For a very long time, I would compare the success of my business to other business owners in or related to my niche, and it would make me sick (literally)! The big reason is that compared to many coaches and mentors who I started out with in this niche (so around 2005-6), I was on a SLOW learning curve. It took me way longer than I hoped to catch on to and multiply strategies that were working in my business, as well as identify and eliminate ones that weren’t. It was ridiculously frustrating, and I was starting to believe that I wasn’t good enough. I almost quit more than once.

So undoubtedly, this was a mindset I had about myself and my business that was destructive and putting me in a really “low” place energetically. I would step away from the business for days — because of it. Which of course wasn’t helping, and honestly was giving me the entrepreneurship blues. (cue the blues guitar please:)

Fast forward to today and I am in a totally different place energetically as well as realistically thanks to Brenda Rivas & Fabienne Fredrickson. I have in essence “caught up” to most of my peers — and the ones that I haven’t, I applaud their success instead of envy it. Was it easy to make these shifts – nope. But it was crucial to my success and I know that it probably will be to yours as well.

[This is a text heavy post today — but I was in the zone!]

1. Stop Thinking That You Are In A Competition For Clients

You have to step outside of yourself a minute and think realistically. There are oodles of companies who do the same thing and yet they all seem to make money and stay in business. Even with McDonald’s domination of the fast food industry, there are plenty of companies that are just fine: Wendy’s, Burger King, KFC, etc. The same principle applies to your business. There is a limitless supply of clients available to you.

2. Stop Thinking Smaller Is Safer

There is a tendency for many entrepreneurs to dream small, act small, and therefore get only small results. Once you understand that if you think bigger and BELIEVE in bigger dreams –then you will ultimately create bigger results.

3. Be Clear About What You Want

A confused mind creates confused thoughts and energy. If you are confused — the universe will be confused. Be clear about what you want to accomplish today, this week, this year, over the next 3 years. If you aren’t sure, get help around that. That way every daily step you take towards your business is purposeful and congruent with what you want.

4. Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For What You Want

I have run into many entrepreneurs who are great at what they do but often think “Hey I’m smart. I should be able to figure out this thing by myself. Why should I ask for help?” Okay — yes you are smart, creative, passionate and all of that — but there is no shame in asking for what you want. Asking the universe, God, etc. AND asking peers and mentors all around you. You’d be surprised how many people will help you.

5. Remember The Bigger Picture

It’s easy to fall into the daily business of growing your business: creating content, social media, working with clients, etc. But what’s your bigger picture. Keep that in mind. Is it establishing your LEGACY? Is it creating more time with your FAMILY?

6. Fill Your Subconscious And Your Soul With Good Stuff

When Oprah first talked about the OWN Network, I have to admit that I was one of those people that said “I love the idea of this but I don’t know how many people are really going to watch positive television day after day.” I’m a bit embarrassed by this but the point of this article is to be truthful and hopefully insightful. So there it is. But I started to finally “get it” about 9 months or so ago. Especially at the end of the day. I think it’s much better to go to bed reading a uplifting or entertaining book than watching a horror flick or for that matter the World News! Filling my soul with positive reading, television, movies etc. has really helped my occasionally “cynical” outlook on life.

7. Remember You Are In The Business Of Serving People

Most people in business want to make money. There’s nothing wrong with that, but remember the money should be a financial reward for serving your clients and your customers.

8. Be Mindful Of What You Are Attracting

If you are attracting low-paying, highly-demanding, clients then you need to take a closer look at why. Sure it may be your marketing materials, but it’s deeper than that. You have created, selected or approved those marketing materials. You are unconsciously attracting the types of clients that you don’t like.

9. Surround Yourself With Your Positive Peeps

This was a difficult one for me. Many of our closest relationships are with family members or friends from childhood and unfortunately it seems to be that more of our “forward thinking” pals are people we meet along the way in our journey — and not from the past. Perhaps college. Or people you meet while building your business. This isn’t a hard and fast rule. But regardless of HOW you met the “negative nellies” or less forward thinking people in your life who are holding you back — you’ve got to let them go. Surround yourself MORE with folks who will support and lift you towards your goals, or who at least are doing what you want to be doing. Shout out to my positive peeps Coach Kelly, Therese Prentice, and Ange’ Anglade.

10. Change Your Relationship With Money

If you have a “scarcity” relationship with money, meaning you feel badly when you invest in yourself, you frequently have buyer’s remorse, you select lower quality products to save money, you constantly are thinking about your “lack” of money, the bills you owe, or the client you didn’t close and what that is costing you — you’ve got to turn this around really SOON. The more you stay in the energy of “not having” the more you will not have. I know this seems to be easier said than done — but its simply a shift in perception. If you don’t have any money right now, if things are super tight, then that is a sure symptom of a negative mindset around money.

11. Change What You Regularly Say To Yourself

In other words – STOP your self-sabotage. How many times have you thought “Maybe I should just get a job” or “People will discover I don’t know what I’m talking about”. That’s your subconscious scaring the hell out of you! Tell him or her to shut it up, and start changing what you say to yourself in front of others as well as in the dark.

12. Start Recognizing Gratitude

Do you wake up and write in a gratitude journal? Does that question make you chuckle? If so, that means you are probably living in a low feeling place. You wake up frustrated. Overwhelmed. Discouraged. Instead of joyful, enthusiastic, and optimistic. It’s important that you give recognition and be grateful for all that is RIGHT with you personally, your family, and your business.

13. Allow Yourself To Feel Especially During The Tough Times

Everyone has very different ways for how they handle the rollercoaster emotions that come when running a business. My husband gets very passionate about his business and gets very animated about it — especially during a challenge. I on the other hand would numb myself or escape with novels, television, outings with some of those “negative peeps” I talked about earlier. This of course did nothing to make me move forward and get past whatever the challenge was, so I had to make some shifts. And I realized that the first one was allowing myself to “feel” the emotions (whatever they be) and work through them and then get over to the other side and keep pushing.

14. Upgrade Yourself!

Remember Beyonce’s hit “Upgrade You”? Well it was all about upgrading her man to the finer things in life. Introducing him to new things. This is what you need to do for yourself. It’s crucial. In fact, I have a client who wants to start a new business in a very competitive market but she still stands in a long line, in a hot office, to pay her cable bill! That’s not living a “platinum” lifestyle. Why would anyone invest in you if you don’t invest in yourself? So where you can make upgrade changes to your lifestyle – do so. Grow! Experience! Permit yourself to treat yourself ROYALLY!

15. Let Go Of Resentments

Let go of the bad feelings for family members who wronged you, friends who betrayed you, or resentments of someone’s success. Holding onto those resentments is absolutely toxic, because it often leads to strong feelings of anger, frustration, fear, or unworthiness that get in your way. “Why did they treat me this way, I can’t understand it!?” or “I can’t stand that she’s a millionaire and has no talent!” (I hear that all the time about Kim Kardashian — but fail to understand why people are so mad.)

16. Let Go Of Other People’s Negative Perception Of You

When someone unsubscribes from your list, do you feel a little twinge of “awww”? And then do you read why they unsubscribed, which some experts recommend that you do, but for the most part I advise against and this is why…Too many people take those comments personally and then they interpret them as there is something wrong with them. Or their content. You have to let that go and realize that no one can determine who you are — only you. All you can do is be the best that you can be.

17. You Must Take Personal Responsibility

It’s easy to play the blame game when things go wrong, but when you do this you are putting the POWER of what will or will not be in the hands of someone other than yourself. You must realize that only YOU create the life that you have now and the one that you want to have with every decision and action you take. There is no big, dark “force” working against you and your business — you are the FORCE.

Okay, this was a really long post, and typically I would have advised to break this up into at least two articles — but I appreciate that you’ve made it down this far in the article:) Now I’d love for you to answer this question: What 2 mindset shifts will you implement starting today or tomorrow? Or are there any other shifts you’ve implemented that you’d like share?

The following two tabs change content below.

• Bio
• Latest Posts

Lisa Angelettie

Join My Tribe at This Page

I make a living writing, ePublishing, and marketing books and teaching others how to do the same. I have one mission: To turn you into the best writer that you can be while enjoying every minute of it!

Latest posts by Lisa Angelettie (see all)

• Back Matter 101: How To Add Killer Call To Actions To Your Books - August 3, 2015
• Shelfari Is No Longer An Option In Author Central - July 28, 2015
• What Are The Most Well-Read Cities In America? - June 2, 2015