This month, I’m traveling throughout Central America, meeting up with some of my best girlfriends in Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Mexico. Here’s a pic of me with my friends, Liz Long and Paula Orozco, at lunch in Antigua, Guatemala:

When I was working 9-5 for a cosmetics company, and again throughout my years as an entrepreneur, this is what I dreamed of…

› I wanted the freedom to travel the world and create a schedule that allowed me to do so — life goes by quickly and there’s a lot of world to see! 2 weeks vacation each year wasn’t going to cut it.

› I wanted to do work that felt meaningful and an answer I could be proud of when people asked “What do you do?”. I wanted to snuggle into my bed at night feeling like I really made a difference for someone that day, without feeling like I had fried my last brain cell to exhaustion.

› I wanted to feel financially s p a c i o u s. No stressing over signing up for a course I wanted to take, booking a nice hotel or taking a friend out to dinner. I wanted to be able to say Yes.

› I had an even bigger vision for my future — writing books, speaking, and making global impact through my message.

Several times throughout this journey, I’ve had to pause and assess whether I’m building in the right direction.

Were the steps I was taking (or considering taking) actually aligned with what I wanted?

I’ve talked with hundreds of women entrepreneurs and here’s what I often see:
They’re pointing in the wrong direction.

› They’re doing telesummits because they think they should, but not necessarily because it’s aligned with their brand, their vision and their desires.

› They’re hustling to write an e-book or create an online course, but meanwhile, their savings is dwindling and their stress is skyrocketing.

› They’ve built a solid client base, but it’s not giving them the lifestyle they crave, so they’re starting to lose the love for the work they once dreamed of doing.

Directional Challenges

#1 – UNSURE WHERE TO STEP

As I started my business and my dream started to taste more and more like a reality, I realized that this was going to take a lot more effort than I had thought. I wasn’t just going to print some cute business cards and brochures, update my website and send out a newsletter, magically filling my coaching practice and dropping $100K in my bank account within a few months. This was looking more like a marathon than a sprint, and I was already exhausted just lacing my sneakers up. But with so many things I could be doing, I had no idea what I should be doing…

Meet Sophia:
When I first spoke with Sophia, it was clear that she was a go-getter who was going to go far. She had big ambitions and a desire to serve, but was totally overwhelmed with information. “Should I do a teleclass? A webinar? What is my niche and do I need one right away? And most of all…are any of these steps actually aligning to give me the lifestyle and impact I desire?” These were some of the questions she was asking herself, and the overwhelm was getting intense. Her To Do lists were long, and she couldn’t wrap her head around where to start. What if she wasted a bunch of time on the wrong things? She couldn’t afford to make a bunch of missteps.

#2 – PAINTED INTO A CORNER

At a certain point, I had more clients than I could handle and was hitting my income goals, but something was…missing. I felt like I was growing beyond my message and I wanted my work to grow, too. Not to mention, my lifestyle was the pits. I was working 24/7 to build and maintain my business, and I knew that if I kept going at this speed, I was going to burn out completely. My excitement for my work was starting to wane and that scared the daylights out of me. I got into business to expand the freedom of myself and others, but I was feeling trapped…

Meet Tara:
When I met Tara, I felt her powerhouse energy. She had not only built up a solid clientele, but her business was growing fast. She had already raised her rates and the clients still kept rolling in. The problem was that to maintain her business, she was working like a maniac! Her sex life was starting to dry up, she was starting to feel ungrounded and make unhealthy food choices, and was getting tired of her own excuses (“I’ll work out tomorrow!”). Plus, she felt a desire to create different offerings and messaging that more fully aligned with all that she loves, but felt painted into a corner – clients are used to these offerings and rates. What if she made changes and her business fell apart?

The Antidotes

IF YOU’RE UNSURE WHERE TO STEP (like Sophia)

You need to learn the nuts and bolts and take consistent action. You can do what I did in the beginning — throw everything on the wall and see what sticks, which isn’t terrible, but eventually you need to learn how to choose aligned actions that will make things stick. It is critical that you start earning income in the beginning of your business, so you can get the experience of working with clients and the confidence to keep going. Don’t waste your precious time doing the hokey-pokey.

IF YOU’RE PAINTED INTO A CORNER (like Tara)

You need 1-on-1 coaching to restructure your messaging, scheduling, pricing and offerings to align with your desires. In fact, you may need some help blowing the dust off those desires and seeing a clear vision for your future, too! It’s one thing to know what you want and go for it; it’s another to have a feeling of ease in the process. That’s the intersection that I play in — ambition and ease. I promise you: there is a way to realign your lifestyle and business without things falling apart; it just takes some courage and loving care.

If you’re not making an investment in your business, don’t expect people to invest in you. The world needs your freedom – choose it.

WHAT YOU DESIRE IS POSSIBLE.
It’s just a matter of getting you pointed in the right direction.

In the comments below, share whether you feel aligned in your business! I’ll reply to your comments; I’m here to help you get your head wrapped around this in a way that works.