How to overcome mindset hurdles?

My message to all the entrepreneurs. Being an entrepreneur of India, I know life can be hard yet rewarding. The life of an entrepreneur in India is a roller coaster ride. With its own set of highs and lows. Some days dedicated to a step ahead and some days dedicated to hard lessons.

My entrepreneur journey was not about a manufacturing or marketing startup. It was more about the emotional baggage that held me back. The struggle was to fight with my negative thoughts and surroundings. 

More than the funding and the organization my entrepreneurship got delayed because of my thought process. The opinions and the mindset that I am now habitual to ignoring were once the biggest focus of my life. It was something that kept the writer in me in a burrow.

Writing has always been my hobby, rather it’s been my passion since my early teenage years. But never could I imagine that I had the talent to write something good. I just scribbled anything and everything that crossed my mind. Some stories that happened around me and some stories that happened just in my head. But never did I share it with anyone. It was all just in my personal journal.

It never occurred to me in my wildest dreams that my writing had the potential to turn heads around.

Honestly, I don’t blame anyone for my low confidence. It so happened that no one around me (family, friends) had a thought process like me. So being a writer was a big thing for me. Of Course, I believed that we need superpowers to be super talented.

The journey of an entrepreneur of India.

Entrepreneurship didn’t start for me in a blink of an eye. My work, my passion had no place in my routine.  Being an entrepreneur, starting my own new business seemed like a dream to me. A distant dream.

When I got married, my habit of writing didn’t stop. And quite often I shared my write-ups with my husband. He always asked me why don’t publish my articles somewhere?

I never took his suggestions seriously because I always thought that he appreciates what I write because he loves me. 

But the honest truth was that the thought of publishing my work seemed like a huge victory. A victory that I thought I was incapable of achieving. (My limiting belief) 

And what stopped me the most was the thought that many Indian entrepreneurs go through, (especially women) low self-confidence. 

Thoughts that become a hurdle in an entrepreneur’s life

Whenever I thought about writing or sharing my views a number of questions came to mind that made me procrastinate on my growth. Some of the questions were:

• What if no one likes what I write?
• What if people laugh reading my write ups?
• Do I really have the talent?
• What if my thoughts (write ups) are not something people can resonate with?
• What if I fail?
• And the biggest fear of all, for every Indian entrepreneur is,  What if I become a topic of discussion for my relatives? (Log kya kahein gay?)

There were so many questions of self-doubt that stopped me.  I am sure every entrepreneur goes through such internal thoughts. The hurdles often become a full stop in their career.

The what-ifs stopped me long enough.

But my thoughts pulled me down only till I hit rock bottom. And that time came with the realization that my strengths are far bigger than my fears.  

But that day of self-belief didn’t come with magic. The confidence came with a lot of tears, hard work, and failure.

How I became an entrepreneur.

To encourage my love for writing (and out of boredom ) I started publishing tiny bits of my writing on social media. (This happened  when covid hit the world, in the beginning of 2020.) With a hidden identity and mindset, I began my journey.

I was not expecting anything so every like and comment gave me goosebumps.  Literally, every comment made me jump up with excitement.

Every piece that I published became a stepping stone in my growth. Growth towards being confident, self-reliant, and self-appreciative.

Now, this process of growth didn’t come easy to me, The indescribable fears were huge, such that it made me sweat. I felt anxious because the “what ifs” were hitting hard on me. Honestly, They still do.

But, every time I felt anxious, sad, or scared I chose to follow the 5-second rule. I counted backward (5-4-3-2-1) in my head and did what my brain signaled was correct.

Life Coaching an entrepreneur of India

Today, as a life coach, I understand that our brain doesn’t want to try anything out of our comfort zone. 

It is very convenient for the human brain to go on auto mode and do what it is habitual of doing. Anything out of the routine becomes difficult and our brain refuses to put in the effort.

Going to the gym, starting a new career, or trying a new dish. Whatever it is that is out of your comfort zone becomes the functional zone for you.

Everything comes with its own set of fears and we avoid indulging in them.

Our brain has two modes, functional and autopilot mode.

When our brain is in functional mode it has to do the hard work. Our brain then has to think, imply, calculate and command our body to take physical action. Whereas the autopilot mode for our brain is very simple. No logical thinking is required when our brain is in autopilot mode. 

For example, when brushing our teeth we hit autopilot mode. We don’t follow any logic or any particular movements while brushing our teeth. It’s just all set on an autopilot mode in our brain, which becomes very convenient. 

 And since our brain is lazy to be always set on functional mode, starting anything new becomes difficult. That is why we think of all the possible reasons to not do anything new. We feel scared, sad and start doubting ourselves. 

What changed my mindset and made me an entrepreneur of India?

 The shift in mindset happens with time and experience. And that’s exactly what happened to me.

I was very comfortable in my uncomfortable situation. It was okay for me to not publish my write-ups. It felt right to be just a stay-at-home mom.  

But when strangers started appreciating my work, I realized that there was more in me than I thought. 

But everything comes at its price. It was not just a bed of roses and accomplishments. The irony of the situation was that strangers boosted my confidence. But my family didn’t actually understand what I was up to!

Few of my friends appreciated and others chose to say, “This all leads to nothing. Not every entrepreneur of India succeeds. Chuck it. Don’t try.”

I obviously felt bad about all the negative comments. Often cried and slept and felt vulnerable too. But this also made me egoistic for good. 

I started thinking,

Who are they to comment on my life? 

Who gives the right to them?

How dare anyone think that I lack any given skill of life!

Why can’t I succeed?

What every Indian entrepreneur should think.

Every Indian entrepreneur goes through the battle of self-doubt when they start following their heart.  And some of us lose this battle with ourselves and become a hurdle in our own growth.

I learned through my experience that the correct mindset can make us fly high in life. 

I shifted me what if’s in the other direction.

• What if I try?
• What if I succeed and actually shine bright?
• What if my writing changes someone’s life?

• What if I become so good at it that my children feel proud of me?
• What if the people’s opinion that I keep thinking about our actually not even bothered about my life. 
• What if I follow my passion and conquer my dreams?

Conclusion: The biggest battle to be won by an Indian entrepreneur in his/her own mindset. Materialistic things can be achieved if you believe in your strengths and capabilities.