Hey there ,
All of this month in my FB group (and on the podcast, and everywhere else, really), I've been talking about controllables - the things that are in our control that allow us to create success on our own terms.
And as I've been thinking about this more and more it occurred to me that there is ONE controllable that really sits above all the others.
It's the ULTIMATE controllable.
It's the ONE most important thing you can do yourself right now, all day, every day that will make success SIMPLER.
And you know what it is?
(side note: I both love and hate what I'm about to tell you, so if you make a face at me from your computer, I get it...)
It's being MORE YOU.
Wait, before you're like 'oh god, make her go. away. Yuck.' bear with me for a hot second.
Here's the thing.
When I say 'being more you' what I mean is doing the things you are doing to grow your business, to grow your life more YOUR way.
This is both simple and hard all at the same time. I get it.
This is easy advice to give ('just be yourself, yay!') and hard advice to implement.
I know. It's the same for me.
But I also have proof and KNOW that in my business, being MORE me has made things way (way) simpler. AND more successful.
So what does being 'more me' actually look like for me?
Off the top of my head, a couple of ways:
- I have stopped worrying (entirely) about what I wear to work. I realized that my clients do not care not one little bit if I'm in a t-shirt if they get what they need and then some. If I want to wear a fancy shirt, I do. And if I want to wear a hoodie, that's cool too. No more time wasted on clothes. Seems silly maybe, but also...simpler.
- In 'real' life, I say what I'm thinking. I am bad at hiding things like that and I wear my thoughts on my face (possibly you already know this about me, ha!). And so when I have a thought about something I want to share on the internet? I remember that in real life I'd just say it - and I just say it. More me, for me, means that I have the thought and then I share. I do not squirrel away ideas for rainy days. There are will be more ideas. And not having to schedule inspiration has made things WAY simpler for me. I'm not great at creating all the content for a period of time in one block, so I don't. No more time and energy spent on content calendars, scheduling; it's just not for me.
- I don't do mom guilt. I just don't. And I categorically refuse when people try to hand me theirs, it's not needed. Why is this simpler? Because when I am working I'm not also beating myself up for parenting- related things. My stance, all the time, is that my kids get to see me build something real and tangible that helps people on my terms from 0 to way more than 0. That's more important than my guilt. AND, when they get home from school each day at 4, 90% of the time I get to hang out with them, because that's when I shut down my day. My calendar - and the boundaries in it - is set to support a mom-guilt-free life (when I say 'free' I mean like 95%, I'm human too).
Maybe you read this list and you're like 'eh, I don't get it'.
And maybe you read this list and think 'hmmm... what things would I actually WANT? What would be MY version of this?'
In the end, the truth is that the more the business you run feels like YOU, the SIMPLER it will be to run.
Think about it like wearing your FAVORITE outfit every. single. day, vs. wearing something you feel like you 'should' wear to fit in but secretly hate all the time.
It's different. Plus it's a TON simpler to get what you want and need to get accomplished actually accomplished if you're not stressing about the outfit...
And this? This 'most comfortable favorite outfit'? It's you, being YOU.
Ask yourself: what would I do day in and day out if I could do things EXACTLY my way?
What would I wear, when would I work, how would I show up, where would I show up, who would I work with, what would I STOP doing?
The crazy thing is that most of the time? Deep down we know the answers to ALL of these questions... we just haven't given ourselves permission to say them out loud or LIVE them in real life.
But this message is your invitation to do EXACTLY THAT.
YOU will be more successful more easily when you are more YOU.
When you embrace YOUR work style, YOUR favorite ways to work, YOUR quirks, YOUR silly joys, YOUR people, YOUR youness.
And yeah, maybe it's awkward sometimes (I'm awkward a lot, I hear you).
But it's a LOT simpler to succeed like this vs. doing ALL of the work it takes to grow a business AND also doing all of the work it takes to pretend to be someone you aren't.
For you, today...
How can you be just a little more - maybe 5% MORE you right now?
How will that make the rest of all the things just that much simpler?
Go do that.
Warmly,
Sara
And, ps.
If you're like 'ummmm...what DO I actually want? I don't even know how to answer that....???!' I can help.
I know exactly the right questions to ask you to unearth the YOU that actually feels like you - as a business owner, and maybe even in your life - and I know how to help you give her the keys to the kingdom.
I have clients doing exactly that, right now...
- I have a client who doesn't talk to people before 10 am. Her business grew more when she stopped taking calls at times that she didn't love. (And she's WAY happier about it :))
- I have a client who gave up FB and most social media and instead networks through her professional organizations that she loves. Her business grew more when she stopped doing 'stuff' she hated. She gets to people instead of write and she LOVES it.
- I have a client who spent most of the spring/summer working on something OTHER than her business because she's SO excited about it, and the impact it will have on her life and family. During these months her business not only didn't die, but she's about to hit the goal that she told me in January was 'ridiculous' - in October. Her business grew more when she did what she loved on the side.
You too can grow more - right now - by embracing YOU. And I can help.
When you are ready for simpler success and more growth, set up a call to talk about coaching together here.
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