Quote: “Actively being prepared for success, is like telling the universe you are ready to receive.”
If there’s one big mistake I made in the early days of being a solopreneur, it’s that I missed out on countless opportunities because I wasn’t prepared for them when they came around.
Even now, this past week, I realized how I wasn’t taking full advantage of this concept of being fully prepared for future opportunities that are on their way to me. Sure, I’m more prepared than I was in the past. However, I can definitely see where I can be more prepared.
What do I mean, “Be Prepared”?
Well, there are a thousand small opportunities and a few big opportunities that present themselves along the way. These opportunities can either be capitalized upon or simply pass us by. Alternatively, we can benefit from them on a relative scale; for example, we can receive 1% or 100% of the opportunity.
The more prepared you are, the greater the benefit when opportunities arise.
The degree to which you are prepared for success greatly impacts how successful you will be. We can see this in how we approach our workday. Are you prepared to maximize the opportunities of the day you are given, or are you not prepared at all?
Another way to think about this is, am I prepared to receive the success I envision for myself? Am I prepared for my vision to become a reality? Am I prepared for what would happen if I reached my goals?
The POWER of being Prepared for Success
Actively preparing for success is like telling the universe that you are ready to receive. The energy we put into consciously preparing not only gives us more confidence to move forward, but it is also a form of energetic communication with life.
Likewise, if I am not prepared for opportunities, what am I communicating to life? If opportunities come and go, I am telling life that I do not want these opportunities. Put it this way, if I do not “show up,” then life hears me loud and clear.
This also touches on the power of focus and gives us something to focus on. For me, it is like, “Holy shit, this is important. Where am I not prepared, so I can get prepared?” And then that “problem” becomes a huge priority. Let’s remember, though, it is not really a problem; it is an opportunity.
Be PREPARED in these 3 Areas
Sure, there are many areas to be prepared in, but for actionable and direct support, I recommend being prepared in these three areas.
1. The Opportunity of a Day
Each day is an opportunity to invite more success into your life. That day can be wasted, ignored, and lost (playfully speaking). The question here is, “am I prepared for the gift of tomorrow?”
The best ways I have found to be prepared for success tomorrow are:
- Write down my areas of focus: Plan what’s important the night before.
- Adequate sleep the night before: a minimum of 7 “quality” hours, 8 if possible.
- Get up and go: Don’t waste time being distracted in the morning; know what’s first.
As I prioritize this, it’s so obvious that I’m communicating to life that I’m prepared to receive opportunities, and I’m ready to take full advantage of them. It’s definitely a “bring it on” kind of energy.
2. The Opportunity of Communication, Organization, & Process
Part of being prepared is being efficient; it’s about maximizing the time I have and being clear in my ability to communicate. The key here is simplicity. I’m always asking myself, “Could this be simpler?” or “How am I making this unnecessarily complex?”
Here are some things to reflect on in the three areas of communication, organization, and process.
- Communication: Be radically clear, in the simplest way possible, about what you do, your role, and why you’re doing it.
- For example: If someone asks you, “What do you do?” that’s an opportunity for success; the success of clear communication. Are you profoundly clear in your ability to communicate that? Every time that answer comes out of your mouth, you’re also telling the universe. Now, imagine this is your answer: “Well, you know, I do a bit of this and that, sometimes here and sometimes there.” What’s that communicating? Or how about this: “I spend my days passionately supporting heart-based solopreneurs to gain clarity, get focused, and become profitable.”
- Are you prepared for success in communicating what you do, not only to others but also to life?
- Organization: Being organized exists along a relative scale. Even though people tend to think I’m well-organized, I can also see where I can be more organized; naturally, this looks like I’m not organized. There’s a balance here, where I celebrate my success in being organized, but also acknowledge the pain of where things are a mess. This, of course, is what has driven me to be as organized as I am.
- FOCUS: Being organized helps me focus, while being clear about what’s important. Being ‘more’ organized reduces unnecessary mental energy/thinking. What I’ve found, for myself, is that being unorganized communicates a message that “this isn’t that important.”
- Where to start? Simple. What’s something you can organize that communicates a message of importance? Also, look at what’s super distracting for you, what gets in the way of you being focused, and then organize in a way that minimizes that distraction.
- Process: This might be my favorite, as I’m a huge fan of developing systems and processes that make my life flow more effortlessly. However, processes don’t work well if you can not communicate well and are not organized. In fact, communication and organization are important to me, so I can develop powerful processes.
- What is “a Process,” as it relates to being prepared?: Well, look at it this way, if I come across someone who is curious about what I do, what’s my process for maximizing the opportunity of sharing what I do? After I tell them, what’s next? What’s the follow-up question I can ask them that would lead to another opportunity? For example, “Are you, by chance, a solopreneur?” What if they say “no”? What’s next? Etc.
- Customer Journey: Another great example of this is understanding the customer journey. What’s that process? For me, strangers become fans, fans become friends, and friends become clients. That’s a process, and I have clarity about how people move along that process/journey that helps me maximize the meeting of strangers who enjoy my content. I’m PREPARED for them and prepared for maximizing that single opportunity.
- What if “X” Happens? Am I prepared for it?: Sure, there are many things that could happen in the future that could catapult your success or reach. I encourage you to take some time and imagine what you would like to see happen, and then ask yourself, “Yeah, but am I prepared for that to happen? Can I take full advantage of that happening?” Then question, “What could I do to be better prepared for that to happen? What processes could I have in place to maximize that opportunity?”
3. The Opportunity of Enjoyment & Play
Am I prepared to enjoy the opportunity? Well, I’ll tell you what, the more prepared I am for opportunity, the more I enjoy it; even if, and especially when, those opportunities are challenging. For me, this is the real success of what I do; it’s the whole point. My opportunity to be human to engage in what I’m passionate about and add value to people’s lives is, unquestionably, a playful opportunity.
The question here is, am I prepared for enjoyment and play?
Naturally, what helps me address this question is to be honest about where I’m not enjoying and playing, or where I’m taking things way too seriously. The profound revelation for me is in recognizing that what I see as painfully serious on the outside only reflects the ways I’m taking myself painfully seriously.
Here are three key ways I can invite myself to be prepared for enjoyment:
- Envision Playful Outcomes: Whenever an opportunity presents itself, or we imagine a future opportunity we’d like to experience, we can do so from a place of agitated seriousness, or we can shift into a playful form of imagination. You might find it incredibly helpful to spend five minutes in the morning visualizing yourself laughing your way to success.
- Take Breaks: It’s important to take breaks throughout the day to recharge and refocus. This can include short breaks to stretch or take a walk, or longer breaks to pursue a hobby or spend time with people you enjoy. By taking breaks, you can come back to your work refreshed and ready to tackle challenges. This is especially relevant if you find yourself engaged in tasks that you simply do not enjoy; find ways to mix in genuine enjoyment in other ways.
- Remember, There’s No Destination: Often, what stresses us out is the idea that the destination is the prize, or the outcome is more significant than the journey. The real opportunity in life and being human is a growing opportunity. No matter where you end up, or how much money you make, or how many people appreciate your offering, what will show itself as the real prize is very simply the growth of your capacity to enjoy the journey.
That’s a Wrap
Okay, that’s it for the Sunday Letter to Solopreneurs. If you found this to be helpful, please share the love with someone else who you feel might also benefit from it.
