Becoming a Fear Fighting Professional Troublemaker!

As an entrepreneur, one must be ready to take all kinds of risks. Fearless ones, that go against the flow by thinking differently than other people — you know, the keep calm out of the box kind! I honestly believe that everyone desires is on the other side of fear. Think about it … What would your business life be like if fear never held you back from doing #AllTheThings you wanted?

When we think of our businesses, these ventures we have put our hearts, souls, and money into … We set high expectations. We dream big. And sometimes that means we strive to be perfect!

We want to do it all. We want to be it all. We want to know it all. And sometimes that can create a storm of needless strain and bury our goals and dreams under piles of directionless tasks and to-do lists longer than the eye can see. We get ourselves all … Well, tangled! And that’s not badass!

Being an entrepreneur is kind of like playing a game of chess. You must always think at least 3 steps ahead. You must think long-term and have a true vision for your endgame. Think big and small in all directions. Do the work that needs to be done, but don’t forget about the path you are working towards. All the while, taking time to step back, look at the bigger picture and provide direction to your overall vision. And to create the very best version of yourself in your business, is to remind yourself that everything depends on where you want to take it and what actions you take to get there.

Procrastination and negative self-talk are not welcome at this table any longer!

Entrepreneurial hacks to fight your fears (alongside your never-ending to-do list) and becoming a professional troublemaker truly have a lot to do with mindset.

This way you will not only flourish and grow in this big bad world of business … but thrive beyond just surviving! It’s all about the endgame. Which for every entrepreneur is all about achieving massive results and crushing goals. We like to refer to these folks as “Goal Diggers!”

So, alright goal diggers … It’s fear fighting troublemaker HACK TIME!

Now, the first on the list might sound like a strange one (at first) …

HACK PEOPLE.

Business life isn’t just about the technology in this insanely busy social heavy world we live in. It’s about the people. Which is something that is often underestimated. It’s about the impact we have and create (especially thanks to platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook).

So, instead of constantly analyzing the ever-changing algorithms and the big data that runs alongside it, put yourself in touch with the human part of it all. Make connections — real authentic connections — and turn those connections into the data you are looking for. It doesn’t take exceptional effort to live with intention.

HACK PERFECTIONISM.

It’s tempting to wear every hat in business, especially if you love to learn new things and technologies. But if you want to wear all those crazy entrepreneurial hats, you will need to pull more than one rabbit out of each in order to be extremely successful at #AllTheThings. Soooo … that’s why I like to remind people that even though Virtually Untangled offers a unique array of creative and organizational services … I don’t claim, nor want to be, a pro at everything.

I will give it my all, do plenty of research and help in every single way possible if the client wants or needs me to. But I never once said I was their CEO or a pro at it all. But I also never turn down opportunities either.

I choose to focus on my “secret sauce” by focusing on my strongest talents, which is what I like to do most out of all our offerings and get assistance from others to take care of the rest.

If you try to be a Jane (or Jack) of all trades but you’re only skilled partially, you’re only hurting yourself — or your clients — because it will take you twice as long as someone who has the proper skills, and it won’t be as polished as it needs to be. So, try discarding some of those crazy hats.

HACK PROCRASTINATION.

Putting things off just creates additional stress that you really do not need or want. It will also kill your motivation and leave you feeling stuck and overwhelmed. So, try to accomplish things as soon as you can or while you’re feeling motivated and aware of the urgency.

FACT: Motivation dies within 5 seconds of postponing.

Not only should you try to tackle things right away, but these “things” should be put in their place. This will save you time and energy because you won’t constantly be searching for things and you will be able to easily differentiate between things you need and things that are just plain ‘ol in your way, thus keeping your clutter to a minimum. And in the business-world … the less clutter the better!

HACK PRODUCTIVITY.

Something I see frequently in my line of business is that often, people do not finish their day feeling accomplished. So, they end up judging themselves, myself included from time-to-time.

The pressure is on to be as productive as possible to get where we want to go. Often, we are our own worst critic and think that calling out our laziness or inefficiencies can lead to some sort of mindset adjustment to get around the roadblocks to our success.

First off … give yourself a friggin’ break already! If you want to increase your productivity, you must make the decision to do so, stop being harsh and start implementing new ways (and tools) to improve your productivity. This will not only reduce time clutter (and those nasty stress wrinkles) but you won’t believe how much you will be able to accomplish all the while increasing your businesses revenue.

So, for this you’ll want to …

• #Hack your inbox
• #Hack your to-do list
• #Hack your brand
• #Hack your marketing

But most importantly … #Hack people’s pain points! That’s why you started on this glorious professional troublemaker adventure in the first place, right?!

And again, the topic we first started with today …

HACK FEAR.

We all get things wrong sometimes and we just need to accept that. It’s a part of the roller coaster in which we call this crazy lifestyle. That’s how we learn and grow … from making mistakes.

Being stuck due to your fears will only pull you down further and keep you feeling stuck longer. Instead of thinking “That will never work” or “I’m not smart enough to figure this out” or “They will never buy my offerings” …

Have you ever thought of the flipside?

Have you actually really tried?

Or are you just too afraid?

Well, it’s time to be aware of your fears and conquer them. You must stop being afraid of failure, of taking risks, of being or feeling mediocre, of acceptance from your peers or followers, or maybe even your level of creativity. These are all valid fears and ones we all experience — entrepreneur or not — but the journey to excellence and success is marked by your ability to always be striving forward — towards growth. So, try to think of things as “how can I (or my business) be the very best I (it) can be?” instead of losing yourself in the swarm of buzzing noise.

Simple. Short. Sweet.

You DO NOT need permission to be an entrepreneur. We are not born with the fear of failing, but we are, however, taught to be embarrassed of it. But that doesn’t have to be you … Be passionate about your business and don’t limit yourself. And just plainly stop asking for permission. #JustDoYou

HACK CONFIDENCE.

Whenever people used to call me an “expert” in anything, it would honestly make me feel a bit strange. I would immediately think that I surely had to be the “best of the best” in the entire world in order to claim that special title. But then it got me to thinking … I. Am. An. Expert.

We’re all experts at something (even though we sometimes try to hide from it). That’s why we’re HERE doing what we love — and doing it best!

We’ve all been there done that … We invest in ourselves, our businesses, those of our clients, our social presence, and our overall development … We spend months, years and perhaps even decades learning new skills, and acquiring new knowledge of #AllTheThings … But then as soon as someone pats our back, we forget we even had that expertise knowledge in the first place, or even know how we did that thing or #AllTheThings. It’s like a strange wave of selective amnesia about how friggin’ over the clouds AWESOME we are! And that NEEDS. To. STOP. Now!

Being that awesomely AWESOME expert, we all know you ARE is not like being a rocket scientist. And it really shouldn’t feel as intimidating as it sometimes does. You don’t have to be “perfect” to be called an expert. And it really doesn’t take up 10K hours … YOU ARE AN EXPERT whether you market yourself as such or not.

Truthfully … it’s all about confidence. And a little goes a long way! If you don’t list your credentials, highlight your experience, your awards, and special designations, no one will ever know just how qualified and committed to your profession you are. Your customers, clients, brands you want to partner with, readers, social media followers, and the world at large have at least one trait in common … they can’t read minds!

If you think about it, branding yourself as an expert is actually kind of nice! People trust experts, listen to experts, and follow their advice. With your brand, you’ve created a name that sells for itself.

So, in the branding of it all … Your brand is a promise, and your prospects want to know that you are qualified to deliver what you promise. The REAL question is … What do you promise? You know … the defining elements. 

This will determine why all the “bragging” will work for one person and won’t for others. It’s not what you can do, but how you can help them!

I truly believe that everyone is born equipped to bless others with a gift only they have. 

Even though many people do what they do in the marketplace, only they can do it in such a way that can’t be duplicated. And by that, I mean YOU!

So, what I’m getting at here is you don’t need a PhD or special certification to be an expert, I’m just saying “if you have it, flaunt it.” 

I believe people are so well informed these days; it would be hard to fool someone with “fake” expertise. If someone is an impostor, they will figure it out … and then they will tell their friends. But one thing I know for sure … You should let your prospects (and even your competitors) know what you bring to the table and how your uniqueness works towards delivering your brand’s promise. (And you as a person — your true authentic self!) If you are not able to tell others how wonderful you are at what you do, then, who is?

Oh … and whatever it is that you do ever so expertly … DO NOT compare yourself to others. Just look within!

So, whether you call yourself an expert or not, your results will speak for themselves, and people will define you based on them. A brand is a promise. An empty promise never did anyone any good because it’s all about value, and you can’t “wing” value. If your clients don’t agree with the title, then you’re doomed!

HACK BAD BEHAVIOUR.

When I first opened my business from part-time to full-time, I ran into this situation more often than I’d like to admit. I was afraid if I stood up to the client who was treating me poorly that it would leave a sour taste for future business, I would lose the client for good, and it would place a bad rap on my business name.

However, after many meetings that ended in migraines and projects I completed while working through tears (and not small streams … huge ass puddles) I realized that there is absolutely no excuse for bad behaviour. I wouldn’t let anyone in my personal life treat me this poorly, so why was I letting people in my business life do so …?

If a client is treating you poorly the answer is simple. It is time to move on. Don’t let the fear I experienced leave you stuck in a no-win situation. In the business world, there is no room for bullies. We teach the children of the world not to allow this at school and after-hours play, so why should we not follow suit?

• The solution: Find the best course of action (finish up the contract and move on or provide a refund that follows suit with your contract or proposal), cut your losses and find someone else to work with. Someone who respects you. Trust me, there’s plenty of wonderfully amazing humans out there that don’t even know you exist yet!
  
  
• The prevention: Think about putting a couple personality screening practices in place, add a clause to your contract that involves emotional abuse, and once again, always trust your gut!

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly — and I can’t stress this enough — stick to the facts, be honest with yourself, have the courage to let yourself be vulnerable by standing your ground, and follow your heart and intuition. If you respect yourself, others are more likely to follow.

There is one more important trait of becoming a fear fighting badass entrepreneur that we feel is insanely important to share …

HACK THE HATERS.

Ignore the haters and focus on what is important. Even though criticism is an important aspect of success, it’s not a good thing to soak it all in. Just like we’ve shared numerous times about how evil comparison can be.

Sometimes, there are some things you just must ignore no matter what and place your concentration only on the positives. Haters or the people who don’t want to see you succeed (for whatever ridiculous reason!) will feed you with negative stories or any other things that might hinder your success, but at some point, you will just have to ignore it and move forward.

It’s f’in hard being an entrepreneur most days! Let alone trying to be a fearless badass one … who likes to get into a little virtual trouble from time to time.

And no! I am not whining. It is just a cold, hard fact that being an entrepreneur can be difficult. To some, it may be the hardest thing they’ve ever done.

There are so many things to do and keep track of places with room for improvement and endless desires and milestones …

• The business model
• The brand that works
• The marketing strategy
• The financial plan
• The repeat customer
• The team and learning to delegate
• The paperwork (oh the paperwork)
• The social spaces and events
• The networking
• The ever-changing algorithms

Literally an endless pile of to-do’s … that hopefully fuel your badass fire!

When I look back at my younger self, I now realize how counterproductive, self-destructive, and self-defeating I really was. I wasted so much of my time and energy treading lightly in fear of doing what I really wanted to be doing (which is just what I am doing now). Or in fear of intimidating someone by speaking out and making some noise. Or just plainly as being seen as different due to my multi-passionate personality that I held myself back from some enormous opportunities. Some of which I’m making up for now. So, if you’re still reading (or listening) and ready to take action … I applaud you.

If you take anything away from today’s “untangling” episode, let it be this …

As you build your golden empire and work towards every dream you have — no matter the size — if you’re ready and willing to put in the hard work to not become a statistic, don’t let anyone stand in your way — including yourself.

• Don’t let fear stop you.
• Don’t let people stop you.
• Don’t let “rules” define your success.

Just do what you do best and let the ways of the world take care of the rest. After all, you’re more likely to succeed if you’ve tripped and fallen a few times rather than if you’ve never tried!

As an entrepreneur it is up to YOU to decide what rules to make for your business. But even more importantly, which ones you feel comfortable breaking. You are the product of your own success. After all there’s a reason you decided to break free from your crappy 9 to 5 and become your own boss!

And as always … if you have any burning questions or want to share your thoughts on fear and becoming a professional troublemaker … or even your future goals or recent successes, reach out to me in the DMs or drop me a line. Our “untangling” hotline is open all the time!