There are 9 fears that can keep our business stuck and one is the 'I have to do this alone' fear.
When our son, Chris, was three and our daughter, Emily, was one we had our baby Abby; a beautiful, precious baby. But Abby never slept more than two hours at a time. Since I was nursing Abby, I never slept more than two hours at a time. After a few months of this, I was a walking zombie. You'd just look at me and I'd start crying because I was not getting any sleep. I kept thinking that after 3 months things would be better, 4 months, 5 months, but she kept crying.
She never appeared to be sick and I didn't know what to do. I thought I'm a mom. I should know. So I didn't ask for help. Finally, at seven months old, I thought, I can't go on like this anymore. I'm going to ask for help. This is not working. I'm standing alone as a mother and this is not working. I took her to our family doctor and we discovered she had ear infections in both her ears. Abby was in pain and I felt like the worst mother in the world.
We started on the Amoxicillin antibiotic which would work and then she'd get another ear infection. We'd start up the medicine again, thing would be ok for awhile, and then she'd get another infection. When Abby was 11 months old we took her to an ear/nose/throat specialist and within a few weeks she had tubes put in both her ears. Within days she was a different baby. Thank goodness I asked for help. I don't know what would have happened to her hearing if I hadn't.
Are you standing alone in your business?
Working in a home office can be very lonely; very lonely. But we think that we have to know it all. How can you possibly know everything on how to run a business? Why do we expect that we know everything? We don't. You need and should want someone to run ideas by. Someone to stand with you.
The cures for the "I have to do this alone" fear are:
- Find a business coach. Make sure your coach is where you want to be in your business someday. This means that they've 'been there and done that' and can do the same for you.
- Your coach should have a feature in her program where you get to meet and share with her other clients. In my SuccessPlus Coaching Program I have a special Facebook Group for my private coaching clients where they can meet, share successes and challenges, and be each other's best cheerleaders. I love reading their posts!
- Attend a business growth conference where people like you will be.
- Find a teleclass/webinar series where you can learn what you don't know - or are not doing very well. Stop thinking by some miracle you are supposed to know everything. Others have figured things out by making mistakes and learning - no reason for you to make the same mistakes.
Elizabeth's Assignment:
- Make a decision that it's time to stop working alone and it's time to ask for help.
- Take action and ask your colleagues where they go for help. Who do they turn to?!
- Stay focused on looking ahead and not the mistakes of the past. I had to forgive myself for not getting Abby help sooner and then move on. Maybe it's time for you to do that, too.
Now is your time, . Finish off 2011 STRONG and attend my "Your 7-7-7 Formula to Jumpstart Your Business NOW!" webinar series. Special pricing if you register now!
