Have you ever downgraded your work intentionally or unintentionally – spoke or thought about your work in such a way that it sounded unimportant?

I would like to encourage you to take a moment to reflect on this with me. I believe that downgrading or minimizing is one of the major reasons why business owners and entrepreneurs fail. And it is my desire to see you thrive instead in your words, energy and actions by sharing what I have learned and experienced!

Kim Garst, an entrepreneur says, “If you don’t value your time, neither will others. Stop giving away your time and talents. Value what you know and start charging for it.”  I believe she makes an excellent point. When we are in the HABIT of giving away or using words to downgrade, it is a killer.  In fact, I would add that whatever I devalue, others will devalue because I am teaching them how to treat me, my actions and my words.

I am very careful about which projects I do for FREE financially.  It is a habit that I cannot afford.  When I do engage, there is a much greater reason that attracts my heart, and the timing has to be perfect and fit my life.  In addition, my thinking around the project has to be positive and forward moving.  Otherwise, it is not the right fit for me or my business.

I was reminded of the importance of how I think and talk about my work during a meeting with a business owner.  He told me about his plans for a project. In addition to a poorly written project proposal he sent me, he spoke about how he was buying equipment for the project that he would never use again.  His plans included him doing a lot of it himself to take shortcuts. He also shared how he was not going to involve too many people because it was not that important.

Once he explained his plans, I asked him if he wanted feedback. He said he did. In fact, that was the reason he had asked me to meet with him.

Before I tell you about the feedback I gave him, I want to mention that it is really important to me that I respect where people are at, to listen and hear. I am in a different place. It is not better or more impressive – it is just different. Sometimes, because I am in a different place, I can help. So, after I listened with great patience and adoration to my friend who is stepping out in faith in his unknown, I dove in.

I spent significant time giving him positive thoughts (as there were many things he was doing well). Then I said that I was shocked at how little he thought of his project and himself. He looked at me with a question on his face.

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“What do you mean?” he asked. I said that it seemed like he was treating his project as unimportant. I encouraged him to talk about it like the most important thing he has ever done, saying that if he thinks and talks his project like it is very important, that I believe so will everyone else. This perspective will attract support.

Therapist Michael Morgan agrees: “The way you believe about and treat yourself sets the standard for others on how you demand to be treated.”

I also suggested that he be much more careful about how he puts his project together. I suggested that the product meet industry standards so that others in his industry can follow what he is talking about and enjoy coming along.

In addition, I said that by buying the equipment and doing it all himself that, he is actually cheapening and compromising the end result when that is a financial burden he should not have to endure. I mentioned that I believe it would actually make his project better to find people who already have the equipment and skills he needs, inviting them to be a part of his project.  This way, they can collaborate together and make it even better.

After our conversation, things started to shift. He started to recruit talent that had the skills and equipment he needed, saving money. His planning began to be industry standard. And his focus and words around the project began to improve. His change in perspective helped to take his project to new heights!

How are you thinking and talking about your business or project? And how are your beliefs and attitudes about your work impacting the result? What would happen if you would shift your approach?