You’ve probably heard the old saying, “Build on your strengths.” It’s good, solid advice, but so easy to forget or ignore because you don’t quite know how to do it.

Here is a simple process for overcoming this common obstacle; how to shift your mind-set to do what feels hard.

I tend to vacillate between my two extremes. I focus on doing the things I am good at, and then I worry and stress about the stuff that’s a challenge.

In my case, the easy parts are marketing, customer service and anything creative, like writing or product development. I love doing things that involve directly communicating with and helping my clients. As a result, I have developed mastery in these areas.

All the back end parts like organization systems, live in the other end of the polarity. It took me awhile to figure this out I  love having everything neat and put away. I get a warm feeling when I walk into my office and the desk is clear and I know where everything thing is. However, this has happened maybe five times in the last five years

My solution is to over-compensate with tons of filing cabinets and I actually have it under control, but this isn’t the issue. I don’t do it easily and stuff piles up because I put it off.

Back to the question; how do I use my strengths to get me to be more excited about organizational tasks ?

On the surface it looks like my strengths are creativity and relationships. It can feel like a huge jump to marry this to cleaning my office and I have to really stretch to see any relationship connection to organizational tasks. However, I decided to dig deeper into my own psyche because I know the secret lives there.

It’s really about motivation. I have read tons of books on how to be organized but they are all written by people who are good at it and don’t have my issues. One book I do love is “The Color Code,”  by Taylor Hartman. Great book that helps you understand yourself and your motivations. He has an online personality test. I have done the long book version of this test multiple times and no matter how I answer the questions, I come out a Yellow.

Yellows are people who are motivated by fun. Organizing my office doesn’t feel fun to me. It feels tedious. The obvious question is, “How can I make this process fun?” When I look at my strengths, I have to ask what makes those  things fun?  The common denominator is communication. Marketing, customer fulfillment and product development are all about communication. I love any form of communication. It’s in my genes. It gives me a buzz. Organizing feels like work.

From that place it is easier to see a way to make that jump. It is about bringing the process of communication into organizational systems. It immediately feels more creative  Re-framing this transforms the whole process.

My example:  Motivated by  fun. Communication is my key. Marketing, customer service and writing are all about communication = fun. Organizational tasks = responsibility, tasks. work = not fun.  Shift: Organizational tasks = communication processes = more fun.

Your story will be different from mine but the process will work regardless. Here are the steps I followed to get from A to B.

1. Figure out what your strengths and weaknesses are. You can use my nifty Whole Business pie chart process to help.
2. Make a short list of what you like  about your strengths.
3. Figure out what motivates you forward. Take The Color Code assessment to get help and find out your key.
4. Determine how your motivation operates in your strength and weakness areas.
5. What is one way you can bring that key that motivates you, into your challenged place?

This takes a bit of a focus to get your head around this. If you are a blue, you might feel confused but just breath! It works. Please come back and tell us what color you are and how this has made a difference.

I write about self-doubt a lot. It’s not because I am obsessed with this topic. It’s because it comes up all the time.

Self doubt comes up for me regularly, and I have become an expert at seeing what triggers it and how to get past it.

It is one of the first things new small business clients share, regardless of how long they have been in business.

Self-doubt leads right into fear and panic and you might feel:

• I’m not good enough or smart enough.
• No one will want to hire me because…..
• I will fail and look bad!

There are more and I am sure you could create your own list. My own list has caused me more pain and suffering than anything else. Here is what I learned and it still works.

1. Have a crystal clear and detailed vision and picture of where you are going. This needs to include how much income you will get and the income streams that will provide it. Check out Chapter 5 in my book, “Your Money Map.”  I created this process during one of my most fearful times and it really helped me to shift. Remember your vision is about your business, not about the lifestyle you want.

2. Keep a positive attitude. Instead of saying, “I can’t or don’t know how,” say “Who can help me and how can I find out how?” Your own limiting thoughts are your worst enemy if you are a business owner. An important entrepreneurial trait is to have the ability to keep your focus positive. When I wake up to a bad day, I immediately look at ways to get more empowered. For me it is often about talking to my support team.

3. Take calculated risks. If you stay where it is safe, you won’t move forward and won’t grow. If you don’t want to take risks, it is better to have a job. To grow a business you have to get out of your comfort zone and invest in yourself. This can mean investing money, and jumping in with both feet.

These three points are intertwined and related. For example: You might have a fear of spending more money and creating another debt. Fair enough, however if you have a clear vision of where the money will come back, it makes it easier. Your fears can also be part of your limiting thoughts.

Tell me what you think about these three points. Can you see how they can work to help you stay away from self-doubt?

(above art by Rogenetheartist)