Badassery Magazine Issue 12 May 2017 | Page 27

I ’m turning 40 this year. Finally. While some people complain and moan about getting older, I’ve always known that 40 was going to kick off the BEST years of my life! That’s not to say I didn’t TRY to make my 30’s awesome, but with chronic pain, migraines, and a series of health problems that led to my death last year, it wasn’t the best. And don’t worry – I undied, so it’s all good. But 40? 40 is the Shit. 40 is when you can completely let go of all expectations of your life, surrender to every day, and give zero fucks when people tell you what you “can’t” do. A couple of months ago I posted about how excited I was that I was finally turning 40, and some crotchety lady (who is miser- able and in her 60’s, bless her heart) demanded to know why I thought 40 would be so great because it’s just another day. Here’s what I have to say about that. Want to live like you’re turning 40 even if you’re 25 or in your 30’s? Do this: 1. Get Really Clear on Who You Want to Spend Time Around. I’ve been upleveling my friend- ships, my clients, and my busi- ness besties for the past several years. I’ve had to cull a LOT of BS and cut some close ties, even though we still wave hi online. The old adage is true: Your life is just like the life of the 5 people you hang out with the most. So if you need to pick better, start now. This includes your husband. Learn to train him or get a new one. I did. 2. Do Things Your Way. When I first got online I got REALLY confused about what I was sup- posed to be doing. In fact I went to an event where the guy told me things like, “Don’t use purple or bright colors on your website. Use blue – that’s a business color. And don’t tell anyone you do Tarot.” Ugh. This caused several years of flail- ing around until I said Fuck It! and started doing what I wanted. 3. Cultivate Your Cult Following. Create a community that loves you for your MESSAGE, not be- cause you’re a coach or because you sell Mary Kay. You need to get to the essence and truth of what you’re really here to talk about. The BEST way to do this is to start your own Facebook Com- munity. Don’t have one yet? Pick up my Free Guide and get start- ed! 4. Watch What Everyone Else is Doing…and Do the Opposite. When I first got onto Facebook, I wanted to create my community, but everyone told me I “had to” use business pages. Well, we can all see how THAT turned out! If everyone else is doing it, it probably means it DOESN’T work. Watch the trends, watch what people are telling you works and then make your own judgment. Take everything with a grain of salt. If it worked for everyone there wouldn’t be hundreds of thousands of people running around wondering why they can’t get any clients or make more than a few hundred dollars a month. 5. Speak Your Truth – All of It. You should be EXACTLY who you are online and in real life. If you are whiskey-drinking, motorcycle riding badass who cusses like a sailor (like me), then that’s who you should be online. If you are quiet and demure, then be that. If you are classy and sophisticated, then post that same way online. You don’t have to be full on and bring out ALL of your aspects all the time. However, you can’t hide these things all the time either. It’s not fair to your clients or to you. Case in point – I once sent out an email message about my upcoming event and made sure to cuss in the email. I got a very upset and angry letter back from a lady who said she was planning on coming to my event but was now backing out. My response? You’re welcome. I know I’m going to cuss at the event because that’s what I do in real life. How much would it have sucked if she had spent all that money and wasted all that time and then been offended and upset by my cussing? It’s always best to be true to you. 6. But… Don’t Publicize the Ugly Until You’re Through It and Can Share a Lesson. While being au- thentic and vulnerable are all the buzzword rage these days, 26