four people who had recently dropped off her email list: who they were, how she knew them, why they might have chosen to unsubscribe.
She was trying to grab onto something external that might give her a sense of her own worth. When we do this, we carry an energy of desperation and neediness into our interactions with other people.
Start With Your Feelings
Desperation comes from a sense that we aren’t enough. That we are lacking in some way. For many of us, this feeling results in a lot of time repressing our feelings instead of experiencing them.
When we get like this, we become like a clogged drain. The more we stuff down the drain, the bigger the block becomes until nothing can move through it. Everything gets backed up.
By experiencing your feelings and letting them come to the surface, you’re unclogging the drain and creating flow. This can be a very difficult experience at first but necessary if you truly want to stand in your own power.
You’re Not Alone In This
Entrepreneurs will often get caught in the trap of thinking that being a solo business owner means they’re in it alone. You can’t ever hope to be successful thinking that way.
I was talking with someone today who was telling me that she just had her first $40K quarter. She said, “You don’t get to that number unless you have a team.”
A team can be you and your virtual assistant or your accountant. Maybe the team is you and your coach, or your community, or even just the person you pay to clean your house!
These are the people who will keep you from spreading yourself too thin. Who see where you can go and encourage you to get there. Together, you create a space where you can recoup after setbacks, get help facing challenges and celebrate when you have victories.
That is all part of running a successful business. If you feel like you need support but don’t know where to find it, let’s talk! I can help you unclog your drain and get clear about where you’re headed – and take the action to get there. Just click here to set up a complimentary Connection Call!