A Lesson in entrepreneur mindset that si holding you back
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I recently had lunch with a friend who runs a quite successful educational innovation business.
As we were talking, it became obvious to both of us that she was in a different, less focused state of mind than at the start of her journey.
Over lunch, we identified three ways she might have subconsciously trained herself to operate in order to succeed — and realized that they were actually getting in her way.
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The Three Counterproductive Strategies
These were the strategies she had acquired over time:
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1. Mentally Living in the Future
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Entrepreneurs, by definition, live from this mental strategy. We use it to create impact projects and to prepare for what is coming.
BUT:
- It makes us less present in the moment and less responsive to what is happening NOW.
- 99% of the time, it takes away our energy unnecessarily — energy being our ultra-valuable resource.
It would be comparable to shooting yourself in the foot as a strategy to encourage us to run faster. It’s usually not a good idea.
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2. Putting Out Fires 24/7
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When we begin the entrepreneurship journey, we usually do so from a state of clarity in which we are guided by our innate creative capacity — from a CREATOR mindset.
As we progress, more stuff’s going on. We have so many fires to extinguish and things to respond to, that there is no space left to unleash our true creative potential. We turn into a REACTIVE mindset.
And with that, our creative space is contracted and we self-limit our ability to grow without realizing it.
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3. Comparing Ourselves with Our Competitors
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At the very start of our journey, we are guided by our own ideas that energize us.
As we progress, we begin to get into our heads and look around. We start comparing ourselves with the competition and follow other people’s opinions.
As in the previous point, we go from a proactive state to a reactive state, becoming disconnected from what we are passionate about and what makes us special. We become misaligned with our project, we enter a loop of insecurity — and with this, our creative capacity contracts.
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Recognizing and Overcoming These Strategies
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Turns out, these are extremely common strategies many entrepreneurs adopt over time (without being aware of them).
Luckily, a simple lunch conversation can completely reveal the very foundations behind all business struggles — and melt them away as they stop making sense as strategies for success.
As we see what we’re doing subconsciously, business becomes easier — and much more enjoyable.
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Which one of the three strategies resonate? Let me know by leaving a comment.
