Are you doing this act to refine your value?

The slump, we’ve all been there.

That feeling that sort of feels like something needs to change, something needs to be fresher. It makes it hard to find clients because it’s hard for you to believe in what you’re selling.

There’s an old saying that you're harder on yourself than you'd ever be on a friend. And it's true, you know. You'd have a million arguments if your friend in was talking badly about herself.

But what if you were armed with facts, a fact for every "yeah, but..."

It's time to collect a ton of data to refute the "not good enoughs"

To get over that brutal voice in your head, it's good to go outside (of your head). Here's another great way to do this:

1. Define the problem that you solve as a coach or creative (the more specific, the better!)

2. Frame it in the negative, for instance, if you help people get over burnout, write "suffering from burnout", if you help people organize closets, recast it as "overwhelmed with clutter."

3. Open your favorite browser and search "Statistics about [insert negative framing]"

4. Spend 15 minutes getting the highest impact stats

5. Write them on a piece of paper, try to collect big impressive numbers

Why it works: You're sizing the problem

Sometimes, it feels like what we do is simple, that it isn't all that special.

When you have cold, hard facts that say otherwise ("75% of people say they feel burnt out at work", "42% of homeowners say lack of organization affects their day."), you can start seeing that what you do--and the solutions that you provide--are special.

Would you tell someone who was curing a disease that 42% of people suffer from that it's not important, that they shouldn't seek answers?

Of course not.

Now it’s time to turn these facts around. You have the size of the problem, now you have to turn that around into what people are hoping for: an answer to their problems.

What to do with the facts

This is not a one-and-done situation.

This data can help you in many ways: quote it on your social posts, you websites, your discussions with potential clients. Say it to build empathy: "Did you know that....[insert data]? You aren't alone!"

Suddenly, when you can quantify the problem you're helping to solve, you won't feel so insignificant.