594 - Are you dreaming too small?

You know, you've been surviving for so long, wouldn't it be okay for you to thrive for a while? Welcome to the Next Level Life podcast with Christine Corcoran. This podcast is made for the powerhouse businesswomen who are ready to ignite their fullest potential. This is where we will dive deep into mindset breakthroughs and sprinkle in some kick up the butt motivation so you can scale your business with confidence and clarity. Whether you're craving more income, impact or inspiration, this podcast will be your ultimate resource for all things next level. Listen in as we have authentic conversations with game changing female entrepreneurs as we reveal the secrets of what it takes to rise and thrive. So go ahead, ignite your inner fire and let's get you taking massive aligned action. Are you ready to elevate? Let's go. Hey. Hey. Welcome back to the podcast. I have just come off the back of our in person Mastermind day for the Next level Mastermind and oh my God, it was such an amazing day. I just love bringing women together to talk about their businesses and level themselves up. And we had some epic guest speakers and it was just all around an incredible day, like such a great day. I had beautiful ladies flying up from Melbourne and I just, yeah, brought everyone together. We're towards the end of the six month mastermind and so we finish up the end of September and the next round starts in October. So that means if you are ready to scale for more freedom, impact and income and strategically grow your business to multi six figures and beyond, then the next round is now opening. So feel free to reach out to me via DM or if you'd like to add your name to the wait list and I will be in contact with you. So that means if you are an established business owner and you are ready to scale, which means that you are ready to level up and scale the way that you want to scale. So what's really unique in the brand, the way that I serve my clients, is that it's not one way or the highway. It is specifically personalized for your business and your strengths. And that's what I absolutely love about the women that I work with. We get to really figure out what's the best strategy for them so they can scale their business that's gonna suit their lifestyle and the way that they want to strive. So if you found yourself wondering, there has to be more to just working your butt off every day. If you feel like you're chained to your desk and you know that you're ready for more, but the how just kind of eludes you or you wish that you were surrounded by more ambitious women who were striving for more. And this podcast episode today is going to speak to that for sure. And that you keep thinking there's got to be a better way then the next level Mastermind is definitely for you. And the blend that I bring to this program is about mindset, strategy and support. And there's lots of one on one support with that. So this is not a one and done or one program that just gives you the one strategy and you have to work with that strategy. No, it's personalized to you with your personalized scaling plan as well as our one to one coaching support that's a part of the program and the in person days. So if you want to check out more about the next level Mastermind, check out the link in the show notes, add your name to the waitlist and I'll be in touch with the details for the next round. So my podcast topic today is asking whether you are dreaming too small. And this actually came off a conversation that I had with one of my beautiful clients. And when she first came to me, she recognized that she was actually dreaming quite small. And she didn't really have big goals. She had kind of created a successful business and she was kind of not sure which direction to take it. She didn't want to turn her business into an agency and she knew that she wanted more freedom, she knew that she wanted to scale it, she wanted to make more money. At the time she was just getting by month to month and she was like, I don't see any other way out of this other than a agency and I don't want to do an agency. I was like, cool, then don't do an agency. Let's figure out another way. And so we've been working together for the past year and she's been a part of the next level Mastermind and she's been an absolute joy to support. And one of the most beautiful conversations that came out of last Friday was two of the other women said to this lady, I just love being a part of this mastermind with you because you dream so big and you are such an action taker and you go after what you want. And as they were saying that to her, she locked eyes with me and I was like, yeah, like holy hell, I'm so proud of you for coming so far. Since when we first started working together and she told the story to the ladies, like, this is not who I used to be. Like I used to dream really small. And I didn't realize that it was so much more available to me. And since working together, we've been able to scale her business. She's been able to actually let go of her team member because it just wasn't aligned for her. We were able to level up her business model and she's been able to make consistent 10k profit months, as in like she's taking home 10k every single month. And that's allowed her to be able to invest back into things that really light her up. And she's now creating a whole new movement. And she's so lit up by this new movement and she's so excited about where she's going to take it. And she's been such a joy to support. And so I thought I was inspired by that transformation that had happened and I wanted to share with you because maybe there is a place within you that you recognize that you're playing small or that you are dreaming way too small. And I want you to know that this is not your fault. It's not a judgment on you at all. Often what can happen is that we are surrounded by small thinkers. We're surrounded by people who dream small, who are settling, who are surrounding themselves just with a normal 9 to 5 everyday life. And it can feel like we're the outsider when we're sitting in that environment. It can feel like we're the ones that are different and we should conform like everyone else is doing this thing. Why? Why doesn't it feel right for us? Why do we feel uncomfortable conforming to this? Nor. And I want you to know that you are not alone, because I am such a big thinker, but I've cultivated that for myself. And it's something that inspires me to make sure that I'm always investing in myself to be in rooms with big thinkers, to challenge myself to be in bigger rooms with more successful people so that I am allowing myself to also expand and grow, but also to feel like I belong. Because being ambitious is not a bad thing. Being ambitious is awesome. And allowing yourself to dream big and go after those big things prevents you from limiting yourself. Because one of the worst things, and I say this so often, like there's a book about this around the regrets of the dying. And one of the biggest regrets of the dying is actually just not going after what they want and just conforming and just doing what everyone else is doing or living a life that was based on other people's expectations. And I just don't ever want anyone that I work with to have regrets. And we limit ourselves so quickly and so easily because we do, deep down evolutionary, have a need to feel like we belong. And we will often dim our own lights to feel like we belong, even though deep down it's painful. And that painful regret of dimming your light is something that I feel like I don't just don't ever want to feel. And I don't want to be in a scenario down the end of my lifetime where I'm like, oh, I should have played bigger or I should have dreamed bigger, or I should have gone after that thing. I want to be the example of what's possible when you do go after what you want. And I want other people that I work with to also not limit themselves because we're so conditioned to limit ourselves time and time again. And so I wanted to open this as a conversation with you, like, do you know whether you are dreaming too small? And when you do dream bigger, do you limit yourself? Do you actually go, oh, no, it's probably not okay for me to put that as a goal, or maybe I should just not speak that thing out loud because people would think I'm dreaming too big. Do you have people around you that actually squash your dreams? Because that's also really horrible to experience. And sometimes you've got to really recognize, like, how you get to not take that on board. And I've had that before in the past for sure, where people placing their fears on me, because that's exactly what it is. Like they place their own fears, their own doubts, their own lack of ability to take risks, their own fears. That's what it always comes back to. If they're placing their fears on you, you get to choose whether you take it on board or not. And it is definitely something that is scary because you are stepping outside the norm. And if you're the first person in your business to run a business, you're the first person to make multi 6 figures million, be a millionaire. Like all of those types of things set you apart from other people. And that is scary because again, we want to feel like we belong and we don't want to be ostracized. But when I think about this, and I've been chatting to one of my sisters about this around generational wealth. And we are so conditioned from such a young age with our money mindset that we often then just replicate the same situation from our parents because we basically take on board their behaviors with money and their money mindset and their relationship with money. And unless we do the work to unpack that and to change it. We will just replicate the same results in our lifetime. And I have had that conversation where I'm like, I don't want to pass that down onto my future children to have the same belief systems that are limiting. And so it's the same thing with being a woman. I feel like it's one of those other things that I. It's not just about money for me. It's actually about being a woman. Like, it's okay for us to be ambitious, it's okay for us to be successful and to have everything that we want. And I feel like it's one of those things that unless you stop and actually ask yourself, like, am I actually dreaming too small, we don't actually address it. And as I say that, it brings to mind another client of mine. When we first started working together, she had a lot of scarcity mindsets. She had a lot of doubt around her ability to earn good money in her business. And they were in a real challenging part in their life with her and her partner and her kids, they were in a lot of scarcity. They weren't earning good money. And it was, you know, tough. It was like they were just getting by. And I remember having a conversation with her and saying to her, like, you know, you've been surviving for. For so long, Wouldn't it be okay for you to thrive for a while? And I remember her, like, taking a pause and just sitting there with that and being like, yeah, actually, like, why should I keep surviving just because I'm surrounded by other people that are just surviving? Because we just model what we know, we model what's around us. Just because that's happening for them does not mean it has to happen for me. And I get to choose to make a change around that. And I remember her having this light bulb moment of like, yeah, like, why should I have to struggle? Like. And that's honestly the rhetoric around Australians. And we, you know, lift up the battlers and we love the underdog, but that just paints a story of us feeling like we should have to struggle. And it's that constant conversation around money, around struggle. Like, we should struggle and we have to earn it, and we have to work hard to earn it. And I feel like it's time that we drop that, because that's most likely where you're actually limiting yourself to begin with. If you're already telling yourself that I have to struggle, that I have to work so hard to earn it, that I have to, for me to deserve it, I have to work so hard. No, no, no. You exist on this planet and money is a resource that you get to access. And the same thing with success, you get to go after whatever the hell you want. You get to be as ambitious as you like and whatever. What else's opinions are about that, that's okay. They can have their opinions, but you do not have to take them on board. You do not take their fears because they would never go after that because that would be scary for them to step outside their own identity, their own comfort zone. And this is the thing, like, you are being the example. You are making these massive changes in your identity of who you believe you are. And I feel like that brings up so much fear around people judging us for that. And yet you can be an incredible example. Because the one thing that's been sure for me for the last few years in business is that when people come to me, they're not coming to me with it from a place of judgment. They're coming to me from a place of like, I want to create what you've created, and I want to be able to be an example like you have been for me. Because you get to choose. You get to choose. So are you dreaming too small? When you set your goals, do you limit them? Do you go, oh, that's a little bit unrealistic, and then drop them back down? Or do you set a goal and then a day later go, oh, that was me being a bit too ambitious and pull myself down? Or do you not talk about it to other people because you worry about what people are going to say? I want you to have an environment where you can absolutely say your dreams out loud and strive for it. And this round of the Next Level Mastermind has been so amazing for that, because every single woman in that group have. And I've challenged it, obviously, I bring it to the surface and I create the conversation where I'm asking them, like, what do you really, truly want? And I can see it on their faces when I can see them limiting themselves, and I'm like, is that really, truly what you want? And if there was nothing to justify, nothing, nothing to prove, and you just truly wanted something, what would it be? And every single time I asked that, they always increase. They always increase whatever it is that they're looking to put down on their goals list, they always increase it. So instead of saying, I just want seven people, I actually want ten. Or instead of saying, I'd like a 50k launch, I'd like a hundred k launch instead of actually saying, well, oh, I think I'd like to have one overseas holiday. Let's make it too. Like, even if you're just not even allowing yourself to dream, because this is the thing, this is where it starts. Like, if you don't even allowing yourself to dream about what's possible. And I had this other conversation actually on Friday as well, around this, like, rewarding yourself. Like, actually taking the time to. When you write your goals down, write your rewards down beside them of, like, when you hit that goal, how are you going to reward yourself? And there was conversations in the room around women saying, like, oh, I don't even reward myself for what I do now. And I'm like, yeah, so you're basically creating a scenario where you're causing yourself to work even harder because it's. Nothing is ever good enough for a reward. Like, feel into that. It feels horrible. Imagine parenting like that. Still not good enough. Still not good enough. Keep going. You can't have the reward. Like, that's not the way you want to parent yourself. You want to allow yourself to reward yourself. And. And I said to one of the ladies, like, how would you want to reward yourself? And she was like, I don't know. When I. When I want something, I just go and buy it. And I'm like, it doesn't always have to be something you buy, but how would you like to reward yourself? What's something you'd love, you'd love to experience? And she was like, I'm not. I don't know, I'm stuck. And I was like, I think you need to sit down and maybe even do it with your partner as well. Sit down and actually write down what would be something you'd love to experience, what would be something you'd love to do, what would be something you'd love to buy? What would be something that you would love to be able to reward yourself with? And write down a list of things, like, a whole list where you just allow yourself to dream, whatever it is, without, like, the, oh, we can't afford that, or anything like that. Just write it all down. And once you have this beautiful list, you can then go and pick and choose from that list and go, okay, so when I hit this goal, it helps you strive so much more, right? Like, and I do this with mine. I have a whiteboard at home, and I write down my goals for the month and then how I'm going to reward myself when I hit those. And it's much more exciting, it's much more enjoyable. Because you're learning to actually reward yourself with pleasure rather than with pain. Often what happens is we motivate ourselves with pain. So we're like, we're trying to get away from something, or we're like, we don't want that bad thing to happen again. So we try to motivate. Motivate ourselves to take action and try to discipline ourselves. And it's such a masculine way of doing things, whereas the feminine way is to really allow yourself to lean into pleasure, allow yourself to experience more pleasure, bring in more sensuality, bring in more ability to trust yourself and reward yourself. Because. And, you know, knowing from a place of, like, you deserve it, the fact that you are born here right now and you're going after your goals, you deserve it. You don't have to justify it. And so I just love that those conversations came up in the room because that, to me, is absolutely transformational. When they really try to. When they really start to get that, like, dreaming bigger, going after what they want, encouraging themselves, rewarding themselves, and allowing themselves to experience pleasure like, it is honestly the best. And so when you surround yourself with other big thinkers and with other people who are ambitious about going after what they want, it causes you to dream bigger, it causes you to think bigger, it causes you to go after bigger things, which means you'll most likely hit your goals, right? Because what often happens is we don't surround ourselves with people like that. You just deal with the mediocre and you settle for it, and then you just create the same thing month after month, because you're not encouraged to thrive. So this is why I do what I do. This is why I have the next level mastermind is to encourage more people to thrive and to blow their own minds of what's actually possible. Like, I remember one of my clients literally saying in the room, like, before working with you, I did not think what I have now was possible. I didn't think I was going to be able to buy a house. I didn't think I was going to be able to go buy a car. I did not know this was possible for me until you challenged me on my goals and thought and said to me, like, why aren't you dreaming bigger? Like, because anything is possible. You don't have to limit yourself here. And sometimes, like I said earlier in this podcast, like, it's not your fault that this is the way that you think. It's just the conditioning. And so if you've not been taught to dream big, if you had not been challenged to think bigger or encouraged to dream bigger, then you are just doing your brains, just following a normal pattern of just doing what you've always done. So you do need to surround yourself with more bigger thinkers in order for you to see what's possible. And that's what why I have joined Masterminds for years. Because every time I'm in those rooms having conversations with the other incredible people going for what they want, it challenges me to be like, oh, well, if they can do it, I can do it. Right? It creates this level of possibility that if you don't believe it, if you don't believe that there's a possibility out there for you to have those things or to experience those things or to hit those goals, you never put them down on your goals list. You never will. And that's what's actually challenged me to grow bigger and bigger and bigger and go after big things like getting my book published, creating massive events like going after these big next level goals. Otherwise you just keep creating the same thing day in and day out. So if you're sick, I have dreaming small. If you want to dream big and you want to take things to the next level and you feel called to be a part of the next level Mastermind, I suggest you send me a DM that says Mastermind. Either do that so we can have a conversation to see if it's a right fit for you, or add your name to the wait list and then I can send you, send you details of all the information about the next level Mastermind to see if it'll be the right fit for you. All right, beautiful. Enjoy the rest of your week and I'll see you really soon. Thank you for listening. And if you found any value out of this episode, make sure you hit the follow button so you get access to the episodes as soon as they alive. And make sure you come hang out with me on Instagram. You can find me at Christine Corcoran Underscore Coach. Have an incredible week.