Most entrepreneurs will tell you if you don’t have enough time, capital, mental fortitude etc., then starting a business may not be the right path for you.
However, if you do have what it takes to nurture a start-up, get it off the ground and make it a smashing success, it is one of the most rewarding experiences there is.
Before going in, though, know that one of the biggest hurdles to get over will be the mental obstacles.
This post gives you tips on how to deal with mental obstacles when starting a business.
When it comes to being a success, the biggest and toughest competitor you face is typically yourself. Really…who understands your flaws better than you? Your weaknesses often masquerade as the voices inside your head that make you doubt your potential. Until you overcome your weaknesses and self-doubt, they will always hold you back.
Fortunately, you can overcome mental obstacles like these, even if it seems extremely challenging to do so. When you do, you’ll come out stronger and be more prepared to face the challenges you encounter, including those with your business. What follows are 4 of the biggest mental obstacles you will face, along with how to overcome them.
Perfectionism is a personality trait that makes life feel as if it’s a never-ending report card. It is also an entrepreneur’s worst enemy, and what follows is the explanation why.
Have you ever heard someone say, “Perfect is the enemy of done”? In a nutshell, it means perfectionists tend to never get anything accomplished. That applies to business owners who think that employees, products and more have to be flawless. Of course, that is a very unrealistic goal to achieve and only leads to frustration and disappointment for everyone involved.
Perfectionists can be so wrapped up in the idea that everything needs to be flawless that they never actually finish anything. As you can guess, it can be a massive issue in getting a business off the ground and running it.
While it’s always okay to strive to improve facets of a business, if you are prone to perfectionism, the best solution is to know that there is no perfect product, no perfect employee and no perfect plan. Another important thing is that you have to start somewhere and end somewhere.
There are a good many self-help books available you can read that help you overcome perfection and get motivated. A good one to immerse yourself in is “Overcoming Perfectionism: How to Let Go of Self-Criticism, Build Self-Esteem, and Find Balance” by Clive Reed.
“Why so serious?” is a famous line that the Joker used in the movie The Dark Knight. Although Heath Ledger’s outrageous character is fiction, he brings up a key point in the movie that applies to best business practices in real life.
That is…if you don’t have a good sense of humour, life is going to be unpleasant – and you’ll find it more difficult to deal with setbacks (like the threat Batman brings to your crime empire). When you take things in life too seriously, you weaken your inner reserves, too.
All joking aside, to have a successful start-up, you have to bring a revitalized and renewed sense of self into your business every single day. To do that, turn burnt-out feelings around by doing something you enjoy. Also, be ready to poke fun at yourself and think like a kid. Do magic tricks like making a pencil disappear when the occasion calls for it.
Worrying is a natural reaction to stressful situations, especially if you care deeply about how everything shakes out. For instance, fretting a little about meeting with a client or whether you’ll make deadlines or not is usually a natural part of being a business owner.
Heightened stress in small doses is beneficial, and it motivates you to give it your all. When we experience healthy amounts of stress, it frees up a lot of room for us to thrive. On the flip side, worrying too much isn’t good for you; and it is a production and creativity killer like no other. Everyone worries from time to time, but excessive and extended worrying can eventually chip away at your emotional well-being.
Unfortunately, this can result in health problems if it goes on long-term. In brief, if you fret about every little thing, your business is going to suffer, along with your health. You may even wind up with an ulcer or hypertension if you don’t learn how to manage your stress properly.
Before turning you on to pharmaceuticals, ethical doctors will typically tell you to try to alleviate the source of the problem if possible. If you can’t, there are many healthy ways to manage stress, including setting realistic goals and expectations in your life and in your company.
Microdosing is the practice of taking minuscule amounts of psychedelics such as LSD or psilocybin (magic mushrooms) to enhance potential and boost performance. The amount you take stops short of the amount it takes to have a “trip.” Microdosing reportedly enhances business productivity and certain skills vs. stymieing them like a full recreational dose probably would.
Life in itself can induce a lot of stress. However, when we look into the life of a business person, it is clear they are in a position that could make them more vulnerable to stress.
As a mood stabilizer, taking crumb-sized amounts of hallucinogens can help you manage stress better. Microdosing is also a great way to boost your mood and assist in viewing a more positive perspective on life, which in turn, will help you get things done.
Writer’s block is a mental barrier that leaves authors unable to produce new content. The cerebral slowdowns the condition causes can last for anywhere from a few days to years, even. It’s usually associated with creative professionals such as painters and musicians, but entrepreneurs can also be affected by it.
Thought leaders tend to have a creative, ‘think outside of the box’ approach to things, and creative blocks can get in the way of needed progress. A lot of the time, a business-orientated individual will carry the responsibility of orchestrating a team or project, whilst constantly working towards improvement on these endeavours.
Microdosing is a well-kept secret that’s kept in software programming circles in Silicon Valley, and they use the practice as a way to keep creative juices flowing. Microdosing is excellent for any business mind that needs to keep their mind functioning sharply, as it promotes neuroplasticity in the brain.
Greater neuroplasticity leads to higher cognitive functions, which often results in extended creative abilities, better focus and amplifying productivity and motivation.
Although he didn’t mention if he was microdosing or taking full doses of psychedelics for business specifically, Apple creator Steve Jobs once said LSD was instrumental in him creating great things saying,
“Taking LSD was a profound experience, one of the most important things in my life. LSD shows you that there’s another side to the coin, and you can’t remember it when it wears off, but you know it. It reinforced my sense of what was important – creating great things instead of making money, putting things back into the stream of history and of human consciousness as much as I could.”
If you are about to embark on a new business venture, congratulations! As a final bonus, let’s address “excuses” in these final thoughts, as it is often the first mental obstacle encountered by many business-minded people.
If you have the talent and the drive, don’t be one of the countless people that dream of becoming an entrepreneur but never do. You can make a million excuses for not starting a business, but look at the tips in this post and be assured that you can get out there and do it.
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