Following Your Passion

How to Create Your Own Luck

By Laura Berman Fortgang on November 19, 2023

Do you ever find yourself thinking, “she’s so lucky”?

Maybe you’re scrolling through your socials and see the woman who has it all — a successful career, a beautiful home, a seemingly perfect family, and a timeline full of vacation photos.

Or maybe you find yourself scoffing, “she’s just lucky.’

You stumbled across your competition quoted in the New York Times, learned your coworker got a big promotion, or heard that a coach who started her business after you landed a major book deal and hit multiple six figures this year.

We all do it sometimes.

But are they really luckier than you?

Maybe…

But did they also play a part in creating their own luck?

Without a doubt!

Sure, some people are born on third base, but there are no guarantees. No matter where you’re starting or what your circumstances are, your best bet to strike it lucky is to go out there and create the circumstances by which luck can find you.

I always say, one of the biggest benefits of coaching is that it helps you learn how to create your own luck.

If you want to become a luckier person, here’s what to do —

Clear the slate.
Get rid of the things that aren’t serving you — unfinished business, belongings you don’t need, baggage from the past, and toxic relationships. Think of your best life as a UFO, hovering and waiting for you to sweep the landing pad free of obstacles.
Set boundaries.
Protect your time. Protect yourself from people who don’t respect you. Create clear guidelines on how you want to be treated and let them be known.
Get specific.
Be explicit about exactly what you want. Hone in on your defined goals. Stay focused on precisely what you’re looking to accomplish. Leave no room for misunderstanding.
Take action.
Take twice as much action as you think you need. Don’t leave anything to mere circumstance; do what needs to get done.
Practice detachment (this is the toughest part!)
Avoid getting too caught up in the outcome. Don’t allow yourself to be crushed if what you want doesn’t work out. Be light about it. Know that you’ve done your best and you’ll be okay either way.

Just as you enjoy a beautiful bouquet of flowers, but have to let it go after about a week, don’t make your goals so precious that you’re hurt by the need to adjust or abandon them.

I wish you great luck as you head into the holidays and begin closing out this year and planning for next.

Are You Prepped for Year-End?

By Laura Berman Fortgang on November 12, 2023

We’re heading into the end of the year. How are you feeling about it?

I don’t know about you, but things tend to get edgy around here.

People start to become anxious about hitting their goals and preparing for the year ahead — all while caught in the whirlwind of holiday shopping, navigating festivities, and hunkering down for the winter.

It’s a lot. If you allow it, the anticipation of everything that has to get done can get the best of you.

I always know it’s coming, so I like to get ahead of things and help my clients get prepped for the coming season. With a little readying, it’s possible to avoid the chaos and overwhelm as you wrap up this year and head into the next.

Here’s how —

1. Purge.
Get rid of anything that’s no longer serving you. Whether it’s physical or mental clutter, it’s time to let it go. From old holiday decorations you’ve been meaning to toss to old business offers you’ve held onto for too long—into the 2023 trash bin it goes! Keeping things neat, clean, tidy, and clear of baggage lightens your load and helps you feel in control.

2. Reduce what you tolerate.
Make a list of the things you’ve been putting up with and start crossing off the worst of it. If you’ve been letting people ignore boundaries, it’s time to reestablish them. If you’ve been putting up with clunky systems in your business that waste your time, it’s time to address that. Don’t walk into 2024 permitting the same old agitations to keep irking you.

3. Stock up.
Make sure you have the things you need to endure. You may not need to store food and stack firewood to make it through the winter, but your body is gearing down for a slower, hibernating pace despite your mounting to-do list. What can you have on hand to make the coming months easier?

If you take the time to prep for year-end now, you’ll see that the most important things will begin to emerge for you. You’ll create the space and ease to focus on finishing up what matters.

Do You Have a Business or a Hobby?

By Laura Berman Fortgang on October 29, 2023

Almost everyone seems to have entrepreneurial dreams these days.

With remote work becoming the norm, self-employment soaring, and the barrier to entry shrinking, more people are hanging their shingle, claiming to be open for business.

But just because it’s easier to start a business doesn’t mean it’s easy to find success. All too often, people underestimate the level of commitment it takes.

You can approach this one of two ways: as a hobbyist or as an actual business owner. You’re either taking this thing seriously or you’re not.

Are you sincere about building something lucrative and sustainable, or are you just dabbling in a non-committal way?

The answer may surprise you . . .

Because you can claim you’re in it to win, but if your results are showing otherwise, it’s time to get honest with yourself.

Here’s how to tell if your business is really more of a hobby —

You avoid talking to people. Rather than having a conversation with a potential client, you’d rather hide behind a website or steer clear of networking opportunities.
You don’t follow up. Instead of pursuing business, you leave it to luck.
You keep giving discounts. You’re so worried the prospect will say no (and you’ll have to go out and look for another one) that you won’t stand in your value.
You’re doing it all. Refusing to hire help, you remain chief cook and bottle washer.
You’re inconsistent. You try a little of this and a little of that, but you’re not sticking with anything long enough to make any meaningful progress.

Hobbies are great, but treating your business like a hobby is no way to reach your goals.

Here’s what to do instead —

Own it. Put your stake in the ground. Claim it and mean it: “I am a business owner.”
Make it clear. You need to get clear on your value, your offer, and your agreements.
Know your numbers. Reverse engineer your business to determine exactly what it takes to get the results you are targeting.
Identify your SS (your “Special Sauce”). What makes you unique? Know exactly how the value you offer is different from what everyone else is doing.

If you want to keep tinkering and tiddling around, be my guest. But if you want to own your business, make it work for you, and experience success, you’ll have to take a different approach.

Business Lessons My Latest Hobby Taught Me

By Laura Berman Fortgang on October 15, 2023

Earlier this year, I discovered a new hobby: Furniture Flipping.

In case you’ve missed this trend all over social media, it’s when people take tired old vintage, antique, or boring mass-produced furniture and freshen it up with paint, refinishing, and other creative ways to give it some oomph.

When I was clearing out some of my mom’s things, I found that people weren’t interested in buying outdated pieces — no matter the quality. The reality is, without some sprucing up, too many unloved items end up in the dump.

Once I started noticing what was hot on the market, I began looking around at my own things with a new perspective. Let’s just say there was room for improvement. I got to work on an antique dresser and fell in love with the results … and the process.

It turns out, furniture flipping is relaxing, fun, and fulfilling!

Before I knew it, I’d restored, upcycled, or modernized — and sold! — nine pieces.

Don’t worry, I’m not shutting down my coaching practice to flip furniture full-time, but I’m having a ton of fun and learning a lot along the way.

Here are the lessons I’ve picked up so far from this new hobby.

Everything takes longer than you think it will. 
Whether it’s stripping furniture stains or building a new website for your business, you have to be willing to stick it out and see it through to the end to get the results you want.

2. Mistakes are a skill builder. 
You could be aiming to deliver a perfectly smooth finish on a furniture piece or to deliver a perfectly polished conference talk. In either case, there’s probably room for improvement. Learn from where you went wrong and do better next time. Start reframing mistakes as skill builders, and you’ll benefit from every brush stroke.

3. Being flexible is a must. 
Things don’t always go as planned. When an antique piece you’d hoped to restore turns out to be too damaged to salvage, you may have to pivot, paint it instead, and give it a new life. The same goes for your business. That course you wanted to launch could be more profitable as a one-on-one offer. Being too precious about the original plan could end up costing you.

4. Find the joy.
Sometimes, even with the best intentions, you get in over your head. Maybe you took on a whole bedroom set before noticing the intricate carving and details, or maybe you took on a massive project with unexpected obstacles. You want the outcome, but the work is dragging you down. Stop, take a deep breath, look around, and find the joy again — the peace, fun, satisfaction, or fulfillment. What is it that brought you to this moment and how can you savor it?

I’m passionate about this hobby and plan to keep it going. As always, I’m growing, evolving, and finding lessons to share with you in everything I do.

Old Lessons Made New to Finish 2023 Strong

By Laura Berman Fortgang on September 24, 2023

It’s hard to believe we’re already heading into the fourth quarter of 2023, but it’s coming right up.

So … how’s it going?

Would your September 2022 self be proud?
Are you on track to reach your goals?
Did you blow by your wildest expectations?
Have you made some wrong turns or hit detours?

No matter where you are now, you still have time to finish even stronger and better. You have time to focus on what you want to get done by the end of this year.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot this week. As you may know, not only am I a Master Certified Credentialed Coach, but I’m also an ordained interfaith minister, incorporating wisdom and inspiration from ancient traditions around the world, into my work and every day.

This past weekend was Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, followed by a 10-day period of Judaism’s High Holy Days, and this coming Sunday marks Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement or holiest day of the year.

It’s a time for reflection and renewal, introspection and connection.

A time for shedding the old and celebrating new beginnings — wishing family and friends a year filled with happiness, health, and prosperity.

As well as a time for thinking back over the past year, facing your missteps, asking forgiveness, and considering how you may become a better person in the year ahead.

Whether you take part in these customs or not, you can consider this a reminder that life is full of opportunities to begin again and move forward with renewed energy.

This weekend also marks the official first day of fall. Just like the trees shed leaves, what do you want to let go of? What do you want to make room for?

If you haven’t done it by now, maybe you didn’t really want to — so dump it!

Or forgive yourself for putting it off this long — and get to it!

Whatever you’re looking to accomplish in your career or business, the year’s not over yet. Celebrate how far you’ve come, make peace with your setbacks, and reawaken your drive to succeed.

What are you scrappy and hungry for?

By Laura Berman Fortgang on May 14, 2023

I don’t know about you, but I am “scrappy and hungry, and I’m not throwin’ away my shot…”

If you’re one of the millions of people who enjoyed the hit sensation Hamilton, you may recognize this tune. Consider it our theme song for today.

I believe being scrappy and hungry is one of the under-appreciated keys to success. Sure, we say things like “hard work pays off,” but we tend to look at the people who’ve “made it” as capable, confident, and poised, forgetting they were once just getting started — scrappy, hungry, and willing to take a shot!

Their goals were worth it to them. Going after their dreams was worth the risk of being judged, getting it wrong, and putting in the work.

What about YOU? What are you scrappy and hungry for?

My clients often tell me they want to serve people, make an impact, grow a business, create change in the world, further a cause, make more money…the list goes on. They claim to really want it, but they’re not doing anything about it.

So my question for them and for YOU is this: If not now, WHEN?

Because I’ve asked it so many times, I have a pretty good idea what your answer is: “I don’t know.” And there’s a good chance you’ll follow that up with, “HOW do I know?”

I’ve noticed we humans have a hard time recognizing when we’re ready. There’s no clear-cut way to know for absolute certain, of course, but there are some telltale signs —

- You’re miserable.
- You have an “itch” that keeps nagging at you that something isn’t right.
- You’re daydreaming a lot, scrolling social media, envying folks who are doing what you want to do.

This is the universe, your internal guidance system, or whatever you believe whispering (or shouting!) at you that it’s time to TAKE YOUR SHOT.

But here’s the sign you most likely won’t get: an undeniable sense that you absolutely, without a doubt, feel ready. If you’re waiting for that, you’ll be waiting forever.

You’re going to have doubts. That’s normal. DO. IT. ANYWAY.

Get scrappy, listen to your hungry desire, and give it a real shot. Make your dream a priority.

Want to write a novel? Wake up every morning and write 1,000 words before getting out of bed.

Want to grow an audience on social media? Start posting valuable content every day; learn what they want from you.

Want to build a business? Focus on getting ONE customer or ONE client, and grow from there.