All posts by Elizabeth Knapp

How to create and repurpose content… The Unstoppable Blueprint!

By Amira Alvarez Someone recently asked me how I manage to create SO MUCH content, so I wanted to create an Unstoppable Blueprint on exactly how we do that! If you’ve noticed, we’ve really been stepping up our game across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and beyond… and I even started a personal challenge to…
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Marketing, Unstoppable Blueprint

Someone recently asked me how I manage to create SO MUCH content, so I wanted to create an Unstoppable Blueprint on exactly how we do that!

If you’ve noticed, we’ve really been stepping up our game across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and beyond… and I even started a personal challenge to create 809 unique pieces of content by the end of the year… and wowza, I’ve already done 142 in less than a month!!

This is a crazy big STRETCH GOAL for me… it seems almost impossible. I don’t yet know how I’m going to reach this goal but I’m committed and I’ve started even before “I’m ready.”

See… I know without a shadow of a doubt is that it doesn’t serve me (or my clients, or you for that matter) to wait until I’m ready and I know how to do everything first. You don’t learn and grow, much less reach your targets “getting ready to get ready.” That’s not how master level creation of income or anything big happens.

This goal is forcing me to get creative, stretch myself, and move beyond my personal comfort level about what I share and how much time I spend doing it. Turns out, I’m getting more done in less time!!

That’s the fascinating thing about STRETCH GOALS–they allow you to bend time!!

Stretch goals are something we’ll be talking about more at The Income Breakthrough Summit because they’re fundamental to what helps you make big leaps, maximize your time, and MOVE FORWARD RAPIDLY!! 

I’m using the “cookie jar technique”–moving a bead from one jar to the next to visually track my progress with this goal. As you can see, I have a long way to go! :-)

Today I want to break down what we do on the regular with content creation so that YOU can move through your own blocks and start creating more content as well.

First, what kind of content are we talking about?  

Well… all kinds!! That’s what’s great about content, it can be REPURPOSED and REUSED in different ways across different places!! Which is exactly what my team and I have been working to streamline. Primarily, we’re going to be talking about what we share digitally, but be thinking about how you could work with the concept of repurposing content offline as well. The ways to leverage what you’re already doing are endless!

 

Let’s look at the different types of content we create and how we leverage it:

  • Facebook lives: I try to get myself on a regular schedule, but usually these are done when I have time and am inspired… after working with a private client, leading a group coaching call, having a meeting with my team, doing my morning ritual, or getting back from one of my runs (where I get some of my best ideas!!)… I’ll grab my phone or pop open my laptop and do a live video to share my thoughts and insights on Facebook.

    Once I’m done, I’ll ping my team and they’ll work on getting captions for the video, as well as a full transcription of what I’ve shared. That way we can take the transcript and edit it into a written post to use on social media at a different time! The written post isn’t just a transcription-we do some serious editing to make sure it flows well and makes sense when you read it.

    We do this because some people read, while other people love video… this way we provide content to both audiences!

    Then we take the transcript and edit it into a blog post so that we’re able to share that content on our website as well. My team also downloads the video from Facebook and shares it to LinkedIn and as a IGTV video on @TheUnstoppableWoman instagram page. Additionally, we utilize a free service called ManyChat that allows us to send the video via messenger to our Facebook list! It’s another great way to connect and build our audiences. :-)

    Beyond that, the team creates bulleted timestamps that give a teaser about what I’m sharing in the video, then we upload it to YouTube. The teaser timestamps and YouTube video are sometimes added to our Saturday Mindset Reset emails so that people on our newsletter list get to see them. That’s a lot of reach for ONE piece of content!!
  • Video training series: Lately I’ve been creating a lot of new video series to share short teachings on a specific topic… things like moving through imposter syndrome, how to build a great team, and the keys to stepping into your greatness! While I’ve done these quickly and easily alone on my laptop, I’ve started bringing in my assistant to help me set up and record in my apartment using a tripod and a better microphone. (We’re still working through our equipment setup. I’m seeing a recording studio in my future! Speaking of seeing… I just did a series on The Power of Visualization. It’s a goodie!)

For these videos, I jot down what I want to talk about on my trusty yellow pad and then we film them all in a batch. Once they’re uploaded for the team, everyone gets to work! We get captions set, edit an intro and outro with a call to action if necessary, then post the videos to YouTube, IGTV on Instagram, and to my business Facebook page. In addition to the page, we also set up a Facebook ad set so we can use the content to engage with new audiences to get our message out on a much broader scale! We’re adding to our flow to post these videos to the blog as well, which will start very soon. :-) 

(Keep in mind that we’re creating more content now than what’s possible to send out via our newsletter, so you’re definitely going to want to subscribe to our YouTube Channel to get master level teaching on how to break through your blocks to playing big, rapid goal achievement, building your empire, and 6 or 7-figure income generation, as well as the mental aspects to success and rocking this journey in the most lit up, delightful way possible.)

 

  • Newsletters: When we write a teaching newsletter for our email list, we take that content and post it to the blog with a branded graphic. We’ll publish it on LinkedIn as an article for my connections there, and it gets added into our rotation of content to share on our Facebook business page on an ongoing basis. Not everyone sees things the first time, so we keep a rotation of content going. (We use Buffer for scheduling posts).

    We also take the content itself and post it to Facebook and Instagram as a new written post with an image a handful of weeks later. This way if you’re connected to me on social media, but not on my email list, you’ll still be able to see the content we’re putting out! This is a slightly edited version of the material that better fits these channels.
  • There’s so much more we could be doing as well. There’s Twitter and Pinerest, blog content distribution, and heck we could simply be posting our videos as straight up Vlogs on our website. It’s really endless. Our philosophy is to start where we’re at and kept growing quickly.

But with so much noise on social media, how do you stand out??

Let’s look at what it takes to create consistent, high-quality, high impact content…

  • My philosophy is this: always give your best stuff. Don’t hold back or worry that you’re “giving it all away for free.” You can’t have this mindset going into it, because GIVING is the first Law of Receiving!! Give, give, give. The reality is, I give a TON of powerful actionable content on social media, but of course it’s not the same as working with me in person. (That’s where the secret sauce is. ;-) Yes, you can take it, implement, and make huge strides forward… which I hope you do!! That’s why I put it out there. Go!

    Yet, I know and my clients know that there’s always going to be a different level of impact when we work together 1:1. It’s in the personal coaching that the blind spots that cause you to stop and self-sabotage are uncovered. Remember, the free content you put out will be valuable, but it’s never going to be the same as working directly with you, going through your program, or buying your products… so GIVE as much as you can!!
  • Find your own process. Figure out what works best for you… that might be pre-planning it all in advance… it might be batch creating a couple days a week to cover a full month… it might be scheduling different times to sit down and share something. For me, it’s a mix. We have a lot of things scheduled out based on our marketing and content calendar, or based on events and what we’re promoting… but I also do a ton of sharing on the fly!! A mix is usually best.
  • Stop doing it all yourself! When I first started, I did everything myself… but now, I hire out what’s not my zone of genius or the best use of my time so that I can stay focused on creating higher and higher levels of content. Sometimes we bring on outside copywriters to help us write our social media content, especially as we’re ramping up for things like the Summit or running Facebook ads to promote things… but I also have a couple people on my team who are able to write for me as well. They’ve learned my voice and style over time and are able to create solid drafts for me to review. I always READ AND EDIT and add my energy and “magic” sprinkles, making sure what I want is being clearly conveyed at all times!! I don’t just hand it off to someone else and say “you do it.” But I stopped doing everything myself. We also work with video editors when needed, and a couple of my team members jump in when necessary! This is definitely a place we are planning to scale. (Know anyone who wants a full time video editing and production job?? Send them our way!)
  • Keep scaling, keep going to the next level. This is honestly a point of tension for us right now, as we work to create more content and push it out across more of our channels. Our ideas are endless! We’re working to do a better job on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter and have BIG PLANS in the works–but it’s far from perfect!! So for now we’re just repurposing content there, but we’re always pushing ourselves to stretch a bit further than we think our bandwidth will allow, and bring on more support as needed. We could definitely be doing better, creating a more polished look, and maximizing each channel, but for now, we’re just going for it. We’ll course correct as we go based on our experience.

    PLUS, I’m always pushing myself out of my comfort zone!! The truth is… it took me WAY TOO LONG to learn how to use Instagram, just ask my team! ;-) I was comfortable with Facebook, I didn’t understand the Insta interface, and I was resistant… but I pushed myself to learn so that I can keep up with what’s relevant for people right now. (If I’m truthful, I’m still way behind the curve here. Lol!)
  • Don’t worry about perfection. Just start. Make a fumbly first Facebook live, write something and get it out there, create some graphics using a free tool like Canva. Start, see what works and doesn’t, and adjust from there. There’s always room for improvement, but you won’t be able to do that if you haven’t started at all!!
  • Challenge yourself with these questions. I ask myself questions like, What do I really want to talk about? What do they really need to hear? How can I bring even more value? What would be most helpful to my ideal client? (And I actually see that person and think about her. I know who she is.)

    I also ask myself: What can I do now? What can I do quickly? How can I translate this idea that I just had into a post? What can I be doing better and how can we solve for that?

    It’s about always going for more and challenging yourself to new heights!!
  • Look at what others are doing, but be discerning. I’m never going to be anyone other than myself, but I often draw inspiration from other entrepreneurs, creators, and social media profiles. I see what’s working for others and I consider whether or not it might work for me and my audience. I try it out and see… if it works, great! If not, no biggie… now we know. :-) Be inspired by others, but keep doing YOU. Model what you’re drawn to, but don’t flat out copy it. Find your own unique way of doing something you like and make it work for YOU and your brand. This does take some trial and error, so you’ve got to start even before you’re ready.

 

How I determine what content to create and share.

What do you focus on when there are so many places to post and topics to consider?? I get it… it can be a lot. Let me share my process of determining what to share and where!

 

  • I pay attention and listen carefully. I’m always reading comments and responses, both on my pages and in my free Be Unstoppable Facebook group. I also see what big takeaways and teaching points have the most impact on group coaching calls and working with my private clients. I make content that meets the needs of my audience!! I answer questions, respond to comments, or notice where there’s a gap for them in their growth and create something that helps them learn what they need to learn.

    Ask yourself this: What are the questions I’m always answering? Where are my clients and audience most often getting stuck? What are the best tools I have that can help people create changes right now? Now go create some content around it!!

    The 30-Day Commitment Challenge and the 7-Day Visibility Challenge came directly from listening to the challenges that that people were having.
  • I get divine downloads direct from Spirit. Mornings are my sacred time. I read, listen to trainings, write, and work… and oftentimes, that’s the time (as well as on my runs!!) when I get divine inspiration. I do my best to share that inspiration as quickly as I can as a written post or Facebook live so I don’t miss it! It’s come to me because this NEEDS to be shared! (I’d say that only 2% of what I could be sharing gets out there. There’s still so much room for expansion here!)
  • I ask questions. In my Facebook group, on my pages, in my emails. I ask what YOU want to know and learn, and then I create it!! Definitely click reply and tell me what you’d love for me to speak to.
  • I look at my marketing calendar. If we’re leading up to an event or free training, I work to align my content with what we’ll be sharing. I give a TON of VALUE (remember, giving is the first Law of receiving), but it encourages people who want to go deeper to take the next step… whatever that is. Register for the training, grab the free download, come to the Summit, or jump on a consultation call with me if you know you’re ready to take it to the next level. We try to follow the 80/20 rule. 80% content to 20% promotion! Balance is key. We haven’t always gotten this right and have learned by doing. #SuccessThroughMistakes #AllGood
  • I riff on ideas with my team and brainstorm what I could be talking about. My team works very closely with my clients and our social media audience, and they know my work… what better place to generate ideas for what we can share!? A good portion of our Monday morning marketing meetings revolve around this, but it happens randomly throughout the week as well! I run ideas past them or ask them what they think I should be speaking to, and we’re able to create some really quality content from it!

    On that note… would you be interested in some behind the scenes of my team meetings? We’ve been considering sharing snippets of what we talk about, how we problem solve, and as a sneak peek at everything we’re creating. Hit reply and let me know if so!! If enough people say yes, we’ll start doing this.

 

What will you take from this and apply to your content strategy?

How will you work to repurpose and reuse what you already have in new and different ways? 

What’s your first action step? 

Where will you get support so you’re not doing it all yourself? 

How will you commit to pushing yourself and being more visible? 

And how will you GIVE, GIVE, GIVE first and foremost?

Hit reply and answer at least one of these questions. :-)

Want to get The Unstoppable Blueprint emails right to your inbox (plus other videos, trainings, and content for becoming truly unstoppable)? Subscribe below.

Amira

How I scaled my business… The Unstoppable Blueprint!

By Amira Alvarez Recently I was on a call with a VIP client who shared with me that she had TRIPLED her income in ONE MONTH.  Can you believe it?! I can. ;-) She went from $16,531.50 one month to $46,378.75 the next... that was all in the first month of us working…
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Coaching, Goals, Quantum Leap, Retreat, Unstoppable Blueprint

Recently I was on a call with a VIP client who shared with me that she had TRIPLED her income in ONE MONTH. 

Can you believe it?! I can. ;-)

She went from $16,531.50 one month to $46,378.75 the next… that was all in the first month of us working together. This got me thinking about how I’ve scaled and quantum leaped my own business over the years and how I’ve helped my clients do it… there’s quite a LOT that goes into it.

Today I want to break it down so that YOU can experience similar results in your own work by knowing what you need to consider and have in place. 

Here we go… another Unstoppable Blueprint!! (Check out the PS. section for links to past Unstoppable Blueprints.)

Let me paint you a picture of where I started: 

I have to start by sharing that after I left the corporate world, my first business was doing a form of mind-body work to help people get out of pain… after all, part of the reason I finally left my job as a project manager was because I was experiencing a severe burning sensation in my hands. I sought out help from a teacher of this particular modality, fell in love with the work-from-home lifestyle she had, and decided to get certified for myself!!

Now, this particular form of mind-body work is amazing, yet many practitioners of it don’t make a lot of money doing it… but I was determined to be successful and make money, so I studied everything I could about marketing and growing a business. I also did a TON of local networking and soon grew my practice far quicker than anyone else I knew in the Bay Area!

But then, guess what happened? 

I moved! I moved across the country from California to the Midwest and I was faced with a decision. Do I start the same business over again in my new hometown or do something else? In hindsight, even asking that question is telling. 

After much evaluation and feeling in, I realized that what I thought was my true passion wasn’t. Now what? Without belaboring the past 6 years I had put into that previous pursuit, I quickly let it go. (Hint: that’s a key feature of quantum leaping–not belaboring your past actions as “mistakes.” Course correct quickly and move on without rumination or self-blame.) 

I got honest with myself about what my true passions were and what my strongest skill sets were and decided to build a business around that: coaching. As the Universe is apt to do, it answered my question of what kind of coaching I was really suited for once I showed up and took action. All my first clients were women in business. Imagine that. :-) (I did have one client who wasn’t but she and I soon decided it wasn’t a good fit. Great data!) 

For me, my first level desire beyond doing what I was passionate about and suited for, was around making more money… I wanted to have the means to do the things I desired to do in my life without worry or stress, and that’s what drove me forward. I simply wanted a profitable business and not to be constrained by not having enough money. But in following this, I also got clear on what my purpose is: supporting women in becoming truly unstoppable in their own lives and businesses!! 

Let’s break this down… first, I wanted to make more money. I had a money goal. I honestly didn’t have a lofty impact or big purpose goal. My impact goals are so important to me now, but my first goal was a money goal and it was to make $100k in my business. I knew that would feel amazing!

That first year in business, I made $30k.

The second year in business, I made $90k. So close!!!! I had tripled my income, but I hadn’t reached my goal and I hadn’t crossed that 6-figure mark.

But the third year in business, I made $138k. I had done it! Woohoo!! 

I feel it is important to note that PURPOSE is an incredibly important driver behind scaling your business… but “making more” and “not having to worry about income” can be a HUGELY important and motivating first level desire!! :-) I really wanted this!

Now the truth is that in that third year, I was still an “unconscious competent”. I didn’t know consciously what I was doing to create these results. I knew business tactics and strategies, but I didn’t know why they sometimes worked and sometimes didn’t. I didn’t know why I was energized one day and stalled out on another day. I didn’t know what actually moved money and what the foundations of success were based on. 

All I knew was to just kept working harder and harder!! That was my “good girl” upbringing. Although I was a rebel in many ways growing up, I absolutely bought into working hard at school and getting the best grades. That’s what school teaches you will give you success and it does when it comes to school!!! But it’s not the thing that moves the needle and creates success in life! (That was so hard for me to learn. To be clear here, I’m not advocating for being a slacker. I’m not saying don’t put in the work. You need to. However, it’s NOT the only thing required. If it were, so many hardworking people would have so much more financial success. Think about that.)

I learned pretty quickly that you can’t 5x or 10x your work hours to 5x or 10x your income. I was already putting in 12 hour days. There just wasn’t more time to put in. That couldn’t be the solution.

And if I was so smart and so good at what I did… what gives? ;-)

And it’s clearly not your environment, as there are many people who come from impoverished backgrounds who make it and so many people who come from wealthy backgrounds who don’t do anything magnificent with their lives.

So clearly, I was missing something. I knew that I had to learn a different way of operating. What I was doing wasn’t going to scale. To scale, I knew I had to learn what success was truly based on. If it wasn’t simply hard work, being smart, and being really good at what you do, what was it?

I went on a journey to learn this as quickly as I could, because I realized I had big dreams and that I didn’t really have time. Doing it my old way wasn’t going to get me where I wanted to go as fast as I wanted. In fact, I had basically plateaued and I could see my life stalling out if I didn’t figure this out. Even though I enjoyed what I was doing, I was scared that I was trapped at this level, that I wouldn’t achieve what I wanted out of life, but that I would be completely overwhelmed trying to achieve it. I didn’t know at the time what ‘it’ was exactly. I didn’t know that this was a path to self-actualization and becoming a fully empowered woman I love and adore. All I knew was that this, what I was experiencing, wasn’t all there was for me.

I invested deeply to learn the Laws of Success. I invested my time. I traveled to seminars. I studied. I worked with mentors who had done what I wanted. I listened to audio recordings. I followed the deep knowing inside of me. I started thinking differently. I started reprogramming myself for success. I learned what the Spirit of Wealth was and I learned what a success mindset really was. (No, it’s NOT just thinking positively and saying affirmations.) I moved toward my fears and busted through block after block. And yes, I worked diligently. I started operating from NEW RULES OF BUSINESS. This allowed me to make a true quantum leap, taking myself from $138K revenue to $700K revenue in just one year!! And I have continued growing from there!!

So, let’s talk about what it really takes
to scale and grow your business…

I went through this process for myself, as well as with the VIP client I mentioned earlier who tripled her income in just the first month of us working together… 

The truth is, you have to look at a lot of different things. I’m going to give you an overview so you can start thinking it through, but you may also need some support to get clarity. That’s normal! :-)

  • What do you want? How much do you want to make? What’s the next level for you? You have to be really, really clear about your answers to these questions before you start doing the work to scale. If you’re wishy-washy or you don’t know what you’re working towards, you’ll never get there. You’ll meander. You won’t have a clear direction and we won’t be able to build a plan to get you there. Get clear on this before you do anything else.
  • What needs to stay and what needs to go in your business? This requires honesty with yourself. Not everything you’re doing (services, products, marketing campaigns, team, etc.) is working, otherwise you’d already be where you want to be. Not all offers are good offers. Not all things you can sell are good things to sell. Not everything you’re pouring time, energy, and attention into is bringing real results. You have to get clear about what’s working and what’s not… then make changes accordingly to suit where you actually want to go, not just want you’re comfortable with. The Law of Sacrifice says you must let go of something of a lower nature to bring in something of a higher nature. That means letting go of the team that isn’t at the level you need, the systems that are no longer working, the offerings that aren’t selling, the marketing that’s landing flat, and anything that’s standing in the way of where you want to be, including your fears, lack of confidence and self-worth, old conditioning, and limiting money mindsets. It must go for you to have more!

    How do you assess this? You have to look at your numbers!! You have to be tracking your metrics for everything, everywhere in your business. You can’t know your results for certain if you’re not doing this. Spend some time putting some tracking in place if you don’t have any so that you can clearly assess what needs to go!
  • Do you have the right support in place? This is about team… both professionally and personally. Where are you saying I have to do it all? This is a huge way women block themselves from scaling. You’ll find yourself saying you can’t afford to hire help or that you really love doing xyz, or that it doesn’t take up so much time and it’s easier to do it yourself than train someone. Any of those thoughts sound familiar? Don’t buy into them! This is not how you scale!

    You cannot scale doing everything yourself. I was terrified when I hired my first assistant. My fear looked like: “Would I have enough to give her? Was I wasting money? Would I make a ROI?” I faced that fear and did it anyway. It wasn’t all peaches and cream. There were frustrating moments. I did initially hire the wrong person. Someone too expensive and not dedicated enough, PLUS I had no idea how to manage someone. But if I hadn’t taken that first step and made that “mistake” I would never have gotten to where I am now with my incredibly amazing team! You have to start!

    This is true for getting personal support too: hiring a housekeeper, then a personal assistant were big steps for me. Now I don’t know how I would run my life and business without them, but at the time, I had to sacrifice my thoughts of “I can do it myself” in favor of leverage and the time it was going to free up for me to work on my business. I had to act!


Letting go of the “I can do it myself” attitude and quite frankly the thought that “I wasn’t yet worthy of getting the help I needed” was so critical to my ability to scale. But here’s the rub… I had to take those scary actions before I felt ready to. That’s how you become ready. You take the action. This showed up for me in the biggest way when I joined high level masterminds and hired coaches to coach me privately. Those were big financial decisions and I really had to step forward and say I deserve this and I can’t do this alone… otherwise I would have already. My results showed me exactly where I was at.

So where do you need help? Where are you doing work that isn’t the highest and best use of your time? Where can you delegate to free up more time for doing your genius work? You have to take an honest look at where you’re the bottleneck, or where you’re not using your time in the best way and where your mindset is keeping you from success. Bring in the support you need!!

  • Where are you limiting yourself? This is about MINDSET! Are you limiting yourself in terms of your geography and who your audience is? Are you ignoring markets? Are you not offering the things that could bring in the kind of cashflow you desire because you think it will be too hard or you don’t believe you have enough time? Are you not charging enough for your products or services? What stories are you telling yourself about why you can’t grow? You have to unpack these, one by one, and move beyond them.

    This is SO KEY because all the best laid plans in the world won’t get you anywhere if you’re continually self-sabotaging yourself. If you have a mindset that says, “I’ll do that later when xyz happens… Or, I can’t because…” Or any thought that stops you from seeing what needs to happen as doable, means you have inner game work to do. This is all about moving beyond your subconscious programming, double binds, and limiting beliefs. It’s a process of bringing them to the surface, seeing them for what they are, and creating NEW beliefs and ways of being. It’s about really identifying the deep core fears that are limiting you. This is true at all levels of business and career. I still do this work!! I have some pretty kickass, lofty goals that I have not achieved yet, which means that there is still something holding me back. Don’t fight this process. Fall in love with it. Embrace it. Get help with it. So you can scale!
  • Do you have a clear plan for success? Do you know exactly what steps you need to take to close the gap between where you are and where you want to be? Do you know what marketing initiatives need to be in place? Systems and team? What about a clear plan for when to roll out new offerings and when to focus on business development?

    And what about the math?! Do you know how much of which offerings you need to sell in order to hit your number goals? There are only three ways to make money… sell more, raise your prices, create a new channel. Which of these need to be in place and what do you need to do to ensure that happens when it needs to?

    And if you’re working for someone else, do you know what you need to do and how you need to think about your career in order to get to that next, next level?
  • Are you being visible? This is a BIGGIE. You can’t have a true income breakthrough and scale your life, your business, and your career without other people. You can’t do it alone. (Are you noticing a theme ;-) You need other people. This may be your team, your colleagues, your higher ups in the workplace. Or it may be clients and customers if you’re running your business. In both cases, you need to be visible!! This means putting yourself out in the world… going out to lunch or coffee with people, reaching out for connections, getting in front of the right audiences, doing Facebook live videos, posting to social media, showing up at networking events, etc. Where are you stopping yourself from showing up in the ways you need to show up?
  • Do you know how to speak about what you do? This is all about MARKETING and MESSAGING! You need to be able to speak to your colleagues, collaborators, partners, and prospective clients and customers in a way that is CLEAR and COMPELLING. This begins with looking at what you’re doing now and seeing where you’re falling short, making yourself small, not saying what you mean, holding yourself back, worrying about what other people think, etc… then asking, how can I improve how I’m talking about myself, my work, and what I do? How can you be sure it resonates with the right people?
  • Do you understand the Laws of Success? This was absolutely fundamental to my quantum leaping and scaling my business. It’s too much to review in detail here and beyond the scope of this email. But for now, let me say that it wasn’t just an intellectual understanding of them. I didn’t just read a book. It was applying them on a daily, even moment-to-moment basis, always holding myself to higher and higher standards with regard to them as I moved to higher levels of awareness. This was the foundation of my success and what I love teaching my clients. Total gamechanger.

    So, with all of this in mind….

What will you focus on first to scale and grow more quickly?

 

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How to keep going when everything’s falling apart…The Unstoppable Blueprint!

By Amira Alvarez The Swan Strategy… that’s what I call it when you’re paddling like crazy under the surface (aka hustling), yet you’re gracefully navigating life and business on the surface!! I’ve had my own share of needing to do this over the last year as I went through HUGE life changes, several…
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Business, Coaching, Creating Easy, Unstoppable, Unstoppable Blueprint

The Swan Strategy… that’s what I call it when you’re paddling like crazy under the surface (aka hustling), yet you’re gracefully navigating life and business on the surface!!

I’ve had my own share of needing to do this over the last year as I went through HUGE life changes, several big relocations, a health issue, and massive upleveling in my business.

Phew! It was quite a year or so. ;-)

I definitely got good at the “Swan Strategy” and today I’m sharing what it is and how I used it to keep going even when it seemed like everything around me was falling apart… YOU can do this too. Keep these instructions for those times when it feels like you’ve hit a wall and can’t go on.

What exactly was happening?
Here’s what I had going on to set the tone for my own ‘paddling like crazy’ scenario! 

First, I went through a divorce. It was mutual and amicable, but it was still a BIG change in my life and living situation. I went from living in the 1890s house in Wisconsin with my husband of 14 years to living in a high-rise condo in downtown Denver, Colorado!! HUGE change!

I loved my condo and quickly adapted to living in a city where I didn’t need a car to get around. The mountains were beautiful and I started making new friends in the area… but I couldn’t seem to adjust to the altitude!! I was traveling quite a bit, and even though I was successfully training for a marathon at elevation, I was dealing with a LOT of fatigue and brain fog. No bueno!!

After about 6 months of dealing with growing exhaustion and not getting results from seeing a naturopath and taking supplements, I decided it was time to move again. Maybe it was the altitude? I thought I’d try the east coast and found myself in Charlotte, North Carolina! I found the most BEAUTIFUL condo right in downtown with SPECTACULAR views of the city.

It was GORGEOUS… but another 4 months after moving in, summer hit… and the sound of the 4 huge fans on the convention center roof nearby were unbearable. Waaaaa!!! It just wasn’t something that was conducive to my happines or productivity… so I had to move… AGAIN. After a lot of searching, I found a great place in a quiet, residential area, but they were just finishing construction. 

It would be 2 months, 2 AirBnBs, and a stint in someone else’s home before I could FINALLY settle into my new place. Phew! That was a lot of packing and moving, even with a top notch personal assistant.

But that’s not all that happened in that time. Not only did I go through a divorce (which alone comes with an immense amount of emotional processing, admin, and financial decisions), relocate across the country TWICE, and move what felt like a hundred times in between… I was STILL dealing with brain fog and exhaustion… all while upleveling my business MASSIVELY.

I call this the trifecta of divorce, moving, and brain fog! Oh boy! :-)

Yet, even during all of this, I brought on my first employee and more contractors onto my team, and also made BIG financial investments… some of which were worth it, and some of which ended up being expensive mistakes.

Let’s start with the “worth it” category. That employee was definitely worth it. Talk about divine guidance. I’m not sure I would have gotten through this time without her.

But also in a strange way the “not worth it” mistakes were worth it. I most definitely hired the wrong marketing person and spent $30k learning what I DON’T want in that role. Oof. I also spent a huge amount of money for photography and video that was great in some ways but ultimately wasn’t 100% fully aligned with my brand and we won’t be able to leverage in the way we want to now.

Add to these financial “mistakes” also paying unexpected alimony (not an entirely bad problem to have as it points to the fact that I am capable and run a very successful business) this created some cash flow issues that brought their own unique flavor of stress.

So now we have the full picture… divorce, moving, brain fog, and cash flow stress. Fun times! ;-)

So how did I implement the Swan Strategy
to get through this crazy period??

First, let me be clear that the Swan Strategy isn’t about ‘fake it til you make it’. It’s not pretending everything is okay when it’s not and being out of integrity with what you’re telling other people.

Here’s what I did to GENUINELY stay in Swan mode, aka Grace, despite everything seemingly ‘falling apart’:

  • I stayed persistent and consistent, despite hitting what felt like endless walls. I kept showing up. I kept asking for support. I kept doing the things I knew I needed to do, even though there were many times that I really just wanted to crawl into a ball and cry (and sometimes did).
  • I chose to show up as consistently as possible from a place of gratitude and delight. Yes, there were moments of freak-out. There were times I would spin, especially when the brain fog would kick in and I felt like I couldn’t remember so many things!! How do you run a business without your memory??? It was a little bit terrifying. There were definitely some waaaaaaah moments! But I would return as quickly as possible to a state of gratitude and delight. Asking… how can this be easier? How can we have fun with this? How can I be grateful for this experience or lesson? What am I learning? (See next point.)
  • I looked at everything as a lesson. I spent $30k on someone who didn’t work out and wasn’t aligned with my business. I could easily look at that as a big effin’ mistake, but it wasn’t… I learned a lot about what I need character-wise from the people I work with, as well as some new insights into what works and what doesn’t in my marketing. I choose to see everything that was happening as something I could learn from. What was the lesson? How do I integrate it? How can I use this to get to the next level? I can’t emphasize this enough. This was a daily, sometimes hourly process.
  • I continued taking action quickly. I didn’t freeze and I didn’t stop. I didn’t think to myself, “There’s so much going on, I should just retreat or quit for awhile.” Or, “I wasted all this money on the wrong person” and then never hire again. I figured out what I needed to do, whether for my marketing or some place else in my business, and took action in that direction QUICKLY. I learned the lessons and kept moving. I felt my frustration with the brain fog and exhaustion and I shifted into a more productive mindset as quickly as I could. I didn’t suppress those feelings but I focused on what I wanted. If I got an intuitive hit for something I could do that would help with my health, I acted. I got better and better support until I uncovered the root cause of the issue… and then I got on a regiment and stuck to it. I did the work rather than spinning out or stopping. I’m so grateful for all the support I got from so many people and my persistence paid off. Phew!
  • I leveled up my self-worth. You can read more about my journey with self-worth and how to uplevel your own in The Unstoppable Blueprint on How to Raise Your Self-Worth here… however, what I noticed during this time was that my sense of self was taking a hit. With all this change and upleveling, my subconscious mind started having a field day wanting to bring me “back down to size.”

One place that this started showing up was in sales. (I track my numbers so I know when there are anomalies. #makelovetothenumbers) There was a short period where I wasn’t selling my services well, which is not my norm. What the hey?! I even had a couple of sales conversations that I deeply regret. #wakeupcall #theworkneverstops I had to look at this more deeply and develop a whole new strategy and approach to go to the next level and get back into the sales flow. This included, but wasn’t limited to, moving through deeper layers of self-worth issues!! It didn’t last long, but there was some serious paddling happening during this time.

  • I was transparent about what was happening. Again, it wasn’t about pretending everything was fine, but nor did I shout it from the rooftops. I didn’t belabor what was going on, but I was transparent with my clients when appropriate that there was a bit of health issue and honest about where we would be delayed with one of our teaching programs. I still made sure to deliver at the highest level possible and make up for any areas where we fell short, which I’m happy to say that with my great team hardly happened. I’m also incredibly grateful for how supportive my clients were.

I stayed focused on what I wanted, had faith, and used the Laws of Success. Even when everything I saw around me, the circumstances I was in would make most people raise the white flag and give up, I didn’t let go of my desires or my vision. I kept my faith.


I knew how the Laws of Success work and, even though I was experiencing the quadfecta of divorce, moving, health issues, and money issues that do come up when running a business… I continued to work according to Law. I knew all of this was for ‘More Life.’

This got me through this period, for which I’m incredibly grateful. Sure, there were times when I did have to ‘grind it out’ to keep things from completely falling apart… but I credit living according to the Laws for my ultimate rosy outcome.

“No man is ever whipped, until he quits–in his own mind.” – Napolean Hill

I never quit. I never thought of quitting. Quitting was never an option. Yes, there were moments where I was incredibly stressed about how I was going to pay my bills, my health, moving again, being alone… but I never truly believed I’d lose it all or implode. That was never an option, I just didn’t see the solution or the answer yet.

Ultimately, what all of this did was allow my business to stay steady despite all the chaos and crazy going on. We stayed at the same level in terms of business and revenue… which was less than my goal, but a huge win all things considered!! Plus, everything in my personal life is moving in the right direction… great health, back to running, beautiful and stable living environment, amazing, loving relationship.

So what does this mean for you, how do you keep going gracefully when everything may seem to be falling apart around you?

Whatever you’re going through right now in your life or work, here’s how you can stay in grace despite all the chaos beneath the surface:

  • Look at your results and get help. Where are you falling short of your goals and what it is you said you wanted? What’s the gap, and what needs to happen to close it DESPITE all the chaos that’s going on around you? This isn’t about shame or guilt, it’s about information. What support do you need to put in place to continue moving forward or staying steady? I got help from my team as well as my coach and mentor, which was priceless. #evergratful #bestdecisions #bestinvestments
  • Notice where you’re frustrated and uplevel. This is another way of looking at your results. What’s not working? Where are you feeling “off”? What are you tolerating that needs to change? What new actions or ways of being need to be put in place to create change? Throughout this entire experience I kept upleveling. I didn’t give up or backslide on my personal growth, investing in myself, or raising my standards.
  • Learn the lessons and keep moving. When something doesn’t work out, you must evaluate neutrally and course correct. Resist the urge to go into shame and blame. No matter how expensive or extensive the misstep is, it’s still just a misstep. You learned something value… what doesn’t work. Now you have more information to make better decisions with. For instance, if you hire someone, try something different, or put a new practice in place and it doesn’t work out, that doesn’t mean you should just give up. It just means it wasn’t the right person or option and you need to refine your criteria or process for finding the right one and keep taking action. Keep going!
  • Get support. Mentioning this again because it’s such an important piece. Health issue? Get expert help and get those lab tests done! (It took several different experts and lots of sleuthing to figure out what was going on for me.) Overwhelmed in your work? Hire more team (support staff, contractors, business strategists, mentors, etc.) in your business or get really focused on what’s going to move the needle and do that only. If it’s your personal life, consider support like hiring a housekeeper, personal assistant, or someone to watch the kids. Being unstoppable doesn’t mean you do it all alone… it means that you don’t let things stop you. If hiring doesn’t feel doable right now, ask for help from your family and friends. DIYing everything is the HARD way.
  • Always keep moving. Don’t stop. Hold the vision of what you want and keep doing what you can to move towards it. You can’t course correct standing still. It might take a bit longer than you wanted, but don’t stop!!
  • Stay in delight and HAVE FUN!! Yes, have fun. Even when everything is falling apart around you. Laugh, have a good time, stay in that feeling of delight no matter what. This is a learned skill and one that makes it all worth it because it really is about enjoying the journey. :-)
  • Growth, grace, and gratitude. Gratitude for everything, even the hard, the struggle, the challenge that’s right in front of you. This challenge that you may be facing now is what will grow you into the person you need to be to have the extraordinary life you want. Getting “there” doesn’t come without this kind of growth. Ask any successful person and they will tell you that they had to persist and keep growing through numerous challenges. How quickly can you embrace that?

    The “after” picture looks rosy but there’s always the “blood, sweat, and tears.” Remember, when there’s a big problem, there’s a big opportunity. Are you going to embrace it or run from it? True, rapid, next level growth comes from staying committed, doing the work, and moving through the challenges. This brings its own kind of Grace that is inexplicably powerful and can never be taken away from you.

Faith, certainty, and purpose. I stayed connected to my purpose, why I’m doing the work I do, which is to help AS MANY WOMEN AS POSSIBLE become truly unstoppable in their lives and work. I balanced that with faith and certainty that what I wanted would happen. I would grow to the next level. I would figure out my health issues, as well as find the right team and support systems in my business. I would resolve the business issues and I would bring in the revenue we needed to keep growing.

You have to stay connected to why you’re doing what you’re doing… as well as to your DESIRES. What is calling you forward? What is it that you want? You have to want it badly enough to never give up, and you have to have FAITH that it will happen, which leads you to ACTING with more CERTAINTY in the direction of what you want.

And with that…

What’s the first step in YOUR Swan Strategy??
What do you need to do now to keep going even when everything seems to be falling apart?

Hit reply and let me know what you’re taking away from this blueprint and will start working with now! :-)

Want to get The Unstoppable Blueprint emails right to your inbox (plus other videos, trainings, and content for becoming truly unstoppable)? Subscribe below.

Amira

About Me

By Amira Alvarez Hey friends! ???? With The Unstoppable Woman garnering so many new followers on social media, I figured it was high time to reintroduce myself, so that those of you who are new have a solid handle on who “Amira Alvarez” is, and what makes me and what we’re doing with…
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Classic Post, Coaching

Hey friends! ????

With The Unstoppable Woman garnering so many new followers on social media, I figured it was high time to reintroduce myself, so that those of you who are new have a solid handle on who “Amira Alvarez” is, and what makes me and what we’re doing with The Unstoppable Woman unique!

While I’m a seasoned business and success coach who can talk about all things marketing, team, sales, systems, and the strategies required to make your Income Breakthrough, whether in your own business or working in a company… that’s not what makes me unique.

What makes me unique is my strong stance that EVERYONE has the potential for greatness… but that in order to actualize it we have to take focused, consistent, unstoppable action to move through our blocks, grow ourselves, and step into who we know ourselves to be. To really step into our FULL potential, we must break through our fears and limitations.

✨Only then do we become truly free. ✨

And the first step to freedom is mastering income generation.
Money touches EVERYTHING in our lives… and if you’re constrained by not having enough money to live out your purpose, potential, and life you will always feel trapped. No bueno!! ????

You’ll find that I ground my teaching in the truths of Universal Law and I bring these spiritual laws to life in a tangible, practical way that elevates everything else I teach.
None of this is “magical thinking”! ????

It’s simply a set of processes, practices, mindset shifts, and tools that women need to learn in order to create what they desire. I have a keen ability to laser in on where women are blocked IMMEDIATELY, and I tell them the truth without shame or judgement. I’m committed to radical truth-telling because I know that in order to get better results you need to be held to a higher standard. NO MORE playing small!

When I make the bold claim that you can “quantum leap your income” or “make your life a work of art,” I’m able to do that because I’ve helped so many women do just that and I have a PROVEN process that makes it possible. More importantly, I practice what I preach 100% of the time—always holding myself to higher standards and following my own ‘More Life’ directive.

So that’s me! ❤️

I can’t wait to get to know you too!

Amira

How To Raise Your Self-Worth… The Unstoppable Blueprint!

By Amira Alvarez Self-worth is one of the most critical pieces in terms of your ability to have more, be more, do more, and expand your capacity to receive in this life. In fact, raising your self-worth is KEY to unlocking your earning potential, because we can only receive as much as we…
 Read more  »
Business, Coaching, Creating Easy, Unstoppable Blueprint

Self-worth is one of the most critical pieces in terms of your ability to have more, be more, do more, and expand your capacity to receive in this life. In fact, raising your self-worth is KEY to unlocking your earning potential, because we can only receive as much as we think we are worthy of receiving!! 

We live in a vibrational universe, which means we magnetize things to us based on how we’re vibrating. So, if your level of self-worth is low in any area, you will only be a match to things of a lower nature*.

Today I’m sharing my own story about how I kept breaking through to the next level by raising my own self-worth, and we’ve turned it into a blueprint on how to raise your self worth too.

Everything you could possibly want to know!! :-)

My life before consciously raising my self-worth was good, but it wasn’t EXCEPTIONAL… 

I really felt like my life was good before I started this work in-depth… I had a good attitude, a good marriage, a good house to live in, and was making good money. It wasn’t as if everything was going to hell in a handbasket. Yet, I was always worried on some level about what people would think of me and whether what I did would make others happy. On the inside I was a “scared bunny rabbit.” Turns out, being driven by these worries is a clear indication of a lack of personal self-worth. It’s taken me a long time to really see the depth of this, and to be honest, I’m still learning the subtleties of this every day. It’s a journey!

But let’s go back a few years…

What did this actually look like? It looked like doing more of what others wanted to do (especially with my husband) over and above what I truly wanted and tolerating lower standards than I would have desired in myself, my life, my relationships, my home, and my business. I wasn’t taking a strong stand for what I really wanted.

On the outside this translated to… feeling frumpy and being about 30lbs overweight. My clothes didn’t fit well, I didn’t go shopping all that often, much less relish in caring for myself or getting dressed. If I did go shopping, I often compromised on what I really wanted to buy…buying what was on sale, the good deal and not what I TRULY DESIRED for myself… and that was a direct reflection of my own self-worth. I didn’t believe I deserved BETTER. I didn’t even take time and care to get ready everyday… hell, sometimes I didn’t even change out of my sleep clothes or brush my teeth!!! It didn’t happen all that often, but often enough. (Ugh! I seriously can’t believe that that was me!)

And looking around at my environment, the house I lived in, there was always something not quite right. Don’t get me wrong… it wasn’t bad, horrible, or even ugly… in a lot of ways it was quite lovely! But it just wasn’t right. I was constantly irritated things weren’t the way I wanted them to be. I kept hitting a wall of not being able to get what I wanted and the interior decorating projects a half-finished mishmash. Yes, in part this was because my husband didn’t want to spend the money, but also because of my own money mindset. So I did one thing at a time around the house… first a new couch… then a new table… some high-end wall sconces… but it was hacked together instead of polished. It didn’t reflect the level of beauty I wanted for my space.

The list goes on… but the basic description would be good not great. Zero to complain about and tons of stuff that felt off or not really the way I wanted to be living.

How I started raising my self-worth…

There were a lot of little ways I began raising my self-worth, BUT WARNING: This might trigger you! I totally get it if it does, but keep reading. It’s important work!!! These are my examples of my path, but think about how this applies to you whether you’re far beyond this or this seems like the ravings of a privileged person.

  • Investing in getting my nails done and my hair colored and blown out at a salon. The nails in particular were a relatively small investments, but it felt like a huuuuuuge stretch to me!! Doing this required that I overcome my belief that it was frivolous to spend money on my looks and self-care. Spending money on books or education? No problem! Spending on travel? Made sense. But beauty??? That seemed totally frivolous.

    Then came having someone color my hair for me. (Thank you Sam, if you’re reading this, for gently but firmly nudging me in that direction.) Previously, I happily spent my Sunday afternoons going through the latex gloves and putting hair color in my hair, but really? Even if I could do this… even if it was totally fine too and I could read magazines while chilling out on the bathroom floor and make the best of it… is this how a millionaire treated herself? I wasn’t there yet, but I wanted to be so this was pretty incongruent. Yes, the $12 box of drug store hair color was cheaper and worked just fine, but that wasn’t really the point. It was how I was treating myself. So I upleveled.
  • Upgrading the decor in my home office. It really went against my then husband’s stance that “we just didn’t have the money” but I was so done with a rickety, hacked together office. I wanted a bright, clean, fresh room of my own. I wanted a space that was optimistic and made me feel like a million bucks… even before I made that million! ;-)  I had to go my own way on this and I spent a few thousand dollars, ordered everything in one fell swoop, and finally had a beautiful and coordinated office that I loved. It upleveled my energy completely and I felt like the behind the scenes (even if no one ever saw) matched who I was. Ahhh, integrity! Finally! (One of the best investments ever.)
  • Flying first class everywhere I went. This one was a biggie!! It took me a LONG TIME to pull the trigger on this, even after hearing my mentor in no uncertain terms instruct me: “Back of the car, front of the plane.” That sent my mind reeling! But I had promised myself that I would do everything he told me to do and I knew that he was telling me to hire a driver and fly first so that I would start having a BIG reason to do the work and go for more. Not only is it “the only way to fly” and it feels spacious and delightful but if you’re going to be a multimillionaire you need to start acting like one. YET most of us are trying to hobble our way there and that just doesn’t work.

    You should have seen me the first time I bought First Class tickets. Oy! The nerves! And the self-talk: Could I spend that much money? On me? Was it justified? Could I afford it? Would I fit in? Would the other passengers suss me out as an interloper? (So many of my clients have had these same stories in their heads. It’s normal, but it doesn’t mean you stop and run for the hills. In fact, it means just the opposite. It’s go time! Buy the ticket!)

    Now Uber makes it easy. Just make sure to choose Uber Black or my favorite, especially for International Travel is Blacklane.com. Professional drivers who meet you at the airport and take care of the luggage are the best!
  • I had no idea I had a shoe fetish! Next up I started using a personal shopper at Neiman’s. Again, I initially thought “Do I really belong here? Do I need to be some sort of snobby b—- to shop here?” Oh, the judgements I had! It turns out I could be me, treat everyone with utmost respect, and have a damn good time doing it! I’ve built a friendship with Jaime, the amazing professional I work with, and I now fly to Chicago to shop with her because she gets me, gives me amazing service, and the clothes and shoes! To die for!

    I just text her and she holds that day for me. (Plus, I love that they bring you lunch and drinks and all of that when you’re a good customer and there all day. It makes the experience of all-day shopping so much easier.)

    When I can’t fly in because of my schedule, she knows my body and style so well, that I trust her to just send me what I need. Most of the time her picks are a great match and she’s always stretching me to be more fashionable and also giving me that politely coded comment when I’m making A REALLY BAD CHOICE. So good to have someone like that in your camp… especially for the woman who feels like she’s new to this whole fashionista world. (Don’t go it alone!)

    Plus, I had no idea when I started this journey, but I have a shoe fetish! You should have seen me when I first tried on those sparkly Jimmy Choo shoes and those black suede knee-high Prada boots. Something clicked inside!!  

    I ended up upgrading EVERYTHING… and still do this. If something felt like a lower vibration or misaligned with who I saw myself to be, I leveled up. From jeans and dresses, t-shirts, underwear, what I slept in… nothing was off limits. My favorite purchase perhaps was the GORGEOUS Max Mara coat I bought in Montreal. To die for!
  • Not looking at the price tags… This one can be radically misinterpreted, but go with me here. The next level was DECIDING what I wanted before looking at the pricetag. Did I like it? Did I want it? Deciding yes or no FIRST, before looking at the price… whether this was choosing what I wanted from a menu at a restaurant or clothes in a shop, I stopped making price the deciding factor and started making what I liked and what I wanted the deciding factor. That’s not to say that if a dress is fabulous to me at $1,200 but isn’t at $20,000 I still buy it. Nope! There has to be value there, but I always stretch myself and don’t let the pricetag decide for me. That was a RADICAL shift. 
  • I moved into nicer and nicer homes. I’ve been in three apartments/condos since I left Wisconsin, and each one has gotten better and better. Before my first move I made the decision to hire an interior decorator to ensure I got the beautiful, luxurious, and polished look I really wanted. Such a great decision and something I never would have spent money on before! In each place, I’ve upgraded the design and I LOVE where I live now. Everyday I wake up grateful and delighted by the beauty, the design, even the luscious sheets I sleep on. I’m sure there are next, next levels… but I’m always grateful.
  • I invested in more and more help. When I first started out, pulling the trigger on hiring my first assistant was nerve wracking! I signed up for 10 hours a month, terrified of spending the money. Another #bestdecision though. Now I have over 10 people on my AMAZING TEAM who knock it out of the park each and every day for me. I love having a business that supports so many people. I keep saying yes to more hours, more people, and the growth never stops. (This team includes social media specialists, two marketing managers, administrative assistants, legal, accounting, coaches, a personal assistant, a community manager, and my own mentor among others.)

BUT, raising your self-worth isn’t just about spending money!!

  • It also looked like valuing myself and my time and choosing not to rush anymore. Taking my time to get ready to leave the house, rather than always feeling like I was going to be late or holding someone up… something I used to often feel before.
  • I created blessed order. Open any drawer or closet door in my home and there is order. Walk into my bedroom and the bed is made. Look in the fridge and it’s bright and clean. The books have their place and even “the junk” closet has order. This brings me so much peace of mind.
  • I made the choice not to be in constant overwhelm. I continue to work hard but not from a ‘grind it out’ place that leads to burnout, and instead make choices that lead to more and more delight with my business all the time.
  • I lost 30lbs. I choose an eating plan that worked for me and I stuck to it. I stopped being okay with feeling frumpy and seeing a version of myself I didn’t love reflected back in the mirror each day. I wanted to look as fabulous as I felt on the inside, so I stopped making excuses and I put a plan in place to make it happen!!
  • I signed up for and finished my first marathon. I stopped believing the lie that I wasn’t athletic… that I could only be ‘the smart one’ in my family… and I started training. I had always wanted to be a runner, so I finally made it happen for myself because it’s WHAT I WANTED. Training itself took a whole heap of upleveling around my self-worth and I’m still in the growth around this!!
  • I upleveled my relationships and communication. This has looked like developing systems, processes, and clear boundaries with my clients, as well as my team… letting people go when it felt like too much drama and raising my standards for what it’s like to be on Team Unstoppable.

    I took a loving and serious look at my marriage and after deep consideration we decided to separate. Divorce is never easy and I’m not advocating that as a generic answer to what may be going on in your relationship, but we both realized we were settling and decided to stop settling and open up the space for GREAT… and you know what? We made a beautiful decision without creating a huge, painful drama in the process. I’m now in an incredible relationship with an amazing man and I’m having the BEST sex of my life!!! :-) Do you deserve amazing orgasms too? This could be the biggest self-worth piece yet! Lol!

 

Every time I raised my self-worth and took steps to reflect that in how I treated myself financially, within my relationships and business, and emotionally, I set a new baseline for myself that I refuse to ever drop below again. These things all became the NEW NORM for me, a new level to operate from in my life and in my work.

How to know when you’re bumping up against self-worth issues…

Let’s look at The Unstoppable Blueprint for how you can begin this process yourself! 

 

  • First, you have to know when you’re bumping up against your own self-worth issues, which means you have to look at where you’re feeling frustrated with your results. Maybe it’s that you’re always doing laundry or dealing with the yard work. Maybe it’s always feeling rushed or behind. Or maybe it’s the quality of people you’re spending time with and the conversations you’re engaged in, your environment and ecology. Acknowledge where you’re feeling frustration and where you’re tolerating things that aren’t aligned with or at the level of what you WANT.
  • Second, start raising your self-worth by choosing something to level up. Start where you are. What’s one thing that you can uplevel now? It could be hiring a housekeeper or a gardner, bringing on a new team member, or sending the kids to daycare certain days of the week. It might be throwing out all the ratty old bras in your dresser, donating all the clothing that has holes in it, and committing to shopping at the higher end stores going forward. Or it might be setting new standards in your personal relationships, investing in your personal growth or skill set, and setting boundaries around work. Pick one thing and start there.
  • Third, if what you’re choosing to focus on requires an investment, make the DECISION that you WILL afford it. Decide that you are WORTH IT and then go do what’s required to make the money you need. Take new actions QUICKLY. Hold the commitment and don’t allow yourself to falter because of money. Do not purchase the thing and then guilt trip yourself. Do not purchase the thing and shame yourself into thinking you made a bad decision. This is who you are now, this is your new baseline… your new standard for yourself. There’s no going back.

    YES–it’s going to feel awkward at first.
    YES–it’s going to feel uncomfortable.
    That’s how you know you’re stretching and growing.

    Put this higher demand on yourself by stepping into MORE of what you want, and then do what’s required to make the money. This is going to require that you demand more of yourself and that you take DIFFERENT action, but until you put a higher demand on yourself, there’s no reason for you to change and become more.
  • Lastly, face all the stories you have about upleveling your self-worth. Stories like… I can’t afford it, I can do it myself, or what will others think? Face the fear and judgment, but take the new actions anyway. Stop holding yourself back. Go! Incrementally at first yet very, very quickly. #RunTheStairs

 

Most importantly, DON’T STOP going to the next level around your self-worth!!

Just the other day I bumped up against some deeper self-worth stuff around time. I needed a new computer, but kept putting it off. My laptop was five years old and the speed was beginning to slow me down. It wasn’t about having enough money, it was another layer of my “I don’t have enough time” belief… which 100% stems from self-worth. So I MADE the time. I went to the Apple store and got a new laptop… and you know what? It was fast and easy and it’s my new standard for myself… when I need something, I make the time to make it happen. Period.

How will you start leveling up your self-worth today?

What lower vibrational people, things, or experiences can be released and replaced with higher vibrational people, things, and experiences?

Go clean out your underwear drawer and buy some beautiful new pieces.

Head to a higher end store for your clothing or home goods.

Hire the better team, bring on a housekeeper, or ask for support from your family.

Buy a first class ticket for your next trip, take your time getting ready, ask for what you really want.

What is ONE THING you’ll do TODAY to start this process?

Want to get The Unstoppable Blueprint emails right to your inbox (plus other videos, trainings, and content for becoming truly unstoppable)? Subscribe below.

Amira

 

How I Get More Done… The Unstoppable Blueprint!

By Amira Alvarez Getting more done in the same amount of time...  It’s something everyone wants to know how to do, but not many ever figure out. That’s because it’s about both the INNER and OUTER GAME… not just time management techniques or another calendar hack (though these have their place)!! Today I’m…
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Business, Coaching, Growth, Marketing, Unstoppable Blueprint

Getting more done in the same amount of time… 

It’s something everyone wants to know how to do, but not many ever figure out. That’s because it’s about both the INNER and OUTER GAME… not just time management techniques or another calendar hack (though these have their place)!!

Today I’m giving you The Unstoppable Woman Blueprint on how I’ve done this for myself.

Everything you could possibly want to know!! :-)

First, I want to give some context by sharing how I used to be before I learned these skills… 

Really, I had great work ethic, but I was always going in 1,000 different directions at any given time! I had a desire to get all the things done in both my life and my business, but I was constantly interrupting myself.

That looked like… creating pressure to get everything in my business done immediately, everything had the same level of importance. I couldn’t differentiate between the truly “move the needle” actions and the important stuff or even the “nice to have” tasks. 

It also looked like napping (because I was creating all that overwhelm), distracting myself from work with housework (dishes, cooking, laundry, etc), or getting lost in some home improvement project (yes, I repainted every room in the house at different points).

I had a GREAT attitude and really enjoyed doing everything… well, everything but laundry!! ;-)

I was working long hours… which I still do… but it was with a different energy. I felt like I was always behind, dropping the ball, and like I was never able to get it all done. Not so great for one’s self-esteem!

Everything took longer because I did it ALL myself, plus I was a perfectionist and nothing was ever good enough!! I was at the stage where I wouldn’t let anyone else do things for me, I would rather do them myself (stressing myself out in the process) than spend the time to train excellent people and get the support I needed. (Hard to admit this BUT it’s so important to own. I see it all the time too– so many smart, on-it women have a hard time getting help. You think it’s a money thing, at least that’s I hear all the time and what I told myself, but it was really a self-worth issue.)

You’ll always be in growth if you’re going for more in your life, business, relationships, and finances, but you have to remember that attitude is everything. If you asked me, I would have said I had a positive attitude, but I wasn’t being impeccable with my word inside my head and was beating myself up about it, and as a result I didn’t really have a TRUE growth mindset.

When you’re in this ‘grind it out’ place, you have to ask yourself, “What results am I getting? Is this really what I want?” If not, it’s time to make some changes.

How I get more done using INNER GAME approaches:

Creating MORE time is about both the inner and outer game actions… but if you’re not looking at the inner game first, you’re going to continually sabotage the outer game!

Here’s what I did (and continue to do):

  1. I let things go more quickly. That means I don’t stay in a state of frustration. If something goes wrong or a mistake is made with team or projects, I express my waaaaaah quickly, put it in perspective, and then I move into gratitude, problem solving, and delight as quickly as I can.
  2. I still work long hours, but with a different attitude and energy. Building a business or going to the next level in your career takes a certain level of hustle, but that doesn’t mean you have to be in a ‘grind it out’, burnout type of energy. I have a fun and delightful time while I’m working! And if ever I’m not in that state, I make the CHOICE to change my attitude, holding myself to a higher standard. At some point I realized that this is a CHOICE: I can be stressed and overwhelmed or I can have a great time.
  3. I cleared the guilt and shame. I worked through the deeper mindset stuff with a coach, as well as developing my own morning mindset rituals that I now teach in-depth in the Business Acceleration Bootcamp. I had to do these every morning for almost TWO YEARS because I would wake up with anxiety, guilt, shame, frustration, and resentment and I knew it wasn’t conducive to growing my life or business. Mostly though, I started taking new and different actions. I experienced whatever came up and moved through it quickly, choosing to respond in new and different ways.

    I hired a coach who saw my higher truth in situations where I felt like I was wrong, bad, or unlovable. Even though I’d done a TON of personal growth work, this was still my story. So I hired someone to help me see where it showed up so I could move through it more quickly. It’s not that I couldn’t do this on my own. I could. But I wanted to shortcut the time it took. I probably shaved 10 years off of the timeline by doing this. Long story short, if you’re not working on your subconscious programming, you’re going to constantly be driven towards distraction like I was!!
  4. I started valuing myself, my time, and my services. This is about self-worth. I had to do the work to believe in myself and what I had to offer. This meant growing what I spent money on for myself and my business. Yes, I started flying First Class and hiring drivers even before I felt ready to. Yes, I started buying nicer clothes and investing in better self-care- my thing are facials and getting my hair done. :) Yes, I started investing in better computers and systems for my business. AND SO MUCH MORE. It also meant pricing my services accordingly. I upleveled my business to reflect this, creating stronger containers for my clients, becoming a better coach, investing in my own education, and really taking my skills to a master level.

    But it’s not just about money. On the time front, I also spent more time getting dressed in the morning, self-pleasuring, and not rushing to get out the door… not buying into the lie that “I’m behind the eight ball” or running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Again, this came down to conscious choices and choosing to override the subconscious programming and limitations from my childhood that said I always needed to rush. Valuing yourself brings up its own heap of subconscious stuff to work through, which is why I surrounded myself with other women going for more and mentors to help me stay the course and not quit on myself. Everyone I know who’s had a quantum leap and gotten to a higher level has done this too.
  5. I built trust in myself by taking MASSIVE action. We build trust in ourselves through committing to new and different ‘move-the-needle’ actions. This was true for me as well. I got clear on what I wanted and what needed to happen, and I took action QUICKLY. Plus, I stayed with it. If I fell off my game or didn’t do what I said I was going to do, I didn’t beat myself up to the point of quitting, I just got right back at it. #RightBackAtIt

How I get more done using OUTER GAME approaches:

Once you’ve worked through your subconscious programming and double binds, you can start to look at the outer game strategies, actions, and tactics!

Here’s what I did (and continue to do):

  1. I do income producing work early in the day. For me, this means outreach and sales, following up with prospects, or reaching out to potential stages for speaking. You have to know what these actions and tasks are and commit to them. Don’t let yourself off the hook, be impeccable with your word and take those actions quickly.
  2. I hold myself accountable. Early on I came up with a simple and consistent marketing plan, which I printed out and looked over every day. I got an accomplishment hit every time I checked off a box, and this kept me motivated! I liked the feeling of getting things done rather than not… and I was really clear what needed to get done vs what was a ‘nice to have’. That said, I also allowed a certain level of creativity and flow, leaving time for things I enjoyed like playing with graphics and design! But not too much, because I can go down the rabbit hole… and quite frankly, Steph on my team is 1,000x better at this than I am! ;-)

    And remember, you can’t do all things yourself if you want to scale. Delegating is key and I continue to do this.
  3. I fundamentally changed my attitude around time. I don’t live in a scarcity mindset anymore. That doesn’t mean certain days aren’t hustle days or that I don’t ‘fall behind’ on the many things my team sends me to review… it means I don’t think about time as ‘not having enough’. I don’t rush or let myself get spun out, at least not the majority of the time, because that slows everything down. You can learn more about this in my training, Mastering Einstein Time So You Can Beat Overwhelm Once and For All!
  4. I hired a great team. That was one of the first things I did, bringing on an assistant and working with designers and developers. These days, I work with Facebook ads experts, copywriters, designers, developers, video teams, photographers, event planners, several assistants, and more… all to ensure I stay in a state of GROWTH without burning out. You can’t do everything yourself. Start with where you’re at and keep going. Remember, your first few hires will suck (and may even cost a lot of money), but don’t stop!! You can’t be afraid if you’ve made a mistake. Try again and keep going until you find the right people.
  5. I mastered certain time management techniques. I scheduled personal appointments like nails or the dentist outside of work hours, which meant I wasn’t constantly disrupting my day running to appointments.. People say they want freedom over their time, but guess what… having your own business means you make choices that reflect your goals. You have to learn to love what you’re doing so that you’re happy to do it and not running away or distracting yourself… like doing laundry in the middle of the day or checking emails at all hours. It’s about understanding and creating boundaries around your time. For me this meant NO disruptions during the day!
  6. I understood my focus capacity. I can go all day, but you have to understand your capacity for focus! That might be working in 90min chunks and breaking for 15min throughout the day. It might be creative business time in the mornings and client work in the afternoon. Understand what works for you and plan accordingly. There’s a whole section on this in the Business Acceleration Bootcamp program… working with sprints, knowing when to focus on ‘move the needle’ actions, how to organize your schedule, client call days vs business implementation days, how to plan for new ideas and unexpected things, etc. But all these things only work if you know what works for you!

How are you going to get more done?

This is what has allowed me to get more done in less time, which one of these techniques are you going to take action on and apply immediately? How are YOU going to take what I’ve shared today to get more done in your life and work? What are your top three takeaways? 

But this is only the tip of the iceberg. :)

If you’re ready to show up for yourself, move through you blocks, and develop YOUR SUCCESS PLAN, it’s time for you to commit to going for more… How?

Thought you’d never ask. :)

JOIN ME AT… The Unstoppable Woman Income Breakthrough Summit.

Grab your early bird ticket  !!! 

Here’s everything we’ll be working on together, grab your seat now.

Want to get The Unstoppable Blueprint emails right to your inbox (plus other videos, trainings, and content for becoming truly unstoppable)? Subscribe below.

Amira