3 Reasons Why You May Be Selling Yourself Short
June 2nd, 2016 // 3:36 am @ Scott Manning
I often think about why entrepreneurs settle for less than they deserve and are capable of. I’ve come to believe it is always one of three reasons.
1st – it could be not knowing what’s possible…you take upbringing, industry norms, life challenges, plus a whole lot of other things and you can easily see why someone would have either chosen or believed to have been forced to keep their head in the sand, buried from a reality that they thought might be worse than what they were living already.
When in fact, they have become stuck in a reality that they created that is nothing like what is possible if they would have had more exposure to the potential that exist both for themselves and in their business.
Many people get caught up in the cycle of life instead of pursuing more in their business, to each their own, but it is a shame for people who could have, do and be so much more.
In any place in America, where ever you grew up, I can promise you this: the majority of the people around you (except for small pockets of 1%ers), their families, parents and children have never left the state they grew up in. The majority.
And a minority of those that escape this have ventured to specific destinations time and time again; maybe in neighboring states or to a family vacation usually passed down from generations.
Those reading this are most commonly the 1%ers. Highly paid and/or educated, business people, professionals, entrepreneurs who are where they are now because of exposure, spreading of wings, pursuing of ambition and escaping from the self-imposed limitations that childhood, geography, income inherited left them with.
You are in a unique and exclusive club, and with that comes great opportunity that can be embraced and exploited – or squandered and wasted.
2nd – many people are not able to break the cycle of dysfunction found in every life, business, industry that shackles most entrepreneurs to stay “self-employed” instead of true business owners. You can be a business owner and investor who happens to also be the highest paid employee who works for you – that is far different than staying trapped in your business as a worker only giving up and being at the mercy of your business instead of choosing to master it.
You see, no different than reason number one…many business people choose even after knowing what is possible to hide from it because they are scared of the responsibility that comes with knowledge and the spark in their ambition that might drive them out of the comfort zone, out of their routines, and into a new level of playing and performing and earning that they won’t know how to sustain or live with.
This is why, despite every industry on earth having countless resources available, associations (some better than others), books, courses, consultants, peers they can watch and observe – they choose to do nothing to remain ignorant and uneducated because they fear change. While the struggle of someone we’ve described above is also real, they prefer to go with what they know – they see themselves not as a true professional business owner but a person who has become content with being a hobbyist doing something they may or may not love … but why rock the boat.
Instead, staying uneducated, unknowing about what is out there – they begin to identify with their business being them instead of only a vehicle for where else they could go, what else they could do, how much more they could create, get, become.
And I will restate again here, a majority inside of every industry choose this path. They avoid all things that could push them or obligate them to achieve greater success. This is why so few ever become great in the industry, also 1%ers, also the people reading this. In every industry are sub groups of people making things happen, it also is the smallest group.
And a larger group, the majority, just watching things happen or worse yet standing around complaining and asking what the heck is happening, taking no responsibility or control.
Finally, a combination of both of these reasons, is the third and the most debilitating one of them all. It is far greater than one or two because everyone was there once, usually progressing from one, to two, and then the ultimatum comes the line in the sand, the true test of strength, commitment and resilience…
The Feeling of Deserve
Most fear success because they are uncomfortable with the idea or they can’t even see ‘them’ being the one who has it all, the one who is at the top of the mountain, the front of the herd, the leader of the pack, the 1% of the 1%.
Deserve: feeling beyond comfortable, compelled, expectant, pursuant, committed, earned – deserving of the greatest possible fruits to your labor, rewards from your business and profits from your passion.
If you don’t believe without a shadow of a doubt that it is you who is the person in your city, from your hometown, your graduating class, your family, your industry that is suppose to rise to the top, then you will never become that person with that business with that success.
Understand, this has nothing to do with being known by others or even acknowledging you, I’m simply talking about whether or not you choose to settle or to pursue all that is possible – based on your definition of your chosen success – no one else.
We know this – it’s undeniable – your potential is greater than your current performance and results, your capabilities are worth more and warrant more than you currently earn.
The question is whether or not you will do what it takes to put yourself in that position and do what it takes to take your business to that level.
A lot of people talk about great things – few people actually want to do great things.
Usually it all comes back to whether or not you really truly innately believe you deserve more than you are getting right now, today, in your business.
If you do not, then you are going to sabotage every positive thing, every breakthrough to success, every advantage ever given to you – that I can promise, whether you admit it or not.
It’s always nice and healthy to reflect a little, have a conversation with yourself or maybe your significant other about these 3 things and work on building up your deserve muscles, because that is exactly what they are…and next week we’ll tackle the single greatest self-sabotage trait, characteristic and belief that many entrepreneurs suffer from, usually without even being aware of it.
Category : Blog
