What Happens When You Invest In Yourself?

I don’t know about you, but I have had a lifelong habit of putting others’ needs before my own. I love to feel like my help is needed and appreciated by those around me and I can’t feel completely fulfilled that way unless I help myself. I love learning. I love to travel. I love to see things in a new way. If I am always in the same places and situations, it gets hard to be inspired and live my best life. 

If you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re probably right…

As I transitioned from bartender to full-time business owner, there was a large learning curve. I not only got to do what I love, photography, but I also got to do all of the other things that make a business run. So I started being a sponge for all that is Business. From workshops to webinars, books to podcasts, and everything in between, I was learning everything I could to grow and thrive. Along this journey, I found a community called Fastermind.co and it has changed my world in such an amazing way.

Surround yourself with the people that will lift you up and elevate what you thought was possible!

Fastermind.co held a business summit for creative entrepreneurs this past January in Huntington Beach, CA and it was unlike anything I had ever been to. The speakers that were usually brought out on stage to speak and then off to the next thing they had to do were actually a part of the summit with us. They were on our level. They were humans, just like us. Instead of towering above us on a stage in a spotlight, sharing their knowledge with us and not getting anything in return, they were in symbiosis with all of us, teaching, learning, sharing stories, transformations, and vulnerabilities all weekend. That was the beginning of the feeling of community and acceptance that weekend.

We are all human and we all deserve to be heard and feel like part of a whole.

The other thing that set this event apart was, instead of just taking notes and going back home to throw them in a closet somewhere until we made time to take action on the ideas (if we ever did that at all) after each presentation, the tables we were at all had a discussion with each other and our table coaches about the talk. We could bring up questions, revelations, or how we could apply what we learned in our lives. Instant feedback. Instant help and opinions in the places we wanted it most. Unlike a webinar where you throw out a question among a sea of others and hope it gets a few seconds of air time, this was real feedback. This was a table, actually a whole room, of like-minded people who wanted to elevate themselves and help elevate everyone else there. Everyone in that room had INVESTED IN THEMSELVES. By doing so, they had found a community that would be a sounding board for them in their journey ahead.

What your world can look like if you step back and get some perspective…

After the summit, we had the opportunity to further the accountability and be on weekly “cohort calls” with 5-6 of our peers to help make and set goals in our businesses and our lives. These calls helped me be accountable and put myself first because I knew that weekly, my cohorts would be asking how I was doing on that project or where I was on the goal I had made a few weeks ago. One of the girls on the call said that all of us lived in her head all week and that rang as true for me too. When you are in business, it is easy to get sucked into constant work. I can’t put into words the value that investing in myself has brought me, just in the first quarter of this year!! I have a clear vision of where I want to go and I have been taking small steps to reach large goals. 

How do you see the world? Are you a passenger or are you in the driver’s seat?

So fast forward to last week where I got to go to a one day meet-up of my Fastermind.co family. We had an all-day in-person learning extravaganza in Sonoma, CA with a happy hour mixer afterwards. This gave me the opportunity to travel somewhere I had never been before. I flew into the San Francisco airport and then took a bus for about 2 hours to Rohnert Park in Sonoma County where the conference was being held. When I am home in Vegas, it is rare for me not to be driving, so being on a bus traveling through an area I hadn’t been before was so much fun. I got to take the time to slow down, be creative, and take pictures that really defined the experience I had. I got to return to the roots of why I love photography… Storytelling through images!

A reflection of Robin Williams’ seemingly sunny life… Make the change… Don’t give up on yourself!

This trip took me out of my comfort zone, which is where all greatness lies, and revealed to me new truths and paths I could take in my business. By investing in myself and my journey, I have made amazing connections with like-minded people that will continue to lift me up. I have a new invigoration in my root-cause, my WHY. I know I was put on this planet to make waves and help change the world and I am getting closer and closer to that each day.

Plants are given everything they need to grow and thrive as they are in nature and so are we!

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU INVEST IN YOURSELF?

• You gain confidence in yourself and your decisions because you invest your time in the mentors and learning who will help you figure it all out.
• You cut out negative people in your life because you realize that they don’t serve you or your higher purpose
• You bring more clarity to your WHY and take small steps towards big goals in attaining your vision
• You wake up each day with the motivation to do the best you can that day
• You stop dwelling on the past and the future because you realize all that you have control of is this moment.
• You start doing the things you have always wanted to in your life because you know they will open your eyes to new possibilities and new truths
• You change the energy that you get back. That’s right, by changing your thoughts, words, and actions, you start to see beautiful energies that you never knew existed appear before you

No matter how long the tunnel seems… there is always a light at the end waiting to be seen

So how do you start? All you have control of is this present moment. Make a choice. Even if you don’t know exactly what you want to do, pick a direction. Let your energy and intuition guide you. Ask those around you that you respect the most what they see as your strengths and build on those. Don’t waste time with the endless scroll of social media. Disengage and do something that will inspire yourself and others. Find a community that you vibe with and explore where that takes you. If none of those options resonate with you, I’d love to help you with personalized ideas of where to start. Send me a message or leave me a comment and let’s get this show on the road!

Where are you sitting in life? And is it exactly where you want to be??