Being an Entrepreneur is Not For the Faint of Heart

“So how are things going?” My dad asked. Oh, that familiar question that makes my stomach go into knots and makes me want to run for the hills!

“Good”, I said, trying to hide any emotions that may make him think otherwise.

“How long will you keep this business going?” I knew he would go there. I began to squirm uncomfortably, noticing the signs of discomfort my body was giving me. “Run! Shout! Say it’s none of your business!” I heard my mind scream! But I chose to sit there and listen and ask why I was being triggered. Why I felt like I needed to prove that I was ok; that my choice to quit my job to start my business was right for me; that even if it didn’t work out, my husband was ok with me being home, at least he had dinner ready when he got home from work and the kids didn’t have to go to daycare after school. I had my arsenal ready to defend my beliefs, to defend my dreams. Yet, why did I feel like I had to? Have you ever felt cornered and had your choices be challenged by those who love you?

I finally regained control of my mind, which had decided to put its armor on and go for battle, and decided to actually hear my dad out. He has been an entrepreneur himself for the last 35+ years, and a successful one, I may add, so he may actually have some wisdom to impart.

As he went on about his thoughts, I sat and listened, thinking I was taking it all in, in a positive, productive way. It wasn’t until a couple of days later that I realized I started having a full-on monkey-chatter attack in my head. It went something like this, “You know you will never be able to do this entrepreneur thing successfully. You just don’t have what it takes. You only know how to work for other people. You don’t have the discipline and the perseverance required to be an entrepreneur.” And as I listened to the little evil monkey-voice inside my head, I noticed it getting louder, more arrogant, and nastier. That’s when I realized that I had been down this road before and I was not about to go down that path again.

It was time to blast that monkey off into space (no real animals were hurt during this visual process ) and reclaim my Wise Heart voice. I realized that my dad’s voice was still ringing in my head and it was up to me to interpret his words in a positive or a negative way.

I reminded myself that I am a Heart-Centered Leader. I reminded myself that I am powerful and I have all that it takes to be an entrepreneur, and most of all, I reminded myself of why it was that I chose to start my own business – so that I could empower others to live their dreams (among other things), while empowering myself to live my own dream. As my dad would say, dreams won’t put food on the table, but as I say, if you believe in them strongly, they will give you the boost you need to make them a reality.

Interestingly, after my heart took over the monkey-mind, a downpour of ideas came flooding in and I’m now on my way to putting those ideas into a plan so they can actually become a reality, which will not only benefit me, but my clients and colleagues as well.

Next time you feel challenged or triggered by what someone else is saying, here a few things you can do –

• Ask yourself if there are unresolved doubts in your mind about what you are being challenged. If so, write them down and replace them with what made you take that action in the first place. For example, I had doubts about if quitting my job was the right thing to do. I replaced it with, “living my calling to help women live a heart-centered life was much more fulfilling than being unhappy at a job.”

• If you notice you are giving into the monkey-chatter, visualize yourself blasting it off into space. Remind yourself of how powerful you are.

• Do a mental clearing by saying, everywhere I have been choosing fear and doubt, I now let those things go, and instead, I choose joy and courage, or whatever adjective would give you power. Take a deep breath and exhale the tension out of your body.

Being an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart. It requires courage, perseverance, belief in yourself and your dreams, determination, a never give-up spirit, awareness of the monkey-chatter, and the ability to love and support yourself when no else will.

Remember that your wise heart within is your best guide out of discouragement and doubt. You are powerful. Now, what are you going to create with all those dreams bubbling up inside of you?

www.wiseheartwithin.com