One of the most valuable lessons I learned from running my business is that I am my only competition.
When I started the business I would worry about what my ex-colleagues thought about what I was doing. I was afraid that they were analysing my every move and criticising the lack of progress I was making. In my mind, they were laughing at my ‘failure’.
They would often check out my Linkedin profile and when I would see them come up in the last viewed list, my heart would race and I’d be overwhelmed with anxiety.
I compared myself to them and the businesses they started/were in and made myself unworthy.
One day I realised, whilst focusing on them I wasn’t focused on myself and my business so no wonder things were not progressing at the pace I wanted them to.
So I took action. We didn’t have the Facebook unfollow option then so I unfriended some friends with the aim of not getting pulled into the dialogue in my mind when they’d post celebratory posts about their business successes. I blocked the ex-colleagues who were viewing my profile Linkedin and got focused on my business.
I wasn’t in competition with anyone but myself. Not being concerned with what others were doing and what they may or may not be thinking about what I was doing allowed me to listen to my market, craft my message and offering in line with their needs, come up with creative business propositions for my client group that no other agency in the market was thinking about.
As a result, we’d often get feedback that we were different. Business started coming regularly through referrals and occasionally when we would bump into competitors they’d tell us they’d heard about us through people in the market which was a shock.
We didn’t have to sell as our proposition spoke directly to the clients’ pain as a solution.
How often do we do that? Focus so much on what others are doing at work, with their families, in their relationship….etc.
Our perception of what we think is happening in another’s world causes us to put ourselves down and use it as an excuse not to take action because we are “not good enough”.
By doing this we deny our gifts, talents inner power as we focus our energy externally. What would happen to you and your world if you reversed that energy inwards?
If you focused on cultivating and nurturing your gift?
If you gave yourself space to be creative?
Going inwards is where the magic starts. Exploring what you have to offer the world and taking action aligns you with who you really are and builds the self-assurance that’s unshakeable.
You deserve to have everything you want and you can have it now.
What or who are you comparing yourself to that’s stopping you from moving forward?
How is it impacting you?
Are you ready to bet on yourself?
Remember, you are your only competition.
Love 
❤️