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Transcript:

Okay, my friend, I'm finally doing this thing that I've been wanting to do for over three years, and I'm a little bit nervous and a whole lot excited to tell you all about it in this episode. But man, I've had so much resistance to recording this just to be straight up honest before we even start. But it's time for me to finally put on my big girl panties and share with you exactly what I'm talking about.
[00:00:30] 2020 has been an issue sane really difficult year. If you've been following me for any amount of time, you know, that it completely destroyed my seven figure business.
[00:01:09] And that I have had to make a complete pivot in my online business, but not only has that been stressful and all the financial ramifications and everything else that goes with it being hard. It's been really heavy and so many other ways, there's all political stuff going on. there's the illness itself and all the fear surrounding that and all the everything surrounding that.
[00:01:34] I mean, that's just huge. And then there's all the other crazy stuff that has been happening. Like, you know, Killer bees and our, what are they called? Murder Hornets. I mean, let's make it more dramatic. Shall we? There's just all of these things. And I'm just so much that is causing this year to be heavy for online.
[00:01:54] Everybody. I know, even from my friends whose businesses are doing insanely well, So many of my friends have this low level of anxiety that just doesn't go away. And more and more entrepreneurs I know are feeling tired, burned out and more than anything, just do not have the emotional capacity to do as much as they used to do everything just takes takes longer, takes more effort.
[00:02:23] And it's the way that our bodies are coping with everything that we've been facing for the last several months. Now, it's been very hard for me, for sure. And. I have a couple of things that I wanted to share with you today, before I tell you what I'm going to be starting in a little bit that have really helped me to get through this time.
[00:02:44] And there things that I want to bring to you in some capacity. So first and foremost, by far without question, the most helpful thing for me in getting through everything that I've been through in this past year has been the people around me who are likeminded and who love me and can support me and remind me of who I am as I'm walking through all of these different times. Being surrounded by people who really get me understand the pressures of having the online business and how COVID has affected it, and really know the value that I bring it to the online marketing space and kinda encourage me to step into that and to keep going, has been so.
[00:03:36] So valuable because honestly my family doesn't really understand what I do. A lot of my friends who are outside of the business world have no idea. It's really hard to explain to them one what it is I do in general. Right. Have you experienced that too? Um, but also to the unique pressures that come from fully supporting your family and having to deal with this during COVID.
[00:03:58]It's different than if you were just working a full time job in dealing with that right now. For me having like-minded friends who are also running online businesses and have the same level of integrity and similar values as I do has been so, Oh, so inspirational and just really a cornerstone to me.
[00:04:21] As I've walked through creating a brand new business. As I walked through trying to save my old business before I threw in the towel and even just having them there too, talk through all of this with when you're making big decisions and you're not sure what to do and the ramifications of your decisions.
[00:04:41] So huge having people who can be there for you is so valuable. I didn't need a lot more content during this time. What I needed was support. I needed that emotional support and I needed people, cared for me and understood me to surround me as I moved forward, especially during the times when anxiety would overtake me.
[00:05:07] The second thing that really was helpful is that, um, I've been really incredibly focused on creating this new business in a way that is so aligned with who I am and with my zone of genius. Now that's a term that I've learned. I've heard it thrown around before, but I recently read a book called the big leap. And in this book, it really helps you see, what's keeping you internally from going past a certain upper limit. Like you hit a level of success and you just can't seem to get past it. And it talks about all the internal drivers that might be holding you back. But it also talks about finding your zone of genius, not just your zone of excellence, which is the stuff that you're really super good at, but drains your energy, but your zone of genius, which is the stuff that you're so good at that you don't even realize you're good at it because it's just a part of who you are.
[00:06:01] It's what you do naturally. It's what brings you energy when you're done and just lights you up. For example, I love doing my clarity coaching days, and even though some of them are quite long and they can be mentally exhausting by the time I get to the end of a clarity coaching day, I am fired up like.
[00:06:23] None other, I get so excited and I feel ready to go out and conquer the world. That is part of my zone of genius. Now, when I'm working on funnels and writing emails and doing all the tech stuff that goes behind things and setting up softwares and all those types of things, honestly, I'm really good at it.
[00:06:45] I am so dang good at it, but it drains me of energy. It's my zone of excellence. It's my zone of excellence. And the big difference between the two is how it makes me feel when I'm done, how much resistance I have to doing it. how much I enjoy it versus not. And so as I've been moving forward through 2020, and not only dealing with the stress from my business, but all the other stressors that are on me, I have been incredibly focused on trying to design a business that is so fully aligned with me.
[00:07:19] That it doesn't drain my energy. That it's actually something that can add to the energy that I have and equip me to go into the world, ready to face whatever is there and be emotionally stronger. I didn't even think that was possible. I realized for the last 10 years, I have almost completely been living in my zone of excellence and not my zone of genius.
[00:07:44] Isn't that crazy? I cannot believe it. I love the bright future method workshop that I have created, and that I'm currently teaching to a cohort of students.
[00:07:55] I love seeing their transformations, but as I've been doing it, I've noted. That number one, actually, teaching the lessons is heavy for me. Like I have all the content outlined. It's not anything I have to figure out because I've taught it before. I'm rearranging a few parts, but it's basically all there.
[00:08:12] I'm just polishing it off and teaching it again. And it's not hard, but I don't feel energized by it. It's like thing where it's like, okay, I'm just going to go do this. And I don't look forward to it. That being said, On Thursdays when we do our live Q and a sessions and we're, it's almost like group coaching because we all come together in zoom and I help people walk through the various parts of this because as Brian was saying, Brian's one of my, students in the bright future method workshop.
[00:08:42] He's like, This course is hard because you really have to think and be intentional with your answers and figure out what you need really want. It's not just a quick and easy, you know, do X, Y, and Z, and you'll get the answer. It's something that actually requires you to think about who you are and what you want and what you stand for and how you can help people and answered the questions that you really need to answer.
[00:09:06] If you want to have a deep impact on your people and in the way world. But I love that stuff. I love working with them. I love helping them walk through that process. And see the big ahas and see how it's already just two weeks in starting to transform their messaging, starting to get them more engagement and starting to clarify exactly, exactly what they need to be doing to move forward.
[00:09:32] And I always leave those live Q and A's sessions totally fired up. I stay on them way too long because I want to help people deeply. And so one of the things that I've noticed is that part of my zone of genius is. Helping people but I really believe that if you want to get out of that messy middle, and if you find yourself exhausted and you don't have time and you just dreading the stuff you have to do, and they're just, you're just, it's, it feels like pushing in your business.
[00:10:04] You're probably not working in your zone of genius because the more I'm adding things into my business that really. Helped me live in that zone of genius. The easier it is to do, like I get excited about it. I don't dread it. I don't put it off. Those are the things I do first on my to do list. And so if you want to go, so from, you know, that messy middle and really get to the next level in your business and scale, you've got to get clearly focused on what your zone of joy and an easy thing you can do.
[00:10:38] Just kind of, as a quick little side note bonus tip is to start. Feeling how you feel as you're going through your day and making note of it. So intentionally doing a task and asking yourself, how do I feel about this? Does it leave me energized when I'm done? Or am I dreading it? Am I avoiding it? Does it leave me drained?
[00:10:59] Because I think so many times we live in our zone of excellence or even just our zone of. Capability. Like it's something we can do. And so we do it because we feel like we have to, Oh my gosh. Operating out of obligation, not awesome. Definitely energy draining. That's going to SAP you and keep you from being able to do what you really need to do.
[00:11:21] To get out of that messy middle and really thrive. This is why I said a couple episodes ago that getting out of the messy middle and moving forward, isn't about what you say yes to it's about what you say no to, and going really deep on those things that you say yes to that are in your zone of genius.
[00:11:39] That just feel light and easy and give you energy. Okay. So the third thing that has been absolutely. Incredibly helpful is having people around me who can be mirrors for me. Now, when we're talking about the zone of genius, I think it's really hard for us to identify it because we can't see our greatest gifts because they're too close to us.
[00:12:04] Like they feel like who we are. We don't value them because they are so easy for us to do that. We just do them naturally and it doesn't feel. Like work. It doesn't feel like something we're actually even intentionally having to do. We just, we do it. It is who we are. It is how we are built. It is what we love to do.
[00:12:25] Naturally. It's literally the zone of genius. And so this past week I have spent. A shameful amount of hours, not shameful. I'm not ashamed of it by any means. It was amazing. But I've spent a lot of hours talking one on one with a whole handful of different people, really trying to discern and get clarity because yes, I am so good at helping other people get clarity, but even myself, you know, when I'm walking around, I can't see my face.
[00:12:57] You know, like if I want to see what my face looks like, or my hair looks like I need to look in a mirror because it's too close to me. It's too close to my eyes. It's not positioned in a place where I can see because it's part of my body. And the same thing happens in our business. Everybody needs people who can be a mirror for them who can reflect back.
[00:13:19] Not only who you are, but who can, you know, like what your greatest gifts are because we take them for granted. We don't even realize that. Not every gosh, that's not a big deal. It's so easy. Like that's not a gift. It's just what I do. . Those are the kinds of things that can really help point you towards your zone of genius.
[00:13:38] And sometimes talking with other people. We'll help you see that that's your zone of genius. Not only that, but we need people who can be mirrors for us, who can show us the obvious problems, but also the obvious opportunities that might be right in front of us in our business. Now, a great example of this was last fall.
[00:14:01] I had a friend who I was chatting with. She was in the mastermind that I'm a part of. And she gave me one comment. You know, she went into her experience and I, I was talking with her about how I was going to move forward about something. And she goes, huh, I've done this before. She's like, have you considered this?
[00:14:21] And I'm not going to go into all the details. Not because I'm holding out, but because it would be way too long to explain all the context, but I'm like, Oh my gosh, Of course, like that's brilliant. And this was something that she had done in her experience and it just made so much sense. They get into practice literally within like two or three days.
[00:14:41] And. That weekend I made over $32,000 from a single comment from a friend in a mastermind who saw my situation, who had experience in a similar situation and who was able to say, Oh yeah, just do this. This works great. And. You know, I was considering all these different things and it's not something that was unheard of.
[00:15:04] It wasn't like groundbreaking, but it was the perfect thing that I needed to see in that moment. And it was just so close to it and considering so many things that it wasn't obvious to me, and it was obvious to her. And so having people around us as mirrors, who can not only help us see who we are and what we're gifted at, but can see those obvious opportunities and pitfalls.
[00:15:26] And our businesses because they've been in a similar situation is absolutely unbelievably valuable because like I said, at the very first episode of season three, the reason that I can grow fast now compared to when I was starting out 10 years ago, basically comes down. To experience, I've got the experience.
[00:15:49] So I know what works and what doesn't, I've got that confidence. And when you have a group of people around you who can share their experience so that you don't have to do it yourself and learn the hard way and they can save you steps, they can save you time and heartache, and they can point out the easy, obvious path it's invaluable.
[00:16:11] It's invaluable. One comment made me all that money and. It was so incredible to have, especially this past year. So many friends around me and some of them who've been through some really difficult situations who could be mirrored for me, who could help me see what seems so obvious to me now. Didn't seem obvious to me even two weeks ago, isn't that funny?
[00:16:35] Like sometimes we need those mirrors and this past week has been such a gift to me, even though I've kind of stepped away from some of my daily stuff. I know I've been a little bit more reclusive this last week because I really took it to focus on next steps to focus on what am I going to do between now and the end of the year to position me to really thrive in 2021 to make me the money that I need to get through the end of the year.
[00:17:01] All of these things. Wonderful, wonderful things. And this week, one of the other things that I did was I was in a mastermind group and this is a small mastermind that I'm a part of that just started, just started a couple of weeks ago
[00:17:16] and the moment I got into this mastermind and we started the meeting. It dawned on me. I, I came into it knowing, and just that it was going to help me really get clarity. Like I just knew this past week was going to show me the next steps. And first five minutes there I am. And I realized, why am I not leading this?
[00:17:43] And I've been wanting to do a mastermind for. Years, like three and a half years. I even talked about it way back at the very, very beginning of this podcast so you can go back to season one and start listening from the beginning.
[00:17:59] And you will hear me talk about how I wanted to run masterminds. And I've been thinking about a mastermind all year. I've been thinking about how I would just love to run this adventure mastermind, where we go and we travel and we step outside our comfort zones and. We do things that stretch us physically and mentally and emotionally, and we let ourselves get uncomfortable because there's so much growth to be had in those experiences.
[00:18:27] And I said, okay, well I will do this other stuff. I'll do my course. I'll start a membership. You know, I'll do all those things first. And then when we can travel again in spring, then I will launch my mastermind. But as I said, sat there in the small group on zoom and I felt the connection and I felt the support and I just felt. How awesome it was to be able to come together even now, even though it's not in person and to have that connection from other entrepreneurs who really get what I'm going through, I just knew I don't need to wait. I can absolutely do that. Now. So what I've decided to do is to start brighter together, mastermind groups, because I want you to be surrounded by likeminded people who can help you get to the next level. And scale your business. I want you to have access to other people's experience and to have that emotional support that comes from having an intimate group of entrepreneurs who really get what you do, who understand you as a person, because they are also doing the same things that you do, who can encourage you, who can support you, who can check on you when you're struggling, because what I have found to be true is that.
[00:19:50] We need two things to succeed in our businesses. Number one, we need clarity and strategy and you know, all the business stuff we need. We need to know what we're doing. Let's just put it that way. I'll call it strategy. But number two, we need support, especially. Emotional support and then has never been more clear to me than it has this year, because I know that if you are feeling extreme anxiety or a lot of fear, or you're feeling burned out, it is near impossible to keep.
[00:20:26] Moving forward. And if you feel alone through all of this and you don't have somebody, who's there to remind you of who you are and what you're capable of, you're not going to make it. I mean, maybe you will. I shouldn't say for sure. You're not, but the chances of you making it through this and really thriving.
[00:20:44] It's so much less, and I know I've done it alone. I did it alone for so long and it, it wasn't until three and a half years ago that I personally joined a mastermind. And at the time. My business had declined by more than half over the last two years prior to that. And it was a scary time. I was burned out.
[00:21:07] I didn't want to do what I was doing anymore. I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do. I felt so defeated and. Even though this year has been incredibly hard and I've had to say goodbye and walk away from my old business and start something new this year. Wasn't nearly as hard as when I was at that point. I was at my lowest point and just so burned out and I joined a mastermind.
[00:21:36] I made a huge, scary investment with money that I really couldn't afford to spend. And I really was investing in myself and trusting that this would work, that if I invested not just. Like monetarily in this mastermind. But if I invested myself my time and my effort into this mastermind really got to know the people, build the relationships and went deep with them that it would help me grow.
[00:22:06] And do you know what it did? It did. It did. I can't. I mean, I can't promise that you're going to get growth through a mastermind, but what happened was I was able to go from that $315,000 a year to over seven figures annually and just. 18 months, 18 months. And it wasn't because they had all this amazing new content for me or whatever else it was because I had the support of other people who understood how to grow an online business.
[00:22:37] What I was going through, they helped give me the emotional support and confidence. They helped guide me. They were mirrors for me. I could leverage their experience and we could do it together. Not only that, but I have friends. They've become real friends that are close them family to me. And I just, Ugh.
[00:22:56] I know with how, we've been so socially distance from each other. We haven't been able to hug each other and travel and actually spend time together.
[00:23:07] Like we used to and we're feeling it. We need connection.
[00:23:13] So while I can't bring you together in person yet right now, what I can do as I can help you build that connection with other people online in small intimate. Like-minded groups of no more than 12 people. That'll be led by me that meet twice a month for about two hours per time, and then do one big annual three day retreat.
[00:23:41] Now I want to actually have few different groups based on the income level and where you are in your business, so that you can be surrounded by like minded people, but also, so that you're not. left out if you haven't reached a certain stage yet, because I know that you will all grow together and you'll still have access to everyone in the larger group.
[00:24:05] Now, the focus is it's going to be both on growing our business, but also. On the personal growth that needs to happen to help you create a business that is fully aligned with who you are that really takes advantage of your zone of genius so that your business gives you energy and doesn't drain it so that you can face the rest of your time feeling.
[00:24:30] Like this actually helped you. It helped you to work. You are more prepared to handle the rest of your life because your business energized you and is bringing you in money, then draining you of all your energy. But to do that, you need to do the personal work. You need to do the business work, and here's the thing.
[00:24:50] You shouldn't have to do it alone. We've all had those moments when we are struggling. And I know for me, it took an incredible amount of courage to learn, to step up and ask friends for help, especially when I need it, that emotional support, because it felt weak. And I didn't like doing it. And I didn't like admitting that things were hard.
[00:25:13] But my friend, things are hard for everybody. We all need help. We all need support. That's what's missing for so many people who are stuck in the messy middle. They're trying to do it all alone. They don't have people who can show them, Oh, look, you're doing this. And this is going to pull you back, , they can't see the obvious opportunities and the.
[00:25:34] Obvious pitfalls. And they often are. Aren't running businesses that are fully aligned with them. They're in their zone of excellence and there's zone of excellence is usually huge, but they need to get into their zone of genius. They need to start saying no to certain things. I fully believe that when you come together, where they grow group of entrepreneurs who get it, that the value you get from their experiences and the collective experience of the group is so much more valuable than any course you could buy.
[00:26:10] It's so much more valuable than even hiring an individual coach who can only draw on their own. Experience, this is why masterminds are so vital to helping you grow because they are going to support you on an ongoing basis. And you can leverage the expertise and the experience of the people in the group.
[00:26:34] And this is truly what helped my business to finally take off and triple and just 18 months. Now, if you. Are somebody who deeply loves people. Who's transformation driven and wants to make a real impact in the world. If you find yourself in the messy middle, but you're so ready to do whatever it's going to take to move forward, to simplify and to build a business that.
[00:27:02] Makes you feel good like that isn't going to run your life, but that really amplifies the joy in your life and brings you energy and brings you more income and you want to scale it. And if you're serious about finding your people and being surrounded by likeminded people and this is a big one. If you refuse to compromise your integrity for any amount of income and your huge action taker, you get stuff done. Then I would love to invite you to join the brighter together mastermind groups that I am putting together.
[00:27:37] I'm going to be starting. These mastermind groups really fast, an action taker. I'd like to get them started and a couple of weeks at the latest. So if you, you are interested in this, if you need that support, please go to, we are brighter together. Dot com. And fill out the application. It's got all the details.
[00:27:58] It's going to tell you how often we're meeting. It's going to tell you all the stuff that's included. It's going to give you all of the pricing. Everything is there. Now I will tell you straight up, it is not one of the expensive $30,000 a year masterminds that you typically we see, but it isn't cheap.
[00:28:16] That being said, it is less than the cost of hiring me to do two coaching days with you in a single year. And you're going to get access to me personally, for four hours a month. During these mastermind meetings, I'm going, I'm personally going to be leading these groups. And so we are going to be starting soon.
[00:28:36] I would, I really love to have you as a part of this because here's what I know to be true. 2020 has been a difficult year, and there's still a lot of stress on you. And I know that the stress is likely going to continue into 2021, but I will you to be in the best possible place.
[00:29:02] To get through whatever comes our way and to prepare yourself to crush it in 2021, John, despite what's happening in the world, I would say want you to have a business that feels light and easy, and that can take you to the next level and help you scale. And I want you to be surrounded by likeminded people with similar values to you who are in a similar stage of business who love taking action and getting stuff done. And I know, I know how beautifully rich and valuable it is to have those friends who become closer than family to support you throughout the entire journey. I want to be there with you. I want to know your business. I want to help you move forward, and I want you to meet your new business.
[00:29:54] Best friends. We are truly brighter together. I mean, I created that phrase and I live it and I love it. And I'm calling these brighter together masterminds because of it absolutely true when we, our experience together and we share this experience of growing an online business, the things we can accomplish in the connection that happens is.
[00:30:15] Unbelievable. And I want you to experience that. So go to, we are brighter together.com fill out the application. Now, now I'm not going to take everybody. I'm going to be very selective because I know how important it is to have the right people in these groups. But part of my zone of genius is knowing and reading people and really curating incredible communities.
[00:30:42] And so that's going to be a big part of what I do. So go fill out the application as soon as you can please, so that we can start moving forward with these. And I will let you know, if you have been accepted and then we'll start moving forward with the groups.
[00:30:57] I'm going to work with everybody in the group to make sure we find a time that works for everybody. we can absolutely accommodate anyone in any time zone.
[00:31:07] And we would be happy to have you no matter where you are in the world. we are brighter together.com go fill out the application. Don't forget my friends. We truly are brighter together and the world needs us. So let's go and make it brighter.

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