On being unsure and confident at the same time
And exploring what it means to have a 10x mindset
Ever since I decided to go all in on my mission to help mums embrace new technology and make their first dollar online, every day has been a rollercoaster of emotions.
Every day I have felt out of my comfort zone.
Every day I have wondered wtf am I doing.
Every day imposter syndrome hovers over me.
But somehow, I have mustered the inner strength to ignore these feelings, and do it anyway.
Since January 2024, when I stopped taking on freelance work, I have been averaging $1300 in revenue per month.
This is without any systems in place.
Without a product suite.
My email list has grown by 333 subscribers, making it a total of 1047 people who choose to receive my emails (you :).
These numbers give me confidence.
But they are also small, so it scares me and doubt takes over.
Learning about 10x
It unnerves me to think about the growth I need to make this venture sustainable for me.
I need to at least 10x these numbers.
“10x filters-out literally everything that isn’t 10x, which is most things in your life.
If you’re willing to commit and let everything go that you don’t really want, then your life will be infinitely easier, simpler, and more successful than it’s ever been.
Is this scary? Yes. Does it require 100 percent commitment? Absolutely.
But like ripping off a Band-Aid, the hardest part is thinking about it. The shock factor may be real, but once you make the decision, everything changes.
How you do anything is how you do everything. 10x becomes your filter and norm.”
Benjamin Hardy in his book 10x is easier than 2x.
Ben Hardy talks a lot about entrepreneurial courage and transformational leadership, aspects that foundational to your success.
Entrepreneurial coach and co-author of this book Dan Sullivan, discovered four fundamental freedoms that 10x people seek:
Freedom of Time
Freedom of Money
Freedom of Relationship
Freedom of Purpose
When I read this I thought: This is what I seek.
And my “Why” is my family and our future. And the deep conviction that I will never go back to a 9-5 job.
“Freedom is fundamentally qualitative and internal. You must choose it and embrace it. No one can give it to you or take it away,” he says.
Reframing mindset to 10x
As I read this book I recognise that I am operating out of “need not want; scarcity not abundance; security not freedom.”
Awareness is the first step towards change.
Working too many hours means you’re living 2x, not 10x. It means you’re focused on effort, not transformation.
This is me at the moment.
The past 3 months I have been working hard at a 2x level.
“Going for incremental progress is a 2x mindset, which at a fundamental level means you’re continuing or maintaining what you’re already doing. 2x is linear, meaning you’re striving to double output by doubling effort. Do more of the same, just faster and harder. 2x is exhausting and soul-defeating. It’s extremely difficult to put the pedal to the metal and grind away for inches of progress.”
By contrast, 10x is so big and seemingly impossible that it immediately forces you out of your current mindset and approach.
“Only by living with a 10x frame of reference do you become highly critical of everything you place your time and energy on.
Having a 10x mindset means you know and understand that to accomplish more, you must actually do and focus on increasingly less.
You know that working more hours does not equate to better results, but on the contrary, working more hours usually means you’re grinding your wheels on not innovating your thinking enough.
You can’t work 10x harder or longer. Brute force and linear methods won’t get you to 10x.
As I work on reframing my mindset towards my wants, abundance and desire for freedom, I know I can 10x.
I’m guessing quantum leaps and when you are living a 10x life?
I want to work on my 10x ‘impossible’ goals. Word is that it’s easier than 2x.
Here’s the book I’m reading that I got the above extracts from:
10x Is Easier Than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less
Does this resonate? Are you operating on a 2x or 10x level?
Love,
Abha
just started in February and huge imposter syndrome here as well! thanks so much for sharing.
I know I'm not the only one who feels the imposter syndrome.... But it feels so reassuring to have someone else say it!