As I’ve said many times, I can’t tell you what it means to live your truth.

Because it’s your truth.

Not the truth. Not my truth. Not the truth written by the gurus or dictated by institutions or governments or your parents.

But your personal truth.

Now, that’s all nice and good, but you may want a little more freaking direction than that.

I define “living your truth” in two different ways … one is the mission of my company, and other other is my personal definition & the tools I use to apply it in my life.

Live Your Truth empowers solo-entrepreneurs to make a greater contribution to the world and become more successful & fulfilled by doing what is a natural extension of who they really are.

(thanks to Ken Moorhead for yanking this out of me during a late night consulting session)

But that’s not *my* truth and it’s not *your* truth … that’s just what I’m doing here in this business.

Living my truth is about begin 100% myself 100% of the time, about speaking the things that everyone thinks but no one says, about choosing to be uncomfortable every day, about being a visible leader of this movement.

But what could Living Your Truth mean to you?

During the first weekly #lytchat (live your truth twitter chat) we discussed this very question, and here are some of the responses:

• idance_iwrite: Actively letting go of what other’s want from you and listening to your ‘inner voice’
• JanieC: letting the real and best you out of it’s hiding spot
• LisaMHines: Being courteous to others, but not letting them persuade your actions, words, etc.
• kymleeisawesome: knowing what you are & are not responsible for. not doing anything that doesn’t fit your vision for yourself
• tarufisher: For me, #LYT is saying “no” when I mean “no”, and “yes” when I mean “yes”.
• ACCompanyC: disregarding the “shoulds’” – or at least questioning why should I?
• LisaMHines: LYT means staying in a centered place, honoring my true self in everything I do.
• JanieC: getting rid of barriers, real and imagined
• bethearle: For me it’s living my values
• JennaAvery: Having the courage to say what I mean, mean what I say, do what I love, and love what I do, in all things.
• bethearle: practicing outwardly what my inner self knows intuitively
• lizschneider: keeping soul-level promises that i make to myself.
• jaladesigns: 4 me, its simply just being myself instead of trying 2 b perfect. It’s living & operating w/ honesty, integrity & decency.
• lorilatimer: Doing what’s right for me, not what anyone else thinks or wants
• lizschneider: Living my truth means, “walking my talk”, speaking what I think and doing what I speak
• truthlifecoach: It’s about honoring my core values and trusting my “gut”
• jhaubein: Being yourself no matter what others might think of you. Staying true to your values.
• daniellemmiller: making sure my purpose and values are not compromised by my head worrying about what others think
• jenngbob: Living my truth means not feeling guilty for doing what I intuitively feel I should be doing right now
• ChristineVenart: For me, living my truth means to show up as myself always, push myself past my fears, and to say the hard truth
• kymleeisawesome: not being afraid to take that leap of faith, facing down the fear and moving forward into uncertainty
• lorilatimer: It also means saying “no” when that’s what’s best for me – something I didn’t used to do
• KyraHowell: Living my truth means knowing my vision and allowing that to be my life.
• m_michael: Living my truth: Being fearless w/o recklessness
• YourGoToGuy: Simply doing instead of worrying.
• daniellemmiller: complete trust in my intuition and “gut”
• chrisarcucci: speaking & living my truth with compassion and clarit
• lorilatimer: Getting out of my head and listening to my heart/intuition
• bethearle: not following the crowd/ marching to my own drum
• MarySchaefer: Giving myself permission to be BIG and small and loving myself in any state

So … I’d love to hear your thoughts & ideas, by you commenting below …

… do any of these resonate with you? What do the words “live your truth” mean to you?

And, we love for you to RSVP and join us for the next Live Your Truth twitter chat (#lytchat) - it’s free and open to anyone to join (yes, to participate in the conversation you need a twitter account). See you there!

These decisions seem completely unreasonable.

The program makes money. The book was already printed. The website got google organic traffic.

But sometimes the only way to move forward is to let things go.

Is there anything in your business that’s distracting you from what you really want to be doing?

What’s in your business that’s leftover from who you were yesterday?

What do you need to let go of so you can be 100% yourself?

And yes, you are not the only person to wonder, what the heck is up w/ that?

Here’s the video to explain why ….

So what do you need to do to restructure your life & business so you can meet your goals & design your ideal lifestyle?

Do you need to move, change your business, modify relationships, get rid of your stuff, quit clubs, simplify your life?

Are there parts of your business you *hate* doing?

Then you probably have compromised on your dealbreakers.

Here’s a secret I’ve discovered that’s making a huge difference in my life and business … and if you have any comments, questions or shares after watching this vid, please share in the comments below!

But the business finally took off after the San Jose Mercury News published a wonderful feature about me in Summer 2004, and the biz had its first profitable months with an almost-full load of clients. Of course, that was just about the time we got pregnant (after we had stopped officially “trying” and had decided to put it off until my business was further along, lol).  

Four years ago today, after just 4 hours of easy labor (used hypnobirthing) and 45 minutes of intense-craziness at the end, Grace was born at 3:44 PM.  When we got home we went through the adventure of nursing with a girl who did not care about eating (and kept losing weight) until she was 4 1/2 weeks old.  She did sleep wonderfully (7 hrs at night at 5 weeks!) but could not stop moving — living in a sling, Baby Bjorn, swing, or Amby Motion Bed.  Her newborn quirks were a big shock to me. 

After those 7 weeks of intense newborn-dom, I came back from maternity leave to my business as a mom entrepreneur.

Phase 1:  Part-Time Nanny & Trading Hours for Dollars

After my daughter was born, I had fleeting thoughts of dropping my business and simply being a stay at home mom for a while (course, nothing simple in that, eh?).  But I did not feel finished with working, and frankly, I needed a break from my high-intensity, clingy daughter.  I needed grown up, intellectual stimulation.  And a situation where no one was trying to get inside my shirt.  

Since I was still seeing clients in person, I needed care for my daughter while I was working.  But day care did not seem like a good option for us, since I wanted to nurse her without pumping, and she was an always-needing-to-be-carried kind of kid.  And, face it, I wanted control over the situation and day care made me nervous.   So instead of getting on the (long) waiting list of a good day care, we opted for a part-time nanny.

We hired our wonderful nanny Sarah using Town & Country Resources nanny service.  She was more expensive than we had imagined, but she was unusually suited to us – she had a college degree, was working on her own floral design business, and had tons of nanny experience.  And, she enjoyed carrying Grace around in a sling for hours each day.  

My business went through a short post-maternity slump, because I had not been marketing or prospecting during my leave (ah, the days before online marketing).  But after a few months, I was back in business.  

Lesson Learned:  We must automate our marketing (via online marketing, eZine’s, auto-responders, etc.) to avoid slumps when life gets crazy. 

Phase 2:  The Nanny Turnstile & I’m Bored.

In Spring of 2006 I seriously thought about shutting down my business.  The business had plateaued.  And since I was bored, I did not want to pound the networking pavement to fill up the rest of my practice.  Heck, I didn’t want to fill up my practice – I resented spending time on clients.  As was not making enough money.

Instead of shutting down my practice, I hired two coaches – Kim Fulcher as my life coach and Kelly O’Neil as my marketing coach.  And gave my business another 6 months to turn around.  Kim helped me bring some balance and intention back to my life, and, for the first time, helped me find the beliefs about money and success that were keeping me in self-sabotage mode.  

Kelly kicked my butt in marketing, got me (scared and wining) to schedule my first teleclass series, and brainstormed with me to come up with the new name for my business, “The Wealth Spa.”  I started my first blog that August, and learned about Ali Brown & this whole information marketing thing.  My business world was getting interesting again.  

Then nanny Sarah went on maternity leave, so we were forced to hunt for new nannies.  We went through 4 nannies in 6 months (including a brief stint from Sarah who realized she wanted to be home with her own baby).  I can’t even tell you how many women we interviewed.  Gave offers that were too late, considered women who were less than optimal.  Then the last nanny worked for us for only 6 weeks until she gave her leave, and I was on search again.

Every time we were nanny-less I had to fight for solutions.  Backup daycare through my husband’s work was okay, but Grace always came home with a cold afterwards.  Working at home with her was okay for email but did not fly for client appointments.  When my parents were in town (from St. Louis, Missouri) they watched her so I could make client calls & teach a teleclass.  Course they could not make the 2000 mile commute more then for a vacation visit.  

Lesson Learned:  Before the breakthrough there is a breakdown – so welcome the breakdown, it means you’re ready to make a leap forward!  

Phase 3:  All Day Preschool & Projects, Teleclasses, Book, oh my!

After attending Ali Brown’s Online Success Blueprint Workshop in November 2006, I relaunched my eZine & website and my online business began to take off.  Raised my fees and standardized project fees (instead of hourly work), taking on a high caliber of clients. Started regular free teleclasses to build the email & mailing list, launched a viral movie w/ Scott Stratton’s Un-Marketing team (adding thousands to my list), and started hosting my radio show (back then on Voice America Business).  

Then in Spring of 2007, Ali Brown asked me to be part of her Platinum Mastermind program.  I freaked out when I got that voicemail – why was she calling me?  What did she see in me that I did not see (yet)? I knew her program was a huge financial and time commitment.  But at that moment I decided to get serious about taking my business to the next level, and I knew I needed that financial commitment and a mastermind team to hold me accountable.  I took the jump in faith.

Meanwhile, when Grace turned two I decided to put her in an all-day preschool (and day care) program.  The theory was if I was going to get serious about my business, I needed more time.  (And my secret theory was when my business took off, I would be able to pull her out of school and homeschool her.)  She cried for the first few days, bonded with the caregivers, made a best friend, and was then excited to go to school.

Lesson Learned:  We don’t see our own brilliance because to us, it’s ordinary.  We need coaches, teaches, mastermind partners to reflect our brilliance back for us to see.  

Phase 4:  Part-Time Preschool & No More Clients

In March of 2008, I started reading my friend Sandy Grason‘s book, Journalution, which is about how to find solutions to your life using journaling.  I had stopped journaling years ago, with some weird idea that my husband might read my journal so it was not safe (as if he would ever read it, how nuts of me).  But per Sandy’s advice, I bought a brand new, unlined, lime-green-covered journal, and sat down to answer the journaling prompt “Describe Your Perfect Day.”

The idea of a perfect day seemed so unreal I was unable to answer the question until I added the caveat, “…three years from today.”  So I described a perfect day in 2011, where I was running an publishing/information marketing/magazine business, teaching a teleclass, and talking to a coaching client on the phone, while homeschooling my daughter (and with my husband working on his own home business in the next room).  As I read my entry, I realized that I was waiting for magical circumstances (that would never happen) for my vision to arise.  Instead … what if I just did that perfect day right now? 

So I pulled Grace out of full time and put her in a 2-days a week, 1/2 day preschool program, and invested in TONS of homeschooling resources.  Stopped seeing financial planning clients (drastically reducing my income but freeing up time and energy).  Finished my first major information product.  Published my first book.  Re-launched my business as The Wealth Spa Online Magazine.  And did that with just 6 hours of regular childcare each week (plus a few days each quarter of temporary nanny time for out-of-town travel and speaking engagements).  It is possible. 

Lesson Learned:  Don’t wait for something to happen to start living life (because that day will never come).  Stop waiting.  Simply live in the moment today.  

Phase 5:  Homeschooling & and Clients again?

Until on December 30, 2008 when Grace said, to no one in particular as she was getting in the car, “This is the last day I’m going to school.”  What?  I completely freaked, I needed those 6 hours a week to make phone calls, teach teleclasses, write articles, get work done!  Now I was not surprised, really…she had stopped enjoying school when she moved to the 3 year old “real preschool” classroom that fall, with its large class size, higher student-teacher ratio, and absence of her best friends from the 2 year old room.  (And, as she told me a few weeks later, one boy had been kicking her on a regular basis, what the heck?!)

But after 5 years in business and almost 4 as a mom, my freak-out-ness was not long lasting.  Tons of resources popped up into my awareness, from Cubes & Crayons on-demand childcare/work sharing, to the zillion classes for kids in my area, to homeschooling co-ops.  After just 2 weeks, we were back in a routine, and, frankly, I was more productive than ever before.  

Now it’s Spring again, and again I’m moving to another business & personal growth phase.   The online business is growing exponentially, and I’m doing tons of speaking engagements. (Ironically to my no-more-clients decision in 2008), I’m secretly planning to open 4 one-on-one coaching spots and a 15-person group coaching program for other mom business owners.  (Okay, it’s not secret if I’m blogging about it, lol.)  After casually, speaking about my personal mompreneur strategies for the last few years, I want to bring these solutions to all of those moms who are trying to grow a business and raise kids, all without losing their minds or struggling through daily life.  

Lesson Learned:  After the last 4 years as a mompreneur, who knows what next challenge/opporunity will jump into my life tomorrow.  But as always, it’s an adventure (and that’s the point, eh?).  

–

Join me for the free teleclass, “The 5 Shifts Moms Must Make to Succeed as Entrepreneurs,” where you will learn:

• Why mom entrepreneurs are different, and how being a mom makes us better business owners
• What you must do differently to feel fulfilled in your conflicting roles
• How to create the support you need asap
• The big myths of successful “mompreneurs” and work-at-home moms, and why you can’t buy into them
• The #1 mistake moms are making that’s holding them back making the really big bucks, or even just a profit

Date:  Wednesday April 1, 2009

Time:  Noon Pacific (3 PM EST)

(this free call will be recorded)

Join us at http://MompreneurCall.com

About 6 months ago I started journaling again. From when I got a bit an agist at age 10 all the way throughout law school, I always kept a diary/ journal to complain about life, discuss my heartaches, and brainstorm ideas for the future.

When I moved in with my husband I stopped journaling. Why? I think I was scared he would read it. As if a man would really want to read the ramblings of the inner workings of my woman brain … only a fellow chick would be noisy/curious about a journal. And for those of you who know Mark, he’s such a Mr. Integrity he would never violate my confidence. What a nut I am.

Anyway, while reading my friend Sandy Grason’s book, Journalution, I started journaling again. Bought an adorable lime green journal, and wrote in it with an archive-quality black pen whenever the idea took me — both for serious journaling and just for notes about ideas for my business. Recently I wrote an entry in response to the following "prompt" from Sandy’s book — "describe your perfect day." 

So I labeled the day April 29, 2011 (3 years from that day — as if that gives permission for anything to be possible). So what did I do on my perfect day? I was still working from home on my business, writing, making a video, and networking online (but no phone calls, no admin work, no legal work). But the real interesting thing is that Grace was not in school — in this perfect day I’m homeschooling her and driving her to fun classes/groups — and Mark’s not at work, he’s working from home on his own at-home business.

As I reviewed that journal entry, I had an epiphany. Why wait for 3 years? Why not have that day tomorrow?

So I did. Okay, a few kinks have to be worked out (backlog of client projects, my husband is still a partner in a law firm, still working on the less-than-4-hour admin work per week thing) — but it totally changed my outlook on every day.

Now instead of spending all day waiting for Grace to take a nap or go to bed so I can work, I view my time with her as part of the end goal — whether we are learning something together or just enjoying each other’s company.

And the work on my business is less hurried. I’m not working for a goal six or 18 months out — I’m working for the enjoyment I get from it today.

Sounds simple, but has fundamentally changed how I live my life each day. As a goal-oriented, ambitious person, I was always working/living for the next goal, the big vision, the to-do list. I never could reach the goal line … because it kept moving.

Now, my life is about just be-ing in the moment, enjoying how much I have — and no longer waiting for something to arrive.

***If you want more info about Journaling, check out http://sandygrason.com and Sandy’s book Journalution. If you want more info about living in the moment, check out http://marieforleo.com and her Productivity Secrets course.

http://video.nbc11.com/player/?id=206640

So what’s my secret? What did I do to get on TV?

Nothing.

Well, not exactly "nothing" — at the beginning of 2008 (just 2 weeks ago) I set my 10 goals for 2008. One of them was to "be interviewed on television."

I did nothing else specific to accomplish that goal — didn’t hire a publicist or send out press releases or change anything about my press page.  All I did was set the intention — and 2 weeks later the phone rang from my local NBC affiliate, who wanted to interview me for a story the next afternoon.

Now, of course, over the last 4 years I’ve been building up my expertise, sending out a few press releases (maybe 7 total), advertising in RTIR (radio and TV interview report) and generally becoming visible on the internet. So perhaps my "time had come" and it was just a coincidence. But I still think it was pretty cool.

I just amended my goal. Now it’s "get interviewed on national television w/ a photo of the cover of my book displayed during the interview" in 2008. Let’s see how long this one takes to manifest itself.