This Personal Resource Makes the Difference Between Success and Failure

As a self-employed professional in the healing arts, you may have already realized that your success in business depends on much more than your graduate or post-grad education. Yes, there are business operations that to be learned and tended, and marketing strategies and techniques that need to be honed.

But even more than these practical application elements of being in business for yourself, what makes the difference between success and failure is your inner dialogue. What you tell yourself about what you do and don't like about the work of getting clients, what you can and can't do in promoting yourself, and what is okay or not okay in helping prospective clients select you as their provider will determine how long you stay in business.

The most valuable personal resource any of us can have is a mindset of success, and the follow-through to put it into action. This starts with not just telling ourselves some specific confidence and trust building statements, but whole-heartedly believing them as well. Statements like:

• I am good enough to specialize in any area of interest I choose to focus on
• I know more than the people who come to see me about how to help them
• My training makes me a specialist in helping resolve issues, find and treat causes, or move others forward
  
• I can figure out how to market without being manipulative or "cheesy"
• Promoting my services gives people choices and information, and that's a good thing
  
• The more I appropriately reveal about myself, the more people will like and trust me as a provider
• I can take small risks in building my practice, and enjoy small successes that lead to bigger ones
• If I make a mistake, I know where to get help to recover from it
  

I recommend developing a mantra or belief chant that will help reinforce the positive mindset that's needed to keep you focused and determined. Taking small risks and moving forward require confidence and trust, and the pay off in terms of business success is enormous.