In the world of entrepreneurship, we often find ourselves grappling with our internal monologue.
One powerful tool to navigate these mental roadblocks is “The Work” by Byron Katie.
This simple yet profound process of inquiry can help us question our thoughts, turn them around, and find peace and clarity.
“The Work” is a four-step process:
1. **Identify a stressful thought**: This could be anything that’s causing you distress or discomfort. For example, as an early-stage entrepreneur, you might think, “I’m not capable of running a successful business.”
2. **Ask yourself if it’s true**: This step involves questioning the validity of your thought. Is it absolutely true that you’re not capable of running a successful business?
3. **Consider how you react when you believe that thought**: How does this thought make you feel? Does it cause stress, anxiety, or self-doubt? Does it prevent you from taking action or making decisions?
4. **Imagine who you would be without that thought**: If you didn’t hold this belief, how would you feel? Would you be more confident, more willing to take risks, more open to learning and growth?
Once you’ve gone through these steps, you can “turn the thought around”. This involves finding an opposite, more positive or neutral belief. For instance, the turnaround for “I’m not capable of running a successful business” could be “I am capable of running a successful business” or “I’m learning and growing as a business owner.”
Let’s consider another example. Perhaps you’re struggling with the thought, “My product isn’t good enough.” Good enough for what exactly? After going through “The Work”, you might turn this around to “My product is a work in progress, and I’m constantly improving it.”
And one more. “My co-founder isn’t a strong founder.” Is it true? How do you know? Turning it around in this context means to make it about the self: “I’m not a strong founder.” Is it true? How does that make you feel? Who would you be without this thought?
Byron Katie’s “The Work” is a powerful tool for entrepreneurs. It encourages us to question our limiting beliefs, find new perspectives, and move forward with greater confidence and clarity.
So, the next time you find yourself wrestling with a stressful thought, remember: question it, turn it around, and see the difference it makes.
I personally love surfing YouTube and watching the many examples of how this is applied. 🤓
