Believe In Yourself… Or No One Else Will
Throughout the many Virtual Assistant communities that I belong to, I often see a LOT of untapped potential. I see aspiring, new and even established VAs who have the potential to command top dollar for their work, to create businesses that truly give them the flexible schedule they crave and to ONLY work with clients who respect them and value their contributions. I see this in them, but many times, they just can’t see it for themselves.
“WHY?” you may ask?
It’s because they don’t believe in themselves. Perhaps they doubt their worth or don’t believe they can truly succeed. Perhaps they are used to bosses, HR departments and companies that look down on them. Perhaps they have limiting beliefs (i.e. "I can’t charge that much" or "I can never be as good as …) and just don’t see the abundance of opportunity that is available.
In the corporate world, Administrative Professionals are not often given the opportunity to create their own success. When I was a corporate Executive Assistant I certainly did not have the opportunity to define my future, create my own path and make my career what I wanted it to be.
That’s the beauty of creating your own business, particularly in the Virtual Assistant industry. You ONLY offer the services you want to offer. You can charge whatever you want to charge. You can work two days a week or five days a week. You choose who you work with and who you don’t.
But to do this, one needs to COMPLETELY abandon the “employee” mentality.
That mindset shift starts with saying, “I can do this. I can create my own success. I deserve to be successful! I will be successful!” It starts with a choice. Choosing to think differently and act differently than you have before. It’s that simple.
Embracing the thought that you REALLY can create the business of your dreams, and that what you really want and what’s possible is within your reach will catapult you towards success faster than any tip, resource or strategy I will give you.
The sooner that you, as a Virtual Assistant, can wrap your head around that concept, embrace it and own it, the sooner you’ll see success and the faster you’re going to achieve it.
It is especially important to get your mind wrapped around this at the very beginning of your entrepreneurial journey (or if you have decided it’s time to upgrade your business). You can’t set a precedent for letting your clients dictate how you run your business. You can’t second guess your decisions. You can’t run your business for the benefit of your clients. If you are going to be a successful business owner–over the long haul you have to make decisions and stand behind them. You have to determine what your standards are and how you’re going to set up your business. And you can’t let ANYONE, especially a client undermine your boundaries and make you second guess them. Otherwise you might as well go back to get a regular job.
I implore you to approach your business from a place of confidence. Present a confident stance with your tone, voice, presence, marketing materials and website. Be proud of your decision to ditch the corporate rat race and take ownership of your career.
I believe in you! I believe that you have the talent, tenacity and drive to be a fabulously successful VA! But, that’s not enough.
You have to believe in YOU too. Because if you don’t, no one else will.
Share your thoughts and comments with me by posting a comment here on the blog!
Then… the barrage of emails starts. The other person proposes other times; you respond back, they email to confirm…you know this scenario, right?