I just finished reading an article from the times entitled "Culture of Poverty" makes a comeback and what struck me when reading it was how the thoughts behind this article may apply to anyone considering working for themselves...going out on their own.
There are many articles about families who, for generations, maintained family businesses. Did it happen because these families had a belief system that "they could" thus reinforcing their future endeavors of self-employment and running their own business or was it something else? Whatever the answer is it is always interesting to learn about business families and how they came to building a business.
As you work to develop your own business and build your client base check your thoughts. Do you find your mind filled with thoughts that undermine your success? Is it difficult for you to visualize your future and your business future? No one in my family who has ever worked for themselves...why do I think I will succeed? Does your family support your efforts? If you are in a relationship, are you leaning too much on this person and not really striking out with both feet out the door getting fully committed to the process
Sometimes I think it is difficult to visualize building a business because of our own insecurities and perceptions and our family's perceptions of what we are capable of; how we view the world of opportunity. I can remember in my family no one would have started their own business. Absolutely not. These people grew up and experienced the depression and that experience made a strong impression on them. If you had a job you kept that job and never risked the family's sense of security. Yet, others who were in business at the time stayed put and some survived in creative ways. Yet they saw a different picture. They saw that having a job didn't mean anything because you could lose it and be out in the cold but having your own business gave you some sense of control over your lively hood and they worked night and day to keep their small businesses going. Now many highly educated people are unemployed and I bet that they thought their jobs were secure. They thought that they had reached their goals; good jobs, great families, nice houses, a sense of security around their "job" yet it was a false security and when the economy dropped, their jobs were dropped as well and their plans and their future were forced to change.
What I'm getting at is how you see yourself and your opportunities can strongly influence your success in building your business. I've said many times that being an employee creates a set of invisible "blinkers"...yes, those things they put on race horses so they only see what's in front of them. I think it's an apropos visual because as employees that's what we do. We look straight ahead, do our jobs and whatever time is left we give to family, friends and recreational activities. However, because of these "blinkers" we miss what's happening around us. We miss other possibilities that exist outside the work environment. We miss the opportunity to create a more meaningful life by growing something that is ours alone and something that can make all the difference in how we view our world and our life. Being self-employed does not have to mean struggling and getting no where...to the contrary, it can mean building something worth working at that grows each day.
Don't be a victim of 'employment poverty' - empower yourself to see the world as a place filled with opportunities, because if you change your perception of what's out there, you'll be amazed how those opportunities will show up for you. Remember those 10,000 hours too. Anyone who has worked as long as you have certainly possesses the ability to do something with confidence and skill. It's Monday...make this week one of discovery and creativity. Start it by checking your perceptions and making adjustments and end it with a strong mindset that believes you can do this!
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