Guest Blogs

You’ve seen crazy, shout-y headlines like these, haven’t you?

Attention frustrated business owners – get ready to learn the secrets that will double and triple your income!

REVEALED: the secret formula to getting everything you want in business and life by tomorrow at noon!

IMAGINE – sitting on a beach knowing your business is producing BIG results while you sip a pina colada!

Again and again I see this shouting, overblown marketing style. And when I encounter it, I feel simultaneously aggravated and compelled to read more. So, while there is a part of me that suspects this must be the correct way to attract clients, there is another part of me that is rolling my eyes and thinking|||, “There has GOT to be another way!”

I have experimented with this style from time to time, but I always feel faintly ridiculous. Will my marketing reluctance ultimately prevent me from serving potential clients, or am I on track to do it my own way – a way that works better for me?

I’d love your feedback here. Do you know examples of successful people who market without the hype? I would find it really inspiring to discover new role models who succeed without having to market at the top of their lungs.

Last year, I stepped out onto a much bigger stage. It was an incredibly successful, dynamic, go-go-go year in my business where I tripled my income and grew tremendously on a personal level.

It was exhilarating and nerve-wracking in equal measure. I often caught my internal and external realities at odds. Kind of like my insides would look at the chances I was taking in the outside world, and worriedly whisper in my ear, “WOW. Those are some big shoes to fill… are you sure they’re mine?”

With the New Year, I almost felt like I needed some kind of ritual to fully incorporate the bolder reality I created in 2013. But life has a funny way of giving me what I need, sometimes before I even know I need it…

Over the holidays spent with family, my sister and I snuck out of the house to do a little shopping.

After hitting Starbucks (guilty pleasure #1) and Ulta (guilty pleasure #2), we went to DSW (guilty pleasure #3). Row upon row of shoes – bliss!

Scouring the aisles for the perfect black boots, I found many contenders, and rejected others because they didn’t have my size. Nothing in my size was right. Then I went back to one especially promising pair that wasn’t available in my size, and thought, “I’ll just try a half size bigger.”

Lo and behold, they fit!

Now with my 40th birthday a few years in my rearview mirror, you might suggest that this size increase is due to gravity, fallen arches, or some other age-related factor. But this is my story, so I’m going to ignore reality and opt for prettier metaphor.

Those big shoes I created last year? The ones I thought maybe I was just borrowing?

They are all mine. I’ve stepped into them. I wear them. I own them.

Happy “Lucky” Friday the 13th!

When I was 15 years old, I got into a boatload of trouble on a Friday the 13th. I’m sure my Mom and Dad are cringing right now recalling that day (and my hairstyle at the time). After that day, for years – decades actually – I dreaded every Friday the 13th. Think of it. Over 20+ years of dread, many times a year.
 
Then one day, I thought, “This is ridiculous,” and decided to change. I started calling every Friday the 13th my “lucky” Friday the 13th. And it was like someone had flipped a switch. Suddenly, I was looking forward to those days. Good things happened. I scheduled special events.
 
I encourage you to flip the switch on something you’ve been carrying with you. You can literally turn something that is weighing you down into something that uplifts you!