Your revolution is about to begin

The world has undeniably changed.

As an online entrepreneur, you may have noticed that consumers are smarter than ever. They see right through anything that isn’t honest.

I hear from my own clients all the time about how they used to just show up on social media and everything sold. Not so anymore. Some believe it’s now a crowded market. Some think it’s Facebook’s changing algorithms.

I believe it’s something far simpler: the advent of thinking consumers, who no longer buy into the hype of flash sales, limited time, “you need this now.”

People are consumed by ads 24/7. In a world where everyone is shouting, we have learned to filter it all out.

The new online sales reality is if people notice you at all, they are skeptical. They wonder if they need what you have. They want to know why they should buy it from you, if you have the stuff to get them the results they want, and even if they like you.

Your choice as an online entrepreneur is to interact with prospects in a new way – or don’t interact with them at all.

The way I was taught to market – the way the majority of the internet markets now – is perfect for a world that no longer exists.

And you can see that with your own dwindling sales, more and louder Facebook ads, the advent of videos (scroll through your FB timeline and tell me how many posts don’t have video – none). Everyone is looking for a new way to turn the money faucet back on.

I submit that the only way to build a lasting business that makes an impact is to stop looking for the strategy or magic bullet. No one is listening to that anymore.

This is your invitation to join me in a revolution of change – one that I accidentally stumbled across a decade ago when I started this business.

All people really want is for someone to tell them the truth.

Back in 2008, as a writing coach and editor, I showed up brand new online and dared to be who I was – and I couldn’t keep the clients away. As a business consultant and mindset coach, I do the same.

I swear. I live stream in my bathrobe. I talk about mental illness (hello, panic disorder). And I do all that while helping people create extraordinary lives. Back then, I did all those things because I didn’t know any better.

And as I learned and grew, I began to imitate what I saw was succeeding for others. Glossy images in Donna Karan and Chanel.  Live streams from the beach. An image that didn’t remotely represent who I am in day-to-day life.

Did it work? Yes.

Did it feel good? Hell no.

So I stopped and went back to being foul-mouthed, down-and-dirty, time-to-get-real, me.

I got back to being honest about what was working for me and my clients and what was not. I shared struggles and the lessons learned. To this day, I talk about everything from divorce to bankruptcy and back.

And that’s a win-win-win: A win for you, me and the world. When there is no standard to live up to…

Everyone can exhale and get more comfortable in their skin.

Oh, if she can do that, so can I.

Because when we don’t hide the parts of us that some people may not love – especially mistakes and screw ups – when we don’t hold up a standard of perfection, we show people it’s okay for them to be who they are and succeed. It’s okay to be human and thrive.

It’s permission to live on your terms. And isn’t that why we started our own businesses to begin with?

Think about it.

How much more would you love an oil company who had an ocean spill, but came out and said, “We fucked up. We’re sorry. And we’re pouring trillions into cleanup and future safeguards to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” Instead of, “It wasn’t our fault and we’re doing as little as possible about it because we have investors to worry about.”

That oil company would have billions of raving customers and fans for all eternity.

Smarter consumers want the truth.

This is how I determine who I hire as my own mentors. Are they honest? Are they living and embodying their message? Do I feel as though I know them, and they understand my journey because they are on it or have been there too?

I look at what they share with the world about themselves and their work. It will gibe with me or it won’t.

I want to see and understand that whoever I work with has been through hell too, and rose from the ashes.

And I’m betting my career that you do too.

You and your work are unique.

But someone, somewhere, will always show up to copy you, do it faster, or sell it cheaper. The only way to avoid competition is to be YOU.

The trust and respect you gain from having the guts to be real cannot be replicated.

Dr. Seuss knew his shit.

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

If you want to have a thriving business, it must begin with being brave enough to be yourself, especially when it’s uncomfortable, inconvenient or downright terrifying.

Here’s where I put my money where my mouth is.

Would you like to learn to create a business whose entire platform, strategy and message is based solely on YOU, warts and all?

One that can only attract an audience that adores you – because they believe what you believe?

People who get you – and who you get – on such a deep, intimate level, they are with you for life?

I have something for you.

I am a mindset coach and business consultant. My life’s work is about showing women how to breakthrough their own bullshit and absolutely shine. (The concept of this entire post actually.) This translates to clients for them. More importantly, it means they live unfiltered, embracing profound and lasting freedom that no one can ever take away.

If that kind of life and business appeals to you, reach out. I am opening space in my calendar for 1:1 private clients ready for a revolution.

This is nothing like you’ve ever seen before.

Email me directly at becky(at)rebeccatdickson(dot)com or message me on Facebook.

A big, BOLD beautiful life

This is part 13, the final installment in a series on why we are so afraid to be ourselves, how that fear keeps us broke and invisible – and how to stop that shit.

Previous installments can be read via the links below.

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Nothing is more liberating than being yourself as fully as you know how. You can stare down the potential for rejection with less fear than what is stirred when you stare down living as an imposter. 

Real people do not allow that fear to prevent them from being their own, unique person and they are constantly focused on being true to themselves. Every moment of every single day. 

To be bold takes daily practice and it is a choice. It means choosing not to hide when things get weird, and – in turn – becomes a gift in that you will feel confident in being yourself in front of anyone. 

How badass is that?

It’s easy to feel intense amounts of discomfort when we are expressing how we feel. No, I have never met anyone who enjoys being uncomfortable. But the people who face this and move forward anyway are the ones we like to call bold. 

The people who live big, bold beautiful lives. 

There are several ways I’ve noticed these people differentiate themselves from the pack, and I’m going to list them here. If you’re reading through this list and you begin to talk shit to yourself, just know that feeling like you aren’t bold right now doesn’t mean you can’t get there. 

Again, it’s all about the work you’re willing to invest in yourself. 

You want it? Go get it, sister.

I’ll explain how afterward. 

1. Stop apologizing for, or hiding how, you feel.

You should never, ever pretend you feel any way when – in fact – you feel a totally different way. Pretending to be someone else (or feeling like you need to apologize for being you) means you aren’t sitting with that fear we’ve already talked about. 

You will shine when you let yourself be vulnerable. In a dizzying world, there are wonderous moments of beautiful life you couldn’t make up, but there is also a shit ton of imperfection. Often, we apologize for thoughts and feelings without even knowing if they are detrimental, mostly because we don’t want to displease anyone. When we do this, we are sacrificing our own voices and saying someone else’s feelings are more important than our own. 

We are diluting ourselves for the comfort of others. 

But through it all you know you’ll change, you’ll learn and shift paths again, and you’ll meet people who will completely transform your life for the best and worst. 

Make sure you’re not changing for the sake of another person’s comfort. You don’t have enough time on this planet to worry about what others think. In the end, if you truly feel like you’ve done someone else a disservice, apologize for your mistake, ask for forgiveness (or forgive others), and choose to still feel completely and totally proud for never apologizing for something that doesn’t deserve apology.

2. Challenge Convention

According to a 2014 Forbes article entitled, “Why the Future of Work is All About Challenging Convention,” Jacob Morgan, a Forbes contributor, explains that challenging convention actually means going against the commonly held assumptions our generation’s businesses are built on, because for the greater part of the last century our business strategies and standards have sat stagnant. 

With five new trends shaping the future of our work force – whether in entrepreneurship or not – these are things you need to be aware of as you build your own business. 

The ease of finding information online, building communities and connecting with others makes your business much more public, more of the time. Plus, we have smart phones that make this information even more readily available.

With a generation of people cropping up and showing us their own expectations and standards, we’re going to need to learn to work with the Millennials. Technological improvements and the globalization of business are the last two of the trends he discusses. The first few seem obvious and it might seem easy to question whether or not they are trends, still businesses have seemingly adapted well.

The last few, however, are still questioned and overanalyzed.

Regardless of your thoughts on those trends, know new trends will continue to pop up. New user-friendly platforms will show up to help you with scheduling appointments, keeping track of all of your calendars, and hiring those weirdos who seem to be named Flower and Mable because it’s chic, but I’m getting away from the point…

Even big corporations are considering the monotony and practicality of their former daily practices, and they’re making big changes to the way they work.

So how does this relate to small business owners who are just starting out or wanting to make a big shift in their services?

If what you want to do means you’re going to have to move against the grain, then do it.

Common assumptions happen in day-to-day life and business. We see how someone else built their business and believe that’s the exact route we should take to build ours. Except the problem is you’re starting out at a disadvantage. You are not someone else. And you have no idea how or why that system worked for that person.

Could you possibly make it the same way? You betcha. But you’re going to have to put in the time and you’re probably making it 100 times harder than if you just trusted your own gut.

Let’s be real: Successful people put in decades of time before reaching star status and they certainly don’t follow someone else’s strategy. 

The good news in this is also what scares us most. In today’s society, there isn’t one way to do anything. The world is dynamic and rapidly changing. 

Collaboration is important. Research is easier than ever. Building a community and connecting via social media has changed the game. And everyone is sharing content constantly. 

What does this mean?

Use those things to your advantage and stop believing you MUST do anything in a step by step process.

Use your damn voice.

Speak and be unafraid when people hear you (yes, even when you’re giving an unpopular opinion). By taking a stand, you’re letting other people know of you and showing them what you’re about.

Make your points loud and clear, avoiding any kind of tone that might lead people to believe you are meek. Use language that conveys exactly what you are trying to say, instead of weakening your message by using words that dilute the power of your voice. No more “just” doing this or “only” certified in a certain way. 

Talking shows the world you believe you count and you matter, and it makes you more visible (so finding others who are likeminded won’t be so hard). 

Mess up.

You simply can’t learn if you don’t make mistakes. You’ll never know what doesn’t work and what should be avoided. Stop feeling embarrassed by failure and start learning from it.

And the more you do this, the easier it becomes and the more resilient you feel, making your next move a little more graceful. Eventually, something will stick so beautifully, you’ll be glad you didn’t give up when a tinge of rejection made you feel like an asshat. 

Take Action

All of the knowledge you have in your brain doesn’t do the world any good if you don’t put it to use. I see so many entrepreneurs buy course after course and hire countless coaches, only to stay in the same place.

They are looking for some magic pill that will eventually lead them to Emerald City. But the truth is constantly researching doesn’t leave much room for actually DOING anything. 

And if you don’t DO, you certainly don’t build. 

Stop reading books and try the theories you’ve read about. Hell, try something you’ve never read about but feel in your gut might work. This is what I tell my people – and those women act and see results. 

Trust Yourself

You won’t follow through if you don’t trust yourself, and you can’t succeed if you don’t follow through.

It’s a bitch, right?

So mean and do what you say, and start trusting you’re doing it because you’re going to figure out the entrepreneurial world.

The bonus of doing this is very simple: When you start trusting in yourself more and knowing you can get the job done, you’ll likely start building trust in other people and giving them the opportunities you’ve always wanted to give. 

Do what you would if you couldn’t fail.

Expect that you will succeed. Believe and envision it happening. See the money in your bank account, hear your voice on the TEDx stage, feel what it’s like to write the last line of your first book.

If you can convince yourself that the best is yet to come, then you can build the endurance and audacity to get up, try again, and brainstorm whatever the hell you want. 

Never (ever) give up.

Opposing being yourself and using your God-given, useful and powerful voice is being dishonest (read: fake). 

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