Welcome to the Blooming Mindset. I’m Ruth Rieckehoff, and I’m so glad you’re here. Some of my emails include affiliate links. If you choose to purchase, I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. I only share what I’ve personally used, trusted, and found meaningful enough to pass along.
Beloved Architect of Identity,
I thought I was saving money. I wasn’t.
We arrived in Ljubljana (Slovenia) late at night.
I was excited. New country. A “boutique hotel” at a great price.
Felt like a win.
The shuttle dropped us off last. Pitch dark. Quiet street.
The place looked like… a house.
Even the driver hesitated. “Are you sure this is the right address?” he asked.
My husband confirmed, so the driver left us there.
Inside, there was no front desk or staff. Just a key sitting on a table. Anyone could’ve taken it.
Our door barely worked, but there was nobody to ask for a room change. There was no food nearby. It was past 11:00 pm. We ate snacks and candy for dinner.
The next morning didn’t help. Still no one around.
We tried to get to the city center. The bus didn’t take cash. Only a card you could buy… in the city center. There was no guidance or help. Just confusion.
And that quiet thought creeping in: “How did I end up here?”
For a moment, I questioned myself. My intelligence. My abilities.
But that wasn’t the problem. I wasn’t lacking intelligence.
I was lacking discernment, the ability to perceive, understand, and evaluate situations or information clearly. The ability to go beyond the obvious and distinguish nuances.
I got pulled in by the word “boutique.” The pretty photos. The low price.
I didn’t check what actually mattered: location, access, support, context. I didn’t read the reviews and comments. I didn’t compare properties objectively.
I overlooked our real needs. I followed what looked good. Not what was right.
And we do this in business all the time.
We buy courses, programs, memberships…
Not because they fit, but because they feel right in the moment.
Urgency. Presentation. Confidence of the seller.
We hand over the decision. Then blame ourselves when it doesn’t work.
But this isn’t about intelligence. It’s about having a filter. A way to evaluate what you’re considering against your actual needs, capacity, and timing.
Without that, everything starts to look like a good idea. External signals narrow your vision. Discernment widens it. What feels calm is usually accurate. Everything else is noise dressed as opportunity.
If you want help with this, I built something simple.
The Aligned Choice Guide. You answer a few questions about you and your business, paste the sales page you’re considering, and it gives you a clear recommendation: buy, not now, or no.
No pressure. Just clarity.
Here’s to making better business decisions in the simplest way possible.
Until next time, keep blooming,
Ruth
Reflect
- Where have I made a decision based on how something looked instead of how it actually fit my situation?
- What signals do I usually trust more, external excitement or internal clarity?
Reframe
Old belief: “If it looks good and others recommend it, it must be right for me.”
New belief: “If it doesn’t align with my pace, capacity, and needs, it’s not right, no matter how good it looks.”
Old belief: “I just need to make faster decisions.”
New belief: “I need to make cleaner decisions.”
Actionable Transformation
- Before you buy anything, ask: Does this match my current capacity, not my ideal self?
- Replace urgency with a pause: Give yourself 24 hours before committing. Clarity sharpens in stillness.
- Define 3 non-negotiables (time, support, application). If it doesn’t meet them, it’s a no.
Resources
- The Clarity Course Checklist helps you pause, evaluate, and decide intentionally, so you stop collecting half-finished programs and start choosing tools that actually fit your life, learning style, and business stage (free).
- Before you buy anything else, listen to this. It’s not about buying less. It’s about choosing better. 🎧 Why Smart People Keep Buying Courses They Don’t Use
In Other News
- Want to double your revenue without building anything new? This course shows you how: 50 Simple Sales Multipliers
- Sarah & Justin’s AI wizards are the best time-savers I’ve found. They’re built on frameworks and strategies behind 25,000 digital product sales! I got started creating custom GPTs with the IP to GPT tool/course.
P.S. I still laugh about that “boutique hotel.” Not my best decision, but definitely one of my best lessons.
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