EPISODE 047 | Mastering the Inner Game of Entrepreneurship

It’s that time! Welcome to the last OTs Gone Rogue episode of 2022. And while everyone else is looking back on the past year, today I’m reflecting on my journey as an entrepreneur.

As I’ve mentioned before on the podcast, I’m a big fan of journaling. My business journal has given me a living document of my entire entrepreneurial journey.

This episode is my love letter to entrepreneurship, celebrating the highs, the lows, the wins, and everything in between that makes up this wonderful journey so many of us are on. I can’t wait to hear your take on it!

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL DISCOVER : 

• Why I’ve grown to love celebrating my birthday in December.
• The “why” behind my reason for journaling in the first place.
• My advice to entrepreneurs at all stages of their journey as we all get ready to take on 2023!

I hope you’ll join us on January 9th as we dive headfirst into 2023 with new weekly episodes all year long! From my family (both in business and biology) to yours, I’m wishing you the happiest of holidays and can’t wait to hear from you soon!

If you want to stay in the know with our podcast, go ahead and sign up for our OTGR Newsletter -- we'll send you our most recent podcast episodes, behind-the-scenes details + bonus resources, directly to your inbox! And if this episode resonated with you in any way, I would love to hear from you.

Connect with me on Instagram @OTsGoneRogue or drop me an email at hello@otsgonerogue.com. 

Transcript

00:06 - INTRO

You're listening to the OTs Gone Rogue podcast, where we inspire therapists to think outside the box and do things differently. I'm your host, Melissa LaPointe. My passion is in helping OT entrepreneurs have a bigger impact on the world while building a life they love and doing transformative work that lights them up. On each episode of the show, I'm going to share tools and tricks to help you flex your entrepreneurial muscles and grow your business from the inside out. I want to see more OTS step up as visionary leaders, change-makers, and influential CEOs. So let's get started.

00:51

Hey, everyone, and welcome to our last episode of 2022. My goodness, there were some weeks in this year that I felt time was crawling by. And in other ways this year, it just flew by. I'm also excited that we followed through on our commitment with the podcast. So you may recall, we went on a little bit of a hiatus earlier in the year. And when we started publishing again in the spring. So we started recording again in early April, I believe. And then early May, we started to publish again. And I had committed to publishing an episode every second week, for the duration of the year. And here we are, we did it. So this is going to be our final episode for 2022. This is the second episode in December. So we have followed through this feels really good. We really slow down in a lot of ways and honed in on systems and processes. And just getting into a rhythm with this. Like anything else. It's not perfect. But we've made a lot of progress. And when I can look back over the two years that we've been running this podcast, it's really neat, just seeing how this is continuing to grow and evolve. So there is that. Now, this is also a time of year. So a lot of people are really slowing down right now. And I shouldn't say slowing down. There's definitely you know, I know this is a hectic time, I daresay a chaotic time for some people, but really slowing down when it comes to work and shifting gears, so turning their attention to the holidays. I know that this is also a time of year where many people are reflecting and doing a lot of introspection, myself included. So I mentioned before, it's my birthday at the end of December. So for me this month, I'm always doing a lot of reflecting on my last trip around the sun, and starting to set intentions for my next year. I used to hate having so middle child syndrome, and I just hated having a birthday right after Christmas. So in between Christmas and New Year's, it was tough in terms of birthdays, when I was younger, once I hit my teens, my early 20s. It was tough. Generally I wasn't in university with my friends, I was home and there were just always a lot of things going on. As an adult, I'm learning to really appreciate that my birthday is at the end of the year, because it again, it creates this nice ebb and flow in terms of just that period of transition. And I've been a business owner for 10 years now, which blows my mind and other ways. And I always use the month of December to slow down and do a wrap-up. So this is a time where I'm really taking stock on what's been working well for us. What's not been working well, what lessons I've learned from our wins, but also from our losses from our disappointments in business, and really getting clear on what we're going to be carrying forward in the next 12 months. As part of this reflection process. I spend a lot of time going through my old journals. Now I've always been a fan of journaling. But in my early years of entrepreneurship. My journal was my journal meaning I still in the early years didn't have a lot of separation between my business and my life. And everything was kind of lumped in together. So my journals from my early years were a little bit messy, which It's fine, it's okay for journals to be messy. But in terms of going back and looking at them, it's not something I did on a regular basis because I have, like this ModPodge of everything in there. It was in 2015, that I invested in my first journal for business purposes. So I'm a fan of moleskin journals. So this is not a sponsored post, I am not affiliated with them. But I like the texture of the paper. I like the feel. I like such and such a sensory-driven person. I like the thickness of the paper, I like the lines, the formatting, I'm just once I find something I like, and I've tried a lot of different journals, I just stick with it. So moleskin journals are my business journals. And this first journal that I invested in, so it was my business dirt like I think I actually had that written on the cover Business Journal 2015 2016. And it was in this journal that I started to get really clear, I wrote down my dreams, my vision, my fears, and my goals. As an entrepreneur. I think it was really around this time that I started to identify with being an entrepreneur. And this is also so I would create my outlines for my offers my ideas for my client avatars. And over the years, I've continued to add to my journal collection. So in December, this is when I'm revisiting my different journal entries. And if you're not journaling, if you're not documenting your progress, I highly encourage you to do this. It is fascinating to see how my thought process as an entrepreneur has evolved, and how far I've come. And when I first went into business, like many OTs, I naively thought that all I had to do was what I had done. In the past, what I had done in university in order to succeed what I had done as a therapist in order to succeed, I thought that I had to put my head down, study more, learn more, work harder, and discover these new skills related to being in business. So I was still proudly wearing my therapy hat. I was also a devoted mom, and a committed wife. So this is who I was being these are the roles that I was bringing forward. I then invested in an office space. So my early years of entrepreneurship. I invested in an office space, a website, a business name and a logo, thinking that by changing my physical environment, I was setting myself up for success. I was also focusing a lot of my time and a lot of my resources towards trying to change my behaviors. So learning more about what it meant to be an entrepreneur, learning more about what it meant to own a business, the different skills and capabilities and behaviors that I had to embrace. But this was only getting me so far. You see, what I didn't know in the early years was that you can't think or you can't will your way to higher performance. I still wasn't focusing on the change that had to happen from the inside out, which wasn't so much about my environment or my behaviors, but rather focused on transforming my mind, on transforming my habits and transforming my identity. So the first time this all really made sense to me, because I'm sure I had read about it. It had been mentioned in different trainings and different programs. But the first time it really sunk in for me, was during a kickoff call. So I had signed up for a one-year business coaching program. And during this kickoff call, the head coach of the program was walking us through a journaling exercise. So this was all about our breakthrough here. We first had to get clear on the specific outcomes. So what did our breakthrough year entail? What outcomes were we going to hit? And what did we so we were identifying what we would need to happen throughout the year. In order to know we were on track. So through this journaling activity, we then fast-forwarded to the end of the year. So this is where he had us journal on who we had to be to make This happened. So by visualizing, so thinking about these different outcomes, visualizing us hitting these outcomes, he encouraged us to embrace how it feels to have this be our breakthrough here. So starting with the end in mind, writing the date, journaling in the present moment, how are we feeling? What are we celebrating? If we are doing a toast? What are we saying?

10:33

So celebrating these outcomes, getting clear on where we are. He then had us write about what we had to let go of what was no longer serving us? What new habits did we have to adopt? What qualities and characteristics did we take on? What were our superpowers. So these are very powerful journal prompts. And, you know, fast forwarding into the future, but then writing about it as though it's in the present moment, is also a very powerful journal activity. So this led to the concept of creating my business archetype. Todd Herman. So he is a performance coach and a mentor, to elite pro athletes, to leaders and public figures. So Todd Herman refers to it as creating your alter ego. Now, my business coach, my mentor, he had us creating our business archetype, based on the logical levels by Robert Dilts. Todd takes you through, so he has a book called the alter ego effect. And as in his book, he walks you through a number of exercises, similar concepts, and I got to the same end result. So whether it's my alter ego, or my business archetype, so both methods took me to the same outcome. With both the business archetype and the alter ego, the ultimate goal is to look at this list of characteristics of traits and qualities, and then to personify it. So find a way to bring it to life. This could be naming it. So giving it an actual name, it could be identifying So coming up with an animal or a superhero, it could be personifying it by coming up with a fictional character, or a TV or movie character, or a cartoon character could be coming up with you know, is there an entertainer, a historical figure and athlete that you associate with your business archetype or with this alter ego? So for me, the alter ego that I've created when I'm showing up in business, is the alpha Xi Wolf. So when I'm the Alpha Xi Wolf, I radiate power and strength as a leader, I am moving forward with confidence and purpose. As the Alpha she Wolf, I come from a place of knowing my vision is clearly in focus. And I coach members in my programs in a way that helps them to see their own limitless potential, which helps them to overcome their fears and take inspired action. And as the Alpha she Wolf, I show up with determination and clarity to lead my team and to serve my audience with quiet confidence and certainty. This affects my world, in that my life is filled with meaning and purpose. I've developed strong, impactful relationships. And as a result, I am both resilient and powerful. I am also decisive, disciplined and fearless. I am a powerful force for change. So this is what it means for me to be the alpha she will. I have found images that represent the Alpha she will. So my screen saver is an image that I found on the internet. That to me, represents the Alpha she Wolf. Sounds pretty awesome, doesn't it? Now, I want to provide some contrast and tell you about Mary. So Mary, is my inner critic, because yes, it's important to personify not only our Alter Ego But our inner critic, or our enemy, as well. So I've named my inner critic, Mary, I don't think of Mary as the enemy. In many ways, she's my protector, she's trying to keep me safe. But when it comes to business, Mary is a pain in my ass. So Mary is very sweet and sensible. She has a huge heart. She wants to love and help everyone. Mary works really hard, but she doesn't like to be noticed. She doesn't like to stand out. And she doesn't like to be acknowledged for her efforts. So she likes to fly below the radar. Mary also craves stability and predictability. She's often referring to the past, and she's getting caught up in how things ought to be. Mary is very realistic. She doesn't like change. And she doesn't like when things are new. So Mary is often saying things like, Who do you think you are? Nobody in your family has ever done something like this before? Do you really think you can do this? People in your family aren't entrepreneurs? OTs aren't entrepreneurs. You're not ready for this. You don't know enough? You should probably just wait until you do more research, or take more training, or get more experience before you share this with the world.

16:44

You don't want to make a fool of yourself. Are you sure you want to take such a huge risk?

16:50

Are you sure you want to put yourself out there like that? What if everyone sees you make a mistake? What if everyone sees you screw up? And they see you fail? What if this does work? And you don't have as much time for your family? What if being this level of success means that you're not there for Max? What if it means you're a bad mom? Is this all really worth it? Doesn't your family deserve more stability. So you can see that it doesn't matter what kind of office space I have, what kind of environment I've created, how fancy of a website I have, how many hours I'm working or what kind of programs I'm creating. If Mary is a core part of my identity, and a driving force behind my thoughts and my beliefs, I'm going to continue to find ways to hold myself back. I'm going to continue to self-sabotage in order to keep Mary happy. Now there's going to be times in my life that Yes, Mary may be an asset. But do I want Mary in there in my head when I'm trying to move forward as an entrepreneur? On the flip side, when we think of the Alpha she Wolf? Is that who I want in all areas of my life? No, I don't need to be the alpha she wolf at all times either. But remember, we have different roles that we play in different areas of our life. So when I'm focusing on my business, when I'm focusing on my role as a CEO, that is when I'm leaning into my alter ego, that is when I am working on embracing the Alpha she Wolf. So does that mean I'm successful in doing this all the time? No, absolutely not. So like everyone else, I get stressed, I get busy, I get distracted, I get up in my head. And when this happens, my default programming often favors Mary. So it's her voice that definitely becomes prevalent in my head. But then I catch myself or I show up to one of my coaching calls or to a session with a mentor and they help to catch me. This is when I can remind myself to slow down. I regroup. I do some journaling. And this is when I will talk to Mary So sometimes this is me saying things out loud. Or it's me writing a letter to her and letting her know that I appreciate all that she's doing. I appreciate that she's trying to protect me. She's trying to keep me safe. I thank Mary for her service. And I reassure her that I know what I'm doing, that I'm okay. And that I'm surrounded by love by light and strength. I tell Mary that it's time for her to let go. It's time for her to sit back and relax. I then reread my journal entries and the descriptions that I have on the alpha, she will get back on track with my strategic plan. With my 90 Day goals with the weekly action steps that I've committed to taking. I make decisions based on the Alpha Xi Wolf, I show up for my audience based on the Alpha Xi Wolf, I invest in my personal growth, asking what is going to serve my alter ego. So this isn't a magic pill by any means. But I have learned that these journaling activities can be very powerful in taking some of the power away from Mary, and in turn empowering that side of me that wants to show up as the Alpha she Wolf. So for me, this is really about doing the work, to master the inner game of entrepreneurship, and to continue to grow and evolve as a CEO. All right. So these are tools and resources, that in the last few years, as I've said, I have really benefited from and people in my coaching programs have benefited from them as well. I hope that you found today's episode to be of benefit to you. So as you wrap up your year as you transition into 2023. Because I know that so many of you are doing great things. And I don't want you being held back by your inner critic. I also know that we have a lot of listeners who are still on the cusp, you're still on the edge. So you have ideas and aspirations for the future. But you still haven't taken that leap of faith. So maybe by creating your alter ego, this will be the added push that you need for taking that next step on your journey. If this episode inspired you in any way, I would love to hear from you. And if you already have an alter ego, I would also love to hear from you. Please reach out to me, I would love to know more. This work I find so inspiring. And when I hear about other OT entrepreneurs doing this work as well. It's just this level of camaraderie that lights me up. So you can find me on Instagram at OTs Gone Rogue, or you can send us an email. So go to our website, www dot OTS gone rogue.com. And you'll see our Contact Us button. So go to that and reach out. I would love to hear from you. All right. So that is that. Take care everyone. We are officially wrapping things up for 2022. And we'll see you back here in 2023. We're going to be kicking things off with weekly episodes. We have our listener q&a, we have our coaching conversations, we have featured guest experts. So industry experts, and then we also have our OT spotlights. Really excited for this and I hope that wherever you are in the world, you have some well deserved R and R in the upcoming days the upcoming weeks and catch you over here on the podcast in 2023. 

Take care everyone we'll talk to you soon