Welcome to a brand spankin’ new year! 

Whether you ended 2021 on an extremely high note (i.e. you met ALL your goals that you set early in the year, crushed them even, and you’re amped up to ramp up in 2022) 

OR….

You didn’t meet your expectations (on paper at least) and are kinda questioning whether it makes sense to plan and execute your vision – especially if it didn’t manifest last year.

If you see yourself in the latter group, you’re not alone and all isn’t lost like that Lego piece under the couch. 

Here’s why. 

 

*cue analogy incoming*

 

Say you started to play the financial investing game. In year 1, you bought into the concept of compound interest (you smarty pants, you) and used the principles to create a sizable chunk of money/nest egg toward your “ultimate number” goal. 

But it’s going to take you 5 years to reach that goal. 

Not every year will yield the same results. Or meet your expectations. But you stay the course, make deliberate decisions, and are prepared for the setbacks. Every year builds on the previous year inching you forward to your pot of gold. 

Similarly, in entrepreneurship…you need to compound your thoughts and actions to create the results you want.

I met my 6-figure goal as a micro-agency copywriter in one year. 

But it took me three years to get there – despite setting the same goal every year.  

The timeline can shift (YAS!)

Even if your action-taking-consistency remains solid. Even if your determination remains unwavering. Even if it seems maniacal to some who question you, “what’s the point???

Along the way, I’ve realized that it’s not just detailed plans or Pomodoring your way to success that gets you the intended result. 

 

It’s your thoughts. 

 

Here are 10 thoughts I want to share and encourage you to practice EVERY DAY – whatever your business goal. These 10 thoughts will act as your North Star (especially on days when you want to quit and retire in the Himalayas) and fuel your actions.

Presenting my 10 thoughts…in no particular order 

  1. It’s happening…even if there’s not a shred of evidence to support it. The “it” being the goal.
  1. I’m a (insert your revenue/income goal) woman/man and everything I do today is a reflection of that. Whether it’s ordering avocado toast at the local coffee shop or getting ready for a Zoom call. The question is…would my million dollar version show up and act like that?  
  1. My clients’/customers’/students’ success is my success. How can I delight them so that they’re excited to give me their money? Whether it’s a $97 digital download or a $10k launch copy package. Overdelivering is my love language. 
  1. It’s supposed to be hard and unpleasant at times – Even if it’s within your zone of genius. Let it be hard and frustrating. Don’t use that as an excuse or a sign to say you’re an imposter and quit.
  1. I’m responsible for every sale in my business. Not my customer. Not my employee. Not my coach. (If you want to practice even one thought from this list, let it be this one.)
  1. Money is freakin’ AWESOME. It’s a scorecard of how far I’ve come. My wins, struggles, losses, heartbreaking failures, and teary-eyed success. It’s beyond a numerical value. Period. 
  1. I can pivot, course correct, or change my mind when I please. Can I change my business model next month? Yes. Do I need 10 years of copywriting experience before I can coach or mentor someone? Nope. 
  1. I’m exactly where I need to be on this journey. I’m not ahead of my goals. I’m not behind in my goals. I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. And it’s spectacular. 
  1. Results are neutral. The conversions on a landing page. The revenue collected for the month of February. The bounce rate on my website. It’s not a problem or a devastating event until I put a thought or emotion behind it. Good news? I control my thoughts. 
  1. I deserve high-quality support in business and life to do and show up as my best self. 

And that’s a wrap. All 10 thoughts. 

Do you need to think of each thought everyday? Nope. You do what works best for you.

A Peek Into My Thought Practice

 

We know this but it bears repeating anyway. The magic lies in consistency. It’s not sexy. It’s 100% boring. But it works. 

Full disclaimer: I don’t have a daily thought practice set in motion. Yet. My 67-day goal (I say 67 because that’s how long it usually takes to form a habit) is to write my daily thoughts in my goal book. Yes, that’s what I call it. 

Also: Nothing beats writing your thoughts instead of typing them. The power of the pen (pencil, crayon, chalk, or whatever I’ve got laying around)…

 

Step 1: Do a brain dump of all the thoughts I’m thinking before I start my day. Good and bad. Let it rip. No censorship allowed. 

Step 2: Do a thought audit. What’s a useful thought versus one that wants you to stay in bed with your PJs and Netflix on? Basically categorize the useful versus the not useful thoughts. Useful thoughts are: I’m doing great. I made money. I am an excellent problem solver. Not so useful are: I’ll never figure this out. I’m always catching up. I’m not as good as ________. 

Step 3: For the second thought category (the non-useful thoughts), can you reframe them so that they generate useful feelings to get a task on your to-do list done? 

 

For example: I don’t know how to map out this book funnel.

Possible Reframes: “Who can I talk to about book funnels that’s willing to help?” 

                                        “Who do I already know that has a successful book funnel? Let me study their marketing”

“How does the million dollar (or insert your number) version of me think/behave/decide to deal with this thought?” 

Strongest reframe: “I can brainstorm at least 3 ways to create a book funnel today (this one’s awesome because it creates an intended future result).”  

 

Step 4: Pick an emotion (or more than one) that I need to match the useful thought(s) and propel into action. Do I need to feel determined? Do I need to feel accomplished? Do I need to feel proud of myself? Yes, you can choose your emotions. Isn’t that empowering? 

Step 5: Get into action mode! So for this example it would mean…get out of bed.  Take a shower. Put on fresh, clean clothes that need to match your emotions. 

Step 6: Day over! High five my “future self” who wasn’t around when I woke up in the morning but is the one smiling and beaming proudly. 

 

That’s it! That’s my thought practice. Sounds simple enough on paper, but it’s a whole other beast as I actually put it into practice. 

Got takeaways and a thought practice you’ve implemented? Share ‘em with me. 

Wanna dive into this work and create possibilities in your business in 2022?