Are You Living Your Life Backwards?

Core Article: Are You Living Your Life Backwards?

Paragraph I’m Pondering: “…they feel basically powerless to make real change…”

Powerful Affirmations to Inspire: “I am surrounded by a team of brilliant, supportive,”

Book Review: The Magic of Thinking Big, by David J. Schwartz

Cool Stuff: If you’re curious what swear words were used in 1909… 🙂

AI Info & Resources: Do You Watch What Netflix Recommends? Yeah, read this…

Celebrate My Birthday Today With Me—A Gift For You!

Quick Personal Note & a Gift: It’s been a while since my eNewsletter fell on my actual birthday. So, I wanted you to celebrate with me. And one of the best ways to celebrate is being able to give YOU a gift. Here’s my Product Creation Action Guide. If you’ve ever wanted to create a course, this will give you a quick start.
xox
Shannon

Are You Living Your Life Backwards?

For years, I was deep in the world of traditional digital marketing—the formulas, the tactics, the relentless focus on conversion rates, funnels, and strategies designed to squeeze out every last sale.

I was doing all the right things.
Following the marketing playbook.

Working hard, pushing, hustling—because if I just worked harder, then I’d have more success.
If I had more success, then I could finally do what I truly wanted.
Once I did that, then I’d feel fulfilled, aligned, and happy.

That was the plan.
Except… it wasn’t working.
I remember the exact moment I knew something had to change.

I was on a call with a client, walking them through yet another sales funnel strategy, when this thought hit me like a ton of bricks:

This feels soulless.

I had built this successful business.
I had the clients. The results. The revenue.
From the outside, it looked like I had everything I’d worked for.

So why did I feel so disconnected from my work?

And maybe you know the feeling, too.
Maybe you’ve told yourself:

“Once I have more money, more time, more freedom—then I’ll finally do the things I want to do.”

“Then I’ll travel. Then I’ll write the book. Then I’ll start the business that’s been sitting in my heart for years.”

“And once I do all those things, I’ll finally feel happy, fulfilled, successful.”

That’s the way we’re taught to think:
That having
leads to doing,
which leads to being.

Yet what if that’s completely backward?

Then I came across Shakti Gawain’s words:

We must first BE who we really are, then DO what we feel guided to do in order TO HAVE what we want.

I had spent years trying to HAVE my way into happiness.
Yet I had skipped the most important part—BEING.

If I was honest with myself, I wasn’t being me.

I was following the formulas, the “proven” methods, and the marketing and launch strategies that worked.

Yet, I wasn’t working with mindful, purpose-driven entrepreneurs who wanted to make a difference in the world. They only hired me to help them create more money.

So, I wasn’t creating the kind of marketing that felt real, authentic, and connected. I was using fear, lack, and emotionally manipulating soulless tactics.

And worst of all?
I was teaching my clients to follow the same soulless strategies I had outgrown.

That’s when I realized:
I couldn’t keep building something that didn’t feel true to me.

So, I did something terrifying.

That’s when I decided to walk away from traditional digital marketing and create something completely different: Soulful Marketing.

I stopped obsessing over tactics and started trusting my intuition.
I stopped focusing on what I “should” do and started asking, What feels right?

I let go of the formulas and leaned into real, honest, connected marketing that aligned with who I am.

And guess what?

Everything changed.

I started working with the right people—the purpose-driven entrepreneurs who cared more about connection than clicks.

I created marketing strategies that felt good—that weren’t about pushing or manipulating but about serving, storytelling, and showing up authentically.

And the “having” I had been chasing? It naturally followed—but this time, it was built on a foundation that actually felt good.

Most people are running as fast as they can, hoping that if they just have enough, they’ll finally feel like enough.

The truth is, more isn’t the answer.

You already are enough.

When you start from being—when you trust yourself, when you lead from your values, when you build something that’s in true alignment with who you are—the doing happens naturally. And the having? It follows effortlessly.

So, if you’ve been chasing success but something still feels off—maybe it’s time to stop.
To flip the script.

Stop believing that MORE is the path to happiness, and instead, start with WHO you already are and let the rest unfold from there.

That’s exactly what I did.

And I can tell you firsthand—it changes everything.

My hands are at your back always, supporting and cheering you on.

Paragraph I’m Pondering

“Most people in our culture have become cut off from their awareness of who they really are. They have temporarily lost their conscious connection with their higher selves, and thus, they have lost their own sense of power and responsibility for their lives. In some inner way, they have a sense of helplessness; they feel basically powerless to make real changes in their lives or in the world. This inner feeling of powerlessness causes them to overcompensate by striving and struggling very hard to have some degree of power or control in their world”. ~ Shakti Gawain, Creative Visualization

Powerful Affirmations to Inspire

“I am surrounded by a team of brilliant, supportive, and motivated individuals who help my business flourish.”
“I effortlessly attract connections that elevate my spirit and contribute to my happiness.”
“Money flows to me effortlessly and in ways that bring joy and purpose to my life.“

Book Review

The Magic of Thinking Big
Acquire The Secrets of Success… Achieve Everything You’ve Always Wanted
by David J. Schwartz, Ph.D.

Cool Stuff

I love these maps! If you like kissing people on the cheek, check out the best countries that love it, too. It may not be where you think.
Check out these twins who celebrated their 102 birthday last year. Wow, it’s pretty inspiring to share on my birthday. Wonder if making it past 85 is in my cards… 😉
Talk about interesting swear words… Yeah, these are the kinds I’m not familiar with. They were Victorian slang words circa 1909. My fav is Pumblechook! You gotta check out the link to see what that really means.

AI Info and Resources

Interestingly, California State University systems partnered with OpenAI. It is the largest deployment of AI in higher education to date.
Searching for a better way to organize social get-togethers on your iPhone? Well, you know what to do with this link. It’s Apple’s newly launched “Apple Invites.”
If you watch anything on Netflix, this is kind of cool. It answers the question about how Netflix uses AI to personalize your recommendations. Hmmm…

Weekly Photos

This week was a brrrr cold week. So, for some reason, I was out with all the dogs, and we had some fun…

Well, who do you think is up for a pose? I swear, and I think she loves modeling for the camera sometimes…
You are sooooo NOT gonna believe me – 4th week, ANOTHER dime… I don’t even know how I found this one. It was sitting on top of someone’s front lawn. I remember walking with Emma, and something said to turn my head and look down, and well – there it was. I truly believe this is a sign from my grandmother, who always had a stack of dimes on her dresser and would give them to me… So she’s looking out for me this month for sure.
Meet Jax, a Golden Retriever who loves sticks and, of course, being a retriever, loves the water. I truly like hanging out with my neighbors and their dogs.
There’s me with Harley, my neighbor’s big ole Labradoodle. Look how big his head is compared to mine?! I love that sweet pup.
This was hiding amidst the grass and rocks. Hearts do make the world go round.
Yeah, I’m not sure who’s cuter, that reindeer or Ms. Emma, who took a break from Emma TV to see what I was up to.
Yeah, Shasta Bally’s getting lots of snow, and more is coming today through Friday. This was the view when the sun was just coming up, and it gave her a nice pinkish glow.

P.S. Feeling Stuck in Marketing That Doesn’t Feel Like You?
If you’ve ever felt like traditional marketing just doesn’t align with your values—like you’re forcing yourself into tactics that don’t feel right—there’s a better way.

You are invited to join and be a Founding Member of the Soulful Marketing Accelerators Program. I only have 5 seats left. This program starts on March 12, and you will spend 10 weeks with me live on Zoom. As a founding member, you’re getting the best value because I’m customizing the course for and with you. Plus, you will get a lot of hands-on time with me. Not a bunch of slides and videos to watch.

This will be a small group of 10 – 12 people. Just know that the next time I launch this program, I’m going to double the price. If this piques your curiosity and you want to learn more, or if you want to join me—You know what to do. 🙂

P.S.S. If you missed last week’s blog post, or maybe you forgot to click on the link… If you’re longing to be around like-minded people and want to move through your fears to create an even more successful business built upon your purpose and values and based on authenticity while attracting your dream client and more success... Welllll. you know what to do below. 🙂

Want more information? I’ve created a Word doc. You can access the doc here.
Questions or Want to Connect? If you want to connect over Zoom to see if it’s the right fit, please hit reply and let me know. Or schedule a call on my calendar.

P.S.S.S. Whenever You’re Ready: Here are 3 Ways I can make an impact on creating greater success in your business using marketing that’s aligned with your mission and values without feeling like you’re selling your soul.

1. Make Money Now Sheet – It’s one of the bonuses in my 7-Step Soulful Marketing System. I wanted to give it to you for free to help you create more success.

2. Love Books Like I Do? – I’m always reviewing the best nonfiction books – Where Buddha Meets Business.

3. Get my proven 7-Step Soulful Marketing System. It gives you the framework you need to implement authentic and connected marketing using online customer experiences and launching your products, services, or courses. It will help you create greater success.

It’s a simple system, especially if you love to read like me. There’s no video or audio. Plus, you get my proven templates, tools, and worksheets, all with tremendous value. And I’m pricing it incredibly low so it can be more accessible to more people. 🙂

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I appreciate your sharing. Thank you!

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