Are you comparing yourself to your competitors and getting discouraged about your own business?
A client of mine recently told me that one of the challenges preventing her from moving forward in her business is self-comparison to everyone else in her industry and as a result, her sluggish motivation. I thought to myself, “been there, done that” and know the havoc that seemingly innocent activity can cause,
IF you’re not rooted in knowing of who you are and what your business purpose is all about.
A healthy dose of competitive research is good, but when it gets to the point when you are comparing and contrasting all of your competitors to yourself and your business, this is where we get into dangerous territory.
This is the reality:
1. It doesn’t really matter that much who the competition is and watching every move they make.
2. It doesn’t really matter how many other entrepreneurs are out there working in the same industry as you.
Don’t get me wrong, we need to understand our competitive landscape, but when it comes to growing our own business, it needs to be done from within, not without. We can’t be held hostage to what our competition is doing at every turn, because the more time we focus on them, the less time we focus on ourselves.
Another reality: the market is big enough for ALL of us. How many clients do you actually need to hit your revenue and lifestyle goals?
You can definitely go from feeling de-motivated to feeling energized and enthusiastic about yourself and your business again. Spend some time working through these questions, rather than obsessing over the competition and see what happens.
What makes me unique in my offering?
- Write your personal story on one page
- Jot down the values and beliefs that guide your business style and approach
What is my specialty/niche?
- Describe your target audience and their specific pain points
- Think about how you are positioning yourself to be the solution to their problems
As always, I’d love to hear from you. What are some of the business challenges preventing YOU from moving forward in your business? Please share your comments in the box below, or drop me a note on my Facebook page.
Confidence comes from being rooted in knowing who you are and what your business purpose is.
Love this abundance thinking, Michelle!
Now, I learned from Wyatt Woodsmall (http://www.wyattwoodsmall.com/) that there are 3 comparisons that leave me feel discouraged (and oh boy do I agree):
1. Comparing myself with other experts
2. Comparing myself with my ideal
3. Comparing myself with my teachers
He taught that a better, healthier and more empowering comparison would be comparing myself with a “previous self”. In other words, look back and see how far I came.
Now, the above, in my opinion and as you noted, doesn’t mean not to aspire to be better, do better and have better like others. However, it is the uniqueness in you that makes you another expert, teacher and ideal.
What comes to mind?