"I Took That As A Sign..."

I've started hearing people say this phrase a lot more recently, so I took it as a sign to write this email.

Ever notice how majority of the time when people say that phrase "I took it as a sign" it's when they're looking for something to confirm their thoughts or beliefs.

Almost like... Confirmation bias.

Looking for something to confirm what you already know, or in this case, feel. I like to think of that saying as a gut instinct being tangibly played out.

The fun thing about this saying is that it's completely subjective, what could be considered a single sign is different for two people.

Person one is wanting to sign up for our program and they wait for a sign, as they say that, our latest podcast gets released and it touches on the topic they're struggling with. "Oh my god, that's perfect timing. It's a sign!"

Person two is wanting to sign up for our program and they wait for a sign, as they say that, our latest podcast gets released and it touches on the topic they're struggling with. "That hits way too close to home I'm not ready, that feeling is my sign to hold off"

This leads me to the question: How can someone learn to trust their gut without waiting for external validation?

I've always been a big fan of trusting your gut, going for it, taking-the-leap, because the worst case for a lot of those anxiety-inducing decisions... You just end up right back where you are anyway but you've learnt something.

Story-time: For my first-ever investment into myself. I had worked stupid hours over the past 6 months and had saved $2,000, I knew that something would have to change with business for me to create a lifestyle where I could support my entire family on one income.

I then started looking for business coaches or mentors, one popped up on Facebook, followed through the ads, it all looked good, booked a call, and used my $2,000 as a 10% deposit for a 12-month coaching course.

4 months in, the owner had lost all of his coaches who were delivering his program because they were being mistreated and underpaid.

Eventually, allegedly, he filed for bankruptcy, moved to America, changed his name, and is now doing the same thing but taking a more 'spiritual' approach which I believe is code for mandated therapy.

By all accounts that investment was a failure. I didn't make money, I lost money, negatives all the way through.

I learned more from him in terms of what NOT to do when I have my business and employees than I did from him doing his job. I didn't let it scare me off from investing because I knew, I wanted to make this work, I loved my job, and I wanted to make this a career.

I let that negative experience shape what my next coaching experience would be. I knew what questions to ask, and how to better protect myself in the future from those types of coaches, and I hired my coach who I had for 5 years.

Now, this fucking guy runs a multi 6-figure international coaching business, one day to be 7-figures. 

I didn't wait for a sign to get started, I just dove in and decided to figure it out. Because I wanted to. There was nothing else to it other than I believed that this business and lifestyle was going to be the thing that would make me happy because I had done X amount of jobs in the past that fell under the umbrella of 9-5 work and I hated them all.

So this was it. It was time to turn a job into a career and figure it out, no more excuses.

I've mentally given up more times than I can count, I've stopped counting. But I never let myself take action on those thoughts, because those thoughts only ever came after a terrible day or week at work.

I will only allow myself to quit while I'm ahead.

The 'sign' quickly became my rearview mirror, my experience, my accolades, the proof in the pudding so to speak. I didn't wait for the universe to tell me it was right or wrong. I believed in myself to make something happen.

I believe that most people already know what they want or what they're looking for. They just don't let themselves go for it because they're worried about what other people might say or think.

Hence, the pause and the wait for external validation to let you know that it's alright to want this thing.

Sit with your feelings and thoughts, and write them down in a major list.

When they're all written down, read them... You'll (90% of the time) start to find a common theme of what you want to do. You'll become your own external validation.

Trust yourself. You know what's going to work for you and no one will know what's better for you than you.