I was once on the road to Musical Theater Stardom in the NYC area. I worked my ass off for six years.  I did a lot to make my career happen.  I did Children's Theater, Dinner Theater, Background Work, Voice-Over and even a couple of Off-Off Broadway Producer showcases of new shows (One of which I got to play a "Club Kid", pictured on the right).  I was totally committed to my dream and grabbed onto as many opportunities as possible. I could've kept going and I might just have made it to Broadway at some point.

What I didn't know was that I had completely left my highest values and priorities back in Ohio when I moved out to New Jersey to become a Broadway star.  I had convinced myself that I was going to make something of my career and no one could stop me.  I was willing to do ALMOST anything.  I say almost, because there were a few key things I wasn't willing to do.  I wasn't willing to leave my Husband for months (or years) at a time to go on tour or do summer stock theater (um, kind of a HUGE stepping stone to Broadway).  There were others, too.  At the time, I didn't realize my hesitation to do these things was because of my values. 

You see, my highest value is love/connection.  I was 12 hours away from the family I love and on opposite shifts from my Husband most of the time.  Not much loving connection going on there.  Of equal weight is my value of Truth.  I wasn't being honest with myself.  I wasn't willing to do what it takes and there were many decisions made, in the name of my dream, that went against who I really am. 

When I started to realize what was happening, I really didn't recognize myself.  I had fallen down the "I have a dream" rabbit hole and lost myself in the process.  I may have had the career of my dreams building, but everything else just wasn't a fit.  That's when I chose to return home and live the life I truly wanted.  When I commit myself to something, I will do it.  I realized I just needed to find something else I'm passionate about, that honors my values, and commit to that.  Now, I get to choose my loving connection first, over my career.  And that is something I didn't know was important, because I chose to ignore my values and who I was. 
 

2. I spent thousands of dollars on credit card and took years to pay it off.

At one point, I had decided to build a big business empire.  I felt I needed to keep learning if I was going to grow that big business.  So, I invested in a big business-building event.  I paid thousands of dollars to attend, stay, eat and get there.  I put it all on credit card, even though I didn't have the cash to pay for it (NOT something I usually do!!).  It was business.  You have to invest money to make money, right?  Again, decision made and I'm committing to it. 

Have you ever attended a big business-building event only to find you already knew 90% of what was being shared?   Yup, that was me!  I kept listening to everyone talk about how shooting for 6 and 7 figures is the way to go and I was promised that I could do it too if I invested in my growth.  Oh, I most certainly could have!  6-7 figures is definitely possible for anyone who WANTS it.  Did I want it?  Hmmm...after I spent those thousands of dollars and had that bill staring me in the face for a year, I started to think about that exact question.  What do I want? 

I had done well honoring my value of love/connection by scheduling my business around my life, leaving time for Hubby, theater, family and taking care of myself.  Until that moment, I wasn't listening to my truth at all. I hadn't looked at what it would really take to build this empire I wanted.  So, I looked closely at my values and planned out the time/energy my business would need.  That's when it hit me!  If I'm going to be this 6-7 figure business owner, I'm going to have to travel a lot more.  In the building process, I'm certainly going to have to work with more clients than the 5-6 I was working with at the time.  Looking at all these things, I realized, I didn't want to work that hard.  I had fallen down the "create a 6-figure business" rabbit hole this time.  That 6-figure business is not what I wanted. 

The moral of these stories?

I didn't trust in my values.  I didn't trust in myself and kept looking to others to tell me what I'm supposed to do.  I committed to going to Broadway, so I was supposed to follow through.  If I'm going to build a business for myself, then I'm supposed to build a business empire.  There were aspects about each of those things that I wanted, but I didn't really want all of it.  In focusing on Broadway or 6-figures, I didn't honor who I am and I didn't honor what I truly wanted for myself.    Money is not my driver.  My drivers are love and connection.  That's what I needed to focus on. 

I don't want to see you get sucked into the same traps I did.  Marketing is an easy rabbit hole to fall down and lose yourself in.  I've pulled myself out of two rabbit holes just like it.  I'm fully aware of what to look for now and have prevented myself from going down that marketing rabbit hole several times.  That's why I want to help you avoid the rabbit hole by trusting in your values and building a solid foundation in marketing that honors who you are (regardless of how big or small you want your business to be).  Click here to see how that shows up in the services I offer.

Life was meant to be enjoyed!  And I do.

Now, I fully honor my values and trust in who I am.

Running my own business for 12 years was a blast and I loved it until some time in early 2017. I had lost my passion and drive for running my business.  I loved the work, but not the business.  Something had shifted and because of that, my business shifted too.  By mid-2017, I was only doing calls with clients who were coming in and not marketing in any way.  So, the business waned. Then it became clear that I wanted to put my energies into the non-profit world where I felt I could make a different impact on changing lives.  So, I closed up my business and headed off into the employed world.  Now, I am an employee and I work for a non-profit that I love.  Every day is filled with exciting new adventures and my passions are on fire again. 

When my business was in full swing, it grew even though I didn't know where I was going.  Every year my business would grow in new and different ways.  Sometimes it'd be more clients, sometimes it was a new workshop or group program.  My to-do's didn't expand but my income did.  I got creative with my packages to allow for huge amounts of service while honoring my energy and time.  I enjoyed the steady slow growth that provided the balance I need.  I ran my business the way I wanted to. 

Music and theater are still a big part of my life.  When I see a show that I really want to do, I audition.  I usually audition for one show a year.  I'm also involved in a community chorus where I get the opportunity to sing in nursing homes and at community events.  Here I honor my value of creativity.

I'm honoring my value of love/connection in several ways. My husband and I plan weekend dates and enjoy evening dinners together wherever possible.  Honoring my value of love/connection.

Oh yeah, and Hubby is the reason I'm all about the tie-dye.  He's been wearing it since college and once I started wearing it, I realized how much I loved it too!  So, now our closet is full of tie-dye.  The picture above is just one example. 

I've discovered my value around self-care and health as well.  As a Diabetic (early stage), it's also important that I take care of myself.  I hike regularly, kayak occasionally with Hubby and we take regular after work walks around the neighborhood.  I also take down days to rest.  I may have a lot of energy, but I recognize that I am NOT the Energizer Bunny and I do need to recoup.

I honor my value of truth in my work and my motto: "Life was meant to be enjoyed. So, enjoy it!"  I DO enjoy every aspect of my life.  I check in with my truth frequently to make sure that always remains clear.