Is it True?

entrepreneur management mindset practice Feb 23, 2023
 

Overview

Today I want to discuss a simple statement: “Is it true?” This comes up often, not only in my personal life, but with the physicians that I help in the launching of their practice. What I have observed over time is how often we think these thoughts. We attach our identity to these thoughts, we judge other people on these thoughts, and we create massive walls and barriers for our own personal growth based on these thoughts. What’s important is taking a step back and just asking yourself the simple question: “Is it true?” 

Truth vs. Assumptions

Within the Incubator community, we help physicians start and launch their practice in whatever style and approach is right for them, wanting to support their unique approach to patient care. Some physicians are more mind-body centric, and they really want to infuse that education on the mind, body, and spirit, helping patients to just kind of step in their own self-worth and make decisions that are best for them.  Other providers want to educate on toxins, like toxic thoughts or toxins in the environment, and that is the approach that they are passionate about because they've seen it within their own lives or in their patients’ lives. As we get really clear on the types of practices that they want to have and how they want to approach patient care, it is invigorating and exciting, yet there's almost always a thought that they have about it.

 Thoughts like

  • “I need to really educate the patient a lot about this, before they sign up for the foundational assessment,” or 
  • “If I approach a primary care doctor and discuss my approach to care, they're going to see me as competition, not wanting to work with me,” or
  • “Since there are so many other providers in my community, there's no way that I'll stand out.”

My initial thought about all these is, “Is it true?” Most of the time, they don't know if it's true or not because it's a thought that they have attached to their unique situation. Maybe there was just one interaction or some small circumstances that they interpreted in such a way that it gave themselves the evidence to whatever this self-destructing thought is that they had. Most of the time, our brains seek evidence to whatever thoughts that we're having. So, if this is a self-destructing thought that we've attached to us going out in the community and really telling people about this practice that we're so passionate about and our brain is trying to reel itself back in, not necessarily taking that chance, because it's trying to keep us safe, then we're going to look for all the evidence in the world to support that self-destructing thought. And there's no stopping this process, because it's more of an evolutionary process that our brains have that protect ourselves. 

Just a Thought

What I encourage people to do is to just take a moment and recognize that it is just a thought. Then look for evidence for it to be true. 

  • Is it something that you've interpreted without any hardcore facts to support it? 
  • If possible, could this be proven in a court of law? 

If you don't have ample evidence, it's not true. It's a thought, not a fact, and then you can really get to work at those issues underneath that. So, if we're saying that the issue is out there, it's not within us, then there are all sorts of reasons why we tell ourselves why we can't or shouldn't go out there and let people know that we exist and let people know that our practice is open for business.

Take the moment to really dissect what is a thought versus what are facts, and be honest with yourself saying, “It's not really true.” Perhaps you talked to one person, and he or she may not have been interested, but that's a N of 1.  We all know in science and in medicine, that you don't really make a conclusion from one situation. If you start to really be truthful with yourself, then you realize, most of the time, there are other things behind that. When we have these self-destructing thoughts about ourselves or other people, we can start to dissect and get to the bottom of what causes ourselves so much pain and suffering, so that we do not base important decisions on thoughts that are not facts or on assumptions about those thoughts, and before we know it, our life is in this whole direction that we never really intended. It impacts our relationships with not only ourselves, but also with other people, and the way that we view them, and so on, and so forth.

Know Thyself

So, if you're at a place where you are in the dreamer phase, which is the phase that is so, so wonderful for us to work with, because in the Incubator, we really help from that ground level up. If you're in this phase, and you are like “I see these patterns and patients that I'm treating, and I would really love to develop my own practice where I have support in these different areas, and I really think this will make a difference for them,” expect for a thought to come up, such as, “You can't do that because A, B, C, and D will happen.“  So, take a moment and welcome that thought, but then just ask yourself, “Is it true?” and really, really think about it, like, “Can that thought be proven in a court of law? Is it true?” And if it's not true, then you can really start to see what's underneath that.  Are you are scared, are you nervous, or are there a million more feelings? That's normal. But once you get to the bottom of that, you are getting to that level of “Knowing Thyself." You're knowing what's coming up for you, and you can work on processing that or getting support around that; however, that looks for you. And then you can move through it a bit more confidently, and within a space that makes sense for you, as opposed to thinking a thought, and because you're thinking this thought, you're assuming it's true, when it's truly an assumption. And then you're reacting to that, and before you know it, you're in the circumstance that is not what you really want for yourself. 

Investigative Mindset

I hope that that's helpful. I have found it to be so powerful in my own life personally and professionally, just to investigate my own thoughts and ask myself, “Is it true?”  

  • Are my thoughts about this circumstance or this other human being true, or are they assumptions?
  • What am I building around that is impacting my relationships in my life? 
  • What would be different if I didn't have that thought?  What if I had a thought that was completely the opposite of that? Who would I be?  Where would I be?
  • What if I thought that every doctor out there would love to refer to me because of the care I take with my patients and how it complements what they're doing within the acute conventional world?  Where would I be with that thought?  How would I show up with that thought? 

This kind of thinking is super, super powerful. If you already are an entrepreneur or if you're thinking about becoming an entrepreneur, the quality of your thoughts will really impact you on a day-to-day basis. And they say that being an entrepreneur is the one of the most real self-discovery journeys you can have because it's all reflective of your thoughts about yourself and those around you and how you're showing up in that. 

This is more of a mindset week here, but I hope that it was helpful to just take a pause and see how your thoughts are impacting you on a day-to-day basis.

If you need guidance or even encouragement, don't hesitate to reach out to us at Incubator. 

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