Explore Your Enthusiasm

You have to take action, even when you don’t feel ready.

Today we’re going to talk about what’s stopping you from taking the action you need to take… and how to do it anyhow.

But before we do, I want to let you know that tomorrow, on a free webinar, I’m going to be sharing my experience with taking a leave in my business - how I took 4 weeks mostly offline this summer as I dealt with a new medication and how I’m going to be mostly offline for 14 days during my upcoming trip to the UK. If you’re seeing this when this episode is released, you can sign up for that and to hear allll about how I did it at taraswiger.com/webinar. If you’re listening later you can find that webinar as part of my new class with Stacey Trock of FreshStitches: How to take a break (without breaking your biz). It’s got a workbook that guides you through everything you need to do to be ready for taking your own leave and an interactive Q+A with Stacey and me where we’ll help you develop your own leave - you can find it all at taraswiger.com/leave.

 

Listen to the podcast and access the FREE webinar at TaraSwiger.com/podcast131/

Last week, I encouraged you to accept compliments, and boy, was it hard! One of the things I noticed in many challenger's posts (you can see them all here) was doubt about the validity of compliments. There was a lot of discounting compliments as not “real,” or the complimenter as not really knowing enough to have a valid compliment. In other words, even when you TRY to accept other people's compliments (and comments about your worthiness and awesomeness)... it's never enough.

Another person can never give you enough validation to make you feel confident if you aren't already.

Today, we’re going to talk about the step you can take today, with or without confidence, to move forward in your business: Permission.

Resources Mentioned:

• How to Take Time Off
• How to Take Leave in Your Business
• Become a producer of the podcast
• Get your permission slip!

 

 

Listen to the episode and get the FREE Permission Slip at TaraSwiger.com/podcast130/

Wow, your hair looks fantastic today!
Your business is really taking off!
I love your shoes!
Your work is beautiful!

If I said this to you, face-to-face, how would you react?

If you're like most women, you will probably deflect, laugh it off, or flat out argue with me (and studies show that if you're a man, or are already pretty confident, you probably won’t.)

This week's #BizConfidenceChallenge is simple, but SO HARD for many of us: Accept all compliments.

It's not as easy as it sounds, but it's sooooo important for personal AND professional reasons!

In this episode, we'll discuss:

• How to accept a compliment
• How NOT accepting a compliment undermines your reputation
• How accepting compliments builds your confidence

Resources Mentioned:

• Complimentary language + gender
• Amy Schumer on Women + Compliments (Warning: Uncensored)
• Reframing Compliments
• How to Graciously Accept Compliments
• Do you need to spend more time spotting and celebrating your successes? We do this every week inside the Starship. It only opens once a quarter, but you can learn more (and sign up to be notified when it opens next) right here: http://taraswiger.com/starshipbiz

 

Listen to the episode & get information on the FREE webinar & challenge at TaraSwiger.com/podcast129/

The reaction to the Biz Confidence Challenge so far blows me away. YOU have so much to be proud of, you have so much to build your confidence on! So... what’s up with the self-doubt?

Why do you doubt you can do awesome things when you’ve already done SO MUCH?

Often self-doubt (or lack of confidence) is tied to fear - we hold ourselves back (or think we're not good enough), not because we have any proof, but because we're waiting on... something.

You may not have even thought of it consciously before, but if you aren't taking the action you want to take, you're waiting on something.

In this episode, I'm full of questions - and you can get a FREE worksheet to help you answer them when you sign up to join the Biz Confidence Challenge!

Listen along with your free workbook so you can figure it out - what are YOU waiting for?

 

To listen to the episode and sign up for the FREE Challenge (and get the FREE workbook), visit TaraSwiger.com/podcast128/

 

 

As I hope you’ve learned through the recent weeks of the #BizConfidenceChallenge

Being confident isn’t about being perfect.

It isn’t about believing you can do anything (that’s just arrogance).

Confidence is about believing that you can handle anything. That you will survive anything. That you will be ok. Even if you do the scary thing. Even if there’s a scary outcome.

In this episode, we'll cover:

• the importance of confidence - why it actually matters
• how failing at things can actually improve your confidence
• the importance of mindset

P.S. We'll be covering this topic more in a FREE webinar on Thursday, so make sure you sign up for the Biz Confidence Challenge to get all the details!

Resources + Links Mentioned

• The Confidence Code
• Episode 49, The Key to Your Business Success
• Last week's episode: What Confidence IS and IS NOT

Listen to the episode and get access to the FREE webinar at http://taraswiger.com/podcast127

This week's challenge in the Biz Confidence challenge was to list 3 things you're proud of. Not just list them for yourself, but share them with the community on Instagram, using the hashtag #bizconfidencechalenge. And friends, this is hard! Today we're going to talk about why it's hard, and why you need to do it. 

 

 

Resources + Links Mentioned

• Episode 93, The Difference Between Arrogance + Confidence
• Katty Kay's The Confidence Code
• Kristin Neff's Self-Compassion
• Charles Horton Cooley, "Human Nature & the Social Disorder"
• Susan Harter, "The Construction of Self: A Developmental Perspective"

 

Join the Biz Confidence Challenge + listen to the episode at TaraSwiger.com/podcast126/

Today we’re going to talk about the one response I’ve gotten more than any other in the last 2 weeks.

In episode 123, I talked about my experience, and that of my friends and students, with anxiety, depression, and suicide. That episode has sparked more conversation, emails, and Instagram comments than any episode I’ve published so far. And 100% of the replies have said “ME TOO” and “Thank you! It’s so good to know I’m not alone.”

A good percentage of the conversation has revolved around my claim in that episode that you can have a business or be a maker… ANYHOW. You can be broken, jacked up, down in the dumps… and still work on your dream. Yeah, you’re not going to look like other people doing it, but that’s OK. You don’t have to.

So I want to talk more about that today.

 

To listen, visit TaraSwiger.com/podcast125 (and get information on the FREE webinar to go with this episode!)

Did you ever just *click* with another creative biz owner and want to collaborate?

In today's episode I'm talking to two people who clicked, came up with a crazy idea... and then followed through on it, in a big way.  Anne Poldesak and Kathleen Dames, the editors of the new knitting magazine, Filament, join me to discuss:

• How they found each other
• Why a magazine?!
• What tools they use to work together

Kathleen is a member of the Starship, which is now open! Get the details here. (It closes this Friday!)

To listen to the episode, visit TaraSwiger.com/podcast124/.   Wish you could find a collaboration partner?

Tomorrow I'm sharing what I've learned about working with other business owners, from collaboration to accountability partners to good friends, in a free webinar. To join us, sign up here.

Today we’re going to get into some heavy stuff that a LOT of you have talked to me about privately. Over the last 6 months or so, I have been amazed at how many people have come up and talked to me about their mental health or that of a family member - anxiety, depression, and Alzheimers. Stories of their abuse, miscarriage, stillbirths, of their children with Autism and learning disabilities and physical disabilities. And this makes sense statistically, as 1 in 5 adults deal with mental health issues at least once in their life. At every event at least 2 people (if not more) have shared their story with me.

At CGOA in July I started to think: I know it's common among thriving business owners, but you - my dear friends - may not. You're not hearing these stories. And for good reason - it’s personal and these makers aren't called to share it all online. But I am.

I'm here to help you know you're not alone in this. Whether it's feeling overwhelmed, being broke, or even having issues related to mental health, you are NOT alone in struggling with this. And as I share, I want you to remember - whatever you're struggling with, not only are you not alone, but you can also move forward WITH IT. Exactly as you are. People are doing it. You don't have to be different, better, or "more together" to make a business thrive.

Now, before we go on, I wanna give you a warning - I’m going to talk about suicide, depression and anxiety. When I’ve been at my most anxious, reading about other people’s anxiety made my own symptoms worse, so please be kind to yourself. If you’re feeling like you can’t listen to this, that’s OK! But please use this time to talk to someone - tell someone in your life, or talk to a professional. You can call a helpline with professionals of the National Institute of Mental Illness at 800-950-6264. To find affordable options for a mental health professional, visit NAMI.org. Don’t just read stuff on the internet, tell a human being. So go on and stop this and get help if you are feeling panicked or depressed (which doesn’t always mean “sadness” - often it feels like a total disinterest in life).

If you're still in, go ahead and click on the player to listen to the episode.

Resources + Links Mentioned

• If you feel like you can’t handle your anxiety or you feel deeply uninterested in life for more than 2 weeks and you don’t think you have anyone in your life that will help you, call NAMI: 800-950-6264 or make a doctor’s appointment.
• Wil Wheaton on ProjectURok
• Kyla Roma's piece on her generalized anxiety disorder
• This is the best explanation I found for how I feel. (The bit about scenario building and “intolerance of uncertainty” was eyeopening.)
• If someone you love has committed (or attempted) suicide: Survivors of Loved Ones to Suicide

How do you actually DO the things that need to be done in your business?

Do you need to understand WHY you're doing it?

Do you need to be held accountable?

Or do you rebel against anyone telling you to do anything (even when you really want to do it)?

This question fascinates me, because it's at the heart of why some people build their business quickly and others struggle along without ever taking much action. This has been such a popular topic that I thought we'd revisit it this week for the podcast. Make sure you read to the bottom in order to get your FREE guide to getting stuff done for Questioners, Obligers, & Rebels!

Get the episode and the FREE guide to getting stuff done at TaraSwiger.com/podcast122/