Why is self-empowerment so important right now?
It’s important because as I started to talk to people, as we went into quarantine, they felt like everything was so uncertain. They felt like they were losing their power and their self-empowerment, not just in business but for themselves as well. So, when that happens, the important thing is to realize, the one thing that we can control when we can’t control anything that’s going on around us is how we react to it. And that’s where self-empowerment comes in. We can empower ourselves to act in the best interest of our businesses and of ourselves. Even when we can’t control what’s going on around us, we can control how we react to it.
What does it mean to be true to yourself?
It encompasses a lot of things. It’s personal and professional, as well as encompassing your own well-being. And I mean that physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. So, when we are true to ourselves, and who we are, and what we want out of life, then everything comes into alignment.
To tie that back to business, I’m going to use myself as an example. I spent 16 years in corporate America. As I got further and further in, because I was climbing up the ladder, I found myself after a while being less and less true to my original goal of who I wanted to be as this inspirational person. I was taking jobs that were further and further away from that goal and who I was. I wanted to please people. If they said, “Andrea, can you do this for this job?” – I said, “Of course I can.” I was the people pleaser. In people-pleasing everybody else, I wasn’t being true to myself. And I was actually not serving the company well because I was getting further and further away from my skill set. Using myself as an example, that’s what that means.
As a business owner, have you found that you have veered away from what you need or that you’re not in alignment with your intentions?
What happens when you’re not true to yourself?
I’ll use companies as an example, or even owning your own company. Until very recently, I owned two companies. When I left corporate America back in 2004, I was a web and print designer. And that was my original goal. I loved doing it.
Very soon after I opened my company, the inspirational part of me came into play. I started Operation INSPIRATION. And so, I owned two companies. I was doing both for a very, very long time until literally last year when the pandemic started. Within the first week of New Jersey shutting down, I lost every single one of my clients that were on retainer. They said, “You know what, we can’t keep up our contracts. We love you, but financially, we’re scared that this is not going to work.” And instead of panicking, I said, “This is my sign. People are going to need inspiration.” So rather than panicking and saying the web design is going away, I literally listened to my inner voice and was true to myself. I went full bore into learning how to take my courses digitally online – so I could serve my community in the pandemic and beyond. So if I hadn’t listened to myself, I would not be serving my community right now.
When was the last time you listened to yourself? Were you able to meet a need and keep your business going in the right direction? Sometimes, it’s critical to listen to your intuition and align with it.
I was being true to myself because while I do like web design, Operation INSPIRATION is my true passion. It’s literally why I was put here. And by honoring that, I was actually honoring my web design clients because if my heart wasn’t in it, I wasn’t going to serve them as well, either.
I’m actually in the process of divesting myself from that and making Operation INSPIRATION my full focus business-wise. Had I not listened, I wouldn’t be serving my web design clients or my Operation INSPIRATION clients.
The more we are in alignment with our true selves, the better we can serve our clients. And the more we try and fit into a mold or fit into expectations, the less we are able to serve our clients.
Every day I have a bit of trepidation – some days more than others – because it’s scary doing this. We are almost post-pandemic right now. But I’m working on launching those digital courses. And every day, there is this question: What if it fails? What if it fails and I really have been listening to that inner voice and being true to myself?
I’m okay with failing because I have this knowing. And I’m going to bring our dear friend Victoria Whitfield into this. I’ve been working with Victoria for over a year now. And I have this knowing that the universe has my back, even if I fail. So, something will pick me up, and I will be okay. And I will continue to serve my clients because, as I said, I have this knowing that this is why I was put here.
What if you counter this “What if I fail?” question with “What if I succeed?” This has long been a favorite of mine. In moments of panic, I ask myself, “What if this does work out?”
What happens when you are true to yourself?
When you’re true to yourself, you know that you were not put here to be anybody else but you. When you are true to yourself, the universe is listening, and it brings everything into alignment. I have a quote that I’m looking at on my vision board, and I’ve had this quote there since I started Operation INSPIRATION back in 2005 now, and it says: At the moment of commitment, the universe conspires to assist you. When I ever have that moment of self-doubt, I say that to myself.
3 Action Steps
- Know that there are situations you have no control over, but you can control your reaction to the situations.
- Understand that being true to yourself involves your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual self.
- Align with your true self to better serve your interests and those of your clients.
Connect with Andrea Mastrobattista at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreamastrobattista
or at https://www.operationinspiration.world/put-a-stop-to-people-pleasing to get “Put a Stop to People Pleasing.”
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