As Shelley spoke, I could feel the frustration she felt.
She was telling me about how her design business had just about closed up in 2010 and she'd been struggling since to get back on solid ground.
She's been getting good projects, but isn't charging what she is worth because she's afraid no one will pay it.
Her marketing is haphazard and inconsistent so when I ran a Google search (and I always do so I can see how others
see you online) it didn't give me a clear picture of who she is and what she does.
In fact, what surprised me most, was that despite having a handful of links to check out, none took me to a website.
Every web link gave me a page that had the title of the website available for sale, instead of a site with clear services, meet Shelley, portfolio, testimonials, and contact.
And Shelley has all of these pieces, she just hasn't pulled them together into a cohesive and consistent presence to attract top clients.
(This is the part that blew me away; Shelley is wickedly talented, but hiding it! Telling herself lies about what's NOT possible instead of the TRUTH about what is.)
She is stuck in her story about having been through a downturn and
no one will pay real design fees anymore, it all has to be discounted.
This is a lie she's been tell herself and it's sabotaging her success today.
What lie have you been telling yourself?
We all do it. It's called our sad story.
I say sad because if you told yourself a success story (aka happy
story) it wouldn't hold you back.
And your sad story may not look at all like Shelley's, instead it might be about a divorce you had, a client that refused to pay you, how you seem to be attracting nothing but nickel and dimers, how there's too much competition now.
I've heard all the sad stories (and used to tell a few myself), you will only go as far as the story you tell
yourself.
Every time you repeat your sad story, you are reinforcing your belief in it and giving it life.
You are giving power to the limiting beliefs and negative thoughts that are holding you back.
You can rewrite your story at any time and make it turn out the way you'd like to, or you can keep telling yourself lies based on your past.
Have you ever noticed that in your car, your windshield is 20x bigger than your rearview mirror?
The reason is so that you will spend most of your time looking forward and seeing what's ahead instead of focusing on what's behind you.
It's a choice, what lies are you willing to give up TODAY?
You are more than your past, don't let it claim your today and tomorrow.
Mega
Hugs,
Melissa
PS. Shelley has stepped up and is rewriting her story and finding out fast that by shifting her focus from impossible (lies) to possible (truth), it changes her business in bright and beautiful ways.
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