Every experience is valid….Lockdown life

Every experience is valid…..

Life is not going according to plan right now….for anyone. That’s just the way that it is and we have very little choice but to surrender to new restrictions, new ways of working, new ways of being.

I am seeing and reading and hearing a lot about how we “should” be using this time and what we “should and shouldn’t” be doing. Some of this information is important because it will keep you alive and safe. However some of it is just people’s opinions.

Some are sharing worst case scenarios, some are focusing only on the positive. This is one of those times where perspective is everything and the only thing you truly have a choice about is your own experience.

Every experience is valid. What you are going through right now might be wildly different or almost the same as what is happening for me. Either way it is your experience and you are doing it exactly right for you.

Please don’t let yourself feel inadequate in anyway for the things you haven’t ticked off your “to do” list and by the same token let yourself enjoy the satisfaction that comes from actually completing something during such and emotionally and physically challenging time.

Its okay to feel afraid about the future and its okay to be enjoying the quiet that comes from narrowing your focus and staying at home.

There is no recipe for lockdown done “right” except that you need to stay home to keep everyone safe!

For me this time feels strangely familiar in some ways. Its not the first time that life as I know it has come to a grinding halt overnight. There has been earthquakes and the loss of my beloved spouse.

I take comfort in the resilience these previous changes have given me to draw from at the moment and I’d like to share some of the things that are supporting me to feel safe and calm and happy during this lockdown.

I am sharing them not because I think you “should” do them to but just in case you might find them comforting for you too.

You are still here…… life may look radically different right now and it might be impossible to imagine how it can ever feel okay again but you are still here. Remind yourself of that. Breathe, ask yourself what you need, ask yourself what you have energy for and do that.

For me this can look different from one day to the next. Some days its all action and online workouts. Other days its quiet walks with my dog and early nights with a book. I have learnt that there is real value in pausing to check in with myself. To feel my own presence and to inquire what it is I need. This is self nurture and living intuitively. It leaves me feeling less alone, healthier and stronger. I know and trust that someone will respond to my needs and that someone is me.

You are still here, what do you need? what do you have energy for?  Give yourself that.

Completion is important…. at a time when we feel we have very little control over what happens around us finding a project you can see through to completion will give you a sense of achievement and purpose. It doesn’t matter how big or small the project is. It might be trimming the hedge or cleaning out the garage or a project you can work on in your work from home life. Controlling what you can control and completing even the smallest project will help you find balance and give some meaning to your experience.

Find certainty in routine….. As humans we don’t do well with uncertainty. When life is unpredictable we can find it hard to rein in the panic and projection in our mind. It helps to create some certainty for you brain to hold on to. Certainty in uncertain times looks like small daily routines that provide a solid framework from day to day. It might be regular mealtimes, waking up and going to bed times. It might be a regular phone call with a friend at the same day/time each week. It might be advance meal planning so you have certainty about what you will eat. It could be daily meditation or writing time. Routine and structure supports us to feel secure and safe.

Reflection time….. I have learnt that these life disruptions provide a perfect platform for a little reflection. An opportunity to check in with yourself and your significant others about what is working for you in your daily life and what is no longer what you want. I like to look at the various aspects of life, work, friendships, relationships, finances, health and fitness etc and explore what feels lacking, check in with my heart in terms of what I desire more of or less of. The changes don’t need to be made in an instant. Just knowing that you want change and what you desire more of, will lead you to say yes to opportunities as they arise. I have used this process at times when all my plans and dreams have been torn away and it works equally well for helping guide new plans and dreaming new dreams.

Above all, be gentle with yourself, trust yourself, resist the urge to compare yourself with your social media connections, reach out for support if you need it and know that I am thinking of you and sending you a little lockdown love  from a safe distance.<3

Did you know I am currently offering free support in my facebook community? click here to join. I also offer a few free 30min Intuitive insight sessions each month where we can talk about whats happening for you and unravel your experiences together. You can book your free spot here

 

Beware the Ides of March…

Breakfast Blog#2 I wrote this blog post over a Small fry breakfast at The Batch Cafe in Invercargill. 

Many A dream is won or lost by what occurs in the month of March!

March is the month to dig deep on your plans and dreams for 2018. The last couple of weeks has signalled the end of the golden weather here in New Zealand and no doubt the first bus of spring are appearing in the Northern hemisphere.  Spring and Autumn provide us with the perfect seasons for getting things done.

I am currently working on a project that I want to bring to life in my biz this year and this week I have been reminded of how hard it is at the beginning of a project to create the momentum it will take to see it ignite into a life of its own. The same applies to any dream or goal we have for ourselves in our personal lives. We are captivated by the idea initially, we feel it in our hearts and minds. We can almost touch and taste it, it feels very present with us. However when it comes to taking the necessary steps to make it a reality it can be soooo much harder to keep the wheels spinning and the excitement flowing. SOmetimes that’s when the wheels fall off and what we planned in January already feels like a distant memory come MArch.

It’s not too late though….together we can dust off those January dreams and start taking the steps to make sure you can harvest come the end of the year!

What first?

(1) Make a plan ~ write down all of the steps you need to take to make this thing happen. This is where I am at with my current project. Initially you will find it hard to think of things and to break it into small enough steps but just start writing….what do you need? $$, support, info….add to it daily as new pieces of the puzzle come to you.

(2) Make a date ~ book the steps in to your diary, carving out pockets of time when you can commit to working on them. Try to schedule these spots regularly through out your week initially as coming back to your project frequently will help feed its energy and create the momentum required to keep working on it

(3) What to do when you get stuck or go off the boil ~ firstly plan for this because it will happen! Share your idea/plan with a trusted friend…just talking it through will help you fall in love with it all over again. Create yourself a vision board and/ or do your own intuitive oracle card reading or journalling on your project now so you have these to reflect back on when the going gets tough. Coming back to the journalling I had done on my biz idea was my safety net this week when I was feeling frustrated and ready to give up.

(4) Ask for help ~ maybe you are stuck because part of the project is just outside your current skill set or experience. Who can you ask for help here? V.A? Coach?, Mentor?, Lawyer? Accountant? IT wiz? Get the support you need to make your dream take flight.

For me goals, dreams and visions for the future are what makes life less ordinary but it is actually taking the steps to make our dreams a reality that is Deep Living!

You have the capacity to do, be and have far more that you could ever imagine! Soooo dust off those New Year plans and let March be the month you take action.

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, live the life you’ve imagined” Henry David Thoreau

From my heart to yours

Paula xx

If you live in Christchurch keep and eye out for my upcoming Vision board workshop. To get workshop dates via email sign up here Did you know that I offer a few free 30min sessions each month where we can talk about your dreams and goals and make a plan to bring them to life. You can book your free spot here 

Letting your Heart Lead…

Breakfast Blog#1 Today I begin a new series of blog posts, “Breakfast Blogs” One of my intentions for 2018 is to “live like I am on holiday all year” in exploring what that means to for me, visiting new cafes, starting my day slow and creating the space to write, come at the top of the list. Hence the breakfast blog is born. Each week (or as often as life allows) I will visit a new cafe, enjoy a late start and share with you whats on my mind and in my heart. Today’s breakfast blog was created at Bunsen in Christchurch and I had the very delicious Bunsen Bene on hash!

Over the first few weeks of 2018 the topic of goals has been high on the agenda both personally and with my clients. Its this time each year that we take stock, review and look forward to what to achieve and create in our lives. So what makes a really solid goal?

If you google goals you will find that at the top of the list comes the SMART goal and most of you will have heard of the concept of making your goals SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound) My personal feeling is that while this is a useful tool for formulating how you will word your goals for the purpose of writing them down, it doesn’t really lead you to create goals that excite you. To me, if we really want to set a goal that comes to fruition we need to feel it in our soul #soulgoals

Over the last couple of years I have observed in myself and in my clients a natural resistance to this idea. This is because we are conditioned to believe our goals “should” be lofty in the career, business, financial or academic sense. But unless we are really connected to what we want to create in these areas it can be really hard to harness the momentum required to get there, especially if we are not feeling it.

Even career, financial, business or academic goals need to be felt in the soul. In short whatever your goal it needs to make your heart sing.

So what if the thing you desire the most is to find a loving partner to share your life with? or to experience a deeper connection with the mate you already have? or to get to know the truth of who you are? or to create a beautiful living environment or to learn how to grow your own food? Are these goals any less important than that traditional career and financial goals? I would encourage you to consider the idea that the most important goal is the one you can feel in your heart regardless of what part of your life it relates to.

When we work towards our deepest desires we feel good, we feel connected and on purpose, motivated and part of the very fabric of life. We feel alive!

For some of you the choice to honour your deepest desires will feel so foreign it will be hard to find a place to start. That was certainly the case for me a few years ago. It takes courage to explore your inner terrain, it feels vulnerable. Especially if whats inside varies wildly from what those you love, want or expect from you.

My advice, start small, give yourself a little taste of what it feels like to honour your soul and keep asking the question “what is it that I really want right now” in every aspect of your life. Give yourself permission to discover what sets your soul on fire. Get curious about what might be revealed to you.

The real benefits of letting your heart lead is that you will experience more joy, more love and more connection in every aspect of your life. When you are soul filled and soul happy your ability to show up, perform and achieve, skyrockets.

When you give yourself what you really want, you lay a solid foundation for amplifying success in every part of your life including your career, business, and finances! Ironically by focusing on goals that fill your soul you will experience a greater level of success in the areas you think you “should” be striving for.

So in 2018, plan to do, be and have more of what makes your heart sing and let your heart lead for a while….You might just be surprised where it takes you.

From my heart to yours

Paula xx

Allowing 2018

Welcome to your New year!

Its been 12 months since we found ourselves at the beginning again but here we are….

I am conscious of how different this January feels for me to all of the January’s gone by. I have welcomed January with fervour in the past. I have loved that “day before the first day if school” feeling that new years have….that excitement of new possibilities just around the corner. I often rush at January with a big agenda of dreams and schemes to be birthed in the months ahead. But this year feels different….can you feel it too?

Don’t get me wrong January 2018 is very welcome after the mental and emotional demands of an enormous 2017. I have just as many possibilities for creation bubbling under the surface but this January feels gentler and softer in its unfolding.

January 2018 has me very much in a space of allowing. Allowing what is, rather than battling what isn’t. The era of hustle is gone. January 2018 is all heart after the heady mental energy of 2017.

So with a sigh of relief I relax into this gentle January and allow myself to dream and to breathe and  to let what wants to come forward arrive.

And when those echoes of 2017 come calling, asking me, pressuring me and should-ing me, I take a deep soul filling breath, pour a cup of tea and go out into my garden to watch mother nature allow herself to unfold.

Wishing you all a divinely gentle January

Paula xx

Did you know that I offer a few free 30min Intuitive insight sessions each month where we can talk about whats happening for you and unravel your experiences together. You can book your free spot here

 

Saying it as it is….

Have you ever felt like a fraud or that you don’t measure up?

Today I’m calling “bullshit” Who’s with me?

This week I ran my first live webinar. I loved it and I know that those who participated received value from it. I wrote the content for the webinar “10 Soul Strategies to Kick Procrastination” in November 2016.  So why did I procrastinate for nearly 8 months to bring this content to my tribe?

If I’m really honest, over the last few months I have felt myself a fraud, that I didn’t measure up. I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my gut, a hopelessness, a uselessness. I was struck down by comparisonitis and crippled by the thought that I had to do this the way I see others do it in social media.

I felt invisible in such a noisy social media world and a little bit sickened by the empty promises of “learn how to generate 6 figures in 5 months” hype. I saw authenticity being pedaled as the latest “must have” in the most inauthentic ways.

What I fell victim to and I know I am not alone in this was allowing social media to influence my own measure of value and success. Quick Fix business schemes are marketed in a way the hyper creates an artificial sense of what success is.

The reality is that the majority of small businesses take a minimum of 2 to 3 years to really hit their stride.

So I called “bullshit” on the social media hype that I was buying into…

Dont follow me to be followed back!

Dont sell me your magic formula that you still haven’t proven to yourself works yet

Dont sell me your Uber successful launch strategy that you are trying out for the first time on me, that was sold to you by someone else who got it from someone else!

SHOW ME WHO YOU ARE

Show me your soft underbelly, your journey, your darkness, your failures

Show me all the things you don’t want me to see, show me your soul, your integrity, your values

My biggest takeaway from the last few months is that I am comfortable building my business in the same way I like to cook food…Slowly, I am savouring the journey.

And that all the aspirational marketing hype drew me in for a reason. It speaks to the part of me who has success in her soul, who knows her time is coming and is preparing for the shoes that currently feel too big for her to fill.

This is my invitation to be who I am, to do it my way and to grow my business in a way that feeds me, and is in alignment with my values. To stand in my own integrity and be my own version of authentic.

And I invite you to do the same and I just know the world will love you exactly as you are!

Have you felt affected by all the social media hype too? I’d love to hear about it, feel free to share in the comments below. If you feel like you’d like to connect I’d love to invite you for a  a free clarity call with me here or visit my website here

 

What Letting Go Reveals…..

Has your vision for you life and business become clouded?

Do you sometimes feel that you are getting in the way of your own success?

What would happen if you just let go? 

Todays blog is about the surprising benefits of letting go and the freedom it can bring you in your business and your life.

Letting go has been the dominant theme for me this year and as we hit the full moon earlier this month I found myself releasing more than I had ever imagined I was holding on to.

Early this year I made the decision to sell the home I had shared with my late husband and to find a new home for both myself and my business. My home sold quickly and I was forced to acknowledge that a huge amount of physical clearing needed to occur before I could actually move. Knowing this process would take some weeks to complete and with a strong desire to begin my new life free from the weight of possessions that didn’t belong to me, I gave myself permission to step back from my business and to continue to serve my existing clients but to let go of all of the demands of marketing. promoting and growing my business.

I focused on the process of lovingly going through my late husbands tools and equipment and items that he had collected over his 45 years of life and finding new homes and new people who appreciated them to pass them onto.

What I learnt from the process of letting go of these possessions was that clearing the clutter on a physical level will reveal a layer of mental clutter, internal belongings, beliefs and patterns that are also waiting to be cleared.

There was an invitation to let go on another level. To let go of everything that is holding you back from being who you are.

Tied up with these physical possessions was a letting go of where I had thought my life “should” be and who “should” be in it. In letting go of “shoulds” came an acceptance of what is.

I have come face to face with my perfectionism, the need for a set of perfect circumstances to arise before I can act.

I was able to see with crystal clarity the patterns that led me away from myself and from where I most want to be.

The root of procrastination and resistance rose up to met me, revealing all the ways in which I sabotage myself and hold myself back.

So why do we have all these internal scripts and processes that we hold on to?

Why do we let this internal junk get in the way of or goals, dreams and deepest desires?

Your stuff, the things that hold you back, the limits you place on yourself are a hardwired protection mechanism shaped by your early experiences. Your young self unable to make sense of the world around you developed a highly specialised system of checks and brakes to save you from the pain of loss, failure, rejection and to set you up for the best chance of fitting in and receiving love.

Call this your ego or your monkey mind, your bad habits, this hand brake to success exists in all of us.

However, just as I have recently experienced we are able to let go of what no longer serves us on both a physical and an emotional level.

To do this we must acknowledge deeply these patterns and make peace with them. Understand how they have served us and thank them for their gifts before the process of letting go is truly complete. For me this was true even though my process was an unexpected side effect of letting go of physical belongings.

What I am left with is lightness and a freshness. I am seeing with new eyes and a new way of being is revealed to me. I have clarity.

The feeling of being weighed down and the desire to feel free of self-imposed limits is not unique to me. I see this in my clients, my friends, my wider networks.

We all have within us the ability to achieve the life we dream of, so ask yourself the question………. What’s getting in the way? What do I need to let go of?

Get curious, become an explorer of your own internal landscape.

The mountain may seem high but the view from the top is incomparable.

Its time to just let go………

I’d love to hear your experiences of letting go, feel free to share in the comments below. If you feel like you’d like some more support with what you need to let go of you can book a free clarity call with me here or visit my website here

 

 

 

Undo the overwhelm!

How often do you feel overwhelmed in your business or life in general?

Over the last few months from my own experience and from hearing stories of overwhelm from many of my clients I have come to realise that overwhelm is a very normal experience and it is possible to break it down and work your way through it. The biggest downside of staying in overwhelm is that it sucks the joy and meaning out of life and that can leave you questioning the very thing you believed to be your purpose. Being on purpose does not mean that you will never experience overwhelm.

In today’s blog I want to share the 3 major ways that overwhelm can keep us stuck and get in the way of what we want to achieve.

Feeling overwhelmed is really, really, common whether we are business owners or not. If I look back at the last 12 months (my business is 11months old) I would say that I felt overwhelm weekly and sometimes daily! When I get overwhelmed I suffer from what I call “deer in the headlights syndrome” I freeze. I can neither go forward nor back. The very thought of dissecting the overwhelm, overwhelms me!

Instead I polish up my procrastination skills…I watch daytime TV, I make snacks when I’m not hungry, I check the snail mail and the email and I hang out for hours on social media. All of these things fail in every way to alleviate overwhelm and in fact often serve to intensify it.

So how do we manage our feelings of overwhelm in our business and in our personal lives?The first step to dealing with any difficult experience is to gently allow yourself to feel it, acknowledge it and accept it. It’s time to stop avoiding the overwhelm!

In my experience the source of your overwhelm will likely be :

(1)time

(2)knowledge or

(3) the stretch.

If we can work out which of these 3 are at the source then we are more than halfway to resolving it.

(1) The most common source of overwhelm is time…and not enough of it! The first step in defusing the time problem is to have a really good look at where your time is going and what time you actually have available. Identify your time drains and look at how you can eliminate these. Are there ways in which you can re-order your routine to free up an extra half an hour a day? Can you shuffle your schedule to give you some bigger chunks of time to work with?

Once you have established your time limits then look at all of the things you need to complete. Make a list…yes I know that making a list in itself can feel overwhelming but believe me you will feel a lot better once you do it. Look at each of the items on your list and ask yourself how essential they are for you to complete. Put all the non-negotiables into your schedule first.

It is likely that the simple act of making a list has reduced your overwhelm but if not you can trust me that once you start to tick off some of the items on your list you will be able to breathe again. This is also a good time to re- evaluate the standards you are setting yourself…are you expecting and unrealistic level of perfection that results in things never being completed? Make your new Mantra “done is better than perfect” and make a start.

(2) The second source of overwhelm is knowledge. This is where we feel overwhelmed because we have reached our outer limits of knowledge on a particular subject or aspect of our business. Once again it’s important to be gentle with yourself and to be accepting that there will always be things that you need to learn.

For me starting out in a new business after 10 years in the corporate world I had to admit that my marketing skills from my previous businesses was completely outdated. Social media was my new learning curve and boy was that overwhelming! The great thing is that new knowledge is so readily available now. There is always someone who knows what you don’t so find a coach or a course or a mentor who can help you to get on track to gaining the skills you need.

(3) The third reason we feel overwhelm is when we are in the stretch. The stretch is that place where you are putting yourself out there, owning your genius and testing your new skills and abilities. It might be a new program you want to offer or a new way of working or a new product or service. It may even be a new way of communicating your needs in your relationship or a new aspect of yourself you are learning to share and embrace.

Personally I find the overwhelm associated with the stretch the most challenging. Recently I have been leaning into the stretch in my coaching business and owning my true nature as a business coach. I am acknowledging that what I do does not fit within a traditional model but is soul based. My clients have been quick to accept my new moniker of soul based business coach as it aligns with how they have experienced what I do, but owning this dimension of my work more publically has felt overwhelming because of the stretch.

When overwhelm is in the stretch it’s important to know that it will feel uncomfortable initially as you grow into this aspect of yourself or your work but the rewards are enormously satisfying. If you are feeling overwhelmed by the stretch the my best advice is to go slowly, dip your toes in and test the water and feel the expansion as you do. Nurture and celebrate your small steps as you would a child who is learning a new skill.

 It is my hope that some of my suggestions will help you to relax about your feelings of overwhelm and to let go of the battle you have with yourself. When we relax about what is occurring it allows us to drop our resistance and then the way forward begins to appear. Don’t be surprised if your desire to procrastinate is strong here its normal to feel a level of resistance to your growth.  After all overwhelms best friend is procrastination and that is another blog entirely that I look forward to sharing with you soon.

Paula xx