Published:

08/09/2011 11:32pm

Your Decision to Succeed Starts in Your Mind

Do you have a "CAN DO," "WILL SUCCEED AT ALL COSTS" type of mindset? Is it natural for you to lead yourself towards your goals no matter what negative signals you receive from naysayers?

Your response could very well be the determining factor as to how quickly and easily you accomplish your goal of becoming a successful service professional. It's the combination of tenacity, strategy and consistency that will allow you to create a thriving business. So whether you've been in business for five minutes or fifteen years, having the right mindset is a key factor in your success.

This article is for the aspiring successful solopreneur. Let me define the word "aspiring". If you would like to start your own solo service practice, that is an aspiration. If you are already a solo service provider, but have not reached the level of success that you desire, that is also an aspiration.

How is your mindset holding you back? What type of conversations do you have with yourself about your business? Each of us goes through the process of convincing ourselves of success or failure, victory or defeat. And in some cases, we are our own worst critic. Far more powerful than our clients, the economy or other external factors is the self-talk that runs through our minds. It can propel you forward ("Yes, you CAN do this!"). Or, it can hold you back ("Who am I to...?" "I can't put myself out there like that, what will people think?" "I can't charge that much"). The self-talk of some people will even tell them, "you don't have to push too hard, I can coast right here in the middle". Those who are successful entrepreneurs think differently.

Mindset for Success

To be successful as an entrepreneur, you need to train your mind to speak to you in a positive, empowering way. When I started my company, I would not imagine anything but my version of success. To me, success meant the following:

•Time freedom

•Financial freedom

•Working with ideal clients of my choice

•Going on vacations when I wanted to

•Having a balanced lifestyle

There was nothing that could prevent me from reaching that goal and continuing that journey. Though I made a lot of mistakes along the way, and will continue to make some, I never lost sight of my vision and made decisions about my business from that place. More than six years later, I have achieved success and am continuing to build the life of my dreams with two of my own companies.

In part, I attribute this to the fact that when I was a child, my parents told my brother and me to expunge the word "CAN'T" from our vocabularies. My Mom would always say "We don't say CAN'T in this house!") We weren't allowed to hold ourselves back because of what we "couldn't do". Instead we were encouraged to focus on finding a solution and making good things happen. That lifelong lesson continues to serve me well and I'd like to pass it forward to you.

What ARE you telling yourself? It is imperative that you analyze your internal conversations. That is the key to where you focus your energy and how you feel about accomplishing your goals in life and in your business. You must train your mind to believe that you can accomplish whatever it is that you WANT in life and then take action to make it happen, even if it's imperfect action (In case you haven't noticed by now, this topic is much bigger than running your own business - it's about LIFE).

So, I ask again, do you want to build a successful business? Do you have the fortitude to overcome all obstacles and trials? If your answer is "YES", then you are already on the right track. Though your resilience will be tested constantly, with focused effort and ongoing support you CAN breakthrough the self-doubt and limiting beliefs that are standing between you and your vision of success. It all starts with a decision to change your mindset and act differently than you have before.

I do not know what type of mindset you already possess. I do know, however, the mindset that you need to develop and maintain in order to start and grow a sustainable