On how to succeed as an online biz owner and coach no matter what… 😉
In the early days of my business, I ran a five week workshop. It was going well and I had signed a long term client from it so I decided to start a second workshop to run simultaneously.
It didn’t fill as the first one did. Two people signed up.
I was disappointed but also knew, ok, there is something better, keep going.
My family, however, saw it as – well, you gave it a shot, now go back to getting a job. 🤨
I was surprised. One workshop didn’t fill and that means it’s over? How quickly they were ready to give up on what I was creating.
When I continued on my path, this lack of support only worsened.
If I had a dollar for everytime they asked me when I was going to get a job, how much longer I was going to keep going, and that I had given it enough time already, I would be incredibly rich. 💰
It wasn’t their words so much that were damaging, it was that I believed their words.
I had a chaotic and unstable childhood so I learned at a young age to dismiss my desires and to believe I couldn’t have what I really wanted. And, of course, as a child, I placed much importance on the opinions of my family. That conditioning was strong and I fell back into those old patterns when I started my business, which makes sense, as I was facing a lot of uncertainty and insecurity.
This made my path so much more difficult than it needed to be.
As their doubts became my doubts, my business slowed down, obviously. 😕
I thought it was my strategy or that I needed more information. I was sure there must be something I was missing and that something was surely outside of me.
Well, what I was missing was my own belief in me.
Now I can see that them asking me how much longer will you keep going was like them asking me how long are you going to live?
Them asking me when will you give up was like them asking me, when will you betray yourself and kill your dreams for good?
It may have taken me longer than others to grow my business, it may have cost me more, and it may have been more difficult for me than it was for others, and now I see, that is ok.
I would see all these other coaches having amazing successes and I would feel bad, and even ashamed, that I wasn’t having those amazing successes. This would turn into me attacking myself, which, of course, only made things worse.
My judgment of my path and how long, challenging, and costly it was only made it even more long, challenging, and costly. 🤨
The answer, you see, to how long will you keep going is – until the end of time.
Why?
Because it is MY life, MY dream, and it is important to me. It is ME.
It is not a fleeting desire or passing dream. It is my purpose and mission.
That is what allowed me to keep going despite the discouragement of my family (and to go on from that $125 five-week workshop to $10k eight-week programs paid in full). 😊
What I would tell that younger version of me facing the disapproval, doubts, and lack of support from her family is this – it is not FOR them, it is FOR you.
It doesn’t matter what the path looks like, it is YOURS and yours alone.
What I would tell her to tell her family is this – I don’t need you to believe in me because I believe in ME and that is all that matters.
AND, you all can watch me succeed beyond your wildest imaginings.
Because WILD SUCCESS is all I am available for because it is WHO I AM. 😊