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Category: Inspiration

Your why is your anchor

When clients first come to me, they often have questions about how to run their businesses. They want more sales and want to optimize their websites and want to know the exact number of blogs to write each week.

I begin many sessions by asking my clients if they know their why. I see this as fundamental — before it is time to stress out about the what and the who. Whether you’re building a website or designing business cards, your why anchors your communications. (Don’t believe me? Watch this.)

If you’re not sure of your why, block off twenty minutes to write. Don’t edit, just write. Some prompts to get you started:

  • What do you want to teach or give? What values are most important to you?
  • If you had to choose three words to describe your work, what would you pick? (Write down the first ones that come to mind.)

Once you have your why, you can start thinking about your who:

  • Who is your ideal client? What are they looking for?
  • How do they speak about themselves when no one is around?
  • What do they believe about their world?

THEN you can figure out your what…

  • Where do they spend time online? Are they listening to podcasts or reading email newsletters? Do they Instagram or Facebook? Which apps are their favorites?

If you need guidance sorting out your why, get in touch. I have limited availability but consider new coaching requests.

Promise of a new year

A quick post to remind you that it’s never “too late” to reinvent, create, or switch gears. But you must do so with intention. Start by asking yourself questions about what it is you want to build:

What are you curious about?

What brings you joy?

Which conversations give you energy?

Is there an unfinished dream you keep coming back to?

Who do you admire?

If I can help you sort through any of these questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

I love the promise and hopefulness of a new year. You never know what is around the corner…

Journal prompts for clarity

The people I work with know how much I love questions. If you’re looking for answers, ask more questions.

Journaling is a priceless tool. And it doesn’t need to be a lengthy process; five minute in the morning is enough to inspire, reveal, clarify, and create. Here are 12 questions to get you started:

  • What does success mean?
  • What does failing look like?
  • Where in your life do you practice “all or nothing” thinking?
  • In what areas might you benefit from a less rigid perspective?
  • Do any of your boundaries stop you from exploring or evolving?
  • How do boundaries serve you?
  • What does it mean to show up imperfectly?
  • During uncertain moments, what do you rely on as you allow experiences to unfold?
  • What are the risks you take when sharing with others?
  • How do you show grace to yourself?
  • When you are tempted to turn inward, how can you challenge yourself to collaborate and create?
  • Who can you show appreciation to today?

Let me know what these questions bring up for you. Tweet me or send a note. We often know the answers we are seeking.

Baseline for success

The course you’re planning to launch, the community you’re trying to engage, the interview you hope to conduct, the podcast you want to record, the book you’re hoping to write — yes, you could fail. The project might end up in disaster, and nobody likes it.

But what if one person does? What if your work helps one person feel inspired, find strength, start something new, or keep going?

Before stressing about the outcome of your work, take time to define what success looks like for you. What is the minimum you need to see to know that your efforts are worthwhile?

Anything above and beyond that is gravy.

When you’re not sure how to begin, continue

Beginning anything is heavy. Expectations and pressure can weigh down even the loftiest ideas — to the point those ideas never catch the wind they need to sail.

Before we start, our ideas grow heavy with fear: this might not work, I don’t know how to begin, my plan is not complete, what will they say, it’s not the right time.

Don’t worry about starting; instead, continue.

Take the gold of what is now and keep going. The future is imaginary.

Don’t waste a moment questioning what is next. Continue.