The Powerful Brand Message Exercise That Gets Solopreneurs Unstuck
What's your relationship status with rest?
Mine is complicated. Held up in bed op-post, I told myself stories:
'Things Will Fall Apart If I Slow Down’
‘I Won’t Be Able To Get Back On Track’
‘If I Rest Now, I Can’t Rest Later’
If you've ever push through sickness to finish a project or couldn't help but check email on vacation, you know what I mean.
People like us push through a lot — almost anything— for a better life.
It's an admirable quality to pursue the dreams on your heart. But blind ambition makes it hard to see if you're taking steps in the best direction.
Rest, however, makes it abundantly clear what you don't want to get back to.
Sunday Scaries vibes have the power to:
1. Depress you, or
2. Motivated you
It depends on how you tell the story.
Pre-surgery I was stuck on the first option. I wanted it burn it all down.
I needed to:
Get out of my head
Figure out what wasn’t working
Add more of what I loved into my day-to-day
An anti-vision helped me channeled mind chaos into an action plan.
Storytelling Prompts
WHO AREN'T YOU? CREATE YOUR ANTI-VISION
When you're feeling stuck, coming up with a big vision is overwhelming.
It's easier to start with what you don't want. This is your "anti-vision" – a picture of a future you want to avoid. Start by reflecting on:
What isn’t working? What don’t I want? What I am forcing?
The answers will piss you off. Let it motivate you in this next step.
An example of an anti-vision is 'I don't want to work until I am 65 years old.'
Flip you anti-vision into a story of what you do want.
“It's 2044 and I have enough money in the bank to retire."
Now make it actionable by reframing the new vision as a question.
“What things can I do to have enough money to retire in 20 years?”
Calculate how much money I'll need.
Gain new skills so I can earn more.
Set up a high yield saving account.
An anti-vision doesn’t change life at once. It clarifies what needs changing.
What better motivation to get back at it after you’ve recharged?
StoryCraft Prompts
These storytelling prompts were originally published in the StoryCraft Newsletter, where I share two-minutes stories of doing life and business better with actionable tips to tell your stories every week-ish. Sign up for the StoryCraft Newsletter
