How to get to The Land of No Regrets - When I Grow Up

How to get to The Land of No Regrets - When I Grow Up Sometimes, life can feel like one big board game and the goal is to get to The Land Of No Regrets. To get there, you have to move through tons of life lessons, tiring obstacles, and sometimes even Go Back to Start before moving forward again. While a board game is meant to be fun, this game can be tiring and make its players (re: budding business owners) confused. But â€" what if I told you I had a wild card? What if I told you I have a secret move that will help make the journey enjoyable and set you up to “win”?   Listen, all you need to do is… Follow the scary/exciting. That’s it. The scary/exciting will be equal parts nerve wracking and inspiring. It will feel risky and motivating. It will make you scared and excited. That’s the right way. That’s the path to follow. And believe me, I know I’m making it sound easy. I know big decisions aren’t usually easily compartmentalized into perfect emotionally-distinguishing boxes. So, here are a few decision making techniques I use when trying to narrow in on what my gut is trying to tell me: If you’re feeling just nerves and no excitement, that’s what I call The Uh-Oh Feeling. You don’t need to logically know why you’re feeling that way, but you do need to trust what’s in your gut and get out of that situation. If you’re in the opposite boat and just a ball of excitement without any nerves, you’re probably about to do something fun and awesome (yay!) BUT, it’s nothing that’s going to shape you long-term or teach you something of value (womp-womp). You need to follow equal-ish scary/excited feelings to get to The Land Of No Regrets. As a heads up â€" sometimes the scary/exciting pulls you in a different direction than you initially set out for. You might have thought you were supposed to swerve left when really it has you dipping right. Here is the thing: even if following this feeling doesn’t lead you to ~ThE wOrK yOu’Re GoInG tO Do FoReVeR~, it will guide you to the next right step!, and then the next, then the next. Sometimes after working with a client on one business, I notice years later theyre running a completely different business! Instead of being a copywriter like we talked about, shes suddenly an event planner. So me being me, Ill email her and ask, “Did I fail you? Because we planned on you being a copywriter? And, now you’re an event planner and do you want all your money back?” Their response 100% of the time is “I couldn’t be here without having gone there first”. They either weren’t ready for what they thought they wanted or would never have seen what they actually wanted in the first place. By following their scary/excited, they found their way and it led them to the evolution they needed. (I’ve also never had a single client who re-routed their business tell me they regretted their first stop!) Please remember: Starting and owning a business is never a linear process, especially for us highly creative, multi-passionate types. Route changes, curves, and turns might feel strange, but as long as you are following your scary/exciting arrow, you can trust you’re going the right way. I promise you this: At the end of the game, your new business is waiting for you in The Land of No Regrets, and it can’t wait to meet you. Feel that? That’s the exciting/scary calling while you think about launching your biz and working with your first client(s). One great route is by signing up for my Dream to Done year-long program. We’ll start at the beginning, and then hit one formative stop after the next. For the entirety of 2019, we’ll step into The Land of No Regrets together. Apps close Friday, so don’t wait!