In case you haven’t noticed by now, I want you to succeed. It is genuinely important to me to help you reach that place in your business where you can say, “Yes, I made it; I love my work and I love my life!” But there is something else that is equally as compelling that I want for you: I want you to enjoy the journey—the process of making it all happen. If you’ve been with me for a while you know that I often talk about the kinds of strategies that have worked for me, that I know can work for you too. Things like building your email list early in the game, effective ways of using Facebook to engage with your audience, and the importance of having a marketing plan—knowing what you’re going to do before you set out to do it. I stand behind all of these things 100%, but there is something else you need to know. Something so critical it can actually make or break your online business dreams. I'm talking about what you believe regarding your ability to achieve success in your business. Now before I dive into these 3 things that you have to believe in order to see the results you are yearning for, we need to dip a toe into psychology first. The thing about belief is that it’s one of the few things that you can’t be taught to do. You and I both know that you don’t just flip a switch to believe something. That’s because belief is not an outward action that you take; instead, it’s a state of your inner being. I can teach you how to do a lot of things, but I can’t teach you to believe. Because belief is such an individual experience, it’s important from the outset to identify how you most often come to believe something for yourself. Do you believe… Based on your own experience Based on the experience of others Just by acting “as if” Because it seems to make sense—logically or intuitively By trusting a mentor Having an “aha moment” The opposite hasn’t worked for you It's okay if you need to think about this and can’t answer right away. Maybe there are even several answers to how you believe, not just one on the list. It’s just something to keep in mind as we continue talking about the three critical beliefs you need to have for success in your business. The 3 Beliefs You Must Have to Achieve Success in Your Business Belief #1 - I believe that one of the biggest strengths in my business is knowing my target market intimately. Knowing how they think, what they need, and what words and emotions they use to express themselves is crucial to my success. Belief #2 - I believe that I am not alone, shipwrecked on a desert island needing to have all the answers myself. I thrive and my business thrives with a few core mentors that I trust and can turn to again and again. Belief #3 - I believe I have a great idea (product/service) that will impact people’s lives, and that my idea needs a clear and easy-to-navigate system to generate sales. Whew…how did that feel? Chances are that at least one of these beliefs…and maybe all three…felt like a big effort for you to even read, let alone internalize. Maybe it felt too audacious, too daring, to really own those beliefs for yourself. “I’d like to believe those things, but I don’t know if I’m really the kind of entrepreneur she’s talking about here.” Maybe you felt skeptical. “Yeah, down the road maybe I’ll believe those things, if things work out well…” Maybe you’ve just lost so much confidence in the past few months that reading those beliefs made you even more hopeless. “I wish I believed those things—I used to believe them. It would be nice to think that something that simple could turn things around.” Listen to Episode 57  for Amy's insights on how to restore your confidence and increase your sales.   Understanding the Three Beliefs Let’s examine each belief more closely and see what’s important about it. #1 Knowing Your Audience Would it benefit you if you could step into the minds of your readers and listeners and customers-to-be? You bet it would! This essential ingredient is so powerful because