I talk a lot to my clients about clarity, about understanding what really matters to you, and about what you are prepared to do (or not) to make stuff happen.

So imagine my discomfort when, last year, I felt confused, like I’d lost my own clarity or uniqueness about my  business.  Sure I was still really clear about my why, the stuff that really mattered to me, the purpose behind the business; but what it looked like, what it should be called, and specifically what we wanted to do was quite frankly a bit of a muddle. Have you ever been there? It’s horrible!

Thankfully, I am very purpose driven. I believe that if you do the stuff that matters and trust what you believe in, then the rest will fall into place – if, and only if, you put the work in to make it happen.

I constantly meet people who are defined by their struggle – they are attached to it, it is part and parcel of their identity – it’s also a great excuse for not doing the scary, exposing stuff that really matters to you. The price is a life of mediocrity or worse, quiet desperation, that sinking feeling that there must be more than this…..

If you’ve ever felt like that, the short answer is yes there is more, you just have to be brave enough to show up and do what you believe in. We are all far braver than we realise, especially when something matters enough to us. For me bravery is not just about running into burning buildings; it’s about how we show up on a daily basis, it’s about the decisions we make, and it’s about letting what matters to us take priority over our excuses.

So how did I make the change?

First of all, I had to stop being ’busy’ with things that didn’t need me to do (or doing at all in some cases). This freed up the time and space to refocus on what really mattered about what we do, what had the biggest impact, what did we enjoy the most, and of course where is the money coming from.

Then came the harder part, which was what do people actually want from us (which is not always the same as what they need – but sells a whole lot better). I realised I had a values conflict – I’m a fixer, I wanted to sell people what they needed, I wasn’t so interested in what they wanted. It was focusing on wants, on the problems we solve for clients, that enabled me to find my magic again.

That magic is bravery – taking one brave step after another in pursuit of your bigger goal or dream.

Every one of us makes a difference to someone or something, some of us want to do that on a large scale, some on a small scale. The important thing is that we each do what we are here to do. That is what makes the world a better place.

Having got clear about what we were about, our final step was to decide how we were going to deliver this vision. And for us this was the easy bit. We have 16 years of helping business leaders and owners, I know what I like and what we are good at, where we get the best results for clients. It is still mentoring, coaching and training, but community also is important. That peer support, that varied expertise drawn from working with other business owners, and that space to be vulnerable, ask questions and share successes.

This is Brave Scene, a growing community for business owners who want to play bigger, who are prepared to let go of their struggle (also called your comfort zone), and who want to get clear about they need to do and get on with it.

Brave Scene is about attitude, spirit and action.

Over the coming months we’ll be sharing stories, strategies and successes through video, blogs and Q&As, and I’d love to hear from you what you’ve liked (if you’ve been in my community for a while), what you’d like to know about, whether you’re new or longstanding, and how we can best help you to show up, be brave and do the stuff that matters to you.

Bottom line is, I believe we are all capable of amazing things if we are brave enough to start. We are all far braver than we realise, especially when something matters enough to us, and this is my call to arms – you matter enough, it’s time to get brave enough to do the stuff that’s important to you!

Join Brave Scene by clicking here now.

As I sit here in a lay-by looking down at the sea, I think it would be fair to say that I’m filled with immense gratitude for my life. I have a business model that allows me the freedom to work where I like – most of the time; I get to work with inspiring, creative driven people and yes, I am talking about my clients, my friends and my mentors; and I get to do the stuff I really love doing, (again most of the time). In short, I make my difference in the world my way.

Don’t worry, this isn’t going to be one of those ‘look how great and easy this is’ kind of blogs it’s about commitment, grit and making stuff happen. The truth is we all have to do things we don’t want to in our business from time to time; whether that’s the accounts, a particular piece of client work, dealing with team issues – insert your own pet hate here!

If you don’t deal with these things, or delegate to someone who will do them better, they come back and bite you. They take away the freedom you might strive for and the passion you have for your business. While you are thinking about them, beating yourself up for not having done whatever you are putting off, or worrying about how to sort things out you are messing with your neurology, you are using up energy, stealing joy from the moment you are actually living. Now you will have heard that 100’s of times before, I know, but honestly have you nailed it yet?

Building and growing your business is about balance – be driven by the things that matter to you, the impact you want to have, the results you want personally, and be committed enough to do what is needed to make those things happen.

It’s taken me 16 years to get to a business that mostly involves what I love, and I’m very lucky to have an awesome team around me who love some of the stuff I hate. In the earlier days when there was no team I had to do that stuff, I had to pay attention to invoicing, to chasing payments, to making appointments, to following through on sales calls, otherwise the business would not have grown. More importantly, I wouldn’t have been able to go and do the stuff I did love doing with my clients.

This commitment and grit to do the things that will make a difference to your business is essential. For me, it has been about getting really clear about what drives me, what is so important that I’ll suffer some of the things I don’t like doing, or that scare me, or I think I’m no good at in order to be able to do the things that are important to me. Think about this for yourself for a minute, what are the enablers, the things you need to make happen in your business so that you can go and do the thing you love with your clients?

For many people this is about actually finding more of those clients. So it’s putting yourself out there – networking, blogging, social media, building relationships (not jumping straight in with the sell – unless you’re invited to of course). Sometimes it’s creating structure and order out of the chaos – your admin, your office space, your scheduling. Sometimes it’s clarity, being really specific about what you do for whom, and most importantly, what is the benefit for them. But I think the most common enabler is quite simply getting out of your own way, dropping the excuses, the procrastinating, the distractions and making time to do what your business really needs right now.

I hope this has created some food for thought, and I hope you are brave enough to act on those thoughts, because frankly it’s easier to go with what you are driven by than to settle for your own particular struggle.

Business success really is about commitment, grit and making things happen. It is these things that ultimately give you freedom to do business your way. Which brings me back to why I’m sitting in a lay-by writing this blog. I needed to make a sales call & had no phone signal where I was working today. So to make it happen I jumped in the car and drove around to find a signal. As you can see form the picture it’s beautiful here, so when I’d finished my call I thought I’d stay a while and work here.

If you want more support, inspiration and accountability join our growing Brave Scene community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BraveScene/

There are some talented, creative and just plain brilliant people in the Brave community (and in my wider network also). One of the things that strikes me over and over is just how modest we can be – this is not a good thing by the way.

What I’m really saying is just how much trouble some people have in first, claiming and secondly, expressing their expertise. These same people don’t have the same difficulty in using their expertise to help others or pursue their craft, by the way.

It’s so easy to plod along doing similar stuff, because most of the time your business will be ok, you’ll still eat, you have shelter etc. In other words, you’re settled, things might not be great but they are OK.

And it’s easy to stay on the known path, do the same things whether they are getting you the results you want or not – it’s safe, right?