Today, you are about to learn the most liberating lessons about the power of YOU and how to harness that power to take your life–and your book!–to the next level. Are you ready? Here we go.
A few years ago, I attended a personal development seminar with my daughter Auriana. She works with me at H.O.P.E. Publishing House. When I was called on for some hot seat coaching, I jumped at the chance. I happily took the mic and the spotlight as I described our new venture to the seminar leader.
“So you coach people through the whole writing process?” the leader asked.
I LOVE this question. “Yes, we do it all!” I replied, giddy with pride at what Auriana and I have created, “Writing coaching, editing, putting together a proposal to send to publishing agents… even mindset coaching as they work through the process. We take them from an idea to a polished manuscript, ready to send to publishers.” I smiled, ready for the pat on the head I knew was coming.
“Wait. Let me get this straight,” the leader said. “You guide these authors through every step of writing their book… and then they take that book that you worked so hard on to a publisher? And that publisher gets credit and a cut just for printing the book?”
“Yes,” I replied hesitantly.
“Why on earth aren’t you a publisher?!”
Silence.
Thirty years of business coaching, and there’s still so much to learn. I was so used to thinking like a coach, I couldn’t consider other ways I could help my clients.
You can’t see what’s in your blindspot until someone else points it out to you. And my blindspot was illuminated in a room of thousands. It took that public reprimand for me to realize that if I wanted to grow my writing coaching business, I had to become a publisher. I had to think differently. I had to change.
What you’ve been doing has gotten you to where you are now. Good for you! But, there is a whole other level for you! And your access to this next level is NOT found in your current routine.
Einstein once said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result.”
Simply put: If you want a different result, you’ve got to CHANGE. You have got to be willing to blow up who you think you are and how you currently “do” life. You have to change your mindset.
To achieve your next level, you actually have to become a functionally different person. That means a different strategy, a different mindset, and a different you.
I know that change is hard. But trust me, you really can change yourself. You can literally dream up a totally new, totally exciting version of yourself and live into that reality until it becomes true.
The first step is to try something radically new. Because radical actions lead to radical results.
Please notice a distinction here. I didn’t say massive action. I said RADICAL action. I’m talking about coming up with NEW ideas that seem crazy, nuts, unreasonable, weird, and totally out there.
It takes bold behavior to shake up those complacent thought patterns and create new synapses in the brain. Think about building muscle; lifting the same weight week after week will only make a difference for so long. After a few sessions, your body needs a new stimulus in order to promote growth. So, you bump up the weight, or increase the reps, or add a new lift. Your mind works the same way! It wants to default to the patterns it knows, so it takes something totally unexpected to inspire new connections. And if you grow, your business will too.
The truth is, getting to that next level will require you to try an idea so new that it scares the hell out of you.
Let’s name a few right now.
- Space Tourism: Pack your bag and grab the kids, SpaceX and Blue Origin are taking you on a trip to… “out there!” Sounds crazy, right?? Well, SpaceX has already booked several clients for trips to the International Space Station (at $55 million a pop!).
- Pet Rock: Gary Dahl was ridiculed for his ludicrous idea of selling rocks, but he made millions in the 1970’s on this low-maintenance “pet.”
- Professional Cuddling: What a crazy idea. Or so the world thought. It turns out, with so many people working remotely and socializing virtually, there’s a massive global need for physical touch and comfort. Now this idea has grown into a global industry with many cuddle corporations, several training and certification programs, and a robust freelancer community.
- Smell Dating: This service matches people based on their attraction to each other’s scent. Clients choose potential dates from a mailed variety of worn t-shirt samples–no bio, no photos, no other info at all. Who knew this crazy idea would bring in the big bucks and lead to love?
Some of these ideas seemed insane at the onset, but they were all seeds of genius.
In 1991, I had the most insane idea of my life. I was a second grade teacher–a stable job I was great at. I had two babies at home. I was rising through the ranks at Mary Kay Cosmetics, and my sales events were starting to attract attention. I was, by all measures, the most successful I had been in my life. I was the best wife, mom, and teacher I could be. And then, I had an idea.
Those Mary Kay sales events? They turned into speeches. And those speeches turned into paid opportunities. In 1991, I had the crazy idea that changed my life forever: what if I became a professional speaker? I began to imagine a new me:
A businesswoman.
Now, I know that dreaming of a new career doesn’t sound like as crazy of an idea as space tourism or the pet rock. But to me, it was. My entire existence revolved around being a wife and mother. This version of me was simply not part of my reality. Until it was.
Simply daring to imagine opened my mind to new possibilities. All of a sudden, I saw opportunity everywhere. I let my teaching license expire, and I began saying “yes.” I felt intense fear, major imposter syndrome, guilt… but I chose that radical change. I managed the internal battle by continuing to visualize this new level of me. In short, I changed, and my life changed with me.
I want you to give yourself permission to think up some insane ideas that could light up your life. Make a list of your most ludicrous possibilities. Let your inner genius out to play. It’s just a list. They’re just possibilities. You don’t have to act on them. But make no mistake, my friend. Just writing them down can have a profound effect on your mindset. You’re teaching your brain to imagine something new, to grow new connections so you can see new possibilities.
This growth happens fast–really fast! And the bolder the move, the faster the result.
Here are 3 big bold actions I want you to take today:
- Start imagining the best version of YOU. Who do you want to be? How do you want to show up in this world? Make a list of character traits you want to emulate. Go big! Go radical! You really can create a new you. Practice these ways of being and retrain your brain–and your self-view. You become who you practice to be!
- Recreate and relearn the best version of your book. What is the greatest contribution you really want to make? Think global. What does our world need that your message will offer? Think big. Radical. Bold.
- Decide what bold action step you will take NOW to open the portal of possibility. Just one step! You know what needs to be done: it’s that one thing you’ve been putting off week after week. Hire more staff. Buy the airline ticket. Upgrade your website. Enroll in that course. Buy the URL. Make that call. Start the book. Say. Yes. to. Living. a. Bigger. Life.
It really doesn’t matter what action you take. The power is in taking the first radical step that shatters your thought patterns and default strategies. Whatever you choose is exactly the thing you need to do to start living a bigger life.
All it takes is willingness.
Willingness to admit that your current patterns aren’t serving you anymore, and willingness to practice being the person you boldly created in the last exercise. And guess what? Realizing you have blindspots, don’t know everything, and are still willing to grow is the most liberating and empowering place to be!
And you’re growing all the time. Every minute of every day, your brain is taking in information, categorizing it, and making it part of the bigger picture it forms about life and your place in it. In fact, those constant updates actually change your brain! New synapses form all the time. Neuroplasticity is like a superpower. So, what are you doing to feed that brain info that will expand it?
For me, those “aha” moments come when I pursue someone else’s expertise. Yep, I have my own business coach, and I seek out opportunities to grow in personal development seminars (even though I teach them), self-help books (even though I write them), and coaching programs (even though I design them). I am on a lifelong wisdom quest. And that quest always pays off–look at the stellar question from that self-improvement guru! Why weren’t we a publisher?! That question led to the founding of HOPE Publishing House!
You have the capacity to change. What a beautiful truth.
This statement is one of the Spiritual Truths I teach in the Mindset Reset Formula: I have the capacity to change. Adopting these Truths is the secret to tapping into the well of potential all around you, so you can lead your life and business from a place of quantum power.
And if you thought this Spiritual Truth was amazing, just wait until you learn all five!
My Spiritual Truths are the core of all my coaching programs, including retreats. You can access all 5 Truths–and a bunch of other juicy content–in the Bali Mindset Reset Mastermind Retreat and Coaching Program. If that sounds like a download you want, spend six days with us in beautiful Bali as we harness the power of your mind to magnify your energy, ignite creativity, fuel your daily actions, and take your business and life to exciting new levels.
You deserve to live a life you love. It’s not an accident that you are reading this blog post today. There’s something within you beckoning you to level up. It’s time. It’s YOUR time. You can change. You can overcome the old image of who you think you are. You can conquer the inner battles and the conversations that keep you small. You can face your imposter syndrome and bust through it. And it’s so worth it! I know. I’ve experienced complete failure, abandonment, low self-esteem, and all of the inner battles… and I’m still here, changing every day. If I can do it, you can too.
So let’s do it together in Bali! There’s only ONE SPOT LEFT. Don’t miss out! Reserve the final room at: www.lisajcoaching.com/retreats
Looking forward to working with you soon,
~ Lisa J.
Lisa Jimenez, M.Ed.
P.S. I invite you to continue learning and applying these truths with private coaching. The Bali Mastermind Retreat includes five months of private and group coaching along with the 7-day total immersive experience in beautiful Bali. Together, we will help you bust through the lies that hold you back and embrace the TRUTHS that will take you and your business to new and exciting levels.
And if you sign up for our Author’s Coaching Program, you get the Bali Retreat and Coaching at half price!
Find out more at: www.lisajcoaching.com/retreats
