033: Is Guilt Running Your Business Or Are You?

Who is running your business? Can you say that YOU are? Something I discovered this year is how many of my big business and life decisions are directly influenced by a few not so great forces. The biggie is guilt. Yup - Guilt has been my CFO on many occasion. He’s allowed me to stay in jobs too long, in relationships too long, in friendships too long...and spending my energy on the wrong projects in my own business too... And let’s get real - guilt is not a separate entity. It’s me. I’ve been the one to allow the guilt to drive some of my biggest business delays and changes. And specifically I’ve: stayed on people’s email lists because I felt guilty leaving and having them see me leave said yes to projects that put my health and mental well-being in serious danger said yes to jobs with destructive bosses (and even got hives in the process!) avoided letting an employee go because I felt bad didn’t do a number of promotions for my business because I felt guilty making the offer Now, many of these are ancient history - they did NOT all happen this year, last year or even in the past 5 years...but they’ve left marks on me none the less.   And only now am I staging the takeover of my own business. If you’ve ever felt a little off after making a decision to work with someone or offer something, then there is something that’s driving the boat…and it might just be guilt. Let’s dive in.