Accountability coach, Grant Difford, tackles the relentless inner critic that plagues business owners and leaders. With practical insights and personal reflections, he offers strategies to challenge self-doubt and transform negativity into a powerful motivator, encouraging business leaders to redefine their path to success.
There’s a voice in your head. It’s the one that whispers in the quiet moments, in the gaps between emails, when you see a LinkedIn post of someone else’s success, in the stillness of the night when the world sleeps, your mind races. For many business owners, including myself, this voice is both a companion and a critic, filling the silence that comes with the solitude of leading a business alone.
You know the voice I’m talking about. It’s the one that questions your decisions, that plants a seed of doubt when you’re on the cusp of something great or considering a first step into the unknown. It’s the voice that tells you that you’re not good enough, that your efforts are in vain, that maybe – just maybe – you’re in over your head. Sometimes that’s reality, we are in over our heads, prodding in the dark hoping to find light for our vision for change.
This voice can be relentless. It’s persistent in its pursuit to remind you of every mistake, every misstep, every instance where things didn’t go as planned. And when you’re the one at the helm, it can feel like there’s no escape from this internal dialogue, like you’re trapped in a never-ending loop of self-criticism.
But here’s the truth that often goes unspoken: you’re not alone. Every business owner, every leader who has ever dared to build something meaningful has had to confront this voice. It’s a universal experience, yet it feels intensely personal because it’s happening inside your own head. The irony is that while you may feel isolated in your struggle, you are part of a vast community that are all just trying to ‘work it out’.
The stories we tell ourselves are our greatest limitation to happiness let alone growth. The voice in our head has a way of crafting narratives that are often rooted in fear and self-doubt. It tells us that we’re not capable, that success is for others, that we don’t deserve to achieve our dreams. These stories, if left unchecked, can become self-fulfilling prophecies. We start to believe them, and in doing so, we hold ourselves back from reaching our full potential.
But here’s the thing: that voice, as powerful as it may seem, is not the ultimate authority. It’s just one perspective – one that is often skewed by stress, fatigue, and the weight of responsibility. The key to overcoming it is not to silence it completely, but to challenge it, to question its validity, and to rewrite the narrative it tries to impose.
When the voice in your head tells you that you’re not good enough, remind yourself of the journey you’ve taken to get here. Reflect on the risks you’ve dared to take, the challenges you’ve overcome, the resilience you’ve shown in the face of adversity. You didn’t come this far by accident. Every step, every decision, every moment of doubt that you’ve pushed through has brought you closer to your goals.
It’s important to recognise that this voice often gets louder when you’re isolated, when you’re carrying the weight of your business on your own shoulders. The solitude that comes with being a business owner can amplify these negative thoughts, making them feel more real than they are.
This is why it’s crucial to seek out connection, to surround yourself with people who understand the challenges you’re facing, after all it’s about perspective.
I guarantee you that you are having the same challenges as that person who seems to have it all worked out. I’ve been in the room with these people downloading how they are struggling, and they don’t know what the next step is, let alone the solution. $10,000 – $10,000,000 in revenue – that voice will always tell you – you’re winging it, you don’t know what you are doing.
The next time the voice in your head starts to spin its tales, take a moment to listen, but don’t take its words as reality. Remember that it’s just one voice among many. There are other voices – voices of encouragement, of reason, of experience – that can offer a different narrative, one that’s rooted in your true capabilities and potential.
You are not defined by the doubts that cross your mind. You are defined by the actions you take despite them. The voice in your head may never go away entirely, but it doesn’t have to dictate your story. You have the power to rewrite the script, to challenge the negative narratives, and to carve out a path that’s guided by confidence, clarity, and a belief in your own worth.
In the end, the voice in your head is just that – a voice. It’s up to you to decide whether it’s the voice that holds you back or the one that propels you forward.
