Are you reluctant to claim the “expert” status that you feel is necessary to claim your niche?
Do you feel “less than” because you don’t think that you have the right credentials?
Are you new to the business or new to private practice and feel that you might lack credibility with referral sources or clients?
One essential element of success in private practice is confidence. It is very important to your referral sources and your clients that you exude the belief that you are the best person for “the job”. It is imperative that you believe that too!
You become what you think — if you think you are not good enough, then you are going nowhere fast.
Change your thoughts… change your mind. The next time you’re tempted to sell yourself short, remember that…
- Academically, you’ve accomplished more than just about everyone in the U.S. (<2% if the population has a professional degree)
- You’ve invested a lot of time and money in your area of study (counseling, social work, psychology, etc.) — you can’t deny that level of commitment
- If you worry about being too big for your britches, you probably don’t need to worry
- The strongest single factor in prosperity consciousness is self-esteem: believing you can do it, believing you deserve it, believing you will get it (Jerry Gillies)
Take a look around — government officials, local business owners, high profile people in your community — what have they got that you don’t?
Instead of focusing on what you feel you are lacking, take that energy and start highlighting what you have and what you can do.
Then… shout it from the rooftops!
i have reached the point where i feel as quaified, if not more than many people out there. thats good that you point that out.
now all i need is to learn to shout from the rooftops. part of me seems to expect it to magically happen.
@Al – you just can’t wait for someone else to do it for you. When YOU do it, you can do it YOUR way.
All people really want to know when they see our business cards, view our websites, or hear about our businesses is: Who are you:; What can you do for me?; How/where can I find/contact you? (and the second of those is most important to prospective clients and customers). Everything else is an aside.