“I’m so busy…I just don’t have the time.”
“Now is not the right time…maybe later.”
“I’m not ready yet.”
You know your projects are important to you…but you just can’t seem to find the time to work on them.
Or maybe you feel like there will be some time in the future….once the kids are in school, or once you lose 10 pounds, or maybe after the holidays….
Or you honestly believe that you are not yet ready to begin. You need another certification, or maybe a training, or you just need to feel more ready.
I hear this all the time.
And in all love, I gotta say: BALONEY.
You DO have the time. You’re just spending it on something else.
And I guarantee there is no time in the future when it will be more “convenient” or a “better” time to begin.
And you are ready.
Believe me, the fact that you have had the idea tells me that you’re ready. If you weren’t ready, you never would have thought of it.
Look, we all get the same 24 hours.
Nobody gets more and nobody gets less.
And I know you have real demands on your time…the job, the kids, the spouse, the parents, the community….but I bet you can find 15 minutes, right?
So do that.
Commit to that right now.
Put your hand on your heart and say this pledge:
“I promise that I will spend 15 minutes every single day, 365 days a year, on my project, starting right now.”
And then set your timer or the alarm on your phone and do it.
Even if you just stare at a blank piece of paper for 15 minutes – that’s great!
Or maybe you want to meditate or pray or breathe or stretch or dance or play with polymer clay or embroider a flower on a scrap of fabric or compose a few bars or write just ONE SENTENCE of your memoir….
Whatever the project is that you know would make a difference in your life, spend 15 minutes on it right now.
And then do that again tomorrow.
And the next day.
And then – and this one might be hard because somehow doing more than 3 in row of anything can be a little challenging – you’ll want to do it again. And maybe give your a little reward (like a nice walk around the block or a phone call with an old friend or a nice swim….) just for being so good and brave.
This little missive in one is a series of 7 that I’m doing to encourage you to Start Right Where You Are.
Start Right Where You Are is a lovely, live, 6-week teleclass that starts next Friday, Oct. 16th. It’s only $197 (payment plan available) and “satisfaction guaranteed or your tuition cheerfully refunded.”
Here’s where you can go to find out more about it: www.StartRightWhereYouAre.com.
And here’s where you can watch the straight-from-the-heart preview event:
http://app.webinarjam.net/replay/608/7cfca59ac1/1/0
Which got these responses:
“awesome very helpful answer – so joyfully actionable. I’m on it!” – K.
“totally laughing out loud” – C.
“Yep! I even snorted” – T
“love that reframing – actually brought tears for honoring and being authentic..” – K.
“very emotional…. thank you Sam” – S.
When was the last time a webinar made you laugh AND cry?!!?
Plus there’s a special offer that’s only good for the first 50 people who take advantage of it, so listen SOON, OK?
So just to recap, here are your opportunities:
1) Spend 15 minutes right now on a project that means something to you.
2) Watch the “Procrastination & Desire” video here:
http://app.webinarjam.net/replay/608/7cfca59ac1/1/0
3) Check out Start Right Where You Are at www.StartRightWhereYouAre.com and see if it feels like a good fit for you.
And please write me back and let me know how it goes for you, OK?
Remember: The World Needs Your Art.
“This has been terrific! So much info…I know I will want to review. Thank you so much Sam and Jessica!” – C.J., Oregon
“Thank you! That was amazing.” – Linda
“Very useful….” – S.S.
Everybody LOVED this totally free, nothing-to-buy-here call with me & my faboo lawyer, Jessica Olmon from Vero Law Group.
Listen or download this great conversation here:
http://InstantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=63796728
As promised, Jessica and I kept it real and used only normal language — so there’s lots of wisdom without any off-putting, overwhelming technical stuff.
Mostly we talked about:
– Trademarks
– Copyrights
– Plagiarism
– Non-Disclosure Agreements
– Contracts
We certainly weren’t able to answer all of the questions we got, but we were able to address a number of the biggest concerns, so give this a listen as soon as you can, OK?
We want a world that is safe and prosperous for creatives — so we offered this training because we love you and want you to be better informed.
If you want to join Jessica’s email list, you can do so at: www.VeroLawGroup.com.
—–> Go HERE to listen/download this valuable, plain-talk legal info for creatives: http://InstantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=63796728
Here’s to your THRIVING new year!!
The true-life story of how I made $80,000 from just one email, PLUS my 10 rules for writing great emails that people will read.
I certainly hope I can play this over again because I’m getting so many gems I can’t quite take it all in right now. – Sabrina
This has been incredibly valuable. Thank you for this gift. – Gail
Thanks, Sam! This is very helpful for designing my new adventure over the next couple of months. Perfect timing! – Shelley
I Can’t Possibly Raise My Prices Faulty Logic #1: “If I can’t get people to buy my stuff for cheap, how can I expect people to pay a lot?”
The problem is that it’s like you’re trying to sell a diamond necklace at the thrift store.
The people at the thrift store won’t buy it, and the people who WILL buy it aren’t at the thrift store.
Raise your prices and the right people will start to find you.
HINT: in fact, those “right people” are right in front of you. Those good folks who can and will pay higher prices are ALREADY in your tribe – they are just waiting for you to offer something at a price-point that makes sense to them.
I Can’t Possibly Raise My Prices Faulty Logic #2: “Well, I wouldn’t pay that much for XYZ …so I can’t imagine anyone else would either.”
Honey, you are not your client.
You do not have the same problem that your client has.
For example, you may not have just bought a big condo in Miami and be desperate to fill up those big blank walls with some challenging new art that will WOW your friends.
Or you may not be invited to attend a black-tie holiday party and not be able to find a plus-size dress that doesn’t make you look like a cheap chandelier…
Or maybe you have never spent a sleepless night wondering if you’ll ever find the love of your life.
But your clients do. They don’t just want to buy big art and a custom evening gown and relationship/dating coaching — they NEED to.
So, of course you wouldn’t pay to solve a problem that you don’t have. But think about a problem that you DO have — would you invest top dollar to get help solving that problem once and for all?
Yep. I bet you would.
I Can’t Possibly Raise My Prices Faulty Logic #3: “I don’t want to work with snotty rich people.”
If you’ve got this thought in your head, then first of all, that’s just plain old discrimination, and you should take a good, long, compassionate look at your assumptions.
(And I’m guessing what you really mean is that you don’t want to work with ANY snotty people, which is fine – don’t. There are plenty of warm, sensitive, well-off people in the world. Just as there are plenty of snotty broke ones.)
Secondly, just because someone pays a premium price for a thing doesn’t mean they are rich.
It means they VALUE the thing, and have prioritized it in their life.
And that’s great news for you — you want to work with people who value what you do.
You need help learning how to charge what you’re worth and how to feel good about it, and since Bill’s a musician as well as a writer/teacher/coach/creative genius, he’s the perfect person to show you how to do this all and have it feel great in your body, mind and soul.
Read it and then let me know what you think, OK?
I’m curious to know how all this lands with you….
REMEMBER: The World Is Eager to Pay Good Money for Your Art.
P.S. I am a friend, a Big Fan and an affiliate for Bill, but honestly I think his work is so great I would share it with you no matter what.
And if you have a friend who is caught in the undercharging/underearning/overdelivering cycle, please share “Mystery Solved: Where To REALLY Find High Paying Clients” by Bill Baren with him or her, or use the social sharing buttons. Thanks! – S.
Exercise: What’s Kept You From Succeeding?
Sometimes it is simply your own stubbornness and stuck thinking that are holding you back.
This exercise asks you to be completely frank with yourself — asking some tough questions in a kindly voice to help you break through some of those nasty internal barrier success.
So grab a pen and, working swiftly, answer the following 10 questions for yourself with as much blazing honesty as you can muster:
- What has stopped you from succeeding before this?
- What’s your most likely form of self-sabotage?
- If you found yourself engaging in that self-sabotage, how might you handle that?
- What are you afraid might happen if you fail at this project?
- How might you address the situation if that failure actually occurred?
- What are you afraid might happen if you succeed at this project?
- How might you address the situation if that success actually occurred?
- What qualities do you possess that can help you move through this project?
- What question has not been asked that you need
- What is the truth? (Start by writing, “The truth is…”) You may notice that imagining the worst of both failure and success, and then imagining how those eventualities, helps you feel a bit more in the driver’s seat.
Fear paralyzes;curiosity cures.
Writing down the answers to these questions encourages you to give voice to the monsters under the bed, disarming them once and for all.
There is plenty of money in the world.
There are lots and lots of people spending lots and lots of money on all kinds of things all the time.
It may not be in your wallet right this second, but it’s out there and it’s not that hard to get.
Notice how the perspective, “There’s plenty of money” is relaxing.
When you are relaxed, you are calmer, more creative and better at seeing solutions.
On the other hand, notice how the perspective, “There’s not enough” causes tension, retraction and anxiety.
That’s not good for business.
In this and in all things, stick with the perspective that causes you to be more relaxed, productive and prosperous.
