When I first started my online business back in 2007, I didn’t have a big vision for what I wanted to create. I just wanted to make some extra cash.
When I started my blog in 2008, I had no idea where it would eventually go. I just wanted to get consistent at writing and putting it out into the world, and blog about my journey to writing the first draft of my first novel.
There was no bigger vision for my company.
Sure, I had a bigger vision for myself as a writer and author. But I didn’t think much about having a vision for my business.
Over the last decade, I’ve been so focused on my writing and on teaching writers what I’ve learned. It’s been great. Awesome. Incredible, really.
Getting paid to help people write made up stories from their imaginations. For a living. #DreamLife
And I just assumed that’s what I’d do in my business forever–help writers. (I didn’t have a bigger vision for that either. I just knew I wanted to help as many people as I possibly can in whatever ways I can.)
For the most part, I always just saw myself as a one-woman show. And I fly by the seat of my pants in my business and life (EXCEPT when it comes to writing my stories–I ALWAYS plan my stories before I write!).
But after three years of feeling like I hit a plateau, I finally realized I’d been a bottleneck in my business that was slowing down my growth.
So I finally made the decision that enough was enough. I couldn’t do this alone anymore. I needed help.
I hired a Digital Content Manager (I told you about her the other day–you can buy her debut novel on Amazon here) and she has pretty much taken over the day-to-day content management stuff I used to do all myself (along with creating all the content, and writing my books, and coaching my clients, and running workshops, and…).
I finally have amazing, consistent, collaborative help in my business. It’s such a freeing feeling.
And something totally unexpected has happened over the last two months.
First, I’ve taken MASSIVE action in the direction I want to go, in both my writing career (I wrote my first screenplay!) and my business (I’m beefing up my YouTube channel and going all-in on Dream Life Or Bust).
And second, I’ve downloaded a vision. A vision for my company. For my brand. For the empire that I want to build.
This vision has never revealed itself to me before now. I’ve never even seen glimpses of it.
But as soon as I saw it, I knew. THIS is what I’m meant to be doing with my company.
Because I’ve always known that I’m here to empower, inspire and motivate people to go after their dreams.
It’s fucking SCARY to admit that… because it brings up so much judgment and mind-noise. Things like, who am I to call myself an inspiration? Do you know how ridiculous you sound saying you were put on this planet to inspire people? Being an inspiration isn’t a thing. You can’t do that for a living. You can’t make money that way.
But for my entire life, that’s all I remember hearing from people. That I inspire them. That I motivate them to want more and to be more and to do more.
And I’ve secretly always LOVED this, even though I’ve also been equally afraid to admit it, for fear of being called stuck up.
It feels AMAZING to hear that I inspired someone to go after their dreams. When I get the emails and the messages–and they come in on a weekly basis–from people telling me I inspired them to finally write their book or their novel is now out in the world thanks to my blog posts and free content (and of course messages from clients and workshop students!) it fills my heart with so much joy the feeling is almost indescribable.
If I could help millions of people to stop settling for a mediocre life and push them to step into their greatness and go after their dreams and achieve the things their hearts desire; if I could inspire millions of creatives to rise up and create their art and then put that art out into the world… THAT would be a true dream job in every way.
It’s what I’ve always wanted. To help people go after their dreams and to know that they really can be, do and have ANYTHING they set their minds to.
I was doing that with my writing business, for sure. I’ve helped hundreds of writers with their stories over the years. But helping writers with their stories is such a small fraction of impact that I want to make in this world.
And this vision that has been revealed to me, now that I’ve got some fucking help in my business; now that I’m not working all day and all night; now that I’ve got space in my day for just being… it’s powerful.
It fuels me with so much energy and excitement and passion (like I needed more of that–HA!). It makes me not want to go to bed. It makes me want to jump out of bed earlier and earlier.
And it absolutely fulfills my mission in life, which is to change the way people think and to challenge what they believe is possible.
This vision. My company. Dream Life Or Bust. It has become bigger than me.
When I look back at where I started in 2007 as a freelance writer, my journey so far has been CRAZY AF, with so many twists and turns and stops and pivots I’ve lost track.
Yet looking back, I can still see how all of that lead me here, where I am right now. On the edge of plunging into a vision and a mission so big it scares the fuck out of me and inspires me to no end at the same time.
Me, living my dream life. ALL of it. And in the process, helping millions of others to do the same.
Now that’s a sweet, sweet vision.
Dream life or bust,
jen
