It was good for me, how about you?

I don’t know about YOU but February blew my damn mind.Going into the month, I was scared and overwhelmed. There were so many “firsts” and so many changes that I wasn’t sure what to expect. Self-doubt got the better of me towards the end of January and I worried that the upcoming month would totally kick my ass.Well, I was dead wrong. Not only was February was one of my best months EVER on a pure happiness level, but my profits also surprised me. Here’s my roundup of what made February SO awesome, plus some so-called failures and lessons learned.

First of all, there was The Antigua Retreat.

Like, whoa. I had so many preconceived notions (and fears) about retreats. In the months leading up to this experience, I worried about tons of stupid shit. As you probably know, I have a vivid imagination, and it can work both for and against me.Here’s an example of how it can work against me -

• What if I can’t help everyone at different stages of their business?
• What if I don’t remember everything I want to teach?
• What if the experience ISN’T super, crazy valuable for everyone involved?

Did any of that actually happen?In a word: NO. In two words: HELL. NO.Rebecca Tracey, Lis Dingjan, and I had an incredible group of ladies (all of whom I’m totally in love with now), and they grew leaps and bounds in a shockingly short amount of time. Retreats are truly magical and powerful like that. So yeah, what a HUGE honor to be a part of it! I thought I’d walk away and think “I’ll never do another retreat. Retreats are HARD.” Nope, now I’m all “sign me up for the next one!” Plus, Antigua, Guatemala is just such a beautiful location. Swoon!

Then there were some poop-your-pants scary business shifts.

In Annie Hall, Woody Allen says “A relationship is like a shark. It has to constantly move forward or it dies.” I think the same is true in business.My business has been a bit too big for its britches for a while now. I’ve been dealing with a bloated inbox, an overwhelming project calendar, and the exhaustion of keeping too many balls in the air for WAY too long. My amazing business coach Halley Gray took one look at me in December and gave me a “burnout” warning. This month, she wrote me a serious prescription for “HIRE MORE FUCKING HELP!” So I listened. I spoke with a handful of amazing OBMS and Project Managers and made some exciting, yet tough decisions for Your Hot Copy.It’s scary but necessary. On some level, all business is risky business. You HAVE to take risks to grow, but not growing IS ALSO a risk. Sometimes when you invest in your business, you’re getting a product or service. Other times, you’re getting a lesson. You HAVE to be okay with that, or you’re going to constantly be dissatisfied with your progress. So I gave Erin a big ole promotion and grew my team with new writers that I absolutely adoreeee!!! (You will too, I can’t wait for you to meet them!) I’ve also brought on an amazing systems specialist and a new support team so everyone who works with and for Your Hot Copy is SUPER taken care of. I feel snuggly just thinking about it.

Then there were the things that I had to let go of.

Like running a live version of Copy That in the first quarter of 2016. Okay, this one might have always been a bit unrealistic, but I’m a dreamer, what can I say?! It was hard to look at everything, stop, and say “you know what… this is just NOT the right time.” Personally, whenever I write things down - goals, wishes, dreams, plans - I have a tendency to latch on HARD and run with them. But sometimes you have to take a step back and change your plans, with as little grief as possible.The good news is that (thank the heavens!) I’m learning and growing too.The longer I’m in business, the easier it is to be flexible and adapt, to not overthink every decision, to let go of things that aren’t right for right now, and to stop wasting time and energy on tasks with low thresholds for returns.

February was a month of dreams coming true because I was willing to take risks and do things that were scary, stupid, expensive, and full of uncertainty. Sure, I have a plan for the rest of 2016 but if I told you I that knew it would all happen, I’d be lying.

xo

p.s. While I didn't run Copy That in the first quarter of 2016, I DO have a treat for you. My FREE about page workbook (right out of my Copy That course!) is available for you right here. So if you want to write (or rewrite) that about page, I've got you. ;)