Have you ever bought one of those courses offering a “proven formula…”
…and it didn’t work?
The testimonials were SO GOOD! And it promised to fix your exact problem.
Well, I used to sell those types of courses years ago – *cringe* – and here’s the real deal of how these “proven formulas” come to life:
- A creator has a challenge or inspiration to make something, and they don’t know what to do.
- An idea occurs to them and they try it!
- It either works, or it doesn’t.
- They try something else.
- Repeat, repeat, repeat, each time learning and discovering the path.
- Eventually, it works! They get results.
(Note: often these results are surprising or even radically different than the original intention.) - The triumphant creator decides they’ve “cracked the code” and decides to sell their solution. They edit out all the seemingly unnecessary twists and turns of their process (aka “mistakes”) and sell it as a “proven formula.”
Now people take the course, and even if they follow it to the letter, the results they get will be mixed. Why?
It comes down to this misunderstanding about how creation works, and emergent vs. deliberate strategy.
There is a proven formula, but it’s not the specific steps the creator took to reach a predictable outcome.
The proven formula is what the creator actually did – they took action, got feedback, took another action in response to that feedback, got more feedback and did it again and again.
The process of creating something new is messy and completely responsive to the uniqueness of your situation. It can’t be reproduced exactly because it’s inspired by you.
So when you buy someone else’s formula, it’s never going to be a perfect fit.
Which brings me to the underlying philosophy of Business According to Steph:
If you want to fall in love with your business and get results like clients and cash in a way that feels authentic and alive…
…follow your inner guidance, not the experts.
That doesn’t mean you can’t learn from the courses and teachers who’ve come before you. Just remember where the really good stuff comes from.
Your wisdom will show you where, when (and if) to apply what you learn.
Here’s another example of how your next step for you is revealed…
The other night I woke up at 2am with cramping in my low back. I asked my partner, who I consider an amateur body worker, to help me release the tension.
I bent over to stretch my low back and felt a sharp pain in my hip flexor. Yikes!
But instead of freaking out and asking him to help, I got quiet.
I laid on the floor and asked my body what it needed. Gently, I began to move.
I could feel what was helpful and what wasn’t.
All I needed to do was follow the feeling to find relief.
The answer won’t be found in other people or in our intellect; it’s found by looking within.
It unfolds organically.
I recognize this isn’t as sexy as the promise of a “proven formula” when it comes to marketing.
But this is better.
I’m pointing out what you’ve already got that’s always working for you, so that you can use and trust it to guide the joyful creation of your life. Whenever you choose.
I think that’s pretty damn cool.
If you knew you’d always get the next step exactly when you need it, how might that shift things in your business?
