Our mindset is the way we look at things. We look at our business through a certain lens that defines
And by putting all these things together, we create a vision for what our business does.
Now, when we want to uplevel we have to push that vision… we have to say “Okay, instead of my business making $100 an hour, my business is going to make $150 an hour!” And then we have to explore how that feels and begin to own it.
We want to be able to push all of these little triggers inside our mindset so that we can develop a new vision for our business; one that allows for growth. We push and we prod and we allow ourselves to feel uncomfortable. The work is helping ourselves push through that uncomfortable so that that it doesn’t feel uncomfortable and instead becomes our operating manual.
It's okay to feel the push and the pull because often times when you have that money block or that roadblock or stumbling block, we might be inclined to pull ourselves back and stay static. We stay where we've been instead of pushing and extending our mind around this new normal that we are trying to create.
Most of the time when I'm working through mindset stuff with a client, it's a matter of not necessarily feeling comfortable as the authority. But you’re here reading these shownotes because you have been teaching in whatever shape you have been teaching for however long you have been teaching and you know your stuff. It's sometimes very hard to take control and take command of our authority ~ being that person, being that teacher, being the person who is going to create this course, deliver this course and execute on the promises that are laid out on the sales page.
Language and words are funny. It’s what we use every day all day; we use it in writing, we use it in teaching, we use it in oral correspondence, we use it all the time!
I think that one of the nuances with upleveling our language is that we want to stay accessible but we also want to be able to command a greater level of authority. One of the simplest ways to uplevel our language is to change how we describe what we do…
Instead of being a piano teacher or a violin teacher or a music teacher, change it to I run a piano studio, I run a violin studio, I run a music studio.
Just by changing that language from being a teacher to running a studio or being a studio owner, we've been able to elevate the way that we speak about ourselves. Other ways that we can change the language include how we describe our lessons. Instead of them being half hour sessions or hourly sessions, we can start talking about monthly packages or monthly lesson packages. Again what we're doing here is elevating the language around what we do.
Even though you're doing the exact same thing, you're sharing it in a way where someone says, oh wow! instead of just okay.
Upleveling our language also involves what we have written down. Perhaps it's in the agreements that we have with our clients or with our students or with our families. These could be studio policies, payment policies, makeup policies, health policies, and so on. Go back through what you have written down and align the language with your new terminologies.
Also in the process of upleveling our language is how we present ourselves online. Where do you describe yourself (website, social profiles etc.)? How might you be able to use those words that you're using to uplevel your personal way of thinking about your business and the way that you have communicated in your writing here too?
If you're doing videos on Youtube or on instagram or on Tiktok or wherever ~ start using your new language (even if that feels a little bit uncomfortable right now) and embrace it and start using it where you're showing up online already. This is a place where you can flex your muscles because it's a low barrier, you’re already here!
I just gave you an example with the video stuff. We also want to be embracing this upleveling inside our lessons, inside our offers, by adding new offers and creating higher level packages! This is where you begin to expand and flex so that you are not reliant on just one source of income.
Maybe you add a group theory class that you run once a month… maybe you offer practice feedback or bonus community jam sessions… That’s taking action. It puts your new mindset and new language into practice.
You are stepping into greater things which will then allow you to continue to grow by doing small things. When you do small things and add new offers and take action on the ideas, you're further cementing your role, you're authoritative role, your studio owner role!
Now this gives you room to further step into online because you’ve upleveled and it fits, you don't feel like you're stepping into someone else's shoes. You don't feel that imposter syndrome. You don't feel unworthy to ask for that six month commitment. You feel excited about the opportunities that you're creating for other people.
That's really the key when we uplevel... We are creating greater opportunities for our students, for our community, for their future, their enjoyment and their appreciation of music.
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