What if we showed up for our July Goals like every day was the last day of July?

That’s 31 opportunities to make bold, gutsy, last-minute moves.

31 chances to try our crazy “it’s-a-long-shot-but-it-might-just-work” plans.

31 openings to sprint through airport security for a first kiss, or make a risky phone call, or ask a favour from a friend’s sister’s old roommate.

Because if it doesn’t work, all hope is not lost.

We’ve got time on our side. We can try a long shot again tomorrow.

But only if we act like it’s the final moment before it really is the final moment.

It crossed my mind today: what if July 2021 has already happened – and we didn’t hit our goals – and the time lords are gifting us a do-over?

That means every morning this month it’s our job to wake up and decide “Today is the day.”

And then take ridiculous, wild action that only a main character in a romcom would be fearless enough to try.

We’ve been given 31 last chances to hit our July goals.

LFG.

No matter how impossible your goal seems, you’ve already done all of the things before. 

You’ve talked to people.

You’ve asked for things.

You’ve come up with solutions.

You’ve made money.

You’ve spent money.

You’ve been uncomfortable.

You’ve written stuff.

You’ve learned new things.

You’ve overcome obstacles.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re applying for Harvard (you’ve filled out forms before), or learning to walk (you’ve moved your legs before) or building a rocket (you’ve stuck stuff together before).

Every goal you’ve ever achieved was built on a bunch of other actions you already knew how to do.

So telling yourself “I’ve never done it before” is only kind of true.

You’ve never done it THIS way before.

But you’ve already got all of the pieces.

They just need rearranging.

(You’ve rearranged stuff before.)

When I was at University, I participated in a lot of street activism for the environment.

I had to sell an idea.

But for every dozen people I spoke to, maybe one of them would truly seem like they were going to make a change.

I felt extremely discouraged and like the planet was doomed – until the event organizer told me about The Points System.

The Points System is the concept that as a person goes about their daily life, they accumulate “points”.

Zero points = They don’t care about the environment at all.

100 points = They make a drastic change to their life (stop buying fast fashion/cut out animal products/start biking to work).

Maybe they saw a Netflix documentary last year about the damage in our oceans, and that gave them 20 points.

Maybe they saw trash lying on the beach and it added 15 points.

Maybe they had a conversation with me at the event, and it added another 10 points.

Usually, the person would leave our event, seemingly unchanged on the outside.

But inside, the points were adding up.

I realised it wasn’t my job to give them 100 points in a single conversation.

I just had to offer them as many extra points as I could.

It’s the same with selling as a creative, artist, or entrepreneur.

It’s rare to sell something in a single conversation or social media post.

Your audience needs to connect with you over and over again to rack up 100 points.

Each time you talk with someone, you’re adding points.

Each time you make an offer, you’re adding points.

Each time you show up to add value, you’re adding points.

Entrepreneurs sometimes tell me:

• “I went to one networking event and no one was interested.”

• “I spoke on clubhouse for 10 minutes and no one even followed me.”

• “I made an offer on Instagram and all I heard was crickets!”

And they stop connecting with people and selling.

Because what's the use if no one is buying?

But someone could be on 99 points right now.

They could be ONE offer away, ONE conversation away, ONE point away from hiring you.

If you truly believed that someone was just ONE action away, how would you show up today?

I think “consistency” is the worst thing to happen to social media culture.

(And this is coming from the girl who has consistently blogged for 626 days in a row).

I talk with people all the time whose number one reason for not posting on social media is that they couldn’t keep up with the pressure of being consistent.

So they just stopped posting entirely.

And their project/passion/business fizzled out.

Because in our digital culture, we’ve confused consistency with perfection.

And perfection paralyzes us from taking ANY action at all.

What we think consistency on social media means:

• Posting at the same time each day

• Having a particular day of the week for livestreams

• Making sure our quote graphics fit our exact branding

• Using the same fonts all the time

• Putting the same filters on every picture

• Always writing with the same tone of voice

• Having a checkered "one-picture-then-one-quote" layout

• Planning content months ahead of time

What consistency on social media actually means:

You. Showing up. With value. Again and again.

(And if you think for a second that consistency alone is what grows a social media following, you've been duped. People don't follow you because you post Reels every day. They follow you because your content is valuable to them, no matter how often it comes out.)

Consistency is ONE of the keys to success.

But value is even key-er.

What if instead of trying to be perfectly consistent on social media, you just tried to be valuable?

Whether you’re a web designer, a coach, a consultant, a social media manager or any other service provider – you’re actually in the business of selling croissants.

People love croissants. They want to buy them.

They just don’t want the baker to turn up unannounced on their doorstep at 4 o’clock in the morning to force feed them one.

It’s the wrong place, wrong time.

And when we cold-message strangers offering our services, no matter how good they are, that’s what we’re essentially doing.

Stuffing a croissant into a surprised face.

How could they not love it?! It’s a croissant! 

Not a compulsory croissant in the middle of the night.

No matter what your business is, remember that you’re in the business of selling croissants.

People want to buy what you’re selling.

At the right place, right time.

Let them come to YOU.

Connect with croissant lovers in Facebook groups and networking events and supermarkets. Invite them to check out your space: your Instagram account, your email list, your bakery. Offer them a croissant.

And whether they decide to buy one today or not, says nothing about their desire for croissants.

Maybe they just ate.

Maybe they’ll come back later.

Maybe they’re just deciding how many to get.

You sell croissants. People want to buy them.

What if you believed everyone truly wants what you have to offer?

How would that change where you showed up to market your business?

Boys get asked all the time how they plan to create money, but girls don’t.

Men are expected to maximize their earnings to provide care for others.

Women are expected to minimize their earnings to provide care for others.

If a man earns a lot he’s providing for his family, but if a woman earns a lot she’s neglecting her family.

How messed up is that?

Girls are taught right from the get-go to only want “just enough” to help others.

As if wanting more money would somehow stop us from helping others.

What if we stopped teaching girls they should aim for “just enough” money?

How might the world change?

How might women have more choices?

How might we be able to help others even more?

Creating money requires you to put value into the world.

And when women don’t get the opportunity to create millions of dollars of value the way men do, the entire world is worse off.

So we have got to stop pretending that money doesn’t matter to us.

As if we’ve never been too nervous to look at our bank balance, or stayed in a soul-draining job because we don’t have savings, or stayed in an unhealthy relationship because he pays the bills.

Money matters.

It matters that women create lots of it.

Not just enough – more than enough.

An abundance of it.

I’m on a mission to end money shame and get a truckload of money into the hands of phenomenal women changing the world.

Let’s start by deciding that we’re all allowed to create hundreds and thousands and millions and billions of dollars.

And not only does that not make us bad or greedy or selfish, it actually makes us helpful and compassionate for adding that many dollars of value to the world.

You coming?

Hustle gets a bad rap sometimes.

It’s said to cause burnout or exhaustion. But I don’t buy it.

Action isn’t what causes burnout.

Your thoughts and feelings are what cause burnout.

Because here’s the thing:

There are two different kinds of hustle:

1. Hustling from a place of lack

2. Hustling from a place of abundance

Hustling from lack = taking action to feel good

Hustling from abundance = taking action BECAUSE you feel good

You know you’re hustling from lack when:

• You’re feeling anxious and desperate

• Putting in a ton of effort feels painful and slow

• You’re taking action from a frantic, stressed-out place

• You feel like you have to force the outcome happen

• You’re micromanaging your to-do list

• You’re burning out

You know you’re hustling from abundance when:

• You’re feeling calm and certain

• Putting in a ton of effort feels easy and fun

• You’re taking action from an inspired place

• You know the outcome you want is already a DONE DEAL

• You’re doing it because you want to, not because you have to

• You never seem to run out of energy

The key to getting what you want with ease isn’t to stop taking massive action.

The key is to change the emotion that’s fuelling the action.

Before you take action, take 60 seconds to get yourself into a mental state of abundance.

Think about why your outcome is already a done deal.

Think about all the outcomes you’ve created in the past.

Think about why you are certain this is no different.

It will change the way you hustle forever.

You can have anything you want if you’re willing to ask 1000 people. – Unknown

Imagine actually asking 1000 people for what you want.

Chances are, someone will say yes.

But why let chance decide?

If you want to guarantee success, you have to outwork chance.

You have to go beyond the odds.

You have to ask a thousand AND ONE people.

Then you’ll be the kind of person who doesn’t have to question if they’ll make it.
You’ll be the kind of person who KNOWS they will.

What is your chance of getting the promotion?

Or becoming an actor?

Or writing a best seller?

Or creating a client?

Or getting a follower?

Or making a dollar?

Don’t leave it up to chance.

Calculate it. Outwork it. Make it happen.

It's almost the end of the month and I recently got criticised on Instagram for always pushing to hit my goals at the last minute.

Someone said to me “This is a bit of a running theme for you. l appreciate your last-minute efforts but maybe there’s something to improve in your system.”

Nope.

Because guess what?

If you hit your goal three weeks early, you didn’t set a big enough goal.

Recently my client record-breaking client Matheson told me, “If I think I’m going to hit my goal in advance, I make it harder.”

Yup.

You can't know what you're actually capable of until the last minute.

So why not push yourself to your absolute limit and find out?

I learned this from my dad and his climbing partner.

They set a goal to climb the 7 summits in 7 months – the fastest record ever at the time.

(7 summits = the highest mountain on each continent)

They started with Everest in May and ended with Antarctica's Vinson Massif in December.

They achieved their goal – with six hours to spare.

Six.

So don't be afraid to make bold moves at the last minute.

Nothing impossible was ever done early.

Impossible > Possible > Probable > Inevitable

This is the scale of belief.

When you first set a massive goal, your brain won't even believe it's physically possible. You're stuck in the impossible stage. Total self-doubt.

The idea is to make the switch from impossible to possible.

Then possible to probable.

Then probable to inevitable.

So how do you get from impossible to inevitable when your self-doubt is raging?

By building trust with yourself.

That means showing up for your goals and habits every day, no matter what.

Before, I used to spin in self-doubt.

But for the last 459 days in a row, I've posted on my blog.

Before that, I meditated for 365 days straight.

I've also asked strangers at the mall to subscribe to my YouTube channel.

And trained daily until I hit 50 push-ups in a row.

Now when I set a goal, I trust myself to hit it.

It feels inevitable almost instantly.

It doesn't even matter how big it is.

Because now I believe myself when I say I'm going to do something.

I've got proof.

Even if I don't know how to do the thing yet. I know I'll do what it takes to figure it out.

I'll stay up late.

I'll get up early.

I'll put my goal ahead of my in-the-moment desires.

I know I'll do whatever it takes.

Because I've done whatever it takes before.

Self-doubt is just a symptom of inaction.

And here is the cure:

Show up daily

Be willing to do whatever it takes

Then your brain won't doubt you anymore.

What are you doing today to build trust with yourself? 

Today I had a horrible headache.

It made me question if I should even show up for my goals when I'm unwell.

Should I really still expect 100% from myself?

Yes.

It might look different to show up when I'm unwell, but I committed to showing up every single day no matter what.

For better or worse.

In sickness and in health.

If you commit to picking your kid up from school, you pick them up from school. Period.

It doesn't matter how bad your headache is.

Even if you break your actual leg.

You find a way to get them home.

You don't have to drive them home yourself on your broken leg.

You can ask someone else to pick them up.

But it's happening.

The kid isn't staying at school overnight.

It's our job to commit to the outcome we want 100%.

The only difference is how we do it.

So today I slept half the day SO I could be ready to work in the evening.

But it isn't about me taking a break from my dreams.

That IS me showing up for my dreams.

Anyone can perform when they feel full of energy.

The real test of dedication is when we're sick, tired, and broke.

Show. up. for. your. dreams.

But only always.

Action is like money.

The more you invest, the bigger the return.

If you invest one action, you might get no return.

If you invest two actions, you might get a small return.

If you invest three actions, you might get a slightly larger return.

And as you stack the action on top of action, it starts to snowball.

30 actions in a row and the snowball is on fire.

But ONLY if you invest your action in the same place every time.

And this is where I went wrong with my goals for so long.

I was all over the place with my action.

Think about it:

Telling 30 different people about your podcast once is like opening 30 different bank accounts and putting $1 in each of them.

There's no buzz. No interest.

But if you tell the same people about your podcast 30 times, it's like putting $1 a day in high-interest investment for 30 days. You'll end up with more than $30, because it's generating more each time.

Those same people have heard about it enough times, now they're telling their friends about it.

You're generating interest.

The first time you tell your followers about your podcast, no one listens.

The second time, someone downloads it but forgets to listen.

The third time, people are starting to listen.

The fourth time, they're inviting their friends.

The fifth time, they're leaving reviews.

The sixth time, they're asking to be on the podcast.

30 actions in a row and you're ranking on iTunes.

I used to think if I tried something a few times and it didn't work, I should try something else.

But single actions don't create results.

Trying this, trying that, trying something else – of course nothing seems to work. 

There's no time for the action to snowball.

So I learned I had to pick one action that matters the most to my goal and do it every single day until I saw results.

For me, that means creating content every day and sharing it.

I'm on day 428 of blogging in a row.

When I started 428 days ago, I didn't have any clients.

Now I'm a full time coach.

I don't post it on Facebook today and then Linked In tomorrow, and then Instagram the next day.

I post it every single day on my blog, and in my Facebook Group.

Take some action.

Then take it again.

In the same place.

Even if nothing happens yet.

It's working.

My Grandma, Margaret, who played a major role in setting up the Women’s Shelter in Christchurch, NZ.

Sometimes people ask me why I am such an ambitious woman. 

Why do I need to go after impossible dreams? Why not just be satisfied with the way things are?

And I'm like, GIRL. We need to talk.

You and I are some of the first women in history – and still in the world today – to have the freedom to even TRY to fulfill our potential.

And that is only because we are standing on the shoulders of generations of women who fought for us to have the opportunities we have. 

My heart breaks at the thought of all the women with brilliant ideas and dreams who never got a chance to attempt them.

Thanks to ambitious women fighting for our rights – to vote, to go to school, to have bank accounts, to have reproductive choices – you and I have the chance to go after our dreams.

Ambitious women changed the world for us.

And now it's our turn to be an example of what is possible for the next generation of women.

I will never, ever, apologise for being ambitious.

I owe it to my grandmother.