Why There is No Shame in Borrowing Someone Else's Belief to Grow

Hey hey, Kathryn here! I’m so glad you’re tuning in. If you’re new to the show, welcome. I’m so glad you’re here. If you’ve been around for a bit, you know I’m all about keeping it real with you. Showing you all the sides of entrepreneurship (& life). I mean it’s all connected, right? 

And in the last episode I shared one of my favorite Brene Brown quotes, if you’re not in the arena getting your ass-kicked, I don’t want your feedback. Well, I want you to see me as your friend in the arena equally getting my ass-kicked but inspiring you to keep going because I get it. I’m living it too.

And that the perspectives I share on the show are real life, in the arena types of perspectives, like the one I’m going to share with you today where I dive into how believing in yourself requires you to borrow the belief from coaches or mentors if you don't have it yet.

But before I do, I want to share with you an exciting free masterclass I’m hosting on November 25 - How to Package Your Expertise and Position Yourself as the Go-to Expert in Your Industry. 

It’s one of the biggest things I see coaches and consultants struggle with when entering the online space, how to stand out, cut through the noise, and get known in this busy online world. 

And let’s be honest, it isn’t getting any less crowded. If you’re a coach or consultant you’re probably feeling that, am I right? And you might even be struggling with not believing in yourself.

Well, this masterclass is for coaches and consultants that are either fully booked out or capped out with their 1:1 looking to scale with a group coaching program or coaches and consultants who’ve ditched their corporate career or job to start a coaching business but aren’t seeing the success they desired and going back to a 9-5 isn’t an option.

If that sounds like you, here’s what you’re going to learn when you save your spot, 

• The hidden meaning behind your words that are turning off your dream clients and blocking you from achieving your income goals.
• The four key ingredients to powerful positioning so that you can stand out online and get known for what you do (Hallelujah...no more speaking into the void).
• How to package your expertise in a way that has your dream clients saying..."where do I sign up?" "How can I work with you?" "Let's do this thing!" – (hello pipin' hot leads waiting in your inbox & DMs).
• How to double or triple your revenue so that you can ditch the exhausting 1:1 client work without sacrificing service or relying on referrals. 
• How to create a simple, predictable, & scalable revenue stream so that you aren't operating in survival mode wondering where your next client will come from, or gripping the clients you already have in fear of losing them (it's time to feel safe in your business). 
• How to take the steps NOW to make this happen in the next 60 days so you can scale your coaching or consulting business without working more.

So if you want to save your spot in this masterclass, there’s a link in the show notes! 

Now let’s dive into the good stuff for today, on why borrowing other people's belief in you is so important when we are trying something new, or expanding into the next level of business–especially if you are struggling right now in believing in yourself.

Because believing in yourself is a vital ingredient that you need to achieve what you want. The flip side to that is not believing in yourself which is one of the biggest things standing in your way to getting what you want.

And most high-achieving entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants, and anyone who runs a personal brand can attest to that. At one point they struggled with believing in themselves.

In fact, you might be listening to this right now, having just had the thought pop into your head questioning, will what I’m doing work? What’s the point if no one is paying attention? Does my offer even help people, what if they don’t get results? 

All of these running thoughts stem back to a lack of believing in yourself. And on a deeper level, it can be caused by low self-worth and confidence.

The trap most entrepreneurs or coaches fall into is believing they need another strategy like starting a podcast or joining Pinterest, they don’t have a big enough audience, or they need to fix something else within their business.

Which makes sense because we’ve been conditioned to believe that if something isn’t working in our business, let’s replace it with something else outside of ours to fix it. 

It’s like buying those new pair of shoes that you didn’t really need, but they made you feel better in the moment. It’s the quick hit that lasts until it doesn’t. And you’re back looking for something else to help solve the problem. 

But if that worked, then why are so many entrepreneurs operating in survival mode? Why are so many entrepreneurs not joyful about their business anymore? Why are some entrepreneurs seeking the thing that’s finally going to make things work in their business?

If all it took was some strategy, more followers, or a different social media platform to make things work, then why are so many entrepreneurs struggling to find their sweet spot?

It’s because the number one reason most entrepreneurs I work for need is someone else to believe in their vision and dreams. It’s having a space to even do that where you feel seen and heard. 

A few episodes back, Nadia, one of my Messaging that Sells clients, shared that although my group coaching program helps entrepreneurs master their messaging so that they stand out online and create instant appeal, it helped her at a much deeper level.

She finally had a community of women who believed in her vision and mission to launch and scale her luxury craft subscription box. And she said, I kept thinking I can do this on my own, why would I pay someone to show me how to sell this, when I still have to do the work. 

It’s an honest question! And I question the majority of high-achievers ask themselves. It’s hard for us to ask for help. It’s easier and faster for us to do it on our own. You might even think showing people that you don’t have all the answers is a sign of weakness. 

I know this because I’m a high-achiever. And asking for help isn’t something that comes naturally to me. But on this entrepreneurial journey, heck, this human experience is about leaning on your support systems and resources to expand and grow. It’s actually a sign of power and leadership.

You can’t do it alone, nor should you want to. 

Think about it, every great leader had a team behind them. It’s why Think Tanks were invented. More great minds coming together have the capacity to change the world through innovation.

And if you’ve made it this far in the podcast, my guess is you're an entrepreneur, coach, consultant, or thought leader who lives to make an impact in this world. You want to do meaningful work, but you also know you need to get paid for it. Because the more you make, the greater impact you can make.

It’s why hiring a mentor or coach when you’re first starting something new, or expanding to the next level in your business is so important, especially if you doubt your idea, capability, or ability to receive.

In fact, I’m going to share with you why I hire coaches and how I assess them:

• When I want to expand to the next level in business but I’m not quite sure how to make that happen. So I hire a mentor who has a fast track pathway to doing that because they’ve done it themselves and have proven clients results who are achieving the same thing. I assess them based on those two things...their results and client results. Along with the strategy they are employing and making sure it’s aligned with me and my business.
• Seeking Think Tank energy–meaning I’m wanting to surround myself with creative problem solvers, innovative thinkers, and experts in their own right. While I look for like-minded people, I also want to learn from people who don’t think like me. This allows me to step outside of my comfort zone, be challenged, and stretch the way I think. It also helps have your blind spots called out. Things we can’t see ourselves because we are too close to our work and the way we operate. 
• Proof of concept–what I mean here is borrowing my coach's belief–most times we high-achieving entrepreneurs know that what we have to offer is amazing. But from time to time the doubt can be raging. And we just don’t have the space within us, yet, to fully believe in what we have to offer. Why I call it proof of concept is because the logical mind wants certainty and proof. So if we haven’t done it before, it’s hard to convince ourselves to believe it’s possible when we don’t have proof, yet. So my hack is to put myself in rooms or communities where people have achieved what I desire. That way I can borrow their belief and proof of concept without having achieved it yet. 

Circling back to Nadia, and that episode, even though she believed she could figure the strategy out herself, she knew she needed someone and a community to help her do that. 

It’s the power of coaching and mentorship. It’s what a lot of people overlook because they are so focused on the tangible results they are going to get. And for entrepreneurs, that’s ROI, more clients, or more sales, typically. Which don’t get me wrong, are all things you should measure but hiring a coach or mentor is far more powerful because of the intangible things we don't see on the outside. It’s the inner transformations that allow for the outer results and success to be achieved. 

So if you’re looking to take your business to the next level (or launch a new idea), there is no shame in borrowing someone else's belief for the time being until you cultivate that within.

And if you want to learn how your lack of belief or doubt impacts what your words and energy are saying, sign up for the free private training on November 25 as I share the hidden meaning behind your words.