Yesterday I was talking to my coach, Gary Barnes, about the work I’ve been doing to help women with their money mindset. I had put off getting some much-needed help with my launch because I was embarrassed to tell him I was running this class.
You see, on my money mindset journey, Gary was the one empowering me to create new financial systems and up-level my money mindset. He’s heard about every guilt trip, every fear, and every doubt and helped me work through each of them.
He even has written a book, Spend and Grow Rich, that helped me create my money management system.
When I think about offering this class, after I see the faces of the women I can help empower economically, it’s his voice that is loud and strong in the back of my mind. Sure, there are pieces I’ve added to the system, ways I’ve applied his teachings so they work specifically for me as a momstyle business owner, and especially specific money mindset struggles I’ve faced as a woman, wife, and mom.
But still, I didn’t want to bring it up for fear he’d think I was reselling his stuff.
But then I did.
Would you guess what his reaction was? Was he upset with me for doing this work?
Not at all.
Instead, he was excited. I could actually hear his voice lift up as soon as I started talking about the masterclass to him. I was relieved and I received the help I needed.
And then I brought up all my doubts to him, about why I almost hadn’t told him why I was running this class.
Here’s what he had to say:
- Laura, this is coming through your filter, your voice, not mine.
- Laura, there is no greater honor than someone you teach becoming the teacher.
- Laura, this work is so important and I want it to reach more people. My message is reaching them through you, and that’s part of my legacy.
I share this with you not only to point out what a stand-up guy and amazing business coach Gary is, but also because I hear so often from other women that one of their fears about selling digital products is they don’t feel like they have something unique to say. We can make our teachers our worst critics, when chances are their voices would be much kinder to us, and probably even excited to see us carry on their work.
When you think about what you have to share, what lives you want to touch, and how you want to be of service to others, please do not let go of the voice of “it’s all been done before” stop you.
If you haven’t said what you have to say in your voice to your people, it hasn’t been done before.
If you are feeling called to teach, teach. Use your own words. (It’s definitely not cool to copy and paste someone else’s words or graphics exactly as your own.) Give yourself the creative space to pass those ideas through your filter.
Just be sure to step into the space and say what you have to say.
You might even honor your best teachers.