Entries Tagged 'Mindset' ↓

Over the past 20 months or so that I’ve been working for myself, things have been pretty hectic. A good hectic (newsletter readers might remember my recent “Mindset Insight” on busy-ness), but hectic all the same. And a couple of months ago, I looked up and noticed that I’d lost touch with some of my own grounding and centering time, connecting with Spirit time (Lady Universe, as I call her).

Like most of us, I’d like to slow down and reconnect, but what’s more, I’d like to use my brain better - specifically, to not be such a slave to the “monkey mind.” (Did you know that on average, we deliver over 50,000 messages to ourselves daily? Most of that self-talk isn’t good… but that’s another story.)

So a couple of months ago, I started a simple morning meditation practice. After taking a few minutes to slow down and get centered, take 9 deep breaths while keeping my mind clear.

That’s it, just 9 deep breaths.

Simple, perhaps, but not easy. In fact, it’s downright hard!

9 deep breaths of calm, 9 deep breaths of NOT thinking about, well, everything. (Including all the good stuff - and I am very thankful for my life these days. 9 deep breaths without gratitude, even.) Hard, but no matter what, I feel so much better afterward.

The 9 deep breaths has turned into something of a focus point for me. When I’m going about my day and things are getting to be a little bit too much, I stop everything and take those 9 deep breaths. They help.

Why am I passing this on? Because I know many of you struggle with the monkey mind, too. I invite you to give 9 deep breaths a try.

In BYMB news, I’ve made a few changes to the blog, including adding an audio message! If you’re reading this in your blog reader and haven’t been by in a little while, come on over and check out the mini face-lift. More changes to come soon.

In my last post, I talked about why I’ve begun to trade goal-setting for visioning, and how to create compelling 3-year visions that propel you into action.

I find visions to be so much more exciting than goals. But I haven’t given up on goals entirely! Income goals remind me that ultimately, I’m in charge of my income. And you know what they say - what you focus on expands.

Here’s how to set income goals that get results:

1. Be realistic. I will be completely straight up here and admit that when I first quit my job, I “intentioned” a lot of ridiculous numbers within even more ridiculous time frames. Not only was I completely frustrated by not meeting them, I was also confused (”wait, why isn’t it happening?” *wail*).

Don’t get me wrong - it’s important to pick a number number outside of your comfort zone (see next point). And my numbers weren’t entirely unrealistic, just unrealistic for right then. But the result was a lot of emotional energy down the drain. Very counter-productive, needless to say.

Here’s what I completely failed to take into account: the growth-value-income equation. Your fees and income are all about what VALUE you provide to your clients. Want bigger fees and more money? Add more value. And sometimes that means you have to grow, both as a practitioner and a person.

2. At the same time, pick something that will be a bit of a stretch. You don’t grow when you’re in your comfort zone. What number would make you a little bit uncomfortable… make you wonder, “Hrm, could I?”… inspire you to push yourself… and most importantly of all, invite you to grow?

If you pick a number that’s a little higher than you’re used to, you’ll s-t-r-r-r-etch a little to get there. Ask yourself, “What kind of person do I need to be in order to (charge X / serve Y clients / offer Z)?”

3. Pick an emotional number. I learned this one from SEO expert Colin McDougall, who spoke at The System earlier this year. When Colin quit his job as a systems administrator (ie, computer geek) to pursue Internet Marketing full-time, he set a goal of earning $5,000 per month. Why? That was the monthly income at the “day job from hell.” A goal of replacing the day job income kept him focused on never going back, and kept him motivated.

4. Work backward. Once you have a ballpark number, now it’s time for brass tacks: how many clients/sessions/classes will you need in order to meet that goal? Is it realistic, but a bit of a stretch? If yes, hooray! If not, go back and adjust.

5. Think averages. Income goals are kind of like losing weight - it takes time to see results. Just as you wouldn’t hop on the scale every day when you’re on a diet, thinking in averages is more realistic and will help keep you from getting discouraged. You may not make your target number for a given month, but if you divide up your entire income for 3 months and divide by 3… you get the picture.

6. Review your goal regularly. Post it where you can see it, put it in your day planner, or work it into your scheduling and/or time management system. Whatever you do, make sure you review your goal regularly. In this case, “out of sight, out of mind” might as well also mean “out of bank account.”

And remember: your goal is not set in stone. If later you find that you need to tweak it down, that doesn’t mean you failed! Success never comes in a straight line. It’s those little adjustments that count. The more you focus on what you want and implement the marketing to get there, the sooner you’ll find yourself “tweaking” your income goals in the “right” direction: up, up, up!

This time of year always gets me thinking about vision and planning. It’s a good time for taking stock. July marks the end of the first half and the start of the second half of the year - plenty of feedback (from the first 6 months) and time to make adjustments (6 more months to go). The energy of this time of year is perfect, too - the fiery energy of Midsummer!

I’ve always been a big goal-setter (it’s a habit I picked up from my dad). Indeed, I can’t really imagine life without goals of some kind. But I have to be honest. Lately I’ve been questioning the whole goal-setting thing.Why? Well, if there’s anything I’ve learned from working for myself, it’s that nothing stays the same except change. I don’t know about you, but here’s an experience I’ve had more times than I’d like to count: I make a long list of goals - beautiful goals! - and I’m movtivated and pumped up and excited to meet them - I’ve even started working on ‘em! - and then… something gets in the way. A prject spiraled out of control, a better idea, or just… life.And all momentum comes to a screeching halt. (Sound familiar?)

I don’t know about you, but it’s enough to make me feel like making goals are a big waste of time. (quite literally - I can’t tell you how many times I’ve spent HOURS on a list of goals only for them to become irrelevant a month later). So, more and more, I’ve traded goal-setting for visioning.

What is visioning? Quite simply, visioning is painting a picture of what you’d like your entire life to look like - work, money, relationships, family, spirituality, everything - within a given time frame.

Visioning allows you to drop the inhibitions and “shoulds” of goal-setting and think BIG: what would you like your life to look like in 1 year, 2 years, 3 years? (I suggest a 3-year vision because it’s plenty of time to make the vision come true, but not TOO much time that it seems unreal.)

What would stretch you, push you, challenge you? Better yet, what motivates you, gets you really excited? A good 3-year vision should scare you a little.

Be sure to write down your vision in the present tense. Pretend it’s three years from now. “It’s July 1, 2011. So many things have happened since July 1, 2008. I left my day job in January, 2009 to become a full-time Reiki practitioner and I now have a six-figure income…”

But don’t stop with just your calling and your income. What does your home look like? Who is with you? What trips have you taken?

Don’t hold back! If your vision doesn’t get your heart racing, you’re not stretching far enough. Your vision should make you want to jump out of your chair. Make sure, though, to add plenty of specifics; i.e., tangible results that you can measure. If it helps, get a goals book or a vision book, where you can place pictures and talismans that remind you of your vision.

Once you have your vision, it’s time to work backward. What do you need to do to make it happen?

Don’t worry if you can’t figure it all out right now. But it is important to get into ACTION as soon as possible. Avenues you haven’t dreamed of to make your vision come true will open up to you… but only once you are in motion.

Lastly, print out your vision and keep it close at hand. Read it often, and allow yourself to really feel it happening now.

You may have stumbled upon a blog post that made the rounds a few months ago: 1000 True Fans. For those who missed it, here’s the gist:

“A creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author - in other words, anyone producing works of art - needs to acquire only 1,000 True Fans to make a living.

A True Fan is defined as someone who will purchase anything and everything you produce. They will drive 200 miles to see you sing. They will buy the super deluxe re-issued hi-res box set of your stuff even though they have the low-res version. They have a Google Alert set for your name. They bookmark the eBay page where your out-of-print editions show up. They come to your openings. They have you sign their copies. They buy the t-shirt, and the mug, and the hat. They can’t wait till you issue your next work. They are true fans.”

So is it possible to make a living with 1000 true fans? One reader asked me to comment.

I can’t help but think of marketing genius Jay Abraham, and a marketing truth. (I don’t know if he said it first or just said it best, but it’s commonly attributed to him.)

There are 3 - and only 3 - ways to grow a business. That’s any business, be it creative or not. Here they are:

1. Increase your number of clients.
2. Increase the average size of the sale per client.
3. Increase the number of times clients return and buy again.

Some of you have heard me say that marketing is a numbers game. Well, there are your numbers. (Note that these 3 are a variation of the two numbers I often talk about: how many people see your message and how many take you up on it.)

Is it possible to make a living with 1000 true fans? Absolutely! It’s possible to become rich with 1000 true fans. It’s also just as likely to just scrape by. It’s all in the numbers.

Whether 1000 true fans is your goal or just a starting point, here’s the real question. Ask yourself, “How can I offer more value to my clients and customers?”

Note I did not say “sell more stuff.” By all means, increase your offers! But if you’re thinking in terms of “selling stuff,” you’re grossly shortchanging both your clients AND yourself. Making more offers, and increasing your prices, are both about value - and value is all about your client, not you.

Find ways to add value, and you will have no problem not just making a living, but living the life of your dreams.

Karen Mahony of Baba Studio (home of some of the grandest Tarot decks of the past 5 years, including the Victorian Romantic and Bohemian Gothic) is writing an inspiring and thought-provoking series of posts on her Live Journal:

How To Be Creative And Successful

Here are the posts in the series so far (she has 23 in all):

1. Take risks – even big ones.
2. Don’t worry about starting in a small, modest and slightly embarrassing way.
3. Accept you’ll be laughed at. Welcome it as a good sign.
4. Work hard. Then work harder.
5. Forget the “exit strategy”. If exiting is that important to you, maybe you shouldn’t have gone into it in the first place.
6. Don’t moan, don’t blame.
7. Let some things go - that might include your own sense of your own identity.

Karen’s focus is on artists in particular, but hers are words of wisdom for anyone following their heart and trying to merge soul and livelihood, especially metaphysical and holistic consultants. (Laughed at? We never get laughed at! :))

Even parts of the entrepreneurial crowd has some conventional wisdom, and I love how Karen flaunts it here. I’m not for making poor choices (very easy to do when you start out in business), but I AM for burning your bridges in your own mind. Go ahead - forget the exit strategy! As Yoda says, “Do, or do not. There is no try.”

I’ve pondered long and hard about creativity and business over the past few years. Personally, I started my business in order to give myself the freedom I need to live my vision of the creative life. More and more I’m coming to realize just how much business IS that life, and how the separation between “creativity” and “business” is an arbitrary one.  I wouldn’t go as far as to say that the separation is made for us by others (personal responsibility, y’all!), but I think it’s fair to say that the “dominant paradigm” (ha!) presents them as such.  For me, merging the two has been such a relief.

The act of business (starting, running, growing) is, at its core, a creative act. The services we provide are acts of creation, too. The fruits of creation have real value. I could go on and on.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

This week I’m sharing some of my favorite takeaways from The System, an internet marketing conference I had the great pleasure to attend last weekend. You’ll find previous posts here.

One of my favorite parts of The System was getting to hear Perry Marshall, even for a short time. For those who don’t know him, Perry was the first guy to really grasp the power & potential of Google Adwords, then rocketed to fame and fortune as THE foremost authority on the subject.

Perry is usually a System presenter, but this year he took a break and was in the audience as an attendee. Nonetheless, he graciously joined the presenters onstage during the last session to take questions.

I can’t remember what the question was, but one of Perry’s answers really struck me:

“Everything comes down to your USP.”

The USP seems like a little thing, but underneath the question “what makes me different?” is a host of other stuff. It’s really about getting to the heart of who you are and what you bring to the table, what you offer the world. These are not easy questions! And they can push all sorts of emotional hot buttons. At least, they did for me.

As I struggled to get my first clients in my copywriting business, I did what comes naturally when you don’t have a clue and you’re looking for answers. I looked at what everyone else was doing, and “modeled” them.

Only it wasn’t modeling. It was a little too much copying.

I didn’t copy to be malicious or to rip others off. The excessive reliance on copying was all about insecurity and looking for answers. I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing! And these other people must be doing it “right.”

Well, maybe they were, and maybe they weren’t. But spending all that time trying to fit myself into someone else’s box… convincing myself I had to do things this way or that way because I’d fail otherwise…

As you can imagine, it only took me further away from the path. And - oh yeah, I was pretty miserable, too.

“Tell your story,” the experts advised me. (It’s good advice - you’ll hear it from me, too.)

OK, so I told my story. One version of it, anyway. The version I thought everyone wanted to hear. The one that made me wonder, “Who is that person?”

If I had to do it all again, what would I do differently?

I’d give myself plenty of time. Finding your USP is a creative act. Like all creative acts, it takes time and energy.

I’d be patient. Your USP is out there. It just needs to be uncovered and developed.

I’d not be afraid to be myself. Because here’s the coolest thing about the USP: once you have it, you’ll begin to attract the clients you’re meant to work with, the folks who resonate with you. Your perfect clients.

[If the idea of finding your USP seems a little daunting, you’re not alone! I’ll be covering USP in depth and giving you plenty of exercises to help you uncover your USP in my Painless Metaphysical Marketing teleseminars. Next class starts June 10. Details here: http://www.metaphysicalmarketing.com.]

This week I’m sharing with you just some of the dozens of takeaways from my trip to The System Seminar.  (The System was founded by Ken McCarthy and is widely regarded as the best-of-the-best in internet marketing events.)

Ken opened the seminar by sharing his top “big picture” principles.  “These are the 7 things I’d tell you about marketing and business if I could never tell you anything else again,” he said.  His best advice, in other words.  And his first words were:

“Do NOT be an internet marketer.”

OK, so, the dude who (more or less) invented internet marketing tells us NOT to be internet marketers, while at the top internet marketing conference that he founded.  What’s going on here?

“Do NOT be an internet marketer,” Ken said.  “Be a business owner.”

In other words, build a business.  Your long term results matter much more than the short term successes and failures.  The foundation you build is what will support you over that long term.

Internet marketing is full of short-term temptations.  A new “blueprint” or “formula” comes along practically every day, promising to be “the missing link” to business success.  That’s not really a huge problem in the metaphysical community, but we have distractions all the same.

And the question is still worth pondering:  are you a reader, or a business owner?  It’s perfectly OK to reserve your skills for your family and friends, or just do readings on the side.  Nothing wrong with that.  But there’s a world of difference between readings on the side and making a full-time living as a reader.

2 different sets of actions for 2 very different goals.  Are you a full-time metaphysical consultant?  Congrats!  You’re also a business owner.

It can be a little weird to wrap your head around, but thinking of yourself as a business owner is absolutely critical to your success.  Why?

Simple: the choice you make in your mind (i.e., how you think) will determine how you act.  And action truly is everything.

[If you’re a business owner, smart marketing is not an option!  In my upcoming teleseminars on June 10 & 17, I’m going to share an easy step-by-step marketing plan for metaphysical consultants.  Details here: http://www.metaphysicalmarketing.com.]

One of the coolest parts of The Readers Studio for me was… the people! (But of course!)

I had about 30 of the 120 attendees sit in on my workshop. Many others told me they wanted to come, but darn it if that pesky, spritely Shawn Nacol didn’t have his own killer gig on writing going on at the same time (a tough call to be sure - lucky for me, Shawn gave me a copy of his handout, which should keep me busy for a while).

Many, many folks came up to me to talk marketing. Which was especially cool, as I got a bunch of great tips I can share with everyone on the blog. One of whom (let’s just call her our heroine) told me this story.

Our heroine is a client of Ruth Hayden, a financial consultant who works with women on the psychological aspects of money. Being tax time not too long ago, the two of them were going over the books.

“The books” don’t always add up, as we all know. Only in this case, the discrepancy might not be what you’d expect. After scanning the documents, Ruth turned to our heroine.

“So tell me,” she said, pointing to the Tarot reading section, “are you taking this thing seriously?”

Our heroine was a bit stunned. “Um, what?”

“Are you taking this ‘tarot thing’ seriously?”

“I thought so,” said our heroine.

“Because these numbers here aren’t showing me that!”

Are you taking your business seriously? As seriously as the readings themselves? It’s a fair question, no?

So often, we’re taught to thing negative, stay small, discount our accomplishments, whatever. You guys know all the baggage already, I’m sure. But then as readers, consultants, or whatever we choose to call ourselves, we have even more resistence to contend with. “Tarot|Astrology|Numerology|What-Have-You - you’re not… serious about that, are you?”

Dead serious, man. These are our clients’ lives we’re talking about. And our own.

Are you a professional tarot reader? A professional astrologer, hand analyst, or numerologist? Are you getting paid for your consultations? Maybe you don’t have goals worked out yet per se, but are you at least a step beyond “casual readings”?

Congratulations! You’re an entrepreneur! And that comes with a whole host of rewards… and responsibilities too.

In my workshop this weekend, we talked a lot about how much of your marketing is completely under your control. We talked about taking control. Step one of taking control is taking yourself seriously, even when others don’t.

You get to define what “taking yourself seriously” means to you and your business. But no matter what you decide, here are the three responsibilities that come with it (these too are from Ruth Hayden):

1. Knowing when you’re at work
2. Knowing when you’re not at work
3. Doing the stuff you don’t want to do (eek! more on that in a later post!)

Taking your passion seriously and yourself seriously is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself. I invite you to ponder the question a bit today. I know I will.

Then go do just one thing…

PS: Are you signed up for the newsletter yet? First issue will go out in about a week or so. Just enter your name and email into the boxes in the upper right hand corner, click submit, check your email for one that says “RESPONSE REQUIRED”, and click on the link in that email.

[This work is copyrighted material. Please visit http://www.buildyourmetaphysicalbusiness.com to claim your free 90 minute marketing brainstorming session with Tarot Pro James Wells.]

“But what if I hate selling myself?”

I know, it’s a real challenge! You’re not alone. So many of us, from all professions and all walks of life, feel this way. (In the copywriting field, where I earn the lion’s share of my income, it’s kind of a joke. Getting over the “marketing yourself thing” is like a rite of passage for new copywriters. The irony, of course, is that we’re the marketing experts!)

Hating sales is human nature. People don’t like to be told what to do, and they HATE to be sold. “Selling yourself” feels weird at best and downright uncomfortable at worst. So you shy away from it, and it’s no surprise when you don’t exactly have clients beating down your door.

But what if I told you there’s more to marketing, a hidden key that can unlock a treasure chest of jewels - plenty for you, plenty for the entire world, too - and that it lies just slightly beyond that un-comfort zone?

What I’m about to tell you is the truth about marketing. I know that’s a big statement. But keep reading and see if you don’t agree with me.

First, let’s talk about value. Your time is valuable. Your training is valuable. The decks or tools you have, the conferences you attend, the paper and ink and cloth and crystal and all the energy you pour into this passion… your passion for your craft and your passion to serve others… is valuable.

What you bring to the table is very valuable. What you DO for your clients is very valuable.

And that leads me to a question…

When you have something valuable to offer and share, isn’t it right and reasonable that you make your best effort to get it out there to those who will benefit?

Marketing is about not letting your light hide under a bushel, where it’s not doing a lick of good. Marketing is about getting what you have into the hands of those who really need it most!

Note I did NOT say “anyone.” No matter what, your services aren’t right for everyone. Figuring out exactly WHO you serve is the second step to booking more sessions, helping more people, and ultimately increasing your income.

What’s the first step, you ask? Getting comfortable with marketing! (See, there’s a method to my madness, here…)

One of my fellow copywriters, Chris Haddad, sums up the essence of marketing beautifully:

“Marketing Is The Art Of Making A Promise And Keeping It”

I love this! There’s so much integrity in that statement. (I happen to like promises and vows, so this totally gets me jazzed.)

When you market yourself, you’re really saying, “Hey, I have something really cool. Here it is!”

How cool is that?

In a future post, the truth about selling: why it’s not really selling and how this can help you grow your practice. (Once you hear this, you might - dare I say it - feel great about selling, too!)

[This work is copyrighted material. Please visit http://www.buildyourmetaphysicalbusiness.com to claim your free 90 minute marketing brainstorming session with Tarot Pro James Wells.]