Business vs Self Esteem

Few weeks ago, I was attending a business bootcamp and got introduced to a distinction that you might find useful.

Have you ever considered the difference between business-esteem and self-esteem?

Business problems are data: people quit, you make no sales, you don’t meet a revenue, negotiations don’t result in deals, potential partners walk out. These outcomes are impersonal. Business problems never make you “feel” bad.

Well, here is the kicker. Business problems don’t make you feel bad until you merge business-esteem with your self-esteem. Shocker! In our achievements we often associate self-worth with our achievements. Therefore, if we don’t get something we were going after, we make it all about us, how unreliable we are, what a failure we are.

Just imagine the power of separating the two.

What if instead of spending time on feeling sorry for your failures/missteps in your business/career, you look at them as facts and evaluate what worked, what didn’t and how you can make adjustments.

• Are you missing a skill? Put in place an education plan to close that gap
• Did you track your numbers? If not, how do you know your efforts are not working. If yes, is your input sufficient?
• The approach you’ve taken is not producing results after 3-6 months of consistent action. Make a hypothesis why it is not working, maybe you need some tweaking.
• If you don’t take any action in your business/career, you will not have enough data to make any assessments, in a way you will not know what problems to solve and how to move forward.

I do not want to completely dismiss the self-esteem aspect. Let’s be real: we do have fears, doubts, judgements especially when we are going beyond comfortable, predictable, safe goals. Here are some strategies to incorporate:

• The best part of business is RESULTS but day-to-day is often mundane, at times boring. You might not feel like doing anything to move your project forward. Secret: you can take action even if you don’t feel like it. Have a plan and execute it.
• Work through your limiting beliefs through journaling or by partnering with a coach. But don’t spend too much time here. You don’t need to dissect and understand all the reasons why you have all that mental baggage.
• Have time and place for processing your emotions. We have tendency to resist “negative” emotions. And we all know what we resist persists. Let it wash all other you, give yourself a cry, go punch a pillow – give yourself a gift of releasing that energy.

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This newsletter is my attempt to share best practices learned, insights gained, opportunities created. It is a way to keep myself accountable to the big goals creating a ripple effect on thousands of people who look for change but still struggle with “But I don’t know how” and getting in their own way.

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Next week I will be writing about the one-day mentality vs today mentality, the distinction I recently learned and how a small shift in your thinking can help you get out of your own way.

P.S. If you are interested in working with me as your coach, reach out via LinkedIn messaging or via email to request a consultation.