When I was young girl starting out in the corporate world there was one saying that seemed to be a mantra;
There is no room for emotion in business!
Really?!!
Emotion was always seen as a weakness and not a strength. It was not ok to ‘feel’. However, this was the biggest contradiction as every sales and marketing department were trying to invoke feelings within their customers. Every manager was trying to invoke feelings of motivation, dedication and success within their teams. And EVERY business starts with a passion and purpose and from desire to create something that’s needed.
How the hell is there no room for emotion in business? Emotions are coursing through every part of a business – ANY business.
In my few years in the corporate world I started to believe I could never be a successful businesswoman because I had emotions. I was denied promotions and pay rises because I was a young girl who was too nice and still had much to learn about competition and ruthlessness. Apparently, this is what was needed to succeed, although neither of those traits are in any part of being. However, whilst this was occurring, my client retention rate was off the chart! My competitors couldn’t get through the door to see my clients. My big blue-chip company clients would phone me for a natter on their break. Looking back with hindsight, why on earth did I need to be competitive or ruthless? I was succeeding because I was being authentically me!
My clients and I had a built a relationship based on communication, honesty, trust and hard work. My clients felt I understood their needs and were happy to teach me if I didn’t. They felt and knew I had a desire to learn, serve and to understand. They felt safe with me and knew when they had a problem, I would do my very best to resolve it. I guided and empowered my clients through every contract or agreement we had together. I also took time to get to know them as a person.
You may be asking, so what does this have to do with my EFT business?
There are many mythical mantras and beliefs based in negativity surrounding business. We can absorb those mantras and before we know it, they are slipping off our own tongues as if they were fact. Actually, that’s when they become fact for us, well our subconscious brain anyway. We may consciously know that it’s not correct however emotionally at some point based on our insecurities or core beliefs we have bought into it. This is what can limit us in our own self-belief about creating a business. It can also cause us to have negative connotations towards the word business itself. When we identify these sayings and beliefs surrounding them we can release them and step into our success.
Do these sayings sound familiar?
'The artist should suffer for his art' 'You can't charge for helping someone'
One reason behind the saying ‘an artist had to suffer for his art’ was based on the emotional connection. How many people believe we only really connect with others when we bare our souls. It has to be traumatic to invoke emotion. Happy doesn’t sell! Well, all my pictures hanging on my walls are happy positive ones!
‘You can’t charge for helping someone’ … this is perhaps one of the biggest contradictions! Because nearly every business is, service or product based to help people to overcome an obstacle or need that they have. So, if this really was the case, there would be no businesses!
How do you feel towards the word business? What does it invoke in you? And are there any sayings / mantras that you have absorbed along the way?
I would love to know what you think, so please let me know in the comments below.
I will leave you with this little inspiration that came to me whilst I was writing this:
Business, when broken down should be:
