Do you feel fully supported by those you choose to have in your orbit?

Are your contractors genuinely passionate about what you’re offering to the world? That goes for your creative, legal, and accounting teams, your mentors, collaborators and closest confidantes. Are you just a number or a valued asset?

Or maybe you’re thinking about building a new business this year, have you taken the time to get clear on how you want to feel and the energy you need to cultivate around you to traverse you forward? 

Energy is everything and perception is your reality. If you feel like you're losing energy from a particular partner, it’s time to level up. As a creative, artist or business owner, your energy is the fuel for your business and the driving force for your greatness. Be sure you have been very upfront and clear about your expectations, boundaries and needs, and if they aren’t being met, that’s a sign to reassess the partnership.

It’s completely achievable and absolutely essential to surround yourself with a team of supporters who value you and what you desire to create. Typically, I see a tendency with some of my clients to accept attitudes and experiences that leave them feeling guilty, frustrated and exhausted by their team. Ever heard of someone “pissing in your pool”? All it takes is one person on or around your team with the wrong attitude or lack of passion, to contaminate your whole landscape. 

Here’s an example of what you deserve from the right supporter. My accountant gives me the same amount of respect, enthusiasm and attention as his multi million dollar clients. From our first meeting I was really clear on what I needed in the partnership and shared transparency over how I plan to grow my business. He is passionate about supporting startups and creative ventures and gives me the time of day to explain all I need to know to thrive, because he has a genuine interest in seeing my small business grow (shout out to Allen Hall Partners). When I leave a call from him, I feel seen, heard, valued and expansive. This is how you want to feel when dealing with all of the people you invite into your business. This subtle choice will set you up for creative success.

We can often get stuck in a limiting paradigm, of believing what we currently have is the best there is, or we have an “it will do” mentality. We tend to accept a certain way of being met, even when it doesn’t match our desires. In order to grow, we must be constantly reassessing the energy we are cultivating and the evolving needs in our life and creative business. We can then take calculated risks in finding someone new that is in alignment with our intentions, so we can expand into a new way of creating with ease and flow.

For anyone who has a creative vision for the future, these are some essential questions to ask yourself that can make or break your success. We can spend a lot of time, money and energy engaging with people who aren’t that invested in our vision or don’t have the ideal match of skills, energy and vibration for what we want to create.

Here are some key reflective prompts to help you assess your supportive foundation - 

How do I need to feel in my business/life to achieve my vision and intentions?

What does true support look and feel like at this point in my business/life?

Am I running a story that limits my capacity to truly be supported?

Where do I feel a heavy weight, unnecessary energy expenditure or constriction in the relationships in and around my business/life?

Make a list of every person who has a key role/function in or around bringing your creations to life.

Now go through each one and describe how they truly make you feel after interacting with them.

Then reflect on and detail how you would like each to support you.

Finally, consider where and how you can change the dynamics of those partnerships that are not representing the type of support you need to thrive.

You can only grow in relation to the fertile ground you cultivate for yourself. Take a closer look at which weeds need to be pulled and new seeds need to be planted so you can manifest your wildest imaginings.