External Validation & ROI

How many times do we look outside ourselves for external validation?

For most people on this planet, the answer is: A LOT. Often, more than we realize … because we might not recognize that this is what we’re doing. After all, we have a lot of other names for external validation. In the business space, this includes terms like success and return on investment (ROI).

I’ve been dancing with the conscious and unconscious desire for external validation a lot lately, thanks to my Book Marketing Adventure. (It feels yummy to give this part of the journey a proper name, so let’s go with that! 😆)

“Big Things”

Not surprisingly, my Book Marketing Adventure has turned out to be like most big things on our journeys. By big things, the Angels and I mean things that get a lot of our attention and energy. Sometimes, the big thing is a particular relationship. Other times, it’s a body symptom. For me, right now, it’s (mostly!) the Book Marketing Adventure.

And … with great Love … the Angels “use” these big things. Not to punish us. Not even to “teach us a lesson.”

Rather, the Angels say that they use these big things to help us:

• Let go of gunk; and

• Love ourselves more.

So beautiful. But not always so fun in the moment.

A Former Marketing “Expert”

One thing you may not know about me is that I actually have a lot of experience with marketing. I owned my first marketing-related business in the 1990s, writing press releases, website content, catalog copy and other marketing materials for companies that made racing and high-performance car parts.

Later, I was a spokesperson for the automotive aftermarket. I did hundreds of radio, TV and print-media interviews to help regular folks decide they’d like to make their vehicles “more fun, more comfortable and convenient, and more attractive.”

I also started my own public relations (PR) agency. And, later, I was partners in a business that got our clients’ products into the big retail chains—plus, we made sure people actually bought those products once they were in the stores.

In other words, by the time I self-published this book, I had a lot of experience with marketing.

Old-Reality Metrics

The Angels are laughing because I know a lot about how marketing “should” be done … in the old reality!

I know how to track return on investment (ROI), because marketers want to “move the needle,” and they need to prove their value/effectiveness to their clients and bosses. To do this, they keep track of all kinds of metrics, like product sales and the number of social media followers and email subscribers.

Not only do marketers (and almost all businesspeople) want to see those numbers going up, they also want to see how those metrics change in response to a specific activity. For example, let’s say my interview on so-and-so’s podcast went live on Thursday, which generated 2,000+ YouTube views, 25 comments on Facebook, etc., etc., etc.

In the old reality, that specific activity—like a podcast interview going live—is viewed as the cause. And the increase in whatever thing we’re measuring is the effect. Right?

Of course, trying to measure cause-and-effect is always tricky; the world is not nearly as cut-and-dried as we sometimes wish it would be. For instance, sometimes people start watching a podcast on Tuesday and finish it on Saturday, then sign up for the guest’s email list, which could “fool” marketers into thinking those people were reacting to something that happened on Saturday, when really, the “cause” of their action was the thing that happened on Tuesday. And that’s a super-simple example in a super-complex world.

Still Looking for External Validation

Of course, I know that measuring the effects of marketing activities can be incredibly tricky. And yet … I was still looking to move the needle, overall. I still hoped that the podcast tour would “result” in lots of book sales, lots of new social media followers, lots of views on various podcast platforms, lots of new email subscribers…

Part of me thought/hoped/wished that if lots of people heard me talking about the book and the Angels, they’d really like me … and buy the book … and tell their friends. And it would turn into this gigantic grassroots movement!

And … while one of the podcast interviews I did has been viewed 10,000+ times and another has been viewed 2,000+ times, the truth is: I haven’t seen big changes in the numbers. Plus, Amazon doesn’t report book sales until 4 months after they happen, so I have no idea how many books have sold as a “result” of the Book Marketing Adventure.

Because this adventure has been going on for several months now, my Inner Child has been getting more and more upset. She felt like we’d invited thousands of people to a party, and hardly anyone was showing up.

I realized that, on some level, I was telling myself a “failure” story, and I felt sad and deflated.

New-Reality ROI

Then, a few days ago, I had an incredible conversation with Delores. She reminded me that cause-and-effect is part of the old, 3D reality. So, of course it feels wonky … and yucky.

But I’m not here to “succeed” in the old reality.

I’m here to co-create the New Reality: a 5D reality based in Divine Unconditional Love.

The minute I remembered that, I let go of all those old-reality marketing metrics. And I remembered that selling books is just icing on the cake.

The real point of the Book Marketing Adventure is “being a spokesperson for the Angels.” I get to share uplifting, inspiring messages with the world, to help people receive their Divine guidance and feel the Angels’ love.

Not because I “should,” but because I love doing it. Doing podcast interviews fills me with joy. It’s fun and easy. It feels like the work I was “built to do” … and also trained to do by the Angels—in part, by acting as a spokesperson for the automotive aftermarket all those years ago! 

Also, the Angels showed me that I’ll never be able to measure the “results” of our work together on the Book Marketing Adventure. Most of those results are intangible. For instance, the Angels said that some of the people who’ve heard these podcasts and seen these social media reels now have much better relationships with their children, and significant others, and friends. Some have finally started a business they’ve always wanted to start. Some were really struggling emotionally, and now they’ve found hope. And some are “just” reaching out to the Angels more often, so they’re feeling more supported and guided. 🥹

Talk about ROI! That’s HUGE.

And … still … one could say that this kind of ROI is “for others,” more than it’s for me. 

But then Delores asked another amazing Delores question: What’s the ROI of this Book Marketing Adventure for me?

That’s when I recognized that the real return on investment, for me, is co-creating a world I want to live in!

OMG.

Is that “better” than external validation? Um, hell yes!

What About You?

I suspect I’m not the only one going through this kind of external validation/ROI adventure right now. So, the Angels are inviting you to play, too.

If you consider your life right now, are there areas where you’re looking for external validation … in obvious or more sneaky ways?

Are there any places you’ve been telling yourself a “failure” or “not doing it right/well enough” story?

If so, please don’t give yourself a hard time about it.

Instead, let’s delegate all of this to the Angels:

Thank you, Angels, for dissolving our needs and desires for external validation. Thank you for dissolving any programming that would have us seeking measurable cause-and-effect results. Thank you for showing us the real difference we make in the world, simply by being ourselves. And thank you for showing us our True ROI.