general musings Archives - Page 4 of 6

What I stand for at the beginning of 2016

It’s the start of a new year, and I’ve been reflecting on various things, as seems to be the custom. I’ve worked through my workbook, The Year’s End. I’ve written out a lot of things. I’ve even chosen a word for the year (more on that in another post).

And one of the things that felt right to share was a little reflection on what I stand for, right now, at the beginning of 2016. I love stories – the telling and the listening – but we’re not often at the end of a story. I wanted to capture where I am right now, mid-story. Because I’ve been building my business for over a year and a half. I’m learning a lot. And things are shifting and changing. A great time to remember what I stand for!

This post is a variation on an exercise I do with clients, both on one-on-one calls and in person at retreats and workshops. In various ways, I help to brainstorm thoughts and ideas and principles and values that feel inherently right to my clients, and we try to keep going until there aren’t any left.

What follows is what came up for me.

***

What I stand for

Taking care of yourself is taking of your business, so you’re worth investing in.

Progress, not perfection. In fact, perfection is a myth.

The beauty is in the imperfection.

Excellence is worth working for. Quality is my catnip.

What you do is more important than what you look like.

The image you project, the ideas you put out there will attract people. Make sure they’re attracting the right ones. And the right things.

Satisfying, sustainable business. Not quick-win, bottom-line, six-figures-in-ten-days.

Optimism, potential, opportunity. It’s always there. But you might need to take care of yourself and get a good night’s sleep before you can see it.

There isn’t a destination. It’s all about the journey, about learning and improving. Repeat to fade.

I can’t do everything. But I can do anything.

Structure, plus flexibility for best results.

Who you are and what you value will shine through, so get clear on that. Everything else will follow.

Portfolio careers, multi-passionate businesses, authentic mixed media product offerings are the future. You can make jewellery and offer graphic design at the same time, as long as they’re both true to you.

Retreats work. Rest, laughter, meditation, nourishment.

We are each the creators of our lives. We get to choose, over and over again.

***

So, what do you stand for?

Maybe you’re feeling a little windswept by new year’s resolutions and the weight of trying to do the “right” thing in 2016. Take a time out. Take 10 minutes and write down all the things you care about, all the things that are important to you.

You could complete the following:

My best work is…
I love it when…
The truth, for me, right now, is…
My catnip is…
… works.
I am…

Inspired? I’d love to hear what you stand for in the comments!

On getting bogged down

Hello dear blog readers, clients, colleagues, friends, and other people of the internet.

The past couple of weeks haven’t been super easy around these parts. I didn’t quite get my ‘Here’s the thing’ blog out of Friday for a number of reasons, so today I thought I’d go off-piste and send out a blog post that’s a little off-the-cuff, a little raw, and a little more honest.

There have been some things that have hit me hard these past two weeks. We had a small (everyone’s fine) car accident in which a man opened his door into ours while we were moving, which shook me up a bit, and has taken some faff to get the car fixed. Not easy, not expected, and the sort of thing that just unsettles me.

I’ve had quite a bit of work on – lots of you are preparing for Christmas! – and I’ve been jumping from one thing to another very quickly which isn’t, I realise, a sustainable way for me to work. Once again, I’m learning about my own capacity and preferred ways of working. I’m by no means perfect, which still has the ability to kick me in the recovering perfectionist places.

I’m also doing something very exciting and brave – I’m training with Tara Mohr as part of her Playing Big Facilitators’ Training Programme. It’s a six-month stint of exploring how I can help people (mostly women) to play bigger. I’m committed to learning more about what I can do, how I can help, and what I want my business to look like, so this feels like the right time to dive in.

But oh boy, the first course module is on the inner critic, which is decidedly kicking me where it hurts! The past week has been a masterclass for me in how we can lose confidence in what we’re doing, how we talk to ourselves when things go wrong, and how we can get sucked in to the spiral of doom. Thank goodness for the tools I’m (slowly) learning, and for Tara’s approach!

So, my dear friends and clients and readers and others. I don’t have anything sparkling or wise right now, other to say that, I’m human too. I struggle, I work things out. Life hits me sometimes.

Today, I am going gently, because I can feel the cold I’ve been fighting off for weeks just tipping over into setting in, and because I need to go slowly in order to learn how to bounce back from the inner critic / spiral of doom.

I’m starting to believe, more and more, that we have the capacity to figure things out ourselves, that we have the answers, if we dare to listen to them. I’m getting clearer on the work I want to do – but I’m not quite ready to talk about it yet. I know I will be, and that will have to be enough for me for now.

With care

Jenny x

Christmas support: catch up on my live call

Yesterday, I hosted a live call to talk about preparing for Christmas and ways in which I can support you over Christmas (especially my new group mentoring programme).

In case you missed it, you can watch it again here (where you’ll be able to see all the chat!) or below:

Spreecast is the social video platform that connects people.

During the call, I talk about forecasting, getting prepared with products and stock, hiring staff, and how you can make the most of the busy Christmas period. I talk about managing ordering enough stock to fulfil orders, while managing your cash flow – not always easy!

If you’re interested in my group mentoring programme, you can read more and sign up here. Alternatively, if you’re interested in a one-off session, help with forecasting, or working with me ongoing, please get in touch.

You might also find Betsy Benn’s guest blog post on preparing for Christmas helpful!

What I stand for

Enter The Forge