What if failure is your norm?

I spoke at an amazing conference for artists this weekend (Self Employment in the Arts Conference check it out!). And one theme that came up again and again was failure. Having a book idea rejected for years, having projects flop, being told you aren't talented, being fired from jobs, working the wrong jobs...again and again people told stories of "failure". 

So why continue? Why keep pursuing your dream if it doesn't seem to be going anywhere? 

Because failure doesn't mean impossible. Failure doesn't mean you were wrong. Failure doesn't mean you were stupid. Failure doesn't mean you're not talented. Failure isn't failure unless you see it that way. Failure is your guiding light. Failure is the sign you need to course correct. Failure is the voice of the Universe saying I see you trying, try again, try better, try your best, you're still learning. You're still moving. Keep it going. 

Entrepreneurs don't play it safe. Risk is an inherent part of what we do. We're not business warriors because we get everything right, we're lifelong, dedicated, committed, going to try until we die, warriors for the truth. We fight for what we believe is going to change people's lives. We fight to find the story inside of us that will resonate with a generation. We fight for the art that will inspire a nation. We fight to find our own biggest struggles, bring them to light, find innovative solutions and share them so others can benefit. 

We fail and we fail and we fail. And we succeed. And it pays off. And we hold our visions tightly. And we hone our crafts. And we expand ourselves until we are doing what no one thought we were capable of. We stretch our minds, we travel the globe looking for our tribe, we outgrow our beliefs that say you're a failure, and we go beyond to the bigger picture, to the great unknown, to try new things, new platforms, new ideas, new movements that have never existed before. And we keep moving. We keep going. 

We're entrepreneurs. We're artists. We're scientists of failure and we're researching our capacity to change the formula and find a new answer. We're warriors of business. We're lovers of risk. We're failures until we decide that we're not. 

I won't tell you what to do

I’m not a go big or go home type of person. I’m an everyday show up do something that will move you towards your dream type of person. I won’t tell you to spend your last penny on a coaching package, unless you’re in complete alignment with that choice. I think for most of us it’s not about one big epic decision, but rather an ongoing commitment to the daily chugging along on the way to where we want to be. I won’t say you have to give 150% of your energy all the time, but rather listen to your energy, and when it says to push you push, and when it says relax, go inward, you do that too. I won’t tell you to do anything, but I will ask you to rise up to the potential you have, and I will help guide you to finding ways to make small shifts every day towards who you want to be, what kind of business owner you want to be, what kind of career you want, what kind of lifestyle you want, what kind of legacy you want to leave. I won’t tell you just what I think, but what I feel, and what I hear and see for you when I tap into my intuition and your energy. I will offer you insights, I will offer advice. I will offer you the space to listen to yourself and make the choices that are best for you. I will show up for my calling and I will ask that you do the same.

Entrepreneurship ain't always sexy

It's Friday night at 10:30 and I got hit with the need to write so voila. That's kinda how it goes with running your own creative business- your work brain never fully turns off. And there's always something work related you can do. Which makes not doing work and not feeling guilty about it a daily practice.

So here I am in my bed, wearing- deep breath- sweatpants I have owned since high school. Yup. And I know this because there's something written on the butt of them (so sorry stylist friends!). And I feel like this is a pretty good summary of what entrepreneurship looks like for most people. (I know some of you still own wordy butt pants you secretly wear!) But seriously it's not about this sexy lifestyle that we see on Instagram. I don't really know where all these super fit moms wearing matching bikinis with their kids or super rich dudes making Youtube ads showing off their mansions hang out but those aren't the entrepreneurs I know. 

The entrepreneurs I know are real people, who show up as humans and make big differences in the lives of the people they work with. They still struggle with things we all struggle with- money matters, relationship matters, family matters, career choices and the always present question of "How much coffee is really too much coffee?!"

And sometimes it feels like we're all a little crazy living in this entrepreneurship bubble, especially when you realize you have friends who literally can only do their work AT work and you're like MIND BLOWN. (And if you're like "But entrepreneurs have so much free time!" Uh no we have exactly 24 hours of opportunity to work every day. See sentence 1 for example.)

So why do it? Why take the risks that come with it? (Besides the chance to make tons of money, obviously.) Because I can't NOT do it. I really don't know what else I would be doing right now if I hadn't started a business 6 years ago, and then another 2 years ago. I know for sure that I wouldn't be as fulfilled. That's probably been the biggest blessing I've received from all this. Pure joy and fulfillment from the people I work with. Whether it's a client sharing a testimonial where we both end up crying tears of joy and gratitude, or squealing with excitement over the goals we've laid out. Or flying across the country to speak about mindset at a conference full of college professors and having someone come up to me after to say "I have to give you a hug, this was exactly what I needed to hear today." or another professor asking to interview me for her new book. Or jumping on Facebook live to do a video on the fly and having people say THANK YOU and that the message was helpful. Or that I helped transform someone's mindset around money and they're now charging what they truly want to and making a living with their art. 

I feel like I have no choice but to do this work. And while it's challenged me in SO many ways, there's nothing I'd rather be doing. Every moment of connection and impact supersedes every moment of fear, doubt, frustration, and hustle that I've had. 

You Must Create Your Own Security

The life of an artist has no guarantees. Right? Sure it’s risky. Just like entrepreneurship, you’ve got ideas and you put them out into the world and there’s no guarantee of how it will be received. Most artists also get told by someone at some point they probably will never make much money. Which kind of sucks out some of the motivation, no? Sure you can make stuff but you’ll never get very far with it- not exactly an exciting proposal for a career.

What I’ve learned, and what I see other creative people missing, is that you must create your own security. And you must act AS IF you have a guarantee it will work out, that you will make money. Because otherwise you will spend all your time in doubt, in fear, focused on insecurity rather than taking control as much as you can to make sure you’re where you want to be. (Financially, and otherwise.)

I unfortunately witness so many talented people who have removed themselves from truly committing to their passions, their beautiful skills, because they don’t feel a sense of security and therefore hold back on going all in powerfully. It takes money to make money. But it also takes a sense of knowing, an inner motivation and a set of beliefs that say “You’re going to be more than fine, go after it!”

If you’re honest with yourself, have you stepped up to follow your dream and pursue it with every ounce of inspired effort you can muster? Or have you done just a bit, tried a few things for a while then gave up or decided it wasn’t working? Are you letting fear of an insecure life keep you stuck in insecurity? Have you really used your best strategies and gotten support to get seen, get known, and get the career you want?

You cannot just create and expect someone to find you, change your life and decide you’re worth the money, worth the effort, worth the security that comes from consistently getting visible! You must decide for yourself. And you must put the effort in fearlessly before others will back you. You must trust you have the power to make it happen. You must overcome the negative stories your mind tells you, that other people have told you, to set yourself free and create the life and business you desperately desire.

If your future in a creative field doesn’t seem secure, it’s because you’ve decided it’s not.

You can figure it out, you can expand your income streams, you can make it easy to show up and get visible every day, you can let more people know about your work, you can reach out and find great support, great fans, great collaborators. You’re not the only one going through this, and you’re not the only one who was told it’s risky. But if you’ve decided YOU are worthwhile, then let yourself curate your experiences, curate your business, curate your life into the one you want. 

What if it was guaranteed? What if success was a sure thing? If you knew you could have everything you want, but you had to show up and create and do business whole heartedly. How would you go about things differently? How would you feel about your work? How would that change your life?