• • • • • • In today’s episode, I am joined by @bydylanm — artist and illustrator and this episode is all about trying new things. I met Dylan because I moved to a new state (details in the episode!). Dylan talks about trying new art styles, and how to be challenged and encouraged by community. I can’t wait for you to listen to this one.
Our conversation got me thinking a lot about how hard it is to try new things and way. Here are some reasons I’ve come up with as to why it might be hard to try new things. Let me know in the comments if you connect with any one of this:
It’s hard to try new things because: 1 – Other people are watching you 2 – You’re not sure if you’re going to be good at it 3 – You don’t want to be seen failing 4 – You don’t want to seem cliché, typical, or predictable 5 – You don’t want to look like you’re trying too hard, or doing too much
Do you connect with any of these?
What did I forget to list?
For the record, that little list comes from my own personal fears about trying new things. My artwork is about working through that. And here’s what I’m continuing to learn: we are allowed to try new things even if they don’t work out. Even if we’re not good at them. Even if people talk about us behind our back. Even if we fail. Because even then, the process shapes us. We grow in courage, humility, and wisdom.
It’s the process that prepares us for where we need to be. Not a perfect outcome. Think about it this way…if everything we ever tried worked out perfectly…would we even learn anything? If we always got the outcome we were hoping for, how would we grow in humility, courage, and wisdom?
I can only speak for myself here, but I truly believe my work is informed by my failures. I wouldn’t be here without all the things I tried and failed. All of those things led me to where I am today. And whenever I start getting in my head and afraid to try something new (like this new season of the podcast!), I have to remember that. Whether it works out, or whether it fails, this is a part of the story I will tell. This is a part of how I grow.
This is everything right now. I feel like clean energy coming in a wave right now.
I keep thinking about good ways to nurture myself and let go of certain patterns and expectations.
I am the kind of person who worries about helping people a lot and have been very present online for the last six months…
Actually I prefer the lifestyle of Japan where basically no one can reach me for chunks of time because it is restorative and also I like to create without distraction.
So I need to look at the boundaries I set with myself around my presence online and opening up my schedule to the public.
I am working on changing my business model to accommodate this:
-focusing on production of books, courses, songs, and other passive income generating products.
-prices for one time consultations are going up from $120 an hour to $160 an hour this month. If you want one contact me as they may only be available for a limited time.
(Great if you want to make faster progress writing or creating for your book or business so you can connect to the people who really GET you and have them become super fans.)
-Moving towards packages where I support you to write and create without getting on the phone constantly. We can send text, email, and voice note updates every two days in my new 5 Week Jumpstart Service and my 8 month VIP program Deep Creative Impact.
Being a very good coach and healer, copywriter, intuitive for the soul of books and businesses
–I feel like I have to share these skills with the world, like it isn’t fair if I do not offer my services.
But I really do think I will touch more people’s lives focusing on creating and writing my own projects.
Stepping away from attracting new clients for ghostwriting other people’s books or writing for people’s businesses in the last two years was a big choice.
I decided to invest my energy into my own work. I got my book Freedom Year out and the Blood Witch Series coming out starting late spring is the culmination of that refocusing and effort. I am moving to helping people who are more committed to investing in themselves and getting the deepest level of support I offer.
Excited to see where this new energy wave takes us. Xo
It’s an exciting journey. I’ve arrived in Japan and I’m speaking to you from a place of peace and gentleness that has become a huge focus for me since I made this transition. A lot of things have been changing for me.
One of the biggest things that I learned last year in 2020 was around the idea of treating things like an experiment. (You may remember, I first made a post about this in October.)
I’ve kept this mindset alive in my business, my marketing, and through all of my creating, writing, and relationships with people–And it has been so productive.
Lately, I have been looking back at some of my success stories, and testimonials of people that I have worked with, especially the people who only had one conversation with me, and that one conversation sparked something so deep within them that they were able to go out and make faster progress on their business or their writing.
It was around one big key. This key that helped them to make faster progress on their writing and their business was the same for a lot of people: it had to do with being a perfectionist. It had to do with taking the first step at something.
It’s astounding to me because it seems so simple. It seems like something many people could have said to them, you know, “Hey, have you tried just taking the first step?”
But I think sometimes when somebody has already done these things before (like I have) it lands differently. Perhaps I was able to speak to them and to help them feel like I really heard all of the things that get in their way, all the worries and concerns. So I talk about some of those things in my latest podcast episode 010.
I was able to hear them. And I was able to say, I understand where you’re coming from.
Earlier this year after I published Freedom Year, From August to October I had a dip where I wasn’t showing up or communicating online as much as I would like to.
All the visibility of showing up and publishing a book about my deep inner world, vulnerable thoughts, and chaotic emotions was really intense so I just needed a break…but that break became a few months of not showing up much at all. I started worrying about my next move needing to be perfect. As a result, I didn’t do much of anything to market my book or my business.
Not showing up was a problem not just because those things help me make bill paying money $$$ but because I want to be of SERVICE.
I am a creator, a writer, a musician, and most of all I am passionate about helping people which is why I started being a coach, healer, and consultant for writers and entrepreneurs in the first place. I know there are sensitive, amazing, passionate people who want to make faster progress on what they are working on but it dragging on or not getting done.
I know how awesome it is to make progress on those important projects that light up your soul, because it’s what gets me up every day.
What you are working on mattersbecause it will change your life to get it out there, and other people’s, too. It will help you connect to the people who really get you. It will help bring you joy, and joyful people create more joy for others.
It will empower you to be your true self: the artist, the writer, the entrepreneur, the creator of your life. You will unleash others from that space.
I broke free of perfectionism to be of service, using the method I share today.
As a result, since late October, I not only achieved my goal of showing up more online, I did so much more.
I created more posts, more blogs, more videos, making Tiktoks and Reels, and 10 new podcast episodes.
I wrote 10 chapters of another novel, I professional recorded an original song in a studio with a producer, AND I spontaneously moved to Japan to be with my fiance with about 5 weeks notice.
In that time, I ended up creating a group called the Creative Vision in Action Community. It’s an incredible group of people who I have the privilege of holding space for each week to collaborate and grow into our own visions for ourselves and our lives as creators, healers, and entrepreneurs.
I’ve never been more creative!!
I am so passionate about tapping into this juice and I want to share it with you: It will change your life, so I hope you have a year ahead where perfectionism does not get in your way!
This method of treating life like an experiment is awesome.
Make faster progress on writing, creating, or growing your business with this one key.
After reading many of my testimonials, I noticed a pattern.
I repeatedly helped clients create massive change and reach goals after one conversation with me on this very topic:
Just start and let go of it needing to be perfect!
The big lesson of 2020 for me was about releasing perfectionism.
You’ll also learn how I applied this idea to my own business writing and marketing online in 2020, and how it led me to huge productive leaps after a few months of not showing up as much as I wanted to.
If you want to make a difference in the world, grow your business, write and create more–I highly recommend integrating this information into your life with practical experience. Listen now to hear how. 😀
-Get more interesting ingredients, like this bacon which is the only one we could find not made with soy sauce! Whoohoo.
It can be hard having allergies to wheat and soy in Japan. Some of the ingredients for recipes I like in America are not readily available here.
In the past my fiance and I have gotten very bored of our food options. I knew it coming into the country.
Over the last year my fiance has noticed feeling better eliminating the same ingredients as me and there are a few other things he doesn’t like, like everyone. So we work around our individual needs.
I prefer cooking as part of a team. When I was alone in the US I was very unmotivated to cook. I missed it being for the two of us and having help.
But now we are a team again and I want to keep trying to make food a focus.
It is a part of a greater goal of taking it slower in my life, creating, writing, and business.
Honoring the natural, healthy pace of my life.
How about you? Is food something you think much about?
I used to get down about not being everybody’s cup of tea but what I have realized is that the people who are into me are REALLY into me.
Take dating. I used to get down about: -Guys who took forever to call me. -People who went out a few times and then just didn’t seem as into me as I was I to them. -The weird vibe where things just did not feel like enough, giving me anxiety.
Then there is business: -People who scroll on by. -People who looked at my stand at a fair silently or saying, “hmm,” before walking away. -Trying to come up with offers everyone can say yes to and then getting low engagement.
As a writer when I wrote my book Freedom Year, these things were in my mind making me think:
-Should I write that? -Should I go there? -What if people do not like it? -Or do not get it? -Or immediately dismiss me for being too spiritual, too weird for talking about trying to be a dominatrix, too out there for sharing about LSD…
Well screw it!
Because when I started dating at 30 after a long hiatus I realized that the people who were into me were REALLY into me.
I realized the writers and businesses I follow GO there. They go into those topics I was not sure about.
I found from experience that when you go there, you speak to the people ready to applaud you for going there.
You stand out.
You magnetize the people who get you.
Then you have a community to support you being more you.
That is more support for everything you create, your book, business, whatever.
And the very best part is you get to be all of yourself from start to finish.
I have no regrets about publishing Freedom Year and have found when I go there on social media, with clients, with my business, good things keep happening.
And I feel like a complete, fully expressed human.
Do you feel powerless that the world doesn’t understand you? Ever feel like you aren’t meant to be here?
If so, you can use your creative power and true voice to make the world you WANT to live in a reality. In fact, that is your purpose.
I used to feel that like I didn’t belong. Then I learned that in order to connect to the people who really get it—I had to believe in myself first. I invested in support to show up in a bigger way making faster progress writing and creating in my business, and as a writer and songwriter. Then people started taking notice and I got so much positive feedback!
Sensitive people who want to write, or grow their business have the same problem and want to get support but they just don’t get enough of it. A lot of times coaches help you for an hour and then you are on your own trying to do ALL the things the rest of the time–which means you don’t make very fast progress and people don’t notice you as much as you pop up infrequently.
You cannot connect to people very well that way. You need more.
That’s why I created my Creative Jumpstart Service.
I hold people by the hand to do all the posts, emails, blogs, video scripts, sales pages, course lessons, songs, paintings, book chapters—whatever it is you need to create for your art or your business so that people feel you, GET you, and want to buy from you or support you.
How it works: We send voice and text messages through a whole week—your most productive week ever!
Email me whatever you are working on for my feedback. Tell me your action steps and struggles each day so I can support you to take action and know what to do next.
Together we’ll make sure everything you write and create aligns with your best, most sparkly self so people connect with you.
Your writing, content, and creations will fit you because it is that tapped in, and you are that supported that you never have a reason to give up. It will be so good you can be proud of it for a long time and reuse it again.
Be accountable every day. Be supported every day. Get big things done and get the momentum under you to keep making faster progress.
Something bigger wants you to succeed and do your work in a bigger way. Are you ready?
I’m giving 3 people 50% off the Creative Jumpstart Service this December.
You will get a week of support for $500 (Usually $997)
It’s the start of a new chapter. It’s time to dream bigger, and do more.
Start this transition into your new chapter with a deep meditative experience that will help you to tap into your intuition to know what to do next in your book or business.
Writing, creating, and growing a business can be a spiritual experience.
This also works if your spirit is drawing you to create anything else–all possibilities are available to you.
Feel like it is all on you to figure out what to do next on your book, blog, business or other creation?
It’s not! Stop trying to do it all yourself.
Do it the easy way:
tap into the energy of what you are creating to find your next steps.
This Raw Creation Meditation will connect you to the energy of what wants to come through you.
I believe that energies can be conscious and lead you in their creation–
whether it’s your business or a book or just your life crying out for you to listen, I believe it can guide you and you don’t have to do it all yourself.
When I sit every day wondering what to do next, I try to connect to the energy.
I even write letters to my projects and ask them what to do next.
This is a meditation will help you get clear on what to do next.
This is a clipped from a gathering of The Creative Vision in Action Community, a group I lead in 2020. Hope you enjoy it.
By the way, the Creative Vision in Action Community is now closed, but I host regular writing groups for Business Mermaids.
You can get my help to write for your book or business in this group.
