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All Aboard For a New Life

posted 20th February 2011    Written by: Juliana    CATEGORY: All Posts, Juliana, Season 4, Travel, What I've Learned

Ahoy, mateys!

(I’ve always wanted to say that.)

By the time you read this, I will be finishing up a week  on the Cayamo Cruise. I’ve been wanting to go on Cayamo since I first heard of it three years ago, and I’m finally getting the chance! It’s basically a music festival on a boat, and it’s how I’m celebrating the end of my “Day Job”.

One of my New Year’s Resoloosetions* was to see more live music this year.  As a performer, sometimes the only live music I get to see is when I peek in on the set of someone I’m sharing a bill with, or get to stay and watch someone I’m opening for.  Many of my fellow musician buddies have shows the same nights I do, and it’s hard for me to stay out late to see a band in Atlanta when I live an hour away (and let’s face it, I am not 22 anymore.  All-nighters hurt!)

The downside of this is that my own music suffers.  In the same way that people who read more tend to have an easier time writing, I think musicians who actually go out and listen to music have an easier time making new music.   Also, I LOVE music. And it sucks not regularly experiencing something you love, right?

So, the cruise.  A friend of mine gave me this cruise as a gift (say it with me now, “Holy Crap!” I know. She is awesome.) and I cannot think of a better way to kick off the next six months of my life.

Several of my favorite songwriters will be on the boat this year, including Shawn Mullins, the Indigo Girls, Patty Griffin, and John Prine. If my intentions are to be more active, play more music, meet more musicians and travel more — well, I’m pretty much setting the tone right off the bat!   There will be dozens of shows, impromptu jam sessions, open mics, in addition to all the partying that most people go on a cruise for.

The day this post goes live, I’ll be returning to port, probably completely blissed out.  I’ll also be returning to, well, real life.  It will be the first time that I’ll be facing the fact that I don’t have a job…at least not an office job.   I’ll be coming down from a vacation and realizing that it wasn’t a vacation – there’s no desk to go back to. I’ve entertained the thought, tried to imagine how it will feel, a bunch of times, but I don’t think I will fully grasp the enormity of my decision until I get back home.

And actually, that’s probably for the best.  If I think too much about it now, the chance of me backing out increases.  If I think too much, I start to hear all the voices of concerned authority figures, parents, relatives and friends, telling me how impossible it is to live a creative life full-time.  These people want to keep me safe, to make sure I have it as easy as possible, that I don’t have to worry about things… but I can’t let fear take over at this point. Just because those voices are repeating the same messages over and over again, doesn’t mean that what they’re saying is true.

The truth is, I would rather be just a little bit worried about where my next paycheck is coming from if the real payoff is that I am spending time making my dreams come true.   The truth is, I have a husband who is more than supportive of me going after it, and many friends who rally behind me like awesome, loud cheerleaders — and their voices rise over the worried muttering of all the others.

Here’s to jumping ship, and boarding a new one.

* Note: A resoLOOSEtion is not the same as a resolution.  The latter implies that you’re gonna be a big fat failure if you don’t stick to it, whereas the former is a fun guideline that’s OK to stray from.  I made resoloosetions to take the pressure off of myself and it seems to be working!

[photo credit: bluespf42]

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How To Create Your Personal Theme

posted 17th January 2011    Written by: Molly Mahar    CATEGORY: Creativity, Inspiration, Molly, Tips & Tools

So, it’s 19 days into January…. How is 2011 so far?  Loving it?  Hating it?  Just surviving?

You may have already created your New Years Resolutions, or personal goals, or even chosen a word for 2011.   But if you haven’t settled on a theme, a guiding intention for your year- I’ve got a free 55 minute call to help you out!!

Yes. You asked for it.  A recording of the Theme Call!

After sharing this call with over 70 amazing women last Tuesday, I wanted to make it available to all of you who missed it, especially after I got this adorable email that night.

If these 55 minutes can give you any sort of epiphanies or aha moments… My job is complete!  :)

Hi Molly,

It was wonderful to hear your voice again – it always makes me smile.  The call tonight was really great, and definitely got some wheels turning in my head.

Coming out of 2010 I knew I wanted to make changes so that 2011 will be an AMAZING year, but I hadn’t gotten too far past that.  But tonight, when you said to ask “What is it time for?”, something just clicked.  The only thing I could think about was how I need to stop trying to live up to other people’s expectations (real or perceived) of me, and just be Mandy (whoever she turns out to be!).  Which explains why I never got beyond wanting to make change, but not knowing how.

I’ve always lived my life trying to exceed the expectations of those around me – parents, teachers, friends, bosses.  And in doing so, I’ve essentially allowed myself to be swayed by their opinions and essentially got them to make most of my decisions for me.  It served me well growing up, but now it’s stopping me from living up to my potential.

I’m going to keep working on the wording of my theme, but I know that it’s going to revolve around me making decisions because they make me feel happy, excited, energized, motivated.  2011 is going to be a year of discovering who I am today.  Getting curious about what makes my heart sing and then adding more of it into my life.  I definitely think that by adding more positivity all around, the negativity and self-doubt and fear of failure will slowly get pushed out.  There’s so much opportunity out there, but I can’t fully go after it until I start taking pride in myself and my accomplishments.

And…I’m just feeling really empowered right now.  All thanks to you!  I can’t wait for our paths to cross again (hopefully sooner rather than later).

xoxo,  Mandy

Inspired to listen and started working on your theme?  Me too.  Create Away!  And don’t forget to share your themes over on Facebook so we can all cheer you on!

How To Create Your Personal Theme:

Download

[photo credit : jessandthecity]

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Big Plans for 2011

posted 13th January 2011    Written by: Marian    CATEGORY: All Posts, Creativity, Events, Inspiration, Job/Career/Work, Marian, Money, Season 3, Travel

Like most people who have completely failed at New Year’s Resolutions, I’m not a fan of making them. Mostly because I have zero willpower and my resolution usually involves something like, “eat less cake” but also because I think we should always be striving for better.

That said, I was a huge fan of Back to School Time. Newly sharpened pencils and a fancy planner always made me feel like a fresh start was all I needed to Be Better.

I’ve felt that way for my entire Quarterlife Crisis. I thought that moving to London would change how I was feeling about not doing anything exciting. I thought finally settling in New Zealand would make me – and therefore my life – feel stable.

When really, though fresh starts may motivate us for a week or two, there are bigger things that need changing. Things within us.

Anyhoodle, that said. Stratejoy has asked us to come up with some “resolutions” for 2011. I can’t remember the last time I made a resolution, but Molly eloquently put it as “things we’d like to accomplish.” Which is soooo much more fun because resolving usually feels like depriving yourself of something while accomplishing feels like adding something awesome to your life.

So, without further ado…. What I’d like to kick ass at in 2011:

Write an eBook on something social media related. Everyone and their mom in my industry has one and I kinda feel like I have more to say than just “How to use Twitter” and I think my eBook could kick your eBooks ass. Also? I’d like to have some of that elusive passive income folks keep harping on about. Also also? I have lots to say and why not make a little money while I vent?

Do one thing to make my dream of owning a bakery/café/shop a reality. Whether that means taking a one-day cooking class or interviewing a shop owner, I would like to feel like I’m doing something to make that big dream of mine a reality instead of simply waiting to have enough money to just jump right in.

Be able to climb something big without passing out. I’m in one of the most beautiful countries on earth and hiking in nature is one of my favorite things on the planet. However, the other day I hiked to the top of a freaking volcano and I was literally crying on the way up because it hurt so bad. I also fell twice and banged up my leg. So while my goal isn’t to lose 20 pounds (though that would be nice) or have a delusion of physical grandeur, I would like, however, to hike something impressive without wanting to murder someone in the process.

Save up a moderate sum of money. I know, I know, specific goals are important but I don’t have a regular income so whatever. Let’s say…. $1,000 in the bank that I can’t touch, okay? HAPPY?!

Make some Kiwi friends! It’s been great having two of my flatmates from London here, but a girl needs her own social life. The amazing Alisha from Seattleite Imagery has hooked me up with some ladies in Auckland and I’ve joined three active MeetUp groups already. Here’s to new friends in 2011!

Earn a small income from my blog itself (affiliates, programs, whatever) and not just through services.

Charge what I’m worth.

Exercise for 15 minutes a day, six days a week.

Teach myself a small amount of web design. No, I don’t want to run a design business (there are professionals for that), but I would like to be able to edit small things on my site when the mood strikes. Plus, I like being a little bit creative and writing doesn’t really cut it for me.

I would ask what your goals are for 2011, but I’m like the last person to post this one. So how about you tell me your biggest accomplishment of 2010? It’s totally lame to constantly plan for the future if you can’t totally pat yourself on the back for the past!

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A Theme for 2011: Joyful Devotion

posted 3rd January 2011    Written by: Molly Mahar    CATEGORY: Inspiration, Molly, Tips & Tools

When I close my eyes and imagine how I want to feel at the end of 2011, powerful words come to the surface: vibrant, dedicated, abundant, innovative, blissful, influential, energized, committed.

(When I’m not closing my eyes, I’m coloring and writing all about my 2011 intentions in my Goddess Workbook*.  It’s $10.  It’s so awesome.)

But, back to my words. ;)   They sound inspiring!  And true!  And verging on the edge of schizophrenic…

It seems like I’m asking for two separate things from my year.

FIRST GUIDING THEME: FULL OF SPARKLES. I want to feel alive through magical moments, letting my hair down, feeling truly and crazily happy.  I want more of those experiences where I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.  I crave silly and free-spirited and connected and sexy.

I want to sing with strangers, summit mountain tops, drive convertibles down long sunny back-roads, perform strip teases for the Big Man, tell ghost stories around campfires, cuddle my best friends and tell secrets, giggle hysterically with my sister about how my momma always messes up her metaphors…  I want to laugh a little louder and do things for the hell of it a little more often.

I want to feel vibrant, blissful, energized, and abundant in the gifts of life.

SECOND GUIDING THEME:  FULL OF ETHIC. I also want to feel like I’m treating my business (this business!) like a real business, instead of a glorified hobby through which I happen to support myself.  I want there to be systems that free me up from drowning in my inbox.  I want to do my books every month.  I want to track where my clients come from.  I want to attract more clients.

I want to reach as many 20 and 30 something women as I can, so they know there is a safe and inspiring space to be real and dream big.  I want to  provide massive amounts of life-changing services and products and coaching time, at all different price points. I want to be recognized in my space for doing great work and invited to speak and write for groups of young women everywhere.  I want to make a difference in your life.

(Heya you!)

I want to feel dedicated, innovative, influential, and committed.

So, can I have both? How do I balance the time, and energy, and money that both are going to take?

The answer is not clear yet, but let me tell you gorgeous, I’m sure as heck going to try!

And that’s the nice part about themes… They don’t require having it all figured out quite yet. They are intentions versus goals. (I wrote a huge post last year about how to Create Your Own Guiding Theme if you want to know more! AND I’m leading a FREE call on the 11th, walking you through the process if you’d like a little more guidance. )

After toying with the sparkles and ethics list for days and days, I’ve finally nailed down my theme for 2011.

This will be the Year of Joyful Devotion.

I will be devoted to joy.

I will joyfully be devoted.

It goes both ways.  I love that!  Joyful Devotion will help me focus on being happily committed  in everything I do.  I want to concentrate my Joyful Devotion on the very essence of my successful life:  vibrant health, meaningful relationships with my family, friends and husband, financial abundance, self-love, and investment in learning/creativity.

So how do Guiding Themes work anyway?

Well, I don’t know exactly.  It’s one of those crazy Universe manifestation-putting your intentions out there-asking for what you want to receive-kinds of awesomeness.

But I do know that in 2010 my theme was “Go Big” and that 2010 was a year of huge freakin’ BIGNESS.  It didn’t come in all the ways I expected, but it was truly an epic year.

I’m a bit exhausted from the bigness of it all to tell you the truth!

How my 2010 Theme of “Go Big” Came True

Ready?  When I finally wrote this all down in my Goddess Workbook, I was blown away.  In 2010, I went BIG by…

If that’s not “Going Big” I don’t know what is!  That said, it was a year of a lot of pushing… A lot of exploration… A lot of long ass days!

I’m really looking forward to pulling it inward a bit this year.  Doing the work that needs to be done to invest in my life.  In a really joyful, spirited, sexy way of course…

How about you?  What will 2011 hold for you?

*Shameless Affiliate Link.  But only because I love mine and want you to have one too!

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2011: Kindness, Compassion & Living Out Loud

posted 2nd January 2011    Written by: Lindsey    CATEGORY: Lindsey, Season 3, What I've Learned

As 2010 becomes a year in my past, I am faced with the inevitable reflection and planning for the coming year. These past 365 days on this path of my life have held so many experiences, so many opportunities for growth and life lessons. I am SO GRATEFUL for all that I have learned, for all the people I have met, for all the love that I have shared.

The goals I set for myself in 2010 were incredibly ambitious. Some of my goals I don’t even want anymore, or I don’t feel they are important anymore. Some of my way-distant-future goals are happening RIGHT NOW. (Believe me, I did not imagine myself celebrating the coming of 2011 on a sailboat in paradise.) If anything, 2010 has taught me that anything is possible.

If I could choose one word to describe this past year, to summarize everything, it would be: conscious. I allowed myself to consciously choose my fate. I became conscious of my reality, of the good and the bad, of what I actually wanted and what I didn’t want at all. I became more confident in my path, different as it may be, and I grew closer to being the strong woman of my future.

In 2011 I want my word to be compassion. I want to treat the people in my life with more kindness, more compassion, more love. I want to spread warmth and optimism. I want to give more than I take. I want to listen more than I speak. I want to leave the people I encounter feeling more positive. I want to create rather than take.

Besides living with compassion, in 2011 I also want to

Who knows what this next year has in store – that’s part of the adventure! But I know one thing is for sure: I’m gonna learn. I’m gonna grow. A year from now I’m gonna be stronger and wiser. A year from now I’m gonna have 365 more days of life lessons.

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