Hi Reader,

A while back I had an idea for something I wanted to make, and I got pretty far into it. And the thought of tossing all that work made me keep going way longer than I should. But every time I looked at it, it didn't feel helpful enough or full enough or whatever enough I was going for, so I kept adding to it, another section, another example, another piece that was supposed to finally make it work.

It never did.

What I eventually figured out was that I'd trapped myself with the topic. I'd decided what the thing was about before I really knew, and instead of letting the idea grow into what it wanted to be, I kept trying to shove a square peg into a round hole, and then sand the peg down a little, and then add a little more peg, which, as it turns out, does not help with the hole situation.

So I scrapped the whole thing. And later, the idea that had been trying to come out the whole time finally did, and it turned into something way better than what I'd been forcing.

I see this with courses and programs a lot. If something you're building keeps feeling like not enough, the instinct is usually to add more, more lessons, more resources, more bonus worksheets, because it seems like a content problem. The content is there. It's just being squeezed into a box that doesn't fit it.

So if you catch yourself reaching for "just one more lesson," try this first. Write down, in one sentence, what you want people to be able to do when they're done. Then look at what you've built and ask whether the topic you picked is the best way to get them there, or if it's just the box you started with.

That's so much easier to spot from the outside than from the middle of it, which is kind of the whole reason I've been building something for exactly this. You work through your course with me one piece at a time, async, so somebody's there to say "I think this wants to be something else" before you've spent three weeks sanding the peg.

It's not public yet, but if you want a first look, just click below and I'll send you the details.

Sarah

I'm Sarah Shoop, a course creation specialist who empowers heart-centered coaches, healers, and creative entrepreneurs to craft impact-driven online courses and group program content for their clients. Discover more at sarahshoop.com and download your free guide '10 Authentic Engagement Strategies for Impact-Driven Courses' to elevate your online teaching experience.

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