Marketing projects often fail because people and companies don’t have the time, energy and resources to implement them. They’re so busy with their day-to-day tasks that adding another ‘thing-to-do’ puts pressure on their schedule – and quickly overloads it.
When you’re already at your limits, starting something new isn’t the answer. You won’t have the mental energy to bring it to success. That’s like trying to drive a Ferrari and wondering why it won’t move without fuel.
So, before you even think about starting your next marketing project – you will need to refill your energy store, and close any leaks that ‘drain energy’ on path the behind you.
Let go and drop unnecessary weight
Race drivers try to keep their car as light as possible to prevent drag and move at faster speeds. Clearing out unnecessary items reduces the weight of their car and improves acceleration.
You can do the same before launching a new marketing project:
- Delete files and documents from previous projects. Go through any previous work files and trash anything you don’t need. Keeping unnecessary records just leads to digital clutter and keeps you locked-in on past ideas. And when you clear out old resources, you free up storage space (on your hard disk, server or cloud network) – and may be able to reduce operating costs.
- Clear out marketing collateral and gadgets. Many companies have a whole pile of marketing things that they no longer need: extra copies of flyers, old business cards, pens and gadgets with your logo, demo versions of customer gifts or even banners from past events. But you need room to start something new. So clean your office and storage. Give away what is usable and valuable (to customers, employees, local charities, etc.), but don’t be afraid to take unusable items to the nearest recycling facility or scrap yard.
- Cancel contracts and agreements that no longer serve your team: The more you work online, the higher the burden of maintaining old software, agreements and legacy tools can become. Go through the list of technologies and suppliers you work with, and stop anything that adds a substantial amount of time or cost to your team, without providing value in return.
- Delete old correspondence and cancel unnecessary email subscriptions: To reduce the mental strain on yourself and your team, look through your inbox and cancel any subscriptions you no longer need. While you’re at it, also consider deleting old messages – and ask if yourself if you really need records of customer communications from 5 or 10 years ago. (Be sure to keep anything you need for future communications or compliance with local laws, but anything else should be good to go).
After you have cleared out all this, you may already feel like a weight has been lifted on your shoulders. After all, there are no more legacy marketing assets dragging you down.
But there’s something else– all you have done so far is to practice letting go. The real value comes from letting go not just material and immaterial goods and assets, but old ideas, mental models, frameworks, habits and ways of working that won’t serve you in your new marketing project.
Find limiting beliefs that hold you back
Ask yourself what beliefs form a barrier to the successful execution of your project? Which mental road blocks stop your race car from accelerating on the fast lane?
Chances are, they sound something like this:
- I can’t …
- I don’t know how to …
- I don’t think I can ….
- If only …, then I could …
- I wish I could …
- It would be so much better if …
- I need … before I can …
- There is no way …
- I don’t want to …
- I don’t feel comfortable …
- I don’t have the skills/education/experience/resources/money/time/energy to …
- What will people think if I ….?
- What if I get rejected/don’t succeed/…?
- I doubt if …
If you’re stuck here and can’t find any limiting beliefs – check out this flowchart to see which negative thoughts that may be holding you back.
Reframe limiting beliefs
Whenever you find a limiting belief, reframe it so it supports your goal.
For example, “I don’t have the skills to write an email to potential clients” can turn into “I will learn how to write an email to potential clients, by looking up a few successful examples online and then practicing until I see the results I want”
You can also start a document with all your limiting beliefs and the new beliefs you want to adopt, like this:
| Limiting belief | How it holds you back | The result you want instead | New belief that supports your result |
| Example: I am afraid what people will think about the new marketing campaign. | Example: I don’t launch the campaign. | Example: I want to feel comfortable launching my marketing campaign. | Example: I create the best possible campaign in line with my values and trust that whatever response I get, it will serve my business in one form or another. |
For particularly deep-seated and persistent beliefs, you can also use the power of rituals to let them go.
3 more ways to let limiting beliefs go
Ritual 1: Let go of limiting beliefs with the four elements (Earth, Air, Water, Fire)
Write your limiting belief on a piece of paper, then:
- Flush it down the toilet
- Burn it
- Bury it in the Earth
- Let the wind carry it away
If you don’t want to do any of these physically, you can also simply picture how the limiting belief dissolves in your mind as the four elements transcend it.
Ritual 2: Separate yourself from the limiting belief
Picture two overlapping circles, like an empty Venn diagram. Then step into one the circles and write your limiting belief in the other circle. Now use a tool of your choice (e.g. a wall, a gun, a crowbar, the force of the air, etc.) to push the two circles apart.
Allow the circle with the limiting belief to move further and further away from you until it disappears in the distance.
Ritual 3: Thank your belief for having served you and wave it goodbye
Take a moment to thank yourself for the experiences you had as a result of your belief. If you had any negative experiences, forgive yourself for creating those experiences and for holding on to that belief.
Once you’re at peace with that belief, wave it goodbye and watch it move away from you. Then imagine your new belief coming closer to you. Hug and embrace your new belief and give it a warm welcome. Invite it to help and serve you throughout your new marketing project.
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