Episode 011 – Beating Tall Poppy Syndrome

 Where does it begin?

Business ownership and starting a business is exciting, stressful and downright gutsy so why are we all so hard on individuals who try it! In today’s community there seems to be an ugly undertone that is lurking around. Even more disturbing is that people are too afraid to talk about their ambitions and dreams because of fear of alienation. This is just completely crazy to me, but I have also felt the brunt of people in my life treating me poorly because I wanted to step outside the socially acceptable form of work. Since when is ambition a dirty word? Its not and we need to start focusing on changing the perceptions and attitudes in the community today so that we can strive for our goals.

Number nerding out time

I love studies and numbers, I did lots of research for this topic to bring you some powerful numbers to sink your teeth into. Did you know that only 6% of Australians actually start a business! More specifically, 68% of Australians believe that Australia has a culture of negativity towards ambition with nearly 7 in 10 Australians surveyed reporting they don’t talk about their ambitions for fear of being labelled a ‘bragger’. Another study showed that 64.7% of women reported lower self-esteem and self-confidence, 60.3% reported downplaying or not sharing their achievements and 46.2% reported negative self-talk because of constantly being undercut. Women said that TPS led to withdrawal, mental breakdowns, self-doubt, fear of favouritism, depression, insomnia, anxiety and overeating, among other effects.

Oh my goodness, this needs to stop! Right Now!!!

Its time to understand how you are hiding away and not owning your superpower, you are needed and what you bring is needed. Friends and family members often mean well, and you need to remember that the world we live in is changing. We are moving from an industrial focused society where jobs were guaranteed, and you stayed in them your whole life! Generations of families would work for the same company and that loyalty would be rewarded, but we all know that’s no longer the case.

Need new friends?

Stepping out on your own is challenging and it starts to challenge those around you, they begin to question if they have the strength to take the same leap of faith as you are. Often it is their own fear of you stepping outside the social circle, possibly being better than the others. I never really understood the saying that you are average of the 5 people you hang out with and if they are not successful then find new ones! What find new friends, Yes find new business buddies, I say it all the time! No need to ditch the family friends, school friends and your crew just surround yourself with people that are also on the same journey as you! You need to have people in your life that you can talk shop with, but you also need friends that you can just hang out with. Time away from the hustle and bustle is important for your sanity and gives you the space to allow your mind to create.

When you understand that not everyone is going to appreciate your passion, nor your reasons for starting a business, it is incredibly liberating! Positive people and positive experiences are one of the tools to move through the haters!

Find your purpose

Did you know that we as humans are at our happiest when we are striving for our goals! Having a strong sense of purpose helps to push you in the right direction. What others say and make you feel is irrelevant because you’re on a mission and no one is going to stop you!!! Purpose is a saviour of many businesses when the going gets tough! You hear a large number of people talk about defining your why, it seems like such a massive task and not one that is easy, but nailing your why is like a business orgasm! Nothing can touch you when you are laser focused, its like water off a ducks back!

Saving grace of gratitude

Practicing gratitude is another option in your tool box. Being grateful that you can change the direction of your life reframes any rubbish that anyone is throwing at you! All the things that you hated about being chained to the masses are now irrelevant, you are calling the shots now! Enjoying the sunshine on the days when you could only look at it through a window, no commute through hours of traffic, office politics becomes a thing of the past. For me my greatest gratitude goes to my ability to share my passion and feel truly fulfilled to inspire and create opportunities for others.

$$$$ quieten the haters

Women are finally starting to realise their worth and its beautiful to watch! There is no quicker way to uncover your deep seeded fears around your worth, than starting a small business. It comes out of nowhere to bite you in the behind when you least expect it. Women are synonymous for not charging what they are worth. Personally, for me its my greatest accomplishment to help women to understand their worth and charge accordingly. When you start to charge and clients are paying you, the nay sayers quickly retreat. Confidence grows that you product or service is a success and needed out their in the community, it makes it hard to really listen to anyone that has anything negative to say!

I think now is an important time to consider that you just ignore the bullying, haters going to hate. There is absolutely no point trying to convince people that you can run a small business, simply put all that energy into proving that you can. Don’t think for a second that you need to prove yourself to anyone, but actions and results are a sure-fire way to silence even the strongest critics. Arguing and persuading people only leads to you doubting your ability and your ideas, this is the worst mental spiral that you can fall down.

You are stronger than you realise

The statistics earlier as scary, so few people take the step to start a small business. In my eyes for each and everyone of you that have taken that first step there isn’t a business owner around the country that isn’t cheering you on! The dreamers account for over half of the population, stuck in their patterns of unhappiness and uncertainty. Taking that step requires nothing more than an undeniable belief that no matter what happens you are learning, and that every step you take you are further than most of the population! Take a moment to really think about that, you my friend are tougher than you realise, stronger for taking that leap of faith in you own ability than over half of the population!

Today we have shone a bright light on a tough subject that shouldn’t exist in my opinion! Remember that what others think of you is completely irrelevant, you are amazing, you are taking action and to all the haters I love to say, you haven’t seen anything yet, watch me succeed and live life on my terms!

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Meet Your Host

Carol Lange 

From a young age I have been surrounded by business success. Having formally studied a Double Degree of Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Management, this led to many successful opportunities.

I have been an employee for large accounting firms and international companies. I have run two highly successful businesses, becoming sought after in my industry internationally.

I have spoken nationally on the topic of money management and loved having the quiet coffee making radical changes for my clients. I am not a limelight chaser, just a quiet achiever looking to make a difference in the world.

Thankyou for joining me on the podcast, my dream is to inspire you to take action that will create a difference in your life! Dream no more and live the life that you have always wanted.