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If you’re an entrepreneur, you’ve likely learned how important it is to establish trust with your clients, but how much are you willing to trust yourself?
Stephen Covey in his book “The Speed of Trust” mentions that the first wave of trust is actually self-trust. He describes self-trust as the confidence we have in ourselves, in our ability to set goals, to keep commitments, to walk our talk, and to inspire trust in others.
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What is self-trust in business?
Self-trust is just as it sounds… the ability to trust yourself. When you trust yourself, you know you can handle whatever comes your way, to make sound decisions, and to figure it out.
In essence, self-trust means that no matter what, you can survive mistakes*, failures* and anything else that comes about, building your resilience and problem-solving abilities.
*mistakes and failures = learnings in disguise
Self-trust in business looks like:
- Running all advice and guidance through your own filter to see what feels right for you.
- When you mess up or “fail” in some way, you know you will be OK, and you trust yourself to figure out what to do next
- You trust your intuition and follow your instincts, rather than dismiss them or override them.
Not trusting yourself looks like:
- Over-reliance on “experts” or tools or advice to tell you want to do, thereby outsourcing your power
- When you mess up or “fail,” you take it to mean that YOU are a failure, and so you get down on yourself or give up.
- When you feel like something is “off”, you dismiss it and forge ahead anyway, ignoring your instincts.
Why self-trust is important in business
Self-trust in business is necessary in order to build a business that is truly aligned with who you are. When you have self-trust:
- You follow the right path for you, not just the path that is prescribed to you by someone else.
- Your decision-making becomes easier because you know you can handle the results and pivot as necessary.
- You feel more empowered and self-assured, because you’re not constantly second-guessing yourself.
- You become a more resilient business owner, which often leads to a more successful business owner since many people just give up too early!
When you build self trust in your business, you develop the resilience and perseverance to weather any storm.
5 ways to build self-trust in your business
If you’re ready to build self-trust, so you can feel more secure and build more resilience in your business, try these steps:
1. Commit to following your intuition for one whole day.
While, it may be difficult to find a whole day to do this, but it’s worth it if you can! Tune into your gut on decisions like when to wake up, what to eat, and what activities to do. Pay attention to what you naturally feel guided to, and honor your instincts.
2. Run advice through your inner barometer.
Before implementing anyone else’s advice (yes, even advice from an expert!), tune into your body and see how the advice feels to you. Think about the advice or decision you’re considering, and see if you feel a no or yes in your body. Get curious about the resistance and sensations that arise.
3. Explore what the feeling of trust feels like to you.
Self-trust isn’t a thought; it’s a felt experience in your body. Pay attention what it feels like to you to trust yourself, to feel safe and secure. If this feeling isn’t accessible for you, somatic (body-based) coaching can be a good opportunity for you to explore what self-trust feels like to you, so can you cultivate even more of that feeling.
4. Honor your gut instincts.
When something doesn’t quite sit right with you — like a prospective client who looks good on paper, but yet sets off alarm bells — honor that feeling and get curious about it, without trying to rush past it or bypass it.
5. Keep your promises.
Keep your promises to yourself. Trust is a verb and requires action on your part. When you keep your promises to yourself, your self-trust strengthens over time. You can start small, by committing to the next right step and following through.
What it looks like to have self-trust in your business
When you develop a strong sense of self-trust in business, you don’t let every little thing knock you off your game.
You stay the course. You trust yourself to handle what comes and make the best decision you can at the time.
Like practicing yoga or meditation, self-trust is a practice.
We all have the innate power to do it, but building self-trust requires practicing it on a regular basis. When we do, it strengthens over time.
Looking to cultivate more self-trust in your business?
Self-trust is one of the many aspects I coach clients to integrate into their business. Building self-trust is a great example of the inner work that helps us grow a sustainable, aligned business.
Because while strategy and action are important, we must do the inner work to support ourselves so that we can create the business of our dreams.
If you want to know more about how I work with clients, you can sign up for a free consultation.
