I was tempted to throw in the towel one chilly morning two weeks ago. It was January 9, a few days after my first training video had been released. (The ones I was nervous to do but “went for it” anyway.)
The videos went live, some great feedback was starting to come in, with comments that people were getting tremendous value and having poignant breakthroughs… all from a free 20 minute video.
All sounds good, right?
Well, amidst the excitement and the early stages of my fears beginning to dissipate (that this approach was the right thing), I received an email that threw me for a loop! A big one.
It was an email from someone who had asked me for an interview this coming May. She realized the value of my work and reached out to see if we could schedule an hour for her to interview me. It was a great fit, and I was excited at the thought of helping her community of writers.
Anyway, the email she sent to me on January 9th stated that it was clear I was driven by marketing and that was the most important thing to me. And because of that she could no longer interview me for her community.
Uhhh…. this is where I felt like throwing in the towel. What?
I had just invested tens of thousands of dollars to create a FREE training that yes, was also invitation for viewers to join my Get Your Book Done® program, but helped thousands of people who will never pay me – causing breakthrough after breakthrough with regard to writing their transformational book. Seriously, a cancelled interview?!
As soon as I read her email, my heart started racing. OMG, maybe she’s right, maybe I crossed a line, maybe I’ll lose tons of subscribers, maybe the whole thing was a bad idea, maybe I’m going to lose a lot of money, maybe I just shouldn’t try so hard to reach as many people as I can.
It took a few hours for that fear to settle and to find my ground again. And here’s what I learned that I hope will help you too if you ever find yourself in the same situation.
First, remember that everything is happening for your highest good – and the evolution of your soul. Yes, everything as tough as that feels sometimes.
Next, I “got” that this probably said more about her relationship with marketing and money than mine. It’s often the people who are struggling around their income that most often put down others who appear to be doing well.
If that was her case, I wish she would have stuck around to learn from me how you can be both spiritual/loving/soul-centered/generous AND run a profitable business! (My business is debt-free and has seen steady growth in bottom-line profit over the past few years… as I’ve helped more people!)
After that initial reaction, I found a resolve that I wasn’t quite expecting…
All my life I’ve been worried about what people thought about me and if they liked me. It goes back to an old belief that I wasn’t good enough.
I’d been “warned” that this stuff might surface again during this video launch because I was sure to upset some people with my new approach.
Well… yes, the stuff resurfaced again. “They won’t like me, etc” was written all over that email I received from this woman. But it dissipated rather quickly as I reminded myself that for every 1 person who unsubscribed there were dozens of others having life-affirming breakthroughs! And, it’s truly OK to ruffle some feathers and get a few unkind emails in pursuit of my mission.
I finally understood on a deeper level that the more I get out there – reach more people and impact more lives, the more nay-sayers will likely surface. It’s a numbers thing really. But, after going through this experience, I feel more prepared for that should it come.
I’m grateful I didn’t throw in the towel and pull the plug on the whole thing because one person decided they didn’t like what I was doing anymore. And I’m grateful I found the strength to stay the course, no matter what.
This train has left the station, and I’m going to keep on going! There’s a world out there aching for transformation and I will do my part… even if I ruffle some feathers along the way.
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I’d love to hear your thoughts on this article. Has anything like this happened to you? And how have you dealt with it?
