If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right. -Henry Ford
What does the following story have to do with successful entrepreneurship? Plenty.
Once upon a time, in an enchanted land of bucolic green mountails, there was a blended household consisting of three children and two parents. Two of the children belonged to the father and one belonged to the mother from previous marriages.
The three children were all close in age, all the same sex. Economically and educationally they were all similar. They were well-mannered, good, sweet, well-loved kids.
One day, the children rescued a baby mouse from the jaws of their pet cat. The mouse was in shock and the children decided to nurse it back to health. They put it in a large plastic container and fed it with an eyedropper. They gave it raisins and kernels of corn which the mouse ate. They spent hours watching the mouse for signs of improvement.
The parents warned the children that the mouse would probably die. Mice caught by domestic cats often don't survive the trauma, and after all, the mouse was a wild animal not intended to live in a large plastic container. The children, undaunted, decided to care for the mouse as long as they could.
On the third day in captivity, the children discovered the mouse had died.
The two children that belonged to the father ranted and raved angrily. They blamed their father for the mouse's death because he had put the mouse's cage in the garage the night before (it was summer and not cold in the garage.) They noisily screamed and yelled at the father, claiming the mouse's death was all his fault.
The child who belonged to the mother said, "It's sad, but oh well, at least we gave the mouse a few good days at the end of its life, " as she got on with her own daily routine.
Same situation, same household, similar children, different responses. Why? Learned beliefs.
Beliefs are learned ways of looking at the world. We teach our children a whole slew of beliefs before they can even speak. Luckily, these beliefs are not written in stone. We can choose to unlearn the beliefs that hurt us and replace them with healthy reframed thoughts.
As entrepreneurs, we are forced to face and debunk many old beliefs if we are to succeed.
Do any of these sound familiar?
To disassemble tired old beliefs you must:
Beliefs are about more than positive thinking. Beliefs are about more than seeing the glass half full or half empty. It's about reframing your words (i.e., finding new words to support what you want, rather than using your words to focus your thoughts on what you don't want). It doesn't happen overnight. You must practice daily.
What does this children and the mouse story have to do with entrepreneurial pursuits? Plenty. Just look at the beliefs of three similar children to recognize the power of how we observe our world and what we are taught as children.
What are you teaching your children? What are you teaching yourself? How do your beliefs affect how you run your business?
If you think you can build a successful small business, you can.
If you think you can't build a successful small business, you won't.
Copyright 2005, Ann Zuccardy, All rights reserved.
Ann Zuccardy is a freelance technical and copy writer with 17 years of industry experience in marketing and technical communication. For engaging copy with heart, soul, and humor, Ann's your gal. Visit the blog where Ann documents her own business marketing makeover at: Vermont Shortbread Company Blog.