The biggest roadblock to your success might be… you

Have you ever been so stressed out and disorganized that work wasn’t getting done, and you felt like you were constantly disappointing your clients?

Some of what you’re feeling may be true, and some may just be your stress and fear of disappointing your clients.

Yet, whatever the issue is – you still feel like that – what can you do about it?

This was me back when I first started my online strategic marketing and launch business. I was running by the seat of my pants most of the time. And I constantly bought new products, attended live in-person events, and was a learning machine.

Yet, a lot of the time, I still felt like a kid tripping over her untied shoelaces… The more I learned, the more I kinda just felt I was an ok marketer, maybe even good, just not “that” good enough.

So what happens over a period of time with this kind of thinking?

Does it get better? Most of the time…

I definitely know I have some terrific knowledge and I’ve helped a lot of people and companies. Yet when I’m tired, and not at my best, those fears of not being good enough can creep in. And I forget the depth of my knowledge until someone points it out.

Do you ever feel like that too?

When I start feeling like that, it often helps getting on exploratory calls with potential dream clients to see how I can make an impact in their business in those sixty minutes.

When I get on the call, I am all in with them and their struggles and issues. It’s in those moments that all my knowledge comes flooding in.

Half the time, I’m not sure where it came from. (Maybe it’s part knowledge and intuition.) And the best part is it’s usually perfect and really helps them with whatever their struggles are around marketing and growing their business.

If you have ever struggled with not feeling good enough— I’ve got a couple of strategies that might help:

1. Know That You Are Not Alone – Here’s an interesting statistic – 70% of the population have experienced this feeling of not being good enough at some point in their lives. Even well known people like Maya Angelou, Sheryl Sandberg and Tom Hanks.
   
   What seems kind of counterintuitive is the more experienced and better you are at your work, the more likely you will feel at times that you’re still not good enough.
   
   Make sure you reach out to a friend, colleague, mentor, or coach for some insights and some guidance. It’s most likely they may have experienced this as well and will offer support and reassurance.
   
2. Take Time To Appreciate Your Accomplishments – This one was particularly hard for me until my mentor suggested I use the Ivy Lee 6 strategy to be more productive. I write down 6 things I will accomplish every day. (If you’re interested in this productivity strategy I wrote a blog about it.) The by product of this was at the end of 6 months, I took out my stack of note cards and looked at all I had accomplished. And at the end of one year, then two…. Wow, to this day, that stack really helps me appreciate all I’ve done.
   
3. Keep All Your Praise Handy – Appreciation, thank you, and thoughtful notes, emails, messages that you’ve received from clients, friends, family—put them in a folder and when you’re feeling down and not good enough, take them out and read them. They will surely help you boost your confidence and may even make you smile big, knowing all the people that you’ve helped and inspired.
   
4. Remember To Celebrate the Small Wins As Well As The Big Ones. Let’s say you’re starting a big project. Don’t wait until it’s done to celebrate. Each week – appreciate the steps you’ve taken to get further to your goal. Appreciate that gap between taking steps each week and your goal still a bit far off. That gap is the best time to appreciate each small accomplishment toward your big hairy goal.
   
5. There’s No Such Thing As Perfection – Well, I mean there is in the dictionary, the word does exist. Yet, when it comes to perfection, who’s going to be the judge of that? What exactly does perfection mean to you? It sounds definitely like a no win place to be. (Check out My Quote I’m Pondering below for more inspiration.)
   
   Failure is a part of life. And it’s ok if you fail. The key is to not beat yourself up. My favorite Buddha saying “Fall down seven times, get up eight.” Give yourself compassion.
   
   This thing called life is a journey. You’re in it for the long haul. Accomplish your goal, get it done. Going for perfection will only create tremendous stress, and slow you down, and will be an excuse to not ever achieve your goals. Leave perfection to someone else. Remember to always play to your strengths and outsource your weaknesses.

You have a unique message, a voice, talent, and your people are waiting for you to knock on their virtual door and share with them how you can help, inspire, and be there for them.

You totally got this!

Happy end of May – OMG – it’s almost June! Hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day holiday weekend, whatever you have planned, or if you’re winging it. We’re heading to Bend, OR to see James Taylor in concert… 🙂 Looking forward to being in cooler weather and some more beautiful mountain views. (Can’t wait to share some pics next week!)

Quote I’m Pondering:

“If you wait for the perfect moment when all is safe and assured, it may never arrive. Mountains will not be climbed, races won, or lasting happiness achieved.” ~ Maurice Chevalier

Two Powerful Mantras to Inspire: (From Practical Spirituality by John Randolph Price.)

“I love my mission in life!”

“I am determined to do my part as a healing channel.”

Latest Book Review:

Steal Like An Artist by Auston Kleon

Weekly Photos:
A week won’t got by without some entertaining or serious picture of Emma the clown dog. Gorgeous and bizarre weather this week. Mornings in the 50’s – evenings in the 80’s – I feel like I’m living back on the east coast. Lot’s of early morning time to watch the sunrise with some coffee, the spouse, and the pup. The flowers are still blooming and gorgeous…

Check out Emma my model for my book review site. (Her compensation is extra walks and dog treats!) This pic below is an outtake. With that book title, her snoozing was not a good look. If you click on the pic below it will take you to the pic I ended up creating for the review.

Then we had this huge rainstorm out of nowhere and the most amazing sunrise the next morning… Happy Holiday Weekend!