Welcome to the Blooming Mindset, a weekly dose of clarity, mindset, and practical wisdom to help you stay consistent, think more deeply, and build a life aligned with your identity and purpose. I’m Ruth Rieckehoff, and I’m so glad you’re here. Please share this newsletter with a friend!
Beloved Architect of Identity,
I used to buy things for my business the way some people impulse-buy snacks at Target.
Quick. Emotional. Hopeful.
And usually followed by regret.
It felt like wandering through a giant, shiny mall with a blindfold on.
Everything looked promising.
Nothing actually solved the problem.
And the worst part?
I genuinely believed the next thing would be “the one.”
I’d try a new course.
A new tool.
A new community.
I’d stay up late implementing “all the tricks.”
And still…
Every month, my results dipped.
My blog traffic slowed down like a tired car on a steep hill.
I wanted growth.
Real growth.
The kind that feels like momentum again.
But it always felt just out of reach, like I was stretching my hand out toward a door that never opened.
And the advice I kept hearing?
Oh, the broken record…
“Just invest in yourself.”
“You get what you pay for.”
“The right expert will fix everything.”
So one day, defeated and desperate, I convinced myself that maybe I needed more personalized help. Maybe this was the missing piece.
I paid $2,000, an entire month of profit, for a blog audit everyone seemed to rave about.
They promised a deep dive.
They promised clarity.
They promised transformation.
The intake call felt promising, too.
“We’ll come back with a full analysis in a month,” they said.
A month.
I thought, Wow… they’re really going to study my site.
Do a full diagnostic.
Get to the root.
And then, the day arrived.
Two PDFs landed in my inbox.
In a state of shock, my first thought was:
“Wait… that’s it?”
Generic recommendations I already knew.
A competitor analysis I could run with free tools.
And my top 10 posts reviewed with advice like:
“Add more of your main keyword.”
I sat there staring at my screen thinking,
I just paid $2,000 for someone to tell me to add keywords?
And the best part?
Implementation wasn’t included.
So the “solution” was basically: Here’s work. Please go do it.
I still tried, of course.
Because when you spend that much money, you’d better squeeze every drop out of it.
I applied their methodology to my top 100 posts.
Tracked the before and after.
Waited for the magic.
Pretty much nothing.
It wasn’t a total loss; I learned something new.
But the “return” wasn’t even close to the investment.
Ever been there?
Where you follow all the advice, do all the things, and still feel like you’re running in place?
Here’s what I finally realized:
It’s not about jumping into every shiny offer.
It’s about knowing what you actually need and why.
It’s about looking at your business honestly:
Are you missing strategy?
Skills?
Knowledge?
Systems?
Accountability?
Structure?
Mindset?
Support?
Or are you simply overwhelmed and hoping someone else will swoop in and fix it all?
And here’s the kicker,
Who you invest in matters just as much as what you invest in.
Are they walking a path you want to walk?
Do they share your values?
Do they understand your industry?
Do they speak your language, introvert, creative, systems-lover, multi-passionate?
Or are you buying from someone whose life and business look nothing like what you want?
Some of my worst investments came from buying from people who had nothing in common with the way I want to build.
That took me years to admit.
So this season, Black Friday, Black Week, Black Everything, I’m not jumping.
I’m pausing.
Breathing.
Assessing.
Because the truth is,
Most of us don’t need to buy more.
We need to buy better, and sometimes, we don’t need to buy anything at all.
Maybe what you really need is clarity on the next two steps.
Not the next 200.
Maybe you need structure, not another strategy.
Maybe you need accountability, not another course.
And maybe, just maybe, you need to take a moment to check in with yourself on every level:
Physical.
Mental.
Emotional.
Relational.
Rest.
Because business growth is tied to how well you are doing, not just how well your systems are doing.
So here’s my gentle nudge this week:
Before you buy anything,
Pause.
Ask yourself what you actually need.
And then choose the thing that supports the direction you’re truly committed to.
As for me?
I already decided what I’m focusing on for the next few months.
And yes… I might still cave for a few rings. I’m only human.
But impulsive business decisions?
Not this year.
Wishing you a grounded, clear, and meaningful holiday week.
And if you celebrate, Happy Thanksgiving.
I’m cheering for your next right step.
Always,
Ruth 🌸
Reflect
- Where in your business do you feel “behind,” and how is that pressure influencing the way you buy?
- What patterns do you notice in past investments, what actually helped, and what never paid off?
Reframe
Old belief: “If I buy this, things will finally click.”
New belief: “I invest based on what my next step requires, not what the market tells me to fear.”
Old belief: “More information will solve my problem.”
New belief: “Clarity on my needs is the real strategy.”
Actionable Transformation
- Make a 60-second needs list: strategy, skills, tools, structure, mindset, accountability. Circle the one that would move you forward right now.
- Before buying anything this week, ask: Does this directly support the circled need? Does the creator align with the kind of business I want to build?
- Choose one low-risk, high-return support system for Q1: a membership, a mentor, or a tool, and commit to using it fully for 30 days.
P.S. Before you hit “buy,” ask yourself what you actually need. That one question has saved me more money (and stress) than any discount ever could. 🖤
If you want more of these bite-sized lessons and mindset shifts, I share daily over on X. Come hang out with me there → Follow me on X.
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