A common assumption that I had always made in my business in the past was thinking that in order to make more money and achieve my desired income goal I simply needed to focus on taking “the right actions.”

Because of this way of thinking I was constantly asking myself, “What do I need to DO to make more money?” This took shape in the form of questions like, “What is it that I need to do to get new clients?” “How should I talk to prospects so that they want to become my clients?” And, “What changes do I need to make to my website so that it appeals more to my potential clients and customers?”

I sought out the experts to learn what they were doing to succeed in making more money. I eagerly studied and applied their systems fully expecting that if I implemented their ideas and techniques that I would achieve the kinds of results that they had.

However, I later realized the problem was that when I focused solely on taking action and simply copying what others were doing I became the proverbial hamster in the hamster wheel. I spent a ton of energy doing what I was taught - meanwhile I was still struggling with not making enough money.

I tried to figure out what I was doing wrong - believing that I was actually getting somewhere because of all the mental analysis and processing that I was engaging in.

It’s like I was a car whose wheels were spinning, only to discover that I wasn’t actually getting anywhere – I was really just stuck in the mud.

Meanwhile my mind continued to chatter away saying things like, “If I just knew exactly what I needed to do get my prospects to respond to me, then I could actually make offers to them that they would accept and I would be able to make more money”. Or, “If I just understood what it was about my money past that caused me to believe that I wasn’t capable of making really great money then I could shift those limiting beliefs and actually begin charging more and making more.”

Here’s the breakthrough I experienced: I was feeling particularly frustrated one morning because I was buying into the negative inner dialogue and stories in my head. So, I pulled out a piece of paper and drew a line down the middle of it. On the left side I wrote down everything that I was telling myself about my particular situation. These statements sounded something like:

“No one wants to work with me.”

“I can’t possibly achieve my mid-year income goal now.”

“I can’t create successful programs that people want to pay for.”

On and on droned the voices of despair. I realized all of these were simply my thoughts and inner commentary about what had happened… NONE of them DESCRIBED THE ACTUAL IFACTS.

On the right hand side I wrote down the facts or actual truth about my situation. It was shockingly bare, consisting of just one single statement that said, “I have created “X” amount of dollars in my business.”

The ONLY true fact about my situation was how much money I had actually brought into my business up to that point. Everything else on the left hand side was just a story I was telling myself about what that number meant. Experiencing a sense of internal liberation I took out my pen and drew a big “X” across all the statements on the left hand side of the paper.

I sat there pondering, “If everything that I had been telling myself about my business were just stories and not the actual truth, then what did that mean about what I could create over the next few months?” I pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and drew a big blank box on it - representing the immediate future.

And inside that box I wrote the words, “Anything is possible.” I could literally create ANYTHING in the future of my business!

When I separated my beliefs about my financial situation from the facts a new possibility arose - I realized that I could still achieve my income goal. The result? I went on to achieve it within the next one and a half months.

Until I got clear about the simple facts of my financial situation (instead of my endless stories and inner commentary about the facts) I would continue to be stuck in the illusion that I couldn’t create anything different.

Instead I was able to connect in that moment with who I actually was at my core and inner being. This was my true, creative self that is always present – which, regardless of any situation or circumstance, I can easily connect with to create ongoing shifts and breakthroughs in my business.

Author's Bio: 

Leslie Cunningham specializes in working with women entrepreneurs who experience fear and self-doubt in their ability to consistently make more money in their business. The end result that women achieve through following Leslie's advice and expertise is that they are able to permanently get off the emotional financial roller coaster ride and break into six-figures and beyond. http://impactandprofits.com/