Why Being An Entrepreneur Can Be a Curse And a Blessing?

I know that the Entrepreneurial Curse is real and it sucks!

However, it can also be a blessing in disguise.

When I first started my business, I thought this is going to be fun, exciting and I was determined to go for it at all cylinders. I was full of creative ideas and images were running through my head of all the spare time that I would have to spend with my family and friends.

I often visualised myself travelling everywhere and having all the “time in the world” on my hands. I’ve always wanted to reclaim my passion for painting and seeing my art hanging on the walls of my home.

All I wanted was to run my business on my own terms and do whatever I felt like doing. I had enough of the mundane routine of corporate life, getting stuck in traffic and performing to someone else’s expectations. I wanted to perform for myself instead of waiting for external validation and my monthly “reward” (aka wages, paycheque or whatever you want to call it!).

I’ve been in business for a few years and have experienced both the so-called CURSE but also enormous amounts of BLESSINGS. Being an Entrepreneur can be hard but definitely very rewarding. It’s in your grasp to take control of your thoughts and actions and stop waiting for your actions to be validated. I remind myself of this constantly!

My philosophy is that when you’re navigating your Entrepreneurial Journey, you’re in charge of your business and life destiny. There is no right or wrong when we implement our own strategies. I escaped my 9 to 5 because I wanted to run my business on my own terms. I wanted to experiment with different ways of doing things not be tied to a one-fits-all strategy.

The CURSE happens when…

• We doubt ourselves constantly. Second-guessing our abilities which drives us into the rabbit hole of life. I was constantly comparing myself with other entrepreneurs doing the same and being trapped into the next “shiny object” that will appear to daunt me.

• It happens right at the start when I thought I could do it all on my own, I struggled to have all my tasks done. It was actually very counter-productive. The moment I invested in building my team, it was bliss! I have enough time to spare because I know that some tasks are being done even when I am taking time off to relax and pamper myself. I can go off on holiday knowing that my business is running while I’m having a good time.

• Not having the accountability and support to brainstorm our ideas backwards and forwards and feeling lost with all our creative thinking and doing. This is why it is important to seek a community that will guide us and keep us away from our insecurities. It’s not enough to find a community but also build relationships with those like-minded business owners so that we can learn and progress.

• Balancing personal life and running our business: I forgot the true purpose of why I started my business in the first place. Being able to spend more time with my family and have the freedom to do whatever I want. It breaks my heart when my kids say that “mummy is always on the computer” or “Do you have time for us this weekend mum?”.

• The lack of emotional support from a spouse also can drive you crazy. There is nothing worse than the feeling of knowing that we are not valued and valuable.

But so rewarding when the BLESSINGS come true…

• Seeing my children happy faces when I am spending time with them. It lights me up when we’re laughing and joking and doing stuff together. I love to see my family laughing hysterically. Do you know the feeling of having a pain in your face muscles because you’ve laughed so much?. Now, I make the time to guide them and be present.

• Being able to surprise my parents with an unexpected visit and laughing and talking at the dinner table, making memories and being present in the moment. Taking photographs with my eyes as I gazed at everyone chatting and having fun.

• I bask in the incredible feeling of the breakthroughs moments that my clients achieve. A proudly feeling takes over me because I know I am part of their success journey. This makes my heart sing and fills me with joy. Running your business believing in your client’s vision and materialising it as your own, adds a new meaning to it.

• Having a meaningful conversation with a friend or business “bestie” and feed our soul with happiness and joy. Isn’t that a blessing?

• Feeling like I’m not tied into a set “TIME” restriction. I can paint, write and do whatever I want when I want it.

Throughout my entrepreneurial journey I’ve encounter two BIG elements which keep on resurfacing if not dealt with:

• The first one is TIME: I say this all the time and I hope you can agree. Time is precious and we all have the same “time”. However, we tend to blame time for not achieving what we want. How many times have you said: “OMG, I’m not going to have the time” or “Where am I going to find the time to do that?”. Reality is that how you manage your life and business time will determine the efficiency of what you do throughout your path and faster reach the end goal. I’ve written a blog post about this – 5 Tips to manage your precious time. Go and check it out.
• Secondly, we have the 4 levels of DISBELIEF: I learnt this from Jeff Walker, who I have had the pleasure to not only read hos book but also watch him live in Stu MacLaren’s Tribe programme. So, it goes like this:
  • Whoever you’re selling to… They are not going to believe you!
  • Next, they won’t believe your “Thing“.
  • They don’t believe you can teach, mentor or coach your “Thing”.
  • And the biggie is… They don’t believe it’s going to work for them.
• So you see, all these plays havoc with our mind because, in order to sell your services or products, your audience will need to believe in you. They need to feel that you’re able to deliver what you’ve promised. And ultimately that they are going to be able to achieve results from whatever you teach. Ask yourself…
  • Do you believe that you are able to deliver what you have created?
  • What about the belief in yourself?
  • And most importantly do you truly believe that you can provide the results that they are seeking?

IN CONCLUSION

I truly believe that we need to go through what is considered the “Entrepreneurial Curse” to reach all the “blessings”. Our struggles can be our gifts to the world. Especially when the purpose of your business is to help others overcome what you’ve been through.

There is nobody better than you to guide them. So let’s reframe what you are saying, thinking and believing. Let’s paint an image of your what you truly want. Because when you believe in yourself, others will see that positive energy you emanate and you’ll start attracting more of. Remember…what you focus on expands tenfold.