Hey Reader,

I got a reply to last week's email that surprised me a little.

"Stop with your stupid advice."

That was the message.

I smiled. And then I hit delete and unsubscribed the reader from my list.

Because here's the thing: a few years ago, that one reply would have undone me.

I spent twenty years in corporate, and somewhere along the way, I developed a habit of fixating on the one thing I wasn't doing right. One piece of critical feedback in a sea of positive ones, and that was the thing I'd carry home. That was the thing I'd replay in my head over and over again.

When I became an entrepreneur, I brought that habit with me. One unsubscribe. One negative comment. One person who didn't get it. And suddenly I was questioning everything.

It took years to unlearn.

But here's what came in alongside that one reply, dozens of the following:

• "Thank you for all your lovely emails and for all the hard work you're doing to keep the rest of us sane."
• "THIS!!! So good, Amy!! Thank you for sharing."
• "I'd love to hear your talk. Just like you said, waiting is not good for anyone!"

One person told me to stop. Others said keep going.

I'll keep going.

I once heard Nicole Burke of Gardenary say on Amy Porterfield's podcast:

I've never forgotten it.

When you try to be for everyone, you end up being for no one. You customize your offer for every person who asks. You say yes to whatever the client wants instead of leading them toward what they actually need.

Your message gets watered down. Your offer gets fuzzy. And the woman who actually needs you, who is out there right now, looking for someone exactly like you, well, she can't find you because generic doesn't get found.

Let the wrong clients go.

They are clutter.

I know that's easier said than done. I know because I lived it. As women, we are wired to want everyone's approval. We second-guess ourselves when someone pushes back. We shrink when we should stand confident.

There's even research on this: women are 100% qualified but only 60% confident. Men are the opposite. We wait until we're certain. Until we feel ready. Until no one objects.

And in the meantime, the people who need us are waiting.

Here's my question for you, and I really want you to hit reply on this one:

I want to know. Because if the answer is yes, you are not alone, and I have some thoughts.

Hit reply...what stopped you?

Amy

P.S. I shared this story on social media this week too, including the actual reply. If you want to see it, [link to post].