Dear Brian
Welcome to September, the first week of this new Term. No matter how old we are, September always feels like a new beginning, and we can make it that way.
We can start anew with a renewed energy and perhaps many of us feel we need that. This week’s ponderings are reflecting on a deep conversation some of our BIP100 Members were having on a ‘Let’s Talk’ Session I love to hold each month.
‘Let’s Talk’ is an opportunity to fully enjoy the culture of openness and kindness that we foster in our community and it is an important feature of any community as this is about closing the gap between the identity we hold onto for the external world and the truth we have. That gap, the gap between our identity and our truth, can be where our real needs lie. These sessions are for us all to be real, and as one of our BIPPers said once to us, “why is it so hard to tell the truth about our lives, and business, to people?” – I think that is what I am going to ponder for next week.
So, during this ‘Let’s Talk’ session, as we neared the end of a challenging summer for many in business, we had an open chat, and it was very powerful and levelling. One of the reasons we foster this culture of openness is driven by the beliefs Thomas and I have, and the fact that anyone that has read my book, ‘Business Is Personal’ certainly knows everything about our business journey and how we overcame the mental and emotional challenges of it. We have no secrets, we only live in truth and we normalise the reality of business, no one has a linear journey through life.
One of our esteem BIPPers, James Knight, shared some amazing words with us all about the need for confidence in a challenging economy. The importance of having confidence in ourselves.
James stated how it takes confidence to make decisions, and in a challenging economy our confidence can be impacted. This can make decision making slower, it can take longer to make decisions to spend money. When we are in a fear economy, confidence to invest in new ways of working is harder and takes more thought.
So, we discussed how confidence grows through successful experiences, less success equals less confidence. We all need to create moments of success and notice them. We need to create successful experiences that keep us believing in ourselves. Therefore, being among people who believe in us is critical.
Having been through a number of economic downturns, I know that we also have to be thicker skinned. We need to accept rejection, the conversion rates are lower and in order to overcome those feelings of rejection, we need to spend time with those who you know that love you and respect you and give you good feedback. We all agreed the power of community that enables you to chat and raise your energy and confidence. Maybe talk longer with your best client, discover how grateful they are for your expertise. Discover the real impact you have had.
As we go into this new term, my pondering to you is, don’t shut yourself away. The best ideas often come from the random conversations with another business owner or colleagues and, finally, remember what you are most confident about, growing your confidence is about focusing on the aspect of you that gives you the most confidence.
We must all remain strong about what we are good at, and focus on that niche brilliance we have, and let the world see us shine.
Have a super week and thank you for joining me. My joy is writing and sharing thoughts, and I hope they have given you something to ponder about this week.
With love
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Penny