Use these tips to be kinder to yourself.
Ah, that little voice that is inside our head, telling us all sorts of different things, it can be quiet at times, but sometimes its loud and obnoxious, especially when it comes to making a mistake.
Whether you’re just launching a startup, or in the process of growing your business, you’re going to make mistakes, and it’s going to take a toll on you.
As young entrepreneurs, we are usually much harder on ourselves than others and sometimes (most of the time) we can be our own worst enemy.
You’re going to experience failure from time to time. It’s inevitable and learning to deal with, manage and overcome failure is a huge part of your entrepreneur journey.
Being hard on yourself is ineffective, it pulls you down when it shouldn’t, and it stops you from doing things you could achieve. Breaking the cycle of negative self-talk can be quite difficult, it requires consistent attention and practice. Here are a few strategies that can set you on the path to taking a more balanced approach to your performance.
1. Have realistic expectations.
Know that it’s okay to make mistakes because you’re human. Nobody’s perfect and life’s not perfect. You have to make mistakes to learn and grow, and life’s not always how you want it. Embrace your life’s journey and commit to learning and self-improvement. Focus your efforts on those things you can change.
2. Take charge of your selfcare
Your mental and physical health go hand in hand, so it is incredibly important to have a healthy body to aid a healthy mine (and vice versa).
Are you drinking to much caffeine that it keeps you on edge? Are you not drinking enough water which can leave you feeling fatigued and dehydrated? Are you eating foods that give you more long lasting energy? It is so important to look after your body as you begin your entrepreneur journey, it will help you avoid a foggy mind, negative self-talk and a burn out.
3. Kill comparison.
Come on Laura, so clique. I know, but hear me out…
Comparison is generally the fast track to unhappiness. It’s a recipe for misery and is one of the easiest ways to keep yourselves feeling small. Social media doesn’t help the habit. Remember when you are on social media, that you are not actually comparing yourself to the other person, but to your perceived idea of them. You know you shouldn’t compare yourself to others. Yet, that’s often easier said than done, all it does is keeping you focused on what you don’t like about yourself and your life.
Comparing ourselves to others often leaves us feeling frustrated, anxious, and paralyzed about moving forward. It doesn’t help one single bit in creating the life we want. Instead, it just takes away valuable time and energy that could have been spent on building our future.
Focus on you. Focus on watering your grass and building your path. Focus on being the best that you can be and share that with the rest of us.
4. Accept your weaknesses as your “features”.
In a perfect world, you would be really good at everything you need to have a successful business and a successful life. Then again, in an ideal world, you’d also have fantastic hair, abs of steel, and a winning lottery ticket in your pocket.
Here in this imperfect world, we all have to face the fact that we’re good at some things, just passable at others, and downright lousy at some that are really important. If you’re an entrepreneur, this can be frustrating because you want to be good at everything. Worse, you may believe you have to be good at everything because you’re the only one who can make your company a success. Well, guess what? You’re not good at everything, and neither is anyone else.
5. Most importantly, do not criticise yourself for past mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes; it is how we deal with them that is important.
Dwelling on a mistake that you made will not fix the problem. It only makes things worse. On top of that, your other work will suffer. When you are reeling with past mistakes, you cannot put your best effort into your current assignments. You need to maintain and understand that everyone makes mistakes and tries not to dwell on things that you cannot control. It happened, and it is over. It is time to move on and let go.
