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confidence in careers

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Deciding to no longer be an employee, but to be your own boss – and possibly the boss of others – is an empowering but an also frightening moment. It means deciding, “I believe that I have what it takes to be the leader of my own career destiny. I believe I can give up the security of being on someone else’s payroll, and that things will work out for me.” It’s an incredible change! It requires something that not everyone is comfortable exhibiting: confidence. Confidence, we can fear, goes against our desires to be humble, be grateful, be “realistic,” and be a lot of other things society tells people (especially women) to be. Embodying the confidence to start your own business absolutely doesn’t have to mean ditching humility or gratitude, but many can fear that’s exactly what it means.

There are, of course, also the more practical fears that come with starting a business, like how to get funding, how to market yourself, how to develop your brand, who to hire, and so much more. Your brain is built to protect itself, so this is around the time it may start rolling out thoughts that it thinks will keep you safe, but are actually destructive. Don’t listen to them. We spoke with Kiana Powell, brand strategist, CEO of Forward PR, and creator of the Vision To Brand: 6-Week Group Coaching Program for female entrepreneurs. She went over some of the destructive thoughts to ignore when starting your own business with us.

Kiana Powell

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Know that it is normal

These thoughts are no reason to step back. In fact, they’re very normal. “Transitioning into becoming a full-time entrepreneur is a scary, but exciting moment in one’s life,” Powell says. “When a person realizes that they have the power to make a living from what they are truly passionate about, there are millions of thoughts that can cause resentment and fear when deciding to take that leap of faith.”

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