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Pole Dancing & Poetry: Taking a Sabbatical from Sales & Promotions

By on September 3, 2010 in Marketing and Making Money

It’s been 15 years since I wrote a poem.

I write blog posts. I write emails. I write tweets. I write outlines for videos. I write marketing copy for the latest new things I’m launching.

It just hasn’t occurred to me to write for no reason.

No reason except that … that I need to. I need to see if I can still do it. I need to express that part of my truth. I need to share a piece of my soul.

And know that it doesn’t matter if anyone thinks it is good.

I mean, I’d like them to …

But I’m not desperate to sell poetry for food. I don’t have to sell that out. All I need to do is write something that is an expression of the real me.

But to create poetry, to create anything, I need time and space for that creation.

Time. Space. Things I have not felt for a very long time.

So, for the next 60 days I’m not launching anything.

No sales pages, no promotional emails, no “buy this now” tweets – nothing new.

I’m using some of the proceeds of the sale of my car to fund a 60 day sabbatical from sales & promotions.

Not that there is anything wrong with sales & promotions. (Of course not. This is not a non-profit.)

But because I need time to think. To walk. To adventure. To create. To write poetry. To twirl around a pole.

I need time to develop deeper relationships with you. Time to listen. Time to share.

I need time to create & deliver all of the content that I’ve already promised. To get everything out of my head onto paper/video, to have all the consulting sessions and answer all of the questions and do the video critiques and schedule the interviews.

I need time for new people to find Live Your Truth. Get that message out there, beyond the core group on twitter, Facebook, blog & email readers … to new people who have never heard of this world. And give them time to learn about us, develop relationships, start their own journey.

I need time to decide where in the heck Live Your Truth is going. I can’t physically deliver every program that’s in my head and that you’ve asked for (at least I can’t in the next six months) – so what programs do I launch in what order? Info products or classes or ebooks? Price points? Membership programs or one-time-only’s? I need to analyze what worked in the past with programs, ask you what you want, and think about what you really want but you’re not saying. I need some plans.

So here’s how it’s going to work.

I know there’s some of you who’ve been waiting for me to reopen stuff this month (like I’ve promised), and I don’t want to disappoint you – especially since I may not reopen anything again until January.

So here’s what I’m going to do – I’m reopening Build Your Tribe and my hourly Consulting for a few days – until Tuesday September 7th. To get in just comment below (or email me elizabeth [at] elizabethpw [dot] com) and I’ll send you the information you need to get you signed up.

Besides that – for the next 60 days, I’m concentrating on four things:

(1) thinking. not thinking. writing. space. walking. dancing. etc.

(2) delivering content for programs that already exist (Build Your Tribe, the Video Advanced Modules).

(3) developing relationships with you, my tribe.

(4) evangelizing Live Your Truth to new people.

In November I will be sharing the new Live Your Truth in Relationships course (a 10 month program, both personal & business relationships).

Besides that, I don’t know what’s next.

I’m so excited (and relaxed, unstressed, all in the flow) to go on this mini adventure, this promotional sabbatical with you.

So what’s up with you?

What phase are you in with your business or life? Do you need a break from launching or doing new stuff? What are you focusing on for the next 30, 60, 90 days?

Leave a comment below – I’d love to hear from you!

Related posts:

  1. Pole Dancing on a Plane & Other Naughty Ways to Surrender
  2. Case Study: The 3 Days to Video Sales Mini-Site
  3. Behind 18Days: Why’s of the Long Form Sales Letter, Pricing, 18 Days & Promo
  4. EPW Live Ep3: Sales Pages – The Long, The Short, and The Video
  5. Living My Truth: Taking Uncomfortable to the Next Level

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  • http://allisonnazarian.com/ Allison Nazarian

    1. I will see you f2f twice (or maybe a 3rd time too) over these 60 days.
    2. Texting and other means of communication will remain on a regular schedule duringt his time/
    3. Proud of you.
    4. #loveyou

  • http://elizabethpottsweinstein.com ElizabethPW

    1 – yes I just thought the same thing, we will see each other twice f2f in just a few weeks, another another time a few weeks later. omg.
    2 – yes. texting is essential.
    3 – thank you. and, you see, it already worked – writing is #1 first thing and I did that this AM … and here's the blog post! yay!
    4 – #loveyoutoo :)

  • meganmatthieson

    ooo. excited and relaxed. so good. i need me some relax. thank you for this lovely reminder.

  • http://twitter.com/reese reese spykerman

    there's a blog entry in my head, for my non-existent blog, with a title called “Space to Grow.”

    And it's all about this. About how we need to create space in our work and lives to let new things in. To gain perspective. To grow.

    And perhaps most critically, to stay sane. And to find ourselves.

  • http://twitter.com/lena_fm Lena Potapova

    I wish you peace and wisdom, and good circumstances to accompany your adventure.

    Love,
    Lena

  • http://www.randomshelly.com/blog/ Shelly

    I think this sounds awesome! So glad you can do it – can't wait to see what you come up with… hope you post some of the poetry! :) ENJOY!

  • http://www.LauraRoeder.com Laura Roeder

    Write it for my blog!

  • http://www.LauraRoeder.com Laura Roeder

    In B-School we talk about finding that sweet spot between what you most love to deliver and what your customers most love to buy. Sounds like that's part of the process you're going through right now. I think the only way to get there is stop and think and listen and evaluate as you're doing and try a bunch of stuff out and see what sticks.

  • http://elizabethpottsweinstein.com ElizabethPW

    mmm yes, amazing/weird to be relaxed but also productive.

  • http://allisonnazarian.com/ Allison Nazarian

    reese, awesome title and i want to read your existent blog :)
    xo

  • http://elizabethpottsweinstein.com ElizabethPW

    I agree with Laura, think about writing guest posts!! :-)

  • http://elizabethpottsweinstein.com ElizabethPW

    thank you so much Lena :)

  • http://elizabethpottsweinstein.com ElizabethPW

    I plan to … which is scary and awesome. :-)

  • http://elizabethpottsweinstein.com ElizabethPW

    Yep, a big thing is that I need to *think* – about what I want, what's worked really well & what didn't, etc. … I've been doing tons of action which is great, but now it's the season for thinking. :)

  • Tami Morello

    Some people probably think a car is an absolute necessity for getting around in life. There's nothing wrong with that (especially since we don't all live in a city), but I think it's really cool that you're using the proceeds from the sale of a heap of metal, plastic, glass and rubber to continue down your own road. Now, that's poetry.

    Looking forward to meeting you in a few weeks!

  • lydiapuhak

    I love that you're taking this opportunity for sabbatical! Good for you! …and what a great time to really go inside yourself and create for creation's sake. You rock!

    Yes, please send me information on how to get signed up for Build Your Tribe — I'm excited to get this underway after I get back from my own sabbatical.

  • http://completeflake.com/ LaVonne Ellis

    Yes, I love that you sold your car to be more free! My car may or may not be dead in the water – find out in a few hours – but part of me is wishing it gone, to end the stress of worrying about maintenence costs, not to mention eco-guilt. But the louder part, the one that likes convenience and comfort, will pay whatever it takes to fix the damn car. #ambivalence

  • http://completeflake.com/ LaVonne Ellis

    Replying to myself here – I've just decided, thanks to EPW & Tami, to give my car to my son [who uses it more than I do anyway] and let HIM worry about the costs, lol!

  • http://elizabethpottsweinstein.com ElizabethPW

    yay, awesome & congrats, a great solution for everyone :)

  • http://elizabethpottsweinstein.com ElizabethPW

    yep – sent you an email! :)

  • JackiYo

    Enjoy and take it all in. :)

    Me? I'm in the 'holy crap it's September! And I'm launching in September and I still need to get my logo finalized, write my site content and generally figure out what the fuck I'm doing!' phase.

    So… not so much with the relaxing! :)

  • http://lindaeaves.com Linda Eaves

    This is a lovely idea! I will be teaching my 1st online classes in Nov/Dec through FemCentral with Jennifer so – need to promote those. Otherwise I'd join you in sabbatical. Have been feeling a little launch weary. People have been busy!

    I think this time will be full of fun, love, and adventure for you. Can't wait to see the ideas that emerge from a glimmer in your mind to being born. This will be great.

  • Lisa

    We (my husband and I) just started our vacation. An hour or so after we left home I was fearful that there was a slight chance that I had left my curling iron on back at the house. I didn't get a favorable reaction when I announced it–there was NO way he was turning back. Common sense told me that I would have sensed it being on and then turned it off when I left the bathroom for the last time. I chose not to bring my husband into my “I burned down the house nightmare” so for I lived through that alone for 24 hours. During that 24 hour period I looked at our vacation activities through a the lens of “I burned down the house.” I looked at every enjoyment on the vacation (and in my life) as the last time I would experience the reality of my beautiful life as I have known it. Would my husband forgive me for burning down the house? Would I forgive myself? Everything we own would be gone. (Thank goodness I backup online). After 24 hours I phoned my sister and asked her to drive by my house and text me the results. I figured that the house would have burned down by now. Thank goodness I have a sister who just giggled and didn't judge me and did what I asked. Hours later, she texted me a photo of my house, which in turn, made me giggle.

    My point: I take this incident as a sign that I am just about to go through a massive do-over in my business–in my life. I accept that my life will be different.

    It is so good that you listen to your intuition, Elizabeth. May you write some rockin poetry and do everything else that your heart desires so that you may feel refreshed.

  • http://lisahines.com Lisa

    Elizabeth, That sounds absolutely fantastic, and I love the fact that you share it with all of “us” so openly.

    As I read it, I read with a spark of curiosity. Not envy, nor jealousy. However, I ask myself, “How DOES she survive financially?!?!?!” :) I would love to take a sabbatical from life, but bills, living expenses, etc. perpetuate the constant- ongoing to-do's. I understand about where there's a will, there's a way. I also noticed you sacrificed ownership of a car in exchange for having a lifestyle the way you want it. It's really a rhetorical question to help ME (and maybe others) about a different reality in order to live OUR truths, too.

    Have a phenomenal sabbatical!!!

    Lisa

  • http://www.LifeDesignStrategies.com/blog/ Vicky

    Hey LaVonne – sounds like you've just solved several challenges. And you can always borrow it if he lives near! Well done!

  • http://www.LifeDesignStrategies.com/blog Vicky

    Elizabeth – this sounds awesome. The theme I set for myself this year is 'spaciousness' – without that I'm not so creative, don't hear the whispers, spin my wheels and I'm not so nice to be around. You're inspiring me to see how i can create more spaciousness in my life – feeling anything but spacious right now!

    I'm sure amazing things are going to come out of this for you – and us!

  • http://www.lisarobbinyoung.com Lisa Robbin Young

    Ironic. I am sitting in the hotel room getting ready to RETURN from my sabbatical. Kids & hubby are in the other room, and I actually gt to ENJOY this time away. Yes,hoping my house isn't burned down, too (or that none of the copper pipe has been stolen!), but otherwise refreshed, clear, signed a new client on the trip, and READY to jump into September and fall with both feet and a direction I feel is unstoppable.

    I pray that you'll feel this amazing shortly. And maybe some of mine will overflow to you in Atlanta.

    Yay for you!

  • http://lisahines.com Lisa

    6 hours later. . . All I have to say is Wow! I've been thinking and pondering this all day long. Definitely really good fodder for thought. (Does anyone still use that word?).