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Isn’t it funny how these things creep up on you? One day you’re bobbing happily along, minding your own business, growing your business and doing your thing. Then you have a bit of a binge and suddenly, you’ve got wobbly bits you’ve never had before!

In my case, I’m not talking about my body although I’ve got quite a few wobbly bits there. I’m actually talking about my CONFIDENCE.

I used to be an avid reader.

Every spare minute would find me, book or Kindle in hand, curled up in a chair reading. Business books were my favourite. Then my business got busy and Chloe’s social life got busier, and I fell out of the habit until, that is, I won a Leonie Dawson challenge and my prize included her 10 favourite business books. So I started reading again. And once I started, I couldn’t stop. It was a fantastic prize because her favourite business books were totally different to anything I would ever have chosen. And I LOVED them. I got through them all in a couple of weeks.

And then I needed more.

So I bought the books recommended by the authors of the books I’d just read, I looked at their research notes and bought what they had been reading. Any book recommended in my client Facebook groups would be ordered the same day. At one point I was getting an Amazon delivery every other day and the books were piling up, so I kept ploughing through them. Despite occasionally feeling that my brain would pop, I felt my horizons expanding and my creative juices starting to flow. I got amazing business ideas, topics for podcasts and blogs, I started to look at my own topic of marketing in different ways. It was amazing.

But there was an unexpected side effect.

Really unexpected. And I was quite shocked when it happened. With all of this reading and brain expansion, all of these new perspectives, all of this WISDOM, I suddenly woke up one morning with new wobbly bits. In my brain. I got seriously BIG wobbles.

Wobbles like:

  • OMG, I didn’t realise I still had so much to learn
  • I will NEVER be as clever as them
  • How can I teach business owners when I’m rubbish compared to these amazing authors
  • I’m so inarticulate
  • Am I going to be good enough? Eeeeeeek!

I used to get these wobbles in the  very first days of my business back in 2010. But I’ve not had them since, and certainly not as big as these! They stopped me in my tracks. And they couldn’t have come at a worse time because I was just about to start writing a high level programme aimed at my online coaching ladies and suddenly I felt totally inadequate. I felt like someone had kicked my legs out from under me. And I felt like I needed to start again.

I did start again

About 6 blummin’ times. In fact I barely got past module one for weeks. And it was frustrating and infuriating – I wasted so much time on this silly ‘not good enough’ mood when I could have had the whole programme written in a couple of weeks. Honestly!

I had to give myself a talking to.

  • I gave myself a break from the books.
  • I started taking my own medicine and stopped comparing myself to others.
  • I looked at my testimonials.
  • I reminded myself of the breakthroughs my amazing ladies get when they learn marketing from me.
  • And finally, I calmed down.
  • My wobbles slowly disappeared and I breathed a sigh of relief.

And I wanted to share this with you because it made me remember how that feels.

The ‘I’m not good enough’ wobbles.

The ‘who the heck am I’ wobbles.

The ‘I feel like a fraud’ wobbles. And it’s not nice.

And I know you’ve probably been through it too, maybe you’re going through it now? If you are, you’re not alone. The Wobbles can set in at any time.

Usually when you least expect it. Usually when you really could do with them. Especially when you’re about to do something big and scary, or you’re going through a period of personal growth.

(Gah, as if you didn’t have enough to contend with, being a business owner!) So the good news is I’ve got rid of my wobbly bits again for now. I’m sure they’ll be back but next time I’ll be ready for them (well, that’s the plan).

Your Challenge

If you get a bad case of the wobbles, don’t DO anything. Stop doing. Take a break. Have a breather. Remind yourself of all the amazing things you’ve achieved and why you love what you do. Remember you’re awesome. Wait for the wobbles to pass and know that every business owner out there has been wobbly at some point, it kind of goes with the territory. Wobbles be gone!

Have YOU ever let a bad case of ‘The Wobbles’ knock you off track? I’d love you to share in the comments!