It was with the cliched “bright eyes and bushy tail” that I went off to the US with two of my best buddies and fellow entrepreneurs, Maria and Sam three weeks ago….
We were off to attend a conference called “Be the Change” in  Las Vegas and another one, “Speak and Write to make Millions” in San Diego.
Big claims! Big excitement!
This was the second significant trip I was making overseas without my family (after AwesomenessFest in Bali last year), purely focusing on my own personal and business development. I’ve stepped up in support of myself. And that is a big move forward into my own self-worth.
Little did I know that in addition to learning so much that my head is still spinning, I would experience some lessons and mindset shifts that I know will take me into a whole new level. I really want to share these with you so that you too, can start experiencing the shift as well.
Does your Comparison Queen have a lot to say?
Mine was as noisy as hell when my initial euphoria at being at such an amazing, energising event settled… I think it was day two. She started whispering in my ear, at first with a tone of awe….. “wow, look what she has achieved in just 3 years – how amazing!”. That began to shift to a more snarky tone (as she brought her partner in crime, The Impostor, to add her two cents worth) “Do you seriously believe you can have that sort of success? Dream on baby, you are sooooo out of your league”.
Cue full-blown “Impostor Syndrome” that night!
Fortunately, I had my wonderful girlfriends with me who listened to my fears with compassion and then ever-so-lovingly kicked me up the arse by reminding me of my reverse gap (that’s how far you have come) and encouraging me to refocus on my WHY and to let go of what others are doing. Because there is no one just like me.
Or you.
Lesson One
Always surround yourself with awesome friends who want the very best for you. Naysayers begone!
Lesson Two
Your Inner Critics HATE it when you step out of your comfort zone…. it is their (lovingly misdirected) attempts to keep you safe and in “known territory” that stop us from stepping up. You gotta acknowledge them and move forward anyway.
Successful women are just like you and me!
Over the next few days, I sat in my seat feeling inspired on many many occasions listening to women that I have followed online, whose newsletters I receive and whose work I admire (that’s me with Christy Whitman, Founder of the Quantum Success Coaching Academy and one of the loveliest people I have ever met!). This time, Â instead of allowing the Inner Critics to dictate my thoughts, and therefore my actions, I followed my heart and jumped out of my seat and went and spoke with them in the breakouts.
And you know what I discovered?
Highly successful women are just like you and me!
They are not another species. They don’t have two heads. They don’t have some sort of “secret recipe” that they were lucky enough to get access to and the rest of us missed out on.
They are simply in flow, aligning their skills, passions and purpose and heading right towards their clear vision. If they are entrepreneurs they are focused 100% on how they can help the audience they choose to serve. If they have personal goals, they are focused 100% on how they will feel when they achieve the goal.
Do they have moments of doubt? Yes! Often! But do they let that doubt hold them back? No.
This was a HUGE mindset reset for me…
Lesson Three
There is no need to be in the thrall of successful women – be inspired but not intimidated. They are just further down the path than we are, but the path is there for anyone who chooses to walk down it OR create their own brand new path.
Lesson Four
Take a chance. Risk it. Ask. What’s the worse that could happen? And something quite amazing could actually happen!
By following my heart (not my head that tried to tell me to sit right back down again) I had a number of conversations with women I admire that have opened new opportunities I never would have believed in the past.
I know I’ve said it before, but it’s true…
Awareness is the first step in the process towards change.
And at these events, my awareness of just what is possible was stretched, expanded, exploded into a new stratosphere! The women I met and mixed with over the two weeks I was away were all, without fail, women with big plans and goals. They were either business owners themselves who were enjoying significant success and were sharing their stories and “how to’s” or they were women stepping onto the path of investing in themselves to achieve their own dreams and goals.
Equally inspiring.
As a strategist and mentor, a Wholehearted Business & Life Guide myself, I know how hard it is to “see the spot you’re standing on” without help. And it totally applies to me! So I made a big decision upon my return to allow me to maintain that feeling of possibility and self-belief back here on home turf. I’m going to be working intensely one on one with a woman in the US who has a level of business and personal success and personal fulfilment that I admire very much. I’m laying my own path, but it is a joy to walk down it with someone who also knows the way….
Lesson Five
Once you’ve had a glimpse of possibility, had your awareness expanded, there is no going back! It’s time to step up in faith and invest in your own dreams.
IÂ believe to have success in business and life (and that’s success as defined by YOU, not by anyone else) these steps are essential…
It all starts with Clarity – recognising and responding to the tension of desire, of wanting something more and then getting clear on what that is for you – knowing where you want to get to/what you want to achieve
There must be Alignment – ensure there is congruence between your values, your purpose, your skills, your passions and your goals as this allows flow and provides your energy and fuel for the journey (this is your WHY)
You need to have Strategy – clear steps to create, reach, enrol, serve, prosper and achieve (this is your WHAT & HOW)
Your supportive and abundant Mindset is next – to keep possibility open for you, to grow and expand into your full potential, to own your worth (this is the WHO you need to be)
And it is all underpinned by Inspired Action…. otherwise our dreams remain just that….. dreams.
This ticks all the boxes for me – how about you?
