Once upon a time, I ran ten miles and no one was chasing me.
It was a bucket list thing, to run the Bobby Crim 10-mile road race in my hometown. So I suited up and, in a matter of just over 2.5 hours, managed to lose about 4 pounds. Ha.
I also learned a lot about how to manage yourself as you combat overwhelm. Because, believe me, I wanted to quit MANY times. I have never been a professional runner. I barely trained for that race. But I finished. And the lessons I learned running that race can help YOU defeat overwhelm and keep momentum going when things get hard.
This is the second episode in a Summer-long series about dealing with aspects of Underearning. Want more help? Overcoming Underearning for Creative Entrepreneurs starts this week!
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Race photos: DetroitRunner.com, Hovershots APV
Music: "Welcome to the Show" by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
We're tackling one of the biggest problems creative entrepreneurs face this week: underearning. Too many years of "paying your dues" working for free or for "exposure" have compounded the problem of creative entrepreneurs owning and asserting their value in the marketplace and charging fees equal to that value. Add to that a sense of shame or other self-worth issues, and you can begin to see how and why this problem persists for so many talented people that don't happen to be as famous or prevalent as Beyonce or Bill Gates.
After years of struggling with this issue myself, and working with clients all over the world who face similar issues, I've identified 5 core traits or symptoms that are common among most creative entrepreneurs. I've tapped two important resources that helped me on my journey through this shadowy valley, and share these insights in this week's episode.
Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments. Your insights may spark a conversation that helps someone else!
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Music: "Welcome to the Show" by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
Hoo-rah! We're FINALLY back!
Season 4 is underway, and we've got a slew of great episodes lined up. We kick off the season with a look at the 6-Figure deception, what it is, including real-life examples. I also talk about the differences between the 6-Figure Illusion and the 6-Figure Distinction, so you can understand how they might apply to your situation.
Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments. Your insights may spark a conversation that helps someone else!
Mentioned in this episode:
If you haven't already downloaded the worksheet, you'll want to do that here. Not a member yet? It's free! When you register for email updates, you also get access to a slew of bonuses, like episode transcripts, worksheets, and other downloadables!
In this episode, I'm wearing lovely jewelry from FancyBargain.com. Tell Kerianne you saw her bling on Creative Freedom!
Music: "Welcome to the Show" by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
I am a sucker for procedural dramas. Criminal Minds and NCIS are staples in my late-night viewing. My husband and I have sort of a "silent bet" running on each episode. The first one of us to figure out "whodunnit" gets bragging rights for the night.
Usually, it's me. Sometimes I get it wrong, which is usually when my husband beats me to the punch.
I've spent years getting to know people: watching them, learning from them, and paying attention to behaviors, body language, and contexts. And I have two kids - who are walking laboratories of human behavior. Paying attention to all kinds of people gives me an insight into how they think and how they'll behave in a variety of circumstances.
You can't expect to consistently sell your Great Work if you don't know who will buy it (or why). You need to do something to get into your client's head and understand where they're coming from, where they're going, and why they'd choose you.
There are lots of ways to get into your customer's head, but a question I get asked a lot is "do I really need a customer avatar?"
Yes and no. It really depends on the kind of market you're trying to reach. This week's episode of Creative Freedom gives you some clarity on when an avatar is right for you - with a little help from Lionel Richie.
Ultimately, it's less about an avatar, and more about understanding your clients. Whatever method works for you is fine, just make sure you do the work.
You don't need a customer avatar. You just need to understand your customer. (Tweet this)
Need some suggestions on where to start? Here's another resource for getting to know your customers. I also teach more about this in the Creative Freedom Apprenticeship, which re-opens this fall.
Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments . Who knows? Someone reading this may need exactly what you have to offer!
At the beginning of every year, I sit down with my Dreamblazing program and set my goals - then I review them each quarter.
But they also say that "life happens every 6 months" - and here we are at the middle of the year. It's a great time to make sure you're still on track, and if you aren't here's a reader's digest version of my planning process - including a sneak peek into how Dreamblazing makes it easy.
To help you lay the foundation, I've also included the worksheets from the first day of the Dreamblazing program so that YOU can take stock and do a little review of your own - and set the stage for your future success. Oh, and Hall & Oates help me out with a special "guest spot" - sing along if you know the words!
Whether you use my Dreamblazing process you some other method of planning, make the commitment to complete the entire process - especially if it feels uncomfortable. I see a lot of entrepreneurs (creatives in particular) that start planning, and when things get tough or they feel stuck, they quit. It's fine to take a break and come back to it later, just make sure you actually do come back to it later. Dreamblazing is elxible enough to complete in a single
It's hard to know where you're going if you don't know where you are. It's hard to know your trajectory, if you don't know where you've been. A lot can happen in a year. I lost count of all the awesome surprises that happened to me each year, so I started keeping track, and using the "Evaluate and Celebrate" section of Dreamblazing to remind me of just how awesome my life and work can be. That's particularly helpful when I'm in the middle of a funk, or things aren't going as well as I want them to in the moment.
Evaluation also allows me to see where I missed the mark and need to tighten my focus - or re-calibrate if a goal is no longer applicable.
In my book, The Secret Watch, I lay out the 5 Key Areas (Faith, Family, Fitness, Fortune, and Freedom) - but the way you define them is entirely up to you - which, again, gives you the flexibility you need to develop D.U.M.B. goals. Hone in on what will give you the most cause for celebration at the end of the next 12 months in each of these areas, then you can begin to set milestones along the way to help you know if you're on track to hit them.
If you're following the Dreamblazing program, you'll pick 6 goals to drive for the year, but you've also got to prioritize them. It's better to do that NOW before there's a conflict, because "life happens when you're busy making other plans" as John Lennon famously said. If you don't prioritize your goals, then when an opportunity arises that pits one goal against another, you'll be forced to choose. In the heat of the moment, sometimes we choose what's urgent, rather than what's really important. Prioritizing your goals gives you a filter to run all your decisions through.
And if you change your priorities later, that's fine too.
It takes a little time to develop a solid strategic plan, but it's worth the effort. Whether you use a tool like Dreamblazing or develop your own method of annual planning, it's important to make the plan. Eisenhower once said that "plans are useless", but "planning is everything" - and I think he's right. While many of my plans go awry not long after making them, the fact that I took the time to actually sit down, clear my head, and focus on what really matters to me keeps me moving in the right direction. It also keeps me agile so that when life throws me a curve ball (and it happens more times than I'd care to count), I'm able to respond thoughfully, instead of react in a knee-jerk way.
Plans may go awry, but planning keeps your head in the game when life throws you a curve. (Tweet this)