Your emotions don’t control you…you control your emotions.
Don’t believe me? Picture this.
Your friend just showed up at your house crying hysterically. She is sobbing and her face is wet with tears and snot. Once you get her to calm down, she explains that her ex-boyfriend just kidnapped her cat. Even if you are a cat lover, you may not be able to feel the full force of her outrage and despair. If, however, you do not enjoy the company of a feline, you may interpret her behavior as way over the top (insert eye roll here). Her ex-boyfriend, on the other hand, is probably quite happy with himself at accomplishing his mission. One situation, three people, three different emotional outcomes.
Emotions simply show us how we define the moment in front of us. If you interpret the moment as joyful, then you feel joy. If you interpret the moment as stressful, then you feel stress. You can interpret any moment in time in any way you like once you shed the preconceived notions of how you are “supposed” to feel.
Now think about how you feel about promoting your business. Are you excited to talk about your adventure? Are you reluctant? Are you afraid it will fail?
If you don’t like how you are feeling about your marketing, decide how you would like to feel then do whatever it takes to achieve that feeling. It will make a significant difference in how others view your marketing message.
Not sure how to do that? Try this.
- Step 1: Stop and identify how you are feeling. Name it. Describe it with as much detail as possible.
- Step 2: Identify why you are feeling this way. Something triggered this feeling. Don’t move on to step 3 until you have a clear picture of what is making you feel this way.
- Step 3: Is whatever triggered the feeling true? If yes, then congratulations! You know what you need to change. If no, then what is true? For example, if you are triggered by a negative social media comment, ask yourself, “Do I believe this is true?” If the answer is “yes”, then you know what you need to work on. If the answer is “no”, then what is the truth?
- Step 4: Clearly define how you would like to feel. Describe it with as much detail as possible. Close your eyes and imagine feeling that way. Memorize it.
- Step 5: Practice step 4, feeling good about promoting your business. Visualize a future of feeling great talking about your business.
It may take some practice, and it’s worth it. When you feel good about marketing your business, your potential clients will notice.
