When I started my business, guidance was so awful I call one advisor "the coach from hell." Here are ten myths frequently presented as core wisdom. I recommend using intuition as a filter to evaluate all advice. A longer version of these tips can be found at http://www.movinglady.com/linkages/myths.html. 1. "Career freedom means starting a business. " Clients often assume they can reach career freedom only by starting a business. I know dozens of people who feel very free in a corporate setting. They swim easily in corporate stream and learn to balance their lives. Some even return after successful entrepreneurial ventures.
2. "Don't worry, be happy." Some advisors tell you, "You'll be great," even if they secretly believe you're following a harebrained path that is doomed to fail. Do your own research and get second and third opinions.
3. "Visualize success." While I support visualizing and attracting, I do not believe you can attract business from a non-existent target market. Better to attract prosperity and fulfillment. You might also try to attract knowledge and discernment so you can evaluate your various advisors.
4. "If you can dream it, you can do it." In her wonderful book, Finding your own north star, Martha Beck debunks this myth with a simple example: She once dreamed she found herself in a bathtub with ex-President Clinton and an owl. Other people dream of meeting Queen of England or connecting with people who lived ten centuries ago.
The reverse is often true: "You must be able to imagine yourself successful in order to reach your goals." Still, I know people who were catapulted to success far beyond their dreams; they missed ride but managed to enjoy their arrival.
5. "If other people can have a successful business, you can too." You may be smarter, more creative and more energetic than your friend James, but James may have that special entrepreneurial spark, a trust fund, or a network of millionaires I once had a colleague who would get unsolicited offers of consulting jobs whenever he gave a talk to a group or even a college class. He had a unique combination of expertise, confidence and charm.