Got deadlines?

Me too. More than a few.

I’m usually good with deadlines when everything’s humming along and going smoothly, but as the mantra coined by Martha Beck goes, Everything’s changing all the time.

While sometimes these changes can be good — having a close friend move back to town or getting a promotion at work or finding a new coffee place that makes the best latte in town — other, less positive changes can completely derail us and bring our work to a halt, our finely laid plan rendered useless.

And of course those deadlines are still there, nagging at us. And at some point we need to collect ourselves, regroup, and dive back in to our work. Of course, this is one of those easier-said-than-done kind of things. Like re-entering the real world after a vacation, diving back in to a project that we’ve stepped away from can feel daunting and overwhelming. And that feeling can be enough to keep us stuck, helpless bystanders as we watch the days tick by and our deadline marching towards us.

I’m in such a place right now, but I am climbing to the top of the high dive and getting ready to plunge into the pool. Here’s how I’m going to do it:

Change it Up: Life has been full of change, so why not use change as a tool for re-entry? My plan is to formally shift gears and immerse myself in my project by finding a new venue to work on it. By creating a new routine and associating a specific place with this project, I’m using Chip & Dan Heath’s strategy of shaping my path to help me formulate a new habit…one that leads to my successfully tackling my work.

Revisit & Review: If you’ve ever been in a long-distance relationship, you know it takes a little getting-to-know-you-again time to get back into the comfortable swing of things. The same applies to creative projects. I’m going to spend time rereading my development content for my project, articles, drafts, and more to get back into the headspace. It may look like procrastination, but it’s really a critical part of the work transition.

Be Patient & Judgment-Free: Feeling bad about just how off-schedule I am doesn’t really do anything except hinder my creative process. So I accept my situation for what it is, give myself time to get back into the swing of things, and turn off the self-judgment (the word “should” doesn’t really have a place in this conversation).

Take Small Steps: While I’m going to dive back in to the project, I’ll picture the slow-mo replay version of said dive. I’ll start small and set simple targets for what I want to accomplish each day. I know that once I’m fully immersed in the project I’ll eventually get back to a state of creative flow.

Get Accountability: This is a biggie. I’m turning to my people who are my cheerleaders, my supporters, and my accountability partners and I’m publicly declaring…I will be doing X this week. I’ll ask them to check in on me and make sure I’m on track, and possibly send a few words of encouragement. If I feel really brave, I’ll publicly declare my goal and ask my social media community to hold me to it.

Reward Myself: I’m such a sucker for rewards, so this is a no-brainer for me. I’ll set targets for what I hope to accomplish each day / week, and will happily cash in on my rewards, which will include a late-night frozen yogurt run, a mid-day nap, a trip to the beach with my son (even if it is 52 degrees and raining…). Small rewards for small tasks are proven to work, so I intend to use them!

So that’s what I’ve got. I feel pretty sure it’s going to work.

How about you? What strategies do you use to dive back in to a project after life has thrown you a curve ball?

I don’t know about you, but I’m experiencing some serious spring fever. Longer days, my garden in bloom, and an unusual sunny streak (for Seattle) has something to do with it, as I’m sure does the fact that I spent last week in NYC where I lived during my twenties and still feels very much like home to me. (That’s a pic of me and my boy at the Bronx Zoo.)

Since last week, I’ve been overcome by excitement about the many things I want to do and create. Even better, I feel like I might just have the energy to get (half of) them done.

But I’ve been here before — I get all pumped up about new possibilities and new projects and then one little thing happens (or more appropriately, doesn’t happen) and I get completely derailed.

I have a bad day with my son or a rainy cold front blows in or something I’m developing gets quashed and suddenly I’m back to square one, my energy and momentum gone and my mindset ripe for thoughts of insecurity and doubt.

I know it’s part of the cycle for creative entrepreneurs, but it still takes getting through.

But during this bout of spring fever, I’m going to try doing things a little differently…see if I can make some genuine shifts in my work and energy that can weather me through all the seasons. Here’s my plan:

• More action now, less To Do lists: I love to organize my work and desk and often that means spending time going through my pile and making detailed lists and notes outlining what has to be done for each task. Meanwhile, I could probably just do it in about 5 minutes and be done with it. So I’m going to do more of that.

• Spend less time on Facebook: Now, I love me some Facebook and the community I interact with online is important to me, but I’m going to try and strike a better balance. I’m a research junkie and a five-minute check-in on Facebook can turn into a long trip down the rabbit hole reading articles and following links that are of interest, so setting my timer will be key.

• Focus on gratitude: I’ve been taking a 30-day gratitude course that Florence Moyer created to help people nurture a more intentional gratitude practice. I’m a week in and enjoying the daily reminder to notice all that I’m grateful for, and I can see shifts in keeping me in the present and not so focused on the outcome of what I’m creating.This is a good thing.

• Be curious: A curiosity mindset is so, so, so powerful. Curiosity means a desire to know or learn something. Curiosity makes everything — every project, every risk, every idea — about growth and evolving, not about money or jobs or sure things. There are no good or bad outcomes when focusing on curiosity — there’s only information.

•  Think less: Thinking gets me into trouble. Thinking reminds me of what could go wrong, or why something isn’t going to work out, or why my idea might be a bad one. Thinking keeps me from taking creative risks and pursuing opportunities that could be amazing because I might create something that completely sucks. Which leads me to….

• Be willing to suck: There’s nothing wrong with sucking. We’ve just dust ourselves off, look at what we learned from what happened, and move on. Without being willing to suck, we’ll never create the really good stuff.

• Play more: I know I need to do things I love to stay energized, so I’m going to protect my personal self-care routines more than ever. That includes running, gardening, spazzing out, and napping when the urge strikes.

So, that’s the plan. I’ll let you know how it goes. And in the meantime, I’d love to hear from you: How do you maintain your creative spring fever?

A number of the clients I’ve been working with lately seem to be struggling with the same thing. They’ve got big things they want to create — their book or their blog or their business — but they hit a brick wall somewhere along the way and the resistance is strong.

When we dig a little deeper, we discover that what they’re really struggling with is the disconnect between what they want to do and what they think they have to do in order to be successful.

And if what they think they have to do doesn’t sit right with them, the creativity can come to a grinding halt.

In a world where we’re constantly being marketed to and told do X and Y in order to get Z, it’s all too easy to get hung up executing the X and Y without focusing on all those other lovely letters of the alphabet.

You know what I’m talking about — how many times have you been told there’s a right way to write your blog or there’s a formula you have to use to write your sales page or there’s the most effective format for your resume or there’s the perfect way to grow your mailing list.

But if those ways don’t feel in alignment with you, not only won’t they work for you — they’ll prevent you from moving forward.

Are there strategies that people have found success with when it comes to blogging or writing or building a business or finding a job? Sure. Can you learn something from them? Absolutely.

But at the end of the day, take what works for you and toss out the rest.

When we focus on doing it our own way, what we do or create most reflects who we are. And I believe that kind of creation can have the most powerful impact of all.

Have you ever wanted something and then when it actually happened or came through, gone into a full-fledged panic, and asked yourself why in the hell you wanted that thing in the first place? Maybe for you it was taking a new job or enrolling in grad school. Maybe it was registering for your first marathon or saying yes to a new role at work with more money and more responsibility.

We want these things and what goes along with them — the new job, the graduate degree, the accomplishment of running 26.2 miles, the bump in salary and prestige — but when it comes time to fully step into the commitment, something often happens.

Something called fear.

Fear of change. Fear of the unknown. Fear of being vulnerable.

That kind of fear is powerful stuff. It causes anxiety, insomnia, nausea, and more.

But that kind of fear is also rooted in crappy thinking. A.K.A lies.

Fear of change is really believing that if things don’t work out we’ll have totally f*cked everything up.

Fear of the unknown is believing that playing it safe is better and personal growth isn’t worth the risk.

Fear of being vulnerable is really believing that we’re frauds, that we’re not good enough, that others won’t approve / accept / love us if we fully step into who we are.

(See what I mean? Lies!)

Last week, I had the privilege of delivering the keynote address at the Girl Scouts of Western Washington’s annual fundraising luncheon. It was an incredible experience and I loved every moment, once I got to the luncheon. But the few days leading up to the event and the morning of? My fear was just about winning the battle for control of my body and mind.

Intellectually, I was excited. I love talking about girl empowerment, I’d done the prep work and gotten super clear on my intention. I had crafted a speech I felt connected to and I had an outfit to wear that I felt good in. But that morning? That was rough. I went for a run and listened my favorite tunes. That helped until I stopped running and then the panic ensued again. So after dropping my son off at school, I put on my “80′s happy music” (don’t ask) and danced around like a fool. That helped. Plus, my dog was amused. Then I got out the yoga ball, sat on it, and bounced for a good fifteen minutes, a tip I learned from the brilliant Cheryl Dolan at Power Boost Live last year. That helped some more.

And then it was time to get ready and go. So I did.

Once I got there, I was better.

Once I got on stage, it was awesome.

I love speaking to groups about things I am passionate about, like the importance of empowering girls and giving them strategies to rock their lives. Just like you probably love your new job, or love being in graduate school and learning new things, or love the feeling of crossing the finish line after running a marathon, or love having the opportunity to grow and stretch within your company.

The key, I think, is to focus on the feel-good… on the love. Through the anxiety and stress and more, remind yourself that those feelings are based on nothing but fear-fueled lies. And love outweighs that kind of fear any day of the week.

Have you ever been working on a project — a report, development of a class, a blog post, a speech — and gotten to a point where the whole thing just felt messy?

I have. I do.

For me, it goes something like this:

1. I start working on project with enthusiasm.

2. I notice that it’s not flowing like I thought it would.

3. I notice a strong desire to avoid working on the project.

4. I slowly chip away at it anyway, trying to keep it moving forward, in a quest for creative flow.

5. It’s still not flowing, despite giving myself space to dream and consuming inspirational content to spark creativity.

6. Full-on identify crisis ensues: Who do I think I am that I could do this? Why did I take this on in the first place? What was I thinking?

This place? Number 6? It’s not a good place to be. It feels like I’m wading through mud, with heavy boots, and no dry ground in sight.

But I’ve got no choice but to keep on trudging ahead, one slow, heavy, muddy step at a time. And then something always happens.

7. The mud dries up.

I don’t know exactly what sparks this shift. It usually happens very suddenly, without warning. But where I once felt so lost and confused and unsure about where I was going and what I was doing, now I feel confident, knowing, excited. I’m running on grass.

I’ve come to realize that messy process occurs with every single project I take on. (Yet, somehow it still surprises me…?)

For me, this is part of creating. I have to wade through the mud to get to the grass. And I always get through it. I just have to trust that I will and keep moving forward.

How about you? How do you get through the mud and mess of your own creative process?

Clients and colleagues often ask me how I get things done. Specifically, they’re looking for insight into how I go beyond the idea and brainstorming phase and actually get to the executing and shipping of whatever it is I’m working on.

That question has inspired me to reflect on my own process – how I work, how I organize, how I deal with distraction and fear, how I push the metaphorical send button.

And while I’ve come to realize that I’ve always had strong follow-through skills, in the past several years I’ve mastered a key aspect of shipping, which is this:

Move beyond WHEN THIS, THEN THIS thinking.

If you’re not familiar with “when this, then this” thinking, here’s what it might sound like:

After I take this class, then I can X

After I read all these books, then I’ll be ready to X

After I figure out my brand/philosophy/mission statement/perfect client/ideal audience/core message/logo/you name it, then I’ll be ready to launch X

These may sound like classic procrastination distractions, but they’re more than that. Thoughts like these are rooted in insecurity and fear about taking the leap. They keep us stuck in a holding pattern, or at the very least, seriously delay our getting our messages and gifts out into the world – our websites, our blogs, our books, our passion.

The world can’t wait.

The world needs your messages and gifts now.

So HOW does one move beyond WHEN THIS, THEN THIS thinking?

Here’s what I do:

1. Acknowledge the little voice in me that tries to tell me I have to do X, Y, and Z first

2. Honestly answer this question: Is it 100% true that I have to do these things or could I move forward anyway? (ie: to launch a website, you need to have an IP address, etc.)

3. If my answer is anything but YES to the above question, then I go ahead and do it.

4. Deal with my internal fear monger by reminding myself (frequently) throughout the “doing” that there is no such thing as perfect execution and my work can evolve and change as I learn more things. (In fact, shouldn’t our work be constantly evolving anyway?)

5. Work + Complete + Ship

5. Celebrate the shipping and get excited to tackle whatever’s next.

* * * * *

Want to learn more about my strategies for getting things done? Keep an eye out for my new free mini-guide coming next week: 5 Secrets to Tackling (and Shipping) Creative Projects!

My workspace

On this day in February, I’m thinking about the 33-year-old woman I was ten years ago, having just handed in my notice as a development exec for Cartoon Network with a dream of following my call to empower teen girls and young women and blend it with my love of writing. I nervously set out to be my own boss, set my own hours, work by the pool if I wanted to (we lived in So Cal at the time), and finally create a career that was ultimately fulfilling, where there was no separation between “work” and my “creative passion projects.” I didn’t know what it would look like, or where the gigs and money would come from, but I knew I had to step off the cliff of safety to find out.

Ten years later, I’m sitting in my home office in Seattle reflecting on the roller coaster journey of the past decade. In many ways, I’m not where I thought I’d be, and in others, I’ve far surpassed what I believed was possible. But one thing I know for sure — I’m so glad I took that leap.

To mark this anniversary, I’m looking back at what I’ve learned about the creative entrepreneurial life; both things that fall into the personal self-discovery category and things I think probably apply to anyone who chooses to follow their own path. Here are my top 11 takeaways:

1. It’s okay to not know where you’re going. I had no clue what my self-employed career was going to look like — all I had was a big-picture dream, a lot of tenacity, and the scrappiness to piece together a living using my writing and communication skills. Making it work has been difficult, exciting, and probably the hardest, most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done. It required (and continues to require) a boatload of trust. That trust is what gets me through the hard times.

2. I am actually an introvert. I love people, I love social time with friends, and I can do well in a team work setting, so my whole life I’ve assumed I was an extrovert. But over the years, I’ve realized how much I absolutely relish working, and being, alone. Quiet time by myself has become the key to not only my professional growth and creativity, but my sanity. Working alone isn’t for everyone, but I’ve discovered that it absolutely is for me.

 3. Community is key. Although I love working alone, the support of other self-employed peers — freelancers, consultants, entrepreneurs — has been a critical part of my growth. My community of like-minded souls is made up of people I’ve collected over the years through conferences, classes, listserves, and more, and is where I turn to for advice, insight, and mentorship. Without these awesome peeps, I don’t know if I would have the courage or confidence to do my thing.

4. Self-employed and working from home does not equal “available to do favors for everyone else:” I don’t know of a work-from-home self-employed friend who doesn’t get calls from friends or relatives asking if they could do them a favor — pick so and so up from the airport or watch their child on an early dismissal day because they can’t get off of work. Is one of the benefits of being self-employed the fact that we often have more flexibility in our schedule? Definitely. Does that mean our work time is any less sacred or important? Definitely not. Learning how to set boundaries was hard and sometimes pushed me way outside my comfort one, but it’s one of the most important lessons I’ve tackled.

5. You’re worth investing in.  I spent many years thinking I couldn’t afford to spend money on myself and my business, but I’ve learned that the truth is, I can’t afford not to. Businesses invest in their employees, and solopreneurs should do the same, whether its investing in conferences or continuing education or services like website design and marketing. The best part about creating a job you love is you get to design it however you want. So why not focus on doing the things you love to do and are good at, and find and pay for support around the areas that aren’t your strength?

6. I don’t “have to work” — I “get to work:” I still sometimes can’t believe I get to make a career out of doing what I love. I work many more hours than a lot of people I know with traditional full-time jobs, but it doesn’t feel like work. It’s what I love to do. It’s ick-free. And I feel like the luckiest person that I get to do it.

7. Solo lunch dates are a necessary indulgence. Because I can, I usually eat the same thing for lunch at home every day (Wasa crackers, turkey, cheese, and a green smoothie). It gets old, and I started noticing I was listening to my husband’s description of his lunches out in downtown Seattle with envy. “Must be nice,” I would mutter until I realized that I could take myself out to lunch, too. Doing that every one or two weeks has become a treat I look forward to, and feeling like I’m worth the occasional indulgence is good for (home) office moral.

8. Run, walk, or exercise every day. Getting out of the house for a run or an exercise class isn’t an indulgence — it’s part of staying healthy; mind, body, and soul. Self-care is paramount to any self-employed person, and deserves to have a permanent place on the schedule. A good rule of thumb? The busier or more stressed you get, the more vital the exercise is. Make the time for it, no matter what.

9. Napping is part of the job. I believe in guilt-free napping on an as-needed basis. I know I’m not alone here — Google, Huffington Post, and many other companies have official nap rooms in their offices. For this self-employed gal, napping when I need to (I take 30-minute naps probably once or twice a week) is one of the biggest perks of the job.

My furry muse, Baxter

10. Flexibility is a survival skill. Over the past 10 years, my work and career as a self-employed person has evolved, just like I have. I set out to be a fulltime writer, but today I also teach, coach, edit, consult, and more. Being willing to suck, accepting that failure is part of the ride, and being flexible enough to go with the flow of where the work and energy is has helped me adapt my business to the changes I’ve gone through as a woman, wife, mother, and creative.

11. Looking back can be helpful as you look forward. When you’re self-employed, there’s no boss to give you a promotion or raise, or to send around an email to the rest of the office to call out something great you did. It’s important to reflect on your achievements, acknowledge what you’ve created, and celebrate both your victories and your failures. You might have a success wall in your office, or keep a notebook with clippings from your major moments. Whatever you do, find a way to notice the important work you’re doing. It will fuel you as you continue growing your business into whatever you want it to be.

In that spirit of reflection, I’m closing this post with a summary of my past 10 years as a solopreneur. I can’t wait to see what the next 10 years brings!

Number of books I’ve written and published: 6

Number of book proposals I pitched but didn’t sell: 8

Number of books I’ve edited: 6

Number of articles I’ve written for print or online magazines: 125+

Number of TV shows I’ve pitched: 2

Number of TV shows I’ve sold: 0

Number of workshops and speeches I’ve given: 35+

Number of blog posts I’ve written: 262

Number of radio and television interviews I’ve done: 42

Number of corporate clients I’ve consulted or freelanced for: 13

Number of times I’ve redesigned my website: 7

Number of classes I’ve taken: 10+

Number of classes I’ve taught: 10+

Number of clients I’ve coached: 34

Number of writers I’ve helped with their books or book proposals: 19

Number of conferences and workshops I’ve attended: 11

Number of cities I’ve lived in: 2

Number of naps taken: Too many to count

Number of children I’ve had: 1

Number of vacations I’ve taken (a week or longer):  32

Number of pairs of running shoes I’ve gone through: 40+

Number of notebooks I’ve gone through: 27

Yesterday morning while brushing my teeth, I plopped down onto my office chair and turned on my computer. My plan was to check in on email and attend to a few things before waking my son up for school. But when I turned on my computer, I was greeted with a little circle with a line through it, set against a 27-inch backdrop of gray. No cheerful launch noise (in fact, no noise at all), no desktop wall featuring a picture of my son grinning from ear to ear atop the Brooklyn Bridge.

My harddrive was dead.

Thankfully, I’d signed up with an online backup system a few months earlier (BackBlaze) so I knew all of my documents and data were saved…somewhere. That helped me from dissolving into a frantic mess. But my calendar? Email folders? Who knows.

My hub, who doubles as my personal IT guy, was out of town, so I was left to figure this one out on my own. I called Apple, made an appointment at the store near me, and hung up, just as my now-awake son asked to see what a “dead computer” looked like.

I could tell I was stressed. My energy was anxious, and my son was picking up on it — not the way I wanted his before-school routine to play out. So I took some deep, deep breaths, and tried to focus on what I knew.

It was out of my control.

I could panic, or not — the outcome was going to be the same.

I didn’t have any deadlines this week where I needed to turn in a big deliverable (one that I likely would have been working on solely on my desktop).

Maybe it was a sign that I was supposed to slow down. (Um, probably.)

Maybe I needed to remember what it feels like to be really uncomfortable and out of sorts. (I remember now…thanks.)

Maybe this is the perfect opportunity to think about what actually has to get done and I’ll realize that a lot of the work stress I experience is self-generated. (Sometimes I push myself too hard to do too much all the time.)

Maybe my desk was in need of a good, deep scrubbing. (It was.)

This morning, I have my computer back. I picked it up last night and it’s sitting on my desk, daring me to turn it on. I haven’t yet though. I think knowing it all has to be set up again, knowing that likely I’ve lost some valuable info, and feeling a little anxious about doing something wrong in the data recovery process has kept me from pushing the ON button. I’ll wait until my personal IT guy gets home.

So today, you’ll find me reminding myself (frequently) that it is what it is. No worrying, stressing, or freaking out is going to change that. I’ll figure it out. I’ll piece things back together if I have to. And I’ll try to find peace in the fact that what’s gone is gone.

My friend, life coach Pedro Baez, often talks about the importance of riding the waves of life when they hit instead of panicking or swimming against them. Today I’m grabbing a board — I’ll see you out on the surf.

Feast or famine. For many of us in the world of freelance and/or self-employment, that seems to be the way things roll.

Even with the most deliberate business planning, we often find ourselves either scrounging for projects or with more on our plate than we can handle. We never know when we might get a call or an email with an incredible new opportunity, and that’s a reality I both love and struggle with. Struggle with because I like to know…like to have control. And love because those calls and emails always do come, and often with opportunities that are even better than I could have drummed up in my head.

To combat the feast or famine, over the past year I’ve been focused on creating more opportunities for my own business so I’m not reliant on waiting for people to come to me. But the interesting thing is, since I’ve been doing that, more opportunities from the outside world have been cropping up. Projects I’ve pitched in the past few years and never landed suddenly have new life. Other areas of my business that I’ve been neglecting are suddenly exactly what clients are looking for. And so my own personal business plan for 2013 — the one where I outlined what I was going to create and where my income was going to come from — is already on its 3rd revision. And it’s only February. (And I’m totally cool with that.)

If you watched this Sunday’s Super Bowl, you saw how quickly and powerfully momentum can shift. As a Ravens fan, I was blown away by the power they showed in the first half and equally so to watch how quickly San Francisco took back control in the third quarter. The game was the perfect portrayal of the mantra, everything’s changing, all the time.

So the challenge then is, how can we come to peace with the changes in momentum in our own business and creative lives? How can we mentally stay in the game and maintain optimistic and energized about our passion projects when they haven’t yet connected in the outside world? How can we stay in a place of trust with our own feast or famine?

• Keep creating. Instead of waiting for feedback or for the sale or deal, go back to the drawing board and work on what you want to create next.

• Let go of the outcome. Our projects have a way of finding their own path, often when we least expect it and frequently in a way we didn’t necessarily intend.

• Don’t panic. Don’t break your famine with fast food just because it’s the first meal that came along. Work on the projects that feel inspiring and/or connected to your passion or purpose.

• Find support. Build your community with other creators who can relate to the feast or famine syndrome, and lean on them for gentle reminders and confidence boosts when you need them.

• Be curious. Stay open to the possibilities of what’s next, even if you don’t know what it looks like or when it will happen.

• Be grateful. Appreciate your successes and failures, big and small, for their role in your life. Be grateful for your unique POV and creative outlook.

• Keep sharing. Your message is your gift to the world.

In my world, I talk with/work with many creative entrepreneurs, and one of the most common threads I’ve discovered is that many of us find it challenging to articulate what we do and who we are (present company included). And that’s a problem (and not a small one), since finding a way to be successful passion pursuers is often reliant on connecting with our tribe. So, what gives?

When I was in my early twenties, I remember wanting to be able to answer that question — what do you do? — simply and confidently. I was always slightly jealous of people who could just blurt out a response, no confusion or explanation necessary: I’m an accountant. I’m an advertising executive. I’m a social worker. I’m a veterinarian.

I  did have a “real job” back then (I worked in video production for several different organizations) but I also had many other things going on that felt just as important, and actually more so, than my 9 to 5 gig —  I was a graduate student, an independent documentary producer, an aspiring author, a workshop presenter for homeless teens.

For my entire career in the nonprofit and eventually corporate world, my day-to-day job was never enough, and I longed for the day that my work and my personal passions would be one and the same, when I didn’t feel as though I had to spend all my free time working on what I really wanted to work on.

Ten years ago, almost to the day, I took the leap to make that dream a reality.

Yet though my work and and personal passions are finally united, I still find myself grappling with how to answer that same question — What do you do? 

More specifically, I’m not sure how to clearly convey who I am and what I’m all about so the people I want to work with “get” me and can find me.

Here’s what I do know, though. I don’t want to fit into a box. I’ve got a bunch of different areas of interest, expertise, and passion. I’m rebelling against the notion of having one clearly defined niche. I just want to figure out how to weave it all together.

My goal is that at the other side of this identity crisis I’ve figured out a way to more clearly connect with the people I want to serve and work with, and that I’m moving forward in my business in a direction that’s the most fulfilling, rewarding, and yes, even fun.

So, for now, I’ve only got the long, rambly answer about who I am from a business POV. I’m an author, I’m a speaker, I’m a content creator, I’m a consultant, and I’m a coach. I am equal parts passionate about helping teen girls and young women kick ass in their lives and supporting writers and creative entrepreneurs do their thing. I believe every person can make a difference in the world. I want to be part of that change. Every day.

It’s not all neat and tidy yet, but I’m starting to get there. And I’m starting to realize some of the “rules” around how to market and brand a venture don’t have to be true. Here’s my take:

It’s okay to have more than one “specialty.” If you have gifts to share, why shouldn’t you share them all?

Your “why” at the very core of what you do in the world is the most important thing to get clear on. Your “why” (check out Simon Sinek’s book Start With Why) is what will connect all your various “specialties.”

There is no one right way to market or present yourself. When in doubt, choose authenticity.

It’s fine to change your mind. And to grow. And to evolve. (It would be so boring if it wasn’t.)

You don’t have to get it all right before you start sharing your gifts. Figure it out along the way and share your process with others. It’s a journey…bring others along for the ride.