Making a mindset shift from survival mode to moving your business forward is imperative for your growth. Staying in survival mode isn’t sustainable, and it won’t help your business evolve and flourish.
When running a business, focusing on your survival should be a last resort, not a permanent mindset. Of course, our current times have made focusing on anything other than survival feel like a luxury. But it isn’t.
How Does Survival Mode Hurt Your Growth?
Survival mode, when not fully necessary, is actually really wasteful. You waste time, energy, and money. You don’t move forward. You don’t enjoy your time. You don’t truly live, you survive. It’s accepting crackers when life’s buffet is still available.
Survival mode is an absolute trap designed to keep you small.
It’s true: thousands of businesses go under every year. Maybe you feel like you’re in a place where you can’t focus on anything other than survival. Isn’t it insensitive at best, and reckless at worst, to tell you to get out of survival mode?
Your mindset dictates your behavior. It’s not your fault that bad things happen in life. It’s not your fault that the pandemic happened or that the market need shifted and your business took a hit. It really isn’t your fault at all.
That said, it is 100% your responsibility to move forward and that WILL require a different way of looking at your situation.
So How Can You Get Out of It?
What are the three key mindset shifts you can use to get out of survival mode? These are truly challenging and go deeper than the “look on the bright side” state of mind!
Mindset Shift #1: Seek Constructive Criticism, Not Praise
This transition can be one of the most humbling and the most profound. The praise-seeking mindset can be extremely limiting.
Instead, try to see criticism as a window into where you may want to improve. Criticism is the fuel to greatness. Praise alone makes us soft. Seek out improvement, not abatement.
“Why waste time proving over and over how great you are, when you could be getting better?” – Dr. Carol S. Dweck
Mindset Shift #2: Be Intentional, but Like, for Real
“Be intentional” is a pretty typical mindset catch-all phrase, so let’s break this one down so you can see how it can work out in real life.
Survival mode often makes us anxious and reactive. Many of us, especially those who provide a service to our clients, are taught to always anticipate the needs of our clients. This mindset is exhausting and often leads to meltdowns when something goes wrong.
Even though you may have survived these mindsets and situations, this isn’t you living your best life or being the person you want to be. And maintaining this mindset isn’t going to help your business get better.
Instead, try to be proactive in your business endeavors and, wait for it… wait for it still… respond.
- Put small amounts of money away in a savings account for when bumps (or global pandemics) come along. Be proactive.
- Organize your offerings by profit margin. Wide profit margin offerings require the lowest investment from you (usually). Knowing which offerings require less from you, but still turn a profit, can help you figure out how to move forward when things get tough. Again, this is being proactive in a healthy way.
- When possible, don’t let any one client be the lion’s share of your revenue. If they go away, where will you be? Don’t leave your fate in the hands of a client. Again, proactiveness, people!
When you get in the practice of being intentional about running your business and your life, you give yourself space to not freak out.
Mindset Shift #3: Confidence Is a Muscle, Not a Birthright
Confidence is not a personality trait. No one gets off this planet without moments of doubt and fear. Recognizing that discomfort is not the same as danger is an absolutely critical mindset shift.
Being nervous is not a reason to avoid a challenge. In fact, it’s a cue to try it. Confident people are not fearless people. Bravery and confidence do not exist without fear. Confident people acknowledge the fear, and rather than withdraw, they prepare. This is the ticket.
The moment you realize that thoughts and emotions are not actually facts, but rather interpretations of stimuli and, more than that, your thoughts are within your control, you’ll realize that confidence is something you can build within yourself.
It changes the game!
There are other mindset shifts, but these three are especially important for business owners and stepping into the next iteration of the life you’re creating. Mindset shifts can come gradually or can flip like a switch. Recognizing the need for the shift is the first step. For everything.
Let Us Help You Shift Your Mindset
At GoBeyond SEO, we know just how important it is to be proactive and have the right mindset when it comes to your business. Let us help you shift your mindset and get out of survival mode so your business can flourish—book a free strategy session with us today!
