Scott Perry's Blog, page 5

Stepping Into Possibilitty

Are you in a life transition and confused or uncertain about what’s next?

Ever feel like you’re sleepwalking or merely drifting through your life?

Do you have a nagging sense that you were born to be and do more and better?

Then, it’s time to embrace and engage in the art of encore living.

Life ≠ Living

Life begins with birth and ends with death.

Living is the quality of your experience in between.

Life requires adequate oxygen, water, nutrition, and a reasonable temperature (98.6°ish).

That’s it.

Living requires growth, meaning, and purpose (AKA “self-actualization” or “flow”).

And between life and living, there is a gap everyone must navigate.

The art of encore living is an attitude and an action plan for closing the gap between life and living. It allows you to step into your limitless potential and possibility in your life’s next chapter with greater intention, integrity, and impact.

Here are three core philosophical principles that help you master the art of encore living.

Awakening - The game of life you’re playing is actually playing you

Acknowledge - You can’t win a game that you don’t want to play

Agency - Play your game on your terms without compromise all in and full-out

Ready to wake up, audit your beliefs and biases, and create a narrative about what’s next that’s worth living up to (and into)?

During our first Scott Perry | Creative on Purpose Substack Subscriber Session call, we unpacked three practices for each of the three core principles. Click here to listen to the replay on the podcast or click above for the video replay.

Scott Perry, Chief Difference-Maker at Creative on Purpose.

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Recapture & Reallocate: A 30-Minute Revenue Enhancer Exercise

If you’re a freelancer, coach, solopreneur, or creative experiencing a consistent monthly revenue shortfall, your instinct is probably to try to make more money.

In this article, I share a much more efficient path to more effortlessly increasing your bottom line in less time and with less risk.

How to Optimize These Insights

Be receptive. Take notes. Ask questions and share reflections in the comments. Check out the resources listed at the end of this article. But the most significant force multiplier that will get you closer to what you want is to apply these insights.

The Situation

When you feel pinched or lacking in your personal financial position, your instinct is to make more money by working more and harder.

As a business owner, when you’re in a revenue dip, you double down on your marketing efforts or start creating, marketing, and selling new offers. Both approaches take much more time, attention, money, and effort.

In either case, your ROI (return on investment) on doing more is far less than if you prune your expenses and optimize your revenue system’s reliability.

How to Recapture Revenue

Audit your personal expenses and activities. Prune unused or underused expenses, app subscriptions, streaming services, etc. 

Audit your business expenses and activities. Eliminate all unnecessary costs and activities and raise the floor on the essential elements of your business revenue systems. (This is detailed in The Coaching Business Prescription.)

Example of Recapture of Personal Revenue

Here’s what happened the first time my wife and I audited our basic personal expenses.

We discovered that we spent $260/month on coffee ($10/day, six days/week), $260 on dining out every month ($60/week), $100/month on wine, $200/month on books and craft supplies, and $200/month on entertainment (streaming services, lifestyle apps, etc.). 

Total discretionary spending expenses: $1240/month.

Rather than go into full austerity mode, we reduced our spending on these expenditures by half.

Total recaptured: $510/month ($6120/year)

Results of Reallocation of Personal Revenue

Reducing our discretionary spending by half increased our bottom line and enhanced our experience. Coffee, dining, and wine dates were more special, and shopping and entertainment were more intentional and enjoyable.

Our annual savings allowed us to fund our primary solvable problem™ (see Dan’s book, Rigging the Game). The revenue we recaptured that year paid for our two-week beach vacation.

Example of Recapture of Business Revenue

The recapture of revenue in your business is amplified twice. First, you save a ton of time, attention, money, and effort that would have gone into trying harder to sell existing offers (or creating new ones). 

Second, if you have prospects that would genuinely benefit from your offer but can’t afford it, you can work through a recapture with them, and they can reallocate that revenue into enrolling in your program or product.

Here’s what happened the first time I applied the recapture process to my business.

Revenue: $4K/month (gross)

Hours spent: 80+/week

Total expenses: $1800/month (software, services, subscriptions)

Profit Margin: 55%

Total expenses after recapture: $900/ month

Amount recaptured: $900/month ($10,800/year)

Cool, huh? But then look at the additional savings in time, money, and effort

The Math

The additional sales necessary to increase my business revenue by the amount recaptured would be $1636/month (savings/margin).

That’s $19,636 annually.

An additional benefit is that pruning all the unnecessary and under-performing software, services, and subscriptions from my revenue-generating system increases that system’s reliability, which increases my revenue without any additional work.

Click here to learn more about system reliability.

1 Year After Recapture & Reallocation

Here are the numbers for my business one year after my initial recapture and reallocate.

Revenue: $9K/month (gross)

Hours spent: 20/week

Total expenses: $1400/month (software, services, subscriptions)

Profit Margin: 84%

When my business revenue reached $5K/month, I reallocated some of my savings into advertising, which catalyzed my revenue growth to $9K/month (a 700% ROI).

Additionally, I reduced the hours I worked in my business and increased my profit margin, significantly amplifying my revenue.

Go Further

I learned how to recapture and reallocate revenue to get closer to what I want in life in Dan Nicholson’s book, Rigging the Game. I learned additional force multipliers from Nic Peterson in his book, Bumpers, and in content that he shares in the Guardian Academy Substack.

You can grab Rigging the Game and Bumpers in the Creative on Purpose Bookstore. (You can also grab my book, The Coaching Business Prescription, for $1).

Get more insights that inspire intentional action and get you close to what you want in life by subscribing to my Substack publication.

If you’re ready to take a bolder step into possibility with your business, click here to complete a free audit of your offer, audience, and sales strategy.

I go through the Recapture & Reallocate process live and provide several bonus insights in this video.

Scott Perry, Encore Life Coach at Creative on Purpose

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Janet Bartoli - "Step Away"

Insight and inspiration for flying higher in the difference only you can make from guests who have appeared on Creative on Purpose Live.

This week’s wisdom comes from a conversation with Janet Bartoli, funder of the Bartoli Consulting Group. Tune into the entire conversation here.

[JANET] "Just look at 90 days and focus only on what your core goals are."

"Then even the podcast you listen to, if they're talking about things that have nothing to do with what you're trying to focus on for that quarter, I usually just stop. I pause those and then focus only on the content that I need at that time."

"Anytime a new offer or something comes your way, if it has nothing to do with your core goals for that quarter, push it off to the side.I think that helps keep you on track and on your target for that 90-day period of time."

"Also, step away. I like to get out and go for a long run. You have some of the best ideas that you just come up with when you're outside and just getting away from your office."

"So, hopefully, that helps."

[SCOTT] "Yeah,  I think it really does because, again, a lot of the gurus are telling us it's all about the hustle and grind. Uh, probably not.

[JANET] "Yeah."

Janet just delivered an important reminder about the importance and value of focusing on a quarterly core goal and the virtues of stepping away from time to time. How are you balancing focus and fun today?

Scott Perry, Encore Life Coach at Creative on Purpose

If this resonates, please share it with a friend!

Is there an afterlife?

Is there life after death?

That's actually a pretty silly question.

The real question is this.

Is there life before death?

How would you answer that question? Have you been living your life?

Life ≠ Living

The opposite of death Is NOT living.

The opposite of death is birth.

Living is something you can choose to experience between those two events.

But instead, most sleepwalk through life.

We conflate living with reflexive attitudes and behaviors to life's trials and triumphs that are conditioned and programmed into us.

It bears repeating. Life ≠ Living

To truly live, you need to unlearn your programmed and conditioned reactions to life and relearn being a conscious, responsive participant.

To Summarize

Life is simply the time between birth and death. Living requires awareness, presence, and mindfulness.

Your Turn

Have you woken up to living your life?

Share the moment you woke up and started living.

Need a little guidance? Click here for a few things you can do today to wake up and start living your life with greater fulfillment, joy, and equanimity.

Like what you read? Please forward this to a friend!

 
 

Randy Massengale - "Preach your own sermon."

Insight and inspiration for flying higher in the difference only you can make from guests who have appeared on Creative on Purpose Live.

This week’s wisdom comes from a conversation with Randy Massengale, leadership coach. Tune into the entire conversation here.

[RANDY] "I would say learn to preach your own sermon."

"There are too many people that try to pick up somebody else's message and then try to amplify that. What you need to find is what is inside of you. Everybody has it."

"That's the beauty of what I do, to see that light come on."

"Now some people fight against it tooth and nail because they don't want to have to be exposed."

"But if you learn to preach your own sermon, great things will happen."

[SCOTT] "I love that. I'm fond of saying, 'You don't need to find yourself. You need to face yourself." That's exactly that's what that sounds like."

Randy just delivered an important reminder about the importance and value of leaning into your distinction. How are you making the difference only you can make today?

Scott Perry, Encore Life Coach at Creative on Purpose

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Practice Out Loud & In Public

Can public practice and immediate feedback elevate your craft?

In pursuing mastery in the difference only you can make, the journey is as important as the destination.

The process is both the shortcut and the reward.

Practicing your craft out loud and in public is a force multiplier, providing outside results on your investment of time, attention, and effort.

How?

A commitment to consistent and frequent public practice provides tight feedback loops, leading to rapid iteration and improvement, but also helps you forge an authentic connection with your ideal audience.

Embracing the Public Stage for Practice: Why It Matters

The traditional approach to perfecting your craft involves hours of solitary practice. While this can be valuable, it's limited in its ability to provide feedback and gauge real-time audience reaction. Stepping out of your comfort zone and practicing in public brings about a range of benefits:

1. Instant Feedback Loops: The public is a great mirror that reflects your strengths and areas for improvement. When you practice in front of an audience, their reactions become your immediate feedback. This real-time feedback loop accelerates your growth by highlighting what works and needs refinement.

2. Adaptation and Iteration: With quick feedback, you can swiftly adapt and iterate your performance. This agile approach allows you to make changes on the fly and witness their impact in real time. This iterative process hones your skills.

3. Building Confidence: Public practice builds resilience and confidence. As you face a variety of reactions and learn to handle unexpected situations, you become better equipped to handle the uncertainties of doing work that matters, which, by definition, is work that might not work.

Connecting Authentically with Your Ideal Audience

One of the most remarkable outcomes of practicing aloud in public is its ability to help you find, connect, and engage with your ideal audience:

1. Vulnerability Public practice compels you to be genuine and vulnerable. Your vulnerability creates a relatable human connection, resonating with your audience on a deeper level.

2. Understanding Your Audience: Being in front of people allows you to gauge their reactions, understand their preferences, and adjust your craft to cater to their needs. Public practice enhances your skills and ensures that your work aligns with what your audience desires.

3. Building a Community: Engaging with your audience during practice fosters a sense of community. You become fellow travelers in a journey of emergence and becoming.

A Final Consideration

Are you considering taking your practice sessions to a public platform? What fears or hesitations have held you back from this approach?

What habits and relationships can help you step into and through these challenges?

Remember, the journey to mastery is an ongoing process, and each small step taken is another step closer to excellence.

Scott Perry, Chief Difference-Maker at Creative on Purpose.

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Sonia David - "Be an Imposter"

Insight and inspiration for flying higher in the difference only you can make from guests who have appeared on Creative on Purpose Live.

This week’s wisdom comes from a conversation with Sonia David, author of Master Your Imposter. Tune into the entire conversation here.

[SONIA] "Be an imposter. Do it. Whatever it is that you feel is a disguise to you, put it on every single day."

"Everywhere we go, we have to put on some sort of costume to engage in social life. I do it, and it's not an oppressive thing when I say that."

"I mean, when I talk to my niece and nephew, I may get cute, or I might read a story to them in a different voice, or I might tickle them on Christmas and make up a new song. I don't do that with,  you know, if I met you in person, Scott, I'm not going to tickle you and sing to you about Santa Clause coming to your home. It would be a different experience."

"So, just accepting and acknowledging that the disguise we choose to wear is one we choose to put on, then no one puts it on us."

"We get to decide what we do with that and look in the mirror and feel good about ourselves. It takes our power to the next level."

"So, be an imposter."

Sonia just delivered an important reminder about the importance and value of avoiding the identity trap. How are you embracing and leveraging your imposter today?

Scott Perry, Encore Life Coach at Creative on Purpose

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How to Get What You Really Want

What do you want in life? More money? More time? More recognition?

These are the wrong answers. Here's why.

Money, time, and recognition are side effects of, not reasons for, doing meaningful work—work that aligns with the difference only you can make.

What's the difference only you can make?

It's your vocation—the work life is calling you to do.

In the Bhagavad Gita, it's called "dharma," and it emerges from the intersection of your unique gift and the times.*

Your life is speaking to you because it wants to speak through you.

But how do you determine your life's true calling?

That's the hard part for most of us. So, do the hard part first.**

Here are three questions to begin dialing in your distinction.

Who are you? What are your core values and guiding principles?
What are you good at? What are your natural talents and the skills you've learned that tap into them?
Where do you belong? Where are those who share your values and need your talents to enhance their lives?

There are no "right," absolute, or definitive answers to these questions. But you can find alright answers for right now that will help you clarify what you really want in life.

How would you answer these questions today? How do they inform your "what's next?"

*h/t Stephen Cope **h/t Seth Godin

An Invitation

Want to access resources and join conversations to help you build identity, forge meaning, and find greater fulfillment in life?

It's all available in the Creative on Purpose Community inside The Success Finder.

Don't die with the difference only you can make still inside.

Let your life speak!

Scott Perry, Chief Difference-Maker at Creative on Purpose.

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How to Do the Right Thing

Let's be clear. "Right" is a subjective and many splendored thing.

If you're playing your game and I'm playing mine, what's right for me may be wrong for you.

And that's alright.

What we are really deciding and doing is merely alright for right now.

If you've done the real work of defining who you really are, what you're really good at, and where you really belong, and you've decided where you're heading and what you really want, then taking the next best deliberate step into possibility you can imagine is the only right thing to do.

It helps to remember that decisions are not outcomes and that you are sufficient as you strive.

Deliberate on what's now, decide what's next, and remember what matters as you do it is always the right thing.

What's right for you today? Are you alright with that?

Scott Perry, Chief Difference-Maker at Creative on Purpose.

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The Three Keys to Self-Awareness

Self-awareness begins with self-efficacy.

You have to trust yourself and your ability to know who you are and your capacity to get what you want before you can close those gaps.

But the desire to know where you stand and what's expected of you that's hardwired by biology and evolution and reinforced by society can keep you humble and hiding.

What to do?

Here are three places to begin.

Receptivity: Keep open loops.* Consider multiple, counter-intuitive, and even contradictory perspectives. Question your assumptions, beliefs, and biases.
Restraint: More ≠ Closer.* You don't need more knowledge. Define what's essential and what's non-negotiable to achieve what matters and micro-step* your way into possibility.
Responsibility: Embrace your agency over what's yours (your thoughts, decisions, and actions), and let go of what's not (outcomes and the scrutiny and expectations* of others).

Who you really are, where you really belong, and what you really want all emerge from navigating your day-to-day circumstances and inner dialogue with receptivity, restraint, and responsibility.

How are you practicing receptivity, restraint, and responsibility today?

*h/t Nic Peterson, Dan Nicholson, Randy Massengale, & The Guardian Academy

Scott Perry, Difference-Maker Coach at Creative on Purpose.

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