It’s a thrilling prospect – turning your idea into a huge success! Creating a thriving company, finding financial success, earning respect, and joining the ranks of modern day superheros like Steve Jobs, Marissa Mayer, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk.
Being an entrepreneur is an exciting ride, but it is also an emotional roller coaster with drops, turns, and spins. One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is not dealing with the emotional impact of the job. It’s much easier to focus on investors, analytics, and finances than your personal emotional and mental health.
Why Entrepreneur Psychology is Important
A secret most people don’t know is that your emotional life affects every aspect of your business. It’s true! We are all driven by unconscious motives; not being aware of those and letting them run the show can sabotage your best efforts. Your level of self-awareness, balance, and emotional health is directly related to the amount of success you can achieve.
Ignoring your mental health until symptoms like depression, anxiety, and relationship difficulties require attention is like waiting to address aspects of your company until it’s on its last leg.
Here are some ways you can tip the scales of success in your favor:
You are your company’s best asset. It’s easy to get sucked into working 80-hour weeks to make your dreams come true, but be honest about the impact it has on your own well-being. Throw in some self-care where you can. Whether it’s an early morning yoga class, closing your office door for a 5-minute meditation, or reserving one night a week for family time, you need as much consideration as your company.
You are not your company. Connecting your self-worth to your company’s worth is dangerous and destructive. A healthy separation between your personal life and work life is necessary for success, but often difficult to manage. Can you identify areas where this boundary is blurry in your life?
Know yourself inside and out. This could also be titled, “beware of what is lurking in the background”. Have you ever heard that 80% of communication is unconscious? It’s true – through tone of voice, gestures, and attitude you communicate more than you realize, which impacts all of your business dealings. However, by exploring your unconscious world, you can gain more control.