We’ve all heard the question: What would you tell your younger self?
Well here are 15 perspective shifts I would tell Jo of 2012 as she embarked on her biggest adventure yet* – starting a business.
*I say the biggest adventure yet, however, I spent most of my 20s backpacking around the world on my own (back in the days when we didn’t have mobiles or google maps) – there were quite a few adventures there!
Here are 15 perspective shifts I made to help me on my journey to more. Use whichever feels useful:
Shift #1 – Get used to taking action without clarity
You don’t get the luxury of knowing the “how” to where you’re going, sadly. Well, not if you are going for things that will change you and your life.
We have to act without all the facts, (no, you don’t need a business plan or another qualification!).
You’ve got to be ok showing up for your dreams without having it all figured out. Clarity comes from action. Confidence comes from taking action. Action is the trump card. Not all action is created equal but step 1 is get out and take a load as you’ll learn so much.
Shift #2 – Discipline is what CREATES freedom
The girl who kicked and screamed against having routine and structure now thrives on it. This makes me laugh so much – and again shows me what a fabulous personal growth journey it has been for me. I have come a long way! The more routine and structure I have and the more discipline I have to use that routine, the more freedom I have (and I am not just talking about time freedom).
Shift #3 – Your values matter more than anything
If something isn’t feeling right it’s probably a value thats not being met.
I was shaping my business around my values for a long time (without knowing I was).
My top value at the start of my business was freedom so I ended up with a membership (who remembers the Wildly Successful Society?)). This was the perfect business model for a nomad on the move every month!
Once I moved to Spain, connection was a value that my business wasn’t hitting so I changed my business model and the main signature program became a group coaching container with a weekly community connection.
Your values matter when you are picking your business model (plus don’t forget you can change it as your situation and needs change).
Shift #4 – Resting is productive.
Why do we feel so guilty for taking time out to rest??
Shift #5 – Trusting myself more
I was outsourcing so many decisions for so long in my business. Looking for external validation everywhere. I put myself in boxes I wasn’t meant to be in. You are the one who can make the best decisions for you, you have to be in the driver’s seat and not give your power to your Mentors.
Shift #6 – Celebrate the bumps along the way
Every time you notice yourself procrastinating and overthinking you get to celebrate because it means you are not stagnating and doing what everyone else is doing. It means you’re out living BIG. Wanting more for yourself and showing up for it imperfectly. THIS is worth celebrating not beating yourself up for not being further along.
Shift #7 – Be open for business more!
I mostly grew my business via a launch model and didn’t sell much between launches. This both grew my income and at the same time limited my income. Get comfortable inviting people to work with you more. It will do so much more than bringing in income!
Selling is serving. How can we help people? By inviting them to work with us!
Be selling something every week (but make sure you also offer lots of free value too).
Shift #8 – You can’t fail
Unless you quit.
Failure and success are on the same path, success is just further along. Keep going. You can’t fail if you keep trying. This was well worth learning.
Shift #9 – Embrace the experiment
Allowing things to be an experiment made it a lot easier to just get out there and try. Be the scientist – gather data. It feels way less pressure than every project having to work.
Shift #10 – Have a vision or something to aim for
Luckily I had this from the start and for sure it’s what kept me ‘keeping on’.
The people I work with who have a big (meaningful to them) dream are the ones who get out of their own way and keep experimenting.
Shift #11 – Go with the flow
I used to beat myself up so much about my output. Now I know some weeks you win, and some you don’t. Some you’re on fire and some you’re putting one foot in front of the other to get to the other end, and because of the Meant for More Method I also know that every day, week, and month is a chance for a go-again moment. One week of unproductiveness isn’t going to be a problem if I am following my own methodology!
Shift #12 – Rely on your systems for getting things done
When life gets busy or throws a curveball it’s my systems that are going to hold me up. If I’m clear on my priorities, my Asana account is being used as my business ops system, then when life gets some unplanned chaos, I can still keep my head above water and make progress. Rely on your systems to hold you up.
Shift #13 – Remove as many ‘in the moment’ decisions as you can
And then be the type of person who does what she says she will do.
This one has been a more recent learning but now when I plan my actions, my food, and my movement in advance – even if just 24 hours in advance – I feel more in control and am not relying on a tired or unmotivated version of me to decide what to do today!
Shift #14 – Allow yourself to outgrow things
I talk about creating an “Interim Mission Statement” with my clients because it feels so much easier knowing it doesn’t have to be my life’s purpose I am figuring out. We are going to grow and evolve and our offers and our businesses are meant to come on that journey with us. We try things, we double down on what works and we let go of what doesn’t. Allow yourself to grow.
Shift #15 – Use goals to grow you instead of ticking things off
Goal setting has such a bad reputation but without setting goals I would not be living in Spain, running my business in an aligned and fulfilling way with more freedom than I could ever have imagined.
But here’s the thing – when I first started setting goals I used to set small, achievable ones because my self-worth was sooo tied up in the achievement of them. My “not good enough” wound was rampant and I could not handle the feeling of failing and not hitting my goals.
I kept my goals small and I kept them quiet.
And that led to an average business (where I always knew I was playing small). Yuck.
So the best shift I made (and I invite you to consider) is setting bigger goals.
Goals that demand you step into a different version of yourself. Thats the whole point of setting a massive goal – who you have to become to even be in with a chance of achieving it. I am not who I was when I started my business because of this strategy.
It has changed my life learning how to set goals to create personal transformation rather than to achieve things,(the personal transformation naturally leads to me achieving more in the long run anyway but I grow as a human being too. Best shift ever).
Which one did you need to hear the most Jo?
FYI: I’ve just created a brand new training series called Your Springboard to MORE and the third lesson is about working with transformational goals.
Check it out and join us here.
Love Jo x
