Sometimes, our denial and illusions can be a benefit—especially in the early stages of starting a business. I know that I needed a certain amount of “moxy” when I took the plunge and started working on my own. As we strive to build our businesses, however, we do need to let go of that denial and those illusions so that we can see things more clearly. We need to be able to “get real” when it comes to our skills and talents and strengths and weaknesses.
The word “illusion” is a synonym for “delusion” and illusions are false ideas or impressions we may have of what our businesses are about. For example, when many of us our young, we imagine being rich and famous. As we get older and have a better grasp of what that actually means, most of us let go of that “dream.” Sure, there are those who stay motivated and driven, but many of us have other callings.
In the early stages of your home business, you may have imagined that you would have unlimited time or that you would make more money than you have. You might have found that time management is more of an issue than you thought it would be or that if you want to make more money, you are going to have to work much harder. Letting go of the illusions can help us to face what is really going on so that we can make it better. I also think that adjusting to reality can help us to be happier overall in our home businesses. When we accept what is really possible, we will stop beating ourselves up for what we have not yet achieved. Letting go of illusions can be an important step in embracing our home businesses as real entities instead of a fantasy.