If you hear a voice within you saying, ''You are not a painter,'' then by all means paint… and that voice will be silenced.
Vincent Van Gogh

One of the biggest barriers to a profitable business is ourselves. Or to be more specific what we are saying to ourselves in our heads. This is what the Buddhists term 'Monkey Mind' - the self-criticizing aspect of our mind that swings us from doubt, to worry, and back to doubt. It's what a client affectionately calls "that incessant voice in my head that doesn't shut up!!"

If you've ever heard yourself saying things like
"How can you possibly think you're good enough to ... (start your own business/try out for the part/increase your prices)"
"Of course you're not making sales, (it's a quiet time of year/we're in a recession/it's raining)"
"They're never going to want to do business with me; I'm (too dumb /too old /too young /not funny enough/not serious enough)"
"If I were really meant to be doing x, I wouldn't be having so much trouble"
then chances are that's your Monkey Mind chatter talking to you.

The good news is it never really goes away. How can that be good news you ask? Well, when Monkey Mind is at its strongest is generally when we are threatening to change the status quo. In her book Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, Susan Jeffers First Truth is "The Fear will never go away as long as I continue to grow". Our Monkey Mind is playing on those fears to ensure things stay just the way they are thank you very much!

So if Monkey Mind is set to hang around, how do we ensure we are moving forward regardless?

The first step is to recognise that the doubts, fears and worries are always going to be there, however we can decide how much of our energy goes into listening to it. We can choose at any moment to focus our energy on achieving our goals rather than trying to analyse, suppress or argue with our self talk.

The second step is to check inwards that the goals we are wanting to achieve are in line with our vision, and reflect our true self, rather than simply being driven by fear or moving away from fear. This takes some real reflection, and can be quite confronting. Having someone to support you through this process will be invaluable.

The third step is to take action. Susan Jeffers Second Truth is "The only way to get rid of the fear of doing something is to go out and do it." In fact even the step of changing your physical state can lessen the fear and allow you to move forward.

A simple example of this is the fear we have in making particular phone calls - it may be for debt collection, or to ask for new business. In these situations, the act of standing up to make the phone calls can make you feel more powerful, thereby lessening your fear, and you actually come across as more assertive when you do make the call.

Monkey Mind is here to stay, and is not something that you can turn around over night, but just be thankful if you can hear it, it means you are ready to forge ahead!!

Rochelle Dent partners with Mumpreneurs to increase their profits and decrease their stress. Visit the website at www.leapsnboundscoaching.com to get your FREE copy of Mumpreneurs: Ensure Your Business Success by Avoiding These Costly Errors.

I really agree to the idea that it is only our mind that hinder us from forging ahead in our endeavors. Sometimes this inferiority complex is what makes us feel we are not capable of doing certain thing where in fact it is doable.

Well, my Monkey Mind is really strong! I just recently started trying to hush it up a bit. One big step was public speaking. I was always afraid people would laugh at my country accent, but then one day realized, they in the same country, same accent!So I did it, now it is'nt as bad when asked to get up and speak.

When I was younger...I was a writer. I've spent my entire life focussed on a career. Going to college, finding a job, and working...but no writing. I've always told myself, "someday I'll start writing again", but it never happened.

First I found the internet, and then blogging. It took some time, but eventually I found the courage to start posting to my blog. Since the first post I haven't looked back and now find myself getting offers to write for others desparately seeking original content for their websites. I never thought it would be so easy to actally get paid to write. The money isn't the greatest...but as time passes, and my reputation and contact list builds, the profit is starting to come.

I can now see a real market for a good writer with the persistance to make it happen for themselves. I work from home mostly...in addition to running a small cafe I own for about 4 hours a day. Realizing some cashflow from my writing, I can spend more time developing my websites and building the affiliate and Adsense revenue.

The message of the post is...if you can write...use your skill to make a part-time career from it. People are in great need of what you can offer them. Google, Yahoo and MSN are smacking the "Made Made For Adsense" crowd firmly in the face. They need original content, and they need it now. Sites that were drawing steady Adsense clicks daily are dropping from the index like flies and if they could've wrote it themselves...they would've in the first place. The market there is growing everyday and probably wont dry up anytime soon.

Stay away from the scammers on the forums looking for free content and make them pay up front. They will...trust me...and if not, then you really don't want to do business with them.

Just my two cents...in my pocket.

The quote from Vincent Van Gogh painted a smile on my face. In the first year of business, I kept telling myself I can't do it and that I'm a loser. I feel terrible with my decision of leaving my job. But with good motivation I fought the hard battle that is within me.

Thanks for sharing, rickelle and nebraska. I used to write when I was a kid too. I could do 2 full length articles in one hour and get it graded in the upper 5% out of a class of 30. I was sports editor of our college organ. I dreamed of becoming a writer and then reality sets in. I've got to work and make a living. Recently, I resolved to make that dream come true. I've become rusty but I'm brushing up on my skills. It's nice to see well written posts like yours, I could learn from them.

I think I am just like you, negosyante. I am an aspiring writer myself. I love writing so much. It's what makes me sane sometimes... I love writing poems and I can brag that I'm actually quite good with it. Unfortunately, you can't earn much money being a writer but this skill is very important and will get you places.

I also fool around with poems but I'm definitely not good as you. Mine sucks!



Yup, earing a living as a writer is not viable. Some writers do become rich through talent, perseverance, and luck but only a few. Anyways, I've already got a living, I just want to write. and maybe earn a few bucks in the process