I’m writing from the couch next to the fireplace in our Whistler hotel as snow falls out the window.
It’s peaceful and serene and probably the exact opposite of your inbox right now.
Because it’s digital course launch season.
The time of year when all your favorites in the online coaching/creative/marketing world start sharing their favorite programs with you and therefore your inbox may begin to avalanche into disarray.
To be clear, this isn’t one of those emails.
This is an email to help you know how to digest those emails.
Because choosing how to spend your time, energy, and money in your business is a perpetual struggle. Speaking from experience over here. 🙋♀️
You see, I’ve bought at least 15 online courses over the past 6 years. When I told my therapist about this, she not-so-delicately told me I use courses as a reassurance seeking behavior.
And she was right.
For years, I bought almost every course someone emailed me about.
Some of those purchases happened at the right moment in my business…
Others were a total distraction because I kept telling myself I needed more knowledge to gain confidence, when really what I needed was experience.
And it’s not that I regret any of the purchases–investing in yourself always leads to greater awareness and the courses were all high-quality.
But on the other side of spending upwards of $40,000 on courses, programs, coaching, and trainings, I’ve learned a thing or two about deciding where and when to invest your money and energy when it comes to learning.
So, to help you avoid staying stuck in overwhelm here are three things to consider before you buy any digital courses this season (or whenever you’re feeling the tingling sensation to hit “buy” that only great copy can give you).
1). Where’s your mindset at right now?
Are you feeling particularly confused because you haven’t been making the time to create your own work?
Or, are you totally rocking consistent action but still feel like you need some support.
- Our thoughts and mood influence our perception and behavior. If you haven’t been making the time to create your own work, do one thing for your business before you make your final decision. Write an email to your list, DM an ideal client, make a small update to your website. Do something. Clarity comes from action.
2). Is this the kind of support I need right now?
- In certain seasons of business we need different kinds of support. Sometimes we have the capacity for self-study courses and other times what we really need is a community of support or 1:1 guidance to move forward. Here are two more questions to help you decide…
- Is committing to carving out time weekly (without someone waiting on the other end of the line) your jam? Or, do you need to know people are counting on you to show up in order to show up for yourself right now? Be honest with yourself. There’s no wrong answer.
3). If I muted everyone promoting [insert course/program name here] for the next two weeks, would I still be searching for something to help me solve this problem?
- If yes, then investing in the course may be a wise investment at this time because it sounds like you’re intimately aware of the problem you need to solve. You’re looking for results, not more reasons and you’re likely ready to do the coursework and apply it in your business.
- If no, then maybe the promo copy is tapping into an insecurity more than a need. Take 15 min and free-write to consider what’s really holding you back.
I will never tell someone not to invest in developing their skills as a business owner but I will always tell you to examine your mindset, thoughts, and emotions when doing so because they can be sneaky, snarky, or spectacular at any given moment.
Sometimes you need to pay to learn from someone else’s creation and sometimes developing your skills means you have to practice what you’ve already learned.
And in case you need this reminder (because I need it often), there is never one answer or one course that will give you the magic pill of certainty you’re looking for.
The only secret is getting comfortable trusting yourself even when you’re uncertain.
Use the 3 questions above as part of your decision-making process this digital course season so that you’re making decisions from the magical and empowering place that is trusting yourself.
With so much love,
xx
Alyssa