Today I’m sharing an article from a gal I had the good fortune to meet in person at Ali Brown’s Online Success Blueprint Workshop last November, Sherri Garrity.
As “Chief Corporate Fugitive” and President of Make It Count Communications, Sherri’s mission is to help non-profits improve their fundraising reach and results, and to “to empower anyone whose willing to take the first step to becoming a Corporate Fugitive.” (Don’t you just love it?!)
I found the article especially helpful because Allen and I have been talking a lot lately about how owning your own biz is the ultimate personal growth tool, which we first heard from James “The Info Product Guy” Roche.
Thanks for the article, Sherri, and good luck with your new jogging adventures!
This morning I celebrated a personal milestone. You see, although I am a fairly active person and like to golf, take dance class, and ride my bike I have never been “into” sports.
So you can imagine my family and friends’ surprise when I signed up to run at 5:30 a.m. a few times a week.
Today was the first day, and when I arrived I immediately sized up the other women in the group. I knew that a few of them were seasoned distance runners, from their conversation with the leader. About a third said they run regularly, for exercise, and the rest were like me, totally inexperienced and probably feeling a little unsure.
We started with a one kilometer run just to “warm up” followed by another four kilometers. I completed three and had to walk a portion of it.
All I was thinking was I didn’t want to finish last! When my shins started to feel like they were on fire, I was tempted to quit. Thoughts of “what were you thinking” came to mind. It would have been very easy to deke off the trail and drop in at my friend Wendy’s house.
But I didn’t, and instead of feeling like a loser, now I am celebrating the good feeling that I accomplished the first steps in what will be a longer and sometimes painful process. I was the last to finish, but not by much, and instead of feeling self conscious and comparing myself to those that did better than me, I crossed the end of the trail with a big smile for showing up and not quitting.
Originally, I was going to send out a different article today. But this experience got me thinking about how much our mindset and prior conditioning shows up when we are challenged, feeling less than competent, and getting out of our comfort zone.
Quitting a job and starting a business, and then growing and advancing it takes a lot of courage and determination.
We underestimate how much our self-labels and tendency to compare to others can undermine us.
Through coaching and working hard to improve my own skills, I realized that no one is born a wildly successful entrepreneur and that often feeling incompetent or uncomfortable is just a sign that you are encountering something you just haven’t learned how to do yet. [emphasis added
]
Separating the label, for example, “I’m not an athlete”, or “I’m not a marketing person”, from the act of learning a new skill, is a perspective that has really helped me.
In business there are many skills we need to learn and master. Not all of them will come easily. Here are five tips:
Recognize but don’t be identified by your limitations - We all have things we are good at, and things we are not. The more in tune you are with your own weak spots, the more you can work with them instead of against them.
Know you are not the only one -Everyone struggles, although our individual struggles are different. If you don’t participate in a networking or mastermind group, or other forum, consider getting involved. It’s amazing how lifted up you can feel when you know that others are going through challenges too.
Stretch yourself – Putting yourself in situations where you are a little uncomfortable is how you grow. Doing the same things, the same way, is not going to get you different results. You have to be willing to try new things.
Make yourself accountable in the way that works for you – If you know you are less strong and therefore less likely to work on a certain aspect of your business, find a way to make sure you do. This is the number one reason that people hire coaches and join mastermind groups. The aspect of public commitment and a shared promise to show up is a very effective way to hold yourself accountable. Others may find they need a different form of support like setting goals and rewarding themselves for completion.
Change your attitude – If you can accept challenge and approach learning with an “I just don’t know how to do this yet” attitude, you can see that nothing is insurmountable. Put yourself in a position of power, rather than negatively labelling yourself. When you do something, focus on your achievement and celebrate ALL wins, no matter how seemingly small.
As for me, I am fairly sure I will not run a marathon, but I will succeed at my own goal. Coffee at 6:30 anyone?
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Sherri Garrity is the Chief Corporate Fugitive and creator of the Five Keys Success System™ for ex-corporate employees and aspiring entrepreneurs who want to break free from the confines of their corporate experience and unlock their business potential for greater personal freedom and prosperity. The Corporate Fugitive system demystifies the business of setting up, managing, marketing and growing a successful entrepreneurial adventure. Visit www.corporatefugitive.com for free tips on how to unlock the business in you.
