Episode 20: Your energy is shaping your results - Getting a bit woo!

00:54 You're listening to The Business of Stories with Susan Paton, showing you how to share stories that do the selling in your business so you don't have too. On the 27th April 2006 I ordered my husband not from a catalogue not from a brochure not even from the internet...I ordered my husband from the universe I remember the date because it was my birthday and i was reading an interview in the paper with Noel Edmonds who had recently turned his life around, got the tv deal of a lifetime met his new wife and was blissfully happy all after learning the principles of something called cosmic ordering. So i did a bit of research ordered the book read it cover to cover and decided to give it a go

01:51 The book suggested to start by ordering something small from the universe, check the universe is listening and to work up to something bigger. But patience has never been one of my strongest attributes so I didn't bother with starting small nonsense! I decided if i was going to order something from the universe I was going to go large and so my first order was... To meet the love of my life within the next three months Now, the rules of cosmic ordering are actually very simple and mainly involve being very clear and very specific about what you want. The universe doesn't do vague or wishy-washy so I sat down and wrote my quite extensive and detailed checklist boxes that any potential suitor would have to tick if they wanted to be in the running Highlights of that list included

02:50 He must be kind, loving and caring. Trusting and trustworthy. Generous and supportive. Patient – very important that one! And he must own his own house and business and money I didn't want someone coming in thinking they could just have mine. And he must get up early… and he must cook Mainly, I was basing it all on past experiences. Thinking about the things that had frustrated me in previous relationships and getting really clear on what I wanted and what didn't. Happy with my list, I put it to one side…and trusted that the universe would do its magic! Just over 1 month later...I met Simon Of course, I didn't know immediately if he ticked all the boxes

03:46 But over the course of the next few weeks and months I realised he was very kind, very loving and caring. Very trusting, very supportive, very, VERY patient! And my god does HE get up early! He's a farmer so he gets up at some ridiculous hour in the morning 7 days a week 365 days of the year I will admit to having times when i have rather regretted asking for that one. However, nobody in the world is perfect and actually there was one box that he didn't tick! When I met him he didn't cook... well not unless you count boiling pasta and chucking in a jar of pesto as cooking but that was okay it wasn't a deal breaker and it certainly wasn't anything that a couple of good hairy biker cookbooks and lots of encouragement couldn't rectify

04:46 So, on the 18th of June 2009 three years later I married the love of my life and the universe showed me once again that it's always listening. It listens to me it listens to Noel Livemans and I know whether you realize it or not its listening to YOU! So, a bit of fun episode this week. Although I tried to make them all quite fun! But this is particularly fun topic and one that I love talking about but which does also have an important message running through it – which we'll get into in a minute. If you've followed me for any length of time, you know that I talk to the universe… And the universe sends me the most amazing things in return like a husband

05:41 But over the years, it has also taught me something very important about asking and receiving which I'm going to share with you in this episode. Because we can easily make running our business and getting clients very hard for ourselves if we're not mindful about a few things! Before I get into that let me tell you another story of something that happened to me And by the way, none of my stories are exaggerated in any way. That story I told you about ordering my husband from the universe was exactly how it happened and this story is too! It was August 2018 and i was driving to a two-day event in Essex listening to You Are A Badass At Making Money by Jen Sincero. It's one of my favorite books and I was feeling really pumped up and loving everything she was saying

06:36 So when she suggested that I set the universe a challenge and ask for a sign, I thought yes great! I will. So i had to think...I wanted to ask for something that if it happened I would absolutely know that it was the universe but I also wanted it to be something that could happen quite quickly not something that was going to take a long time like I want to build my dream house So I thought about what to ask for and then i said out loud in my car, Dear Universe if I'm absolutely on the right track with where I'm going with my business and there's heaps of money out there waiting to come to me please send me this sign ASAP.

07:26 Please arrange for someone to give me £100 cash in the next 24 hours. Thank you very much! I'm always very polite when i'm talking to the universe. I'm also always very specific, I said it had to be actual money in my hand rather than someone just saying they wanted to buy something or a payment from an existing client landing in my bank. It had to be cash in Now, bearing in mind I was about to spend the next two days sat in a hotel conference room doing a course with about eight people so I wouldn't be talking to anyone else other than the people in that room. I had no idea how this could possibly happen but I left that one for the universe to mull over and do its thing and it did not let me down!

08:19 In the very first break later that morning, we were given a partner to do an exercise with. As we grabbed our coffee I explained what I did and how much I charged. And he said, wow! That's so good – and way too cheap you need to put your prices up. OK, I laughed…and then he said In fact, I know by the time you leave here tomorrow you'll have put them up. You might even have doubled them! So before you do... I'll have your VIP package please." And with that before i could say anything he stood up took out his wallet and said, "...I'll give you a deposit now to secure that price but invoice me for the rest on Monday when you're back in your office..." and he handed me £100 in cash

09:17 100 pounds exactly in cash, in my hand. I was stunned! Speechless! The way that happened still to this day blows my mind Had never happened before Has never happened since But within 3 hours of me asking the universe for that sign It delivered it Exactly what I'd asked for Coincidence? Magic?! Or have I got some kick-ass cosmic ordering powers right there? Whatever you think about my manifesting skills, or whether there even is a universe out there ready to bring you what you want. Here's something i've learned to be true many many times in business and in life... To get what you want, you need to know what you want and then you need to be open to receiving it

10:16 Whenever I've been crystal clear and ultra specific about what i want, I found a way to get it. And the energy I bring to what I'm doing has a huge impact on the result I get! I said there's an important message here in amongst all my Talking To The Universe stories And it's important because it is not something we naturally do. It's something we can easily forget to do or talk ourselves out of doing, even when we know how important it is! You need to know what you want and be in the right energy to receive it. This applies to everything. The energy you're in is super important when putting your content out. It's important when putting your offers out

11:09 It's important when putting yourself and your business out there, because the energy you're in will 100% impact the results you get every time. The energy you approach everything in your business with matters! The energy you bring to your work – your content, your stories, your posts, your offers, launches, conversations… Everything! The energy you're in can impact results more than anything else More than their strategy. Strategy is strategy, right? You can tweak it you can change it you can try new ones but if your energy and your mindset around what you're doing is not in line with the results you want... If you're going through the motions but deep down you're not feeling it or believing it or seeing it ...You won't get the results! You have to want it and feel it and believe it and see it

12:08 And when you do, pure magic can happen. Yes the strategy plays a part – of course it does! And yes you have to take action… I'm not suggesting that wanting something is enough but strategy and action are just the doing. The energy you bring to what your doing lights the fire When you see sales coming in before they have, your bringing that story to life When you see the people out there who are excited to give you their money before you've even put the offer out, you're bringing that story to life. Whenever I do a launch of any kind, I set myself a sales target then open up a blank spreadsheet and write down the numbers 1-2 whatever my goal is down on the left hand side

13:02 So if my goal is to get 30 people into my group program, I put the numbers 1-30 in a spreadsheet before i've even started the launch. In fact, in my last 5 day challenge this is exactly what I did! I was opening the doors to storytelling mastery and decided that I wanted 30 new people to join so I wrote 1-30 down my list I opened the doors Wednesday night and over the next few days, every time someone joined my program. I would write their name on my list see the spaces filling up and wonder who would be next? I kept 30 in my head the whole time! And when i closed the doors on Sunday night...I had 29! 29! I was one short! So I went to bed that night thinking, I wonder where number 30 is?!

13:57 I wonder what's held them up. I wonder why they haven't showed up yet? I stayed curious and trusting, and left number 30 there on my list waiting for a name to go beside it. And sure enough, a few days after my launch had finished, I got an email from someone asking if it was too late to join. She told me she'd taken part in my 5-day challenge and talked herself out of joining Storytelling Mastery But then she'd listened to my podcast and realised that she did want my help, and asked if she could jump in. There she was! She was number 30… And I never doubted that she would show up. So keeping your energy high and focused on the right things is so important

14:51 Although it's not always easy. I've had times in my life where my energy has been really good and I've been putting my attention on all the right things, and the most amazing incredible things have happened... And of course there's been times when i haven't! I've slipped into doubting and struggling and thinking it's hard. I've let my energy fall. I've bought into the narrative that nothing worth having comes easily or no pain no gain But what if it doesn't have to be that way? What if isn't about struggle or working harder. What if its about being in the right energy and let me be clear what I mean by that, Im not saying I just have to want something and it happens although sometimes it does without my doing anything but what im saying is the energy you bring to everything will have a huge impact on how it works out

15:53 Because if you put an offer out and you're really worried about it not working, And you're already thinking about what you'll do if no one buys or just one person buys. Or you don't want to set a sales target in case you don't hit it. You don't want to shout too loudly about it in case you don't fill the spots and then you're going to be embarrassed. Or you are already making excuses for it not selling Because, well the economy's not great or it's too close to the school holidays. Or people don't buy at the weekends or when it's hot or Easter or after Christmas If you're already seeing it as something that is not going to work or its gonna be really hard then you'll bring a very different energy to the launch than if you go into it feeling excited

16:45 Excited to see who's going to jump into your program or sign up to work with you. Excited to show up and tell people about it! If you stay focused on the massive value you deliver, and how you know this is gonna be a game changer for the people who jump in... And set a sales target that excites you… And tell everybody about it – excitedly! Get everything ready for new people coming into your world That's a very different energy and experience. And it will show, people will pick up on it! And if that is the energy you're putting out – that's what will be reflected back to you. I don't think that's woo-woo…I think that's fact. If you approach anything with dread or resistance

17:36 or What if this doesn't work? attitude. It's going to feel very different than if you approach it with a curious, energized ready-to-learn ready-to-serve attitude and you'll get a different result I've seen it time and time again How I go into something feeling has a huge impact on how it works out So, while talking about writing letters to the universe and ordering things like my husband or £100 cash might sound a bit woo-woo to some of you. Being intentional about how you show up and the energy that you bring to everything that you do is not woo-woo at all – it's essential! So as always before I go let me give you a quick action step that you can go away and

18:29 Here's your action step for today. Well, actually I'm going to give you two so you can choose one or do both up to you! The first one is simply ask the universe for something Why not? Give it a go Be open to the universe making it happen for you in whatever way it knows is best because sometimes I don't get exactly what I asked but I get something even better So if you do want to do that, here's five steps you can follow. Number one be clear what you want what you're asking for keep it a one specific thing and make sure it's what you DO want not what you don't I know that sounds obvious but it's so easy to fall into the trap of focusing on what you DON'T WANT! Number two write it down as if you were placing an order

19:25 I actually write a letter. Although, obviously, I didn't do that the time I was driving to that event and asked for £100 cash! But usually I write a letter to the universe with my ask. Number 3 Get emotional about it. I don't mean you have to cry but tune into how you'll feel when you have it Let your body experience the relief, the excitement, the gratitude. So you're really tapping into that energy and how it will feel even if just for a few seconds And then number four release it let it go Trust that things are already falling into place to make it happen The chain of events are already forming You don't have to obsess about it or try and micromanage it Just be curious how it will unfold

20:17 But at the same time, number five. Follow the nudges! This is not entirely passive you will get nudges and you need to follow them notice the invitations, the ideas that come up, the emails, the conversations say yes to opportunities that feel aligned with what you want act on anything that feels like a nudge I think of it as the universe showing me the path then it's up to me to walk along it So that's the process. It's quite simple, ask for something and then be open to the universe making it happen The second thing to do is think about and look for where you can upgrade the energy your bringing to your business What are things your doing that could bring a different more helpful higher vibration energy

21:15 When you think about finding new clients, how do you feel? Are you thinking it's going to be hard or are you excited to see who shows up. Are you approaching it like trying to find a needle in a haystack Or are you tuning into the hundreds thousands of people already out there already looking for you! Are you open to receiving more clients or more income or more success or whatever you're looking for Or are you closed off without realising it? Let me tell you what I mean. I had a few quite tough months in the spring-summer of 2025, for all sorts of reasons with a lot of family stuff going on that I needed to be present for. That massively impacted my business and how I was showing up and what I was able to do... And somewhere along the way I started to feel a bit lost

22:10 I continued to work with clients and all the gorgeous people inside Storytelling Mastery, but i wasn't doing any of the stuff I usually do to grow my audience and my business. And that was starting to make me feel anxious! Also at the same time, I was seeing a couple of people I follow launching big exciting new things...and while I'm always inspired to see my fellow business owners excel I felt a bit left behind, forgotten. Which is crazy! But this is what happens when the story in our head runs away with itself… Anyway...I woke up one Monday morning feeling quite low so took myself off to my office and did something I hadn't done for ages – I wrote a letter to the universe And as I started by saying how grateful I am that the universe has always been there for me, I realised something

23:09 I'd stopped being open to receiving. I got tied up in overthinking and worrying, and without realising it, I closed myself off. And you can't see all the joy and abundance that's there for you if you're looking the other way or standing there with your eyes closed! So I reminded myself that I already have so much. I stopped focusing on what wasn't happening and thought about what was Like how I already had a business that allows me to work around my family. That things can still fall into place and feel aligned even when life isn't going to plan, and instead started getting really curious and open to seeing what this chapter of my journey was going to look like trusting that the universe has my back! And do you know what happened next? Just as i was bringing my letter to a close... My phone pinged

24:10 And it was a voice note from Helen Tudor, one of the people I'd seen launching something. Asking me if i wanted to get involved and collaborate... And that's how the universe works! You just need to notice where you're putting your energy and bring it up focus on what you do want see that it doesn't have to be hard get excited about what you can do and always be open to receiving what you want So two action steps for today. And you don't have to do the first one if that feels a bit out there for you right now, but I highly, highly recommend that you do the second one and i'll see you next time for more stories that do the selling FOR YOU so you don't HAVE TO!

25:03 Thank you so much for being here. I love that we get to do this together! Would you do me a huge favour and please rate, review and follow this podcast in Apple Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts? And i'll see you next time for more honest conversations meaningful connections and of course stories