It happens to even the best entrepreneurs. You get a killer business idea or turn a passion into profit and start working for yourself.
You find out that running a business may or may not turn out to be what you thought it would be but it is rewarding after you put in lots of effort and countless hours of work.
Yet and still, it’s easy to feel discouraged and inadequate when you don’t meet certain business goals or if it takes you longer than you anticipated to accomplish something.
Feeling “meh” about your business sometimes is normal seeing as it’s common to run low on steam or compare yourself to someone who seems to be doing better than you but it’s never good to maintain feelings of inadequacy if you truly want to be successful. You have to work to get rid of the downer of these thoughts.
To escape these negative feelings and get back on track, keep these three actionable tips in mind:
Never Compare Your Beginning to Someone Else’s Middle or End Results
One of the main things that you can you feel inadequate about when it comes to your business is when you compare yourself to other people in your niche. There is probably always going to be someone who seems to be doing better than you or they seem like they are working harder than you are.
While you can use the success of others to motivate you and inspire you and get some tips from them to help you — you should never take their actions to heart. You are not them and they are not you.
Comparing is pretty much a waste of time and effort because everyone starts their entrepreneurial journey at different times and has their own unique situations to deal with. If you just started your business a year ago and you’re comparing your success to someone who has been running their business for 4 years, that’s pretty unfair to yourself and a good way to bring on discouragement — and you don’t need that.
The person who has been running their business for several years longer than you has time to make mistakes and learn through trial and error while you may not have had that much time. Remember that you are on your own path and try not to let other people’s timeline affect you.
Get a Coach
Running a business can be lonely at times and you may find that you need lots of support and encouragement for the ups and downs. If you are constantly feeling stuck, you might want to consider hiring a coach or mentor to help you break through and get clearer on your mission or vision.
Having a coach is also great for accountability. For example, if you’ve been meaning to publish a book for years now, your coach or mentor can hold you accountable for that goal so you can actually start making progress on it.
A coach or mentor can also help you identify new strategies to improve your business and personal success, especially if they have already reached the level of success that you wish to obtain.
Focus on One Thing At a Time
If you are feeling like you never get a chance to finish any of your big projects or put enough attention to detail into them, try to slow down and focus on one thing at a time.
It has been studied over and over — Multi-tasking hardly ever works because it pulls your attention in a hundred different directions and can actually slow you down.
If you have big moves to make with your business, map everything out on a calendar and business plan, and focus on each item one-by-one. Once you’ve completed a project and you are pleased with the results, then you can move to the next thing. Remember that you do not have to be 100 percent pleased. It will help move you along more quickly to find the “good enough” ground. Remember, good — and good enough — not perfect. Perfectionists tend to move slower and often discourage themselves into a slump.
This may seem to be a slower way to do things, but it is more effective and will allow you to feel more accomplished in the long run.
Summary: Acknowledge Your Progress and Focus
Feelings of inadequacy often stem from insecurities that may or may not even actually exist. Your first step to overcoming those negative feelings are to take a step back and acknowledge your progress made thus far.
Recognize and celebrate your wins both large and small, then move forward by choosing one or more of the three action-based tips mentioned above.
Remember to stay focused and shy away from letting what others are doing influence how you measure the worth of your business. Focus on your own path.
