Entrepreneurial: I’ll Rise Like the Break of Dawn
I know I have mentioned more than a few times that when it comes to writing my blog posts, I tend to batch the work and write my content at least a week ahead of time, but when it comes to this blog post, my monthly entrepreneurial journal entry, I try to hold off on writing this until the end of the month. So, I’m writing this the day before the post goes live- this is as close to living on the edge that I like to come with my blog, but let me tell you, living on the edge is something I did ALOT in November! In so many ways, this month felt like a metamorphosis for me. I actually don’t understand how the person sitting here at the computer right now typing this post is the same person who woke up on November 1st thinking this was going to be the same old same old type of month for me. If I had to select a theme song for November, it would be Let It Go from Frozen, because like the beloved snow queen Elsa, I let a lot of sh*t go this month!
What I Didn’t Do
1. Let myself get distracted: November was a very transformative month for me and as soon as I realized that I had a lot of work to do to reach the other side in one piece, I turned on hermit mode and kept myself lazer focused on the tasks in front of me. I definitely didn’t lock myself in a room all month to avoid distractions, but I gave myself permission to delete or silence the apps, alerts, and even people that often take up too much of my mental energy. Truthfully, it felt like one of the most selfish things I have ever done, but it was too freeing to let other things slip away and just focus on myself. I seriously need to do this more often!
2. Let Fear hold me back: I tend to be the type of person who hates disappointing others and fears letting people down, but I overcame a lot of fear this month to do the things I knew had to be done. I almost feel a little ruthless with some of the decisions I made this month, some of the people I blocked and some of the projects I dropped, but I just mentally blocked out the fear.
3. Give a F*ck: I apologize for being so crass with this one, but vulgarity seems to be the best way for me to sum this up! I still can’t believe some of the things I did this month to make it to the finish line. It wasn’t that I did anything bad, I just did things and made choices I have never experienced before and it was completely liberating to me and my business. Looking back at the month, I almost feel like I was a little too reckless at times, but even now, seeing how things turned out, I feel like I needed to be a little reckless and I’m curious about how things could have turned out if I had been even more reckless! It really was a major change for me when you keep in mind that I’m normally so deliberate and buttoned up.
What I Did Do
1. Ran two promotions (simultaneously): This idea was a little nuts, required a lot of work and preparation on my part, but it completely paid off. So, I ran two promotions that overlapped; one for my Online Business Bundle as part of that Free Workshop I hosted mid-month, and one for my Annual Holiday Sale in my shop that ended yesterday. Because of this decision, I had my best month EVER in the shop… and that was BEFORE the second promotion even started! Financially speaking, I exceeded all kinds of goals I had set for my business, not just in November, but also for 2016 as a whole! After a period of months where I felt like my business had stagnated after my summer off and my move, it was like my business was in full acceleration and forgot to hit the brakes. Of course, I’m now curious to see how I parlay this success into December, but any way I cut it, this year is a major win for me no matter what happens next month!
2. Closed a Facebook Group: Remember how I said this month’s theme song would be Let it go? Well, my #CharmedBiz Collective Facebook Group was one of the things that I let go this month. For a long time I felt like this group didn’t shape up the way I had intended it, and it was completely my own fault. But after spending months trying to keep it alive in one way or another, I finally decided to cut off the dead weight so I could move on with a lighter load. I’m so thankful for this opportunity because now I don’t need to spend mental energy and precious time worrying about the future of the group- it wasn’t working, so I let it go, and now I can pour my energy into bigger and better things.
3. Celebrated my success: Because of the great success I had in the shop this month, I gave myself permission to celebrate my milestone with a big purchase. Something I have been wanting for a while, but was always a little concerned about buying because of the expense and the lack of necessity. This was one of those reckless moments, but I said F it, did what I wanted and I’m really happy I did. Life is short, we should ALL get in the habit of celebrating our success and milestones while we have the chance!
What I Learned
1. Let it go (and set boundaries!): I definitely have a hard time letting go, but I managed to conquer this fear and let go of nearly everything that wasn’t serving me this month. I feel like I have emotionally, spiritually and physically cleaned house, and it’s one of those amazing feelings where I don’t regret a single thing, and in fact, want to find more things to let go of! By letting go of that which did not serve me in the past, I was able to clear out space for wonderful new things to come into my life. It’s funny how that works! I let go of a lot of random stuff holding me back and I was bestowed a wonderful gift. The universe strives for balance, if you are carrying around too much, it doesn’t want to give you more than you can handle. You need to unpack what you don’t need before you can get all the shiny new stuff the universe wants you to have instead. And in order to keep myself from picking back up anything I let go of this month, I also needed to make sure to erect some boundaries for myself. Boundaries are a new concept for me as well this month- I tend not to use them, but going forward, much of the work I know I need to complete for myself and my own personal development revolves around setting boundaries so I do not let myself acquire too much baggage that doesn’t serve me in the future.
2. Trust the process: I’ve said this before, but trusting the process is a lesson I am constantly learning. We can’t see the future, so making decisions, taking risks, acting recklessly, it all feels uncomfortable. But I have seen time and time again that when I show up and do the work, it all pays off. Even if I do the work and it doesn’t result in success, I always get something important from it. I need to stop playing it safe all the time, and trust the process more, because I know what works for my life and my business, and the more I can focus on doing the work that matters, the more I’ll be rewarded in the end.
3. Luck results when preparation meets opportunity: To sum up this whole month and the big picture lessons I’ve learned, I am reminded of this quote. “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” If you are looking at my life and my business and thinking “she’s just lucky” you seriously misunderstand what it takes to create success in your own life and business. Although this blog post and those like it are my attempt to pull back the curtain so others can get a glimpse at what it takes to be successful in online business, make no mistake that you do not see it all, especially the hours of hard work that go into making my successes a reality. Tweeting, vlogging, and sharing on Instagram are the things I do when I am not heads down with my eyes glued to my work. There is no such thing as luck, we all get exactly what we work for in one form or another.
I hope this rather irreverent installment of my monthly entrepreneurial journal has inspired you to let some things go in your own life and business, and to create a plan to move forward and collect all the rewards that are waiting for you on the other side of that sacrifice! For me, this month has been so transformative and absolutely freeing. So, I’m sure I can expect some challenges to come next month as I adjust and strive to enforce the changes I’ve made this month. I’d love to hear how your month went and what lessons you picked up along the way, so please make sure to share those in the comments below or let me know how my experience this month has inspired you to act!
xoxo,
Alexis,
Thanks SO much for your transparency. I may not be in business for myself, but as a WIOA Program Coordinator (life coach) working with high school students, I have found myself suprisingly with some of the same challenges this month that you share.
You continue to be an inspiration to me, which means, in essence, that you have a part in the success of the students that I work with.
Have a great day!
Congratulations on your successes! And sometimes saying no and ‘deleting’ things are the way to go. Those who matter, understand, those who don’t…well, they need to be out of the way.
This was wonderful to read. I’m also at a point where I’m having to laser focus on goals/myself and having to cut down on things/people that are causing distractions. It’s nice to know someone else feels bad about having to do it but oh so good about doing it! Keep up the hard work, I hope the next month is just as good for you but with less stress!