Last July, I had a bit of a meltdown. I got sick and tired of being in Facebook groups and not seeing much return. I felt I had to be in them all the time, and I was so obsessed, it interfered with my sleep.
Before that, I had tried letters of introduction, LinkedIn, and a million and one other different strategies trying to make the business work. But there was always a piece in it that made me uncomfortable, and either, I’d try it half-heartedly or cast it aside straight away, chastising myself for falling for the latest marketing pitch.
The Cost of Listening to All the Gurus
What was heart breaking was the amount of time and money I’d wasted on all of these different methods. When they didn’t work, the only thing I seemed to be left with was self-doubt, which got stronger with every failed attempt.
And this made it even harder to try again.
Can you relate?
Why Listening to All the Gurus Doesn’t Work
The problem is that so many business coaches prescribe cookie cutter solutions for us that have worked for them without taking into consideration our individual circumstances.
For example, my last business coach was in extrovert and loved chatting to people on Facebook. But, as an introvert, being on Facebook just left me feeling drained and overwhelmed.
The Most Priceless Source of Wisdom You Have
When my meltdown happened, I turned to my trusty go-to for every situation in life, my journal. I remember reading Playing Big by Tara Mohr a few years ago where she talked about the inner mentor, who was yourself in 10 years’ time, having achieved all that you want to achieve. Mohr suggests getting advice from her.
For me, I found it quite hard to have a conversation with this inner mentor in my head, so I decided to journal with her. I call my inner mentor Courageous Carol (Mohr suggests naming your mentor).
During my meltdown, I wrote pages and pages. It was like all the advice I’d taken from business coaches over the years was being filtered through the lens of what was best for me – my inner mentor.
I decided to go with what works for me and am doing Pinterest and guest blogging as a means to get traffic. That suits me much better than Facebook. While I did some research online, I filter everything through my inner mentor and am much happier and am generating a profit for the first time in years.
My inner mentor has been the best source of advice I have. While I’m not saying business coaches don’t have their places, my inner mentor knows exactly what I need.
Of course, I know I’m journaling with myself, but it comes from deep within my subconscious. I’m often surprised by what comes up, which is a sign it comes from deep within me.
5 Tips for Journaling with Your Inner Mentor
If you want to try journaling with your inner mentor, here are some tips:
- Do some preparatory work. What does your inner mentor look like? What clothes does she wear? What foods does she eat? Where does she live? Does she work at the same business as you? What does a typical day in her life look like? How is her life different to yours?
- Set the scene with some nice music and a candle.
- It may help you to make a vision board of her life to give you a visual cue.
- Write down any questions you want her to answer and journal on her answers. You can write the conversation back and forth as a dialogue.
- Afterwards reflect on what she said and, most importantly, what actions you’re going to take as a result of her advice.
Your Inner Mentor Could Be Your Best Business Adviser
My inner mentor has been the best source of business advice I’ve had. What’s more, it’s available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at no cost. Try it and see what you come up with!
About the Author
Carol Brennan is a journaling and mindset coach who works with women in business who want to get consistent and achieve their goals. Her website is www.journalwithcarol.com.
