Today, we’re going to get into deep mindset issues. Specifically, we’ll be talking about self-defeating beliefs regarding achievement. These are very common, whether said or unsaid, in the small business community, for sales professionals, and really with people in general.
We’ll be looking at these for a few reasons. One, we want to identify and overcome them so we can have a better business. And two, getting these self-defeating beliefs out of the way means we can have better lives in general. So, we’re going to go through the mindset of achievement in a negative aspect. I know that may sound strange, because a lot of times when we think of achievement, it’s cast in a very positive light. However, achievement, or overachievement to be specific, can actually hurt us. Let’s first identify them, and then discuss a few ways to overcome them.
1. Perfectionism – In regards to performance, this is the idea that you can never make a mistake. You can never do anything wrong. This can be a very dangerous and deadly thought process. In a business sense, it’s deadly because as entrepreneurs and salespeople, we have to take risks. We have to take action in order to move forward. So if we embrace this idea of perfectionism, it’s going to hold us back from going to the level that we need to get to. Besides, the reality is that we are human beings, and we do make mistakes. As you can imagine, it’ll be hard to have a fulfilling life if we’re never satisfied unless we’re perfect.
2. This is another type of perfectionism, but it’s more based on emotions or perceptions that others have on us. It’s the idea that if I’m not perfect or if I’m making mistakes, then people won’t love me. Or, perhaps I won’t be accepted by others. This too can be very deadly and dangerous. The key is to just be aware of the inclination to believe in this ideal, and realize that it’s simply not true. Sometimes, by facing the way you feel about perfectionism and calling it out, you can overcome it.
3. This is similar to the previous point, except that it goes even deeper in terms of achievement. And it’s the idea that my worth as a person, as a human being is all about my achievements, talents, and income. Basically my whole self-esteem and self-worth is wrapped up around achievement. Again, I know there’s a lot of people in business who honestly do have this issue. In some ways, it can be temporarily helpful from a business standpoint. However, it’s definitely ruinous when it comes to having joyful lives.
So I just wanted to identify those three areas. Because in order to overcome them, identifying them is first thing that needs to happen. Oftentimes, these are blind spots. People don’t always realize these thoughts and feelings in themselves. That’s another reason why coaching is so valuable. As you think about these three things, consider how helpful it can be to get an outside opinion. Then, work on speaking against this belief system, this kind of achievement-oriented negative self-talk.
Anyway, those are some things to be aware of in terms of overcoming self-defeating beliefs. So go out, take action and have a better than amazing day.
