Press play and I’ll read this juicy article to you!
Welcome to the 5th (and final) episode of BUSINESS TALES FROM THE CRYPT. This episode is called: THE IMPATIENCE PARASITE.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re sooo far behind…and everyone else’s business is booming while you’re barely surviving…and you start to wonder if all this hard work is worth it and don’t know if your business will ever get to the place you want to be…
…this is a tale that will show you what that’s really all about…and how to rid yourself of those icky feelings.
Entrepreneur Envy
By no means was I a rookie. I’d been working in private practice for four years…and had twelve years of mental health experience under my belt. I knew what I was doing and had helped many clients overcome depression, anxiety, relationship issues, and low self esteem.
So, why the hell wasn’t my practice thriving like hers? Or his? Or theirs?
My eyes glazed over with envy as I read the comments from other therapists in the Private Practice Facebook group I was part of.
“I’m so booked, I have to turn clients away.”
“I just raised my rates to $150/hour and I only accept cash.”
“I just hired three more therapists to work in my practice and I’m bringing in $20K a month.”
WTF.
I didn’t have ANY of that. I was desperate for clients. I felt forced to accept insurance and discount my services so people could afford to work with me. I had ZERO qualified applicants to work in my practice with me.
And I felt like I was doing everything “right”, too. I had a top notch website…beautiful marketing materials…had paid out the butt in advertising…and was sending out letters to doctors in the community for referrals.
I felt so frustrated, discouraged, scared, exhausted, jealous, confused.
I felt so BEHIND everyone else. I worried that I’d never arrive at the place I wanted to be in my business…that I’d always be slaving away and never have the flexibility, freedom, and financial security that motivated me to start my own business in the first place.
I wanted success. I wanted money. I wanted a booming business that was doing massive good…and changing hundreds of lives…and I wanted it NOW.
The Impatience Parasite
I had become infected by the IMPATIENCE PARASITE…a pest so tiny that it can’t be seen with the human eye, which is how it invaded my body and was able to use me as its host. It’s a parasite that slowly poisons your thoughts, convincing you that you should be further ahead in your business.
I’d become so consumed with impatience about my business taking SOOO long to grow and filled with envy of the entrepreneurs that were further ahead than me…and that was keeping me from focusing on what really mattered: DOING GREAT WORK and ENJOYING IT.
The Impatience Parasite kept me all caught up in wanting to be somewhere else that I wasn’t enjoying where I was actually at in my business. And as the leech twisted and turned inside my head, I was tempted to give up anytime I encountered a difficult obstacle or challenge.
There were so many times when I felt like all the hard work and effort just wasn’t worth it. I thought, “It shouldn’t be this hard! This is supposed to be easier. Look at those other entrepreneurs who are killing it…what do they got that I don’t got??”
The Cure
It took me a long-ass time to realize I’d been infected with impatience…and even longer to figure out the cure for it.
Here’s what I know:
- You need to expect entrepreneurship to be the most difficult thing you’ve ever done.
Social media is like the mother of all impatience parasites and it directly infects (and effects) all of us. Seeing everyone’s highlight reel all the time gives you the false impression that running/growing a business is easy…and then when you find that it’s hard AF, it makes you think there’s something wrong with you and you’re not cut out for this.failure
Entrepreneurship is the hardest thing you will ever do. Expect it to be that way. Mentally prepare yourself for inevitable failure and rejection, so when you experience challenges, you’ll know you’re right on track and it’s normal to struggle.
- Aim for joy, not perfection.
You’ll never get “there” in your business. There is no “there. There is no destination. You’ll never arrive. Your mind might hold an image of what it would look like to have the perfect business and the perfect life…but that is an illusion.
Instead of focusing on making that idea of perfection a reality, focus on creating joy in your business (and your life). Do things because you enjoy doing them, not because you think it will make you rich and famous. Always keep FUN at the center of your work and you won’t feel the itch to be anywhere other than where you are.
TRUTH BOMB: We rarely end up where we intend to go, but we often end up somewhere we need to be.
- Regularly inventory the benefits.
When you’re stuck in the slog of daily tasks, emails, marketing, blah blah blah- all the things you’re doing to make your business amazing and crush worthy, it’s easy to fixate on how much you’re sacrificing. Sacrificing time with your family to write blog posts. Sacrificing money to run Facebook Ads. Sacrificing your emotions each time you put yourself out there and get rejected.
If you lose sight of all the benefits of working on your business, you’ll want to stab your eyes out, throw up the surrender flag, and flip entrepreneurship the bird. Write down all the benefits of doing what you’re doing.
Does writing help you express your creativity? That’s a WIN!
Does having your own business allow you to set your own schedule? YES! And it’s awesome!
Are you feeling SOOO good about how you helped a client? Uber benefit to your life!!
When entrepreneurship feels like all work and no play, you're compelled to sprint to the finish line and just get it over with.
But when you’re loving what you’re doing, you’re not in such a hurry anymore. You’re content to just stroll along at your own pace, enjoying the view.
Now, get off social media so you stop comparing yourself to everybody else, set your mind to expect and anticipate this to be hard, fill your work days with joy and fun, and make a list of how having your own business benefits your life- no matter where you’re at right now.
Thank you so much for reading this mini-series of BUSINESS TALES FROM THE CRYPT!
I hope these scary tales of emotional turmoil helped you to feel less alone in your own feelings and to know that entrepreneurship can be frightening and cryptic- but you have what it takes to survive.
