Guest post by Jen Burns, Writer + Dreamer
Ok, to fully appreciate how genuine my appreciation is of Jenny’s Live Your Dream Challenge, you really need to know a bit about me.
I am a born skeptic.
I have always been very selfish with my time and attention – I am single, so I am allowed – and I give neither away without a lot of thought. I am proud that I can walk away from almost anything without regret. The rare exception is my mother’s homemade crumb cake (honestly, it’s impossible to resist).
But other than that, I have a natural – and what I would call healthy – distrust about “life changing” programs that promise all kinds of success, as long as you pay the money, follow the rules, and don’t ask a lot of questions – or go ahead and ask, but they’ll charge you for it.
So when I heard about Jenny’s Live Your Dream Challenge invite, I was, of course, skeptical. I read through the email invitation quickly, and seeing absolutely no dessert of any kind offered, it was not hard to resist signing up. The one thing that kept me from deleting the email was my curiosity about why Jenny’s program was for women only.
I know some people think that women are the superior sex, but I was pretty sure that wasn’t the reason. So I clicked on the links and read about Jenny’s journey, and the testimonials from other clients. I saw how supportive all the women were – and are – of each other. And then I thought about my best friends – how much their unwavering support means to me. I wondered: how great would it be to have that “best friend” support come together, to jump-start a dream for me? To do something I really wanted, but had not yet done?
That really spoke to me. I discovered that one of her top priorities for all of her programs is to create a live, open network for everyone involved to connect with each other as often as they like, to give and take and share and ask anything, anytime. That, combined with the sincere commitment Jenny seemed to make to every woman in her program, sealed the deal for me. I was in.
And so we all connected, right from the beginning of LYDC. We started out by defining our dreams. Mine was easy – all I have ever wanted to do was write! We worked through those eight weeks together, exploring our passions and carving out paths of possibilities.
Each week Jenny introduced a new exercise, which she invited us to move through in our own ways, taking what we needed and giving what we could without the fear or pressure of “keeping up.” I loved that I could linger for awhile on one project or jump from one to the next as quickly as I wanted.
I also loved sharing what I thought and felt about what was going on for me, and learning what my LYD sisters were experiencing on their own journeys. This interaction was inspiring. And there were no extra charges at all for any of this – very important to me!
At the end of Jenny’s Live Your Dream Challenge, we all found success on different levels.
Some women created new careers, or left situations they were not happy in. Some were already in business, and just needed a push to go further.
What Jenny helped me accomplish was to turn my passion into a promise…a promise to keep what I love most about myself PRESENT. Not buried, or put aside, or admired from a distance. Jenny helped me figure out how to change my life so that my passion is always active.
So now, every single day, I dedicate some time to writing. EVERY SINGLE DAY, no exceptions. Sometimes it’s a paragraph; sometimes it’s pages and pages. And yes, sometimes it’s hard to find the time, but I still do it. I want to, more than I don’t.
I call that a great success. Or rather, a first success.
Another is: recently I’ve been sharing my writings with new friends – published writers I’ve networked with who, I am flattered to say, think as much of me as I do them! Some have allowed me to edit their new works, honoring me more than they can know. I am now a member of all kinds of writing groups and reading groups. I surround myself with words as much as possible…and I have never been happier. I don’t really know how to define success any better than that. But thanks to what I’ve gained in Jenny’s program, I suspect that this is just the beginning.
My advice to any woman considering the Live Your Dream Challenge would be this: if you know you want to do something, but don’t know how to make it work, I truly believe you will find all kinds of ways to do it with Jenny – and with everyone else in the group to support you! You will find big ways, small ways, in between ways – even daily ways, like mine. I trusted all of what she offered, and she truly did not let me down.
Kind of like I feel about my mother’s crumb cake. And coming from me, that’s the biggest compliment I can give.
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NOTE FROM JENNY:
OMG, I just love this story! Want some of what Jen’s having?
If you are ready to get GUTSY and make decisions to improve your life and business, join us in the Live Your Dream Challenge.
Courtesy reminder: early-bird savings end THIS Thursday, May 23 (my 36th birthday!).
What I know is this: this program WILL change your life and the course of your business path forever. Stop struggling. Stop trying to muscle your way through by yourself. Stop wasting your life and talents away!
It’s time to get GUTSY and simplify, systematize and skyrocket your purpose-driven business (even if you’re not sure what your purpose OR business is … and are feeling kinda stuck and freaked out). Don’t be afraid. I’ve got your back and I want to help.