The Truth About 2015, Showing up in 2016 and WAY More Fun WPCP: 082
I’m kind of tripping out right now that I’m doing another “year in review” podcast episode.
Where is the time going?! Do you feel like you say that every year? I do. The odd thing is that with the day-to-day it doesn’t feel like time is flying by. I’ve made a very conscious effort to be present with whatever I’m doing so for that I’m grateful. I just can’t believe we’re about to enter another New Year.
O.K., enough of my wonderings about time passing quickly… let’s get onto the year in review shall we?
The Truth About 2015
When I was thinking about the title for this post (and yes, I totally used the CoSchedule Headline Analyzer which I LOVE) I started laughing to myself because it almost implies I’ve been lying (or have lied) about the past year. Fortunately for me, I think you guys know me well enough to know that it simply means I’m going to share it all… the ups AND the downs. No sugar coating here, although you don’t have to worry about me being a negative nelly either. That’s not how I roll.
I’m going to structure this post a little different than previous ‘year-in-review’ posts I’ve done. Instead of going through the year in chronological order, I’m going to start at the end. As in December of 2015.
Why?
This year kind of kicked my butt.
I have a tendency to go and go until I hit a wall, then I crash, then I recuperate. This used to bother me until I realized that this was my process. Now when I feel the crash coming I honor it and check out for a bit. It works better for me to keep going when the inspiration is there (I don’t really push myself anymore because that tends to backfire) and then when I can’t go anymore I take the much-needed rest. This usually happens for me around Christmastime but it hit me earlier this year.
By mid-November I was FRIED.
I needed to slow down, put the brakes on a few things, and listen to what I needed most, which was simplicity.
I decided to take the month off from my Mastermind, made sure I wasn’t overscheduled and canceled any webinars or major promotions for myself or other people.
I actually said No.
A lot.
And it felt great.
The time away from the external influences allowed me to get really clear on what I’m doing and where I’m going. Before I get into where I’m going, I want to look back at 2015, the experiences, the lessons, the successes, all of it. This is going to be a mix of business and personal for me because I can’t necessarily separate the two. I am my business and I love what I do.
Travel
I had some great trips in 2015, both for business and personal. I went to all 3 of my mastermind trips (Vegas in February, where we raced Ferrari’s, Maui in June where we went snorkeling, and Orlando in October where we went to Universal Studios). I brought my dear friend and project manager to Maui with me (that was a blast) and brought my son & niece to Orlando. Maui was probably my favorite because it was a great combination of relaxation and work (inspiration/motivation). While the kids were great in Orlando, I don’t think I’ll be bringing the family on any of those trips again. I don’t want to feel responsible for anyone other than myself when I go away for business and there’s no way around that when you bring kids (of course The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was awesome).
I also went to Vegas in May for the first Click Funnels event and then onto the south of France with my daughter in July for her graduation. I actually ended up canceling (rescheduling) a trip to Ireland for the beginning of November because I was simply done traveling and wanted to be home.
What I learned:
While all the trips were great, I need more downtime for myself. I made a commitment to myself a couple of years ago that I wouldn’t go to conferences or on business trips that weren’t relevant to what I was working on at that time and it’s made a huge difference.
For 2016 I’m carrying that theme into the New Year but I’m going to take it a little further.
I absolutely adore the mastermind I’m in and am excited to be back in January after my break in December. That being said, I’ve decided I’m not going to our first live event at the end of February. I’ve made a big decision (and investment) and have hired Jason Hornung and his agency to help me create a solid ad campaign and funnel for my podcast offer. I’m heading to Wisconsin at the end of January for a two-day workshop to launch the new campaign. I know that after my back-to-back travel last year that I need to allow myself some time in between trips to digest what I’ve learned and implemented those strategies.
Business
My business grew exponentially in 2015 (by June of this year I had earned what I earned in all of 2014), but so did my expenses.
I’m not sure what it is about online marketing (or maybe it’s just me), but it’s very easy to get caught up in or buy into someone else (or something else), being the solution. Meaning, if I invest in this person or product this is going to be the differentiator. This is what’s going to take me to the next level.
Some of those were good investments (in terms of an ROI) and some were just me being caught up in the moment (but on a gut level I KNEW it wasn’t right or didn’t need it). Which also brought me to my much-needed break by the end of November. I was tired of putting my faith and trust in other people before myself.
The biggest thing I did in 2015 was launch INFLUENCE Podcasting (a complete done-for-you podcasting service). I didn’t go crazy with it. I did a few case studies, had a few webinars, and figured out what works and what doesn’t. I’m definitely continuing with it in 2016 but it’s going to look a little different. More on that in a minute though.
What I will tell you is that adding a high-ticket offering with something I absolutely adore doing was the best thing I’ve done for my business.
Personal
Lots of personal lessons in 2015.
Fortunately, they were all about one thing: Trust.
I’m learning to really trust myself. Trust what I know, trust what I feel, and trust myself to #JustShowUP in a way that works for ME.
Because I love learning new things and exploring unknown ideas and concepts, it’s really easy for me to get caught up in the possibility of something (like a little kid being unleashed at an amusement park). I can make decisions too quickly (which sometimes pays off), but more often than not I need to sit with something if there is ANY part of me that is wavering. I didn’t always do that this year.
I also didn’t put myself first. As in my health.
Somehow I got off my routine of working out in the morning (…. a client needs an earlier call!) and now it’s time to get back to that. I know myself well enough that if I don’t work out in the morning it’s probably not going to happen. I simply prefer working out in the morning because of how it makes me feel. No matter how I feel going into the workout, I feel pretty pumped up afterward.
So I’m going back to my schedule of working out in the morning and won’t be scheduling any calls before 10 am PST.
So… the Truth about 2015?
It was AMAZING. And tiring. And a little frustrating at times.
The good news is that I created all the frustration myself.
Which means I can also change that.
Showing up in 2016
Bear with me if this sounds a little like a rant or a toddler having a tantrum.
It’s neither.
It’s simply conviction (can I get an AMEN?).
I’m DONE doing things the way I think I’m supposed to do them.
What does that mean? To make this simple (for myself and for you), we’re going to hit this with a list:
- If it doesn’t feel like me, I’m not doing it
- I’m not going to write copy or show up online in any way other than as myself
- I’m going to SELL more (note: if you’re just here for free stuff and get offended when I make offers than you might want to unsubscribe now)
- I love teaching and engaging. That’s what my webinars are going to be about in 2016. And yes, I’ll be making offers on a lot of those webinars
- I LOVE creating content and it’s going to be part of everything I do this year
- I’m going to do paid traffic RIGHT and do it consistently (hence me working with Jason Hornung, who will be on the podcast SOON)
- I’m going to continue saying NO
- While I got myself on camera a little more last year than the previous year, it’s going to be a regular thing for me this year (yep, gotta do the hair more often)
- I’m launching #JustShowUP – which is a community for people who need to do things THEIR way, but also learn some real-life business strategies and get tangible training
- I’m only working from the consultant /teacher perspective this year. Meaning, no more technician or support. I’ve hired a great team and am going to continue growing it so I can continue ‘showing up’
- I’ve raised my project prices and won’t be going below those prices
I have a feeling there’s more to this list, but I’m going to trust that it will evolve organically and will probably be pushing more of that on the new show… #JustShowUP
Yep, I’m launching another podcast
#JustShowUP
It’s going to compliment the community but is also going to allow me to talk about things that I wouldn’t necessarily talk about on this podcast (spirituality, mindset, dating… yes, I’ll be venturing into that this year and I promise I’ll be sharing sine if that journey on that podcast too! Yikes.. did I just commit to that publicly?)
I’m super excited about this new podcast for a ton of reasons…but the main reason is that it’s totally going to push me out of my comfort zone! YIKES!!!!
In the infamous words of Wayne… (from “Wayne’s World”, yes, as in Mike Myers from SNL):
Game On!
Way More FUN!
Lastly (but not least… I almost wrote leastly.. haha. aah.. the simple ways I amuse myself), is FUN.
I want to bring more play into my life this year.
The travel and experiences were great, but when it’s for business and your days are pretty scheduled even the ‘adventures’ can feel a little squeezed. While it’s nothing new to me I’ve really acknowledged that laughter is HUGELY healing and a strong force in my life. I haven’t exactly decided what this is going to look like yet, but I know it’s going to be a driving force for me this year. It may be going to a comedy club or a funny movie. More time with people I love for sure, having great experiences (I have a weekend with my girlfriends planned for the end of February already, have tickets to take my friend to Wicked in early March, and will be heading down to Southern Ca. to visit a friend I haven’t seen in a few years. JUST for fun. No business).
There’s an element of ‘play’ that has been lacking in my life and I’m simply going to do whatever I want that kicks that into gear. The great thing about this is that I know it ties in with my goal of putting my health first too. Fortunately, I have two awesome puppies (well, they’re about a year and a half old now, but I still call them my puppies) and they LOVE to play.
And there you have it.
The Truth about 2015 and what’s coming in 2016.
Happy New Year!
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