"Failure," Expectations & Coming Out Stronger

All month long, I'd been planning for the launch of The Strong Inside Out Tour. I was beyond excited about how much more effective our movement would be this time around, how many more lives we could change and how much longer we could help them stay active and motivated!On Friday, I released my efforts back into the world... to more vacation autoresponders than I've ever seen in my life.Friends had told me, "Friday isn't a good idea," and "Are you sure you want to launch in the Summer?"I didn't listen. I knew what needed to happen, and I knew it would take me longer than a Spring launch would allow. I believed it would come together if I put my all into it.Sometimes, you can do your best, and it's still not enough. Sometimes, you just don't get what you want.With so many people leaving for summer vacation, I got tons of vacation autoresponders from Strongies' emails. Facebook seemed deserted and even more frustrating, my email service was feeling the effects of Mercury being in retrograde: it didn't send emails through from me for an entire day after I sent them!Excuses aside, the launch wasn't what I expected it to be. We've started a lot slower this year......but that doesn't mean all is lost. It just means I need to get more creative with my approach.Today, I'm going over the lessons I've learned from this weekend, and detailing how I reframe my setbacks to keep moving forward. I'm staying positive and hopefully, you can take something away from today's post to help you keep the faith when you don't get what you want.

Re-examine "Failure"

What if I've made a horrible mistake?...was the pervasive voice of panic echoing from my gut all weekend.People were donating, and for that I was extremely thankful! If you have donated, THANK YOU from the depths of my heart.As I watched the numbers trickle in at a slower pace than that of last year's campaign, I couldn't help but compare this year's campaign to 30x30, and the worry began to spread through me.On the first day of our campaign last year, we raised 20% of our entire goal. This weekend was a different experience. All my old doubts and fears began to come out of their cages...

Who would want to help you? You're not good enough to be the voice of this movement.

Why are you even doing this? You should have never left your training business! Maybe there's a reason no one's done this before- because it's a ridiculous idea to try to change the world.

What are you, stupid?! You should have done X, Y & Z differently. Now you're gonna crash and burn with all eyes on you.

Ok, ok, stop! I was not failing, per se. Making 10% on day one of a 28-day campaign is not a failure, and there were people supporting to be grateful for!My catastrophizing mind was doing the talking. I worked so hard to rewire that years ago. I wasn't going to let it take over now.So I stopped, got centered and stopped dwelling on all the things I was doing wrong. Then, I started to concentrate on what was going right.

• We made 10% of our goal in the first of 28 days. Not too shabby.
• We launched on indiegogo without any hiccups in technology.
• We were starting to open the eyes of the struggling just by sharing the video.

I had plenty to celebrate. There were all these donations to be thankful for.Deep breaths. A few tears.I had not failed. This was not personal. I just wasn't fulfilling my very high expectations.

Expectations Can Make Or Break You

Coming off of last year's 30x30 Project and the enormous response we received, I had very high hopes for this year's launch. What I didn't take into account was this:

• It's my second year doing this, so I need to do more than simply let people know about it. You all know what we do; it's what we're planning to do this year that needs to be amplified.
• It's the beginning of a long weekend for many families whose kids just got out of school. Things might run a little slow.
• No one has really seen the effects of last year's tour besides the growth of the movement in terms of awareness.

Because I am so dedicated to this cause, because it is my life, I expect other people to know everything about what I'm planning and the kind of change we can create in others.So I assume, and move forward, instead of showing people what will happen, what has happened.As open a book as I am, I've learned this weekend that I need to be more transparent with the exact details of what I'm planning. I can't be afraid to scream this from the rooftops even if I think everyone knows already. They don't.I got a Facebook message from a friend of mine, basically yelling at me for not asking him to help spread the word. It was eye-opening for me.I was guilty of exactly what I advise those of you who struggle to overcome: I was too afraid to ask for help.The people who love you really do want to help. You can't be afraid to ask for it. They'll be more angry seeing you in pain than they would if you asked for their support!Along with that, I determined my next move.

Have A Cry, Then Go Do Something About It

Friday was emotional for me. In my downtrodden state, I talked to my good friend, Lisa, who is quite inspiring in her own rite, and she gave me some amazing advice:

"Stop asking for money, and show everyone what being a part of this movement means!"

Hearing that, a light flicked on in my head in a fit of sparkles and flame.I approached this launch with trepidation because asking for money is extremely uncomfortable to me. Having lived paycheck-to-paycheck for a long time in my life, I assume that it's a lot to ask of someone.And in a way, it is. I know how hard you work for your cash, and I have the utmost respect for that.But your donations aren't for ME.Every penny I raise is spent on making these events and the ongoing program the best it can possibly be for the cause. I'm not going shopping. I'm not going out to extravagant dinners. I'm not even paying my rent with this fundraising money.Being a part of this movement by donating to it allows us to inject the hope directly into the people who need it, and give them the means to DO something with it.In order to get this message out to them, I do need monetary help, but I also want to show you exactly what you are helping the movement accomplish! That's why I decided to start something new:

Later this week, I'm releasing a new audio series of stories called The Strength Sessions.

I'm interviewing the people I met along last year's tour who refused to give up after we met, and sharing their stories with you. We'll chat about their triumphs over darkness, and how this movement has helped them get there.These brave souls have agreed to be interviewed by me, as scary as it is to share stories out loud, because the movement has helped them change their lives.This movement means so much to people who struggle every day without hope for a better life, and you'll finally get to hear it directly from them. Stay on the lookout for the very first interview on Thursday!The people who need this deserve the work it will take to get it in front of them, and I'm committing to screaming as loud as it takes for them to turn around and see the light.

Click here to see our campaign and please, share it like there's no tomorrow.

On your blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, podcast, in emails, by calling people over the phone, in person, and wherever else we can amp up this message. Your voice matters, however you choose to use it.We will win over struggle, Strongies. We have everything in us to spread this hope and strength across the world. I hope you'll be a part of this movement with me.Stay strong,Amy