Hey Reader,

For the past 20+ years, I've been starting and running businesses.

I've started quite a few businesses, but I've also worked a lot of jobs as well.

I’ve done a lot of things.

Started a record label, managed the janitorial crew of an 18 building facility for a multi-billion dollar company, sold life and health insurance, ran fast food restaurants, helped open a bar, co-owned a concert club, managed a coffee shop, and launched an online marketing firm.

I’ve had some successes, and I’ve had a lot of failures.

Most importantly, though, I’ve learned a ton along the way.

A little over 11 years ago, I co-founded my current venture, Teach Better, and all that learning helped me help our team grow it to a profitable 7-figure consulting business in an industry I knew basically nothing about.

We’ve definitely had our share of mistakes and failures, but we’ve also had a lot of success. Many more successes than most people predicted when we started.

Yet, I constantly find myself listening to that little voice in my head telling me, “You’ll never make it" "You aren’t smart enough." "You don’t deserve it, you couldn’t even cut it in college." "You’ll fail like you always do." "You’ll ruin this for everyone.”

To be clear, when I say “constantly” I am not exaggerating. It is constant. Every time I need to make a decision, give our team my opinions, or speak to a group of educators, those voices come screaming.

Sometimes they’re louder than others, but they are always there.

In my work with EDUpreneurs, I’ve found the same is true for them. Likely, the same is true for you.

“You’re just a teacher.”

“Why are you trying to start a business?”

“It’s greedy to want to do something outside the classroom.”

“What, you think you know better than everyone else?”

“Stay in your lane.”

Sound familiar?

So, how do we block those voices out, or at least lower the volume?

I believe the first step is realizing that those voices are not you. Yea, they probably sound a lot like you, but they aren’t you.

They were put there by someone else.

Sometimes by society - telling us that only certain people are meant to do more than what their current job is.

Other times, by people who care about you, but don’t understand you.

And a lot of times, by people who could never put themselves out there like you do, so they need to bring you down to make themselves feel better.

The second step is to surround yourself with better voices.

Positive voices. Voices that speak of optimism, opportunity, and happiness.

If you’re fortunate enough to have these voices close by, lean into them. Spend more time with them versus those negative ones.

If you’re not sure where to find these voices, look to podcasts, masterminds, accountability groups, and communities. Surround yourself with voices that understand you, support you, and pull you up instead of knocking you down.

Side note: If you want to join our community for EDUpreneurs, which is a great place to find these voices, you can get your first month free by clicking here.

I won’t sit here and promise it’s easy.

And I won’t promise it’ll happen quickly.

But I can promise that if you get intentional about who and what you surround yourself with, it’ll get better. You’ll find yourself doubting yourself less.

Notice, I said “less” not “never.”

We all doubt ourselves. We all carry those voices with us.

But we can lower the volume, tune them out, and make them think twice before speaking up again. We can all do this. YOU can do this.

I hope this helps.

~ Jeff I appreciate you. Jeff Gargas COO / Co-Founder, Teach Better Team ​​​​​ P.S. When you're ready, here's how I can help: 🤝 Need accountability and 1-on-1 coaching? Let's connect and see if there's a fit. Click here to book a free 30-minute call.​ 💚 Looking for support, collaboration, and exclusive resources? Join the EDUpreneur Community. Click here to join today.​

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