Do You Struggle With The Good Girl’s Dilemma?

I wonder if you grew up like I did. I was a “Good Girl.” I generally did what I was told and obeyed my parents’ standards: Don’t make a noise and don’t make a mess.

I was a high-achieving kid who followed the rules. I excelled in school, music, and dance. I was expected to grow up, get my education, get married, and have children. Period. End of story.

I wasn’t raised to be a breadwinner, but I was raised to be ambitious, high achieving, disciplined, and competitive. Striving for excellence was always top of mind.

It was clear to me that if I followed the rules, exceeded expectations, and was a Good Girl, I would be happy and fulfilled. Life was a straight line.

As adults, we know life is full of twists and turns. With a surprise divorce when I was thirty-five with three little kids at home, my life turned upside down. How could this happen when I did everything “right”?

I think of this as The Good Girl’s Dilemma™, always wondering:

• Am I doing this right?
• What am I doing wrong?
• How do I know if I’m going in the right direction?

Today’s Question:

Do you secretly feel unfulfilled in your business because you know you can do more and earn more but aren’t sure where to start?

You grew up, got your education, built relationships, and became an expert in your field. You likely had a corporate career and worked for some good bosses and some terrible bosses until you took a leap of faith and decided to build your own business.

You love the work you do and care deeply about your clients. You’ve made it this far, delivering excellence and great results. Your clients sing your praises.

And yet . . .

Running a business is hard. You need to learn new, complicated information and processes. You need to (gasp!) sell. You need to figure out how to price your services and get prospects to understand who you are and how you can help them solve their business issues.

You need to find ready buyers, network productively, manage your client relationships, and work efficiently. You need to use technology effectively, handle your accounting, and manage people.

You need to set boundaries and expectations, have difficult conversations, innovate, and improve.

You need to generate a healthy profit so you can continue doing all the above.

But Here’s the Twist . . .

Many of us – especially Good Girls – were raised to think everyone else has “the answer.” We were not raised to be breadwinners or to trust our own instincts and intuition.

We weren’t raised to create businesses that operate on our own terms. We have continued to believe some cookie-cutter approach will magically solve all our problems.

We may spend so much time and energy comparing ourselves to others that we lose sight of our real gifts. This “comparitis” can keep us stuck and feeling embarrassed, exposed, and vulnerable.

We often fall victim to other people’s “proven success formulas,” thinking others have the “right” answer. We live in an age of so-called gurus who keep telling us we’re doing it “wrong.”

After decades of working exclusively with women business owners, I’ve experienced and witnessed patterns and roadblocks that keep us unfulfilled.

There is no one “right” way to run a business – there is only your right way.

Now What?

As a woman business owner, you can take back your power so you can run your business your way. A way that:

• Aligns with what and who you care about
• Helps you see things clearly and upgrades your confidence
• Streamlines the daily grind and maximizes the joy
• Fosters falling back in love with your business

My goal is to transform your thinking and help you reimagine how to develop your business with more revenue and less stress.

I’ve done it, and I’ve helped countless women do the same. Since 2006, I’ve guided women business owners to redefine what it means to be powerful and successful on their own terms.

Specifically, I guide them to design a more profitable future for their business by unlocking their Hidden Advantage™.

-- Excerpt from Patty’s book, Your Hidden Advantage: Unlock the Power to Attract Right-fit Clients and Boost Your Revenue

Do you struggle with The Good Girl’s Dilemma? I'd love to hear how this may be affecting you and your business. Simply respond to this email. I read and respond to every email personally.