WC 008: What will you carry forward?
I remember exactly where I was when I decided to wind down Hearing Experts Alliance. Janice and I were living in Boston. It was mid-January, we were right in the middle of a brutal snow storm, and all I could think of was how I wanted to be anywhere other than where I was right at that moment.
I wanted to be back in Costa Rica with my homies, meditating under the Vida tree.
We still had the physical private practice, and I felt trapped by all the structure we had created over the previous four or so years.
At that moment, I was unable to enjoy any of the success and abundance I was currently experiencing.
Just a few months prior, I had experienced my first $100,000 month in the consulting biz.
I had purchased a shiny new BMW X6, after spending the better part of a month traveling the italian countryside.
The pictures looked epic on the insta, and I'd drop posts proclaiming some "spiritualized" concept that in retrospect were nothing more than an attempt to make myself feel connected to something that was no longer alive in me.
I was unhealthy, and deeply unhappy.
What was birthed as a spark of creativity now felt like a prison, and all I wanted was to bust down the walls and break free.
My consulting business had started as a weekend side hustle, exploring Facebook ads to see if I could help Janice grow the practice through (at the time) unconventional means.
It felt joyful, free, and creative at the start, but over time it became something else.
I became obsessed with wealth creation.
I yearned for power and recognition, even though I would have never admitted it out loud.
And as my health suffered, I became obsessed with preserving my energy, personal space, and time.
In the pursuit of these obsessions, I lost sight of the original spark that started it all.
When you flow, everyone benefits because you aren't thinking about it.
There's more to this story, and perhaps one day I'll share.
But I share these details now because I think it helps connect to something profound that one of my teachers shared with me recently.
In our experience as entrepreneurs, we are likely to place our attention in one of three places:
The action and results of our work, and what we are creating in the world.
How we are benefitting from our work, or how we want to feel, and be perceived by others (even when "giving back" or doing work that is "on-mission").
The day to day experience, and the process unfolding.
In two of these lies a trap.
You'll experience great success with your projects at times.
Sometimes you'll make an offer, and it will fall flat.
There will be moments where you'll be celebrated for your genius.
And others when you'll be called out for being unoriginal, or when you'll be shamed for holding a belief that others view as flawed.
Cycles of success and failure.
Excitement, boredom, and everything in between.
How does this make you feel?
Spending some time reflecting on my own experience through this lens helps me to remember to follow my charm, and to revel in this experience for the sake of the experience itself.
And it reminds me that in the end, this is all there is.
Where will you follow the charm? Where are you placing your attention, and what will you carry forward?
I invite you to think about this, whether it's been an amazing week, or one riddled with struggle in your biz.
As we move into the weekend, and create our plans, what comes next?
Magic
Sending love.
Here's What I Want to Share This Week:
1. I wrote about my decision to join the Web3 University of the Future. I hold the unwavering view that Web3 is going to be massive beyond its current reach, and this is article outlines my attempt to steep myself in the culture, and identify baby steps to start moving with the times. Check it out here.
2. I created a quick writeup about one way we're capturing social proof, and voice of customer for Empire Engineering. In the past, these gems were falling through the cracks. Check it out here.
3. I reconnected on a call with an old marketing pal, Billy Broas. If you aren't familiar with his work, he's leading the way with some of the best thinking around designing educational cohort experiences. He's been behind the scenes on some legendary projects, such as Building a Second Brain with Tiago Forte. Check out his Keystone Accelerator for the latest.
Who We are Celebrating This Week: Natalie Taggart
Natalie is another founding member of our Automated Intimacy community.
She helps online entrepreneurs scale their impact and income with her Transformational Launch Method™.
As a launch strategist and copywriter, Natalie has over 10+ years of experience in working with transformational entrepreneurs. Her specialty lies in challenge funnels and launch copy that sells with integrity, empathy, and heart.
Thank you Natalie for placing your trust in Ry and I.
We both hope to see you on a community call soon!
For more on Natalie and what she offers, visit natalietaggart.com
This Week's Curiosities :
The Hive Index (Link)
Recently featured on Product Hunt as "a product of the day", The Hive Index is a resource for professionals, creatives, students, teachers, entrepreneurs, and those that are just looking for some likeminded souls to hang out with.
As of publishing this, they have over 1200 communities listed across 14 platforms.
This is a great resource for seeking out communities , as well as listing your own for others to discover like we did with Empire Engineering.
Zero Blur (Link)
If you create online courses, or video tutorials, Zero Blue is an incredibly useful chrome extension. It allows you to selectively blur specific parts of your screen so that you protect anything sensitive from being displayed.
I came across this a few weeks ago, and have been using it almost daily ever since.
Oh, and it's free :)
ZeBrand (Link)
Not sure how I stumbled across this service, but ZeBrand is a brand-building platform with downloadable assets and pre-designed templates.
I don't think this is something I need right now in the biz, but I appreciate a: the model (If you are a designer, their productized services model is one worth looking at), and b: their design aesthetics.
It's whimiscal, magical, playful. Wizard approved!
Matter (Link)
I'm always looking for ways to get my email under control, as someone who signs up for a ton of lists.
If you've heard of a method, I've probably tried it, although I'm always curious to hear what's working for you!
This is the latest tool I've been experimenting with. I love that you can either use a provided email address, or set up forwarding rules.
Reading your newsletters is an absolute joy within their beautiful app experience. You can also follow writers within the platform.
As a marketer, I believe it's also important to keep an eye on how this class of tools evolves over time, as it effectively changes the game with how email content is consumed.
Special Giveaway:
If you are a coach, consultant, or course-creator who is curious about the intersection of Web3 with your current business model, this is for you.
Next week, I'm going to be giving away a free NFT from @decentraliens via Twitter which will serve as your admission to courses, events & community at Invisible College.
As a Wizard's Chest subscriber, I'd love to give you an opportunity to 2x your odds of winning :)
Here's what you have to do:
Share The Wizard's Chest via your favorite social media platform of choice.
Tag someone who you think would benefit from what I share here.
Include a 1-sentence pitch as to why.
Shoot me an email with the link to your share.
I'll be picking the winner at random in the next two weeks, and if you follow these steps, you'll get two chances to win.
Memorable Quote:
"People’s advice is based on their fears, their experiences, their prejudices, and at the end of the day, their advice is just that: it’s theirs, not yours. When people give you advice, they’re basing it on what they would do, what they can perceive, on what they think you can do.
But the bottom line is, while yes, it is true that we are all subject to a series of universal laws, patterns, tides, and currents—all of which are somewhat predictable—you are the first time you’ve ever happened.
YOU and NOW are a unique occurrence, of which you are the most reliable measure of all the possibilities". - Will
With appreciation,
Phil
Check It Out On Twitter 👇👇
Come join the conversation on Twitter, it’s much more fun with friends.
WC007: Creation, Maintenance, & Destruction 👇 pic.twitter.com/TWbkm4fTYL
— Philip R. Powis (The Wizard) 👽 (@philiprpowis) February 18, 2022