Self Development & Online Entrepreneurship

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I don’t have regrets in my life. I believe that everything that has happened has created the life and the business that I have today, and that’s something I’d never want to change.

If there’s one thing I wish I would have done differently though, it’s working on my mindset.

When I was growing up, the emphasis was on working hard and getting a good education. As long as you did those two things, you’d be successful. In school, I excelled in science and math and computer programming. I loved problems I could think through logically to find a solution. I still do.

That left little room for what I felt was the mystical practice of self-development and mindset work. I can recall several conversations with friends where I was openly skeptical about the idea.

One of those friends was Kelly McCausey. Over the years, she and I have had many talks about mindset and what it means and the impact it has on our lives. She invited me to have an open discussion about it on our blogs, and we’re inviting you to listen in.

First, click here to read Kelly’s intro and her experience with mindset work. My response to her is below.

Hey Kelly! Thanks for starting this conversation. It’s super important, and I don’t often have the opportunity to talk about it, so this is going to be so helpful for me and my community, too.

I have to tell you, I used to HATE the word “mindset.” I thought the whole idea was just so much nonsense. Like you, I believed if I just knew what steps to take, I’d find success.

That was true, to a point. I took action and grew a successful virtual assistant business, and I didn’t have to think about or work on my mindset at all. I just did the work.

The first inkling that my thoughts might have an impact on my business came early though. Not long after I quit my day job, the husband and I were talking about income, and I told him, “I don’t care about the money. I just want to earn enough to pay the bills.”

Those first years, I managed to do more than just pay the bills. By most accounts, I was successful, earning more than six-figures as a solo-entrepreneur. But I also worked really hard. I put in long hours for too little pay, and that didn’t change until I stopped putting that mental limit on what I could earn.

I had to change my mindset, and stop thinking “I don’t care about the money.” 

If you’d asked me though, I still would have said that “mindset” work was nonsense. Being a science and numbers nerd, it all felt quite airy-fairy to me—and sometimes it still does, if I’m being honest.

It wasn’t until I heard mindset given a scientific explanation that it all started to click for me. Once I was able to see the connection between brain chemicals and thought patterns, and how those thought patterns determine the emotions we feel and the actions we take, I was all in.

I’m happy to say that mindset shift has made a huge difference in my business.

One of my first experiences with mindset teaching was through you, when you introduced me to a coach you were working with. I’d be curious to know what other resources you’ve found helpful. What recommendations do you have for someone who’s curious, but maybe a bit skeptical like I was?

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