2019 is just a few days away and I don’t know about you but around this time, every year, I start to get reflective.
I think back on my year — what I did well, what I didn’t do so well and what I can improve for next year.
2018 was an epic year for Live Your Message — we had our most successful event ever, and our most successful launch ever and we grew our team — just so much good stuff!
But I faced pretty significant challenges in this growth and I want to share the 3 biggest ones (they hit me like a Mack truck!) because a lot of the time, you can learn more from a challenge than you can from success.
So here goes…
Challenge #1: Letting Go
The first challenge was about embracing one of our 6 core values at Live Your Message — it’s the hardest value for me to embrace.
It’s based on an African proverb…
If you want to go fast go alone but if you want to go far go together.
This was really difficult for me because I’ve always had other people rely on me for strength and support.
And for a long, long time, I equated “being helped” with “being helpless” when nothing could be further from the truth!
The deepest level of strength and power comes from allowing yourself to receive support and help from others.
So, for me a big lesson in 2018 was learning NOT to be the strength for everyone else because when I’m being so strong, I can unintentionally disempower others and I don’t want that to happen.
Live Your Message is at the point where I can’t do it all alone and I can’t be the center of everything so I had to let go of control and allow support at a greater level…
That’s one of the most challenging things I’ve ever had to do in my business!
Challenge #2: Growing the Tree & Planting the Roots
I feel fully alive and most excited about being in business when I’m at the edge of my comfort zone and capability.
It’s well known that people feel most alive when they’re taking risk and most comfortable when they’re playing it safe.
The good thing about being a risk-taker is that I’m always learning and growing and evolving, pushing the envelope and raising what we’re doing to the next level.
The not-so-good thing is that it’s hard for me to just relax and enjoy what I have and what I’ve accomplished. I feel like I’ve been in “push mode” since I started in 2011… that’s 7 years! That’s a long time to be pushing and growing on the edges of my comfort zone….
Sometimes it’s nice to just relax and enjoy so I can build the energy to stretch to my next level of growth :).
As my friend Brian Whetton says,
“There are some years that are all about growing the tree as high as it will possibly go and other years it’s all about planting the roots because the taller the tree, the deeper the roots need to be to support it.”
I feel like for the last 7 years I’ve been growing the tree and growing the tree and growing the tree and not doing enough rooting!
And it’s those roots that I really need right now to fuel me for years and years to come. I’ve got a lot more in me to give, so I’ve got to start planting more roots :).
I’d also like to express my drive for challenge not just through my business and through what I’m creating in my business but in my other interests, my hobbies and my creativity — whether it’s writing or travel or nature or just being in conversation with people.
Sometimes when one area gets too big other areas fall into the shadow and I want to grow in all the different areas of my life in 2019.
Challenge #3: Getting into Alignment
I’ve always heard that you can only take people as far as you’ve taken yourself… and I’ve taken myself really, really far in business!
I’ve blogged, I’ve done webinars, I’ve created funnels, I’ve hosted live events, I’ve marketed in every way you can imagine and I can take people where I’ve been…
But there are areas within myself that I haven’t been looking at… areas where I want to grow.
It’s not that I haven’t done the personal development work, because I have.
But I want my entire life to be in alignment… I want it all!
I believe that every problem in the world can be solved through human ingenuity.
When each of us steps forward to do the work we’re called to do as we live fully in alignment with who we really are, we will change the world and we will solve every problem known to man.
So, when I see an area within myself where I don’t feel fully expressed and where I feel held back or restrained or unhappy, I want to focus on that and bring that into alignment.
I know that this past year, I’ve been falling back into my comfort zone in my personal development.
I’m starting to see the unreconciled places that I haven’t been paying attention to because I was so focused on my business.
So that’s been my third challenge…
To look at those personal areas that I hadn’t been fully shining the light on and also find ways to be more compassionate and kind to myself…
To know that I’ve always done the best that I can with what I have.
Watch Out… Here We Come!
As we say goodbye to 2018, I invite you to reflect on your year…
What are you grateful for? What are some of the challenges that stretched you? Who are you becoming? What’s your vision for yourself, your business and for the world? What do you want to create?
Share in the comments 🙂
I want you to know that you can be, do and create anything that you want to in this world because when you have that clarity of vision, all you’ve got to do is take action and make it happen…
Make it real.
Let’s hit 2019 with the ferocious fervor that tells the world… watch out, here we come! Let’s create the most awesome, amazing, life-changing, world-changing breakthrough year imaginable.
I believe in you. I believe in us. It’s our time. Anything is possible.
Now go out there and Live Your Message!
Love it? Hate it? Let me know...
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Thank you Marisa for words of encouragement my year was hell if may say never enjoyed anything everything was just falling apart having financial problems was my biggest issue and i failed to deliver more than one purchase order im hoping next year it will be the year of prosperity.
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I’m sorry to hear that Themba. Are you just starting out in your business? If so, I wrote a monster blog post — it’s more like it’s own masterclass — with the 7 must-have criteria that will totally take the guesswork out of building a lucrative, fulfilling business from the get go. Here it is if you want to check it out: https://liveyourmessage.com/ug/start-a-business-youll-love/ I think you will get a lot out of it 😉 I hope 2019 is completely different from this past year and brings you all kinds of abundance. <3
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Hi Marisa, Thank you for being vulnerable, it is nice to see that side of you along with your confidence and energy 🙂 I have been feeling a shift coming and already beginning to happen. A shift that is showing up as an energized feeling and confidence. Your message in EPM has encouraged me to get things done and moving forward… no excuses, no procrastinating. I knew it would and that was what scared me and attracted me to the BUY button. There is still a boatload of planning and writing to do but I feel you’ve provided an outline, encouragement, support and a path that is clear to follow. On a side note, I wanted to thank you for the Greatest Hits of 2018. It was a very interesting assortment of articles. We were driving through the huge state of Utah when I opened it, so with the xmas festivities I have not had time to really appreciate it, until today.
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Yes, Heidi — taking action is KEY. And yes, EPM is a lot of work but you will get there I’m sure of it 🙂 And I’m so glad you enjoyed the Greatest Hits! We handpicked those articles so I’m really glad you enjoyed it. <3
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My business stagnated in the middle of the year (2018) and I couldn’t figure it out until a month or so ago, I wasn’t breathing.
Instead of helping people, I was crying which surely came off all wrong. So, with the coming year I’m doing two things: 1) moving to a better living environment and 2) focusing on helping, helping, and helping.
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That’s amazing Bruce! One of my favorite quotes comes from Zig Ziglar — “You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.” — and it sounds like you are embodying that concept 🙂
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Thank you for sharing this message Marisa. It’s so important for all your followers to hear.
I’ll be asking my small band of adventurers to reflect back and think about their top 3 challenges as we prepare to go on a year-long quest in 2019, a quest to create meaningful ventures that will give us the experiences we’ve decided will make life worth living.
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Totally John, LOVE that idea! 🙂
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I’m too independent as well. 2019 I plan to make changes. Thank you for sharing your reflections & being an incredible inspiration.
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Absolutely Linda! <3
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Hi Marisa,
Thank you for sharing your challenges and reflections – everything you said resonated with me, especially as someone also motivated by challenge. And thank you for role modeling for us – it’s so inspiring!
My biggest challenge has been to focus on just 1-2 big goals, and I’m looking forward to finally nailing this one in 2019.
Wishing you an awesome year ahead – may it be filled with joy and prosperity. I look forward to hearing more about your journey as you deepen your roots for your next big leap forward! Keep going!
Best,
May-
You are welcome May! And yes focus is one of the biggest challenges there is, but when you nail it, so much becomes possible, because you get to work in a deep way. 🙂
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Marisa,
Here is my achievements and failures from 2018.
I have poking at being an entrepreneur for several years now. I been listening to several programs over the last few years. I don’t want to mention names, because you know them. They offered courses that were self study. I lead a busy life. Self study courses get pushed off to the side. I developed on my own a website with the ideas I have mentioned in my product development. I did myself out of fear that my ideas would be stolen and used by someone with a stronger background in marketing than me. I am a complete novice in marketing.I live in fear of failure every day. Sometimes, it cripples me. I have been successful in several areas of my life already, bachelors degree in aerospace engineering, numerous sales awards, ran a couple million dollar businesses successfully. So, I don’t know why I live in fear of failure.
The topic I picked as my lead topic is a topic that I need also. I will be the group leader as well as a student. I have started connecting with possible course takers; fellow students. I believe doing something that could change your life must used and studied every day to be effective.
In 2018, I found Live Your Message. This to my happiness is not another course that is self study. I am happy with my contact with you, Marisa and my coach, Samara, and others, who are not letting me drown.
My vision to where I will be in 2019 is making money through my experience product. Also, I picture myself in this scene from the end of the movie, The Other Woman, where Don Johnson (me) is sitting on a beach enjoying the sun and surf and watching someone like Kate Upton playing in the surf. This is my ideal relaxing and thinking time. I’m completely at peace and producing great ideas to improve my experience product.
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Thank you for sharing your story Ray. First of all, I want to say fear of failure is very common among entrepreneurs, no matter how successful they are. But it sounds like you are taking the right steps to overcome that so that’s awesome! Let’s make 2019 the best year EVER! 😉
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Marisa, I love how you make ‘Things’ seem so effortless, the flow that you share so freely. Thank you!
I have a long grateful list and at the top is the love and support of my husband, everyday and every way, and especially for joining me on the EPM quest. I am grateful for every precious moment with those I love and care about, my friends, my clients, the kids, my grand kids, and most of all my Mom.
My challenges for the coming year are to have a schedule and keep it, take care of myself, and stretch into marketing as I become more in touch with my authentic self, raise my vibration and develop myself into a Transformational Leader supporting people in becoming their best selves,-
Aww sounds like you have a great hubby Louise! And these are all AMAZING goals! Just don’t try to tackle them all at once or you might get burnt out 😉
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My greatest lesson is to know the difference between my fear and what it is what I shouldn’t do . It can be a tricky distinction and sometimes you can’t tell until you go down that path . Another learning is that nothing is lost even though it might not have turned out.
Like you Marisa, I also learnt to really hone in on my zone of genius and not try to do everything in my business. If I let go to others then I can make money doing what I love and am great at.
I also have to say for others who haven’t done a program with Marisa ….. her EPM program rocks !-
Aw thanks for that Michelle! And yes, it’s definitely hard to let go and delegate but it’s essential 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
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Can’t wait to share my new business with you.You said a few things about your ideal client that was the light I needed to continue.In 2019 I hope my hearing becomes more keen.Respecting the other person’s experience is priceless.
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Love this! And yes, keeping your ideal client in mind when you make any decision is definitely the right way to go 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
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