Entrepreneurial Mindset, Inspired Living, Personal Brand, Purpose Driven, Women Empowerment

TURN YOUR MESS INTO YOUR MESSAGE (4 SIMPLE STEPS!)

This is the manuscript of my Shine To Impact Podcast episode – How To Turn Your Mess into Your Message? (+ 4 Steps)

Today, I want to talk about turning your mess into your message.

Let’s face it, we have all got some messes, right? Being a human guarantees that we will make mistakes or run into difficult or challenging times.

Everyone has got something.

Everyone has a thing or two in the past that they wish they didn’t have to go through!

So the key here is… how can you turn your mess into your message and impact the world?

In other words, how can you turn your difficult and messy experiences into a productive and helpful lesson to benefit others?

If you’d like to see my YouTube audiobook version, please click HERE.

If you’d like to listen to the audio on my Podcast, please click HERE.

MY MESS

So back in the year 2011 when I started my first business.

I had no prior business experience, I have no marketing, branding, and sales skills, I didn’t have much money, I didn’t have much time, I only have less than 100 friends on my social media accounts, and at the time I have just relocated to Singapore for 2 weeks and only know 2 people in the new country.

Yup… so as you can see, definitely not the most ideal situation for starting a new business.

But there I was, gotten a new idea that I wanted to go ahead with building my first ever business.

THE BEGINNING

The beginning was really tough.

I had no idea where or how to find my customers. But I was determined to make my business successful so I went all out to try everything.

Now, back then, social media and online marketing wasn’t as big as today. And I certainly didn’t know much about social media, online marketing, or branding, so I was using a lot of old-school traditional tactics.

I handed out flyers on the hot and busy streets in Singapore, I stood on the streets to do surveys. Imagine we are talking about Singapore, which has an average temperature of 30 degrees pretty much any day of the year.

And I posted in different online forums, I created advertising posts on Craigslist, I posted in many different Facebook groups, I knocked on neighbor doors, I went to 2 to 3 networking events per week, BNI events, meetup events, I went to different seminars trying to meet people and I asked my overseas friends for referrals in Singapore.

I was trying anything and everything I could think of. And I was hassling hard.

GOT REJECTED 60 TIMES

It was very exhausting. Some days I would go out for a whole day, trying to get new leads, trying to get people to sit down with me, or trying to get someone to listen to my sales pitch so I could sell them some products.

Being new to the business, my sales skill was also pretty bad, and these people just got to know me and they definitely didn’t trust me, so it was pretty rough.

Day in and day out, I was getting NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO…

In fact, the first 60 people said NO to me.

OUCH.

FEELING DEVASTATED

I was really devastated and felt so defeated because I didn’t have friends in Singapore, so when I got these new contacts and they said NO, I have no one else on my phone to contact.

There was no one else I could share my business and products with, and that means I have to go back to the streets and hand out more flyers, go to more networking events to meet people, knock more doors to get contact, etc.

As you can imagine, it was very very exhausting and extremely demoralizing.

And day after day, I have gotten no results. And I made no money.

OVERWHELMED WITH SELF-DOUBTS

Many nights I would go home with my exhausted body and beaten up spirit, feeling depressed and sorry for myself.

I would cry myself to sleep.

I was thinking, ‘Millie, will you ever succeed in this? You could spend another 3 years on this and have no results to show. You are wasting your time. You are nobody. No one knows you, no one trusts you!’

I have this constant little voice in my head, overflow with self-doubt, self-limiting beliefs, and fears.

I felt desperate and frustrated.

Many times I wanted to quit my business.

TURNING IT AROUND

Thankfully, I didn’t (quit)…

Over time, I have found my mentor and I started learning more about personal branding and online marketing.

Eventually, I did figure out how to establish my brand online and how to use social media effectively to attract my ideal customers and gain trust.

And step by step, my business started to grow.

Within 26 months, it turned into a 7-figure business!

My business grew online and has gotten thousands of customers worldwide. I got more and more referrals in my business.

I then reinvested the profits into my business and also other investments such as rental properties and stock.

And I became financially free.

SELF-DISCOVERY JOURNEY

I have got to tell you… It was really an amazing, rewarding, and deeply satisfying journey because I did it!

I did from scratch. I overcome all these obstacles and setbacks. And more importantly, I overcome many of my own self-limiting beliefs and self-doubts.

It was a self-discovery journey.

With that, I started to get invited to speak on stages to share my entrepreneurial journey and lessons.

Over the next few years, I spoke in more than 10 countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Africa, USA, Australia, China, Thailand, Canada, Indonesia, with a few hundred people, to 1000 people, 5000 people, 10000 people, to 24,000+ people in a stadium.

I shared my story and my branding and marketing blueprint with more than 40,000+ entrepreneurs worldwide.

MY MESS BECAME MY MESSAGE

And you know what, most often the feedback I got back after my talk was that they were so inspired and motivated by my story.

The fact that I started with nothing – but just my passion, didn’t know anyone in a new country, had all these obstacles, went all out and tried so many old school methods, and got rejected by the first 60 people, almost gave up many times, but then went onto building a 7-figure business gave people hope – that if I can do it, so can they.

The fact that I was in this mess, turned into my beautiful message and inspired tens of thousands of people on many continents around the world.

Truthfully, I wasn’t any different from anyone. I was NOT more special than anyone.

I didn’t have any unfair advantage starting out and it was through hard work, continuous learning, action-taking, and persistency that made it possible.

So if I can do it, you really can.

Related Reference – From Broke & Lost to Building a 7-Figure Socially Conscious Business (YouTube AudioBook)

SO, WHAT MESS DO YOU HAVE?

So, what mess do you have? And how can you turn that into a message for the world?

Think of all your trials, setbacks, failures, missteps, detours, horrific experiences. Perhaps it was a business failure, financial trouble, abandonment, childhood issues, health issues, job loss, failed relationships, divorce, addiction.

What was your mess?

Everyone has something. No one is perfect.

Let go of your past, don’t let them rule you, instead turn them into powerful vehicles to help others!

I love this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, he says, ‘The purpose of life is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, and to have it make a difference.‘

You can do it. Your mess can turn into your message and can turn into your purpose when you help others.

CONFUSED ABOUT WHAT BUSINESS YOU SHOULD START?

Check out Millie’s online course Find Your Perfect Business Idea Blueprint to help you dig deep into your heart and soul, and find YOUR perfect business idea that combines passion, purpose, and profits!

A business idea that is soul-centered, heart-driven, deeply satisfying, meaningful, and profitable.

4 STEPS TO TURN YOUR MESS INTO YOUR MESSAGE

So if you are ready to turn your mess into your message. Here are 4 simple steps.

Step 1) Take inventory of your messes.

What were your messes, what is something that happened to you that you wish you didn’t have to?

What was something that you have gone through and would never wish anyone else have to go through? Take inventory of those.

Step 2) Embrace your ugly.

Let go of your guilt, let go of the shame. Let go of the embarrassment. Take back your power and know that someone has inevitably done the same thing you have. You are not alone.

Step 3) Flip the failures into lessons.

What teachable moments are hidden inside of your mess? What have you learned? How has this experience help you grow? How has this experience contributed positively to who you are today?

Realizing these experiences and lessons are exactly what you can use to inspire, motivate, educate, and empower other individuals who are going through the same thing.

Your mess is your message! Don’t waste it.

Step 4) Speak it.

Get vulnerable and talk about it. Bring it to the light. If you feel uncomfortable you can start off with sharing with a small group of trusted friends. Once you bring it into the open it will no longer claim over you.

The more you speak about it, the more empowered you will feel and the more lives you can change.

So these are the 4 steps, take inventory of your messes, embrace your ugly, flip the failures into lessons, and speak it.

So my dear, what was your mess? How can you turn it into a powerful, life-changing message to help others?

There is tremendous power in your stories, get out there and shine!

Let your stories impact the world.

You can do it. I believe in you.

TURN YOUR MESS INTO YOUR MESSAGE (4 SIMPLE STEPS!)