The Art of Unpracticing

For most of my life, I thought the answer was more structure. More rules. More discipline.

Force myself into a routine and the business would finally take off. That was the theory anyway.

Four weeks into partnering with Mingle, I've realized the real work wasn't adding structure. It was unpracticing everything I thought I already knew.

Real quick, some context. I'm neurodivergent. I have ADHD. For twenty years that meant I had a hard time sticking with things. I'd jump around, get bored, never fit myself into the mold everyone else seemed to manage just fine.

A regular job made me feel like I was dying inside. Like I couldn't escape fast enough.

So I'd try the business thing instead. I'd do great for a while. Then something would go wrong, or I'd get bored, or I'd actually hit success and then burn out from the inside anyway. I'd jump ship looking for something easier. The easier thing never paid enough.

Round and round. Chasing the next thing. Desperately wanting consistency I could never hold onto.

For twenty years I thought I was just broken. A hot mess who was never going to get fixed.

Here's what my days used to look like. Work when I felt like it, skip it when I didn't. Some days were great. Most days, life showed up (kids, family, all the things that actually matter) and the business sat untouched.

When I found traction and started making money, I'd burn out and walk away. When I stayed consistent, I usually wasn't making money, so I'd convince myself it wasn't working anyway.

Enter Mingle!.

What I got wasn't somebody else's system. It's a blueprint built around my actual life, with real accountability from someone who believes in me and never boxes me in. I clock in, I clock out, I show up every day. And because it fits me instead of fighting me, I'm finally consistent. Not because I'm forcing it. Because I actually enjoy it.

The other big unlearning? Letting go of structures I thought I needed.

I used to think connection meant a scheduled Zoom call, an hour, an agenda, done. Turns out it can just be fluid. In Mingle we co-work together, moving between rooms, connecting with a few people, ducking into solitude, coming back out again. Less like attending an event. More like just living life alongside people who are building something too. Way more creativity. Way more imagination. Honestly, way more real accountability than any scheduled call ever gave me.

And selling. I used to think business meant hard persuasion.

Turns out when you show up in a community every single day, when people actually know you, like you, and trust you, selling stops being its own event. It's just a byproduct of a relationship. You see people's struggles and their wins. You cheer each other on. You ask for help and get pointed to exactly the right person in the room. 

Not a pitch. An ecosystem where we all exchange value because we're already on the same playing field.

Now here's the part that still blows my mind.

In a few short weeks, I've already made the same amount I would've made at a job. But a job stops there. You start at a number and that's basically where you stay. Capped. Maybe a raise here and there.

This is different. I started at a hundred. Then two hundred. Three. Four. Five. And it keeps compounding, because it's not a paycheck; it's recurring revenue in my own business. A job gives you the same number every month forever. This gives me a foundation that keeps growing on its own, month after month, no ceiling. I signed a contract committing to show up every single day, and that accountability plus income that actually compounds instead of sitting flat? Life changing.

So often I hear people say they need a job to fund their business.

Here's what I've learned instead. Put the same time and effort into your business that you'd put into a job. Have a team behind you, real accountability, structure that fits your actual life. You become unstoppable. You get to enjoy the journey. You keep your health, your relationships, your mindset, because you're finally doing it your way.

So here's my invitation. Find what feels good to you. Find what you actually love.

For me, that's podcasting. Sitting down with people, hearing their story, helping the world see the person behind the business. It's why I love getting people real PR and visibility, so they can make their impact in a big way.

Get seen. Get paid. Live free.

Enjoy your life. Be grateful for what you have. You were given a gift on this earth, and you're called to share it. So get out there and do it.

Your Freedom Connector,

Aly

Are you ready to start practicing the art of unpracticing? Join me on the journey!