here's the thing Archives - Page 37 of 44

Here's the thing: intuition

Every Friday I post a “here’s the thing” blog. “Here’s the thing” is something my mum (and many other wise people) like to say when they’re about to make a good point. Hopefully these posts are also good points.

I believe that intuition plays a huge part in our lives, but also in business. I believe big businesses underestimate their CEOs’ and employees’ ability to work intuitively. I believe small businesses (especially if they’re creative) run on intuition by necessity. And I believe that if we were all to hone and cultivate our intuition, we’d improve our ability to make the decisions that are right for us.

Let me say more about that bit about small businesses…

We work alone. We work with innovative ideas and iterations that haven’t been seen before.

Time and resources are limited. When we’re making decisions about what colour to use on a product, or whether to put X or Y on Facebook, we work intuitively. Part of that intuition might include using information we’ve processed – consciously or subconsciously – about what worked before.

Yes, we might use research (our own or others’), but we certainly don’t have huge budgets and buckets of time for qualitative and quantitative data processing. For brand agencies, market researchers, and data analysts.

Once we’ve got the best possible information, ultimately most decisions come back to what feels right for us.

And that’s not to say intuition is always the knee-jerk initial reaction we have to a particular problem or decision. Sometimes that’s reserved for fear, or anxiety, or I’m-not-good-enough judgements.

Intuition is the deeper voice, the one that somehow knows, the one you’ve always had to lead you down the right path for you.

Intuition doesn’t care what other people are doing. (Comparison is the thief of joy.) Intuition works exclusively for you and your work.

Intuition is your way of learning, processing and deciding that can’t always be explained immediately. And it’s often quicker than going round the houses in trying to back something up.

Here’s the thing:

Intuition, like any other skill, needs cultivating. It needs practice. It needs conscious attention.

To make it really valuable to you and your business, you need to tend to your intuition, building up the trust you have for yourself.

A few things to try to cultivate your own unique intuition:

1. Think back. Remember a time in recent weeks or months when you made a decision or acted intuitively. How did it feel? How did you know it was the right decision for you? Did you “just know”? Were there still doubts? It could be as simple as deciding which product or image to put on your website’s homepage. What was the impact of your decision? Is there anything your intuition can learn for next time? (Even it’s just – hey, you were spot on!)

2. Make your fears and insecurities conscious so that they don’t get in the way of your intuitive voice. We all have fears and insecurities. And while it often feels like you want to push them down and lock them in a safe 20 leagues under the sea, that actually makes them stronger and more aggressive. As uncomfortable as it might feel, I thoroughly recommend writing out all the fears, worries and insecurities that come up for you in general and regarding specific situations or decisions.

Be really honest, and really specific. (“I’m afraid I’m a fraud, and one day people are going to find out.”)

Notice if and how you catastrophise (“This product will fail, and then no one will like me, and my business will go under.”)

When you’ve got a nice, big list, take it all in. Become aware of how your fears might be your knee-jerk reactions that block your intuition. Be kind to yourself – these fears aren’t “bad”, they’re just beliefs you’ve picked up to try and keep you safe. A little misguided, and ready to be heard but not followed.

3. Sit with your intuition. It really benefits from being respected and listened to. You might choose to meditate, or write down your ideas. You might just think about how you work intuitively while you’re cooking or out for a walk. The more space and intention you can give to this muscle called intuition, the stronger it will get. If you have a wave of inspiration or there’s an idea you can’t shake, write it down, say it out loud. Whatever feels right, even if you can’t back it up right this second. That’s your intuition asking for a louder voice.

Wishing you a wonderful end to the first week of the year, and lots of lovely intuition,

Like the sound of working more closely with your intuition? I’ll be covering it at my Small Creative Business Retreat (20-22 March). A weekend of relaxation, rejuvenation and re-connecting with your business (and your intuition!). What could be better? Book your place now!

Here's the thing: when it comes to an end

For many of you, today’s the final day of taking and sending out orders. Some of you will keep going into Saturday or Monday with express orders. But for all, the end is in sight. Woohoo!

What a whirlwind. December seems to have flown by. And, for many, this year has been a bit, well, weird. Black Friday was a thing in the UK for the first time. Sales patterns have been vastly different for many. There’s been a LOT of holding your nerve. (One client said she had enough of it, thank you very much.)

Some things haven’t changed: the exhaustion from worry and/or long days, the isolation of being your own boss and making all the decisions, and the delights of ‘where’s my order?’ emails from expectant customers. (Tip: just email them back as soon as possible, even if it’s just to say wait a bit longer. They’ll feel heard and tended to.)

From the outside perspective, it seems like when the busy-ness stops, it should be easy to just flop into a state of relaxation and happiness. And, often, there is that moment of elation and joy. But, in my experience, when you’re not pushing towards the finish line any more, doubts and fears and the sheer emotion of adrenaline fallout can leave you in need of more care and attention than expected.

It’s time to be incredibly kind to yourself.

You might find that family obligations quickly kick in to replace the work obligations. Perhaps your family and friends don’t necessarily “get” the incredible amount of effort and energy that Christmas takes for you. And if they do, your nearest and dearest might even feel a bit resentful of the time you spend on your business at this time of year. Stranger things have happened, and if any of those apply to you, you’re not alone.

So here’s the thing:

I want to encourage you today, this weekend, as you’re winding up, to do as much as you can to show yourself the Christmas spirit. Choose as many of these as you like:

Write yourself a to-do list of things that need following up when you do work over the Christmas period, or when you’re back in January. It’ll help your tired and addled brain to take a break from remembering everything. 5 minutes now will make a huge difference later.
Write a letter to your future self, or just a list of things that have happened this Christmas that are worth remembering. Which day was the hardest or busiest? What helped you get through it? Which marketing tactics worked for you this year? How do you feel right now? Capturing all these things in the moment will help you to plan and take care of yourself more next time.
Drink a lot of water. You’ve probably hit adrenal burn out, and your body needs some serious TLC. Water is the basic way to replenish it.
Consider taking vitamins D and C. Vitamin D supplements replace what we normally get from the sun, and vitamin C is essential for fending off seasonal colds and flu.
Sleep. A lot. As much as you can. If you’re having trouble sleeping, try Neal’s Yard Remedies’ night time aromatherapy roll-on, or Cook’s Organics’ sweet dreams foot cream.
Take a bath. Or a really long shower. Great for some alone time.
Listen to music you love. Or, if you need inspiration, try my vintage Christmas playlist, relaxation mix, or joy playlist. Or you can always just listen to the Holiday soundtrack on repeat, like me.
Give yourself comfort. Whether you’re staying at home or travelling, give yourself extra pillows, blankets, cosy socks, big jumpers, and your favourite hot beverages. It’s the season of comfort and joy, after all.

Ultimately, it’s about putting your own oxygen mask on first. And if you’re still working, see how many of these things you can find time for before you finish.

From my little business to yours, well done for all your hard work and creativity this year. I hope you all have a wonderfully festive Christmas break, and I look forward to being back in the new year!

PS If you’re thinking ahead and fancy a business review in the new year, don’t leave it too long to get in touch… January’s booking up fast!

Here's the thing: Gumption

Recently, I’ve been listening to some festive tunes. You know, to get me in the spirit. I decided to put together a few playlists for the wonderful businesses taking part in Progress not perfection, and one included the soundtrack from one of my favourite Christmas films: The Holiday.

I love The Holiday. I’ve watched it probably a dozen times. I appreciate the scriptwriting, the humour, the optimism, the beautiful production, and the music.

As I was listening, I remembered on of my favourite moments in the film:

Iris (Kate Winslet) finally challenges Jasper (Rufus Sewell) about his complete inability to be a decent human being, never mind boyfriend. He turns up at her holiday home door and expects to be welcomed unconditionally and, at first, he kind of is. And then he sorts of hints that he’s still engaged to another woman and just wants what he can have. Yes, I’m still angry at him. BUT I’m also super in love with Iris when he says, “What’s got into you?” and she replies, “I’m not sure, but I think it’s something resembling… GUMPTION!”

She kicks him out (hooray! everyone rejoices!) and gets on with being totally awesome and loving Jack Black, aka Miles.

It’s a brilliant moment. There’s even a track on the soundtrack called Gumption.

And gumption is a great word. It encapsulates more than confidence, more than passion, more than energy. It’s kind of a combination of all of those things, with a whole host of self-belief and taking action for what you believe in, and what’s best for you.

Which sounds pretty cool, right?

So I was thinking that this time of year really requires gumption from a lot of us. The gumption to get up in the morning in the dark. To pack the 100th (or 1,000th) order of the day. To face a challenging family situation (because Christmas brings with it many challenging family situations).

There’s gumption in saying ‘no’ to people, activities, orders, situations, that aren’t on your personal priority list. Iris refuses to be led on by Jasper and by her own hope that maybe it’ll be different this time. She knows that, in order to be happy, she has to follow her own priorities. Awesome.

So here’s the thing:

You need gumption. You need, and deserve, enough self-belief to put whatever you need into action.

As you read this, I want you to imagine or play your own theme tune. If you need some inspiration, check out this gumption playlist I made. Allow the music to fill you with the quasi-calm that comes from knowing that you’re capable of doing whatever it is you need to do.

You already know it. It’s already there inside you.

I’m just pointing you towards it.

Here’s the thing:

So here’s the thing:

Enter The Forge