I started 2018 at a crossroads. Do I stay in the struggle, or do I throw in the towel?
I ended 2017 with a webinar to strategy session launch and it was the first time I didn’t make back the money I put out.
Lots of reasons to blame:
- Wrong time of year to launch anything
- Facebook changed its algorithm
- Facebook changed its policies to get my ads seen by my target
- Using the wrong words on my registration page
- Speaking to the wrong people
And on and on….
I could call it a failure, but I won’t, because I had already learned that there’s always a breakdown before the breakthrough.
What it really came down to was that I just wasn’t feeling it.
I had grown out of alignment with my business.
On that webinar, I showed how I successfully leveraged my worth as a branding expert. The truth is, while those same strategies do work for many people, I didn’t believe in them much anymore for myself.
If I had to do them again today, I probably would not.
And I was so over being pigeonholed by the word branding.
Feeling deflated, I had to give myself permission to just sit and figure things out.
I had been an entrepreneur for 12 years, quite successfully, but I was ready to give it all up — maybe even retire.
But the voices kept me going. Many of us hear lies in our heads and believe them. That’s not me. I know how to discern a lie from truth.
The truth I was hearing is that I have a bigger purpose and I had to find what that was.
But I had no clue how…
Here’s what I did:
I let go of trying to figure it all out myself. I put my trust in the universe. I paid attention to the signs. I waited for opportunities to unfold to show me what I’m here for, and they did.
They led me onto the higher path to what I had forgotten was my destiny.
But it didn’t happen overnight, and I first had to release some things.
I had to release expectations of what I should be doing. I had to release the strategies that weren’t working for me anymore. I had to release the idea of continuing to grow a business that wasn’t feeding my soul.
I had to release the identity that defined me for a good 4 years.
I had to recreate myself. It’s not so easy.
I set out to find who I am. Not just as an entrepreneur, but as a person.
I sought out psychics, healers, peers in the business community…
I heard the same messages over and over. Outside voices confirming the inner nudges and downloads that preceded them.
I wasn’t trusting my intuition. I had to learn to do that.
More breakdowns occurred. The downloads kept coming, and they were even more prolific. They led to bigger breakthroughs.
More right opportunities started showing up.
I dug deeper into my soul.
I reflected on the turning points and experiences that got me that far. Many I had forgotten about. When I traced back the path of my lifetime, certain themes kept showing up. I had put them aside for one reason or another.
I thought they were part of the “old” me. I was wrong.
I saw the pattern, and once I put the pieces together it revealed my Zone of Genius. I had been ignoring it all along.
I was in my Zone of Excellence doing what I was good at, what people expected of me, but the fact that it wasn’t fulfilling anymore confirmed I was being called to rise to a higher level, to express my higher purpose.
I saw it in the new set of clients I was attracting. I saw it in the opportunities that were coming to me.
I received confirmation from every spiritual guru I encountered, the people I talked to, my peers.
It was about sharing my wisdom. I don’t need more strategies or business acumen. I had reached the pinnacle of all that; I was full.
In that revelation, my block was exposed. Because I was used to delivering something “tangible” in exchange for money — I didn’t have faith that I, alone, was enough.
In the world of coaching, that’s a huge mindset issue to overcome.
But once I became aware, I persisted to move through that block. I released the “DO-ing” aspect of being a branding “expert.”
I stopped networking with people who didn’t “get” me. I gave up on many of the business strategies I was told I needed to do.
I made a decision: I would reset to zero and wait to see what showed up.
I started focusing on what felt good to me. I wrote. I meditated. I walked in the park.
And the amazing started to happen. I attracted mentors with a vibe and a message that was a match for who I had become.
I started attracting right-fit clients — energetically, not strategically.
But it took making an inner shift to get super clear on my value, what I stand for, and who I want to serve.
I had to declare what I really want my life and my business to BE.
And then I had to let go of how I would get it there.
And in the waiting, I found my mission. It’s still expanding, but the universe has aligned my world with my soul’s calling, even beyond my business.
I am a lightworker. I am home. I am happy. I’ve left that place of worry and scarcity because I know that everything I need will show up as I continue to bring my wisdom to others.
I trust.
In an interview, I was asked about my biggest fear around resetting to zero. The answer came easy: It was the money. Losing everything I had built so far. Letting people down. Moving backwards to move forward.
It was a big risk.
You can have it your way too. And you can sit and take the time to figure it out. But don’t take too long or you could miss your opportunity.
You have to be willing to take risks, and you still have to stay in aligned action, even if it’s a baby step here and there.
But the most important thing is to trust.
Trust your intuition.
Trust unseen forces.
Trust that the right people and the right opportunities will show up when you’re ready for them.
Trust enough to invest in a mentor.
Trust that whoever you hire is the right person for who you are now.
Trust your decisions.
Trust me, because I’ve been there.
But most important, trust the process of letting go.
Because when you find the path you’re meant to be on, amazing things start to happen.
And life, and business, just keep getting better.
But, of course, it would. It’s your design, right?