In this month’s newsletter we explored the importance of personal growth and how we can be held back if we ignore it. The first step in personal development is to recognise which areas we struggle with so we can begin to work on them.

It is only by developing them, that you can begin to gain momentum and move forward. This blog explores three common inner obstacles that might be holding you back.

Self-confidence

Many women, particularly when they become mums, lack confidence in their own abilities. This can be exasperated when you start your own business and enter what appears to be a whole new world.

Sometimes, you might be tempted to think it’s just the way you are and you have to accept it. But low self-confidence can be an obstacle that slows you down and generally makes life more difficult. A lack of self-confidence can lead you to underestimate exactly how much you are capable of achieving and can stop you from taking that next step forward. We’ve all put things off thinking we’ll do them when we’re feeling more confident - in essence we’re just delaying our brilliance.

Of course, low self-esteem can also create a tendency to fret over everything which in itself can be exhausting!

Communication

Another area of personal development that can create inner obstacles for you is communication skills. When it doesn’t come naturally to you, it is tempting to avoid certain activities that rely on good communication. But that avoidance can have a negative impact on you and your business.

For example, you may not feel comfortable talking to people on the phone so send an email or text instead. Yet, a phone call is generally much better for business than a series of emails back and forth; it has more of a personal touch that builds up a degree of know, like and trust.

Or it might be that you find yourself avoiding networking opportunities or getting anxious about approaching people and starting conversations. Again, it’s these types of conversations that can lead to great business opportunities, valuable connections and even potential friendships...if only you could get comfortable communicating with other people!

Problem-solving

Finally, we come to problem-solving skills. How many times have you come across a problem or crisis and felt like you just can’t deal with it?

You may find that you feel so stressed out by the problem you face that you can’t think clearly to find a solution. Other common responses might be procrastinating, telling yourself you’ll sort it out later, burying your head in the sand, or feeling like you should just give up.

Of course none of these are helpful in moving you and/or your business forward but working on your personal development to improve these skills will help you to make more consistent progress.

You may have noticed that all three of these relate to confidence in some way – the confidence in yourself, in your ability to communicate and to solve problems. How do you gain this confidence? Well, that’s the topic of our next blog which is out later this month.

For now, think about what area of personal development you need to work on and share with us in the comments.

Start your journey today – achieve confidence, balance and clarity for an easier, happier life!

Empowering Mums is on a mission to empower a million mums and mumpreneurs just like you with greater confidence, balance and clarity to activate your infinite capabilities within! Enabling you to enjoy an easier, happier life alongside running a highly successful business. Aligned with enjoying time out for an essential self-care routine that fulfils your own needs and delight in quality time spent with your children being the mum you really want to be!

For further support please contact Empowering Mums today on 01606 334 015, alternatively visit our website at www.empoweringmums.com for more information.