She calls you each day and leaves a unique message.

Some days it’s, Hey there! Just wanted to let you know that you rock! You totally crushed it during that client meeting today.

Other days it’s more like, Why are you still here? Didn’t I fire you a long time ago? You aren’t even worth the paper your paycheck is printed on.

(‘Boss-y Dearest’ much?)

Ridiculous, right?

And yet what if I told you that it’s absolutely true?

That you DO report to this boss, and she controls:

:: How much you can charge for your products and services?
:: How many clients or customers you can have?
:: How big an impact you can have in the world with your work?

FACT: This bizarre boss is alive and well and in charge of everything you do in your business.

Her name?

Imagination.

That’s right— Imagination is the boss of everything that happens in your business (and your life).

Let’s take pricing, for example.

What determines how much you can charge for something?

Nope, it’s not the marketplace. It’s not ‘how much people will pay for this’.

:: A MacBook Pro starts at $1199. A PC laptop? You can snag one for less than $500
:: A pair of Gucci flip-flops starts at $315. Yet you can buy a pair at the drugstore in the summertime for around $15.
:: You can have your locks luxuriously trimmed at NYC’s John Barrett Salon starting at $125. Or you can head over to Supercuts and get your curls clipped for less than $30.

Yes, of course, production and/or overhead costs are a factor in each of these examples, but at the end of the day the wide price differential has less to do with cost itself than with the meaning and the passion behind each of these brands.

Premium brands don’t compete on price, because they provide value (via customer experience) that goes way beyond the parts or costs that make up their products and services.

And where does value come from?

It comes from asking, How can I make enough people insanely happy with my product or service that I don’t need to compete on price?

And then letting Imagination bring you the answer.

(By the way, I’m not suggesting you must become a premium brand! There’s room for all sorts of pricing strategies in this great wide world. I’m merely pointing out that your pricing is only limited by your Imagination.)

Let’s talk about your customers. How many can you have?

Answer: as many as you can imagine yourself having.

It’s as simple as that. You will not attract more customers than you can imagine yourself serving (and serving well).

So if your client or customer Rolodex is thinner than a sheet of one-ply, imagine yourself with the nice, plump number you WANT instead.

And I don’t mean just think about it for a sec; I mean REALLY imagine it.

Get into the feeling of having X number of customers or clients.

:: How often are you talking with clients?
:: How widely is your product distributed?
:: What are your customers saying about your products and services?

And how does it FEEL to be living in this scenario?

Now let’s talk about your impact on the world.

How big do you want it to be?

(It’s okay if you don’t want it to be huge!)

Big or small, though—you must imagine it first.

:: If you’re a writer, speaker, coach, consultant, or other expert—what’s the size of your platform?
:: If you create products—where do you see them? Whom do you see using them?
:: If you’re an artist—where is your work featured? Who raves about it?

And if you’re one or all of the above: do you want to leave a legacy through your business?

Like Steve Jobs, do you want to ‘put a ding in the universe’?

Whatever it is you want to be, do, or have in your business, you must check in with your bizarre boss and clear it with her first. 

(Click to tweet it!)

Now I mentioned a minute ago that this boss of yours is a bit mercurial.

One day she showers you with praise, the next she convinces you that you’re worthless.

So what to do when it’s one of those ‘worthless’ days?

#1 :: Close your eyes and take three deeeeeep breaths. (Basic, I know. And yet supremely effective.)

#2 :: Talk to your Bizarre Boss. Say to her, Hey Boss, would you please work with me on this? I really need your help. Since I know you’re capable of moving mountains (literally) I’d like you to cut the verbal abuse, roll up your sleeves, and get to work bringing my desired outcome about. Thanks.

#3 :: Wait. Not sit-on-your-hands wait. Wait while working. But wait knowing that what you want is on its way.

The most interesting thing about this bizarre boss called Imagination is how she works behind the scenes.

She’s in charge even when you think YOU are.

Which is why you need to ‘train’ her. You need to approach her with what you WANT instead of letting her run without your intentional interference.

And here’s the icing on the cake about your bizarre boss.

Unlike any of the ‘in-the-flesh’ bosses with whom you may have had a sketchy relationship—this one absolutely, 100% wants to see you succeed.

xoxo

PS – If you’ve ever felt stifled by YOUR bizarre boss, share the love! Click ‘like’ or tweet up the link below. This message might be just what someone else needs to hear today.

Your business is being run by a bizarre boss. You MUST learn to train her if you want to succeed. via @ hhmackenzie.

I never really wanted it,

I was returning an expensive bag I had bought a few weeks earlier—a gorgeous bag, but not right for me. 

I kind of felt pushed into buying it, I added unnecessarily.

(At Nordstrom they rarely ask questions about why you’re returning something.)

But the sales associate empathized with me. I’m sorry that happened, she said.

And I realized that, while I wasn’t upset—my experience around this bag had been the perfect example of poor marketing.

Here’s why.

I had arrived at the store looking for a new bag to replace the one I’d been carrying around for the past two years or so.

And because I already really liked the bag I was carrying—and was NOT shopping for a new one out of ‘this-will-make-me-feel-better-about-myself’ motivation—I was okay with being really picky and waiting until I found the bag that was JUST right for me.

But that day in the Nordstrom handbag department, the sales associate had shadowed me as I picked up each bag, declaring her opinion on each one immediately after I’d slung it over my arm.

That one is too big for your frame.
No… that one isn’t the right one.
THAT is the bag for you. Oh yes, that’s it. You need that bag!

And while I hadn’t really minded her commentary until then (okay, I minded it a little— I prefer peace and quiet when I’m making a purchasing decision), I felt an inner disagreement when she insisted that THIS bag was right for me, and I tried to express it to her.

Me:  Yeah, I’m not totally sure thi—
Sales Associate: NO! THAT IS THE BAG YOU MUST BUY. BUY IT NOW- OR ELSE!!

(Okay, I might be exaggerating a teeeeensy bit. But anyway.)

Of course I DID let her talk me into purchasing that bag— and ended up returning it later.

So what went wrong?

The same thing that goes wrong with all ineffective marketing.

I was being sold something I didn’t really want—and didn’t even need.

I was being pushed to decide that THIS was the right thing for me.

Had the sales associate taken the time to understand my wants and needs instead of deciding them for me, chances are good I would have purchased my ‘just right’ bag that day and kept it.

Here were the main issues:

I don’t like bags that can’t easily be slung over my shoulder. This was a ‘throw it over your forearm’ type of bag.

I like bags that- when they are slung over my shoulder- rest somewhere right around my waist. This bag, which did come with an optional (very long) strap, either had to be hoisted over my head and worn cross-body, or would flap annoyingly against my lower half when I walked.

I like bags that are made of light leather and have very few bells and whistles. This bag was made of thick, heavy leather and had details like tassels and heavy hardware that I found annoying after carrying it around for a short while.

Now, I might be a little weird because I can articulate all these things about my handbag preferences— but if the sales associate had taken even a moment to ask me what I like and don’t like in a bag, she would have had a much better chance of helping me discover one that met all my ‘needs’ PLUS had other factors I haven’t even mentioned that make me go, I must have this bag, NOW.

And yes, although sharing this experience with you makes me look like a pushover (hey, I returned the bag eventually!), sometimes aggressive sales and marketing works— temporarily.

And yet— even though it worked on me that day, I didn’t walk away with a satisfied spring in my step.

Instead, I walked away feeling stinky (okay, not LITERALLY) for letting myself be talked into my purchase.

You do NOT want your customer to feel stinky after making a purchase with you.

(Obviously. And you can tweet me on that.)

So how can you avoid this marketing mistake?

You may not be interacting with your customers in a retail environment, but ANY time you’re marketing to them— any time you want to influence a decision— start with the customer’s needs in mind.

In fact, you’re probably NOT working in a retail environment, which gives you a leg up here. You can plan in advance and finely tune your marketing message so that it meets your ideal customer’s needs and wants before she ever lands on your website or social media account.

To do that, you need to address these 5 key areas as they relate to the product or service you’re creating and the problem that it solves (and if your offering doesn’t solve a problem, keep working at it until it does).

Not all of these areas apply equally for every product or service, but all are worth considering, every time: 

1. FEARS: What is she afraid will happen if she doesn’t solve this problem?
2. FRUSTRATIONS: What frustrates her about this problem?
3. NIGHTMARES: What is the worst-case scenario she believes she’ll have on her hands if she doesn’t get this problem solved?
4. DESIRES: What would she really like to see happen in her life instead of having this problem?
5. DREAMS: What would be a ‘dream come true’ type of scenario for her instead of having this problem? (Think Cinderella or OMG-I-just-won-the-lottery! scenarios here.)

Grab a pen and paper and go into detail with each of these areas (make a LONG list for each— try to come up with 25 if you can) so that you can be sure you understand the exact problem you’re solving for your prospective customer AND how to communicate it clearly to her.

And then, when you’re posting on social media, writing a blog post, creating a sales page, a video, a free download, or even crafting your offers themselves— use what you’ve come up with to make sure your messaging lines up in these areas.

You might wonder if it’s manipulative to craft marketing messages around your customer’s fears, frustrations, desires, and dreams.

But is it manipulative to help someone make a decision that will solve an important problem or fill a need for her?

(And NO- I’m not encouraging mindless consumerism. I know that YOU, dear reader, have something truly transformational to offer your customers, so I’m not worried you’ll take this message in that way.)

And here’s the truth. We LOVE to buy things that solve problems for us, or that bring us joy, or create more beauty and luxury in our lives.

And yet …

We also love to procrastinate and NOT solve our problems or treat ourselves to nice things.

(We humans are a strange species. Every last one of us. More on that in later posts.)

So as a marketer your charge is clear:

It’s your job to help your customers help themselves.

It’s your job to help them see that YOU have exactly what they need and want— and also see that they really ought to purchase it NOW so that they can get on with enjoying their lives.

It’s also your job not to deprive yourself of the profits that you totally deserve— and frankly, must make in order to stay in business (and thrive in business).

So if you want to create and keep a cadre of contented customers— while bringing in enough profit to continue creating great products and services— tailor your marketing to their wants and needs.

And if you want to be a smart customer yourself— don’t let yourself be talked into a sale by an aggressive marketer who doesn’t have your needs in mind!

Or just make sure you always shop at Nordstrom. :)

Bye for now, smart marketer!

PS - If you’d like more in-depth training that’s waaaay different than ‘marketing as usual’ have a look at THIS. << (Hint: it’s a game-changer.)

PPS - Be sure to share this if you liked it! I’ve provided options just below to make it easy for you. :)

CLICK TO TWEET AUTOMATICALLY, OR COPY AND PASTE TO SHARE.

Do NOT make your customer feel stinky after making a purchase with you.- Helen Hunter Mackenzie @hhmackenzie

It’s your job to help your customers help themselves. - Helen Hunter Mackenzie @hhmackenzie

Are you asking these 5 questions before trying to influence your customer? Smart marketing tips via @hhmackenzie

And just in time for Happy Hour (on the West Coast at least), I have a little treat for you.

I had the immense privilege of talking to my close friend, the gorgeous + brilliant Erika Lyremark, Creator + Mastermind of Daily Whip— and Author of Think Like a Stripper: Business Lessons to Up Your Confidence, Attract More Clients  & Rule Your Market— about attractive marketing (as opposed to ‘pushy’ marketing) and: 

• Why women typically think marketing is ‘icky’ and what to do about it
• The TRUE role marketing should play in your business (it’s not what most people think!)
• The truth about the ‘smoke and mirrors’ that is going on behind TONS of marketing today— and what to do about it

Be sure to listen all the way to the end because (right before the recording gets cut off unexpectedly) I share a secret marketer’s tip to help build value into your product or service BEFORE you even begin to develop it.

(This is an advanced technique that even the uber-successful and sensational Ms. Lyremark has recently just implemented!)

Enjoy this 100% pitch-free call.

(Pure content, baby.)

Oh and— please, if you like it, share it with your friends!

PS - Listen carefully about halfway in so you can get Erika’s marketing mantra for the day. Priceless.

PPS - If you’re curious about the sales letter Erika is drooling over on this call, go here to see it.

CLICK BELOW TO TWEET THIS!

How attractive is your marketing? @dailywhip and @hhmackenzie help u give it a makeover w/ this FREE no opt-in call.

My son and I always sit down together to read for awhile before his bedtime.

And tonight, before opening his book, he turned to me and said, Mom, a lot of the time at  school, the teachers will make jokes that aren’t funny, and it seems like everyone laughs just to be polite.

Now, I won’t pretend to understand what motivates the random musings of my 11 year-old boy…

(And by the way, he has his mother’s totally irreverent, sophomoric sense of humor— which is probably why he doesn’t like the ‘regular’ jokes they tell at school!)

But his comment made me think about how businesses communicate with their customers.

These days it’s mind-boggling how much content gets created regularly.

But how much of it is REALLY essential and aligned with business goals?

I’ve seen: 

• Blog posts that were probably only read by their author (and his dog)
• Facebook ads that are paying for nothing more than appetizers at the Zuck’s backyard wedding
• Sales pages that wouldn’t sell hand sanitizer to someone with OCD 

And of course, let’s face it: we ALL want people to ‘like’ and share what we’ve worked so hard to produce.

But all too often I see people creating random content that is incredibly easy to ‘like’ on Facebook, but just isn’t compelling.

(And by compelling I mean something that makes people think deeply AND take some sort of action that is aligned with a business’s overall goals.)

And then I see people wondering why, when they have something sell, no one’s buying. (Everyone LOVES my Facebook posts! What gives?)

The truth is, when it comes time for people to back up their ‘likes’ with their credit cards— ‘politeness’ has nothing to do with it.

No one HAS to buy what you have to sell. In fact, as a business owner it’s your job to help people understand why what you have to offer is so compelling, so mouthwateringly or heartwarmingly or businessgrowingly awesome that they can’t NOT buy it.

If that doesn’t happen— the credit card stays in the vault.

So I have a challenge for you.

The next time you’re creating content— whether in the form of a blog post, email, sales page, or any other method of communicating with your prospect or customer…

Ask yourself these three questions: 

1. Would I take the time to (read, watch, click on, buy, etc.) this if someone else had created it?
2. Does it offer something useful to my reader? (a great product, an actionable exercise, information she needs, etc.)
3. Have I given the reader a reason to DO something with it? (like it, share it, click here, buy now, etc.)

If you can’t answer ‘Yes’ to all three of these questions, think seriously before sending it off.

You have important work to do in the world. Like, REALLY big stuff.

Don’t waste any time working on getting a few polite ‘likes’ when you could be changing the world.

CLICK BELOW TO TWEET THIS!

Do you know whether customers really LIKE what you have to offer?. These 3 Qs can help you deliver what they want.

Oh, honey- I can SO relate.

I had to leave my worries about that behind several years ago, though, to experience a quantum leap in my business through one of my early mentors (pssst… she’s kind of a big deal).

Watch the video to learn the story— and listen up for the challenge at the end. I want to know what you’re doing to move forward in your business instead of staying stuck.

REMINDER: If you’d like help crafting a business that brings you both the money AND the lifestyle you really desire (and deserve), register for a private, one-on-one Pampering + Profits VIP Session right here. This powerful session is priced at $1975 (only 10 7 openings left at this introductory price) and includes:

• A comprehensive welcome package + questionnaire to pinpoint the exact areas of your business and your life where you are currently held back from what you desire
• A 4-hour private session via phone or Skype (or live in San Diego) to address these areas and how to shift them so you can experience a quantum leap in income + lifestyle
• A complete review of your marketing, branding, and copy to identify subtle tweaks that can quickly boost your sales
• An action plan post-session to help you implement all that you’ve learned, so you have the exact steps to take to achieve your desired outcomes
• A one-hour phone or Skype call 30 days post-session to fine-tune your action plan and remove any remaining blocks to the accomplishment of that plan

I’ll be revealing ALL the juicy details about this session soon, if (like some I’ve already heard from) you have a million questions.

If you’re in a hurry to grab a spot, register for this session right here.

(Any and all questions you may have will be answered to your satisfaction, or your payment will be reversed).

And please let me know how you decided to rise to the challenge I presented in the video! Send me an email or post to my Facebook page (it needs some attention— after all, it’s brand-new!) and let me know what’s cookin’.

With lots of love,

PS - If you’re not sure whether this VIP session is right for you or have ANY questions, please shoot me an email! I’ll personally respond to you as quickly as possible.

To complete the Values Clarification exercise mentioned in the video, download this worksheet:

Values Clarification Worksheet

If you’d like help crafting a business that brings you both the money AND the lifestyle you really desire (and deserve), register for a private, one-on-one Pampering + Profits VIP Session right here. This powerful session is priced at $1975 (only 10  9 openings at this introductory price) and includes:

• A comprehensive welcome package + questionnaire to pinpoint the exact areas of your business and your life where you are currently held back from what you desire
• A 4-hour private session via phone or Skype (or live in San Diego) to address these areas and how to shift them so you can experience a quantum leap in income + lifestyle
• A complete review of your marketing, branding, and copy to identify subtle tweaks that can quickly boost your sales
• An action plan post-session to help you implement all that you’ve learned, so you have the exact steps to take to achieve your desired outcomes
• A one-hour phone or Skype call 30 days post-session to fine-tune your action plan and remove any remaining blocks to the accomplishment of that plan

I look forward to serving you in this capacity and watching your business (and life) take off!

I’ll be using my unique combination of life coaching skills (straight from Tony Robbins’ Institute for Strategic Intervention) and marketing + branding prowess learned from superstar mentors like Marie Forleo, Kendall Summerhawk, and more.

During the session, we will craft a plan for your business that includes both pampering AND profits (you’ll see exactly how to have both- and yes, it’s absolutely possible, even if you’re a relatively new entrepreneur!).

Register for this session right here.

Whether you choose to book a VIP session or not, please do the Values Clarification exercise (download the worksheet here) and get the support you need to keep moving toward the income + lifestyle you deserve.

The Universe is waiting patiently to deliver everything your heart desires!

With love,

PS - If you’re not sure whether this VIP session is right for you or have ANY questions, please shoot me an email! I’ll personally respond to you as quickly as possible.

If you’d like help learning how to quickly and easily drop YOUR ‘b.s.’ (no, not THAT b.s.— watch the video to see what I mean…) you can register for a private, one-on-one Pampering + Profits VIP Session right here. This powerful session is priced at $1975 (only 10 openings at this introductory price) and includes:

• A comprehensive welcome package + questionnaire to pinpoint the exact areas of your business and your life where you are currently held back from what you desire
• A 4-hour private session via phone or Skype (or live in San Diego) to address these areas and how to shift them so you can experience a quantum leap in income + lifestyle
• A complete review of your marketing, branding, and copy to identify subtle tweaks that can quickly boost your sales
• An action plan post-session to help you implement all that you’ve learned, so you have the exact steps to take to achieve your desired outcomes
• A one-hour phone or Skype call 30 days post-session to fine-tune your action plan and remove any remaining blocks to the accomplishment of that plan

I look forward to serving you in this capacity and watching your business (and life) take off!

I’ll be using my unique combination of life coaching skills (straight from Tony Robbins’ Institute for Strategic Intervention) and marketing + branding prowess learned from superstar mentors like Marie Forleo, Kendall Summerhawk, and more.

I’ll personally share my secrets for how I more than quadrupled my rates within months of becoming a full-time entrepreneur, brought in 6 figures my first year in business, and (best of all) created a lifestyle that sustains me and allows me to offer my clients the highest-quality work possible.

I’ll share what worked and what didn’t work so well, so that YOU don’t have to go through the same struggles I did.

During the session, we will craft a plan for your business that includes both pampering AND profits (you’ll see exactly how to have both- and yes, it’s absolutely possible, even if you’re a relatively new entrepreneur!).

Register for this session right here.

Whether you choose to book a VIP session or not, please get the support and help you need to transform your ‘b.s.’ so that you can enjoy the success you so deserve.

The planet is waiting for more of YOUR brilliance!

With love,

PS - If you’re not sure whether this VIP session is right for you or have ANY questions, please shoot me an email! I’ll personally respond to you as quickly as possible.

The year was 1980, and I was 10.

I’m not sure I knew what it meant to be a ‘better Christian’, particularly at that age.

All I knew was that I needed to be a better human being.

That I was broken.

(Or at least flawed.)

And possibly even in need of a major overhaul.

Over the years following that diary entry, I poured myself into pursuing the dream of perfection. I worked on enhancing my physical appearance, intellectual prowess, and emotional skills.

(I won’t say how successful I was at any of that.)

And there’s nothing wrong with wanting to improve, in itself.

The problem was… well, the problem was that I thought there was a problem.

I wasn’t just improving for the sake of progress. I was doing it with the agenda that I needed to ‘fix’ myself and my life.

Fast forward 32 years, as 2012 wound to a close.

I’d long since discovered that there was nothing wrong with me, and that I was as perfectly imperfect as any other creature on this planet.

And, as I sat down to write out my goals for the coming year, I couldn’t get excited about any of them.

What’s wrong with me? I wondered. There are lots of things I’d love to achieve in 2013. I love my work, I’m excited about my future, I have a lot of dreams to live out.

But the exercise of putting everything on the calendar left me flat.

Suddenly, I realized something important.

I was approaching goal-setting as a means to improve my present circumstances (my business + my life).

And the only reason I wasn’t happy with everything already, was because I was living somewhere other than the present moment.

And ya know… if we’re living somewhere other than the present moment, it doesn’t matter how our lives change; we’ll always be dissatisfied.

I realize my little Yoda moment isn’t anything ‘new’. Spiritual leaders, philosophers, and poets have been saying this for centuries. Eckhart Tolle and others have been saying it for at least a decade. Hell, I’ve been saying it for almost a decade myself.

But here’s where something really interesting happened.

Until that moment, I’d been having a difficult time reconciling my very human need to set goals and work toward achievements with a deep spiritual knowing that everything is just right exactly the way it is.

But as I sat there with my calendar, I realized that I didn’t need to choose between my goals and the present moment.

What I needed to do was let go of the self-improvement project.

I thought I had let go of ‘fixing’ myself years ago, but I realized I had simply replaced one set of objectives with another.

Let me explain.

Prior to starting my business and moving toward the work I’m now doing, I had been in a cul de sac of confusion for nearly two decades about ‘what to do with my life.’

Once I began engaging in work that truly fulfilled me, the behaviors I’d engaged in previously— compulsive shopping, looking for love in all the wrong places, striving to make more money in a career that didn’t fulfill me— fell by the wayside.

But what I didn’t realize was that I had simply replaced one set of unhealthy behaviors for another.

(Vulnerability alert!)

The truth was, I’d spent FAR too much time comparing myself to other entrepreneurs— big, small, and everywhere in between— and deciding on a regular basis whether I was better, worse, or the same.

WOW. What an utter waste of energy. All under the guise of ‘research’ and constantly improving my business practices, of course.

(Can you relate to this at all?)

I consider myself to be a pretty self-aware human being (and by saying that, I know I’m taking myself down a couple notches…).

And it’s easy for me to coach others out of the sand trap of comparison-itis.

But maaaan… I was stuck deep myself, and I needed a serious Physician, heal thyself moment.

So, I made a New Year’s Decision:

I’m done with the self-improvement project.

I’m done renovating the bedroom of my psyche or the living room of my business. The house (temple?) is perfect as-is.

This year, I’m practicing truly embracing my utter imperfection, in EVERY area of my life— including my business.

I’m done comparing myself to what others are doing. If I fall short, I fall short. Let them decide.

My business is to enjoy my life.

Joseph Campbell said to Follow your bliss. And I’ve realized my bliss lies in showing up. That’s it.

Showing. Up.

So that’s my big goal this year: Show Up.

And the craziest thing?

As soon as I made that decision, I breathed a sigh of relief, opened up my calendar, and began planning my year.

Not because I have to. Not because others are doing it, or because my clients and customers expect me to. Not because it will make me a better person to have a ‘more successful’ business.

I’ve planned out my year because it brings me immense, indescribable joy to help women spread their own entrepreneurial wings and enjoy the businesses + the lifestyles they so deserve.

Imagine that: choosing goals because they bring you joy (and transform others’ lives)!

It’s not too late for you to do the same thing, if you’ve been putting off setting your own 2013 goals.

Let go.

Show up.

Choose goals that bring you joy.

And let 2013 be your best year yet.

xoxo

There has been SO much explosive growth in my business over the past couple of months, I’ve had a hard time keeping up with it.

So today, I want to talk about the issue of ‘keeping up’ with business growth.

And I want to be really honest here, because most marketing messages you hear about being in business for yourself are all about, Make money from the comfort of your own home! Enjoy unlimited time freedom and income!

I’m all for marketing messages (it’s a HUGE part of what I do and teach), and those messages are absolutely true- you CAN make money from the comfort of your own home and take the cap off your income when you’re in business for yourself…  but I want to get real with you here.

Entrepreneurship is challenging.

Since I quit my six-figure gig and began building my biz, I’ve grown more, both personally and spiritually, than I ever dreamed I would. (I didn’t know I needed to grow so much, to be honest!)

What’s become clear to me more than ever is that entrepreneurship is a path of spiritual discovery + personal evolution. It’s not the only path, but it’s right up there in the top three, I’d say.

And when you’re in the thick of things in your business, it can be difficult to see how all the puzzle pieces fit together to create a beautiful image.

So first of all, I want to encourage you today, wherever you are in your business, to stop and take a moment (or more) to really SEE how far you’ve come. I don’t care if you’ve been in business for 15 years and you’re rockin’ it out, or you just started three weeks ago- you’ve probably skipped past a few accomplishments here and there just because you’re so busy moving on to the next thing.

Before you open your calendar again and start looking at what you’re going to tomorrow, I want to invite you to walk yourself back in time for even just one year and think of ALL the things you have done over that time.

I guarantee, even if you think you’ve been spinning your wheels, you’ve made progress in lots of ways. You’ve either developed new mindsets to help carry you through the inevitable rough patches, or you’ve created physical products, or digital content (websites, blog posts, emails, social media shares), or even created or nurtured human life.

(I know I’ve got some fellow moms in the house, and we often don’t give ourselves credit for taking on that enormous(ly rewarding) challenge!)

My point is, you are a creative dynamo- a manifesting machine- even if you don’t feel like you are right now. Celebrate that for at least one beautiful moment, please.

And then, watch the video above for my ‘secret weapon.’ I use this ALL the time to handle the inevitable challenges that come my way every single day.

Without it, I don’t know where I’d be.

When you’re done watching the vid, come back here and check out the resources I mentioned:

The blog post that explains the process I talk about in the video.

The book I recommend every human being read, like, NOW (I’m serious).

And please, don’t forget to celebrate the miracle that you are, today and every day.

Write this, edit that, place this copy here and then go back and check to see that it gels with what you wrote over there, and you’re not repeating yourself…

At the same time, I’m evaluating getting more help in my business.

And by ‘evaluating’, I mean ‘procrastinating about making a decision due to minor control issues’.

(Honesty prevails!)

But, for realz… I just had this thought I wanted to share with you.

I’ve said it before at least once, but it bears repeating with a new metaphor attached to it.

There’s this phenomenon, when we’re up to great things… when our excellence is being called into being… when we sense something really- um… spiffy is about to come out of our corner of the world.

Right when we’ve reached creative nirvana, swathed in Divine Brilliance… 

We start checking email. And Facebook. And Twitter. And then that other email account again. And our calendar. And the sink, for dirty dishes. And our fingernails, for trimming.

It’s like eating junk food mindlessly instead of fixing yourself a proper meal!

Thing is, you know that proper meal will sustain your health, leave you looking hot, and let you sleep soundly at night.

(Funny… excellent business projects can do the same thing!)

But the junk food is so… handy.

Rip open a bag of chips and, PRESTO! You’ve got an instant ‘meal’.

Pop open that email window, Facebook feed, or blog post (if you’re reading this, you’re busted) and, WHAMMO! Instant feeling of ‘productivity’.

So today, right now, this moment— I’d like to encourage you to stop reading this blog (and all the other things you have open in your browser right now) and get back to that excellent work you were creating in the world.

We’ll be here when your hot, healthy, and well-rested self comes back, I promise.