Supports, Detractors & Fears
“My success was due to good luck, hard work, and support and advice from friends and mentors.
But most importantly, it depended on me to keep trying after I had failed.”
~ Mark Warner
Supports
Starting your own business can be exhilarating and empowering, but at times it can be exhausting and overwhelming. Creating a strong structure of support and self care right from the beginning is important to long-term success.
Particularly in private practice, running a business can be isolating if you don’t actively surround yourself with people who believe in your vision, or understand the in’s and out’s of running your own business.
In your journal, or in the worksheets, reflect on who supports you in life, and in your vision of building your private practice?
These people will become powerful allies during your business journey. Having people to lean on in the hard times, and celebrate with in the good times, will keep you energized and inspired. Knowing who you can turn to is vital to a successful practice. No one truly does it alone.
Also spend some time pondering – What do you have as personal positive motivators or rewards?
Do you find that you always reward yourself with food or with a drink? Do you go for a run? Do you buy yourself something, go out on the town or spend time with your family?
Consider if the ways you reward yourself are sustainable and help you towards your greater goals. For example, if you are struggling to save up money for your practice, constantly purchasing yourself new toys as a reward may be counter productive. Try to create a list of things you can use to treat yourself as you progress through this journey, that are in alignment with the goal of opening your own private practice.
As we go forward there are going to be times when it may seem like a struggle to get going. Having things that can help you stay motivated and inspired are going to be very important.
Detractors
So just like there are going to be people who are your champions as you build your business, there are also going to be people who really don’t get what you are building. They may be people who try to discourage you from following through on this dream. Sometimes they think they are truly being helpful by pointing out all the ways something could fail, and other times, it is their own insecurities or issues being projected onto you.
I would like you create a list of who you think may not be supportive or able to support you in your goal to open your own practice?
This can be tough because sometimes the people who support you the least, are the ones you wish would support you the most. They can be partners, parents, friends or colleagues. Be realistic about who these people are in your life. They may not be actively trying to discourage you, but you may find yourself having to constantly justify why you are doing what you are doing, or why certain things are actually important etc.
Hopefully there aren’t too many people on this list for you. This list represents the people who are probably not best suited to lean on when things get hard for you in your business – at least in the beginning. If you go to these people for support and find yourself not receiving it, this can lead to frustration and resentment on both sides, and stalls the creative process.
When any new project is forming, it can need a bit of insulation from other people’s opinions in order for it to grow, particularly negative ones. Once things become a bit more solid, you can start getting more people’s input.
Fears
Next, in a journal or in the worksheets, create a list of any fears you have about starting your own private practice?
How realistic are those fears?
What needs to be done to address these fears?
Understanding what fears you have currently will help you figure out what needs to be addressed as we go through this program. My hope is that I can support you in eliminating most of these fears over the next three months, however sometimes our fears can be rooted in things much deeper. Keep an eye on what fears come up for you in this brainstorm session. Are they rooted in things like a lack of experience and knowledge, or are they touching on things like feelings of self-worth and competence? Regardless of the fear, addressing it will help you move forward in your life and in your practice.
A mantra that I often use in business is this: Be scared and do it anyways.
Putting yourself out there can be scary and vulnerable. It’s also the only way to reach this goal. All the people in this program have different things that they fear or are apprehensive about in starting or running their own practice, but I guarantee you, everyone is struggling with something.
Action Item: Go to the online forum and share one thing that makes you apprehensive about starting or expanding your own practice. You will see that you’re not alone in your worries and we can begin to come up with ways to address your fears or concerns going forward.