10 Most Common Abundance Blocks For Entrepreneurs
Are you feeling stuck in your small business? Overwhelmed? Ready to throw in the towel on your dreams?
Trust me, we’ve all been there. But please don’t give into those fears and self-doubts!
One of the most common problems facing female entrepreneurs are abundance blocks (sometimes called money blocks): the subconscious reasons we fear money and success, and therefore self-sabotage our own success.
Problem is, this stuff all happens subconsciously–that is, without you even realizing what’s going on. So it just feels like the world is working against you, when in fact you have a lot to do with it.
And it’s okay when it’s your own actions, feelings, and beliefs messing things up, because that also means you can undo them.
What Is An Abundance Block?
An abundance block is a limiting belief, behavioral pattern, or feeling that actively prevents you from making money (earning more, charging your worth, making sales pitches, etc.)
These mindset blocks are sneaky because most of the time, we don’t even realize that we have them! Instead, it just feels like success is always out of our reach, or like we’re somehow doomed to be poor or unsuccessful.
The first step in getting rid of your abundance blocks is to simply notice that you have them. After all, it’s very difficult to get over a problem that you don’t even realize it’s there. Simple awareness is not enough but it is enough for us to start to focus our attention and energy on changing.
10 Abundance Blocks For Entrepreneurs
Abundance Block #1: Fear Of Being Seen
The number one thing I see people struggling with in their online business? It’s the fear of being seen.
But I can relate to this one! I didn’t post a single photo of myself online for the first year or two of my business. And that was a huge mistake. I thought that my words and writing would be enough. But nope! People wanted to get to know me and my story. In fact, that was the part separating me from the rest of the crowd! Without a face and story to back things up, my words kind of felt impersonal and meaningless.
How To Overcome It:
The cure for this is to be like Nike and just do it. Look, I’m the first to admit that’s it’s scary AF to put yourself out there online. (I hate how I look. What if I trip on my words or someone takes things the wrong way??)
There are an almost endless amount of reasons that can get in your way here. But the mindset shift that really helped me here was to remember my message and purpose. I’m not broadcasting myself just for the hell of it. It’s actually not about me at all! I’m simply showing up to serve my community. And with that perspective shift, I can do just about anything.
For more, check out our post about how to get over the fear of being seen.
Abundance Block #2: Fear of Judgment/Rejection
Often a fear of being seen is a fear of judgment. What will our friend from third grade/ Karen from Accounting or Aunt Mildred think? Instead of speaking to our desired customer, we start filtering our message through the lens of who might see us and think negatively about us. And that severely impacts your authenticity and power.
The fear of judgment is both rooted in shame and fear of rejection. Our lizard brains simply don’t want to be rejected by “our” people! To that part of us, rejection feels like a threat to our safety and well-being.
How To Overcome It:
If you’re a spiritual entrepreneur (or any type of entrepreneur really!), you’re just going to have to accept the fact that not everyone will get it. And that’s okay.
Business success is not one-size fits all. For many of us, that also means that your target market is not your friends and family members. Basically, you don’t have worry about speaking to them with your messaging and marketing because your work was simply never meant for them in the first place. It’s 100x more useful to concentrate on talking to the people who do get it: your Ideal Customers/Clients.
These days, I let my gossipy friends and family members think whatever they like about me, while I get down to the business of finding and serving my people. Trust me, the most successful people of the world are not wasting their precious time worried about what their weird cousins etc. might think about them. They’re too busy with the real work!
Abundance Block #3: Thinking Your Work Isn’t Important
We all get into business because we want to help people. But a funny things happens soon after we begin: we start to doubt that we can actually do it! We let all of our fears and self-doubts convince us that we haven’t or that we never will.
Obviously, it’s hard to sell when you have this mindset. People can pick up on your energy, even without words. So if you’re subconsciously doubting yourself, they will feel that and move on to someone who inspires more confidence.
Similarly, sometimes we look down on our own talents and skills because there are other people out there who are similar to us.
Funny, I’ve rarely seen a man suffer from this one! But it’s astonishing how many women do. We look around online and think: “Who needs yet another coach/astrologer/writer/artist/etc.?”
How To Overcome It:
To paraphrase Marianne Williamson: when you begin to question your own power, don’t ask yourself “Who am I to have this?” Ask “Who am I not to be powerful?” Again, it’s a good idea here to remind yourself of all the future customers and clients you will be able to help. If you give up now, what will they do?
If you’re wondering why the world needs another life coach, ask yourself this: do you think doctors think like that? Or lawyers? Do they look around and think “Oh well there are plenty of doctors in the world already so why should I bother?” Of course not! They know that there are a lot of people in the world and we need doctors for all of them.
This mentality is just a form of scarcity thinking. But it also has a lot to do with my next point….
Abundance Block #4: Imposter Syndrome
Many of us secretly feel like we’re not up to the task. Even after we make some money or book some clients, we think that we don’t really deserve our success. Or we secretly fear that at any moment we will be “found out” and that no one will like us anymore.
Once again, this can result in you either not showing up online at all (avoiding posting, etc.) or by you not feeling confident and powerful in your messaging. Either way, that will affect your bottom line.
How To Overcome It:
Imposter syndrome is a very real feeling–but it’s also a reflection of our own self-worth. But I understand where it comes from. As children, we’re always waiting for an outside authority (our teacher/school) to allow us to go our next level or grade. But in the adult world, that doesn’t happen. No one is congratulating you on elevating yourself or growing. So often we feel like our growth doesn’t matter because no one else signed off on it!
The cure to this one is all about learning about becoming the authority of your own life. It’s about giving yourself permission to acknowledge your own wins and your overall growth. Try making a list of your wins: your education, your clients, your positive feedback. The next time you’re feeling the imposter syndrome kick in, go back and read your list.
Abundance Block #5: Outsourcing Your Power
Similar to our last block, many times women are afraid of their own power. We’re literally conditioned to be people-pleasers and to seek outside validation in order to feel good about ourselves. This can lead to all kinds of conditions, like codependency and perfectionism.
But when it comes to business, it can be the fear of actually being the boss or speaking like an expert. When we subconsciously doubt our own knowledge, our messaging can seem lukewarm and timid. Or perhaps we’re afraid to make big bold business decisions and instead get stuck in almost mindless tasks that never push our business forward. (Result= no clients and no cash.)
How To Overcome It:
Choosing the solopreneur life means you have to become the boss, of your mind, your words, and your actions. That means taking responsibility for your failures and mistakes. But it also means truly showing up and sharing your message.
Try to be honest with yourself: What big decisions or actions are you holding off on? Are you trying to hire someone to tell you what to do? And if so, what do you wish could just happen magically for you? What decision or action would you take?
You really have more answers than you think you do! The only thing you need to learn is how to trust them.
Abundance Block #6: Fear of Success
A fear of success (or failure) is so common that I’ve already written a whole post about it!
However, this block is tricky to diagnose. We think we want financial and business success. However, some part of our mind also fears that very thing.
Result? Self-sabotage galore baby! Think about it: it’s really damn difficult to attract something that you also secretly fear. You’ve got two entirely different energies going on, which usually means at best chaotic or uncertain results.
How To Overcome It:
To get over this, you have to do a bit of digging around to find your real fear. Think your parents will judge you? Your cousin Tom will ask for money? You’ll have to figure out a new investment strategy?
Even though our fears control our actions, when you take them out and dissect them a little bit, they lose a lot of their power. Finding the root cause of your fear will take you a long way. Once it’s “out” of your head, it’s much easier to do a little mindset work on it. Example: will your parents really be jealous of you? What proof do you have of that? And what if the opposite was true instead?
It’s true that money and success can change things, in both good and bad ways. But you are strong and capable enough to figure out anything that comes your way!
Abundance Block #7: Fear of Change
Desiring a new reality of financial and career success is one thing. But actually creating is a whole ‘nother ball of yarn.
Subconsciously, our brains often sabotage us when we try to change our lives for the better. Your brain loves safety and security; therefore, it also sees anything “new” as being potentially dangerous. Therefore it will kick up excuses, talk you out of it, tell you it’s not worth it.
The tricky part here is that you don’t usually “see” the fear. You see your logical excuses and you think that you have no other choice (even when you do).
This one also shows up as the limiting belief that if you don’t know how to do something right now, you’ll never be able to learn it. Sometimes we look at the cool and experienced entrepreneurs online and think they all had it worked out from the start. And since we don’t, we’ll never be like them. But that’s not true!
How To Overcome It:
Overcoming fear of change is all about taking baby steps. It’s about listening to your brain’s excuses and taking action anyway. That’s the only way that you can train your brain to not be afraid. Start by doing something that you normally have resistance about–even if it has nothing to do with your business on the surface. Change here is all about creating new mental habits.
Abundance Block #8: Overwhelm/Indecision
Who hasn’t been struck with overwhelm or indecision at some point in their business?
“I don’t know what to focus on/say/do next.” “I just stare at the blank page.” It’s the worst.
At first, it’s perfectly normal to feel overwhelmed in your business when you start out. After all, there are so many things to focus on: branding, social media, hiring a VA, etc. There’s only 8 hours in a day (or less if you’re starting a side-hustle). So how do you choose?
How To Overcome It:
I know that confusion seems very real and valid. But what if I told you it was a simple mindset problem?
It’s true! It’s your brain creating that chaos–not your external circumstances. Right now, your brain is running in fifteen different directions which is causing you to stop before you even start.
This is one of the many reasons why I always talk about keeping your business simple, especially in the beginning phase. In other words, don’t try to be on all the social media platforms. Don’t try to book clients, write a book AND make a course all at the same time. Focus on the tiny achievable things that actually push your business forward and forget the rest. You can build up sales systems, funnels, admin help and everything else after you create some initial success.
Abundance Block #9: Scarcity Mindset
Scarcity mindset is something we almost all suffer from. It’s the idea that there simply isn’t enough to go around. “There isn’t enough money, there’s no way to make more money, how can I find clients/customers when everyone else already has them??” This can also take the form of being jealous of other people’s success because in a scarce world, someone else having more always means that you have less.
How To Overcome It:
To get a little spiritual here, remember that the Universe itself is naturally abundant. In many ways, scarcity was created by capitalism for profit. For example, we have to think diamonds are rare otherwise they would lose their value! But a diamond isn’t inherently worth more than any other stone. It’s our collective mindset that created that value.
(Also, there is enough food on the planet to feed everyone. We just don’t because people wouldn’t make enough money if we gave it away. 🙄)
Instead of seeing other people’s success as limitations on your own, try to get inspired and use them as an example of what’s possible. Isn’t it cool that there are other tarot card readers/ spiritualists/ etc. out there because it proves that people want to work with them?
The idea of scarcity is an illusion. Trying to see the other side is tough, but it will set you free. There are billions of people on this planet and plenty of ways for you to find your people among them.
Abundance Block #10: Financial Trauma
Finally, one of the biggest reasons we struggle to make money in business is because of financial trauma. This includes money mindset issues we picked up as children as well as any painful money issues we might have experienced as adults.
In our capitalist society, we’re shown over and over again that money is a measure of our worth. Of course, that’s not actually true. But this belief can leave serious scars. After all, if we make money mistakes or live in scarcity, then it seems like the world is telling us its our fault.
How To Overcome It:
Unpacking financial trauma is often a big project. There are many layers to unpack here, usually including our parents financial beliefs, our programmed beliefs, and our own lived experience.
Please know that any financial belief or negative pattern you picked up can be unlearned! The first thing to understand is that you are more powerful than anything you went through in the past. These things are not a reflection of you, no matter how much it feels like they are.
It might take some time to truly heal your financial mindset issues! But I recommend working with a coach, and/or doing hypnosis or EMDR to truly get to the root of the problem.
So tell me: which of these abundance blocks do you notice in yourself? How have you dealt with them in the past? How will you deal with them moving forward?
Whatever you learned in the past, you have the power to unlearn. Don’t let your mindset issues block your future business success! Make a plan now and start doing the work to unblock your abundance.
Read This Next:
You might also want to check out this post about how to get over the fear of being seen, or 5 shadow works prompts for entrepreneurs.
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