#HBRSocial A Dream Come True

On Saturday night (May 20, 2017) I lived a major dream, one I’ve had for the past four years. I held my first ever, live motivational event!

Four years ago I wrote out a business plan for my coaching company, which included hosting live events and retreats. Then two years ago, I built out the plan even further with a dream of including multiple speakers, and taking the show on the road. 

But it wasn’t until I went to that horrible Tony Robbin’s event (read my review) that I finally had the balls to make it happen. I saw such a need for something fresh and authentic, that it got me thinking. It was time to do something. I believe so strongly in the message of #HustleBelieveReceive because I’ve watched it change lives over and over. How could I just sit on my ass and do nothing? 

So, without knowing how the hell I could make this crazy dream a reality, I began. For anyone out there who has a dream but doesn’t believe they have the money, the expertise, or the know-how to make it happen this story is for you.  

This is how I used my 8-step #HBRMethod to make this dream a reality. 

 

1. #DreamIt.

The fist thing I did was to identified the dream. Our dreams usually start with an idea (as mine had four years ago). Then the more we focus on them, think and obsess over them, the clearer they become.

For about a week after attending the Tony event, I thought about what I’d do differently. I even wrote the post “Self-help Revolution Needed” which helped me to get clarity on what I would, and wouldn’t do for my live events.

Then I made a decision; I was gonna to do this. Part of #DreamIt is to make a conscious decision to go after what you want. You can’t live your dream unless you’ve made this concrete decision in the beginning. You can’t be like: I’d like to do that, or someday I’ll do that. It MUST be; “This is what I’m dong!”

Having this decision made from the start, gives you the motivation to move forward with the next 7 steps and removes the option to quit before you reach your goal.

 

2. #ThinkIt.

Then I started telling myself it WAS possible. Now, let me just preface this by saying; I haven’t had a solid income since I was laid off from my corporate job in February. This was March and I was desperately trying to arrange my finances to the new reality of not having a salary. So let’s just say, the idea of throwing a lavish event, was to put it bluntly… insane!

Every time I thought about doing the event (engaging #DreamIT) that damn critic in my head would pop-up and say: Are you insane! You don’t have a job or an income! No one will pay to come to your event. You don’t have money to host this. You haven’t ever done this before. Sponsors won’t take a chance on you. And on and on. Those bitchy voices in my head were persistent! But I know those thoughts are self-sabotaging. They would rather have me play it “safe” than live my dream, so I forced myself to change them.

Something in my gut KNEW this would work, even if it seemed ridiculous. And so, when those thoughts appeared, I consciously replaced them with: This is GONG TO WORK. It’s gonna be amazing. Sponsors will see my vision and want to be part of this. I’ll find the perfect venue. It’s going to sell out. (#MottoForLife, #ChangeTheVoicesInYourHead)

The key is not allowing those negative thoughts to take root in your brain. Instead you’ve gotta replace them as soon as they pop-up, because they will absolutely sabotage your success. 

Constantly using those positive mottos (listed above) was my life-savor! I just kept repeating them all day, every day whenever negativity reared it’s ugly head.

I refused to allow doubt to steal my dream. 

 

3. #SayIt

Next, I began to #SayIt out loud. I told my girlfriends and posted it on social media. This event WAS HAPPENING!

Note: I didn’t post; hey I might want to host an event, if I do, would any of you come to it? 

Instead, I CLAIMED IT! I put into the universe that it was happening, period! I picked a date and began moving forward as if I had the money to make this thing a reality. I told every women I met about it, and started talking about it with my friends and my kids. 

 

4. #WriteIt

Then I sat down and wrote the whole thing out on paper. I made a plan which included; what needed to be done, who I needed to contact, what deposits I’d need, what the agenda would include, and a rough idea of a budget.

I had to: find a venue that matched my vision and would work with me on the deposit, pick a caterer, set-up furniture rentals, flowers, secure guest speakers, get sponsors for giveaways and swag bags, setup event pages and ticket links, pick music, order the red carpet, and on and on…

This step is so important because it helps you brainstorm, and gives the entire picture of what it takes to accomplish this goal. But be warned, after you’ve written it all out, those hater thoughts will be stronger then ever! Because now you know specifically what it takes to make it happen, and that can feel really overwhelming.

I think a lot of people give up on their dreams at this stage, because it seems too impossible. But don’t allow that to happen, go right back to #ThinkIt and be more determined then ever. Block those negative thoughts, because now you are IN IT! There’s no going back, so wasting time on the negative “what if’s,” is  highly dangerous, as it has the power to totally destroy your dream. 

 

5. #SeeIT

Here is where my event came to life, in my mind. Every day I would daydream about it (#CreateAMovieInYourHead) and build out the details, seeing the whole night unfold in my head. That’s also the time when some of the best ideas came to me. I’d be envisioning some aspect of the event, and an idea of how to do it better or adding a new element (like craft cocktails, or dinner instead of appetizers) would come to me. It helped me foresee what would and wouldn’t work in real life, and got me more excited then ever.

I also began looking on Pinterest for images of an event with the same vibe as mine, and created visual presentation decks to send to sponsors. All of this helped me get clear on the vibe, the message and the look of my event. (This acted like an event specific #FutureBoard)

 

6. #DoIt

This is the step that stops most people in their tracks. They can do all the previous steps but lose steam when they have to actually get to work to make it happen. Many of my coaching clients get stuck in this step because they don’t know HOW to take action, or WHAT to do. 

I tell them to do the same thing I did, get out your notepad and begin brainstorming what you can do right now. Think outside the box and get creative. If you don’t have money but need it, start thinking of creative ways you can either work around not having it, or creative ways to get it. Don’t let money be the thing that stops you at this stage. There are a million things you can do that are fully within your control, even if money isn’t always something you can control. (#MoneyAintAThing)

My example: I didn’t have a penny of my own to put towards this event, so I knew I needed to get creative. One of my personal requirements is that everything I do, be a win-win for everyone. So I started with that in mind. How could I raise the capital need to secure a venue, catering and rentals, in a way that would benefit the other party? That’s when I got the idea for platinum sponsorships. 

I created a beautiful, informative presentation that I could send to prospective sponsors that included my marketing proposal in exchange for sponsorship. This is a really common way that bloggers, or social media personalities obtain sponsorship, so I figured it was worth a try, right? What’s the worst a business could say? No? Big deal, lots of people have told me no. I’ll take that risk!  So, I began cold-calling companies who I felt would be a good fit for my event. I used the same skill set that helped me be successful in the corporate world; honesty, being myself, having a no-pressure close, and caring more about the new relationships I could make by meeting these great women, then if they actually cut a check. 

Then I did it. I called, I emailed, I met for coffee. Every day I worked on it, meeting awesome new women, and loving every minute of it! And it worked! Just two weeks after #sayit and setting up the event details, I had the sponsors in place and the deposits paid. (#ManifestThat!)

 

7. #BelieveIt 

Just like me, by the time you get to this step you will ALREADY BELIEVE that what you’re working towards is not only possible, but WILL HAPPEN. That’s the beauty of the #HBRMethod. You don’t have to believe first. Belief is built naturally though changing your thoughts and words, by surrounding yourself with visuals of your dream and by focusing on how great it will feel the moment you live your dream. Even if all those things felt fake when you first started (and they do!), by the time you get to this step, it won’t feel fake anymore. 

There are two parts to #BelieveIt though, the second part is how to keep believing when you experience an #EarthquakeMoment, otherwise known as a setback. We all have them, you will probably have many in the process of living your dream, it’s just how it goes. But the good news is they don’t have to stop your progress.

This is another spot where I’ve seen many people give up, because this is where shit hits the fan. This is the place where it feels like all the work you’ve done to this point, and the progress you’ve made, is all for nothing. It’s discouraging, no doubt about it. But it’s not the end of the road, so don’t give it that power. I like to think that it’s the Universe testing me, to see how bad I really want it. So I hunker down, close my eyes and plow through it. 

My #EarthquakeMoment in this process, came a few weeks before the event when my personal financial back-up plan fell through. It was something I’d been counting on to get me through, and it was up in smoke. That’s probably when a rational person would have canceled the event, and just said it’s not worth the risk of personally losing money. At this stage my  original budget for the event (the one I based ticket sales on) had more than doubled. I sat down and worked the numbers again and realized I’d personally be in the hole after the event, something I could not risk. So again, I had to think outside the box, get another sponsor to cover the difference and keep pushing on. 

Your #EarthquakeMoment will come, who knows what it will be, or how devastating it will feel in the moment, but you CAN and will survive them. When you push through on faith the reward is ALWAYS there. 

 

8. #LiveIt

This is the fun part, it’s that moment when you are LIVING YOUR DRAM! For me, it was the moment when I stood on the pink carpet in front of the step-and-repeat and welcomed the ladies (with a big hug) into the event. That was a moment I’d walked through in my mind many times over the 8 weeks it took to go from an idea, to the real thing. I wanted every lady walking through the door to feel special, we all deserve a red carpet moment and I wanted to make sure we got that. I can tell you, it felt 100 times better to do it in reality than imagining it. But had I not imagined it first, it never would have happened. 

To look around the room and see so many women (most of whom I met for the first time that night), eating delicious food, drinking the craft cocktails I made up, chatting with each other and listening to the guest speakers, you can’t put a price on how awesome that feels! SEE ALL THE PHOTOS HERE

But there’s also a second part to #LiveIT which is to always be thinking ahead, planning your next move. This keeps you from becoming complacent or stagnant, and helps prevent the “low” that can happen after living such a “high” moment.

So, about two weeks prior to the #HBRSocial, I began thinking of when, where and how I’d do my next event, because this is my calling in life! 

 

Special Announcement 

I’m thrilled to #SayIt (for the very first time) that I’ll be hosting an exclusive, small group retreat Sept 14-17th at Black Walnut Vineyard in the Oregon wine country.

This will be an intensive, hands on coaching retreat where you’ll learn the 8-step #HBRMethod directly from me, personalized for YOU. It’s what you’d normally learn in my 8-week coaching program, but in 4 days! It is for those of you who are hardcore about making massive changes in your life and getting results quickly.

It will be limited to a total of 18 participants. There are 9 private guest rooms (first come first serve) and 9 spots for people who’d like to attend but will provide their own lodging. Click here to learn more and register. 

*The hashtags in this post refer to steps to the #HBRMethod that are all defined in my book Hustle Believe Receive. 

If you’d rather work with me one on one to help you live your dream, I am accepting new clients. Click here to learn more.