For many of us, our business life directly reflects our soul’s purpose.
That’s why launching, or beginning, a new aspect of your business can be vulnerable, scary, and downright intimidating.
I’ve been in a few rich conversations lately surrounding business launches, especially in the online world. With my students, with my colleauges and friends about…wtf is going on with online business?
I’ve wanted to quit lately. It’s been so challenging to feel like my message is reaching anyone when the unsubscribes to my newsletter roll in like water, and when I know the social algorithms are always changing, and I’m in a market where people buy their followers in order to look more popular + to get more business.
Is your soul’s work
best used to keep up
with a social media image or to
create with your unique gifts?
I’m gonna pause here and say: I have no idea what the true solution is. So, if you’re looking for a answer, I surely don’t have one.
I believe that all answers are in the creative process. Like when we experience failures (me! hand raising here) and the depths of the soul that get wounded when things don’t go right – that’s when we start to find answers.
I’m a believer that we all have unique paths that are very different from the algorithms of today’s online world.
I’m also a believer that you can do this business stuff your way and succeed.
Launching is vulnerable. There’s really no way around it. Yet, like many of you know, vulnerablity is there because you’re being called to access your strength.
When I think of vulnerability, I like to think of the animal world. You know how a lot of animals walk on all 4 legs? It’s in part because their most vital life organs are protected this way. And often when animals play or feel safe, they’ll lay on their back with their belly exposed saying: I trust you to not kill me.
Putting your work out there is like saying: I trust you, world, to see my greatest work and to honor it.
Don’t slay me when I show you my life’s work.
Yet, often when we do this and rely only on the stats, so to speak, to tell us if we are honored, we are going to experience disappointment.
Here are a few thoughts on being with launch vulnerability.
This is what to do when you are experiencing the creative season of summer, but also feel sluggish during those days.
Break the feedback loop.
I’m going to keep this short and sweet because I made a really informative video here on breaking the feedback loop. Watch it, but most of all: be your audience. Create your work for you (thank you Dr. Ikeranda Smith for this reminder). Get comfortable with the knowing that you will fail.
Trust that your people will find you.
Celebrate launch day.
Recently I was reading a book that mentioned space stations (aka NASA) to my son. It fascinating to revisit topics simply again as a parent, right?
So, one of the things was the celebration of launch day at the space station. We do that, as a culture. We get really excited when the space shuttle goes into the air successfully.
What if you celebrated the actual launch of your business, not the results? What if you were like “blast offffffff” in your inner being and just stayed there for a minute? I talk about this a bit in Learn Creativity, my comprehensive online course about creativity and self acceptance.
In short: celebrate launch day, not launch results.
Remember your worth.
I recently did a launch and had a few responses of I can’t afford this right now, but it sounds great. And truly, the information I placed out there is at a bargain investment, in my opinion. But what happened with me was that I started to second guess my pricing.
Also, I recently had my entire website, all 215 blogs, and carefully curated content crash. Crash as in…my webhost told me it was lost.
Thank the heavens I know a teeny bit about web stuff, thanks to all my database years behind a computer. So I was able to fix the issue.
But for those few hours that I didn’t know if my website would be restored, I was giddy. Straight up excited. And angry. But mostly relieved.
I realized there was freedom in not tying my worth to my online persona.
And from that place, I was able to re-evaluate how I do things. I asked myself, from the guidance of this awesome podcast on the Kate and Mike show:
Do I want to work with a few people at a high quality and contact with me?
or
Do I want to work with a high about of people with minimal contact with me?
For me, my business model relies on connection. I like to know the people who commission me. I want a long relationship with my students (most of my students have been re-occurring for many years, and I only have a few. I cherish them with all my being).
Remembering your worth is outside of the screen is so important. And it’s a fading art. There’s an art to quiet, and art to being alone, an art to remembering you’re worthy as a you are – vulnerable, naked, and you.
Is an online business or sharing your heart’s work worth it? That’s up to you. I’m not an oracle. Yet, imagine yourself knowing you only had one year left to live on this earth. Would you feel like you’ve shared your truest gifts in your time here?
Remember, sharing your gifts doesn’t have to be a big business change or be tied to money. It can be a subtle shift, like being nicer to strangers or sending a thank you card to someone in your life. Simple stuff makes waves over time.
Always, always, always…trust the path of your life.
Embrace.
Dear Rose, I have recently experienced that being less in the online world brings me to myself again. I feel I am losing myself online a lot of the time in hoping for approval from people I don’t even know, and it doesn’t feel healthy. It actually felt a bit like an addiction when I checked or posted everyday. I banned facebook and twitter from my phone and only occasionally post on instagram. I am an actress and feel that I am much mire centered and happy when I concentrate on my real world. I feel like you that quality connection with a few people means so much more to me than collecting followers. I am writing a book right now and if I actually make it and publish it I will feel like the rocket scientist at the launch. I am writing it to share my light and to give something to the world snd it is incredibly scary and exciting because I have to be so honest and show my naked soul in order to get my message across. It ‘s like my big leap into my power and I hope I’ll fly. I am scared of evil comments and critics and maybe I will not even read them to protect myself. I think nowadays people sometimes lash out at you oine because they are kind of anonymous and all their anger about themselves is adressed on outer things. I have never had bad things said to me face to face when I got offstage but I sm almost certsin that that will happen when I publishy book and people can hide behind theur online presence. Still I want to jump. I feel connecfed to some people I only met online like you, Ahlea Kadro, and Heather Dane, and I am grateful to our online possibilities but I think my way is rather the analogue world. Thankyou gor your incredibly wonderful blog. I don’t think you fsiled even if it doesn’t wirk out financially yet, it will eventually because you are so authentic and really reach people’s douls. And I believe that we live to create and learn❤p.s.my website is so not uptodate because I always think that noone visits it anyway. They go to my shows on stage and look at the theatre plans insteadbut I will updste my site someday soon.
Anne thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and your insights. I believe that the creations that matter most to us make us feel most vulnerable.
The online world is such a beautiful thing, and such a challenging thing. It’s all so new. As for the critics, yes – this is such a big concern for so many as they, metaphorically, birth their work (especially online!). I think addressing it, like you have, it a huge step to not letting that fear get take away your creative desires. You’re supported. I can’t wait to read what you write. Cheering you on, always. ~ Rose
Aw, thankyou dear Rose, I love the internet for connecting me with you and for being able to cross huge geological distances as if we were neighbours. There is so much to be grateful for, so many new opportunities, I just feel that there is also the danger of losing oneself in the longing for apparent Love by strangers like thousands of followers and likes. I feel so lucky to actually be able to correspond with you which probably wouldn t be possible if you had some 50 K followers. I wish you the success and abundance you long for, and love that you are reachable as your very own wonderful inspiring self. I hope you will be able to read what I wrote this year
I’m so grateful to the internet for the very same reason. It’s so good to be connected. YES to reading what you’re writing.
And I totally agree – I’m excited to grow my business but never want to be too busy to connect with beautiful souls like you. Blessings to you, dear Anne!
Rose, your writings and efforts to help other people are beautiful—and clearly not the results of the soulless scavenging for validation you allude to. I wish I had a million bucks to deliver you forever from the need to monetize your passions… however perhaps that would also undo the gentle, yet tenacious spirit that pervades your work? Regardless, keep on keeping on ‘Creative One’! You are in your groove and surely the best is yet to come for you and your clients!
Thank you, Jason. You’re belief in me and my mission helps me to keep going. I appreciate you to the moon and back. I don’t know about the million dollar question. Perhaps it would change it? Good question – one I consider often when people desire to “grow” their business to a 6 or 7 figure thing — is whether their asking themselves the question: will this change how I connect to others? If so, how…?
It’s such a game. I am trying to figure it out how to play while also staying authentic. It’s so weird. I am glad I have a good life outside of social media that I spend time in and nurture. That’s real and that feels much better! Love your authenticity.
I hear you — I’m always curious how people approach social media, in particular, these days. It’s such an experiment, isn’t it? Thank you for sharing here, too, Colleen.
Thank you so much for your words – a friend of mine shared it on her group about working mamas. I spend a lot of time working offline, but I have to post to connect with people and invite them to events and market my business. When I am in a good place energetically, it feels wonderful. When I am struggling, it feels awful and difficult. Thank you for putting words to so many thoughts I have had and keep creating!
Hi Danielle – I’m so glad you made your way here. I think you’ve put it so well, making sure to approach the marketing/sharing/posting from that good place. I believe the key is noting how you feel and having the courage to honor it if it’s a “no”. Holding space for you as you navigate these murky waters!