Confidence and Business

Q:I'm one of those people who, in over fifty years of living and trying with both success and failures, has always managed to maintain his confidence in his ability to get things done. However, in the last year, somehow all that confidence has just suddenly vanished, and for once, I am not too sure of what to do about the problem.

A:Now, I recognise that I'm not afraid of rejection. In fact, there are very few things I'm afraid to try. So, the obvious aproach of simply facing up to a fear is not one that works. The thing is, I know that for a consultant/business advisor/trainer, the only thing that gets results is that kind of confidence. I just don't know how to get it back... I know what you feel. I work alone from a home office, so at times, it's difficult to get started. So, each night before I retire, I write an ACTION LIST of things to do for the next day. As I go through my day, I draw a line through each item as I complete it. Even if it's as basic as "check email", as I see several items checked off, it's kind of motivating to see that I'm actually doing the things I planned on doing. If I don't create an action list, I just drift through my day. Then when night comes I kick myself for not doing the things I know I should have done. Sometimes it even gets difficult to sleep knowing I have a 12"+ stack of stuff to do, so I do my best to not skip creating an ACTION LIST each night. You know what's really motivating? Call someone who's really "peppie" and supportive, just so their enthusiasm will rub off onto you. If you have Dottie Walters' number (the lady from the speakers bureau) call her, and tell her you want to become a paid public speaker. She will be so motivating, it will lift you for the rest of the day. For me, I just get tired of the constant fight. Most of us would agree that small business is a work of love done mostly alone. Relating to friends who are NOT in business is a joke. No one can understand the daily difficulties and problems faced by an entrepreneur. They can't understand the drive that gets us up in the morning, keeps us going through the day, or gives us the internal strength to make decisions that can have a lasting affect on our families.