Are You Building Your Business with the Emergency Brake On?

One day while leaving the store I could tell there was something wrong with the way my car was running.

Then I noticed a warning light and realized I had left the emergency brake on.

If you only drive a few feet your car will be fine but if you drive around all day with the emergency brake on you’re going to have major problems.

Your emergency brake is basically a safety feature that works as a backup when you’re in park.  I tend not to worry if I’m parked on a level street.  If I’m parked on a steep hill the thought of my car barreling uncontrollably down the hill is not a pleasant thought.

So basically it’s fear that motivates me to use my emergency brake. Fear in itself is not a bad thing.  Fear can keep us safe from harm or it can paralyze us.

So what does your car’s emergency brake have to do with building your business?

Think of it as limiting beliefs.  Now if you only drive a few feet with your brake on and you only do it rarely nothing major will go wrong.  We all have our moments I know I do. Even the best of us occasionally slip into limiting thoughts.

Self awareness should be a part of every moment of our life but sometimes our minds can become unfocused.  We lead busy lives, have a thousand different things to do and sometimes our brains just go on autopilot.

When we stop being aware of our decisions and behavior we tend to fall back on what we’ve been taught and what we’ve been told all of our lives.  Growing up I was taught that you did good in school, went to college and got a good job.  Critical thinking was not taught to me as a youngster.

Fitting in was important, being different and standing out was not necessarily a good thing.  Like most children I was told what I couldn’t do much more often than what I could do.

I’ve always loved to sing and was active in the school chorus for many years.  I even had quite a few people tell me I had a really good voice.

I never pursued music because that was just a pipe dream.  That wasn’t acceptable because it didn’t fit into what was expected of me.  Not only from my parents but pretty much from society in general.  Now I’m not saying I’d be a famous rock star now but I’ll never know where that road may have led me.

The choice to start building a business is different for everyone.  Everyone’s “why” is personal although I’m sure many of us have common threads within our why.  The programming that you’ve received up until now can be changed.  The challenging part is turning what could be decades of limiting beliefs into positive beliefs in the shortest time possible.

I remember listening to people talk about the time they spent in personal development.  They spent every waking moment when they weren’t actively building their business or taking care of personal responsibilities reading books, listening to audios, attending seminars and doing what ever they could to move ahead.

I used to think my lord when do they have any fun?  The funny thing is these people have more fun and success than I ever did.  For a long time this lesson was lost on me.  I’m trying to change a lifetime of learned behavior, it can’t be done half ass.  Not watching TV or going to the bar is not a sacrifice.

Watching TV and going to the bar is like a jail sentence.  Maybe there’s no physical bars but your freedom is restricted none the less. I’m not saying you can never watch tv or hang out and have fun or relax just be mindful of what you’re spending time doing.

So what are some of the things you can do to unlock the incredibly deserving, successful awesomeness trapped inside of you?

As I mentioned before things like reading, listening to audio CDs either at home or in your car or while your cutting the grass or while your exercising or gardening-see where I’m going here?  ” I don’t have time” is not a reason but an excuse.  I have a kindle which I love and often throw in my purse.  You never know when you’ll have time to kill while you’re waiting for something.

There’s a lot of great stuff out there for personal development.  Some areas to explore are leadership, psychology or what makes people think what they think, biographies or autobiographies of successful people and companies, marketing and even the self help section of your local bookstore.

Reading or listening to audios is only half of the equation.

Applying what you learn to real life is the key.  This is often the hardest part for a lot of people because of the dreaded ” what will other people think” syndrome.  Cut yourself some slack.  When you’re taught conformity it can be quite a rough transition to independent thinker.

People will resist.  People will wonder what you’re after.  Some people will become angry.  They’ll get over it and return to the comfort of their prison cell.  Whatever the reaction of the people around you take it and turn it into a learning experience.

One sure fire way to handicap your growth is by surrounding yourself with people who would rather you stay exactly where you are.  It’s like trying to quit smoking by hanging out with smokers or trying to lose weight by hanging out with people who do nothing but watch TV and eat.

Distancing yourself from these bad influences can be the hardest part of your journey.  Sometimes these relationships will slowly and naturally fall away as you have less and less in common.  There are some folks you just can’t get rid of even if you wanted to, like family.  Just have patience with them and know that they do really love you.  Tell them what you’re doing and why and do your best.

You may find yourself alone but it won’t be for long.  You will find other people that are on the same journey or are already where you want to be.  They will be happy to support you or join you on your journey as long as you are moving forward.

So your mission if you choose to accept it is too free yourself from your limiting beliefs.  Don’t let your brains emergency brake stop you from where you want to go.  The automatic thinking we allow ourselves to experience can either hold us down or propel us forward.  It all depends on what we’re saying to ourselves.  Remember to say the right thing.

What author or speaker or anyone in your life has influenced you the most?