Every time I go to write a blog post, I start with this prompt that I learned from Kathleen Shannon on the Being Boss podcast:

“What I really want to say is…”

So today, what I really want to say is…

What are you going to do in 2018 to really get this online business or side hustle off the ground?

How are you going to put yourself out there? Are you going to let fear continue to hold you back? Your fear of not making enough money or your fear of losing it? Your fear of stepping out as an expert in your niche?

Are you going to let the feeling of overwhelm of all there is to do to get your business online hold you back? Will you let your perfectionism stop you? Will you let hating the way you look in pictures or on camera or the sound of your voice stop you?

When I think about how I spent three years building this side hustle up to the point where I thought I could quit my day job, knowing what I know now, I could have done it in 18 to 24 months if not for all the fear.

But I didn’t know I was afraid. It felt like the responsible thing to do.

Kill myself to make the same amount of money I make at my day job in half the time while working full time, because I can’t let that paycheck and those benefits go. Those are safe and secure, and a big cover-up for a giant lack of confidence.

Avoid building real relationships with real people who know people who need what I have to offer and vice versa.

Hide behind my computer screen and think I can do it all with just words typed on the page so I don’t really have to show the world who I am.

You have the opportunity to make 2018 the year where you actually get this thing of the ground.

It’s going to take doing some things a little differently than you have in the past, it’s going to take some risk, and it’s going to take some discomfort.

Are you okay with that? Because you gotta get okay with that.

I’ve gotta get okay with that if I’m going to reach the next level in my business. I’ve gotta get okay with not having someone put money into my bank account automatically twice a month.

And the only way to get really okay with it is to know deep down in your soul why you’re doing it.

And because you believe in why you’re doing it so much, there’s no way it won’t work out.

Because when you come upon one roadblock, you’ll find a way over, under or through it.

You’ll do things that aren’t normal for you, like getting up super early to write or taking vacation days to work on your business because it feels like a vacation when you’re working on something you love.

You’ll work on your business on weekends around family time.

You’ll take the time to plan instead of winging it on autopilot and hoping you have time for it. You’ll stop saying you don’t have time, because you want it so bad you’ll make the time. You’ll stop saying you don’t have money, because you know that getting help from other people to get where you want to be is worth the investment and you know you won’t quit, so you know you’ll see that money again and then some.

You’ll stop saying that you’re overwhelmed because you’re determined to just keep moving forward, progress, not perfection with small consistent actions daily. If you have only 10 minutes to work on your website, that’s okay. You get done what you can get done in the time you have.

You’ll stop saying that you’re not techie and stop feeling like it’s impossible to build your business online and it will become a game that you’re determined to win. Something didn’t work? Your brain thinks, okay, what happened, where can I get answers, and I’ll try again until I get it.

Because even techie people run into big obstacles when building things online – they don’t know any more about it than you do, they just keep trying till they figure out the answer, and then they know for next time.

You’ll step out of your comfort zone and go to conferences and events and talk to complete strangers that you have something in common with because you both happen to be there.

You’ll do all of those things because you want your life to be different so badly that you’re willing to do what it takes.

So today I want you to dig deep, and figure out why you want this.

Then I want to you make a commitment to yourself that you’re going to have your freebie done and your website up by a certain date.

Then I want you to work back from there and block off time in your day to make it happen, whether it’s getting up at 5am and working for a couple of hours before everyone else gets up, or its scheduling vacation time or clearing a weekend just for you. Make it happen.

I know you’re here for the same reason I’m here, and I’m giving myself this pep talk right along with you. I’ve got some big, scary opportunities coming my way in 2018 and I need to be committed to showing up for them and not letting the fear send me back into a day job that will steal my soul.

So let’s make a deal, BFF – I’ll keep pushing you, and you keep pushing me and 2018’s going to be like nothing we’ve ever imagined!!

Today’s pep talk is brought to you by Bluehost. Go to www.shannonmattern.com/bluehost and get 36 months of web hosting for just $2.95 a month. That’s less than one trip to Starbucks a month – and if you’re anything like me, you’re at Starbucks more than that!

Then you can sign up for my Free 5 Day Website Challenge at www.shannonmattern.com/5day and I’ll show you step by step how to get started building your new website for your side hustle.