Last Updated on April 22, 2019

Morning in the Canyon

I’m baaacccckkkk!

Many of you know that I took a month-long break from work. Part of that was spent rafting the Grand Canyon (the trip was literally life-changing.) Then, instead of coming home and immediately jumping back into work, I took another week off just for me.

What’s more, I didn’t look at email (or call in to find out what was going on with the business) the entire time.  I didn’t think about new client acquisition or receivables or blogging or business planning for 30 entire days.

It was wonderful.

The main takeaway wasn’t “Hey, I can ignore email” or “Wow, the world still spins without me when I’m gone.” It was much, much deeper than that.

I realized the depth of my own personal powers. And, like my trainer Daniel Iversen says, “Yes, you can.”

My business has always been my baby. If you would have told me two years ago that I’d be taking a month off, I would have laughed so hard that I’d start to snort. A MONTH off? Heck no. A day, sure. Maybe two. More than that, I would need to take my laptop to “check in.” Besides, what if something blew up? I’d need to be around to fix it – right?

If you’re a business owner, you may be saying to yourself, “Well, that’s great for Heather, but I can’t do that because of X.” No money, no time, too many responsibilities. I get it, I really do. I felt the same way. It’s not like I was flush with cash before I left. There was a client issue that needed to be resolved quickly before I boogied out. I had so many balls in the air that leaving felt stupid and bad and irresponsible.

Yes, I learned an important lesson about the necessity of taking a long break. More than that, I learned that anything is possible – if you ignore the excuses of why you can’t do something.

Consider how many times you say to yourself, “I’d love to do that, but I can’t.” Maybe you want to quit your in-house job and freelance. Maybe you want to go back to school.  Or purchase something that makes your heart sing every time you think about it.

Telling yourself “no” all the time, granted, is the easier path. You start breaking out of it, and suddenly, a bunch of well-meaning friends give you their opinions. They’ll tell you how they know someone who did what you want to do – and failed miserably. They’ll tell you that it’s not a good idea “right now.” They may even tell you that you’re being irresponsible.

But here’s the thing: How long are you going to let “no” dictate your life? How long will you keep yourself from what you really want to do? Because at the end of the day, no-one else is telling you “no.”

It’s you that’s holding you back.

Plus, once you take the leap, it’s amazing how many magical things happen. I came home focused on prosperity and abundance – and I’ve been rewarded already (and it’s my second day back in the office!). I’ve talked to so many freelancers who stress about spending money on the SEO Copywriting Certification training – but once they do, it’s like the floodgates opened up for them. Suddenly, they were generating more clients than ever before. They were living the life they wanted to live.

And it’s all because they opened themselves up to the possibilities and said “yes” rather than shutting down and saying “no.”

If this strikes a chord with you, this is your “permission” to say YES! Do that thing that scares you. Throw caution to the wind and go for it. Sure, you’ll want to do your due diligence – but once it’s done, throw yourself off the cliff and make it happen.

You will be amazed at the help and support you’ll receive once you do  – and the miracles you’ll experience.

Have you thrown caution to the wind and done something that makes your heart sing? Tell me about it in the comments. Or, if you’re thinking about making a leap, share your goal and your fears. We’re all in this together – and we all understand.

Now, go forth and make it happen.

Last Updated on April 9, 2019

Sometimes, life throws you a curveball.

I know quite a few folks facing hard times right now. Divorce. Illness. Financial problems. Death of a family member. You probably know people going through the same thing (or, maybe you’re the one facing the difficult days).

It’s interesting to see how people deal with life’s less stellar moments. Some people face their adversity head-on. They see what’s happening, they ignore the fear, and they charge straight ahead.

Other folks don’t handle it quite as well. They turn inward and blame themselves. Life feels uncontrollable and scary. And no matter how much things improve, they always expect the other shoe to drop.

That’s not a fun place to be.

Adversity is one of life’s constants, like death and taxes. No matter how good things are now, something…unpleasant…is going to happen.  The key is – will you let that thing (whatever it is) destroy you? Or will you kick adversity’s ass instead and thrive?

Oddly, I’ve found that my most successful times are a direct result of crappy things happening. When I got laid off and had no money, I started freelancing – and discovered that I loved the writer’s life. When my husband died, I focused my energies on building my brand – and SuccessWorks was born. When I got hit with a huge and unexpected tax liability, I creatively thought of ways to make more money – and had my best year ever.

Yes, I’m stubborn. But I’m also a firm believer that what doesn’t kill me does make me stronger.

Having said that, there may be some times that you’d rather curl up than fight. If adversity is weighing down your world, here’s how to deal with it – and eventually kick its ass.

Feel the emotion and let it go. It’s normal to feel scared, angry, remorseful, guilty – you name it. Pushing the feelings aside will do nothing but bottle them up. The key is to tell yourself, “I’m going to acknowledge whatever icky emotion this is, and then I’m going back to work.” It doesn’t mean that you’ll stop feeling scared, angry and remorseful. It just means that you’ll stop focusing on fear and focus on you instead.

Make a list of what you can control.  There’s always something you can do, no matter how uncontrollable the situation seems at the time. Can you contact past clients and see if they have any work that they need done? Can you start exercising – even a little bit – so you can clear your mind? Heck. some days, “controlling what you can control” means only having the energy to make one important phone call. That’s OK. Make a list of everything that you can do, both big and small. Reminding yourself that you can “control the controllables” is a huge mental-health move.

Take care of your business “baby.” Are you self-employed? It’s easy to put off important business things because your brain isn’t clicking along at full capacity. However, the last thing you need is for your business to suffer because you’re going through a dark time. Remember that your business is your baby. It needs your constant attention, no matter what else is happening in your life. If you can’t give it 100%, find someone who can fill in and help. Taking your hands off of the business wheel will add extra financial stress down the line – trust me. I know.

Take action every day. You may feel paralyzed by your current situation. That’s normal. The key is to snap yourself out of it and take some action every day. Maybe that means figuring out a new budget. Or calling some people who can help you. Or doing some research. Don’t let a day go by without doing something that will help shake you out of your current situation.

Don’t be afraid to pay for help. If you’re facing a financial hit, your first instinct may be to tighten your purse strings. That’s a smart instinct – but don’t be penny wise and pound foolish. If your business needs a tax pro to help you out of this situation, hire one. If you need a better business plan, work with a consultant. If you need to talk to a counselor, find one.  Don’t add “I can’t afford it” to your already high stress level.  Spend what you need to spend and pull yourself out of your current hole.

Talk to someone about how you’re feeling.  Do you feel your stomach tighten and your heart rate increase every time you think about whatever is going on? Don’t bottle it up inside – get it out. Find a friend or trusted confident and tell them what’s going on. Cry with them, laugh with them and let them show you the “other side” of your situation.  You’ll walk away with a new perspective (and focus, too!).

Remember that it will pass. The situation – whatever it is – is temporary. It may not go away tomorrow, but it will go away. You will learn some (hard) lessons as a result of the situation, but that’s OK. We all do. The more adversity we face, the better prepared we are to kick its ass – and move through it with grace, confidence – and even a little bit of humor!

What’s your favorite way of overcoming adversity and kicking its ass?