5 Life-Changing Lessons Learned in 2015

There is an audio version below.

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It feels good and a little weird to be back in the United States–I traveled so much this year. I’ll be here for a month. I start my 2016 speaking calendar in January—in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I’ll be speaking in three states and nine countries in 2016 at this point.

I wanted to share five lessons that I learned this year. This year, more than any other, shattered what I believed was possible for my life and business. These last four years have been surreal, but this year was the cherry on top of the cake. I hope it’s inspired you a little and shown you what’s possible.

Lessons Learned in 2015

There are opportunities to book paid speaking worldwide. This is perhaps the biggest and most interesting lesson I learned. I started this year with ZERO speaking engagements booked. I continued to work hard and get articles published in major publications. Around March, I started getting a few offers to come and speak. Different events and companies found me through various articles I had written. I traveled over 100,000 miles and made over $80,000 in income from speaking at conferences and companies in 2015. I don’t share this to brag—you know me.

I share this to show you what’s possible when you get exposure and look for the bigger opportunities. I always want to show you the behind-the-scenes of building a lifestyle business. I’m not special. I write for as many major publications as I can, and make that content as actionable as I can. I also did a TEDx talk this year—that helped.

When you put yourself out there, you will be found. You can also pitch conferences and get booked. I did a training on this very topic. What I’m trying to say is that you can do this, too. This is duplicable. If you want to see pictures of all my travels, follow me on Instagram

Large publications can lead to income. Yes, large media publications are good for exposure. They help you build your email list and give you the social proof you need to pitch paid speaking gigs. They can also lead to income directly and indirectly.

One major way directly is through book sales. Most large publications give you a book widget or a link. I’ve had several articles that went viral and led to thousand’s of book sales and continue to sell. Here is one example:

Here is another example:

The main indirect way is through strategic linking to something you’re selling—like a course or class. NEVER link to an affiliate thing—that’s the quickest way to get banned. You can write an article on a topic related to your class or course and link to content. This helps people see why they should think about buying it.

There are paid writing opportunities. The one thing that has surprised me this year is all the places that pay for your words. I now make $1,400 a month from paid writing. I write for two publications that pay. One publication pays .75 cents per word. The other pays $200 per article:

There are MANY more paid opportunities that you can find with a little research. If you write for non-paid major publications, it will help you have the social proof to book the paid ones.

You can build an engaged following despite not being an influencer. Jared Easley and I wrote a book called, Stop Chasing Influencers. We are launching the book in a much different way than people usually launch. We launched a Kickstarter campaign last week so we can move physical copies of the book, which will help our efforts to hit the New York Times bestseller’s list (you have to sell a certain number of physical books).

We didn’t know what to expect. We reached 100% of our funding in 6 hours and 53 minutes, and the campaign continues to climb. It’s crazy! You can build influence and a network without being some big name. Make real connections and connect with your audience.

You have to live fully present. I’ve talked to you about all the business stuff because that’s why most of you are here. But, the business stuff is meaningless if you’re not living life. I created a lifestyle business to give myself the freedom to spend my time with my family. The travel has been crazy, but when I’m home—I’m home. I’m there, in the moment, and there for my wife and kids in every way they need me.

You can’t be so focused on building a dream that you push your loved ones away in the process. You have to focus on your why and that why is probably related to control, time, and freedom.

I don’t know how your year has gone—I hope it was unbelievable. Even if it wasn’t, the New Year is coming. You’ll have a chance to create new goals and work hard to make them your reality.

I share all of these lessons in hopes of showing you a few more opportunities that you can land. You can book paid speaking, paid writing, and leverage large publications. I hope many who read this will do the same in the New Year. My goal is to keep it real with you—so add some of these opportunities to your goal list.

If you want help building your online business, check out Freedom through Online Business. Three week live class for $97.

Audio version:

What are two major goals you’re setting for the New Year?