Two Common Myths That Might Be Keeping You From Your Success

There are a lot of common myths that entrepreneurs tend to buy into that keep

us from achieving the success we want, and from creating businesses on our own terms. Many of them are deeply embedded in our Western culture and the beliefs our society holds, so it’s hard to break free from the constraints of these limiting ideas.

Two of the biggest myths I’ve seen my clients fall prey to as they start new businesses or make a move to take their company to the next level (and that I’ve fallen into myself) are the idea of perfectionism and the fear of failure. These two things, more than almost anything else, hold people back from ever achieving their goals, and in far too many cases, keep them from even trying in the first place.

The idea of perfectionism holds us back because nothing is ever good enough, or ever quite ready to be released into the world. So, for instance, something like the belief that your Juicy 30-Second Introduction isn’t exactly perfect, or that you still need to tweak the wording on your business card, might keep you from attending a networking meeting that could connect you with the ideal joint venture partner.

Failure is a myth that works in a different way in that it’s guaranteed to come true … at least in some sense. When you create and build a business on your own, there is no doubt that some of the things you try to do are not going to work out. What you have to remember though, is that those small “failures” do not mean that YOU are a failure, or that your business is one. It just means that what you tried wasn’t a good fit for you, or didn’t yield the results you were going for, so you need to keep looking for something that will work.

The good news is that you can begin to get past both of these limiting myths simply by being able to recognize them when they come into play. Once you’re able to identify when the ideas of perfectionism and failure are starting to inhibit your forward momentum, you can then take steps to dispel them to get yourself back on track.

Perfectionism can be overcome when you find a way to let good be good enough. Obviously you don’t want to run out to pitch your signature talk using your first draft, but you also don’t want to miss out on great opportunities because you don’t feel that one line in version 24 quite hits the mark. It’s about finding a balance and understanding that nothing is ever going to feel 100% perfect. And that’s totally okay.

Failure is something that my dear friend and Head Juicy Marketing Coach, Kim Carpenter likes to think of as “feedback,” which is something I can really resonate with, and maybe you can, too. What she says is that all of those so-called “failures” we experience as entrepreneurs are actually valuable feedback that we can use to learn from and build on as we continue our journey to success. And when you think of it in that sense, rather than seeing tougher experiences as a bad thing, you can begin to embrace them as an opportunity for growth, and be grateful for a deeper understanding of what does and doesn’t work for you.

Are perfectionism and failure myths that you’ve embraced in your business? How have they limited you and held you back from success as an entrepreneur? More importantly, how do you think you might dispel them so you can embrace new possibilities?