Why Preparation Is the Key to Confidence

[00:00:00] Hey hey, I'm Shana A and you're listening to the delightful audiosodes. These mini episodes are designed to spark inspiration and provide practical tips for those therapists looking to diversify their professional income and build lucrative, fulfilling careers beyond the couch. You're listening to season two, episode 15, why preparation is the Key to Confidence let's talk about something that might sound contradictory to what we just talked about last week. Last time we explored the danger of over explaining and how to make imperfect action. But this week I'm flipping the script a little bit because yes, you shouldn't overthink everything, but you do need to prepare and I want to tell you why that difference matters and how preparation is the quiet foundation that fuels my confidence. So here's the show. So let me tell you a little bit about my personal preparation story. One of the ways I keep my head clear is by having a strong structure that I'm not bound to. So this year I plan the year for my content in advance. I have themes, I have different write ups for the different things I want to do. Whether that's long form video, short form video, these audiosodes, there's all a theme and it's set into place over the full year. But even though I created all of this, I never actually put it on the schedule. And here's why. I wanted the flexibility to be able to shift as my message becomes more aligned, as new opportunities arise, and as my audience gives me feedback in real time. The power of this kind of preparation isn't about perfection, it's about clarity. It means I don't have to start from scratch every time I sit down to post, record or share. I'm actually editing and improving. Not just space spinning. And that's the energy I want to help you build in your business. So I think that for me, if I had a schedule, I wouldn't be able to stick to it because so many things come up. But I had a loose guidance of what I was going to be able to do so that if nothing exciting was coming up or nothing I wanted to engage in came up, I still had the foundation and it was a lot easier for me to schedule from that foundation than having nothing and hoping something would come up. Now I do still schedule my stuff because I still think it's important to schedule. I'm just not scheduling so far out in advance that I can't change it. And of course you can always change your schedule. But what I'm saying is I'm not scheduling so far out in advance that I feel bound to it. So I might schedule a month in advance, a week in advance, and that I feel like I can stick up to. And I feel relieved because when the week comes, I don't have to double think about it at all. I know that content is going to get out there at the times that it needs to get out there. And when you're posting content, the times that you're posting content is in fact important. If you were to go and look at your analytics, you'll see that people respond at certain times. And when you are posting over a period of time, you can see how that engagement is affected. So for me, I've noticed that more people engage in my content. So certain times of the day I want to make sure that there's content coming out at those times of day. But if I'm not on schedule, then I'm not going to get those out at the time where I would see it have the most impact and tell me the most that I need to know about my business. It also decreases my engagement. So having the schedule is important. It's just not very far out in advance. For the advanced stuff, I have more of a framework that I'm working through. And so I did put preparation time into that framework. I just didn't put it up front into the schedule week to week. So let's talk about preparation. I'm going to give you three steps to healthily prep that supports your expansion. So one, you want to prepare your foundation, not the final draft. It's not going to be the final version. It is just the basis of everything that you're trying to do. So don't worry about having every single piece perfect. Just build on the base, know who you're speaking to, know what you want your business to make possible for your life. And then use this to make it about clarity. Don't make it over complex. You want this to be clear and simple so that you're not overwhelmed by it. Two, you want to make sure that you're making room for flexibility. Preparation isn't rigidity. It's about creating a container so that you can flex inside of it. Just like my content plan. It's a guide, not a rule. You don't have to lock yourself in, you just need to know where you're headed. And then three, create a reusable system. So templates, scripts, swipe files, plug and play tools, AI. These are things that let you work smarter, not harder. Preparation that reduces the emotional and cognitive load. That's what you want. That's the kind that leads to consistency and that consistency builds confidence. So here's how you're going to build the Win of the week. I've got a couple of things going on. The first being the Therapy Intensive Summit is almost here and I am thrilled to be a speaker and be on the marketing panel. This summit is packed with speakers sharing how to create and deliver powerful therapy intensives and work that's going to help in your therapy expansion for your business. If you're even curious about the business model, this is the place to be. The link to register is in the show notes. It's free to register, it's packed with value and I want you in the room. And yes, there are upgrades. This is the summit that you do want to upgrade for. Another way to catch the win of the week is the community highlight the delightful clinician Patreon. Inside the Patreon, we're going deeper on everything we talk about here. Strategy, content, mindset, monetization. If you want ongoing support behind the scenes and many implementations to move faster with less second guessing, the Patreon is for you. You can join for just a few dollars a month. Details are in the show notes and yes, there is a free version that you can get in on, but I'm telling you, you want to get in at the top. This week I want you to just think about how you can utilize these three steps to healthily prep for the business that supports your expansion. As we creep slower to summer, this is the time when therapists really start thinking about their business. Because you may have some downtime, this is the perfect time to start putting things into place. So definitely try and think about how you can prepare your foundation, make room for flexibility and create a usable system. And if you're a member of the Patreon, let me know inside so we can talk more about what that may look like for you. I've got a lot of cool and exciting things coming up. I'm so excited that you're here. Let's talk about the final thoughts and wrap this all up. Preparation does not have to mean pressure. It's not about being perfect. It's about being ready enough to move with confidence. So this week ask yourself, what could you prepare just enough to make showing up easier. That one step could be the thing that shifts your whole season. I'll see you next time. And don't forget to register for the Therapy Intensive Summit and check out the Patreon if you're ready to go deeper. Until then, keep building, keep growing and keep showing up for the business and the life that you're creating. I'll see you next time. Bye for now.