Treasure Box

People will try to knock you down.

They will say untrue and mean things. They will write reviews that are not true or try to steal your clients. They will sign up to receive the free offer on your website, only to plagiarize it. They will attempt to copy your services or products.

They will take the things you share in your course, programs, or groups and try to be an expert in your subject matter without any lived experience – simply regurgitating what you’ve said. You’ll make a mistake, your editor will miss a word misspelled, and they will use that to try to discredit all the work and all of the meaning in your book.

People will do all this and more to knock you down – to take what you have or to hurt your feelings for what you’ve accomplished.

Sadly, we live in a world filled with people who accept, expect, and subscribe to the belief that they’ve got to do whatever it takes to get ahead.

How does one navigate that without quitting? It’s hard; I can say this for sure: all the above has happened to me and thensome in my 17 years as a business owner. I’ve cried, screamed, and thought of quitting more times than I can count.

One suggestion I have is to create a treasure box. I can’t remember where this idea came from, but it helped me on some of the crummiest days. It can be as simple or can be as elaborate as you’d like.

Get a box – decorate said box however you’d like – then fill it with all the kind things people have said about you—the positive reviews or testimonials. Add in the emails or text messages you’ve received thanking or praising you for your actions. And don’t forget to include things you are celebrating about yourself – good days, wins, goals you’ve accomplished, whatever makes your heart sing.

Keep your box nearby, preferably in your line of sight as you’re working. When people try to knock you down, grab your chest, a cup of tea, and reread all the beautiful treasures in your box. I promise you’ll feel better, and pretty soon, someone’s negative comment won’t matter nearly as much, if at all.

As your box content grows, add another or buy a bigger one.

Lastly, help others fill their very own treasure box by sending them kind notes or messages.