Everyone sees the glory moments, but they don't see what happens behind the scenes." -Allyson Felix
I want to normalize the realities of business growth.
I’ve been sharing more and more personal business wins and client wins because I want you to know how much is possible. Often, we have to “see it, before we believe it” and can be it.
I also encourage you (and my clients!) to celebrate and share your wins as a way to see what’s going well and practice some gratitude for the good. Because there’s ALWAYS something good.
I nudge, sometimes push, for celebration because I want you to lean into the momentum and allow it to carry you forward.
With all the celebration talk and success stories floating around, I think it's just as easy for all of us to get caught up in comparison, seeing what others are doing, and then discount what we've done, how far we've come, and think we're doing something wrong.
So today, I want to remind you that you’re not doing anything wrong.
Know for every shiny result, there's usually a metric ton of grit and less-than-shiny moments behind-the-scenes.
This is something I learned when I was still acting. For every polished thirty-second commercial there were months of work that went in before and after filming...all to create one, thirty-second spot. You imagine how this compounds for a thirty-minute TV show or ninety-minute movie.
During all of those hours, there's always some less-than-glamorous moments happening.
I want to normalize the less-than-shiny moments, not to bitch or complain, but to let you know, it's normal, and you're not the only one if ‘overnight’ success is taking a few years and is handing you a few ‘opportunities for growth’ along the way.
Give yourself some credit because you’re still here, and the challenging moments are the moments in which we grow. It's easy to do it when it's easy, you know?
Don't believe me? Here are a few of the less-than-perfect and shiny moments behind-the-scenes that have allowed me to be able to share my wins with you:
I coached over 100 sessions before even asking to get paid for my work. Read that again. I make a pretty baller living doing what I love now, but don't think that happened overnight.
I've taught a workshop here in the city where no one showed up. NO ONE. Then, I did it again the next week for ONE person (And, you better believe I brought it and we had the best solo workshop ever). You also better believe I repurposed that shit.
I've had my share of late nights and weekends spent working on my business (as in: the entire first two years in business).
Before I started my business? I had no idea what my next step was going to be or what I was doing. I had just picked up from LA and started over in Manhattan (you, know, one of the most expensive cities in the world?) with no job. So, I hustled two jobs to make it work (including a 9-5 with demanding advertising hours) while I studied coaching and did those free sessions I mentioned above.
I launched a beta-test of a program a few years ago that I really disliked and ended up scrapping. I think the quote was, "I want to blow up my business.” This also meant emailing members and refunding them. Nothing comfortable about that.
I’ve made big investments that gave me something different than expected and not what I wanted.
I've had cancellations and no shows. I've had a client ghost me and stop paying me halfway through our coaching program.
I've had weirdos hop on my Instagram lives.
I've crashed and deleted my entire website. I f-ed up my new, fancy website the first week it was live. Just this week, my shopping carts are a mess with one of my mini-courses.
Oh, and my mindset? I've invested close to or over twenty thousand dollars at this point into working and reprogramming my mind. I have a history with depression, self-loathing, low self-esteem, and self-sabotage. This confidence, self-love, self-trust and happiness you see? It’s real, and I work for it. I spend about an hour every day on my mindset because it wants to play tricks on me every damn day.
So, yes, I’m now sitting pretty getting to share awesome business results and wins with you, but don't for a second think there hasn't been a whole lot of grit and growth behind the scenes getting here and staying here.
We're ALL human, imperfect, and growing on this journey. These are also the experiences that shape and strengthen us.
Being an entrepreneur is, in my very biased opinion, the best thing ever. It’s beautiful, and it’s also messy at times and completely imperfect. It doesn’t need to be complicated, but, that doesn’t mean it’s always easy. Because hey, if it were easy, don’t you think everyone would do it?!
So, keep celebrating every.single.win. you have and shout those out loud and proud for others to hear so you can lift them up along with you.
And, if you find yourself taking a look at someone else’s grass thinking it’s greener than yours, know they’re probably watering it in the dark and still pulling up weeds, AND it’s only proof that you can have the same.
Let's normalize growth, ok? And, let’s believe in what else is possible instead of getting stuck in the mud of comparison.
With so much love, I believe in you. Don't stop believing in yourself and your work.
P.S. Want to borrow my belief in you? Ready to kick your behind-the-scenes up a notch to get (and stay) out of your own way so you can rock your strategy (messaging, marketing, copy, and sales) and celebrate making more money doing what you love? Let's talk. I'd love to help you do just that.
Click here to learn more about working together and book a free consultation.
