I am a recent graduate. I am also stepping into the role of an entrepreneur. I’m struggling with this though; why do I say I’m stepping into it? Over the past few years, I’ve been paid for jobs in the various industries I actually want to be involved in, so technically, I am an entrepreneur. I’m still, however, struggling with the concept.
Have you ever heard of ‘Limiting Beliefs’? It’s a term that has popped up multiple times, in the countless business webinars and conferences I’ve attended over my time in medical school. They are the thoughts that you have that are stopping you from reaching your full potential of what you want to be. They can be things like “I’m not that good”, “I can’t pull off that outfit” or “I’m not an expert”. Growing up, I struggled a lot with perfectionism, making sure my grades were at the top and knowing all the possible information I could before delving into a new idea – and I have a lot of ideas. Every time I would share one, I’m told it’s good, but I never think it’s good enough. Either I don’t feel I have enough of the details to execute it how I want or I’m not the authority in this area to be able to pull this off, or I’m not ready. These are my limiting beliefs.
What I’m starting to learn more and more of as I adventure through adulthood, is that no one is really an expert, but everyone has an expertise. Everyone has knowledge to share that another group doesn’t know about and could benefit from. My expertise is in dance, performance training and naturopathic medicine, through both experience and education. The reason I got into the fields that I did was because I wanted to develop this experienced expertise and learn more about the industry that I love and help the population that’s involved because they are not getting the care that they need. I’ve also honed in on my leadership skills and my desire to help on a grander scale. It’s amazing what you can do with months of being stuck studying (and daydreaming) in your apartment – I’m grateful for my health and the time I was given. Conceptualization is easy but figuring out how to execute is my weak point.
I’d really like to say this is an epiphany moment for me and I’m not going to let these things stop me anymore, but the reality is, I’m still struggling. It’s not a problem that can be fixed overnight if it’s something that I’ve been dealing with since elementary school. The first step here though, is that I’m aware of what my limiting beliefs are – I’ve written them down (see above)– and so I can call them out when my mind starts to wander towards them. What I am working on now is the courage to face these limiting beliefs head on, prove to myself they no longer have to hold me back and that I can perform unbound.
Love and Wellness,
ND-B
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