I know that running a business can sometimes feel like you're on a roller coaster. There's the money, the work, the marketing, the keeping clients and customers happy, the always needing to innovate. But like a roller coaster, even when your stomach is in your mouth and you're feeling a little bit sick, there is an overriding 'weeeeeee!' That's what keeps us all going.
I've recently been in a stomach in my mouth type of situation. I got something that I've been manifesting for a while now, something I've been secretly wishing for and boom surprise surprise I got it! Be careful what you wish for!
I've been debbiedooodah for a year and a half now, following my magical transformation from Heard Media (the digital marketing agency I used to run). And it's always been my wish to be coaching 100% of the time. My income has been nicely topped up through managing other businesses marketing, and although that's great freelance work, I've always wanted the opportunity to work on my business 100% of the time, not half of the time.
So yes you've guessed it - I'm now 100% coaching (alongside guest lecturing at a couple of universities). And that's where the terror has set in!
Ahh, 100% of the time, no cushion anymore!
My brain has been flip-flopping between elated and terrified.
Now in that year and a half, I've mentored 77 businesses, so I reckon I do know what I'm doing by now. But my little monkey brain has been having a fine time trying to make me feel useless. Why is that? To protect me, but honestly, it's time that monkey got back in its box!
I wanted to share with you some techniques that I've picked up over the years, that I do regularly for myself and with my clients.
Techniques that help keep those monkeys at bay.
1. Buy yourself a lovely little notebook and start filling it with lovely things people say about you. It might be testimonials that people have given you. Things people write to you on social media. Things people say in passing. Things your family say. Create your little love book and fill it with all the awesome things people say. Feeling down and flat - look back over this and you'll start to feel 10 feet tall. Plus the very act of writing these things down will help embed them into your brain and you'll start believing them.
2. Grab those monkey thoughts. Get yourself a nice piece of paper and write down all those terrible things your monkey is saying to you. All of them. Don't hold back. Even the I'm going to die in a cardboard box thoughts. Now take a look back over and re-write them with the truth. The honest truth. So 'no-one will want to work' with me turns into 'lots of people want to work with me and they recommend me to their friends and they write me fantastic testimonials and their businesses are more robust and they're more confident after working with me'. Phew - what a better truth. Where is that damn monkey now? Repeat with all those pesky thoughts.
3. Focus on what you do want. And start manifesting! Now, this is a whole book. But the very least you can do is write down what you want as if you already have it. Do it every day! Everyday. Get focused.
4. Draw the future! Grab a bigger piece of paper and draw 3 identical rectangles filling the page. In the first draw your reality. In the 3rd draw your perfect ideal future. In the middle draw 3 arrows from now to the future. Each arrow represents one thing that you can do to move you from present reality to your future. You can only write down 3 things you need to do. Not millions. Get specific. What 3 things can you do? Stick it somewhere so you can see it every day.
Right now we've put those monkey back in the box we can take over the world!
Keep your eye out for some new things from me. I'm currently putting the final touches on a free week-long minicourse on improving your organic Facebook reach and I'm going to be launching a 5 day Facebook Live challenge (going to put those monkeys to bed) and then next year I'm going to be putting my entire Clarity & Confidence course online!
There - 3 things!
Let me know if you'd be interested in any of these offers and I'll make sure you're kept in the loop!
Make the magic happen people!