Guilt and the Impact it Has on Your Business

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON FORBES JULY 20, 2012 | READ THE ORIGINAL POST

Ugh – have you ever had that feeling that you could be doing more, that you’ve let your employees down or that you made a bad investment? The guilt that follows most situations and decisions can be insightful but it can also be detrimental. I was recently reflecting and analyzing my business and started to concentrate on the effects that guilt plays in how I run my business. It is interesting to explore the things that make us stronger and the things that really hold us back. I’ve come to realize that many of us have very high aspirations that often get muddled by guilt. Most of it boils down to money and how we feel about it.

“Money itself isn’t the problem. Money itself isn’t bad or good. Money itself doesn’t have power or not have power. It is our interpretation of money, our interaction with it, where the real mischief is and where we find the real opportunity for self-discovery and personal transformation.” – The Soul of Money by Lynne Twist

It is no secret that money carries all sorts of emotions. As women, I find we are much more conscious of how we feel about money as well as how it makes us feel. I have often been affected by the homeless man holding a sign on the corner as I leave the mall with a new dress that I really shouldn’t have bought. Yet, I tell myself “I work hard for my money so why shouldn’t I spend it however I see fit?” That is guilt creeping into my conscience. Usually, we shove it off, and once past the man with the sign, we forget about it. However, how does it affect the way you run your business, and is it unconsciously creeping in to undermine your success? Oprah Winfrey recently aired a “Life Class“ episode with Iyanla Vanzant where they examined the effects guilt has on each of us. Of course, from an emotional perspective, carrying guilt can wreak havoc on our personal lives but I believe it is also something that I personally need to examine as it may be affecting my business. How I spend our budget, how I feel about bringing in revenue and the cycle of being a successful business owner with money in and money out carries emotions that I hadn’t considered so closely until now. Is guilt impacting how you run your biz?