Truck Hands + Limiting Beliefs

 

Last week at my mastermind retreat, I had, oh, you know, like a flippity jillion takeaways (as is the case any time you gather in a curated group of people who are doing the kinds of things you’re doing). 

BUT the takeaway that stood out to me the most was what inspired the subject line of this e-mail:

Truck hands.

(And since then, I’ve had Violent Femmes’ Blister in the Sun stuck in head and it. just. won’t. go. away. 🎶 ‘“Truck hands, I know you’re the one…” 🎶 There. Now it’s in your head. #YoureWelcome)

This whole “truck hands” thing became a running theme/joke throughout the mastermind retreat, and it had such an impact on not just me but the other members of my mastermind, that I couldn’t not share it here.

And if you’re someone who’s struggling to uplevel in some way in your business (or life), then this is for you.

Limiting Beliefs + Truck Hands: The Story

If you’ve been around for a bit, you know I have a son, Hyke, who is almost two years old.

(Hyke is a family name for anyone asking. Not just a random, seemingly misspelled word. 😉)

He has a dozen or so nicknames, but one of my favorites is Truck Hands.

Which requires a little explanation: If you’ve been around toddlers before, you know they love little tiny toys that they can hold in their sweet, precious, magical, little tiny hands (aren’t their hands the best?!). 

For Hyke, his tiny toys of choice are trucks, and he walks around in a perpetual state of truck hands — literally, a truck in each hand.

Say he’s sitting and watching something on TV, he’s got trucks in his hands.

If we’re reading a book to him, he’s got trucks in his hands.

When we go to Target, he’s got trucks in his hands.

You get the idea.

They’re like an extension of his arms.

Part of it is because, hey, toy trucks are fun!

But I know a big part of it is also the comfort it brings him. The security. Something that is familiar and special.

And in fact, the value he places on this is so great, that often, it gets in the way of him having something else that might be less familiar but perhaps even more special. 

Case and point:

The other day, Hyke was walking around the living room, in full truck hands mode, and I called to him from the kitchen:

“Hey bud, you want a cookie?”

This is a rare question around here as we don’t typically have sweets in our house, so this should have been a moment when Hyke ran full-speed into the kitchen, arms outstretched, ready to receive a cookie.

And he did. Minus the “arms outstretched” part.

Why? Because Hyke had truck hands.

He runs over when he hears me, but rather than reach out to grab the cookie, he opened his mouth, baby bird style.

My response: “Um, NO, you are almost two years old. You use your hands, silly! Here’s the cookie. Put down the trucks please.”

Hyke (while baby bird-ing): “I waaaant it.”

Me: “You can have it — if you put your trucks down.”

Hyke (full-on pouting): “NooooOOOOoooOOOooo.”

Me: “YES. You need to pick your trucks down so you can grab the cookie.”

Hyke: “WANT it!”

Me: “Ok. Put your trucks down so your hands are free.”

Hyke: (sulks away, pouting à la Linus in Charlie Brown)

That’s right: My toddler wonder turned down a cookie because he couldn’t put down his trucks. A COOKIE, y’all.

I’d say toddlers are weird, but really, they’re just like their older counterparts.

(You. Me. Us allegedly evolved adults.)

Think about it:

Are there some things that you are holding onto right now… that are preventing you from getting the next, better thing?

(You’re human. Of course you are. We call it “baggage.”)

Things that, if you just released them, you could have the space and ability to reach out and grab something else.

These “things” for us adults usually look less like tiny toy trucks… and more like beliefs.

And I’ll invoke some buzzwords here: These are what some call “limiting beliefs.”

What are Limiting Beliefs?

Limiting beliefs like…

You have to always be right….

That you have to do it yourself or it won’t be done right…

Something can’t work…

That something won’t work…

It isn’t possible based on your past… 

That something isn’t possible based on your present…

The belief that you won’t be able to make it happen.

And more.

Those are a few that apply to everyone, business owners and non business owners alike. 

But let’s get a bit more specific.

Let’s talk about how these limiting beliefs apply to creating and launching an online course:

There are other limiting beliefs you might be clinging to, like…

No one will buy your course because they can just Google the info (which disregards the reality that people will always pay for convenience)…

Your audience is too small to have a successful launch (which isn’t real because, after all, on my first launch, I made more sales than I had people on my tiny baby mailing list)…

That you’ll never have time to create your course because you assume it has to be some complicated process (the creation part is easy and fast if you’re using a system like we teach our students)…

Your launch will flop because you think you’re not good at sales (everyone can be good at sales — we all sell things everyday, whether we realize it or not  — you just need a strategy)…

Courses that help people make money or grow their businesses are the only profitable, successful courses (which is 1,000% untrue, and I have oodles of examples, i.e., most of my students in Launchpad and The Course Course who would tell you otherwise)…

Launching a successful online course means more work added to your already very full plate (which disregards the fact that once you create your course, you have created it, and you are no longer swapping hours for dollars)… 

The belief that you are too inept at technology to ever put together an online course (which isn’t anything at all because setting up an online course is easier now than it’s ever been and there is SO much support out there for those who need a little extra tech help)…

And so many more.

And while some of these beliefs make sense at first pass, none of them hold up when you look at what’s real and what’s possible.

More importantly, holding on to these limiting beliefs, clinging to them like a tiny toddler clings to tiny toy trucks, could be the very thing that’s holding you back. 

Who knows? Maybe if you could release those beliefs (whatever those beliefs are for you), you could have your hands free to reach out and grab something else. 

Something better.

BUT…

There’s a tension there, right?

There’s that moment when you put the trucks down before you get the cookie.

For a few brief seconds, your hands are empty. You don’t have the thing that is comfortable and familiar anymore. You’re reaching out for the cookie, but it takes a second or two before it’s in your hand. 

That second or two is inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, but in the moment, it can feel like an eternity.

And at that moment, the tension of letting something go before you’ve grabbed onto something better that is the reason that a lot of people don’t take action and go after what they want. 

Because sometimes the discomfort of that in-between time feels greater than our desire to have the things we want.

And this isn’t just about you and Hyke. This affects me, too. BIG time. This was the very “aha!” moment I had in my mastermind last week. (Picture me in a hotel conference room in Los Angeles suddenly blurting out “I have truck hands! I have truck hands!!!”)

There are plenty of things that I struggle letting go of because, while I acknowledge that letting go of one thing will allow me to get to the next thing, I don’t always want to deal with the discomfort of that in-between time. The dreaded truck hands limbo.

But here’s the catch with all of this:

You don’t have to do it alone.

You don’t have to navigate that in-between time without a safety net while you’re putting down your trucks. (I’m mixing metaphors. Just go with it.)

You don’t have to let your beliefs limit you when there’s another possibility out there.

And you can do a whole heck of a lot to speed up that in-between time with a proven system and strategies to help you get the success you want faster.

Your past doesn’t have to be your present. And your present doesn’t have to be your future.

I’m being a little abstract here, so I’ll just get straight it:

If you want to have a successful and profitable online course, you don’t have to try to figure out everything on your own, you don’t have to let your knowledge gaps about technology, sales, or marketing get in the way of your success, and you definitely don’t have to let the current size of your audience dictate what is or isn’t possible.

It IS possible to…

Scale what you do or what you know into an online course.

Have a profitable launch, even with a tiny list.

Create a fabulous course, even if you have no tech skills.

Become AMAZING at sales and marketing, even if selling makes you feel sleazy and marketing mystifies you (we see this with our students daily).

It IS possible to have whatever success you want with your online course.

You just might need to release a few things before you can reach out and grab that next, better thing.

Here’s one way to get to your next, better thing: Launchpad.

Launchpad is my 6-month curated coaching program for serious course creators who have their sights set on 6- or 7-figure success with their online course.

Whether you’re just getting started or you’re already established, Launchpad is here for you to help you create, launch, and scale your online course — and everything in between.

And beyond just coaching, you get all the content. I’ve packaged up everything I know from building a multimillion dollar online course company, and I’m giving it all to you.

Essentially, we help you put the trucks down, we support you in that moment before you get the cookie, and then, we help you get the cookie. Or maybe a whole platter of cookies.

Whatever you’re wanting here in this cookie/online courses metaphor. 😉

Are you ready to see serious success with your online course?

With next-level support and strategies every step of the way?

Put down the trucks and apply today.

If you want to let go and grab on to something better, we need you in Launchpad.

I can’t wait to work with you!

 

_________

 

P.S. Maybe you’re thinking “But who is Launchpad for?”

Launchpad is for anyone who’s created a course and want to take it to the next level… 

Or for someone who wants to create and launch an online course as their business model.

Basically, if you’ve got serious goal and need serious support to get to those goals (spoiler alert: you do), then launchpad is for you. Want more info? Click here and apply for a call today.

P.P.S. Also, enjoy the video below about limiting beliefs!