I just got an email from a beautiful new acquaintance who said:
“I’m so against the hustle culture and it intimidates me. I KNOW we can succeed in business without having an aggressive, scarcity mindset based in competition.”
I hear this again and again, probably because I write and speak about it so often. These people tend to find their way to me, most recently through referrals from ChatGPT. (Thanks, Chatsby!)
The signs I see in these kind-hearted rebels:
- Feeling icky about marketing and selling — so they avoid it altogether
- Wanting to vomit at the hustle-and-hype culture
- Trying hard to follow the “proven” steps, only to get no results
Here’s the apparent problem:
Feeling so miserable about what seems to be necessary to succeed in business that they’re paralyzed, or questioning whether entrepreneurship is for them at all.
If your experience is anything like this, I believe it’s a very good sign.
It’s a good thing that you can’t stomach unethical, manipulative marketing.
It’s a good thing that copying someone else’s strategy isn’t working for you.
It’s a good thing that you can’t make yourself hustle and hype your way into sales.
Because when the bad common advice “out there” fails, it forces you to finally look to the only place that has the real answer:
You.
The answer isn’t a strategy or marketing tactic. It isn’t hiring someone to do the marketing for you or finding a sexy new tool.
The answer is discovering the path that feels like you. And that only comes from listening to your inner wisdom.
It’s a damn good thing following the prescriptions of Business As Usual came with such a high cost (late nights, acid reflux, workaholicism) that it wasn’t sustainable for me.
I’m grateful for the wakeup call because it drove me to find the answers everywhere outside of me…
…until the only place left to look was the space within.
Only then did I begin to wake up.
First, I glimpsed the possibility of business without the pressure.
Then, I dropped the tactics that didn’t feel right.
Eventually, I realized I was creating the pressure in my mind; it had nothing to do with how full my calendar was or my to-do list.
Ease was available in anything and everything; all I had to do was stop overthinking it.
I relaxed, and my way of doing business emerged.
My voice got clearer. It got easier to share because I no longer feared what people might think.
Sales invitations felt clear and honest as my money issues disappeared.
And today I have a business that really feels like me, and I’m in love with every part of it. Because I get to do it my way AND anything I choose to do (even things I don’t prefer like bookkeeping and organization) can feel easeful as long as I show up that way.
So if you’re feeling stuck, frustrated or on the verge of giving up, it’s not a failure.
Maybe it’s your breakthrough.
If you resonate with this story, I’d love to invite you into the IMPACT membership. It’s a space for entrepreneurs, coaches and creators who want to build businesses that feel like them. Joyful, easeful and in deep alignment.
Inside, you’ll find what you need to draw out your genius, not someone else’s blueprint.
https://www.theawakenedbusiness.com/impactinvite/
Yours in love and play,
Steph
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