Are Your Beliefs Blocking Your Attempts to Start a Business?

Posted on March 07, 2015 by Dakim Duncan, One of Thousands of Business Coaches on Noomii.

If you were to give a survey and ask people what’s the number one reason why most people fail at starting a successful business what do you think the answer would be? Not having enough money is sure to be one of the more popular answers. Some might say lack of experience would be the leading cause of failure among start ups. And others may point to a bad economy, or bad idea, or even bad luck as the culprit. While these are perfectly valid explanations for some of the reasons people fail, I believe the biggest obstacle people face when starting a business is their own beliefs.
Simply put, your own thoughts can greatest enemy.

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right.”- Henry Ford

This quote from Henry Ford perfectly sums up what I am trying to convey to you. If you go into anything with a “can do” mindset you increase your chances of accomplishing your goal. This applies to starting a business, learning to ride a bike, or asking that special someone to a coffee date.

But the opposite holds true as well. A “can’t do” mindset will keep you from accomplishing your goals just as much as any exterior force.

The problem for most people is that they are not aware of their beliefs and how these beliefs affect their behavior. The things that you believe about yourself and your capabilities influence your action, which leads directly to the results you see in your life. These results are then seen by your mind as evidence that supports the initial (false) belief you hold. And the continuous feedback loop begins. It you will remain stuck in that negativity loop until you can shift your thinking about what you’re capable of achieving.

Stinking Thinking
There is a phrase used by substance abusers to describe the thoughts that lead them to relapse. That term is “stinking thinking”. These are the thoughts that trigger something in the addict’s mind that leads them to choose to get high or take a drink again. Stinking thinking isn’t something that is exclusive to the addicts of the world. Many people suffer from stinking thinking. For aspiring entrepreneurs stinky thoughts can take many forms: insecurities about their ability to create a thriving business, fears of failure and being destitute, self sabotage in the form of procrastination or lack of focus.

So if you’ve ever catch yourself thinking, “Who am I kidding, I can’t start a business” or “I should have my head examined because I’m going to end up broke and homeless, and all my friends are going to laugh at me”, stop and realize what you’re doing to yourself. You’re setting yourself up for failure by putting yourself into a vicious cycle of poor performance and disappointing results.

Choose Your Path
The only way to ensure you manifest your best possible life is to create and focus on positive beliefs about yourself. These positive beliefs are the foundation for a cycle of prosperity:

Positive beliefs–>Purposeful action–>Sustained desired results.

Beliefs are powerful things. Use them the right way and you will be able to manifest everything you’ve ever desired in this world. But they can also be the roadblock that keep you boxed into a life that you hate. You control which path you take.