Being an introvert and wanting to be an entrepreneur is enough of a challenge. Imagine adding highly sensitive to the mix.
I get overstimulated by artificial light, noise, and big crowds amongst other things.
That’s enough on it’s own to trigger overwhelm. Now, picture all that plus taking on the responsibilities of an entrepreneur.
That was me!
I loved being a psychotherapist and helping my clients. But I had a dream of being able to set my own hours, work with women around the world, travel internationally, and having financial freedom.
The problem was that I just couldn’t move forward and make it happen because worry (triggered by my beliefs) and anxiety (the realities of being an introvert and opening yourself up) would paralyze me.
I had to finally admit to myself that I was totally stuck.
In order to lighten the load on my mind and body I had to make some real mindset shifts. Because they way that I was living my life was no longer going to cut it.
I stopped:
Trying to make everyone happy.
For years I made decisions thinking of everyone’s happiness but mine. Guilt was the driving force behind what I did or didn’t do. I often said yes to things I didn’t really want to do just to please someone else.
I was exhausted most of the time because my day was scheduled with tasks I didn’t really want or have the time to do. But when I started setting boundaries and stopped putting everyone else first I found myself with more energy to focus on tasks that helped my business grow.
Being afraid of change.
When ever something unexpected showed up in my life I freaked out. As soon as I saw change coming I would be paralyzed by fear. Anxiety would throw me into a loop that led to lack of focus and productivity.
I was always working extra hard to keep the status quo because that made me feel safe. Once I realized that change brought expansion, I started accepting it. I became more comfortable with the uncomfortable.
Allowing my past to decide my future.
So often I chose opportunities based on whether I had proven to be good enough in the past. I measured my worth by previous results. I was creating a future that was tied to what I’de done in the past.
I was limiting what my future could be. My business growth was slow and frustrating. Once I started opening up to the idea that my past does not determine my future,amazing opportunities started showing up.
Putting others on a pedestal and myself down.
I grew up believing that some people were born to lead and others were born to follow. Can you take a quick guess in which group I counted myself? I was convinced I always needed to have someone over me. Someone who was “better” than me.
Putting someone on a pedestal gave me a temporary and false sense of security. But any sense of criticism or rejection would send me over the edge into an anxiety attack. Letting go of the need to have to look up to someone to feel protected has opened the door for me to step up as a leader.
Overthinking stuff. Life is too short to postpone dreams.
I learned from my parents that making quick decisions meant being impulsive. And being impulsive was almost the same as being irresponsible. So every time I had options I froze and stalled. Checking out details over and over again.
As you can imagine I saw countless chances for my business just pass by because I could not bring myself to make a decision. Once I gave myself permission to trust my inner wisdom, making choices became less of a burden and more of a chance to step into the life of my dreams.
How about you?
I encourage you to try one or all the shifts I shared. I guarantee that even if you’re not highly sensitive or an introvert, you will experience a shift into more flow and less anxiety.