The Morning Mindset

Transform Anxiety into Action: Practical Tips for Business Growth

August 16, 2024 Craig Skelton Season 1 Episode 35

What if 85% of your worries never actually happen? Imagine liberating yourself from the paralyzing grip of worry and redirecting that energy towards building your business and achieving your goals. In our latest episode of the Morning Mindset Podcast, Craig Skelton shares indispensable insights and practical strategies to help self-employed individuals tackle worry head-on. We delve into the fascinating statistic that a vast majority of our worries never materialize and explore why embracing uncertainty and letting go of perfection can be game-changers for your entrepreneurial journey.

Join us as we uncover actionable steps to reframe your thoughts, focus on positive outcomes, and take consistent actions to move forward. Craig emphasizes the power of mindfulness and small, deliberate steps that accumulate into significant progress. This episode is packed with motivational advice designed to help you shift your mindset from fear to control, making it easier to navigate the highs and lows of self-employment. Tune in for a morning boost that will equip you with the tools to conquer your worries and propel your business to new heights!

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Looking for one to one mentoring, visit my website to see how it works craigskelton.co.uk

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Morning Mindset Podcast with me, craig Skelton. Each day, we kick off your morning with positivity, actionable insights and the motivation you need to conquer the day ahead. Whether you're looking to develop a positive mindset, a habit of persistence or simply starting your day on the right foot, this podcast is your daily dose of inspirational and practical advice. Today's podcast is on a topic that hits home for many of us, those of us who are self-employed and working hard to build a business. We're talking about worry, specifically why 85% of what you worry about never actually happens and why, as someone who's self-employed, it's so important to stop worrying and start taking control of your life and your business.

Speaker 1:

Worrying is part being human. It's our brain's way of trying to protect us from potential dangers. But the truth is, most of those dangers never happen. They never materialise. In fact, studies have shown that around 85% of the things we worry about never actually happen. And the 15 percent of those things that do, the majority of us find that we're more than capable of handling the situation when that arises. So let's break it down for a moment.

Speaker 1:

We spend so much of our precious mental energy on scenarios that never actually happen, but when you're self-employed, this tendency to worry can be especially crippling. Why? Because your business, your income and your success are all on your shoulders. There's no safety net, there's no boss to fall back on, no guarantee that things are going to work out. The stakes feel really high and that makes it even easier to spiral into worry. But the truth is worrying doesn't change anything, it doesn't make you better prepared. It just doesn't solve the problems. All it does is drain your energy and cloud your judgment.

Speaker 1:

What can you do instead? How can you shift from worrying to take control? The answer lies in understanding a few key principles. The first thing is embrace uncertainty and let go of perfection. You've got to first of all embrace the fact that uncertainty is part of life, especially in the world of business ownership, of being self-employed. When you're self-employed, you're going along a path that's never been gone before. There will be days where, when things will go wrong, clients will not answer your calls, cases will fall through, the markets will shift, but guess what? That's okay, it's part of the journey.

Speaker 1:

Instead of worrying about every possible outcome, focus on what you can control your actions, your attitude and your responses to those challenges. Perfectionism is a close cousin of worry. We worry because we want things to go perfectly, but perfection is just an illusion. Aim for progress, not perfection. Progress happens when you take consistency. Progress happens when you take consistent, deliberate actions, no matter how small, towards our goals, and that is something that you can control.

Speaker 1:

The second thing is reframe your thoughts. When you catch yourself spiraling into worry, stop, just stop. Pause and ask yourself is this something that I can control? If the answer is no, then just let it go. If the answer is yes, then ask yourself what's the worst that can happen and how likely is that outcome? The chances are the worst case scenario is not as catastrophic as your mind is making it out to be. And once you've acknowledged the worst case scenario, you shift your focus to the best case scenario. What if things go right? What if I do get that client? My business does take off? Train your brain to focus on positive possibilities and find that worrying loses its grip on you.

Speaker 1:

Third thing is take action, no matter how small the action is. Worry thrives on inaction when you're stuck in a loop of what if, what if? And you're not moving forward. Action, on the other hand, breaks that cycle. Even the smallest step can create momentum and shift your focus from fear to progress. If you're worried about not having enough clients reach out to those potential leads, go back to those potential leads. If you're worried about cash flow, sit down and review your incomings and outgoings. Take one small step today and then another one tomorrow. Each action you take brings you close to your goals and further away from worry.

Speaker 1:

And the fourth thing is mindfulness. Worrying pulls you into the future, a place that doesn't even exist yet. Mindfulness anchors you in the present, where you have the power to act. When you're fully present, you're not consumed about what could go wrong tomorrow. You're focused on what you can do today, about what could go wrong tomorrow. You focused on what you can do today and practice mindfulness through meditation, breathing or simply just taking a few moments each day to pause and observe your thoughts without judgment. The more you practice this, the more you do it, the more you'll find yourself living in the moment rather than worrying about the future.

Speaker 1:

And the fifth thing is build a support system. As someone who's self-employed, it's easy to feel like you're alone in the struggles, but you're not. Surround yourself with like-minded individuals who understand the highs and lows of business ownership, share your concerns, seek advice and offer that support in return. Sometimes just talking things through, talking them through about your will with someone else can actually bring clarity and a different perspective. Remember your mind is incredibly powerful. The thoughts you entertain shape reality.

Speaker 1:

If you're constantly worrying about what could go wrong, you're setting yourself up for stress, anxiety and burnout. But if you shift your focus to what you can control your actions, your mindset, your responses you're stepping into a position of power. And you've got this you're capable of handling whatever comes your way. And the next time you catch yourself worrying about something that might happen, remind yourself that 85% of what you worry about never actually does. So let go of the worry, take a deep breath and take the next step forward. So that's it.

Speaker 1:

That's today's episode of the morning mindset. I hope you found this some value in today's topic and feel inspired to tackle the day with a renewed sense of purpose and control. If you enjoyed this episode, then please share it, please subscribe, please review it and, yeah, it just helps us to reach more people who could use that motivation, that morning motivation. And remember you're in control. Stop worrying about and remember you're in control. Stop worrying, start doing and keeping more moving forward. Stop worrying, start doing, keep moving forward. Have an amazing day, stay motivated, stay focused, stay positive. Run your own race.