Second-guessing your business decisions is the worst thing you can do. While scaling and exiting my first business I learned doubt is deadly.
Any uncertainty you feel ripples through your business. It affects your team’s confidence. Even your clients can feel it.
3 ways doubt sabotages success and what to do about it:
1. Loss Aversion. You know that voice in your head that says, “You’re making a mistake. Don’t do it, it’s too risky.” It usually happens right after you decide to try something new.
It’s your brain telling you it’s safer to stay the same. It’s safer than risking what you have for the potential to grow your business.
Don’t listen.
Many large-scale studies confirm that loss aversion is hardwired into our brains. While it may have served us well as cavemen, it’s not the right strategy for growing your business.
The next time you think about taking a risk, fight loss aversion. Do this by priming your mind. Tell yourself that each option has the potential to work.
Given that assumption, which choice best aligns with your growth goals?
2. Decision Fatigue. Agonizing over decisions leads to decision fatigue. Like raising your prices, choosing new software, and revising your remote work policy.
It’s a relentless drain on your mental energy and makes decisions harder. Don’t wait for the perfect moment or the perfect decision. Decide, act, and then check the results.
You can always decide again.
3. The Myth of the “Right” Decision. Here’s the biggest secret of all: there’s never only one right decision! There’s the decision you make, and you make it right, with the way you think, feel, and act afterward.
Two business owners can make the exact same decision. One secretly thinks it’s too risky, feels uncertain, and doesn’t commit—that’s why it doesn’t work.
The other thinks, “I’ll either get what I want or get more information, and either way I win.” They move forward with confidence and energy.
Guess which one is more successful in the end?
Fortune favors the bold. Take decisive action in business.
Do you feel trapped, exhausted and frustrated by your business? I grew my business by turning it in to an asset and making it work for me. You can too. Check out my book, Loving Your Business.
