Proving vs. Positioning: The Energy Shift That Changes Everything

Welcome back to the Vault — the space where clarity meets structure and substance to build legacies that last.

The Journal

This week, I decided to NOT follow up with a potential client.

Typically, this would not be the most advisable step for a business trying to scale. However, I had to make an exception in this case. Here’s why.

It was very clear from our prior conversation that even though the lead looked like my ideal client on paper, their values would undermine the impact that I’m working towards. There were subtle responses to questions that suggested that:

1. My processes would not be respected.

2. My work would not be valued.

3. My time would be wasted.

Despite seeing these flags, I still battled with the decision. It felt like some form of betrayal not to force the potential client to see my value. I brainstormed ways I could PROVE my worth.

And that was the problem.

The Key

There is a distinct difference between PROVING energy and POSITIONING energy.

The former drains you and undermines your value, while the latter creates alignment between your impact and your soul. With this client, I was squarely operating out of the proving space.

Here’s how you can distinguish the two:

The Structure

Here are some practical things I’m doing to shift from proving energy, to positioning energy:

1. I’m stating my process upfront. In the past, if I were to send a request, I would assume their desire and prematurely acquiesce. Let me give you an example. Let’s say a lead sends an email expressing interest in my service. Rather than explain my process, I might defer to them and ask them how they would like to move forward. I’m not doing that anymore. I know what works for clients and what doesn’t. My process was not developed merely from what I like. It’s based on what has helped my clients achieve success in the past. So now, I choose to own my experience and proactively lay out the path for working with me.

2. I’m pausing before I respond. Another bad habit I had in the past was allowing my anxiety to lead me to rash decisions. Now I make myself pause so that I can make my decisions from a place of clarity instead of anxiety. I have to allow myself to breathe and think about what the potential requests really mean and what it might cost me in terms of time, money, and energy.

3. I’m choosing discomfort. All of the things I’m describing are not my default responses, so they feel very, very uncomfortable. And that’s okay. My good friend, Olivia Vizachero, teaches a concept called “Gag-and-go,” which essentially boils down to feeling the discomfort and taking the action anyway. So I’m “Gagging-and-going” I guess, lol.

The Question

As you go through the upcoming week, ask yourself,

The Anchor

Proving is a performance.
Positioning is a posture.
And posture protects your peace.

Until next time,