I Have Issues

This is a hard one to admit publicly, but here goes…

I am a hypochondriac and a germophobe.

The two seem to walk hand in hand, or side by side. I am actively working on it.

For anyone unfamiliar with the terms, a hypochondriac is someone who has an excessive fear that they have, or will develop, a serious illness, even when there is little or no medical evidence to support it. A germophobe is someone who has an intense fear of germs, bacteria, viruses, or contamination.

That being said, I have difficulty hearing about illnesses and symptoms because if I've ever had anything remotely close, my mind immediately starts overthinking.

I avoid shaking hands, especially if I see someone coming out of a public restroom.

If I do end up making contact, I become obsessed with washing my hands as quickly as possible.

I can't sit on the grass or on a curb because my mind starts wandering to what might have been there before me.

If someone mentions lice, my head starts itching. If someone mentions a cold sore, my lip starts burning, even though I don't have either.

It all stems from the idea that something negative is bound to happen.

I know that.

I've also realized it's a learned way of thinking. I talk about similar issues in another one of my blogs.

What surprised me was noticing that these same intrusive thoughts found their way into my business journey as well.

Hearing that someone else had failed made me think I was bound to fail too.

People saying, "That's too hard," or, "It'll never work," fueled my self-doubt.

I reached a point where I would start something, then stop a month later because of those thoughts.

It got to the point where I was literally throwing money into my computer trying to overcome that feeling.

Eventually, I decided to stop listening to the negative voices and focus on myself.

If I felt discouraged, I'd listen to a podcast or watch a real estate video. I tried to refocus on what I could do instead of what other people had done, because my outcome was in my hands, not theirs.

I still don't like shaking hands, but I do it when I have to, even though the same intrusive thoughts are still there.

Hearing about medical issues is still difficult for me, but I'm working on it.

The difference is that in business, I learned to shut out the noise.

I stay in my lane because I've realized that if I don't let outside opinions influence my perception of what's possible, I'm one step closer to success.

The thoughts may still show up.

They just don't get to make my decisions anymore.