The past two years have been one of the most challenging periods you will face mentally as a business owner. The pandemic didn’t discriminate, and everyone had their doubts. Some of you are forced to consider throwing in the towel. There’s no shame in that. If it were easy, everyone would run million-dollar businesses, drive fancy cars, and go on holidays every other month. But it’s not easy. We know this.

The trades and construction industry is booming, so it’s the perfect time to buckle in and take the necessary steps to grow your business. But what can you do in the meantime when it feels like your dreams are close to being sucked down the drain?

The foundation every successful business is built on.

Answer this question: why did you decide to start your own business?
Maybe you want financial security for your family, you got tired of working for someone else, you want a better work/life balance, or you realise you could do a better job. But all your reasons are underpinned by one essential belief. The belief that you could do it! You don’t risk your livelihood if you don’t believe you have what it takes to succeed. Your self-belief has been truly tested, and there are bound to be lingering seeds of doubt, but it is still the biggest key to your success.

Houses are built to stand firm, but they crumble as soon as you damage their foundation. If you trust that things will get better, they will. Not through the law of attraction, but because you’ll have the confidence, motivation and determination to do the things that move the needle. It’s a well-known adage that actions follow thoughts. If you believe you can succeed, you’ll take the necessary action to grow your business.
Remember, some people are far less qualified than you but have what you want. Why? Because they believe they can do it. Let that sink in, and tell yourself it every day.

Rebuilding self-belief

When you tap into your purpose, you become bulletproof. Your goal will become everything through this period of pushing your business to new heights. Shift your focus from your fears to aim and your worries to your passion. Shift your focus from thinking it won’t work to believing it will and do everything possible every minute to make it work.

The strongest muscle in the body is the brain. The more we tell ourselves something, the more we believe it to be true. So start telling yourself you CAN succeed because you’re the only person who doesn’t already think that. Once you do this, self-belief will become part of your identity.

Understanding and staying true to your hierarchy of values

What are the non-negotiable’s in your personal life that you are transferring to your business? Think about your treatment of others, trust, honesty, effort, and dedication. Ask yourself the following questions and see how they sit with you:

* How do you see yourself as a business?

* What are the values you live? Are these reflected in your business?

Values are a by-product of your identity. Your values say a lot about who you are and what service your business provides.

Let’s dive a little deeper…

We all hear the term identity thrown around, but do you know your identity?

The environment moulds your identity, so your self-confidence and self-belief are affected by your habitual thinking from a young age.

It is not to say that you can’t build self-confidence or self-belief. It just means our thought patterns are often formed at a young age, so changing these takes a lot of personal development and work.

Improving your self-confidence and self-belief requires tapping into your inner strength and knowing that you can get the results you want and deserve.

You have a responsibility to tap into that every day. It will be your key to success.

Most of our behaviour is determined by our unconscious mind. So, work every day to make your unconscious mind and your thought patterns a positive place.

The Identity Iceberg

The Identity Iceberg represents how the internal affects the external. Your beliefs, values and your identity are all under the surface. They may go unnoticed. You cannot physically see them, and they can’t be quantified or measured.

What does not go unnoticed are your behaviour and actions. It is what people see above the surface, but it determines what is going on under it.

Your plan starts with your beliefs but what people see is your behaviour. Your results are the product of the decisions you make and the actions that you follow through.

I urge you all to clarify your values, beliefs and identity. Know that you will get through this period and lead your business to long-term success.