"I'm telling you it'll never work."

"Why would you even want to do that?!"

"That sounds like a lot of hard work to me, wouldn't you rather...?"

Have you heard any of those before, or perhaps you've even said them, or something like them to yourself? I know I have, (all of them in quick succession if I'm thinking about doing something like going for a run - that last one usually ends with "eat chocolate")

It's so easy to make excuses for ourselves as to why we shouldn't do a thing. There is a part of our brain dedicated to keeping us safe, that's literally what it lives for - anytime it senses you thinking about changing something or doing something outside your comfort zone it will pipe up, like a finger waggling jobs-worth (nah ah ah!) and try and talk you out of doing it.

It's not trying to be the bad guy, it hasn't quite kept up with the times, (literally hasn't done much evolving over the last million or so years) and so, tends to overreact, viewing everything as a life or death situation.

This means things like "I wonder if I should try engaging with my customers more?" and "I wonder what those large footprints that head into that cave belong to?" Tend to get lumped together as threats to avoid.

How does this affect your business?

Well, if we spend too long listening to the parts of our brain that wish to keep us safe we will continue to do the same things, day-in and day-out.

We won't try new things, we won't grow, we'll get left behind.

Does this mean that you have to jump on every shiny new thing that appears?

Absolutely not.

So what does it mean?

It means we have to get good at recognising opportunities that will help us.

That we have to be able to look objectively at risk and reward.

And we need to work at remaining open-minded and adaptable.

How?

Here are 3 ways.

• By being choosy about what we read, listen to and watch. How are you training your mind?

• By being discerning about where your focus lies. Do you need to chase all the shiny objects?

• By surrounding yourself with people who challenge your thoughts and your limiting beliefs. And who support you.

Whether you already have a business or are thinking of starting something new, your brain will try and keep you where it is comfortable and things are familiar.

And that's ok, but as one of my coaches always said "If you keep doing what you've always done, you'll keep getting what you've always gotten."

And if that's not what you want any more, maybe it's time to try tweaking things.

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Hi, I'm Kate and I help vision-led business owners get off the hamster wheel of running their business and moving in the direction of their dreams. (Sometimes there is chocolate or cake, but if your dreams involve more green smoothies, that's fine too!)

If you'd like to discover how investing in yourself can unlock an uplevel for you, then please book a discovery call HERE.

Speak soon!