The End – and Beginning – of an Era
I am writing this a little over 24 hours after launching the next era of Rust. Which externally, looks like a beautiful new website built over a long weekend, but in reality, is so much more.
This next step, this evolution, has been a long time coming.
I spent months unhappy with the website, frustrated as I wasn’t able to get it to look and feel how Rust should (which is absolutely crucial when running a digital business) and I kept putting it off as there wasn’t an “easy” solution in sight.
Enter, a very special course and a week of embodying my true self. Last Tuesday (it is Wednesday now), I sat down with one task for the day: to work through Offline’s first course, Make Contact With Your True Self, Align to Your Purpose and Redefine Your Success before a coaching session with Alison the next day.
I spent longer that most have, totalling nearly 12 hours between tea breaks, ducking to the shops and brief pauses of reflection and snacking. The course itself was wonderful, a truly special experience that I can’t wait to revisit in the future, and spending the day reflecting and carving out my true self practices set off a chain of events I hadn’t predicted.
I finished writing my novel, for one. Well, finished and edited and sent it off to a literary competition. And in the midst of that? I created a new online space and new signature offering for Rust.
What you’re seeing here is me, and Rust, in our era of alignment.
I’ve been hesitant to share that I was struggling (up until last week) behind the scenes. I was putting in the work, the hours, the rest, the connections, and yet something still felt off. I wasn’t attracting clients like I should’ve been, my messaging wasn’t clicking with the right people, and I didn’t feel excited about the work.
Before completing Offline’s course, I didn’t realise just how far I’d strayed from my true self – and how deeply that was affecting my business.
You see, I was operating from a shallow place. Modelling other coaches because they make bank and have consistently full books. Using language that I thought would pull people in. Relying too much on the opinions of others. Hesitant to make big moves for fear of rocking the boat.
Upon reflection, I can see that I held a lot of shame. Shame, because my expansion into coaching didn’t take off as quickly as planned. I was naive and had bulging dollar signs in my eyes, and saw how I could turn something I was already doing (unofficially coaching women in my DMs and emails) into a profitable business.
I was never angry when things didn’t work out, or my first launch flopped, but I also didn’t take the time to dive deeper. To understand what wasn’t working – for me.
Completing Offline’s course forced me to do that. In a gentle, encouraging way, of course. By giving myself the time and space to look inward, I discovered just how distant I was from my true self in my day to day.
This is a very long-winded way of writing that I wasn’t operating in a way that suited my nature, my rhythm, or my true self. I was being who I thought I should be, and although I had the best intentions, not acting in alignment led to things feeling difficult, complicated and exhausting.
But that’s all over now. I’m writing this, today, as a commitment to me, and you, that I won’t stray again. That I’ll continue my daily devotions to self, and look inward for the answers on how best to serve my community.
I’m so excited for what’s to come for Rust, and to take up space as a rhythm and creativity coach. Guiding women as they explore their personal rhythms and creative energy truly lights me up, and I hope that you can feel that too.
Love, Viv
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