What Are You Holding On To?

People create many beliefs about how the world works. These beliefs start as thoughts we decide to incorporate into our daily lives as facts.

Some of our beliefs were created as children, others we adopted as adults.

I think of them as keys or legends on the roadmap of life because beliefs make navigating life feel safer and more predictable.

But beliefs can work against us as well. A belief that was helpful in a different season of our lives might prevent us from being successful Virtual Assistants now.

Here are a few examples:

Some Virtual Assistants believe the amount they can charge for their work depends on the client's budget. That belief seems logical if you’ve been around industries where negotiation is a normal part of client relationships.

However, as a Virtual Assistant, how much the client can afford doesn’t affect what we charge. We decide our hourly rate before we speak with prospects, not after, and if they want to work with you, their budget needs to be adapted (not your fees). This might mean we’re not a good fit for everyone (because we’re not), but it does mean we get paid our desired rate for our time and expertise.

Another common belief is that to be a successful Virtual Assistant, you must choose a niche.

When I started my VA business in 2010, I chose a niche because I thought it was essential to success. I decided I would work with start-ups—it sounded cool and exciting. However, I quickly realized I didn’t know anyone starting a business, so I spent my time looking for people in my niche instead of working with established entrepreneurs who wanted to hire a VA.

Once I dropped the niche, work started flowing in, and I stopped feeling like a failure because I didn't know how to target start-ups (which, I later found out, don’t always have the budget for a VA anyway).

A third common belief is that to find clients, you’ll need to cold call, spend all your time on social media, and sell your services to strangers. All I can say is thank goodness this isn’t true because if it were, I would have a job right now instead of being a successful Virtual Assistant.

Your best clients will come from referrals. There are many ways to generate those relationships, but none involve sales, spam, or hunting people down.

Take time to examine what beliefs you hold that might be holding you back. Are they based on outdated assumptions or fear? Or are they empowering, helping you move forward with confidence and clarity?

Remember, you have the power to rewrite the script. If a belief isn’t helping you grow, it’s time to release it.