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For years I have been saying No to exploring the full depth of my creativity. I didn’t take leaps. I stayed in a comfortable place. I didn’t take risks. But then something happened. In February of 2018 I was faced with two options: look for a job or trust myself and get into entrepreneurship full time. I chose the second one.

I had no clarity, no plan, no business objective, no growth strategy, no niche, no idea what I should be doing next.

When I started 2018, I had an employee mindset. I had taken the decision to continue with my job at that time for the rest of the year. The universe, life, faith – call it what you want, had a different take. It presented me with an opportunity to take myself to the next level or remain in the same state.

So I took a chance on me and decided to invest in myself as much as I would invest in my clients’ success. What if I could focus on myself as much as I do on my clients? What if I would employ creative strategies to achieve my goals, as I do for my clients? What if I’d believe in myself as I do in my clients?

Easier said than done, though. I was scared out of mind. And wasn’t even aware of how many mindset blocks I had.

I, as many others, have not been in tune with myself for years. I would say NO to my ideas. NO to my passions. NO to exploring what I really loved to do. I disregarded the impact true passion makes not only in generating happiness for the author, or financial gain, but actual impact for bystanders (friends, family, the city, the world).

I was scared out of mind when I first started doing this. I was worried I would fail, that this craziness couldn’t work. But there was a small voice in my head asking “but what if you succeed?”

I became aware that my fear of failing, my imposter syndrome and low self-esteem were preventing me from growing and reaching that next level mindset needed in entrepreneurship. I realized I could only get clarity if I’d start doing things. I realized I could only begun to trust in myself if I’d be faced with doing the task. So I put in place the YES Experiment which in many ways was a forced repetition of acts of courage.

I am a strong believer in doing what you’re passionate about. I preach that to anyone who would listen. I’ve even integrated it in my coaching sessions whenever I meet people who want to change their lives, don’t know their skills, disregard their passions and have no idea how they could make a living doing what they love.

I decided doing this would have better chances of delivering positive results if I’d combine it with my passion. Fear of doing something would be taken down by the pleasure of doing something else.

By saying YES I shifted my mindset and found clarity

I made lists of my passions, coordinated them with my set of skills, explored which would have valuable impact in the lives of others and decided which would have a chance to support me financially. I ended up with 5. And decided to roll with it. I told myself I would stop whenever any of these wouldn’t feel right. Or spark joy (yes, I watched that show on Netflix).

So step-by-step, through forced repetition of acts of courage, I began telling myself YES, more and more. I gave myself the freedom to explore my creativity. I gave most of my ideas a chance to become reality. I gave myself permission to follow my gut. To do whatever feels right inside even when it felt scary.

And during this experiment I had weekly coaching sessions to help me stay on track and motivated through it all. I started journaling, reading as often as I could, interacting with other entrepreneurs, taking on challenges, webinars, and the more I said YES, the more opportunities I began to receive.

My YES Experiment helped me grow in all areas of life

As a human I am much more happier and in awe of what I am capable of creating.

As an entrepreneur I have much more confidence and clarity in how my unique skills will bring value to my customers. I am also more confident in sharing my entrepreneurial journey for others to learn from my mistakes, success, and/or experiments.

As a coach I can now easily spot mindset blocks created when people are unattuned with their gut feeling, core desire and life mission. I have also become aware of how mindset blocks impact business growth, brand visibility, success and how these ignite imposter syndrome, low self-esteem and lack of accountability.

As a wife, daughter and friend I am aware of and insanely grateful for the support these awesome people have been offering me.

One year later…

… I am much more courageous, self-confident, daring and in acceptance with who I am, my unique self, with a unique vision and set of skills. I have finally came to terms with a couple of truths about myself that I have kept hidden for a while:

• I am a multipreneur (aka an entrepreneur involved in more than one project at the same time)

• I am an educator (I actually teach others how to use marketing and content strategies to become more visible online)

• I am a coach (I help entrepreneurs find clarity and teach them how to work on their mindset to achieve their goals and live a happier life)

Why I’m sharing this with you

I have had an awesome year in 2018 and it was all because I decided to actively create my opportunities. To give myself the freedom to invest my time and resources into what I loved most. In short, saying YES meant giving myself permission to be myself and what a great gift this was.

My hope is this personal story will inspire you into saying YES to yourself more often. Into trusting your gut. Into discovering more of your unique beauty. We all have unique gifts and stories to tell, but we cover them under false images of who others might want us to be or act.

Ready to upgrade your life & business?

Coaching has helped me grow in one year more than I could have ever imagined. It has helped me identify and break through mindsets that were limiting my growth, both personal and in business.

I coach women who want to start on their own entrepreneurial journey and help them identify and work through their own limits. If you’re afraid, don’t believe in yourself, feel stuck, need clarity or have no idea where to start on your business journey, let me help you.

Book a free visibility coaching session below and get started on a new chapter of your life.

Hi there! My name is Monica. I am a visibility coach and content marketing specialist who creates blog & Pinterest strategies to generate website traffic and leads.

Check out my marketing blog to learn more