Can you believe we’re into the second quarter of the year already?
How has 2010 been for you? Did you set goals? If so, what kind of progress have you been making? Are you on track?
If you aren’t, you’ve got plenty of time to get on track to make 2010 your best year yet!
This month’s challenge will help you do just that.
The Savvy Freelancer’s April 2010 challenge is: Acquire a success mindset.
What’s Mindset Anyway?
Your “mindset” is made up of your attitudes and beliefs about everything: yourself, your work, the world.
It includes:
- what value you think you deliver to your clients
- what you believe your time is worth
- whether or not you believe that you deserve to be a six-figure freelancer
- how you define success and how it is achieved
… and many, many more!
Your mindset is the sum total of the inner monologue you deliver in your mind. All the scripts you’ve written from childhood and still carry to this day.
The Inner Game Is As Important As Your External Actions
I’m no Law of Attraction believer.
I do believe that our mindset influences our external behavior — and the effects they have on others and the world.
Maybe it’s the way our mindset shines through in the way we conduct ourselves, whether we do so with confidence and assurance or obvious self-doubt.
What I have observed in my own life is that, when I acquire a bigger mindset, bigger results follow.
Here’s an example:
If you will recall, I drastically increased my prices in January this year. This brought out a wave of self-doubt and insecurities. I didn’t feel I was deserving. I felt greedy and selfish and materialistic.
That’s when I realized I would never attract clients who are willing to pay my rates as long as I thought that way.
I needed a new mindset.
Slowly, I recognized the value of my services to my clients. I realized that I had an expertise they didn’t have, that would take them many months, maybe even years, and plenty of money to acquire for themselves.
I also decided that my freelancing was a real business. It’s not a “hobby business.” So I invested in getting the professional help I needed to make sure that the financial side of my business was solid.
I had to swallow hard at the cost, but strangely enough, the money did come to cover all of it — and more.
It helps, of course, that I’ve found new clients and have supportive contacts cheering me on.
Before I knew it, my mindset had changed. My confidence has increased and maybe, that has helped me to carry myself with more authority and professionalism, thus attracting higher-paying clients.
And now, guess what, I’ve increased my rates again!
So mindset is no airy-fairy-woo-woo stuff. It’s actually very practical.
Where Do I Find This “Success” Mindset?
Unfortunately, we can’t change our mindset as easily as we change hats.
In my experience, it changes slowly.
Here are some things that will help you “grow” your mindset:
- Awareness
Be aware of the inner monologue you have in your mind. Is it filled with put downs? Fear? Doubts? Judgement? False beliefs? Awareness is the beginning of change.
And according to my living-in-the-moment mentor, Marie Forleo, once you’re aware of your inner scripts, you don’t even have to do anything to try and change them. Just acknowledge them, and then go back to living in the present.
Say to yourself, “Oh here I am putting myself down again. Ok, I’m back (to the present and the task at hand).”
- Be the Best You Can Be
Ok, I know this sounds like a cheesy self-help book. What I mean is, be the best writer, designer, programmer, VA — whatever you are — you can be!
Invest time and money to sharpen your skills. Because when you know without a doubt that you’re good at what you’re doing, you can’t keep it a secret. It shows in your eyes, your posture, your writing, your words. And then the clients come.
- Get Inspired
Things aren’t always easy, not even for the smartest, best looking, wealthiest or most famous among us. Problems and challenges come. It helps to know that we can overcome these challenges and still come out on top.
For me, what really helps is to read about other people’s success stories. It’s inspiring to know that “overnight successes” actually took 10 years to happen.
Click here to download free motivational stories. (There’s an opt-in box on this page, but you can download the motivational stories without opting in, so enjoy!)
Final Thoughts
Acquiring a success mindset is actually a big challenge, and I don’t expect you to accomplish it in a month. For starters, at least become aware of what your existing mindset is.
For additional guidance about mindset, I recommend the following:
1. Breaking the Scarcity Mindset by Dave Navarro
2. The Strangest Secret for Succeeding in a Tough Economy by Ed Gandia
3. The Ultimate Key to Making Millions by Bernadette Doyle
How has your mindset been keeping you from being successful? And how do you plan to acquire a winning mindset? Do share in the comments below.
photo credit: h.koppdelaney
PS: For mastering both the internal and external games necessary to succeed as a freelancer, I highly recommend “The Wealthy Freelancer” by Ed Gandia, Pete Savage, and Steve Slaunwhite.
Excellent article Lexi.
I struggle with my mindset more than I’d like to admit. I have been following the suggestions you outline in this article and am finding them helpful.
When I first started being aware of my negative thoughts, I was actually surprised at how often they came. I’ve been paying attention, thinking Hmm, then getting back to my daily activities. And you and Marie are right, my limiting thoughts are less frequent. What’s really interesting, is that there is so much more room in my mind for possibilities and energy to move those possibilities forward.
Kelly Lynch
@Kelly – Thank you so much for sharing! I hope your experience will encourage other readers to become more aware of their mindset, too. You’re an inspiration!
This is something I’ve been working on since I started doing things online. I grew up in a family that settled with living from paycheck to paycheck. I knew there was something more and that’s what I have working on. But there have been times when that particular mindset has held me back.
When I got frustrated or things didn’t go right it’s easy to just settle with what’s going on. But you can’t make anything of yourself or your business that way.
So ya mindset can affect everything, great article Lexi
.-= Christopher Anderson´s last blog ..There Are No Limits =-.
Unfortunately, sometimes the people who love us most can unknowingly undermine our efforts to succeed. It pays to be selective about what we share with our loved ones
@Kelly – Thank you so much for sharing! I hope your experience will encourage other readers to become more aware of their mindset, too. You’re an inspiration!