What Jumanji Taught Me About Leveling Up in Life and Business

I am so excited for Christmas and I already know what I want! Can you guess?

If you are a long time reader you know I love the Jumanji movies. The new ones, that is… It’s funny because I didn’t really like the first Jumanji movie. I watched Welcome to the Jungle with the kids thinking I wouldn’t like it either but it became one of my all time faves. The Next Level came out and I loved it as well. 

Well, the 3rd movie in the series will come out this Christmas and I am THERE for it!

Besides being great adventure movies they just get so much right about life and how to live it. Not to be too much of a spoiler, but in the movies the characters find themselves stuck inside a video game. They embody their game avatars, who are very unlike their real life selves. Most of the avatars have pretty glaring weaknesses as well as impressive strengths and the characters have to learn to appreciate their strengths as well as collaborate and lean on those with the opposite traits. They have to become a team.

The characters decide to take the best parts of their avatars back to the real world with them… to be like them every day. I also decided to become my avatar. Every year I ask myself, who is my avatar now? And then I act as her. I have a private Pinterest board called Avatar where I save inspirations for this year’s goal. And as I meet my goals I move up to the next level, just like in the game. I keep leveling up.

And this got me thinking about coaching. Over the past year and a half I have spent more on business coaching than ever before. I had been trying for a couple years to transition from a high-volume, low-ticket physical product and service business to a high ticket coaching and digital business. 

I bought courses and saved freebies and attended webinars but I just wasn’t making much traction. So I finally invested in 1:1 coaching and I am starting to see some progress. 

One of my favorite podcasts is the Rich Queen podcast by Leanne Lopez Mosley. It’s old now but I listen to it on repeat and the other day something hit me that I never noticed before, despite hearing it over and over. She was talking about taking out a loan to get coaching and all the money she’s invested in coaches and she said you know, why is there shame around people who have debt from investing in themselves? 

Like, if you get a loan to buy a car no one is going to shame you about it. I mean, it’s America. In most places you have to drive to get anywhere. It’s usually not possible to walk safely even if the distance isn’t far. And here in the south it’s too hot much of the time. Our heat index today is 116 degrees. If you have a car payment no one says “oh look how bad she is with money.” 

But if you have a credit card payment for coaching people say you should manage money better or take on less debt. And you know when you get a bank loan for a business they don’t plan for you to make a profit for three years. So why do we expect instant results when we start a new business or a new hobby?

Whether you are starting to repair your dolls or going into business for yourself, I would love to join your team.

I think I learn as much from my students as they learn from me. Where are my instructions too confusing? They let me know. Is my business system causing overwhelm? I find out fast. My students are as much of a help to me in reaching my next level as my coaches have been, and that is one of the things I love most about teaching.

Because none of us really level up alone.

In Jumanji, the characters don’t win because one person has all the strengths. They win because they figure out what they are good at, where they need help, and how to move forward together. And I think that is true whether you are learning how to restring a doll, restore a beloved childhood treasure, open a shop, create a digital product, or finally get serious about the business you keep thinking about.

If doll repair is the adventure you are ready to begin, my Doll University book is a great place to start. It will walk you through the basics and help you feel more confident about repairing your own dolls instead of feeling like you have to guess your way through it.

And if you would rather have gpt help, video tutorials, and a place to keep learning, you can also join the Doll Repair Vault  here.

If your next level is business, especially if you have a shop, offer, or online business idea but you are stuck at no or low sales, Signature Sales Blueprint is where I help you build a simple sales system that fits your real life. We work on what you are selling, how people are finding you, how your shop or offer is set up, and how to create a path that helps people go from finding you to buying from you.

Whatever your next level is, you don’t have to figure it out all by yourself. Pick your avatar, gather your team, and start moving forward.

I’ll be over here cheering for you… and counting down the days until the new Jumanji comes out.