I recently went through a process I call the entrepreneur mom mindset reset. I have found that this “reset” is fun and energizing—it made me excited to work in my business again. It is also freeing—it feels like an unburdening. And lastly, it allowed me to change the way I thought by getting to the core of my thoughts.

This led to growth in my mindset and a corresponding growth in my business. I thought more creatively about how I worked, what I dedicated my energy toward, and different paths to scale my business. I was more productive and efficient. And I was able to see the bigger picture.

If you are ready to get into an energizing, freeing mindset, I highly recommend you try this entrepreneur mom mindset reset.

The backstory

One of the best ways to be successful as an entrepreneur is to believe you can be successful. But this is easier said than done. I tried visualization, vision boards, affirmations, and all kinds of things to “believe” I could be successful. Ultimately, though, what led me to this mindset—and led to a significant increase in business—was what I now call my “Mindset Reset.”

Here is what I did.

One afternoon, when I was feeling stuck in my mindset, I spent one hour and wrote down a list of all of the reasons I would not be successful. All of the reasons I would fail. As an example:

• I do not have enough time to dedicate to my business.  
• I am not a confident salesperson.
• There is too much competition.
• I do not have the network others have.
• I do not have outside funding.
• I am not a strong leader.
• My sales team is not motivated.
• Our marketing is weak.

I was surprised by two things while I was completing my list:

• First, it was actually fun to come up with this list. I thought this would be a dreadful task but it felt like a weight lifted off of my shoulders. It was easier to do than some of the other more “uplifting” methods I had tried in the past (e.g., affirmations).
• Second, the list came very easily. Once I started, I kept going. If you would have asked me initially how many items would be on my list, I would have said maybe 5-10. But, I ended up with over 30.

Next, I summarized the three reasons that I felt I would not succeed –here is my summary sentence:

I do not have the time to scale a business, the experience to scale a business, the team to scale a business, or the sales and marketing team required to scale a business.

Even having this list of why I would not succeed energized me. I had the same feeling you may get when someone tells you that you cannot do something and you are immediately motivated to prove them wrong. 

For a few days, I just sat with my list and did not do much with it. But after some time had passed, I started to question all of my thoughts using Byron Katie’s method called “The Work”. This involves isolating a thought and asking four questions. It is best to hand write the answers to the questions.

The Work – Example

So, here is an example of The Work using one of the thoughts I wrote down.

One of the thoughts I wrote down was: I do not have enough time to dedicate to work.

Going through the four questions may look something like this.

1. Is it true?

No.

2. Can you absolutely know that it is true?

(Skip this one if your answer to the first question was “No”.)

3. How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought?

I feel stressed out. And I always feel behind on my to-do lists. As a result, I pack too much into a day. This ends up being unrealistic which causes me to feel anxious. I get irritable. I lash out at my kids and husband.

4. Who would you be without that thought?

I would feel more at peace and I would be less irritable. I would lash out at my kids and husband less. At work, I would likely come up with more realistic to-do lists and delegate some things that I really should not be doing anyway. As a result, I would actually work better and be more efficient. I would be more energized and less discouraged. And I would enjoy the time that I have with my family and not feel stressed out that I was “not working.” I would be able to relax more on the weekends and get re-energized for the work week.

Turn it around!

Turn the thought around—find a few “opposites” and decide if they are just as true or truer:

I do have enough time to dedicate to work.

This is probably true. I can only do “deep work” for about four hours per day. So 40 hours is probably more than enough time.

I have more than enough time to work.

In fact, if I worked less, I might be more deliberate about what I spend my time on and what I focus on.

How to do your own Entrepreneur Mom Mindset Reset

If you are interested in doing your own Entrepreneur Mom Mindset Reset, follow these steps.

1. Make sure you have an hour or so to yourself.
2. Make a list that is titled Why I Will Not Succeed.
3. Think of as many reasons as possible that you will not succeed. They can be relatively small (husband doesn’t help with kids at night) or large (like a team that you do not foresee growing with your company).
4. Summarize the main reasons.
5. Over the next week, each day, go through one thought and ask the four questions and do a turnaround. You will reset your mind.

The Four Questions:

1. Is it true?  
2. Can you absolutely know that it is true?
3. How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought?
4. Who would you be without that thought?
5. Turn the thought around!

I highly recommend you listen to Byron Katie’s podcast before trying The Work yourself. She is a mastermind when it comes to questioning thoughts. And allocate some time during your workday to try this entrepreneur mom mindset reset.

Once you start questioning your thoughts and seeing yourself and your business through a new lens, your creativity will expand—and with it, your business and sales. As the CEO, your mindset sets the tone. When you believe in your ability to grow your business, that belief drives the growth. It all starts with you.