This was definitely cringe…

First of all, I just wanted to start by saying thank you for all the sweet notes of encouragement I received after last week’s letter. It truly meant so much to me!

Although I was pretty nervous about speaking in front of my kids for the first time ever, my talk in Mexico went as well as I could have hoped. 

My youngest daughter told me, “well mom, the beginning was a little awkward, but you recovered well.”

I think that’s basically high praise from a teenager, right? 

Since I didn’t speak until the last day, they were full of advice beforehand about all the things I shouldn’t do.

“Don’t talk to us like we’re babies. Talk to us like we’re adults, just make it interesting.”

“Don’t be all hyper and loud. That’s cringe.”

“Don’t try to be funny. You’re not funny, mom.”

“Don’t tell people you’re nervous.”

And above all: “Don’t talk about us or point us out in the crowd!”

The topic I was asked to speak on was, “How to Take What You Know and Turn it Into an Info Product,” which was definitely a subject I felt comfortable talking about, given that it’s exactly what I’ve been doing for the last fourteen years.

But because I wanted to make it interesting enough for my kids to actually pay attention, I decided to just tell the story of how I started, and some of the big lessons I learned along the way.

I shared how I started my online career as a Mommy Blogger, which is basically the equivalent of being an “influencer” today, sharing about my life and how I was saving money with coupons and creating systems to manage my home.

I showed screenshots of my embarrassingly terrible first blog, and explained how when I first started blogging, I had literally no idea what I was doing. I just had to start.

And that was my first lesson: Just start with something, even if it’s terrible (or “cringe,” as the kids like to say).

Then I shared how soon after I started, I realized that there were other bloggers making money doing the same thing I was doing for free, and I decided that I wanted to do that too. I set a goal to make enough money blogging that my husband could quit his job, which he told me was the dumbest idea I had ever had.

Hence, my second lesson: You have to believe in yourself before anyone else does.

So I kept going. I kept sharing my life and what was working for me. And I noticed that some topics resonated way more than others, so I kept talking about those things.

That was my third lesson: Just share what you know and see what sticks.

And while it took 3 long years of trying—three years where everyone I knew thought I was a little bit crazy for spending so much time and effort on this dumb little blog—eventually I did start making enough money from my online business that my husband could quit his job.

Crazy right? It was crazy. It was also terrifying.

Because all of the sudden this silly little blog was responsible for supporting my whole family, for keeping a roof over our heads and food on our table.

Hence my fourth lesson: When you take a risk, you’ll be forced to get better.

Because at that point, there was no going back. And I started working harder than I ever had in my entire life, mostly because I was so afraid it could all go away at any minute.

But that was also the point where everyone suddenly wanted to know how I had done it. How I had made enough money blogging that my husband could quit his job.

In response, I wrote a book called How to Blog for Profit Without Selling Your Soul.

That book went on to sell hundreds of thousands of copies and taught me my next BIG lesson:

The best way to make money online is by selling your own products.

So at first I sold books and workbooks and even a planner.

But there was one big question that everyone kept asking me again and again, in many different ways. It was this: “There’s so much information out there, and I’m so overwhelmed. Can you just tell me what I need to do, step by step, in order to be successful.”

And I realized that I could. In fact that’s what I had been doing the whole time.

And that was my most important lesson of all: Take what you know and create a system.

The first system I created was called Elite Blog Academy—a step by step process for how to create a successful, profitable online business. 

Then I created systems like Living Well Academy for getting organized at home, and Tame Your Time for managing your time.

And most recently, I took everything I learned from my own health journey and created the Thin Adapted System (aka TAS) to help women over 40 like me lose weight and get healthy.

That’s it. That’s my whole secret.

So why am I sharing this with you today? Well, I guess mostly because it’s just what’s on my mind, having just spent the last week preparing and delivering this talk.

But regardless of where you are in life right now, and whatever it is you want to do, I think there are some important takeaways for all of us.

Often we see other people doing what seem like amazing things, and we think, “oh, I could never do that,” or even, “it’s too late for me to try.”

But that’s not true.

What’s true is that a.) you just have to start, and b.) you have to be willing to believe in yourself before anyone else really understands.

If you can just do those two things, just take those two simple leaps of faith, the rest of the path will eventually appear, no matter what it is you want to do.

Jim Rohn once said, “start from wherever you are and with whatever you’ve got.” Along those same lines, Lucille Ball wisely advised, “I’d rather regret the things I’ve done than the things I haven’t done.”

In other words? Don’t overthink it. Just start.

And that’s my challenge for you this week! What is the thing you’ve been overthinking, or procrastinating, or worried about getting perfect before you can actually begin? I encourage you to take a step, even a small one, in the right direction. Action is the antidote to fear!

Live with purpose, friend, and have an amazing week!

xoxo, Ruth

P.S. Speaking of Elite Blog Academy, this week only my team has unlocked the vault to our entire library of past courses and programs. For just $297 you can get access to more than $13,000 in resources for starting and growing an online business. It’s an INSANE deal and definitely worth checking out if you’ve ever thought about starting a blog or online business! Find out more HERE.

This week’s podcast episode…

What’s cooking in my kitchen…

Here’s the recipe I shared this past week:

The latest from my Instagram…

Instagram is my jam! If you’re there too, I’d love to connect with you—find me at @RuthSoukup or @ruthsoukupbiz for online business tips!

What’s Happening Around RSO…