Latest / The Favourite Self Podcast / 25. Your Why, Your Vision, and the Business You Actually Want

Transcript

25. Your Why, Your Vision, and the Business You Actually Want · The Favourite Self Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Four months is enough time to make a completely different decision.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: It's enough time to stop doing something.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: It's enough time to simplify something that you've overcomplicated.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: It's enough time to finally say yes to the thing that has been pulling you all year or maybe multiple years.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: It is enough time to change your mind.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Favorite Self podcast.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: I like to think of it not as your future self or your best self, but your favorite self.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: My favorite self that just makes me feel the truest version of me.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: What lights your favorite self on fire?
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Carly Hardaway, founder, author, storyteller, and a woman who learned that building a successful life means nothing if it doesn't feel like yours.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: This podcast is for women who are building businesses, raising families, leading movements, and asking themselves, is this it or is there more available to me?
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: This is your invitation to come back to yourself.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: Let's dig in.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: Hello and welcome back to another solo episode of the Favorite Self Podcast.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: Today we're going to talk about the importance of finding your why and why you need to dive into this reflection before setting another goal, before really heading in full speed ahead to this final stretch of the year.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: I love September.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: There's something about this time of year has always given me that new year feeling.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's always felt like the true new year for me.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's probably the conditioning of spending 18 years of my life familiarizing myself with prepping for back to school this time of year, getting the new notebooks, settling into new routines, getting myself organized.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: I love that energy.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: And I love bringing it into my business and into my clients' businesses.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: And as we wrap up the summer, depending on what your summer looked like, maybe you are coming out of a beautiful summer slowdown.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're coming out of summer chaos of having the kids home and working and sports and managing all the things.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's a little bit of both, like me.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe you're in this spot where you feel like I love my kids so much, and I'm ready for the back to school routine.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: I know for me, I feel so torn.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: I've actually loved having my kids home this summer.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like they've just been at such a sweet age, and it's been a very different summer.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like it's been more manageable than it ever has before.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm so grateful for that and for the way that I've been able to really be so present with the kids, create so many amazing memories together, have so much time together, definitely slow down with them.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I also feel like I've had some of my most impactful months in business behind the scenes, really turning inward and coming up with some really cool new offerings and ideas and getting more clarity around our vision.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like I am coming into this final stretch of the year with this whole new outlook and energy.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm so grateful for that.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I also see you if you are in another season, because it was not that long ago where I was coming out of the summers feeling so exhausted and like I was so behind.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: And again, not necessarily wishing the summer away and not wishing for my kids to go back to school, but just feeling like I needed a break, I needed a recharge.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: So, either way, however you're feeling right now, it's completely valid.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: And I think we have this collective energy of like, okay, here we go.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: We're heading into the final stretch of the year.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: And it's time to pull back up our list of goals, maybe our manifestation list, and really look at, okay, what did I say I was going to do this year?
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: What have I not done yet or crossed off yet?
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: What do I really want to accomplish before December?
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: What am I manifesting right now?
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: What is exciting me?
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: What's lighting me up?
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: What am I building toward next?
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: What do I even want next year to look like?
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: Now is the time to really get into that vision casting.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: And like I said, I love goals.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: I love visioning.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: I love manifestation.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: You already know this about me.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: But I also want to make sure that before we go adding on more goals to the list and potentially creating more shiny carrots that might actually be distracting us from where we are meant to be going, I want you to ask yourself a different question.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: Why?
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: Why do you actually want what you say you want?
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: Why are you building the business that you're building?
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: Why are you doing it this way?
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: Why are you doing it this way that you've always done it?
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe most importantly, does the thing that you're building still match and align with the person you are becoming?
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: Because sometimes it's not that the goal is wrong or that you're doing something wrong.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: It's that the vision has evolved.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I feel like we're seeing this a lot.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: It's really showing up in my newsfeed, especially.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if you're seeing it too, but there's this pivot energy that is feeling really exciting.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I feel like there are just some big shifts happening in businesses right now.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: I'm watching friends who are leaving businesses and starting new ones, or maybe going back to old ones that they used to have.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_00: I'm watching people completely reposition themselves.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: I'm seeing them change their offers or let go of previous offers that have brought them a lot of success, but are just not feeling aligned anymore.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: I'm seeing them changing their roles in the business, making changes to their team, changes to their entire business model.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: And some are even stepping away from the exact things that they have become known for.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I think it's so exciting.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: And it lights me up.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I love looking at it and, you know, getting to experience it, especially when I get a behind the scenes look at what's going on, because I don't think that we all of a sudden wake up and decide everything that we've built was wrong.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: I think for most of us, we've just changed.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: We've grown.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: We've learned more about ourselves.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: We've gotten clearer on what exactly we want and maybe also even clearer on what we don't want, which is even more important.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: I've been feeling this in my own business all year this year.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: And I've been asking some big questions about what I want my role to look like, what I want our business to be known for, where I want to spend my energy, what I want to create next.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: And really ultimately, at the end of the day, what I'm building all of this for.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I can feel some of those answers really starting to come into focus now, which is why I think September is just such a beautiful opportunity to zoom out.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: I always say that when you're feeling like you're questioning things and you're slipping into scarcity mindset or you're feeling overwhelmed or stressed, you're too zoomed in.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: You need to zoom out.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: You need to look back at the bigger picture and not immediately jump to, oh, what do I need to do next?
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: What should I be doing next?
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: And instead actually look at what am I actually trying to create here?
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I hinted at this at a previous episode, but this time we're gonna dive deep and I'm gonna actually share some next steps you can ask.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: This is a kind of episode that is great to definitely reflect on a drive if you're driving right now, but also pull out your journal and actually do some journal exercises or maybe come back to it when you can.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe take it for a walk again and just let yourself think about it.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe send, maybe pause and send yourself a voice note midway through, depending on what comes up for you.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: Because I'm gonna take you through these five ultimately core questions.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I really want you to let yourself do whatever works for you.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: But don't answer these questions based on the ego.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: Don't answer them based on what sounds impressive, what you think should be your answer.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: That's the whole point, is to let go of that and really answer them as honestly as you possibly can.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: No one else is looking at your voice note at your journal.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: No one else is inside your head.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: Because I think finding your why is really an exercise in knowing yourself.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_00: And the better that you know yourself, the easier it becomes to recognize what is actually yours versus what you've maybe been told or taught to want or desire or need.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: So that's the first question.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: That's where we're starting.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: What do you actually want?
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: Before we get into your purpose or positioning or business strategy, we start here.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: What do you actually want?
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_00: Not what you should want, not what would make the best Instagram bio, not what someone in your industry told you is the key to success.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_00: What do you want?
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: What kind of life are you working to create?
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: How much do you want to work?
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: What do you want your days to feel like?
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: How much space do you want in your day?
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_00: What kind of work actually gives you energy back?
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_00: What kind of work drains you?
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_00: What kind of work are you done with and ready to stop doing?
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: What do you want to make more time for?
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's so important to really remember and recognize that your business is not separate from your life.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: When it comes to entrepreneurship and what we are building, your business is a vehicle that you are using to create the life of your dreams.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: And this is where I also love to bring in astrology and human design because it can get really interesting.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: And it's not that, you know, your birth chart or your human design is dictating what kind of business that you're supposed to build.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's really using these tools as mirrors.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_00: They can give you this language for certain parts of yourself that actually feels so validating because maybe you've always known they were there because it's how you're naturally wired to work, but it just you haven't been able to articulate it in that way before.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: And you've, it's because of the patterns and the conditioning and the beliefs.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_00: And this is all around like really how you're wired to work, what naturally energizes you, what you value, how you make decisions.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: That's what I love about human design.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: And what you need to, what you need ultimately in order to actually feel like yourself, feel so true to yourself, feel like your favorite self, your most magnetic self.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes they really can help you recognize the difference between what you actually want and what you've been conditioned to believe that success should look like.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: So if you listen to last week's guest episode on astrology and the lunar nodes, you know this is something that I've been exploring a lot more deeply over the years.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: And again, it's not like creating this rule book for my life.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: It's really just another way of holding up the mirror and asking, does this actually feel like me?
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: Because sometimes we set these business goals like, I want a seven-figure business.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: Why?
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_00: What do you believe that that seven-figure business is going to give you?
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: Is it more freedom, security, safety, impact, recognition?
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_00: Is it a team?
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: Is it less work and the ability to just run off to the beach whenever you want?
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: Is it more work?
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_00: More fulfillment.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_00: Those are all very different visions.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes when you keep asking yourself why, you realize that the goal that you were chasing isn't actually the thing that you want.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: And that can be a scary realization.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: But ultimately you feel like you want the feeling that the goal would give you.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: So that's why we start with the life that we want.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_00: If this business worked out in total alignment for me, what would my life actually look like on the other side?
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_00: I am briefly interrupting this episode to personally invite you to something that I have been dreaming about for a very long time.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_00: The favorite self-retreat is happening on October 1st at the beautiful Wisdom Gardens Retreat Center in East Gwillenberry.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: This is a full day for the woman who can feel a new chapter calling her, the woman who is ready to reconnect with her deepest desires, trust the vision she has for her life, and step forward with the confidence to create something even bigger than she has allowed herself to imagine.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: Together we'll create space to release the stories, patterns, and beliefs that no longer belong in your next chapter.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: But this day is about so much more than what you're leaving behind.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: It's about remembering who you are, reclaiming the gifts, dreams, and desires that have always been within you, and becoming the version of yourself who feels safe, worthy, and fully capable of bringing her wildest dreams to life.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_00: You'll be guided through breath work, subconscious rewiring, reflection, meaningful conversation, and powerful exercises designed to help you clarify what you truly want and confidently step into what's next.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_00: This isn't about becoming someone else.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's about coming home to the most powerful, expressed, and fully alive version of you and giving yourself permission to dream bigger.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_00: If you know you're ready for your next chapter, I would love to have you in the room.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_00: Spaces are limited and spots are already being claimed.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_00: You can learn more and reserve yours through the link in the show notes.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_00: I can't wait to meet the version of you who emerges.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: Now back to the episode.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_00: And then we dive into the next question, number two, which is why does this work matter to you?
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_00: This is where I really love bringing in Simon Sinek's concept of start with why.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_00: It's so helpful.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_00: We spend so much time talking about what we do.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_00: We feel like we have to have this perfect elevator pitch for every networking event.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_00: And it's so much more than I'm a coach, I'm a designer, I'm a copywriter, I'm a clinic, I'm a chiropractor, I run an agency.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: We quickly dive into how we do it.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_00: First it's the what, then it's the how.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's our methodology, our process, our offers.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_00: But underneath all of that is why?
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_00: Why does this matter?
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_00: Why do you care so much about this problem that you have built an entire business around solving it?
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_00: What do you believe that perhaps other people in your industry don't what change do you ultimately want to create through your work?
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I think there's another really powerful question here.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: What experiences have you lived that make this work so personal to you?
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_00: And this is why I always say ultimately, like our businesses are personal.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_00: There is no separation between the two because our why isn't something that we manufacture in a branding exercise.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's already there.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's woven through all of our experiences.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's the problem that we couldn't stop thinking about that keeps us up at night, the thing that we had to learn the hard way, the same thing that we wish someone told us five years ago, 10 years ago, this transformation that we've experienced ourselves.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_00: And now we want other people to experience it too, but we want them to experience it faster or maybe with some less challenges or hiccups or problems along the way.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_00: So this is where you need to ask yourself why do I care about this work beyond the money that it makes me?
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: Because there is always so much more underneath it.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_00: Even beyond the schedule that it gives me.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_00: And then the third question is what is the one thing that your business must do brilliantly?
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_00: I've been reading Clockwork by Mike Mikhaulowitz.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_00: Hopefully I'm saying his name right.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: And one of the concepts I can't stop thinking about is this Queen B role.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: He talks about the Queen B role, QBR.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_00: And the basic idea is that every business has a core function.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_00: And this is the thing that must happen incredibly well for the business to fulfill its promise.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_00: And then everything else should essentially protect that role.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_00: And I love this because it forces you to strip away all of the noise.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_00: Because we can have 14 offers and 37 tasks and 500 tabs open and six platforms that we're marketing on and a team and a million moving pieces.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_00: But what is the one thing that we are actually here to do?
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: And it connects so beautifully into your brand promise.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_00: What is the transformation that you are promising?
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: I always love to ask that question.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_00: When someone works with you, what do you want to promise that they are going to experience?
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: What do you you want to ensure is true on the other side?
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_00: What do you want people to say about you when you are not in the room?
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_00: That is a big one.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_00: And it's not a list of deliverables.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_00: It's not, they built me a website.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_00: It's what did that website do for you?
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_00: What did working with you make possible for them?
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you help people feel confident enough to be fully visible.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you give people their time back.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you make people feel deeply cared for in a way that they haven't in years, if ever.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you help someone finally recognize their own brilliance and superpowers and share those gifts with the world.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_00: Whatever it is, what is the promise underneath the product?
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_00: That becomes your North Star.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_00: Because suddenly when you're deciding whether to launch the next offer, to hire someone, to take on a certain project, to change your positioning or pivot the business, you have something clear to measure it against.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_00: Does this help us fulfill the promise?
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_00: Or is it distracting us from it?
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: And then moving on to the fourth question.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_00: What is your role in the vision?
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: And this one is especially important for business owners because we spend so much time asking, what does the business need?
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: And not enough time asking, what role do I actually want to play in it?
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you started the business wearing all of the hats, doing everything.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: And you are the salesperson, you are the service provider, you are the content creator, you're the admin, you're the customer experience manager.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_00: But just because you can do something doesn't mean that it's supposed to be your job or that it still needs to be your job.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_00: And this is where you ask yourself really where your zone of genius is, where your brilliance is, where are you most valuable?
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: What gives you energy?
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_00: That's a big one.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_00: What do people consistently tell you you do differently?
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_00: And that's why they hired you.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_00: That's why they worked with you.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_00: What do you want to be known for ultimately?
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_00: And what would happen if you designed your business around protecting that very thing?
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_00: So, for reference, I am a Manny Gen, manifesting generator in human design, and understanding my energy has really made me think differently about this expectation that we're supposed to find one thing, pick the lane, the niche, and then do that exact thing in that exact way forever.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_00: Because that is not how I operate.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_00: I've realized that my superpower is in my evolution and my role is also allowed to evolve.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_00: And what lights me up is allowed to change and will change.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_00: And there are seasons where I might be incredibly energized by one part of the business and seasons where I'm being pulled toward something completely different.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_00: And again, I don't think human design or astrology or these tools should become an excuse or like a strict rulebook.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_00: It's an invitation to get curious.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_00: What is my natural way of operating?
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_00: And where am I forcing myself into someone else's business model?
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_00: Because I've decided that that's what a successful entrepreneur is supposed to look like.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe your next evolution actually isn't about you doing more.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's you becoming more honest about what is truly yours to do, and equally honest about what isn't.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_00: And this brings me to the fifth and final step, which is to create your North Star.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_00: So I want you to take everything that you've reflected on here, everything we've talked about, and really distill it.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_00: And it's not about a perfect mission statement, okay?
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_00: It is not about the perfect tagline or copy for your website.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_00: It's just about creating something that feels true to you.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_00: So I want you to finish these sentences, okay?
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_00: I am building a business that allows me to.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, and then look at your answers.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_00: Think of what came to mind.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_00: What kept getting repeated?
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_00: What feels emotional?
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_00: Or are you feeling an emotional pull?
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_00: What feels like so obvious once it came to mind, or you said it out loud, or you wrote it down?
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_00: And what feels like this wave of relief?
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_00: Somewhere in there is your North Star.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_00: And your North Star isn't necessarily telling you exactly what to do, it's helping you know what truly belongs.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_00: Those are different things.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_00: And if you want to take this exercise a step further, this is where I actually love to pull in AI.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I do want to know a caveat here because I'm not just saying like open cloud or chat GPT and say, what's my why?
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_00: Because it is not going to tell you that.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_00: Even if you feed it your chart or your human design.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_00: You need to give it the raw material first.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_00: So you need to do the reflections, you need to answer these questions, you need to give it these messy thoughts, your stories, your values, your beliefs, and then help it understand what you love doing, what you don't want to do anymore, and then really let it become a mirror, reflecting back patterns for you.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_00: So you can actually use a prompt and you can say to it, okay, I'm gonna give you this collection of reflections about the business and the life that I want to build, the work that energizes me, my values, strengths, lived experiences, what people consistently come to me for.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I want you to be a mirror and not an advisor.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_00: Don't tell me what my purpose should be, but instead analyze what I've shared and identify the recurring themes, contradictions, values, strengths, desires, and patterns that you notice.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_00: And then you can ask it to reflect back those three to five core themes that are central to who I am in the work that I do?
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_00: What do I appear to care about most deeply?
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_00: What transformation or impact do I seem most motivated to create?
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_00: What role do I seem to be most energized to play?
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_00: And what might what maybe have I outgrown or what am I forcing that is not aligned?
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_00: And you can tell it to ask you further questions before drawing conclusions.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: And then when Claude or Chat gives you the answer, don't just automatically accept it.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_00: Notice what makes your body go, yes.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_00: Where do you get that full body yes?
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_00: And where what do you immediately want to correct?
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_00: Notice what doesn't feel like you, if anything.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_00: And even your reaction to what it reflects back is such valuable information.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, and now we can talk about September.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_00: Now pull out the manifestation list, pull out the goals that you wrote back in January and pull out whatever that you thought this year was supposed to look like.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_00: And whatever you do, do not use it as evidence that you are behind.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_00: That is not the vibe.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_00: We are using it as information.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_00: And take some time to actually go through each goal and ask yourself: do I still want this?
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_00: Why do I want this?
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_00: Does this actually move me toward the life or the business that I just described?
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_00: Is this actually mine or is it something that I've picked up or absorbed from someone else?
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe my favorite question would my favorite self still choose this?
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_00: And just give yourself permission to cross things off.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_00: Let it go and actually celebrate that.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_00: Because our whole point here is to continue to grow and evolve.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe there's goals that just aren't serving you anymore and are not serving who you are stepping into in this next chapter.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe there's goals that you really want to reconnect with.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe there's something that you've been avoiding that is very true still to you.
• 29:52
  SPEAKER_00: And you can get curious about that resistance and where it's coming from.
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you actually realize that you are so much closer to your dream life, your dream desires, your dream business than you thought you were.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_00: This isn't about blowing up your business every September, far from it.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_00: It's about making sure that you still consciously choose it.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_00: And ultimately, at the end of the day, this exercise is really about seeing yourself more clearly.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_00: Because your desires, your values, your beliefs are all mirrors.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_00: Your lived experiences are mirrors.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_00: Your strengths are mirrors, your weaknesses are mirrors, your astrology can be a mirror, your human design.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_00: The feedback that you hear over and over again from the people around you are also mirrors.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_00: Even the and maybe especially the things that you have felt frustrated by or resentful of can be a mirror.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_00: They're all reflecting something back to you.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_00: This is the mirror effect in action.
• 31:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I think the magic happens when we stop looking at any one of these things as the answer and instead just start noticing the patterns.
• 31:20
  SPEAKER_00: What's showing up again and again?
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_00: What have you always known to be true about yourself?
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_00: What are other people constantly reflecting back to you?
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_00: What are you being pulled toward in this particular season?
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_00: And what are you feeling like you are no longer willing to tolerate?
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_00: What makes you feel the most like you?
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_00: The most alive, the most connected to your inner child?
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_00: What gives you that spark for more?
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_00: Because at the end of the day, finding your why is not about this perfectly crafted statement or elevator pitch, okay?
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_00: It's really just about ultimately seeing yourself clearly enough to recognize what has been there and what has been true all along.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_00: Your gifts, your values, your story, your beliefs, your desires, the way that you are naturally wired, the work that you can't stop thinking about.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's all a mirror.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_00: And when you start paying attention to what these things are reflecting back to you, your vision can get a whole lot clearer.
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so we have four months left in this year.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_00: And that is still so much time to do incredible things.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_00: I really want to name that.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_00: This isn't about running out of time.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_00: This is about looking at those four months and how can they actually be the best four months of your year?
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_00: Or how can they set you up for the best year next year?
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's not about, okay, I need to hustle, I need to catch up, I need to make the most of every second.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_00: That's not what I'm saying.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_00: Four months is enough time to make a completely different decision.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_00: It's enough time to stop doing something.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's enough time to simplify something that you've overcomplicated.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's enough time to finally say yes to the thing that has been pulling you all year or maybe multiple years.
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_00: It is enough time to change your mind.
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe that's the most powerful thing that you can do heading into this new season.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's not adding another goal, it's getting clearer on your why so that you know which goals were never yours to begin with.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_00: Because again, clarity isn't about giving you more to do.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_00: It's not about adding to your list.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it's actually taking away, it's giving you permission to strip back everything that's not serving you.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_00: And knowing that what you choose is what matters.
• 34:15
  SPEAKER_00: So before you rush into September asking, okay, what am I going to accomplish by the end of the year?
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_00: Ask yourself instead, what am I building?
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_00: Why am I building it?
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_00: Who am I becoming while I build it?
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_00: And does the way that I'm building it actually support the life that I want to live?
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe your why isn't something that you need to go out and find.
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's something you are uncovering by paying attention to all of the mirrors that have been reflecting back to you all along.
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_00: And the more clearly that you can see yourself, the easier it is to build a life, a business, and a brand that actually reflects who you are.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_00: This is the work that matters.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you enjoy.
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to hear from you what resonates, what came up for you from this episode.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_00: Send me a DM on Instagram, and I'll see you next week.
• 35:28
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening to the Favorite Self podcast.
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_00: If this episode stirred something in you, there's a reason for it.
• 35:34
  SPEAKER_00: You could take a moment to share with a friend, someone who's also building something brave, that would mean so much to me.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_00: Better yet, leave a review.
• 35:42
  SPEAKER_00: It helps this message reach even more women who are ready to lead differently.
• 35:47
  SPEAKER_00: And before you go, remember this your favorite self is already within you, waiting to be heard.
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_00: See you next time.