Today marks a new day *breaks into song*. For whilst I have no lion cub to raise in the air, I *do* have Elton John playing in the background and I am feeling particularly optimistic. Last week I put something really big off all week. Scratch that, I actually put something really big off all month. I had finally done all my chores (because you know laundry only gets done on procrastination days) I delved deep into what’s really going on and I realised what I really found absolutely joyous about what I do.

It all started two weeks ago when I had a bit of a meltdown. I know that that doesn’t sound particularly optimistic does it but bear with.

You see, I had just done an Instagram story takeover, where I had literally hundreds of messages and new followers, and I was completely overwhelmed. I felt like such a total failure. Imposter syndrome kicked in. I’m supposed to act like a big (well, small to medium) hotshot success, right? Like, who am I to be a human bean or something?!

Come on.

I had a good truth serum served by people close to me. The next day, I stripped back a whole load of stuff on my To-Do list that was making my business feel bloated and wham bam I felt a million times better. 

Free of the shackles of my own doing (I never promised this email would be drama-free) I came to a realisation.

And?

I decided to put myself out there more. Not just for any old thing but in a very decisive way.

You see, when I put myself out there more I actually enjoy what I do more. I get more enquiries. I feel *in control*. Oh yes, we love a bit of control round here.

And guess what? I get SO many questions asking how you can put yourself out there more and so I put them together in one handy place….

Getting found online (i.e. SEO what I do) is about stepping up and stepping out. It’s about saying “Dream clients here I am, come and get me!”

1. Stop comparing yourself to everyone else who does what you do.

If I compared myself to other SEO consultants there’s no way I would do anything like I’ve done. If I compared myself to other business coaches there’s definitely no way I would be able to muster up the courage to show up online. As the great Dolly Parton says ‘Figure out who you are and do it on purpose’.

2. Stop worrying about what others think of you. 

I have a newsflash for you: no one is thinking about you nearly as much as you’d like them to be. It used to consume me too. As soon as I just relaxed and continued on, I started having a lot more fun and actually enjoying all these things. What you love to see is what you do, because it’s your passion. So don’t be afraid of heading out there. If others don’t want to see it, they won’t interact with it, and you’ll learn from that. It won’t always be just family and friends who are supporting you.

3. Keep a note of why you’re awesome.

Realise that just as new competitors emerge each and every day, the market is saturated, argh what about Brexit, that they cannot actually directly affect what you sell as a product or service. You have had clients before and you will have clients again. Read through your testimonials to remind yourself of why you’re amazing at what you do. (I do this every day, it’s a wonderful habit).

4. Stop getting scared of doing it wrong.

It’s not actually that a big deal of a deal to do the hard things (whether it’s writing a blog post, get your website updated etc). Once new tasks become everyday habits, you find you learn by doing and hire experts *ahem* to help you upgrade that plan.

5. Set goals for what you want to do and make a plan of action.

I *love* helping others plan and sort out their business brains + lives. What do you want to sell, how often do you want to sell it, and where have you sold it before that worked well? Promote on the channels that work for you. Hire an expert to help you in the areas where you’re stuck. Don’t let fear of lack of time get in the way. Think of the time you’re wasting deliberating and instead move on up!

6. Believe in yourself.

You’ve come this far already! If you follow me on Instagram (hello!) then you’ll see I regularly post reflective posts recognising how far I’ve come, focusing on my wins of the week on my #ThingsILoveFridays💖 If you don’t believe in yourself you’ll watch Netflix all day and never achieve anything you want to do. With self-belief comes positive action. It’s not wishy-washy. It’s fact.

Tell me in the comments – which tip hit home for you?