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I realised something today. . .

October 25, 2012 in Creative Business, Creative Business Co., Fear, Passion, True Self

I was chatting with a group of friends and we were talking about that uneasy feeling, that sense of lost direction. It comes strongest when we spend too much time watching others and seeing how together they have it and how fast they are moving forward towards their goals.

“I need help, what email client do you use?” or

“I feel like you are doing better than me, where do you host your website?”

Well you know what – I realised something today.

We don’t have anyone telling us what the rules are or where the boundaries lie anymore,

and that is making us a little UNCOMFORTABLE.

At the ProBlogger Event a few weeks ago I was lucky enough to chat with Chris Guillebeau.  We were joking about when you listen to a great presentation on, let’s say Product Launches;

The speaker gives you incredible information, fills you with inspiration and gets you excited for your next launch.

Then it’s Q&A time and despite the room being full of intelligent, entrepreneurial types, who are more than capable of using google, you can almost guarantee that the first or second question will be;

“What you have said is really great, but I need to know what affiliate program you use.”

Why?

Because we are desperately grasping for how to’s,  for the next steps and some freakin rules already!


Sorry to tell you but You are in the driver’s seat now and it is time to pull up your big girl pants and get used to it.

 

As tiny children we humans need boundaries, every teacher and mother alike will tell you kids respond well to rules, even better to the ones that are consistent – so understand this stuff has been ingrained in us for a long time!

We certainly learn to conform and obey at school (or if you are like me, you don’t conform and it makes school a long and painful road), university is more about sitting still and following the rules.

Adulthood gets even worse – get a job, keep a job, wear the right clothes, toe the line and fit in with the crowd.

We learn the social rules and the office rules and the public transport rules and the unspoken rules of family engagement. It sounds exhausting when I write it out but it is just all so natural we don’t think about it.

Then we go out on your own!

Now we have no one to tell us what to charge, what to create, when to get out of bed, how long to spend on twitter, ANYTHING!

It is no wonder we crave instructions and direction.

 

LET IT GO!

 

Be brave, breathe it in!

You changed the game – YEP You did that!

Now you have to get yourself comfortable with making up the rules as you go along.

Did you hear I am moving my online home? I am making house with a new business partner and setting up a workroom where I can better serve you and your business – join the mailing list now so you are the first to know about the launch of  Studio Exsto. It will be pretty different from what you see here – in a good way!

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From Little Things BIG Things Grow

October 14, 2012 in Change, Creative Business, Creative Business Co., Passion, True Self

 Image credit to Smilebooth Australia.

This idea “From Little Things Big Things Grow” was the theme of the Problogger Event I attended this weekend. It was a two day conference for bloggers and the range of speakers and attendees was nothing sort of amazing. But it was this one idea that was the most powerful for me!

Darren (the original ProBlogger) talked about his humble beginnings in blogging and how hitting the PUBLISH button for the first time was in fact terrifying. I am sure any of you with a blog can relate to that!

But the same is true for business.

Starting is so often the hardest part. And if thigs do not go to plan starting AGAIN can feel even harder.

The people that are succeeding, the people we all look up to , are successful for one reason. They fought the fear and started. Then they started again, and again!

The secret to success is not picking that ultimate idea and BOOM your it! YOU WIN!

The real secret is not giving up when the first idea doesn’t work. It is tweaking and changing processes along the way. The secret lies in staying true to who you are and what you want out of life and business, while still keeping focus on your readers and customers and delivering great value.

The trick is that all of those thing change – so I think the key, the missing piece in the puzzle, the reason so many people almost succeed but don’t get over that last hurdle is because everything in the above paragraph is constantly changing.

It is OK to shift, change and maybe even completely flip your direction. You need to give yourself permission to stay true to who you are what you want TODAY and stop holding on to what you wanted when you started your business.

Forgive yourself if something you used to focus on doesn’t move you any more. In fact celebrate it if you can identify the things in your business (or blog, or life) that while used to energise you, now weigh you down. And most importantly allow yourself to let them go, move on and concentrate on what is working for you now.

It is the opposite of failure if you can say “That doesn’t work anymore!” It is the key to finding what does.

I have been through so many changes and shifts in my business in the last few years and for those of you on the mailing list you will know other big one is coming! It is only recently though that I have been able to celebrate that, instead of labeling the other attempts as epic failures.

If I was still sewing kids shorts and making quilts I know I would not be happy and I know I would not have had the opportunities to do the things I have done and meet the people I have meet in the last 2 years! For you sewing might still energise you but your blog is feeling off, or you might love your blog but need to branch a part off to a new site, you might just have a name or a brand that you are no longer proud to stand behind.

Whatever it is – it is OK to change it!

No business deal, especially ones you make with yourself, are written in blood.

The reason my business has changed is because I have changed. I have grown so much and learnt so much. I contiue to find better ways to serve myself, my and family and you as I go along. The new shift is the one I am most excited about and I will tell you all about that soon I promise.

Today I want to embrace the growth you have experienced.

I want you to accept the things that haven’t worked.

Celebrate the things that have and get excited about the whatever it is the future holds for you!

I encourage you to share your times of change in the comments, or send me an email. I’d love to know how you felt at the time. Are you going through a transition now?

Instead of seeing these turbulent times as a failure, see them for  what they really are. A big, often challenging but brave step closer to success you desperately crave.

 

Did you hear I am moving my online home? I am making house with a new business partner and setting up a workroom where I can better serve you and your business – join the mailing list now so you are the first to know about the launch of  Studio Exsto. It will be pretty different from what you see here – in a good way!

 

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Starstruck

September 27, 2012 in Creative Business Co., social media, True Self, twitter

Today I was chatting with a friend Dannielle on twitter – we were discussing our excitement in the lead up to the ProBlogger Training happening in a few short weeks.

I twitted that I would simply be happy with the event if I get to shake hands with @ChrisGuillebeau

Next thing Chris himself tweets me to say “Looking forward to meeting you :-) ”

I could not wipe the smile off my face – I felt totally start struck!

I didn’t used to do start-struck!

When I thought of Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie and Vince Vaughn as celebrities I could not care less if I never met them. I am sure they are nice people but they are just people, like the rest of us.

I even crossed paths with Vince Vaughn in Times Square when I visited New York (years ago now).

The friends I was with at the time wanted to join the line and get his signature but I was quite happy to continue on our way to the pub for that beer I was craving.  A friend teased me “Stop acting ‘cool’ like you don’t care” to which I replied;

“I think Vince Vaughn is very funny and I love his movies – but I don’t think we would be friends, I don’t have a desire to learn about him and his life so I don’t see the point. He is just a person like you and me.”

So why does a simple tweet from Chris Guillebeau have me feeling giddy with excitement?

Because the people who I admire, and consider to be superstars or even “celebrities” have changed.

In my close group of friends, my online network of colleagues and the people I connect with regularly, names like Chris Guillebeau, Danielle LaPorte, Darren Rowse, Tara Gentile, Megan Auman and Jennifer Lee are household names.

I know many of the general public don’t know who they are – they certainly don’t appear all over the tabloids like Paris and Nicole. But these people have me way more star-struck.

Why?

Because they are people with values, ambitions and visions that align with mine.

They are people I look to for inspiration and encouragement, information and knowledge.

To put it simply – these people are the sorts of people I would want to be friends with. Not to be one of the cool kids but because I would love the opportunity to sit and talk with them all. They are people of substance.

Some I have had the pleasure of meeting. I was thrilled to have Megan and Jenn speak at the Artful Business Conference.

I have worked with Tara through her Make Your Mark course and I have interviewed a few of them. Each time I have been nervous, excited and a little more shy than I would like to admit.

The famous people in my life and in my industry are people I respect and admire.

So, yes I got a little more excited than is probably justified when Chris tweeted me today but I am not ashamed of my school girl reaction.

And I will continue to shamelessly tweet Sir Richard Branson because I am determined to meet him in person one day – along with all of the above mentioned people.

Who do you consider famous?

But more importantly, who do you truly wish to make a connection with?

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