This Is Why Your Business is Not Succeeding

So you have been reading inspiring stories of people starting businesses on the side that eventually allow them to leave the jobs they hate and enjoy their dream lifestyle. You can’t help but feel envious. You recall the various times you tried setting up businesses, but to no avail.You begin to think perhaps you just aren’t cut out to be a business owner and should close the lid on your dreams. Yet deep down, you don’t really want to give up. You can’t stand your job and the office politics. More importantly, you want to own a home-based business so you no longer have to leave your kids with the nanny or childcare centre. But you’ve failed many times. It feels like your dreams will never be fulfilled.

The Missing Key: Why Your Business is Not Succeeding

If you have been trying hard to make your business work, tweaking your techniques and strategies and not getting the results you want, you may be missing out on one important element.Harland David Sanders was rejected 1,009 times before a restaurant accepted his chicken recipe and Kentucky Fried Chicken was finally born; Henry Ford failed several times in his early businesses and was broke five times; and Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx wanted to follow her attorney father’s footstep but failed her test for graduate law school twice and was devastated. But see where she is now.For these entrepreneurs and many more, the secret to their success is not their skills, strategies or funding. It lies in their inner game (or inner state), which allowed them to turn setbacks into stepping stones to success.

Defining the Inner Game

The inner game is the combination of a few important ingredients – mindset, emotions and attitude. The quality of our inner game will determine our level of success. Because setbacks and challenges will come – that’s a given; it is the strength of our mental and emotional state that will determine if we can conquer the tough times and thrive.

Many people overlook the inner game in their entrepreneurial quest. They focus all their time and energy on the ‘how’ of the business – the methods, systems and strategies without realizing that the intangible factors are as much a part of the success formula.

Then there are those who are aware of the inner game but choose to ignore it because it takes more effort and energy to clear out the mental and psychological gunk accumulated over many years (often since childhood), than to put in place the business processes.However, you can be sure of one thing: the inner issues will surface, it is just a matter of time.Remember those ‘unforeseen circumstances’ that stalled you whenever you were ready to take action on your business? Or the dramas that seem to always occur at the precise moment when you are about to reach a milestone or make a major decision in your business? These are usually the manifestations of a negative inner state.

Know Thy Enemy

You can’t attempt to fix something unless you know what the problem is. So the first step to developing a strong inner state is knowing what holds you back. To do that, you need to be acutely aware of your thoughts and feelings.The next time you are faced with a negative situation, or when you are feeling the resistance or lack of motivation to do something, tune in to how you feel and what you think.Let the thoughts and feelings surface; don’t try to suppress or dismiss them. Instead, acknowledge them and be without judgments. A doctor doesn’t judge his patient’s symptoms; his job is to diagnose the condition from the symptoms presented. Similarly, be fully aware of your thoughts and feelings. Use them to help you identify the limiting beliefs and emotional blocks stopping your progress.

Mastering Your Inner Game

From my observations and personal experience, many of the most common self-imposed obstacles such as fear of failure, fear of success, fear of what people may think etc., come down to these: a lack of self-belief, poor self-esteem and negative mindset. When you work on strengthening yourself in these three areas, you will be able to make huge leaps in your business and personal life. Here are some suggestions to improving your inner state:1. Believe in yourselfIf you don’t believe in yourself, no one will. Focus on your strengths and what you excel in (and that’s why it really helps to start a business you are passionate about). While it is important to look to successful people for inspiration, it is a different thing to compare yourself with them and end up feeling lousy about where you are right now.Remember, there is no overnight success. The successful people worked hard to get to where they are. Marie Forleo started building her coaching business when she was 23. Even when people questioned who’s going to hire a 23 year-old life coach, she held her dream close to her heart and didn’t give up. To fund her new business, she bartended at night and coached people during the day.What can we learn from this? Believe in yourself and press on. Forget about the naysayers, they are just jealous that you are taking actions towards making your big dream a reality.2. Boost your self-esteemSelf-esteem has to do with your sense of self-worth; it is about how you see yourself, your feelings of what you deserve. If you find it hard to believe in yourself, then very likely you have a self-esteem issue.Poor self-esteem usually stems from the negative messages we received as kids from our parents or adult figures and they are often locked away in our subconscious mind. Sometimes, it can also be due to some traumatic incidents we experienced. In many cases, seeking the help of a professional therapist or counselor can help you overcome them.In addition, stop doing things to seek approval from others or falling into the trap of comparison. None of us is perfect and we are all worthy of success. We are uniquely designed and endowed with a special set of gifts and talents. If you struggle to see what a gem you are, start by making a list of all your accomplishments and the things your family, friends and co-workers say you are good in. Remind yourself of them whenever doubts creep in.3. Reprogram your mindsetDo you take note of what you say to yourself every day? I bet many of us aren’t aware of our mental chatter. So for the next one week, become conscious of your thoughts and see how critical, or not, you are with yourself.When the negative thoughts arise, note them down and then turn each one into a positive statement. Use them as your list of affirmations and say them out loud to yourself every day.In addition, consciously feed yourself with inspirational thoughts by carefully choosing what you read, watch and listen to.Our mindset is often influenced by the people around us. Have you looked at who you are spending the most time with lately? Choose your company carefully; nothing pulls us down faster than being with the wrong crowd.Working on the inner game can be tough. Yet it can be the most rewarding journey you ever embark on – not just for your business, but for your personal growth.All your inner strength will be called upon to deal with the parts of you that you’d rather bury. But when you are able to lean into your fears and do it anyway, you will discover how strong you truly are. You will find a new sense of inner power and step into possibilities that have been there all along, but which you may be seeing for the first time.

Are you ready to up your game? Tell us one challenge you face with your inner state and what one action you will take to overcome it. For example, are you struggling with fear of failure? Challenge yourself to do one thing you are afraid of over the next one week. Now, let’s hear from you.