Don't Let Fear Stop You From Success - Why Holistic/Wellness Businesses Don't Move Forward

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us." This is one of my favorite quotes from "A Course in Miracles." I thank my yoga teacher, Rene, for introducing me to this lovely passage and it's SO true. You can apply it to any aspect of your life - even your professional life.

The biggest theme that I've seen with my holistic and wellness clients is fear - they fear taking that next step with their marketing. They don't see themselves as "business entrepreneurs" - marketing and marketing plans are scary concepts for them.

I'm a small business owner so I understand that fear can drag us away from our business and marketing. The fear of the unknown can feel like a huge burden and just taking baby steps may even be too overwhelming. In these tough economic times, some businesses think they just don't have the resources/money/time to work on a marketing plan. However, business just doesn't appear magically out of thin air. Proactive planning and a positive mindset makes all the difference in the world.

Sometimes we have to face that "darkness" so we can discover the "light" - as a holistic or wellness practitioner that's probably what you tell your clients/patients on a daily basis. You need to start telling yourself the very same thing - it's time to face your fears before you can get past them and move forward in a positive direction.

Marketing your business is NOT as overwhelming as you may think. You probably think you have to do everything RIGHT now or someone has advised you to jump on the bandwagon (which propels you into NOT wanting to do anything with your marketing). So your business lies there stagnant and you hope that people will call you. Yes, word-of-mouth is a great way to market but you can't rely solely on others to spread the word for you.

Before you can even think about taking proactive steps to market your business, you need to understand WHY you are fearful:

• Do you have a "depletion" attitude towards your business? Do you give into the "hype" that the tenuous economy is only hurting your business, so why should you market it right now? If that's the case, shift your attitude towards an attitude of "abundance" - use visualization techniques (or meditation) about the types of clients/patients you want in your business and think POSITIVE! If you haven't watched The Secret, I highly recommend watching the DVD or reading the book. The Law of Attraction works! Practice what you preach - you help a lot of people, so it's time to help YOURSELF and your business.
• Are you afraid that business just doesn't come naturally to you? Do you shy away from self-promotion and talking about yourself and your business? When promoted authors many moons ago, I told they were their best advertiser (since they wrote the book). You are the "author" of your business - you created it and you run it. You know the in's and out's of your business and services/products better than anyone else. Yes, a marketing consultant can lead you in the right direction but you need to take ownership and responsibility and put YOUR goals into place.
• What is/are your fear(s)? Address them directly. Write them down and then let those fears go. Cross them out and replace them with positive language/affirmations (in the present tense). i.e. instead of "I am lousy with accounting and have no clue how to run a business." replace that sentence with: "I run a successful massage therapy business and I help my clients in the following ways:..."

You provide unique, special services to your clients and patients, and you have gifts to share with them. Don't let fear stop you from marketing your business in positive ways, and moving forward with your success.