I have a website! Words I never thought I would say, but here I am, with my very own website. And my own business!
This moment feels surreal. Give me a moment…
Ever since I was old enough to work, I held jobs, often juggling multiple at the same time. The concept of hard work was instilled in me from an early age. Owning my own business was never a consideration during my upbringing. My parents were factory workers, and I recall my mom coming home from work, talking about a 10 cent per hour raise.
I knew I wanted more. I became the first person in my family to graduate from college, still under the impression that I should get a job, work for someone else, and retire eventually. I was fortunate to land a job with a growing company that entrusted us with significant responsibilities from the start. They operated with a lean team, which meant I had the chance to wear many different hats. Some days were rewarding, while others were exhausting. Nonetheless, this experience provided invaluable knowledge that I now apply to running my own business.
This brings me to beliefs. Beliefs are a funny thing. They can be formed very early in life and we think they are just ‘how it is.’ It’s important to keep an eye on your beliefs and question them from time to time. Recently my coach had me work on an exercise called ‘My Life Journey Map.’ It involved creating a timeline of my life and documenting significant moments throughout my childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, and adult life, including personal, educational, and career milestones, leading up to the present moment.
During this exercise, I uncovered some limiting beliefs that had been holding me back. Those things that were just ‘how it is’ as I was growing up. It was truly eye-opening. The reason I’m sharing this experience with you is to emphasize that nothing should be considered off-limits. There’s no reason I should have been surprised to have my own business. I had some outdated programs running in the background, convincing me that I wasn’t the type to own my own business. But here I am, making it happen!
I challenge you to take some time today to look at your beliefs – meaning, find something you say about yourself that you ‘know’ is just how you are. Examples could be, I’m not smart enough, I never finish anything, there’s no way I can do what she did. Really dig in here. Get deeper. If you need help, let’s talk.