"You have what it takes."
Every now and then, we all need a boost of motivation.
The phrase, “You have what it takes,” provides that for me.
Working for yourself can become overwhelming at times, especially when things aren’t breaking your way.
Uncertainty and doubt creeps in.
Belief and hope dwindle.
And, paralysis and immobility settles in.
Nope - It’s not a great place to be.
I find myself fighting through these moments more often than I’d like, but I do give myself the permission to be human and be compassionate enough to offer myself space to work through them.
The key is having awareness for the shift in mood, and then, planning a course of action to help get out of the rut.
Easier said than done…but, it always has to get done.
The first step is to find a way to break the cycle of negative thoughts, and that can take many forms.
In many cases, I opt to scoop up some small wins first.
Cleaning my apartment, organizing photo albums in my digital archive, shredding paperwork, or hitting the gym.
While these activities are low-hanging fruit, they have a positive effect on my mental outlook and help break the paralyzing spell I cast on myself.
But sometimes, this approach isn’t enough to shake me out of the negative thought loop.
In those cases, I have to have a talk with myself - a full-fledged, sit-down intervention that involves handling objections with logic and reason.
Out loud and not just thinking in my head.
But this conversation always starts with a motivational kick in the ass to get the ball rolling.
While I’m not the biggest fan of the constant onslaught of internet motivation memes, I did appreciate a chapter title I came across while photographing the book, The Referable Speaker, by Andrw Davis and Michael Port.
“You have what it takes.”
Sure, on the surface, the phrase seems a bit fluffy, but the sentiment behind it, to me, is rich in meaning.
It revolves around something that we, as business owners, need in order for us to grow and evolve ourselves and the work we do in service of others:
Belief.
I need to constantly reinforce the belief that what I’m doing and where I’m going is worth the effort. As a solo business owner, I oftentimes have to be my own cheerleader, and that’s okay, provided I remind myself to be the cheerleader!
So when a moment of overwhelm hits me throughout the day, I remind myself that regardless of the speed bump, I’ve been there before and have figured it out.
Challenging the negative thought loop in this way helps shift my attention back into the present moment and out of the depths of endless worry and overwhelm.
Is it an approach that works 100% of the time?
Not at all - but, as one of my colleagues says, “You do the best you can, with what you got, some of the time…”
Because you have what it takes.
And that’s why this book boudoir photo lives on a wall in my apartment.