One glorious day a few months back I chose to dive off a bridge 43 metres above the Kawarau River! Thankfully I had a rope attached to my leg but, on reflection, it’s still a strange thing to do.
I posted photos of my triumph on Facebook and was immediately rewarded with whoops of excitement and acknowledgement of my courage, yet I hadn’t felt particularly courageous making the leap. Sure, I was a little nervous and swore incessantly, but in reality I needed about 5 minutes of positive self-talk to make the ‘leap’.
Every other aspect of the experience was taken care of by a crack team of experts -harnesses, safety procedures, ropes, clothing – so I was simply left to have the experience.
Compare the simplicity of my role in that process to the complexity of my role as CEO. It’s the daily challenge of growing a business, the level of commitment to overcome obstacles and the ensuing personal growth that challenges my mind and body to extremes. This is where courage truly resides.
My bungee dive certainly looked spectacular, a bit like the ‘overnight success’ we so often celebrate. But the courageous work of the entrepreneur takes place behind the scenes, in the messy goings-on of business.
Being in business can feel like diving off a bridge over and over without the crack team, without the support, and definitely without the acknowledgement. That constant pressure can take its toll so how do we ensure our brain and body can cope with it all?
Developing a rigorous mindset is key, so look at the list below and choose one area that you can go to work on this week.
- BLUE SKY THINKING: have a ‘why’ that keeps your eyes looking skyward so when look down and freak out about the ‘how’ you have the bigger vision to keep you going forward.
- TENACITY: I call this taking the ‘slings and arrows”- work on a mindset that says ‘bring it on’. For every sling and every arrow you are proving to yourself that you can take it, that you are brave and that you are okay
- DETERMINATION: whatever the cost in time, resources and sanity you are up for the challenge. You will succeed because what you do has greater importance and impact than not doing it.
- PERSEVERANCE: you can ignore the naysayers and non-believers, harness your energy on a regular basis, put your face to the wind and keep on going.
A rigorous mindset takes discipline, energy and focus to maintain and it is the external manifestation of being fearless. We should also consider the qualities required for the internal system that supports all that fearlessness.
Have you ever worried about how you’ll keep this level of energy going long-term as you build your business? This is the lesser known side of a courageous mindset and it is the internal work you need to support the external manifestation of being fearless and it looks something like this:
- LOVING SELF: your internal conversation must support your commitment to your WHY and not be purely outcome driven. In other words your self-talk needs to see the good and celebrate activities that support your WHY and not judge the outcomes.
- SELF CARE: this is the physical aspect of your life. Are you sleeping, eating and exercising in a way that is nurturing, caring and supporting all that you do in the world. Is your context for exercising and eating about deprivation or about support?
- SELF MANAGEMENT: loving self first, caring for self first, being aware of how you’re feeling and what you need in order to do great in the world. Do you give to everyone else before giving to self? If so it is your responsibility to change that, no one else can do it for you.
It’s a fabulous time of year, the festive season is kicking in and we have more to do than ever but we can also feel a little weary and tired. If that’s you and you’re feeling a little depleted and need a courageous kick-start maybe the answer is to look at the internal workings of courage rather than the external manifestation. It may be the very thing that sets you up for fearless finish to 2015.
Chief MissChiefMAKER and founder of She Business, Suzy Jacobs spends her days transforming her own life and the lives of women around her.
A passionate advocate of financial freedom for women she works tirelessly to create a platform for business owners and entrepreneurs to access the wisdom and expertise of Australia’s top mentors, coaches and consultants on a regular basis at an affordable price. She is the creator of Fearless, the festive season event that has rocked Sydney every December since 2008.
Website: shebusiness.com
Twitter: @SuzyJacobs
Facebook: SHE Business Australia