Want to take your business to the next level? Start with a solid belief!

I'm in the process of changing a few things here at Jennifer Hamley England, and that includes a little re-brand. The big plan is to make things a lot more engaging and fun for us all! 

As always happens when I focus on something new, I meet the most fabulous people. One such person is Gwendi Klisa; graphic designer and branding expert. 

Gwendi inspired me to start a series of guest posts here on the blog, to inspire you as much as I get inspired by these amazing women.  So today I introduce you to our very first guest blog, by Gwendi herself.

I hope you love her story as much as I do. Over to you Gwendi!

Recently, Jennifer won the best handbag award in NYC 

Let’s stop for a moment and let it sink in. Winning an award - in NYC - is a dream come true. The kind of achievement business owners work towards. It’s a fat milestone checked off. Do you have ambitions like this? Are you going for gold and are you shouting it from the rooftops? Or do you worry about rejection and wouldn’t openly declare your “silly” dreams. Most of us fall somewhere in-between.

Which one are you? Is it time we start admitting to the top league? 

Few of us were born with a winning entrepreneurial mindset, and if we managed to develop one early on, it likely got crushed along the way. But yet, so many women set out building their own business. How can we cheer them on and help them achieve? I did a poll on my Instagram to find out more about this elusive success mindset. The subject was extremely popular, everyone wanted a piece of this attitude, and many didn’t know how to muster up the courage to be visible and live your dreams! 

Have you ever had to pull yourself out of a deep hole and back into the success mindset that every entrepreneur should cultivate? 

I definitely did.

Well, I was born with the unshakeable belief that I could become anyone I wanted to be. It’s part of being a small human I guess. I was full of hopes and dreams and I believed in myself and in my path. Now, before you wonder, I grew up in a culture whose dream job is civil servant above all else, who do not get how anyone would set out fighting on their own. Looking for security was wired into our DNA, we were seeking out guaranteed survival. Sticking our head out, on the other hand, was risky, and frowned upon, but it was something I was happy to dare again and again!

The unlikely ally

For a long time I held onto an Elle magazine cutting that - of all people - my grandmother once shoved into my school satchel. The article might have been the first high-vibe piece ever written, it was about how girls can be anything they want to be, and how we must dare dream big! Not only was I puzzled of how she came by a glossy mag, I was totally stunned by her out-of-character action! Struggling to raise two daughters by herself, taking professional, personal or financial risks to go big had never been an option to her, back in the day. 

Still, she cut out this article for me, which confirmed my mindset of hope, optimism and confidence. It affirmed my belief that what I do matters, that I can help people and make a difference in the world, whilst being who I chose to be and loving every moment of it!

A motivating vision

I followed my dreams without any hesitation until my early thirties. I saw something I wanted – I made sure I went after it. It goes without saying that I didn’t manage to achieve everything I set out to, but it sure was an exhilarating way to live. I was free and unafraid, never attaching myself to the outcomes, enjoying the journey instead. Lacking any notion of the sensible life, my dreams were crazy and ambitious. And often they weren’t very achievable. But I didn’t let that stop me, on the contrary, having that superb vision motivated me and propelled me forward into the direction I want to go in life.

Try it for yourself. Be positive, confident, step up and dare to be seen - and watch your transformation. If you manage to keep this up, you will be flying high. But it’s a difficult mindset to hold on to, because life is life and it can get a bit ugly dealing out blow after blow knocking all this confidence out of us. So as it happened, one year all my dreams got squashed and I almost let them go forever.

Life tends to get in the way

I was married to the love of my life, and we had three children in a number of years. Some proper responsibilities crept into our careless existence, coupled with the credit crunch and its fall out, I started telling myself a completely different story. I adjusted and first became realistic and sensible, then deflated and downtrodden, and having had one knock too many started feeling foolish whenever I dared to dream and hope. I made my goals as small as possible, worrying more and more about setbacks, failures and rejections. I came across my grandmother’s magazine cutting one day and chucked it into the recycling bin in a fit of disappointment. 

While I can never get that article back, I can share its philosophy with you. 

Ditch the S.M.A.R.T goals and allow yourself to dream again

Are you finishing that vision board? Are you letting yourself be a little foolish and go for the stars? We must believe. It’s the first step to win the cup. We must be inspired by a big vision, it’s what will fuel us on this long journey.

Let’s not play small by looking for the attainable. Let’s break up with our S.M.A.R.T goals (you know those: Specific, Measurable, ATTAINABLE, Relevant, Time-based). Let’s play big, expand our imagination, especially when we’re dreaming up our big vision. Those sensible smart goals can be used to micromanage your weeks, but have no place in big picture thinking.

What if your vision is so big and exciting that it scares you? Yes, there’s always a possibility of not making it. To keep up your courage and peace of mind, you could try detaching from the outcome. Dream up your big goals and start working towards them. Make the journey towards achieving your vision the main focus. 

The next steps

Sadly, I never got my magazine cutting back, but I still managed to pull myself out of the deepest doldrums. I allowed myself to hope again, got clear on my big vision and put all my energy into it, knowing that the universe will provide what is best for us. I don’t attach myself to the outcome, but am loving the process. It takes courage, but that’s what being in business is all about, right? If you want to join us come over to my new facebook group for some real motivation and real life tips and free workshops to grow your business and a massive congratulations to Jennifer for achieving such a big milestone!