In marketing, as in life, you’ve got leave room to breathe.
Stella is reminded of this as she spends the next month running her business from one of her fave places on the planet: Bozeman, Montana.
That’s right: big sky country.
On my walk this afternoon, I was thinking about spaciousness.
The idea came up on a call with my mastermind today. The open question was: is it better to stock up on all the home study kits, free reports, videos, and teleseminars you can get your hands on… or not?
You’ll love this: Stella got up on a short soap box and went off on the virtues of non-abundance.
A.k.a. self-imposed scarcity. Especially when it comes to information on how to run or grow your business.
Stella talks with lots of business owners across the country on a regular basis. And one thing she’s noticing is the belief that you need to “learn more” in order to have a successful business.
Okay, so there’s a little nugget of truth under all that cow dung. Sometimes you really do have an info gap that you need to fill in order to do the next thing you need to do.
But far too often, the “learn more” ruse is a one-way ticket to overwhelm and second-guessing yourself.
And THAT’S no fun at all.
The thing about creating spaciousness in your business is that it takes some huevos. You’ve got to trust that your needs will be met. That you are on a journey, and you can’t possibly carry all the rations on your back. So you arrange for a helicopter to drop more beef jerky and chocolate along your route.
So, gentle and ambitious reader. Here’s my two cents: pick 2 projects you’ll work on this quarter. Your website and making 4 asks a day. Getting your newsletter out every other week and shutting your computer off at night so you can go play with your pets, friends or kiddos. Just pick two. Write ‘em down. Make a plan. And then focus your heart out on making a valiant effort to move those things forward.
And while you’re at it, pick the 2 people you read everything from. And then set your mail server up so the rest get filtered into folders that you check less frequently.
Because the truth is, to run an inspired business, you need to make room for stuff that won’t come to you if you’re stressed out, overwhelmed and buried under a pile of other people’s ideas and words.
Make way and hold space for your instincts, your message, and your voice to emerge.
Photo courtesy of Stella’s afternoon walk in Bozeman, Montana.
Posted August 24, 2011 at 5:42 am | Permalink
Hey There Stella O! Your post came right on time for me this morning. I have too much information running around in my head and i’ts not fun at all. So, I’m going on a bike ride along the ocean to get some much needed space.
What do you mean by the four asks? Do tell.
Thanks much,
Anne
Posted August 24, 2011 at 6:16 am | Permalink
Love your advice! It’s inspiring.
Posted August 25, 2011 at 7:03 am | Permalink
Stella-
I love this! Thanks for inspiring me to pick 2 projects this quarter and to leave the rest to percolate on its own. It’s nice to drop that pack and know that manna (or chocolate!) will fall from heaven when I need it.
Enjoy your time in Big-Sky country! Lovely photo.
Love your Spirit!
(P.S.: I didn’t see it as soapboxing at all. More like disinterested helping. There’s a dif.)
Posted August 30, 2011 at 6:48 am | Permalink
Amen to this! I’ve moved from baby steps to a more steady pace of limiting and even deleting info and newsletters. More stressful at first, but getting starting to feel liberating. Kinda like downsizing from a 3,000 sq. ft. house to a 750 sq. ft. apartment in NYC! Ahh, spaciousness and instincts. Thanks for the reminder.