I remember when I first started my blog and when I posted my first photo on Instagram, I was battling two different sets of emotions.
On one hand, I was super excited to be writing & posting about my favorite topic of all time – travel, but on the other hand, I had this nagging question in the back of my head, saying “Christina, do you realllllly think you can do this? You’re just going to fail.”
And here’s the thing… I still battle these different feelings.
I grew my business from nothing and two years later, run a multi six-figure business and have worked with brands like Ritz-Carlton and Pantene – and I STILL hear those thoughts in my ear.
Still.
The point of telling you that is to show you that these negative thoughts are COMMON, no matter where you are in your journey.
And I’m guessing that you hear them too… so in this post I’m going to break down the four most common entrepreneurial mind blocks and how you can overcome them.
Let’s jump into the not-so-fun number one:
Imposter syndrome
“Who am I to do something like this?” “There are so many people out there doing what I’m doing even better, why would I even try to be like them?” “People are going to find out I’m a fraud.”
Recognize those thoughts? That’s classic imposter syndrome.
Imposter syndrome makes you question whether you have any business trying to do what you’re doing.
It makes you feel like an imposter or a fraud. It’s self-doubt to the maximum.
Here’s how you can push past it…
Realize that no one is perfect and everyone is learning. Oftentimes when you’re just starting to pursue a new endeavor, it’s easy to think that everyone successful in your industry knows everything and knows exactly what they’re doing. Trust me – this isn’t true. Even those at the very tippy top of their industries are learning every day, trying new things, failing all of the time and adapting until they get it right. Just like you and me! Take comfort in the fact that no one really has it figured out.
Realize that imposter syndrome is completely NORMAL. The people running seven-figure businesses with 10+ employees experience it. The people with half a million social media followers experience it. Even these amazing women experience it:
Even though I had sold seventy-million albums, there I was feeling like, ‘I’m no good at this.’ – Jennifer Lopez
I have written eleven books, but each time I think, ‘Uh oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody and they’re going to find me out.’ – Maya Angelou
When I won the Oscar, I thought it was a fluke, I thought everybody would find out, and they’d take it back: ‘Excuse me, we meant to give that to someone else. That was going to Meryl Streep.’ – Jodie Foster
And what would happen if those women just gave up because of those toxic thoughts? Well, we wouldn’t have some of the best music, literature and films that we do.
Limiting beliefs
“I’m not good enough.” “I can’t follow my dreams because I’ll be judged.”
Limiting beliefs are similar to imposter syndrome in that they both cause you to think negatively about you and your abilities. Limiting beliefs, though, are those more specific thoughts you have that begin with “I don’t,” “I can’t” and “I am not.”
Maybe when things get tough you think to yourself, “Ugh, I can’t do this.” Or maybe when you look at others’ photography, you think, “I am just not as talented as her.”
Here’s what you gotta realize:
Like imposter syndrome, most people have limiting beliefs. I have limiting beliefs. The most successful people in the world battle to get beyond their liming beliefs. You are not alone.
Identify and replace. Start paying attention to the limiting beliefs you tell yourself. Instead of thinking it and letting the thought run out of control in your mind, pause, repeat the belief to yourself and then consciously replace it. Recognize it’s a thought that arose because of fear (which is total BS – I’ll talk about that later in this post) and then replace it with what I’ll call an unlimited belief. Unlimited beliefs might include things like, “I can achieve anything I put my mind to” or “I deserve to live the life of my dreams.” If you want to take everything one step further and really start altering your brain patterns, write down a list of unlimited beliefs and repeat them to yourself every morning.
Realize that all good things take work and practice. For example, you might find yourself looking at an Instagram page with beautiful, cohesive photos and think, “I will never be as good as them.”
*psttt*
Scroll back on their page and look at the photos from when they first started. Work and practice got them to where they are now, and work & practice will do the exact same for YOU! As that quote goes, “never compare your first chapter to someone else’s 20th.”
Scarcity mindset
“There are too many people trying to do what I’m doing. I’ll never stand out.” “There won’t be enough people that will buy from my e-commerce store.”
The scarcity mindset gives you the misconception that there simply isn’t enough to go around.
And I’m telling you now… the scarcity mindset is not only damaging, it’s complete bullsh*t. And like imposter syndrome and limiting beliefs, it will prevent you from achieving your goals if you give into it. I promise you that there is more than enough – more than enough room for you in your dream industry, money for you to make, etc.
To get past your scarcity mindset, you need to start adopting an abundance mindset. Realize that there is in fact enough money, resources and opportunity in the world for you – limitless, even, when you put in the work. Realize that in order for you to improve as a person and start taking risks that will better your life, you need to take risks, not play it safe! Welcome abundance and your life & your happiness will completely transform.
Fear
Ok, this mind block doesn’t have a fancy name and it won’t require any learning curve. But perhaps the biggest thing that prevents would-be potential entrepreneurs, social media influencers and bloggers from achieving their dreams… is good-old fashioned fear.
Fear that they’ll fail, fear that they’re idea is dumb or unrealistic, fear of judgement … Really the list goes on and on.
Everyone feels fear, but the people who end up achieving massively DON’T let it scare them. They don’t let it force them to work any less hard, they don’t allow it to have control over them. Instead of saying “I’m feeling this for a reason, I better stop what I’m doing,” they say “I’m feeling fear, that means I’m about to do something really BIG and important.”
When you feel fear, acknowledge it, look it dead in the eyes and say, “WE got this.”
I hope by now in the post, you’ve sighed 50 sighs of relief and said “OMG I’m not alone!” to yourself at least once. I hope that you’re feeling a bit more confident, a little less defeated and a lot more motivated. Because that would mean I’ve made you feel more encouraged and more ready to go and GET that goal. That’s a win in my book!
Let me know in the comments – which of these mind blocks do you feel most often? How have you dealt with them?
xo,
Christina
Kristina, I can read your posts for hours))) But how do I create the habit of thinking well of myself, thinking positively at all? I promise myself to think only positively every Monday, but the habit of thinking negatively is still stronger than me. I constantly study, I train in the gym, read a lot, even write a little about positive things, although English is not my native language, but a bad mood is a normal state of my mind. I don’t know how to change this yet. Thank you. People like you help restore a good mood.