Is your feeling of not being good enough holding back your business?

Maybe you’re always worrying that people will find out you’re not the expert and you’re constantly thinking ‘who am I to say this?’ 

Perhaps you’re worried about what people will say or criticise something you’ve said?

If you were nodding away to any of that then this week’s podcast with performance and mindset coach Osmaan Sharif is a must-listen to help you get out of this way of thinking.

Discover why reframing your mindset to how you’re helping people is key to ditching those mindset gremlins!

We can think so many horrible things about ourselves so it’s really important for our pet businesses to find a way of stopping this so we can thrive. 

You can listen to to podcast on the player link below or carry on reading as a blog post.

Osmaan’s background 

Osman left the corporate world 14 years ago, after falling in love Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP).

Since then he’s worked with business owners, particularly those who had a corporate career before helping them overcome the obstacles that are part of growing a business.

What would his advice be for pet businesses?

We’ve all been there, feeling like we can’t possibly be an expert in our field, but it’s this mindset that prevents us from going further. 

This stops us from putting ourselves out there for fear of being judged.

Osmaan explains: ”One way around this is to remind ourselves why we are doing what we’re doing, and put the emphasis on the people that we help.

“This can flip your way of thinking, to have thoughts like ‘well how can I help any one if they don’t know I exist?’ 

“I ask them ‘why are you doing this in the first place?’ and ‘how do we help you to make life easier for yourself?’

“Take the emphasis off you and think about how you can help others.”  

How perfectionism can lead to us feeling stuck and stop us reaching our potential

Do you look back at things that you’ve done 10 years or even six months ago and cringe? You’re not alone! 

Osmaan says reflection can be a good thing because we see how far we have progressed, and taking imperfect action moves us forward.

He added: “So many people wait for the perfect moment, but that gets in their way.

“Instead I would encourage people to get themselves out there and see what happens, because it’s better to do that than wait two, three or five years or never get it perfect!”

But what if people make fun of us or think badly of us?

I’ve had this thought so many times, especially when I first started out, worrying about what other people might say or think about me. 

Osmaan said: “We can really worry about what other people think, whether that’s friends, peers, colleagues, or collaborators, but these people aren’t our potential customers.

“This worry can stop us in so many ways. So what I would ask you is ‘Who is this for?’ Think of your client, the people you help.

“You’re not doing this for your sister, high school boyfriend or girlfriend, so who cares if they see it and what they think?”

What if I don’t have all the answers to be ‘an expert’?

Not knowing all the things can be a thought that can hold us back, but Osmaan explained that you don’t need to know EVERYTHING to put yourself out there. 

He said: “I see a lot of people scared to put themselves out there because they feel like they need to be ‘the hero’ in the story who has all the knowledge.

“But the truth is you don’t necessarily need all the answers, instead you can become ‘the guide’ that can bring a different perspective.

“You make your client, your success story, the ‘hero’ of the story, and you are the ‘guide’ who gave them the tools to get them to the place where they wanted to be.”

How to put yourself out there…

Osmaan says it’s important to find a way of promoting yourself that feels comfortable and not to be swayed or distracted by others.

How often have you been told you need to be on a platform, or do video, or Clubhouse?

Osmaan explains: “It’s important to recognise your personality and what feels right for you. 

“I use a tool called Wealth Dynamics with my clients that takes into account your personality and skills.

“It stops us taking the hardest route and instead looks at the easiest way to do it.

“We can look at others and think we should do what they’re doing, but this can stop us working out the best way for us which is more authentic.” 

How to overcome Imposter Syndrome

It’s hard to find a person who doesn’t struggle with Imposter Syndrome and the advice on how to overcome it is to acknowledge it. 

“If you’re comparing yourself to someone else’s business, you might say, ‘is it fair for me to be comparing myself?’” says Osmaan.

“Be logical about it, you couldn’t make a fair comparison between a two year old business and a 12 year old business.

“Imposter Syndrome can help us to smoke out our limiting beliefs, so we might notice a thought that says we’re ‘not good enough’ or ‘we’ve not been to university.’

“If you can notice these thoughts, you can identify how they’re holding you back, and start to question these limiting beliefs.

“Instead of looking at the surface, look at what’s going on underneath. What are the stories and beliefs that are limiting your behaviour?

“When we identify these, that’s when we can change them.”

How to stop putting the brakes on your business potential

When we have something really significant that we want to put out into the world, it can be overwhelming.

Fear of failure and even fear of success, strange as it sounds, can hold us back.

When it comes to self sabotage, Osmaan says: “It goes back to being curious around it, asking yourself questions about what’s happening, and notice how you’re feeling.

“Typically this could be a lot of negative emotions or baggage from the past. Sometimes it’s fear of failure.

“But on the flip side it could also be the fear of success.

“Most of the time, we know what’s causing it but we need to bring it to the surface. When you recognise it, you can explore it and figure it out.”

How can you explore these feelings?

Try to find some time to challenge yourself and dig deep on why you are having negative thoughts and feelings to see where they come from.

He said: “There’s a lot of different tools to work out what’s happening below the surface. I love NLP because it’s about reprogramming our minds at an unconscious level.

“Knowledge is power, so when you can stop and recognise what’s going on, you can recognise how to move forward. 

“When you know what it is, that’s where the magic happens.” 

Find out more about Osmaan Sharif

Osmaan has a weekly podcast with advice and strategies for business owners around mindset.

You can take his free quiz to work out which areas to focus on in your business, which are Design, Mindset and Strategy.

He works with clients on a 90 day coaching programme and Get Out Your Way accelerator.

(I took part in the beta and it was brilliant! Do let me know if you have any questions about it!)

You can find out more on his website, https://www.rapidtransformation.co.uk/

Take the Get Out Your Way quiz on Osmaan’s website:  www.rapidtransformation.co.uk

Tune into the podcast: https://www.rapidtransformation.co.uk/podcast/

If you enjoyed this episode, you might like to listen to or read How to find your voice in your pet business content with Rikki Sullivan or What to do if your peers criticise you online.