From drowning in debt to living it up in Hawaii

Aloha!  I’ve been having the most romantic and adventurous week in Kauai, Hawaii with Jonathan.  We’ve been hiking, discovering secret beaches, swimming with sea turtles and jumping off waterfalls.

This trip feels like a major milestone because it’s the first vacation I’ve taken that I’ve really “earned”.  Let me explain…

Just over a year ago, I found myself drowning in a scary amount of personal credit card debt.  I’m talking don’t-know-how-I’m ever-gonna-pay-this-off, I-can’t-buy-clothes-ever-again, anxious-suffocating-panicky debt.  Debt has a way of sucking the life out of you and it was affecting my health, my business and my marriage.  Not fun.

After ignoring it and avoiding it for months, I finally realized I had to do something about it.

Now, I’m not the kind of girl who does well on a budget. I could have stopped my monthly date with Anthropologie, cooked kale and rice for every meal and said no to nights out with the girls, but as someone who has a history of bingeing after only 48 hours of dieting, I knew that a restrictive budget (like a restrictive diet) wasn’t gonna fly.

I did, however, create realistic boundaries in my spending and starting paying close attention to where my money was going.  But it was clear that the best way for me to release my debt was to just make more money.

Before you dive into the mindset of “there’s no way I could make more money, I’m stuck” I want you to consider this: what if there are an infinite number of ways you could make money that you’ve never thought about like…

• A surprise inheritance
• Getting a promotion out of the blue
• An opportunity to sublet your apt while house sitting for your aunt’s best friend
• Learning about a new job at Saturday night’s party that you are perfect for
• Finding $20 on the sidewalk

We spend so much time focusing on how we can’t make more money, and no time thinking about all the ways we could make more money! I want you to make a list, yes, now please.

Now, thinking about all the ways you could make more money is the first step, the second step is action.

Maybe you need to

• Update your profile on linked-in
• Actually go to that party with all the successful lawyers (instead of shying away because you don’t “fit in”)
• Volunteer for that project and then ask for a raise after you knocked the socks off your boss
• Check out www.housecarers.com to see if you can house sit for someone in your area

For my business specifically, my action step was getting some serious marketing training.  I committed to participating in Marie Forleo’s BSchool where she teaches women how to make money online.  Marie taught me how to grow my list, create an amazing program and how to market it to the right clients who really needed me.

I took a series a right actions, followed her advice, and the results were mind-blowing:

I quadrupled my audience, launched a new brand and my debt, which I thought was going to take me 5 years to pay off, was gone in 9 months.  I had no idea that this was going to be the outcome, I just accepted the possibility and then went into action.  The rest took care of itself.

Debt has a way of weighing you down, emotionally and physically.  Without it I feel more free, alive and relaxed.  And as you know, feeling more centered really keeps me from eating entire bags of potato chips after glancing at my bank accounts.  And, being able to do things like go out to nice dinners, buy a dress I love and go on vacation is not necessarily crucial to my happiness, but I’m certainly having a good time!

I know that talking about money can be taboo, but it’s so important to me that you know that if you’re struggling, there are simple things you can do.  And I know from experience that having a sense of peace and freedom with money is a huge part of healing our relationship with food.

If you’re an entrepreneur like me, you have to check out Marie Forleo’s incredible free video training series to help you understand exactly what you need to create a flourishing business. You can get access by clicking here.

AND, since I’m always getting emails asking for business advice, I’m hosting a “Behind my Biz Tele-Class” to tell you exactly how I created a 6-figure business that I love and supports my life.  You can sign up for the tele-class here.

I have to say that beyond what I’ve learned from Marie, the most meaningful advice I’ve received is from women who are doing what I do.  Being able to “look under the hood” at how they manage their websites, create their content, balance work and play and get clients has given me so much clarity, and I want to do the same for you.

So just click here to sign up for the teleclass on Wednesday, February 13th at 7pm EST/4pm PST (you’ll get the recording if you can’t make it).

In the class I’m going to tell you:
–       The biggest mistakes I made in business and how you can avoid them
–       The most effective strategies I used to make the most money with the least amount of work
–       How to ‘stand out’ in a sea of women who seem to be doing the same thing as you
–       How to create a business that is aligned with your passions and purpose

Plus they’ll be ample time for laser coaching at the end, I promise not to get off the phone until everyone’s questions have been answered.  Plan on hanging out for at least 90 minutes.  I have A LOT to tell you.

I’m so excited for you to dive into Marie’s first video .  The advice she gives is gold, I can’t believe she’s giving it away for free.

See you next Wednesday!

Mahalo!

Sarah