I had an epiphany last week.

After listening to my 27^th webinar of the week and looking at my to-do list: buy “Facebook Ad for Newbies” program, sign up for “How to Create Your Sales Funnel” module, and start on “Using Twitter to Grow Your Biz” tutorial, I felt a little (ok, really) overwhelmed.

That’s not even including the two online programs I already purchased and haven’t even started yet.

I felt like I needed to raise my hand to a phantom “Addicts Anonymous” group and say, “Hi, my name is Jenn and I am addicted to buying online programs.”

It’s ironic that I have these compulsive behaviors around business program purchases.

Ironic because I used to exhibit these addictive tendencies when I had an eating disorder.

All of the compulsive inclinations, negative thoughts, self-doubt, and the addictive trap that the “next product should fix my disorder” I had throughout my eating issues seem to have found their way back into my life in my business mindset…

My ephipony rang loud and clear:

What I used to do with food, I’m doing in my business.

A quick backstory:

I used to be a binge-eater. Like a crazy, obsessed, stuff-my-face-with-double-oreos-until-I-felt-sick kind of eater. And then I was a restrictive-eater. Like eat only green-peppers-with-fat-free-ranch-dressing-for-lunch kind of dieter. As with most eating disorders, I cycled back through both of these extremes through the years, losing and gaining the same 60 pounds over and over.

Fast forward to today. I don’t binge. I don’t diet. I eat normally. I don’t think about my body 24/7 like I used to. I started a business to help others achieve this same freedom around food in their lives.

Despite having conquered my crazy tendencies around food, I’ve found myself knee-deep in the same tendencies with my business.

I sign up for webinar after webinar, I purchase courses that I don’t finish, I buy products that promise to make me a success…all with the hope that I will make more money, be an online success story, and create a 6 figure biz overnight.

When I was knee deep in crazy, all over the board eating, I was addicted to buying anything that promised me weight loss. You name it, I tried it.

The Hollywood Diet (horrendously awful tasting orange drink), bottles and bottles of diet pills (this can totally F up your heart-do NOT buy these), session upon session of hyrdo colon therapy (don’t know what this is? You’re in for a real treat), cleanses that included nothing but juicing and vitamins, and book after book that promised weight loss.

(Confession: I so desperately wanted a 6-pack that I bought this vibrating ab-belt that swore you would get a 6 pack just by wearing it. Results: It did not give me anything remotely related to ab muscles).

Between products, “solutions”, and cleanses, I must have spent $20,000 over the years.

And now, I’ve noticed that same compulsive mindset in the way I approach my business. Anything that promises “How to Create a 5 Figure Product Launch” “How to get 10k Facebook Likes” “How to Be Rich by Doing Nothing and Selling All of Your Products” (You get the point), I buy.

Now, I’m not saying some of these programs aren’t worth it. Many of them are.  B-School rocked my world. Lucky Bitch Bootcamp introduced the phrase money blocks into my vocabulary. Get your First 1000 subscribers was jam packed with info.

And there are others out there that are helpful and awesome.  It’s the mindset behind the buying that I’m talking about. The compulsion and FOMO of “wait, I think THIS is the program that will now solve all of my problems.”

Now, I’m really writing this post for me, to try to reassure myself that since I did recover from stuffing my face with far too many oreos, I will also recover from the anxious, grasping, desperate feeling I get when I see a new program I want to buy. (So next time I’m back being negative Nancy in the B-School forum, you have permission to direct me back to my own link 🙂 )

But I’m also writing this for you.  Because I think so many of us can relate to this. Our mindset around food and business is our mindset around so many other areas of our lives. So improving your mindset in one area, directly correlates to improvement in another. So here it is, my lovely B-Schoolers, three super handy dandy things to keep in your back pocket.

Whether you’re reaching for one too many double stuffed oreos or just your 456th webinar of the week, remember these three life lessons in food and biz:

There is no “it” that fixes everything.

With lasting weight loss, growing a business, or improving your love life, there is no be-all, end-all solution. It is a journey of detours, winding roads, and unexplored areas. True change and growth takes time, and programs/products/solutions can guide you in your journey, but they can’t solve your problems overnight.

It took me a LONG time to learn that in the food realm, and I’m just now learning that in my business. Just because you buy a program, go on a diet, or sign up for a challenge, doesn’t mean that your life is suddenly all sunshine and butterflies. You aren’t going to grow your email list overnight, create lasting weight loss through dieting, or be a 6 figure biz owner by tomorrow.  Real, authentic, and LASTING change takes time and work.

Take what resonates with you and leave the rest.

There are tons of solutions out there. When I was in diet mode, I used to get confused with what was right for me. Should I do South Beach? Or Atkins? What about Paleo? I read that fat was good you, then fat was bad for you. I heard that artificial sweetener was a healthy sugar substitute, wait, no, artificial sweetener causes cancer.

I never knew which advice to be following and what would work for me. It’s the same in the business world. A Facebook guru says to create ads this way, another says do it this way. One person swears by putting the price on your website, someone else promises if you don’t, no one will buy. It is so easy to get confused in the sea of information about what we are “supposed” to do.

This is where it’s important to tune in to your intuition and gut. What feels right for you? Does this advice feel good to follow? What makes you excited to try? In any area of life, it’s important to remember to take what feels right for YOU and leave anything that doesn’t resonate.

Happiness is not over “there”.

I realized the reason behind many of my compulsive weight loss purchases were based on one thing. I thought it would make me happier. Same with my business buying habits. I convince myself this program is THE solution that would solve my immediate problem and then boom, I buy it and unrealistically believe I’m suddenly going to be a happy and successful and a thriving entrepreneur.

But happiness is not at the end of the journey. You can’t have a happy ending from an unhappy journey. Life is now. The learning, the aliveness, the inspiration is here, exactly where you are. There is so much to learn and treasure from whatever point you are on in your journey.

I spent a good 10 years of my life thinking that when I “got skinny”, I would finally be happy. It pains me to think about how much living I missed out on because I was waiting until the “end”-when I had achieved my ideal weight-to actually live. I’m slowly integrating this huge life lesson into my own business journey. I want to be grateful for all that I have achieved so far and not get caught up in the end goal. Because if I focus on my happiness being over “there”, I’m missing all of the amazing parts of life going on right as we speak.

There it is, my fellow business builders and Oreo-loving ladies. I hope this helps you as you continue to navigate the sometimes rough waters of growing an online biz (and late night cravings for food!)

So, tell me-where have you noticed these addictive tendencies in your life (food or business-wise)? Spill the beans! Because when we air our “dirty laundry” in a community of like-minded people, well…we all realize that we aren’t really that crazy, after all! 🙂