Month: December 2020

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Divine Feminine Intuition Mindset

Learning to embrace my ebbs and flows going into 2021

Learning to ride the waves of creativity has been another way that lessons on surrender and flow have come up in my life. And as a creative professional whose income relies on my ability to create for others, surrendering to creativity extremely hard for me.

In my corporate past life, my creativity was boxed into masculine energy that demanded that I performed at my peak from 9-5, 5 days a week. Deadlines and budgets dictated how I was to perform, and defiantly not my natural ebbs and flows. Looking back, it is not surprising that my creativity became forced during my day job (which really doesn’t equal creativity at all, but mass manufactured ideas masquerading as inspiration) and I started to lose interest in creating in my spare time.

You would think that when I went off on my own, entrepreneurship would solve all of my creativity issues. But the thing is, I just changed the setting of my work environment, but the structure was still the same. Saying ‘yes’ to everyone who wanted to work with me on whatever project they wanted done, and booking myself back to back with no down time. I was pretty much grasping at any opportunity that came my way with a hungry mindset of lacking, scared to see something pass me by if I didn’t act upon it immediately. Again, it isn’t surprising that even with my new title of ‘entrepreneur’ that my creativity shrivelled up again, and with it my drive to work on my business.

I wanted so badly to be consistent all the time, that my new constant became depletion.

It wasn’t an overnight change by any means, and it is still something that my inner critic likes to provide input on from time to time. ‘No time for rest, have to be productive, there are so many things I have to get done, my worth is in how many things I can cross off my to do list…’

But every year that passes I am getting better at turning down the volume on those destructive thoughts. I am getting better at accepting I am not a machine made for consistency. I am learning how to embrace my ebbs and flows. I am practicing being in the uncomfortable space in between. I am leaning into the flow of creativity and letting it take me along for a ride. And I plan to do more and more of all of these things in 2021.

What do you want to do more of in 2021?

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Divine Feminine Intuition Mindset

How I am working on receiving more gracefully

“The spirit of giving without a thought of getting.”
“It’s better to give than to receive.”
“Happiness doesn’t result from what we get, but what we give.”

 

Do these words sound familiar to you?

It has really come to my attention recently, that during the holidays we become very focused on giving, but no one ever talks about the flip side.

Now before you label me as a horrible, selfish person, stay with me…

I am a giver by nature. For a long time I had assumed the role of peace maker in my family, I am highly emphatic, I am a mother (self sacrificing territory right there)… I even found out recently that I am an Enneagram type 2! Giving (even at the expense of my own needs) has always come naturally to me. And it has taken me a long time to work out boundaries so I am able to give without depleting myself. But know what I am still really horrible at? Receiving! There are articles, upon articles on ways to give during the holidays, but I don’t think we often talk about how to receive gracefully.

I still find myself wanting to argue or say ‘no, no you don’t have to do that’, when someone offers to help. I still feel like I am taking advantage of someone who chooses to give to me willingly. I still have a hard time not over using the word ‘thank you’.

These things have helped me become a more graceful receiver, and may resonate with you too:

⁘ Stop and put myself in the giver’s shoes. If it was me, would I want to be arguing with my recipient, or would I rather they accept the offer I want to give?

⁘ Remember that it is my job to create boundaries for myself, and not boundaries for others. If someone gives to me, I trust that it is in alignment with their boundaries, and that I am not taking advantage of them.

⁘ Practice gratitude for the small things in life that I receive- a moment of solitude, the smell of a new book, a bubble bath.
 

How do you practice receiving gracefully?

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Content Marketing Divine Feminine Intuition Mindset Storytelling

What happens when you let inspiration lead instead of metrics

Have you pressed pause on your hustle recently, to really ask why you are doing things in your biz the way you are? Is it for the best intentions for yourself and your audience? Is it because you’ve been taught things need to be done in a certain way? Is it out of fear that you must play by certain rules in order to be heard?

I have a love hate thing with social media. It is an amazing platform to connect with people from all over the world and share important stories. But it is also greedy and hungry for all of my attention. I used to be afraid that if I didn’t play by the rules and have a plan, that my voice would just get lost in the cracks. But the longer I forced authentic content into a plan, it began to lose its authenticity, and instead of being a tool to help me connect with others it felt like a burden. Something I had to do to be a good entrepreneur.

So I set the intention that I would only reach out via email and the social media platforms I chose, when I felt inspired to do so. Not because Tuesdays were a good day for open rates. Not because my metrics told me to post at 1pm. Not because I was in competition with an algorithm that was not human. But because I let inspiration lead and I would follow and trust.

And know what happened to all those metrics after having weeks where I said nothing at all? Nothing. Nothing changed. I still got the same average views that I always had.

But know what was the most important change? Connection. When I was patient and trusted and let inspiration lead my content, instead of forcing inspiration to come to me, I was able to effortlessly connect with the people who needed to hear what I had to say the most.

In a world filled with blueprints, and strategy and plans, don’t loose sight of yourself in your business. Your uniqueness, your light, your voice – your entrepreneurial spirit.

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Intuition Mindset

When I know it is time to listen to my body and slow down

I’ve been caught up in a community passion project, and found that although I started it for all the right reasons, I still needed to remind myself to take a breather. Passion is an amazing thing, but it is also very consuming. Passion also tends to bring out my perfectionist tendencies and drains me if I stay too focused for too long without coming out for rest.

I used to be the queen of ignoring the signs from my body gave when it was time to slow down, but now instead of criticizing my body’s inability to keep up with my racing mind, I use these indicators to slow down and refuel:

⁘ General tiredness
⁘ Foggy head/ inability to think clearly
⁘ Lack of creativity
⁘ Lack of motivation
⁘ Inability to regulate emotions
⁘ Clinging on to perfectionism in my work
⁘ Anxiety spirals

I know when my body starts to fight me, that it is time to step away from my desk (which is super hard for me at times because I love completing tasks!) and refuel by:

⁘ Getting some movement in. Dance parties or walks in nature are my favourites. Especially next to the ocean.
⁘ Singing or screaming. I’m not talented in the singing department by any means, but belting out a tune helps to clear pent up energy. The first time I screamed alone in my car I felt so weird, but then it was quickly replaced by such a cathartic feeling!
⁘ Meditating. There was a point in my life where I couldn’t sit for more than a few seconds because of the anxiety vibrating in my body, so I started with walking meditation. Depending on my mood or what is happening around me, mediating could range from just a few moments of deep breathing and clearing my thoughts, or popping on a favourite guided meditation while taking a warm shower or bath.
⁘ Smudging. Pausing to clear the energy in my space and taking a few deep breaths, helps me to ground and refocus my energy, letting go of anything that isn’t serving me in the moment. And the smell is lovely!
⁘ Making a cup of tea. Like smudging, the ritual of making tea is comforting, and allows me to ground my energy and focus on a tactile task. And in the end I get to sip a lil’ bit of joy from the mug!
⁘ Creating with my hands. So much of my business is done on a laptop, and I feel so recharged by digging my hands into anything that isn’t based in technology! Cooking, drawing, gardening, playing with clay, even just rubbing my fingers along the edges of a crystal I am feeling drawn to.
⁘ Replacing the negative self talk with compassion. We are all human. Let me repeat that- we are all human. We can have the best intentions and still become victim to old patterns. Love yourself and give yourself the same compassion you would a loved one. Release yourself from the need of being perfect.

Is your body trying to help you to slow down before you burn out? What are some signals that are red lights for you? What helps you to refuel?

Don’t forget, it’s not all about the result, but the joy of the journey of creation along the way. And in order to enjoy the journey, you need to pace yourself!