Grow Your Business By Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

If you're considering opening your private practice, fear is one thing that keeps many therapists from taking the leap. Is that true for you?

Going out of your comfort zone is, well, uncomfortable. Doing what it takes to build a business despite anxiety and imposter syndrome is challenging. Growth frequently comes with challenges.

Some of the challenges may be outside of your control. Others are within your control. Some are in the external world and some are within you.

Imposter syndrome, feeling like you don't deserve the success, feeling like you got here by luck or circumstance and not your own work can hold you back, but are within you and within your control to change. Lean into these challenges.

Opening a business takes courage and determination because it won't always bring results immediately. However it is often exciting and freeing to go into private practice and be in charge of your own schedule, income, and clientele.

But fear of the unknown is powerful. Will you have enough money when you take the leap to pay your bills? Will you build up fast enough? How do you even start a business? What directories do you use and is it worth the money? What if you don't like private practice?

Fear of the unknown is hardwired into us. Way back in the day, it kept us alive by being wary of eating the wrong things, unknown sounds in the woods, etc. Even today it keeps us alive by preventing us from taking unnecessary risks.

Opening a private practice won't kill you. It is safe but your survival brain doesn't know that. Your survival brain is just trying to protect you from potential danger. Anxiety and imposter syndrome may try to stand in your way. But that doesn’t mean you have to let it. You have something great to offer. Help your community heal one person at a time (or more of you do group therapy) with a private practice.

Opening a private practice or small business is challenging but rewarding. And opening a therapy private practice does nothing but good for your community.

Try this: Challenge yourself to do one thing out of your comfort zone every day for 5 days in a row? Once you do 5 days, can you challenge yourself to do more (increment it how you feel you’ll be most successful). Eventually you’ll reach 30 days…90 days…365 days…it’ll be habit before you know it.

Every time you do something outside of your comfort zone or challenge yourself, you are strengthening muscles in your brain. Just like muscles in the body, it is important to keep the brain muscles strong as well.

Try this: Notice the negative thoughts and the fears. Notice what you say to yourself that leads to imposter syndrome. Now, take one of those thoughts and each time you think it, reframe it or get rid of it. See yourself throwing that thought in the trash. Whenever you see a trash basket, think about what you’ve told yourself throughout the day; do you need to throw anything away? Seeing the trashcan is a good physical reminder if you struggle to remember new things.

With those two techniques in hand, if your fears and limiting beliefs are still holding you back, it may be time to hire a coach. I've been there with the anxiety and imposter syndrome. And despite both, I've built two successful businesses. My coaching business, Lifestyle Reboot helps starting entrepreneurs, like you, manage anxiety and imposter syndrome so you can live the life you only thought possible in other people or in dreams.

Schedule your clarity call with me to learn how to start making marketing your business habitual or overcome the anxiety and imposter syndrome keeping you back from having a more successful business! If you still need to a bit more time, take a look around my site.