[Author's Note: Before you ask, this is NOT about the book "Choose Yourself" by James Altucher. I haven't read it yet. It's on my list. Pinky swear.]
A colleague (let's call her Gina) confided to me that despite being a six-figure entrepreneur (with real profits), despite having retired her husband, and despite being able to travel the world, she still grapples with her inner belief that she's just not good enough.
From the outside, it seems like Gina's got it all figured out. But secretly she worries that every success she's had is just a fluke... and that at any moment, everything she's worked so hard to build will come crashing down.
No matter how many wins she racks up, no matter how many clients she helps, Gina's inner critic keeps pointing back to that insecure, misunderstood, neurodiverse teenager she used to be.
Disobedient. Space cadet. Disorganized. No one thought she'd amount to anything mostly because no one took the time to accurately diagnose her neruodivergence.
And even though she can see herself more clearly now - even though she's killing it in her life and career - Gina still grapples with owning her awesomeness.
Impostor syndrome? Maybe. Gina's really good at what she does, and she knows it. She talks about the results she gets for her clients, so I don't think it's that so much as the programming that's keeping her from confidently choosing herself.
Maybe (as a survival skill or coping mechanism) you were conditioned to seek external validation and approval or learned to prioritize the expectations and desires of others over your own. Not that I speak from experience or anything! This often creates feelings of guilt or shame when you start to prioritize your own needs and desires.
That's a hard knot to untangle!
While it might be easy for some people to step forward confidently and say "pick me", choosing yourself is not always as simple as deciding to take ownership of your own success or creating your own opportunities. If that were the case, we'd all do it with ease! Sometimes there's more at play than you might realize. It's also about dealing with the inner demons that tell you that you're not good enough, that you don't deserve success, that you're an imposter, and that you're one mistake away from failure.
Additionally, choosing oneself often requires stepping outside of one's comfort zone and taking risks. When you choose yourself, you're putting yourself out there, taking risks, and exposing yourself to criticism and rejection. Fear of failure, rejection, or judgment from others can be powerful barriers to making choices that are truly aligned with our own values and goals. It's not easy to do, especially if you're a marginalized person or if you've been conditioned to seek external validation or play it safe.
"Suck it up, buttercup, and put on your big-girl panties" becomes a problematic platitude that just serves to frustrate and enrage rather than inspire action.
Choosing yourself also requires a certain level of self-awareness and self-confidence. You need to know who you are, what you stand for, and what you want to achieve - and vocalize it. So often that truth gets buried under the well-meaning "shoulds" of others. That makes it harder to believe in yourself and your abilities when others don't.
After my first marriage ended, I had a LOT of unpacking to do. So many stories of unworthiness were programmed into me from the years I was hitched to a well-intentioned someone telling me over and over that I was never going to achieve my dreams.
No, really! I do believe he thought he was being helpful by trying to encourage me to "just be happy with what you have" or that I'd be better off if I would just "get a 'real' job."
After you hear those messages for a while, you start to believe them. That's how brainwashing works. It took years of self-examination and staring down those old stories to remind me of who I really am. I didn't do it alone. I had friends, family, therapy, and now I have a husband who adores and fully believes in my magic.
Choosing yourself means being willing to go against the grain and chart your own course, even if it means going against the norms and expectations of your family, friends, or society. That's not always an easy (or safe) thing to do.
When we choose ourselves, we take control of our own destiny. We no longer wait for someone else to tell us what to do or how to do it. We become the driver of our own life, charting our own course and creating the success we crave. By taking ownership of our success, we also take responsibility for our failures. We learn from our mistakes, adjust our course, and continue to move forward.
But choosing yourself isn't always easy. It requires you to step outside of your comfort zone, to embrace your strengths, and to be vulnerable. It means taking risks and being willing to fail. It means letting go of the expectations of others and trusting in yourself. That's scary stuff, right there!
The power to choose yourself lies within you. You really do have the ability to create your own opportunities, to design a business that aligns with your values and strengths, and to pursue a life that's more in alignment with who you are and what you want to be about in the world. It means identifying your strengths, your values, and your vision for the future. It means being intentional about the work you do and the clients you serve.
Start by reflecting on your values and priorities. What is truly important to you? What do you want to achieve in your life and business? Once you have a clear understanding of your own values and goals, it can be easier to make choices that align with them, even if they may be uncomfortable or uncertain.
Then, recognize and celebrate your worth and value. It may seem awkward (and you might need some help), but YOU need to recognize that you are valuable, and that you have something to offer the world. Instead of trying to be someone you're not, embrace your strengths and use them to your advantage.
Redesign your business to be more in alignment with who you are and what you want to be about in the world. So long as it's legal, it's YOUR business. It's okay to do it your way! Instead of comparing yourself to others, focus on your unique strengths and talents. Write them down! Sing your own praises and remind yourself of them often.
Don't wait for someone else to give you permission to pursue your goals, take ownership of your success. Create your own opportunities and don't be afraid to take risks. Don't be afraid to fail, because failure is just a stepping stone to success.
Speaking of which, learn to reframe failure as feedback. Instead of seeing failure as a sign that you're not good enough, see it as an opportunity to learn and grow. While sometimes failing is a good indicator that it's time to quit, don't just assume that's the case. Ask yourself what you can do differently next time and how you can use the experience to improve.
Practice a little self-compassion and recognize that choosing yourself is not selfish, but rather a necessary step towards personal fulfillment and success. It's natural to feel fear, self-doubt, and other negative emotions when you're stepping outside of your comfort zone. Be kind to yourself and don't beat yourself up for feeling that way. Instead, acknowledge what you're going through and remind yourself that your feelings don't get to drive the bus. Make time for self-care activities to help you feel more centered and confident.
Surrounding yourself with a supportive community of like-minded folks can provide motivation to stay on track or encouragement when you're trying to prioritize your own wants and needs. It may be slow-going at first, but stay the course! Choose people who uplift you, support you, and believe in you. Avoid people who bring you down, criticize you, or undermine your confidence. In Gina's case, she found that her mastermind community was invaluable for overcoming her inner critic and staying on track.
Seeking out resources such as workshops, coaching, or mentorship can provide valuable guidance and support on the journey towards choosing oneself in business and life. As a coach, my job is intimately connected to helping people see the value they bring to the table and how to use that power for good in their lives.
Take courageous action. Not "massive action". Courageous action. The best way to overcome fear and self-doubt is to do something. Start small if you must, but take a step that moves you closer to your goals. As you take action and see progress, your confidence will grow, and you'll be more motivated to keep going.
If you're struggling to choose yourself, know that you're not alone. It can be hard to break free from the expectations of others and build a life and business that really works for who you are. But your world is waiting for you, and every minute you stall, everyone loses.
That's why do what I do! In April, I'm hosting my popular Cashflow Creator Workshop. This workshop is designed to help you create a business that aligns with who you are and works for how you're wired to work. It's time to stop hiding and start embracing your power to choose yourself. Registration is now open, so sign up and take the next step towards the life and business you truly desire.
On Saturday, March 24, 1984, five students at Shermer High School report at 7:00 a.m. for an all-day detention: "a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal".
That's where the movie, "The Breakfast Club" begins. Throughout the film, each student will struggle with coming to terms with who they really are (warts, sparkles, and all). One character in particular, Allison Reynolds, deserves some special attention.
See, Allison is a classic undervalued Unicorn. She didn't even earn detention - which, I mean, "earn" isn't a great way to describe it, is it? She went because she had nothing better to do. She's not there for behavior problems, skipping school, or bad grades. From what we can tell, she's smart, thoughtful, kind, and quirky.
On one level she's chosen to "punish herself". On another, she probably doesn't even think of it as punishment. Not unlike some of my clients!
Allison sits alone, ignored by the others. She's quiet and withdrawn, and she's constantly hiding behind her hair and a heavy coat. Allison doesn't say a word until more than 20 minutes into the film, but when she does, she speaks with thoughtfulness and candor. She's clever. She's smart... even if everyone else chooses to write her off and miss her brilliance because of it.
As the day goes on, she takes off her coat, both figuratively and literally, revealing the unique and colorful person underneath. She stops hiding behind her hair and pulls it back so we can see her face! By the end of the movie, she's no longer hiding and connects with the other students (especially Andrew) on a deeper level.
Was it easy? Well, yes and no. Allison asserts her stance while Claire goes to work: "I like that black shit." She's clinging to the benefits of hiding herself. But Allison soon realizes that when you let people help you, it can be safe to be seen for who you really are.
When she walks back into the library, she's uncertain how she'll be received, and quick to "blame" Claire for her appearance.
"What happened to you?" Andrew asks.
"Why? Claire did it!" She snaps. Then, with an air of uncertainty, she says, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong. You're just so different. I can see your face."
"Is that good or bad?"
Regardless of Andrew's answer ("It's good!"), the uncertainty is still there. It's starting to melt and Allison's gaining confidence in being seen for who she really is, but she's still not there. It's only after Andrew gives her that external validation that she smiles and lifts her head with confidence.
But what if Allison didn't need Andrew's validation? What if she just strode into the room happy with her new look, confident from within?
That might feel like a stretch for an undervalued Unicorn. I mean, Allison trusted that Claire wouldn't steer her wrong when she let her apply eyeliner in the first place. And Claire had already given her validation before she walked back into the library.
But that still wasn't enough? How much validation do you need in order to be confident? What (or in her case, who) was she waiting for!?!
Waiting for someone else to fill your cup is problematic at best, and dangerous at worst. It can quickly devolve into something like an addiction - craving attention, being manipulated by the whims of others who dangle their approval like a carrot in front of your face.
Um, no thanks!
I mean, I grew up with it, so I know it well. And it's not healthy. Sure, it's nice to get applause and validation from others. But needing it and appreciating it are two different things.
The fear at the root of this "need" is one of three flavors: fear of failure, fear of judgement, or fear of abandonment. Sometimes, it's a slippery slope of all three. What if I take a risk and I fail? What if I'm not good enough? What will people think? Will they leave me and never return?
You might be thinking that if you wait long enough, the right opportunity will present itself, and you won't have to risk anything. Perhaps, but you might also be waiting a long-ass time for that magic moment to appear. Plus, I don't believe opportunity only knocks once. In my experience, opportunity likes to play ring and run. It keeps coming back, over and over, but you've got to be at the door to catch it. If you're waiting on the couch, you'll never get there.
This creates a feedback loop of low confidence. You're waiting for someone else to give you the credential, the recognition, the opportunity, instead of stepping into the leadership role that's custom-made for you. You think that if someone else sees your potential, they'll give you the invitation to play at their party.
That's not always the case. Sometimes you have to create your own opportunities.
Give yourself permission to be who you really are. Even if that's dangerous or scary. Don't wait for someone else to validate your or tell you that you're good enough. You're already magnificent! Find someone that helps you believe in yourself and won't let you buy into the bullshit lies the rest of the world wants to pile on. Then, take action toward your dreams. Even when it seems like no one is looking. If you're only working when everyone else can see and applaud it, you're not going to make much progress.
Take a page out of Allison's book. Take off your coat, engage, and let the world see who you really are. If that feels scary on your own, get help. Find a supportive community, a friend, or a coach to help hold space for the shining star you're becoming. Take small steps, a few at a time. Do what you can as you are able.
You don't need permission to pursue your passions and be yourself - because you already have it! Don't wait for someone else to tell you that it's okay. IT IS OKAY! Take a few small, calculated risks, build your confidence, and don't be afraid to fail. That's how you learn!
You have the power to choose yourself and create your own opportunities. Don't wait for someone else to recognize your worth - show them what you're capable of. Stop hiding, start shining like the star you are and OWN your dreams. Choose yourself and see who shows up to cheer you on.
If you've ever read my book The Secret Watch, then you probably also know that the story was inspired by my own encounter with a woman on a plane. She told me that I'd write a book about a magic watch that revealed special secrets and it would become a best seller.
I did... and it did!
As I wrote the book, I imagined how my life might be different if magic watches were real. If I could just pop open a pocket watch and be inspired by a new inscription every day, would I be able to make the most of it like my character, Tina, did? That's actually how our virtual coaching card deck came to be!
While I have yet to find a real secret watch (unfortunately), I'm lucky that I don't have to wait around to find inspiration. I create my own inspiration every year with my annual goals.
Yeah. I hear you. They're often overdone at the beginning of the year. But by February, according to a 2020 survey, about 30% of folks see their well-intended goals fall by the wayside. Since I gave you my Annual Review rundown earlier in the month, I thought it might also be valuable for you to see what I'm driving toward this year.
You know, besides more ease.
To be clear, this isn't about having you hold me accountable. My past experience has shown that sharing my goals with you will not help me stay accountable. That's not how I'm wired.
There have been too many times in my non-normative life where that kind of "accountability" put too much pressure on me to perform - and then, I'd either choke, end up stressing myself out, or resent the entire thing. Sometimes all three.
Like when all those internet marketing gurus were trying to convince you to sell something before you built it - and then you just "build the plane as you fly it." It might work for some folks, but not me.
There have been too many times in my non-normative life where that kind of "accountability" put too much pressure on me to perform - and then, I'd either choke, end up stressing myself out, or resent the entire thing. Sometimes all three. Plus, people often have their own thoughts and opinions about my goals.
Frankly, ain't nobody got time for that!
But I do believe in being transparent. Whether or not I hit my goals is up to me, not you. But transparency is a way to model for you - to see what I am doing and see how you can apply my approach to your own situation. As a business coach, I help my clients set and achieve goals for themselves. To be in integrity and "walk my talk", I think it's only fair to share my goals with you. I've used the Dreamblazing tool to define what success looks like for me for almost 15 years now. Some years, I hit them all, and most years I fall short in at least one, but that's how I expect things to go because I aim pretty high.
Your mileage may vary, but by seeing my thought process, it might spark something for you. THAT is the reason I'm sharing my goals with you.
So, based on the 5 key areas of success, here are my 2023 goals, in priority order:
My Freedom Goal is my number one priority. I am a hard worker. I was raised with a strong work ethic and a deep programming that the only way for me to break out of the poverty I was born into was to work. like. hell.
So I know what hard work looks like and I know how to do it. I don't need anymore practice.
That's not to say that there won't be times when I need to hustle a little. But that's what I call compassionate hustle. I can't live and work on the hamster wheel.
What's more, I don't want to.
So that means finding ease. Not working for it, figuring it out, or struggling/striving/stressing about it.
That is not the way of ease.
It looks like asking myself "What's the easier path?" and honoring that awareness.
But what's the easier path? To struggle and fight and strain and stress, or to enjoy where I'm at right now and see where the road takes me?
In Dreamblazing, you set two goals for the Key Area of Fitness: one for your physical container and one for what's contained within it. This is my inside the container goal.
My personal history has been more body shame than body confidence. I've had major surgeries 2 years in a row and that really knocked me on my heels and had me feeling like my body was betraying me - as if that could even be a thing! I knew that I needed to adjust my attitude and rekindle an appreciation for who I am inside and out.
I'm lucky as hell that my current husband makes a point of telling me he loves how I look. I didn't get that much in my first marriage. It's been a growth edge for me to really hear, receive, and believe that feedback. I'm still working on it.
But what's the easier path? To struggle and fight and strain and stress, or to enjoy where I'm at right now and see where the road takes me?
Right. So, I'm all about enjoying the journey this year... wherever it takes me.
If I had listened to them, I never would have written 2 best sellers or recorded 3 albums - or any of a number of other things I wanted to do with my life that I was told was "too much" for a kid who was born in the ghetto.
Chosen family is a big part of how I manage to keep my shit together. I love my birth family, but they are distant, and most of them rarely ever talk to me. That road runs both ways. I rarely ever talk to them. Growing up, I didn't feel like I had much support from them - they didn't understand my goals or dreams, and thought I was aiming too high.
If I had listened to them, I never would have written 2 best sellers or recorded 3 albums - or any of a number of other things I wanted to do with my life that I was told was "too much" for a kid who was born in the ghetto.
This year is about deepening connections and cultivating a community of folks who get me. Surrounding myself with encouragers who believe in who I am and what I'm up to in the world - who want to see me succeed and want to be part of making that happen in some way.
I've been part of an international women's networking group for several years, and have been lax about connecting with members. Although I have a few friends in that community, I've not been great about maintaining connections. That needs to change, if for no other reason than there are some pretty amazing people there and it would be cool to have more friendships with people like that.
Jane Fonda said in a recent interview that "you have to pursue people that you want to be friends with." I've never been a pursuer. More like "if you build it, they will come." Which is hysterical when you realize the irony. So, like Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane, I'mma be in hot pursuit this year.
This is both an invitation for me to follow my own success path and to come out of hiding. That's another reason why I'm sharing these goals with you: coming out of hiding.
I've done a lot of hiding since I moved to Mississippi. It's easy to cocoon when you're in a rural town where nobody knows your name and there's nothing doing because a global pandemic has shut nearly everything down. Then there was a wedding, surgery, a move (we bought a house), another move (back to Nashville), more surgery, and yet another move last year to Bloomington, Indiana.
All that movement made it easy to lose myself in the details of those moments. To start to identify myself by those moments (or the results of those moments), instead of being intentional about the life and body of work I want to have/create for myself.
When you shine, it's either because you're emitting or reflecting light. I realized that I wasn't really doing either - and I want to do both.
To shine my own light through my body of work but, also, to share the light of others in my world. My clients are mystical, magical Unicorns. They are smart and brilliantly gifted. I want more people in the world to know about them!
When you shine, it's either because you're emitting or reflecting light. I realized that I wasn't really doing either - and I want to do both.
That means more video, another live event, and monthly live workshops for my clients. I'm also going back to doing more video and having more guests on the show. That was a hard step for me to take because I am so leery about who I share with my audience. A lot of people look good on paper, and then they open their mouth and it's trash. I care about my audience too much... and my reputation. So adding guests will be slow going, and mostly from people I've either already worked with (like my interview with Dr. Mazur), or folks I know and trust in other ways. All the more reason I need to connect to more people!
This is the goal related to my physical container. I've had major surgery two years in a row that stem from life-long health issues. My doctors and physical therapists have given me specific instructions that I intend on following. Some of them are easier than others. The hardest one is being up and moving 15 minutes for every hour that I'm awake - that's 2-4 hours of movement every day. That's not necessarily exercise, but it is getting up and moving around. Thankfully, walking around the house, putting away dishes, and doing laundry all count toward that activity goal.
But it's still a huge adjustment to my daily routine. It gives me about 5 hours of useful worktime, and I can't sit for more than a couple of hours at a time. Really, 45 minutes is best, but some of my appointments don't lend themselves to that possibility.
I have no illusions of getting my "20-year-old-me" body back. That's not optimal health for me... making sure I'm doing what I can, as I'm able, to rehab my body to the best is can be right now is.
But my body needs to heal. I just had my 1 year follow-up ultrasound from the first surgery. I'm waiting on the results, but I'm hopeful that what I've been doing is working. In the meantime, I've adjusted my coaching calendar and I have a standing desk. So if we're in a long workshop, you may see me stand up and pace around at my desk in order to get my movement in.
I have no illusions of getting my "20-year-old-me" body back. That's not optimal health for me at almost 50. Making sure I'm doing what I can, as I'm able, to rehab my body to the best it can be right now is.
I was intentional about the wording for this goal because those words carry a variety of meanings, depending on your audience.
Wealth, as I'm defining it, is about total well-being, not just my bank balance. Yes, income is important - a girl's gotta eat! But so is showing up happy, healthy, and in the right frame of mind for whatever comes my way.
If you were in our Customer Journey workshop last month, you saw how our offer stack is changing in the coming months. We're also right-sizing our pricing and rolling out some new, free workshops over the course of the year. Last month, it was the Customer Journey workshop. In March, it's a content creation sprint, and May we're hosting a brand new workshop about Enoughness, based on the TEDx talk I'm doing at the end of March.
Generosity takes many forms... including generosity to myself as well as others. Putting my oxygen mask on first is not being generous. That's a bare minimum that hasn't always happened. I want to move beyond that and really enjoy being exceptionally good to myself. Sharing the spotlight with my clients, as I mentioned earlier, is also rooted here. So is improving our client experience. We're moving our community off facebook this quarter. We're also migrating our Rising Tide learning library and all our courseware to a new platform as we prepare for a website redesign in the next year. I wanted a stable, easy to use place for everything to live, so that we can create a better customer experience. So that I can afford to be more generous to everyone in our circle.
Generosity takes many forms... including generosity to myself as well as others.
Being an entrepreneur signals my desire to keep getting paid (and paid well) doing work I love. Being an employee is challenging for non-normative people. Ageism and racism are real; so is fat phobia. The easier path for me has almost always been entrepreneurship - even when owning my own business has been hard.
I hope my transparency inspires you. Above all, define what success looks like for you this year, then go for it! Whether you need support to help you stay accountable or not, whether you hit all your goals or fall short, what matters most is that you are moving in the direction of your dreams.
Congratulations!
You've made it to that point in the year where most people have blown off their resolutions, quit going to the gym, and returned to life as they once knew it.
But not you, right?
You might be tired of goal setting blog posts at this point, and I get it, but the sad fact is that too many people are only just now getting around to thinking about what they really want this year. If you've already set your goals, great. If not, review my previous post about the importance of looking back before you make a new plan. Then, strap yourself in and let's look at how to get what you really want this year.
Because, let's face it, you need this to be your year. According to many people I've talked to, 2018 was not their best year (to put it mildly). If that's also you, then you need to see big improvements over last year. You want to see real, positive, sustainable growth this year.
So how do we actually DO that? These three ideas aren't always easy, but they're exactly what you need to grow your business like never before.
(more…)I can't tell you the number of times I've seen "make six figures" come up on someone's annual goals. When I was a young entrepreneur, it was one of my goals more often than I care to admit. It felt like something I should be doing. Shouldn't every creative entrepreneur have a six figure business? Isn't that the goal? To make more money, have more fun, and enjoy life in the process?
Well, yes and no. (more…)
If you're like a lot of creative entrepreneurs, you might still be scrambling to put your goals down on paper for the year. In fact, several guru-types are only just now getting around to leading those goal planning workshops. The folks in A-Club and the Incubator did their annual planning before December, so that they could hit the ground running this year. I'm not bragging (well, okay, maybe a little), I'm trying to illustrate a point that the longer you wait to set your goals, the longer it will be before you can achieve them.
But even if you're only just now getting around to it, there's still one thing you've got to remember to do before you shore up your plans for the new year. (more…)
If you follow me on Facebook, you probably saw my recent facebook post about the ah-ha's that I had on my Thanksgiving drive. Ah-ha's that led to some of the changes I'm making in 2019.
Changes that I believe will benefit you in a BIG way.
Essentially, I'm creating a free learning library for creative entrepreneurs that's stocked with some of my best and most important programs. I'm also changing how I do coaching, and raising rates on a few offers. In light of all the changes, December will be the LAST time I'll open up my monthly A-Club training to the public.
I had planned a lengthy post about all the reasons current marketing and sales models are effective yet broken, but the truth is that you already know that and/or have experienced it intimately. Instead, I'm going to cut to the chase and tell you what I'm doing to change that dynamic in my own work.
Every year, I put a lot of thought into how my business can be of better service - to my audience and to myself. After all, if the business doesn't work for who you are and how you best show up in the world, it will leave you feeling frustrated, resentful, overwhelmed, and generally burned out about the whole thing. So why bother?
The nexus between serving your best clients and serving your own needs is where the gold is for any creative entrepreneur... including me!
I'm lucky to be able to do a lot of what I love. Incubator applications doubled this year and we were able to add a few new clients, which thrills me. Growing this piece of the business proves to me how much this kind of support is needed (and valued) in the world. I want it to be available to more people. That means it can't all rest on me. I've experimented with adding support staff this year with mixed results. I also had a lot of people apply who simply weren't qualified for the help we provide. I referred most of them out to other programs or services, yet in my heart, I knew there was a way I could help them, if I wasn't already spread so thin.
I also want to do other things besides the Incubator. I'm working on Album #4 and another book. My Grand Vision is to have a full-fledged production company at some point, so I started testing the waters this year with smaller publishing projects. 2019 will see the addition of our hybrid publishing division, and that means I've got to free up my time to put some focus there.
So it's time for change. Here are a few things I'll be doing (or doing differently) in 2019
I want 2019 to be the year of more income - not just for me, but for all creative entrepreneurs. One of the ways I'm doing that is by re-structuring my business to give more free training to the folks who need it most. Most of these early stage entrepreneurs have no money - or should think twice about investing what little they do have in anything. The number one goal of Early Struggle is to get out of it as fast as possible... before the funding runs out. There's an ethics issue that's always bugged me about encouraging an audience with little to no financial means to "sell their cat" in order to work with you. No joke. I actually heard someone say that once in their sales pitch.
Not me. Not ever. Ick.
I can't feel good about selling to struggling entrepreneurs anymore because their money is better left "on the table" and in their pockets, so to speak, to pay the rent, buy food, and take care of themselves.
But I have dozens of training programs designed for this audience. That material is still relevant and as important as it ever was, but it never sees the light of day because there's no ROI in trying to sell it.
So I'm not going to sell it anymore. I'm going to put it in my free learning library.
Let me be clear... I'm not watering them down or offering "samples" from the program as part of some "launch" strategy. These are the very same courses others have paid hundreds of dollars for. Programs that have helped people make good money doing what they love. Programs that are all suitable for someone in Early Struggle - a time when spending as little money as possible can be the difference between surviving and crumbling.
I don't NEED to charge for these programs. It's liberating to say I can afford to give away access to these programs. That's always been one of my goals - to provide real help and training for the creatives of the world so that they can stop being starving artists and make good money doing what they love. So yes, it is partly a marketing experiment, sure. It is also an effort to "put my money where my mouth is" when it comes to leveling the playing field for marginalized and disadvantaged people who need real help to get their dreams launched.
I want more people to have access to that knowledge - and I don't want money to be a barrier.
Yeah, I hear you say "How is giving it away going to help you have more income, Lisa?"
I have several paid offerings that support my company and provide me and my team with an income. Incubator, as I mentioned, is growing. So is A-Club, and with the changes to that program, I see it becoming an even stronger revenue stream. My books, CD's, and live event are also part of my revenue model. So I have plenty of stuff for sale, and my theory is that when these folks have learned and implemented all they can from the learning library, and they're financially ready to make an investment, they'll think of me first.
Rates for all programs related to personal coaching are going up. I just raised the Incubator minimum retainer. A-Club is probably going to double. Individual coaching rates are going up and I'm exploring doing group coaching for the first time. Bluntly, there's a LOT you can accomplish without the need for a personal coach. And when you're stuck to the point that you need personal help, I know I'm pretty damn good and worth every penny. My time is more precious to me than ever before, and one of my 2019 goals is to be able to take an entire month off during the summer to be with my family. So I'm raising my rates to compensate me for my time and the opportunity cost of investing that time with you.
I have often said that when you charge more you can afford to be more generous. I teach this to my clients, and I try to model it myself. Higher rates for one-on-one time subsidizes the other company projects, too.
One of the things that I discovered this year was how much clarity and confidence a person gets from a single session with me. I had a few one-off sessions with my current A-Club clients and they all seemed to make great strides with just a small turn of their key. It got me thinking that I wanted to continue to make this available in a way that worked for me. I can't offer everyone a coaching session every month. What I can do is use private coaching as an incentive to encourage members to stay. Our retention rate averages nearly 2 years, so it feels good to me to encourage people to stick around by spending some one-on-one time with them. Starting in 2019, I'll be offering sessions to A-Club members for every 4 months of enrollment. If you pay for a year in advance, you'll get a bonus session. I don't know any other accountability programs that are offering personal support or guidance to their members. I'm glad to be able to do it for mine. Hint: Get in NOW before the rates go up in 2019!
I've been behind the scenes on dozens of best-selling book launches. I've self-published two Amazon best-sellers of my own, and brought our first client through the publishing process this year. I've experienced a lot of what works and what doesn't. I'll be using the same pay-for-results model we use with the Incubator to help a few authors get their books out into the world next year. Watch this space for more details and our first call for authors in Spring, 2019.
This will be the last year Creative Freedom Live is offered in the current format. The current format will become the Creative Freedom Client Retreat in 2020, and I'm taking Creative Freedom Live on the road. Local, one-day events across the country to reach more creative entrepreneurs where they live. The actual events won't start happening until 2020, but tickets will go on sale in 2019. I'll also be doing more speaking, performing, interviews and guest appearances/posts.
I've always had scholarships for all my digital programs. That's not changing. I just wanted to make mention of it. If there's a digital program you want to attend, contact me. We'll work together to come up with a scholarship plan that works for both of us.
Those are the coming attractions at Creative Freedom HQ. Again, I can do this because I can AFFORD to do it. Not everyone can, and not everyone should. And maybe after 2019, I'll change my mind. But for now, it's game on.
It FINALLY happened to me.
I purchased an online course this year... and I didn't complete it.
You have to understand how RARE that is for me. As a Fusion creative, I'm a learning machine. I'm consuming and assimilating information ALL THE TIME. That's how I improve, how I get great results for my clients. I shorten their learning curve and save them thousands of dollars every year by processing this data for them so that they don't have to.
But this year a switch flipped.
This year, I saw too much crap being passed off as an "online course" that simply didn't deliver the goods. It happened a few years ago with books, and a few years before that with ebooks, so it was only a matter of time before online courses took a similar hit.
Don't misunderstand, there are PLENTY of fabulous online courses that deliver exactly as promised. This is not a slam against online training. In fact, I strongly encourage you to save your pennies and DIY as much of your business training as possible when you're in the early years of growing your company. That kind of bootstrapping will serve you well when the lean years return later in your business (and they will, it's just a matter of time).
But markets mature, and by that, I mean more people get into the game when they think there's money to be had, even if they don't belong in the market in the first place.
The double-edged issue with most courses is that you're learning a tactic, a skill. Learning skills is great and an important thing to do. But often what you're learning may or may not actually help you grow your business if you don't have some other pieces in place first.
But you wouldn't know that because you've been wooed by great copy, snazzy marketing, and flashy sales videos that tell you how much you NEED their course to solve your problems.
One of the great lies of business is the old saw "ask people what they want and give it to them."
Why? Because often, people don't really know what they want. At least, not at a deeper level. They merely see a symptom, and then want it to go away:
Not making enough money = wants to make the dolla billz rain!
Not booking enough clients = wants to book more clients!
Not feeling satisfied in their work = wants to feel happy about their work!
So marketer dude will sell you a course that promises to show you how to get that thing you want. And you buy it. And two weeks into it, you realize there's something else you have to deal with first. Then, you get stuck. AND NOTHING CHANGES.
These are symptoms of a deeper issue. Maybe you're not making enough money because you're not actually asking for the business, or you're not reaching the right audience with your offer. Maybe your product is crap. Maybe it's under-priced. Who knows? If you don't know what the real problem is, you'll spend money on learning tactics that may not solve the problem.
A 6-week branding program might make your website all sparkly and pretty, but it won't do jack to drive traffic to that new website. An online course can't help you refine your message and find your right audience. That takes monitoring the work outside of class - something most DIY courses won't help you with. In fact, depending on where you're at in your business, it can take 6-12 months just to refine your voice and start generating real revenue... but the course creator won't tell you that. They'll just invite you to come back and "re-take" the course next year when enrollment opens again!
And to be fair, they don't have to tell you. If the course is worth its salt, they've done their part; They've taught you the skills. How you implement them (or don't) is entirely up to you. After all, they can't guarantee your success if you don't do the work, right?
Ugh.
I know that's a hard truth to hear. But you need to hear it if you want your business to thrive.
It's not about tactics or courses. It's about seeing things differently and asking better questions to get better results. If revenue is a problem, why? Do the work and really look at what's going on. Don't band-aid the situation with another tactic or course. Get to the root of the issue.
When I was working primarily with Direct Sales professionals, one of the big mantras was to "be duplicatable." Roughly translated, that means only do things that your team can copy, so that they can see the same success that you've had.
But there's a problem with that logic: not everything I do will work for you. You have to tailor things to the way you best show up. Plus, the things that make me unique are my key advantages in the marketplace!
If I'm a single mom, I can crack jokes about my kids and relate to people based on that area of interest. But if you have no children, that will be hard for you to do authentically. The lesson here isn't to crack jokes about kids, which is what I might do, but rather, find a common area of interest outside your product offering and relate to your audience that way.
I know an online marketer who raves about how facebook ads made their business and how anyone can be a facebook ads ninja if they just take their course. What they fail to mention is that they had a $20,000 credit limit on one of their credit cards and a relative that was well versed in developing audiences for Facebook ads... neither of which come standard with their online program.
I'd guess that if you had $20k to throw at a problem, you could probably figure it out, too, right?
Often times, however, the omission is less overt. You simply don't realize your natural gifts and abilities that make some things easier for you than others. I know I'm a great conversationalist, so when I train sales conversations, I HATE giving word choices because the words I use won't be authentic for someone else. Instead, I train on why you say what you're saying, so that you can find the words that are best for you, and create sales language that is authentic to the way you actually talk to people.
Look, I bought into and perpetuated this lie for years. I really believed that there was no excuse for failure if you just followed the step-by-step, brain-dead simple blueprint or plan. Until I realized that it was either too simple, left out too many considerations, or simply couldn't work for a person in my situation. The more accurate statement should be "If you're like me, and I can do it, then you can probably do it, too."
But all too often, we're NOT like that teacher, that guru, that influencer. Should that diminish our results?
Again, not if you think differently.
Instead of expecting a cut-n-paste approach to success, look at ways to translate their success to your business model. Instead of looking for a blueprint (unless you need a tactical tutorial), be willing to do the harder work of analyzing your own business from the inside out and doing the work to improve it. Ford doesn't look at a Corvette to figure out how to make a better Mustang. In fact, Corvettes were around for almost 10 years before Ford debuted the Mustang. They didn't just jump on the sports car bandwagon. Ford does their own market research, and looks at what's already going on inside the existing car before deciding what's next.
Not everything has to be hard, but if you're skipping the hard work in favor of learning new tactics, you're killing your business.
I promise.
Instead, take the time to do the work up front. Get the clarity you need to move forward. It's not as sexy, it's not as fun, but it's important to the health and longevity of your business.
Sometimes that means getting an outside eye on your business. Sometimes that means getting support and accountability to keep you on track. And sometimes that means getting hands-on help to manage the day-to-day tasks of your growing enterprise. Don't be fooled into thinking an online course can solve your problems. Sometimes they can, but most of the time, there's deeper work to be done.
"What do you do when YOU cant see around the bend? When you KNOW on a deep soul level that you are meant to do something bigger and different and more expansive but you cannot see what it is? And every time you THINK you might have glimpsed it, something comes in that makes you second guess the thing you JUST thought was this huge revelation?"
That was the question staring me in the face as I read a check-in email from one of my Portable Coaching clients.
I blinked a few times while my stomach churned, not really sure how to answer. It was an all-too familiar question, one I've asked myself several times in the past 3 months. All of my best-laid plans have fallen short. I'm not dying over here, but it's discouraging to think you're on the right path, doing the right things, but not getting the results you had hoped for.
You start to question yourself: your motives, your actions.
Am I doing enough?
AmI enough?
Am I really doing the right things?
It shouldn't be this hard should it?
What lesson do I need to learn and why IN THE NAME OF ALL THINGS HOLY haven't I learned it yet??
I knew that she was asking the very question I needed to answer for myself. Like Richard Bach said, "we teach best what we most need to learn."
When I was younger, I was told a story about life out on the high seas. I can't remember who told me, but it was someone I trusted in a moment very much like this. They said that a ship lost at sea might be in the ocean for MONTHS with no land in sight. And once they do spy land, they could still be days or even weeks away from landfall.
Each crew member learned how to spot signs of land - even in the midst of the turbulent sea, with nothing visible but water in every direction. Twigs, seaweed, and other flotsam float on the water's surface. Birds tend to be more plentiful the closer you get to a shoreline. Clouds form and reflect light differently, depending on where you are in the world. The ship might still be far away from land - and land might not even be a speck on the horizon, but those signs - those glimpses - encouraged the crew to know they were indeed heading in the right direction.
Times when I wonder if I'm going to run out of supplies and have to cannibalize my crew to survive. I don't know if that ever changes as your business grows. But what I've learned is how to look for "signs of land" as confirmation that I'm on the right path - even if I'm months (or years) away from land.
It doesn't make the boat rock any less, it doesn't calm the tempest, but it does give me some peace of mind - a calm within the storm, so to speak.
Less metaphorically speaking, I do my best to stay connected to the Divine. I I keep saying "yes, and...?" to get guidance.
"Yeah, I see that my launch didn't go as planned, and what else is there for me?"
"Yeah, I lost that client bid that I thought was in the bag, and what else do I need to see?"
"Yes! I got that media placement that I wasn't at all sure about, and what else can I do?"
"Yes, I feel incredibly lonely in a town where I don't know anyone, and what is my lesson here?"
"Yes, and...?" has become my best friend in my hardest times. The silence that comes after is what takes practice. I got a VERY clear prompting to move to Nashville, so I dropped everything and moved as soon as I had a place to stay. I've been here a year, and I'm still asking, "Yes. I'm here, and why? What is it I'm meant to do here that I couldn't do anywhere else?"
I'm just now starting to catch glimpses of the answer.
A guy gets a copy of my book and says "this needs to be a movie!" Another guy (a movie producer) says "yeah. I'll read your treatment." Has anything really happened yet? No. It's all twigs and seaweed, baby! But I know I'm headed in the right direction, so I just keep showing up and trusting (and sometimes agonizing over) the process.
If you're feeling adrift, and need help spotting those signs of land, I'm here. Book a Next Steps session with me, or join the Accountability Club to get some ongoing support. A rising tide lifts all ships, remember. Let us be that for you.
Every day, we're tasked with thousands of decisions.
How many? Well, Cornell University researchers said we make about 226 decisions just on FOOD in an average day.
The total number for adults is somewhere in the range of 35,000 decisions a day. Many of them are impulsive, and logic-driven (pro/con, etc.), but that's STILL a lot of remotely conscious decision making each and every day of your adult life.
Kids only make about 3000 decisions a day. Ahhh, those were simpler times, right?
Here's a decision making tool that I've used for myself and my clients for years now - one that gets immediate results and gives you clarity when you've probably been feeling stuck on something for a while, maybe even overwhelmed at the prospect of having to choose from several equally appealing (or unappealing, as the case may be) options.
This is just one of the tools you'll be working with in Your Breakout Year - my summer workshop for creative entrepreneurs. This program is designed to help you map out AND implement a clear path to a six-figure annual revenue stream.
THAT piece is the idea/concept/decision that holds the most energy for you, so that's where you need to act first (yes, even if you don't WANT to, which is another thing altogether).
The brain is a funny thing. When we take something out of one modality into another, our brain gets to work on the problem in a different way. By changing the way you assess the situation (from emotional or logical to visual), your brain has a new way of looking at the problem. The old block (which is probably a conflict between emotional and logical) is interrupted and you're able to make a decision so that you can move forward.
Often times, it doesn't matter what you decide, only that you finally make a decision so that you can get momentum again. So even if you "randomly" select a paper ball, you've made a decision and can move forward.
If you're a tactile processor, you might ACTUALLY write each option on a piece of paper and throw them on the floor. But then you've got a lot of cleaning up to do, which is totally NOT my jam. 🙂
Like I said, the messy room technique is is a powerful tool that's quick and easy to use to get clarity now, and get moving again.
Whether you're starting from scratch, been hobbling along at this for a while, or you're ready to expand and add a new revenue stream to your creative business, Your Breakout Year is the exact process I've used with clients - for over a decade now - to help them get clear on what really matters and build out a business model that gets them there faster, with less hustle, and more ease.
Courses and classes alone don't get the job done. You'll just end up with a lot of information and zero implementation. This is an implementation-heavy program because I believe that if you do the work, you'll get results. So doing the work is baked into the program. No "learn now, implement later" in Your Breakout Year. Implement as you learn, decide what works and what doesn't, cut the fluff, and see real financial results in your business.
There are still a few spots left for early bird pricing, and a 4 installment payment option to make it budget friendly.
If you're ready to find your right audience and make good money doing what you love without selling your soul, join me for Your Breakout Year.