This blog is dedicated to finding, sharing and discussing a variety of topics around the struggles our clients and audience go through. Each episode we discuss a key concept that many humans struggle with. To give you a variety of perspectives for you to see the concept through so you can find one that makes it feel easier to deal with.
And if you prefer to listen, this episode is available as a Podcast or a Video.
Let Me Tell You A Story…
Instead of my usual blog posts with lots of information for you to read and use in your life, today I want to tell you a story. And this story is also being written / read / told live every Tuesday and Thursday at 8:30pm GMT on (hopefully!) YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn between 12th November and 24th December. Click these links to subscribe and join us for the next instalment!
Stories have been used for centuries to share wisdom and ideas within our species. And this idea for this particular story came to me a few months ago as a way of sharing some new ideas with people that can improve their life.
I find stories are the best way to get a message across. It is why we like to read books, watch TV series and films. Because stories are a great way to share a message by inviting the reader / watcher / listener to be a part of the story. To become the character in their imagination.
And that’s what this story will do. It will invite you to become the main character, Morgan, and become the hero / heroine of the story!
There will 13 chapters and this will constitute the first draft of this story before I send it to publishers and become a published author. Which has always been a dream of mine! So thankyou to you for joining me and holding me to account to get this planned, written, shared, edited and finally published! Without you, I would probably let myself off the hook (like I have effectively been doing all year since the idea came to me!) and this would never get done.
So I hope you enjoy these 13 blog posts, and if you want to send me any ideas or ask any questions to guide the story or to make it make more sense to you, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch. I look forward to hearing your thoughts, but for now let us carry on…
Read Chapter One HERE.
Chapter Two is HERE.
See Chapter Three HERE.
Chapter Four is HERE.
Find Chapter Five HERE.
Chapter Six is HERE.
Check out Chapter Seven HERE.
Read Chapter Eight HERE.
Read Chapter Nine HERE.
Find Chapter Ten HERE.
CHAPTER ELEVEN – An Impression Of Increase
It has been a couple of weeks since that meeting with my ex and the franchise offer from the coffee shop owner. And my, has it been an emotional rollercoaster!
Everything I have learned recently is telling me that this is perfectly normal. And is caused by my internal programming fighting back against the changes I am making… But it has felt really awful and tiring at times!
One minute I am full of energy, raring to go, speaking to people about funding opportunities, life feeling really awesome. The next I am physically and mentally exhausted, feeling useless and just wanting to sleep.
I have received a lot of no’s to funding requests I have made on my quest to build enough to buy into the coffee shop franchise. A couple of yes’s but only for small amounts and only if I manage to make the full amount up with other sources. Granted, those two amounts don’t need to be paid back, so that is a start!
I just need to find the other 70% of the funding from other sources.
These numbers have really taken a toll on me though.
My mind is berating me with all sorts of worries. Doubts and thoughts about how this is all too hard and I should just give up and keep looking for a normal job. Just like everyone else. Then I fight back against myself with the fact that that option will be just as hard! And probably more stressful in the long run! And then I just go round and round and round in circles between thoughts of what I want and thoughts of being realistic.
Realistic is annoying… I am using my imagination as often as possible to live in the world I want to build for myself. Living there in my mind fills me with calm, pride and simple bliss! It feels so nice falling asleep in my bed while thinking that I am in my new place. The apartment above the coffee shop. I’ve been sneaking up there to look around and familiarise myself with it as often as I can, and been doing as many extra shifts in the shop as possible.
My bank account is growing. This is in part due to the extra coffee shop shifts, but also due to some extra weekend and evening work at the university for their events. And I have explained my job situation to my current landlord and agreed for them to keep my deposit instead of me paying any rent until my eviction notice runs out in three weeks’ time.
The events at the university have all been really interesting. Not all about mindset or productivity topics. One was about someone’s theory on what killed the dinosaurs which was quite controversial! But still very interesting.
My little side hustle is also plodding along nicely.
I have had a good few appointments, and my mentor is now happy for me to go it alone. So I am not so tied with when and where I can book appointments in. A couple of these appointments have converted into sign ups, so at the end of next month I’ll be currently bringing in an extra £750! Every little helps!
I have also been attending some group meetings with my friend about their upcoming seminar. My technology passed their requirements and it’s been really interesting to see the behind the scenes work that goes into the webinars they do. The actual event is tomorrow evening online, and I have my backdrop all set up and my lines almost fully learnt by heart, so it sounds natural.
All these things are going in the right direction. All heading towards the life I want to be living.
So why does it still feel so bad?
I keep getting the thoughts that I will fail, and I’ll end up on the street, homeless and jobless. That my new found friends will all laugh and discard me. Or won’t be able to get in touch at all as I won’t be able to pay my phone bill. I respond to each thought with the opposite. Like the books and seminars have taught me to do. I will succeed! Move into the apartment above the coffee shop and boost my wages. I will keep being invited to help with their webinars and meet up in a social sense.
But then the thoughts come back again. What if I fail… Jobless and homeless… And they just keep coming! No matter how many times I respond, it just continues. I think it is these thoughts that are causing the emotional rollercoaster. It is almost like my inner mind wants me to just stay where I am. Where things are known and feel safe. I know where I stand, and I know what to expect…
But things aren’t known or safe.
I have no idea where I stand or what to expect.
So why does part of me want me to stay right here?
I asked my friend this when I met them for a drink yesterday afternoon.
They reassured me that it is perfectly normal and referred back to what was said at the seminar. They said,
“We all have inner programming, installed before we were even born. And sometimes even before our parents were born. It runs down through families and is then reinforced when we are little children. For most of us, it is the programming that the only security we have to earn our money to pay our bills is through working for someone else. It is also what is taught in schools. To study hard, get good grades and then get a good job.
But that’s not the best way to live at all, that’s the way the masses are told because it keeps everyone in the same little box. We need people to show others that they can choose what they want to do in life, and no one else should get a say in what they want to do with their life. When they hear it from me in my seminars or workshops, it is usually the first time they have been told that! To that point they’ve been told what they should do, how they should act and speak.”
I was really inspired by our conversation. And it helped me to make sense of why it felt so bad inside to go in a different direction to that that I’d always been told to go. The example that cemented it though was this. My friend said:
“Think of it this way, you are the only person that lives with you 24/7. So therefore, what anybody else thinks isn’t relevant! If you aren’t happy doing what you are doing, or feel that you are not being true to who you think you are, then the only person that can do anything about it is you. You can choose to go down a different path. Like C.S. Lewis said, you can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can change the end by changing what you are doing right now.”
That was the same quote in the bookstore window that had such a profound impact on me a few months ago.
The same quote that is still having the same effect on me now. Things need to change! I can’t go back to where I was, and I can’t stay where I am now. Even if I wanted to! Yes, a lot of the reasons have been out of my control. Losing my job. The eviction notice. But I could choose how I responded at those points and if given the same choice again? I think I’d choose exactly the same way as I responded the first time.
Life now is interesting. It’s up and down. One minute really hard. But the next filled with hope and new opportunities. And I wouldn’t change that for the world! I also get to choose what happens next. Whether I keep pushing down this road I am walking towards the franchise, webinar hosting, the evening work at the university… Or give up and look for more traditional options that everyone else would approve of.
I am definitely not ready to give up yet!
A ping from my phone snaps me out of my Saturday morning daydream. Unknown number, but the message is intriguing. It is asking for volunteers for a startup launch at my old company. There is a web link to more information, so I take a look. It looks like they are raising money and awareness for new business ventures in our area, including their own, to help people start their own businesses and also for other businesses to support them as well. They need volunteers with waiting or hosting experience.
The name at the bottom of the message intrigues me further. It’s the minimum effort person from the old job! Well at least they got accepted to retake their job! Although it was probably for a pay cut like all the other roles! I take a breath to clear my mind from going down that train of thought and reply asking for the details.
While waiting for a response I get up and start sorting my breakfast. I’ve already decided on a lazy day today. Doing some reading and preparation for tomorrow’s webinar. Following up on a few more funding ideas. Taking a walk this afternoon when the rain stops for my weekly food shop.
The response comes quite quickly actually, and the event is happening next Wednesday afternoon. I reply and say I’d be happy to help. I’m not sure where they got my number from but that’s not really relevant is it? I push that thought from my mind, and jot the details down in my diary before getting on with my day.
It is a good day today, got lots done, lots of research and a few more funding applications written.
All while sitting in the apartment above the coffee shop. The owner was more than happy to grant my rather strange sounding request! I also took some photos and a video while there, had a couple of presentations for my side hustle, and video called my friend to show them the space. I suggested to them that we could hold some in person speaking events here after I move in. They agreed that that was an amazing idea.
The thoughts are all aligning in my head and making me feel utterly at home in this space. I just wish my inner voice would back off and stop providing me with the doubts and worries that it won’t happen… The more I visualise myself in this new space, as franchise owner of this shop and hosting speaking events here, the bigger the feelings when I relax too much and get bombarded with all the emotions of failure. I guess the bigger I build the feelings of success, the bigger the feelings of failure will be as well. Because I want this so much and it will really hurt to not get it.
I continue overriding these thoughts of failure as often as they come up. I’ve decided that this is what I want, and I will not let them destroy my vision!
My phone pings, an email notification, so I go back to my laptop to read it. It is an appointment to attend a meeting with a potential funding source and it is this afternoon if I can make it! I check the location and the time. Then reply with yes and then pack up my stuff to quickly pop home and change.
Within an hour I am sitting in a rather posh waiting room not far from home,
my laptop and notepad in my bag with all of the details on that other people have asked for. I messed up quite a lot of the early appointments I had by not knowing the details that they wanted to know. Following those I went back to the coffee shop owner to ask for all the details about turnover, profits, bills etc that I would never have thought of and now have everything all neatly laid out. And very professional looking as well if I do say so myself!
I also took You Were Born Rich with me as I didn’t know how long I’d need to wait for. The section I am reading is talking about not worrying about the money. To only focus on the service I am giving and can give to others. The money will come my way based on the level of service I give to others. And that that fact is based on a natural law of the universe. The Law of Cause and Effect. What we give out must always come back to us in one form or another. Not always from the same source as that which we gave to in the first place.
Another interesting concept. My mind jumps straight to the Wednesday night event where I am helping with the hosting of the meeting at my old company. That is purely as a volunteer. I’m not expecting to get paid, and the only reason I am going is to help them and also mingle with other business owners to see what can rub off on me!
My thoughts are interrupted as my name is said and a well-dressed person approaches me with their hand outstretched. I recognise them, but can’t pin from where at the moment. Standing I take their hand and shake it confidently. They motion for me to follow them to a nearby meeting room, offer me a drink from the machine in the corner of the room and we chat while the machine does its thing.
We actually met at the seminar a few weeks ago!
I knew I recognised them and tell them so. They say that they did some further research on me when they received my application for funding because they were impressed by the way I wrote my covering letter and how to the point I was for what I wanted. This is how they found out that we had met at the seminar.
When the drinks are ready, we sit down and they ask me to go through all the details of why I want the funding (they want to hear it from me, not just what I put on the paper), and what my future plans for the coffee shop are. I decide to go all out and simply share the vision I have been building in my mind. Having a whole day dedicated to drink experimentation for customers to also come up with their own concoctions. Using the apartment space to host meetings, seminars, private events and cookery demonstrations. To extend the hours and hire more staff down the road…
They sit and smile as I elaborate in as much detail as I can the vision in my mind. Once done they nod and agree that it is a big vision! Then the subject of costings comes up. So I pull out my notepad and go through all the numbers the coffee shop owner shared with me. They have been in business for a good few years now, so there is a lot of evidenced numbers rather than guesses. And I have also added potential costings for the events I want to run and the extra stock for the tasting and experimenting days.
A few minutes of silence go by while they look through the numbers.
I sip my drink and remind myself to breathe. I have done everything I can, this is now in their hands. A few questions here and there, which I feel I answer confidently. Including about other potential funding sources, and I mention the two small grants. Then the last thing they ask is whether I have run these ideas past the owner. I have, so I say yes and that they are on board with all of my ideas.
They nod, ask to take copies of all the documents I have brought in and if I have any photographs. I say yes and they call for their assistant to do the photocopying before looking through the photos and asking me to email them to them. The assistant returns, we stand, shake hands again and they say they will discuss my proposal with their team and get back to me by the end of the week.
As I walk home, via the shop for this week’s food, I feel like jumping for joy. No, I haven’t got a definite yes. But it wasn’t a no, and it felt a lot more positive this time!
Sunday,
I spent at the coffee shop and share my meeting with the owner when they came in during the afternoon. They agree it definitely sounded promising! And in the evening, it is time to be the host of my friend’s webinar. I made sure everything is set up in advance, that I look my best, and had also spent a lot of the day reading my notes over and over between customers.
It was quite nerve wracking at first. But a few deep breaths and I was soon into the flow of it. Handling questions in the chat. Introducing each of the speakers. Thanking people for attending. Encouraging them to use the chat to engage with the session.
It went really well! And once we were finished, the team jumped on another call to debrief, and I received nothing but praise. My friend also said that they would be giving me 10% of the profits made, which I wasn’t expecting! I was happy just to be there helping out my new friends, so to receive some money for it as well in a couple weeks’ time is just the icing on the cake!
I thank them and ask if there is anything else I can to help. I’m given the log in details for the group email address to help with answering queries and helping potential customers get all the answers they need. There is a document with a lot of the frequently asked questions on which I can use to copy and paste answers from. And if there are some questions I can’t answer then I can simply acknowledge the sender and pass their questions to one of the team to look at.
I feel really privileged to be a part of this group!
And a thought pops into my head; you receive based on what you give. I have no idea how much money is coming my way in a couple weeks. It depends on the sales of the programme we were selling, but it does prove that you receive based on the service you give!
Monday through Wednesday are my usual cleaning and coffee shop routines. Checking my emails regularly to see if I have a response from the meeting I had on Saturday, and also responding to questions in my friend’s email inbox when I get chance to.
Wednesday after my cleaning shift I head over to my old company building. It feels strange going back there, but equally it feels quite empowering. I press the buzzer to be let in and head over to the main area where a few others are gathered. I recognise a few and say hello, asking how they’ve been and what they are up to now. Most applied for and got new positions with this new company, Bob being one of them, and a couple had moved on to do other things like I had. I keep my information short and sweet; working a couple of jobs and really loving life.
Minimum effort person approaches me, welcomes me and thanks me for my help, and then shows us what we are needed for and the layout of the event.
They are expecting between 50 and 70 people from a variety of backgrounds.
Some entrepreneurs looking for funding. Some CEOs looking at sponsoring or buying into businesses. Others just coming to network and say congratulations on the new business. The main focus though is to celebrate the new business. The one that bought and closed the one I worked for. To share its vision for the future.
Our role as helpers is to mingle with the guests. Carrying trays of drinks and snacks to ensure that everyone has a good time and does not need to look for food or a drink at any time. Sounds easy enough! Be welcoming, smile, mingle, and ensure the drinks and food are flowing. I can do that.
We help get a few more things set up ready for people to start arriving. I get familiar with the layout of the event and where to pick up food and drinks from. People start arriving about an hour later and the event starts filling up quite quickly. There is a nice atmosphere, lots of laughter and conversations going on around the room. I mingle as I was told to, offering drinks one minute then switching to a tray of food the next. Just finger food really, small nibbles that all look amazing.
Once people are in and settled the new owner calls for everyone’s attention and thanks them for being there. They give their speech about their vision for the company. To massive rounds of applause! Then encourage everyone to fill in their details on the forms around the room and to mingle with the other guests.
The whole event is a huge success!
And shortly after the speeches, I get a tap on the shoulder and turn around to see the person from the funding meeting on Saturday. They say it is nice to see me here and ask what I am doing. I tell the truth. Simply helping out some old work colleagues. They smile and simply say that I should have it writing tomorrow, but they wanted to tell me first…
My funding application has been approved!
They are willing to give me the full amount, the 70% that I needed! All they want in return is to be able to use the apartment space for various meetings and get togethers when it is available. They will pay for food and drinks at their events, but not the room hire. Of course that is absolutely fine with me! I shake their hand, and we go our separate ways so they can mingle and I can refill my tray.
I’m literally ready to burst with excitement!
I find minimum effort person and ask for a quick 10minute comfort break and then head to the bathrooms to get my excitement out so I can stop shaking! Shaking hands while carrying drinks isn’t going to go well!!
I stop myself from messaging the coffee shop owner. I want to see the details in writing first, and I am seeing them tomorrow for the evening shift so I can show them in person. This is unbelievable… I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and smile. My face is hardly recognisable to the last time I looked in that mirror.
That day when I was drying my socks under the hand dryer. Looking like a drowned rat with no hope for the future…
Now I can see excitement, almost a whole new person looking back at me. With so many opportunities that I have created and attracted to me simply by shifting my thinking and just going for it. I take some deep breaths to help calm myself down, and then head back out to the room to continue doing what I volunteered to do. Help this company leave their guests with an impression of increase.
What Do You Think?
So what do you think? Comment below with your feedback and where you would like to see Morgan’s story go or where you think it will go! I only have a rough outline plan so far so your input could guide it in another direction…
If this story resonates with you and you want to discuss this further, then get in touch today. Either here or through any of my social medias or schedule a call to discuss it with me directly.
I look forward to speaking with you soon.
To your success,
Jaiye
PS.
Don’t forget to come and join me live if it hasn’t gone past the 24th December 2024 yet! I go live with a new chapter every Tuesday and Thursday on my Linked In, Facebook and YouTube channels and you are more than welcome to join me. Register now!
