BOLDNESS + BRAVERY Page 3 of 12

Exciting times!

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dwylhq

Exciting times, exciting times, exciting times…

This is what I constantly seem to be saying to Beth at the moment, in fact I have been saying it for the last few months. There is an energy and a level of optimism in what we are doing at the moment that I don’t think we have experienced for a couple of years in the business. Not to say that it hasn’t been enjoyable, far from it, but we seem to be in a position where the foundations of our plans have been laid and all those hours, days, months and years of hard work are paying dividends.

Why the level of excitement? Well, there are a few reasons. Firstly, Beth is realising her dream of writing a book and is working with her dream publisher to bring ‘Freedom Seeker’ to life and out into the world. Stay tuned for more on that very soon! To watch someone so close to you achieve a lifelong dream is a reminder that life is what we make it. (Beth is looking over my shoulder right now and telling me that ‘Life is what you make it’ was her motto in her school yearbook over two decades ago!)

Secondly, the actual writing of the book has provided a fresh focus for us here at DWYL. The world of publishing is new to us but finding out about it, working with new people and learning new skills has been a very enjoyable learning curve.

Thirdly, it became very apparent that to achieve all our new goals we needed some additional help. So it is with great pleasure that I can introduce our newest team member… Fiona Duffy.

DSC_5819-2Welcome Fiona Duffy – the latest addition to the DWYL family!

We are absolutely over the moon to welcome Fiona into the DWYL family. She brings with her invaluable experience working with The Happy Startup School, an infectious enthusiasm, a huge smile and a refreshing honesty and openness. And she gets it! She really does. She gets what we are trying to do, where we want to be and has so many ideas to help us get there.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the guys at The Happy Startup School for supporting Fiona’s decision to go to part time so she can spend the rest of the week with us, and embarks on the phase of her career and life. You are going to love her like we do!

Recruiting for your own business is often challenging, because when you have a small team you really have to fit together. But sometimes someone comes along who makes it very easy for you. In this case it was a complete no-brainer. Fiona oozes charm, a zest for life and is a huge force of positive energy. Welcome Fiona – we hope you enjoy your role with us!

works in progress

Thought of the moment

We are all works in progress. Beth spotted this written on a window in New York on her travels last week, and tells me she suddenly felt like the pressure was off. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that we are works-in-progress, that we don’t have to be perfect, and that every day offers an opportunity to learn and grow. So here’s to you being a work-in-progress too!

Until next time,

Mr.K

Meet me in New York or Helsinki? (10 inspiring, mind-expanding events for your calendar)

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Meet me in New York or Helsinki? (10 inspiring, mind-expanding events for your calendar) DWYL BLOG GREATESCAPE 650X250PX LR 1

I’ve just booked a flight to New York for next month and I’m hoping to see you there for I Am… Courage – a brand new event featuring some of my favourite storytellers, sharing new thinking for brave + truthful living.

Do you remember I mentioned I met some amazing women in Santa Fe recently? We bonded like sisters over a shared passion for freedom, bravery and truth, and decided to create a brand new event that challenges conventional thinking and inspires new ways of living. And YOU are invited!

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I Am…Courage is about redefining what it means to be successful, and how to claim the magic and magnificence that is in each and every one of us.

It takes place at Rise New York on Saturday 22 October from 2-4pm and promises to be a very special afternoon indeed. You can find all the details here:

I am honoured to share the stage with these beautiful souls: Kelly Rae Roberts, Kate Eckman, Christine Tripoli, Kathe Crawford and C Rene Washington.

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And if you can’t make it to New York, here are 9 other brilliant events taking place in the next couple of months across the world:

  • Sketch Doodle Draw from our sister site makeitindesign.com which I co-founded with designer Rachael Taylor. We are taking the team to Helsinki this weekend, to begin our celebrations of 5 years of Make It In Design. Join us for sketching and chats about creative careers (it’s free!) Helsinki, Finland (Sept 30, 2016)
  • YEStival from our friend Dave Cornthwaite Sussex, UK (Oct 21-23, 2016)
  • Start building an impact career (from two good friends, oceans advocate and adventurer Emily Penn and start up specialist Ben Keene) – London, UK (October 30, 2016)
  • Mojo Blast – Take Life, Work and Creativity to the next level (host Jamie Catto spoke at an event I was at recently and he was brilliant) London, UK (November 12, 2016)

PLUS – The Makerie at Chautaqua (Boulder, CO, USA Apr 27-30 2017)

I’m honoured to be the opening night speaker for this very special creative retreat, organized by Ali de John, a truly beautiful human. It is going to be absolutely magical. More details coming soon, but if you are interested in going it’s worth booking now as The Makerie is always a sell out!

This week I challenge you to get yourself to an event—any event—that makes you think differently and connects you to kindred spirits. Let me know how you get on!

Beth

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PS Time is running out to join the Do What You Love e-course starting October 17. This will be the last time we run this ‘life-changing’ course in 2016, so don’t miss out on this chance for a fresh start! Find out more and book your spot here.

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Life According to Mr K: When good people go and we are left behind

Written by

lifeaccordingtomrk

A tribute to my friend Glen

When you strip away everything that doesn’t really matter, you are left with people. Family. Friends. Other humans. Connections between us, some deep and long, some fleeting but remarkable. And every now and then, if you are really lucky, you get a friendship that is both deep and remarkable, which changes you forever, which fills your life with laughter and stories, and makes you a better person for knowing the other. That’s how it was with my friend Glen.

Five weeks ago Glen passed away, aged 39, and the world is a sadder place for it. But in writing about him, and writing a tribute to him, I am determined to find something I can hold onto, a fragment of goodness and hope that I can carry with me in the years ahead, as I grow older, and as his tiny daughter grows up.

I have put off writing this particular post for a while. I guess it was because deep down I thought writing it would mean that I have accepted that one of my dearest friends has left us. Even as I write this I get a shiver all over my body. I still don’t want it to be true.

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An Update From Do What You Love HQ – April ’16

Written by

dwylhq

I sat down to write this month’s update and whilst considering what to tell you about – I’ll get to that soon – I glanced at my calendar. It read April 16. Three years ago to the day since I started with Do What You Love.

I had just returned from my honeymoon and the magic and romance of Tuscany was fast being replaced by one very real and overriding thought:

“Was it really a good idea to give up 12 years of a good career… especially now?”

Not only was the world trying to come to terms with the worst global recession in recent history, we were about to start our new life as a family. Is there a bigger adventure? And the main security we had, I had discarded without remorse. The reality now was that our immediate future was a complete unknown and our family’s wellbeing was in the hands of a fairly whimsical concept – Do What You Love.

Had I been completely selfish, foolish and irresponsible?

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What I learnt from two actual superheroes (and it’s not what you think)

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What I learnt from two actual superheroes (and it’s not what you think) DWYL BLOG TUNEINCHILLOUT 650X250PX LR

The other day I went on a double date with Mr K and my older brother and sister-in-law to see the new film ‘Batman vs Superman’. The film choice wasn’t mine, but I have enjoyed some of the superhero films in recent years, and I was just happy to have some time out on the town.

We settled in with popcorn and wine (oh how classy cinemas are these days), and I was looking forward to a good story. Although the film was beautifully shot, after half an hour I was still looking for the story. After an hour I was bored. After 90 minutes I was actually getting really annoyed that I was sat there spending our rare night out watching gratuitous violence. I started asking myself why, when all day long I search for pockets of quiet time, have I filled my night off with guns and explosions?

And then I walked out.

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Are you trapped? Are you a freedom seeker? I need your story for my book!

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I am deep into the writing of my book, which is due out with Hay House in Spring 2017. It will be called ‘Freedom Seeker: Live more. Worry less. Do what you love.” This writing process is tough, tough, tough, but it is also one of the most spirit-lifting, intellectually-stimulating, and thrilling things I have ever done. I absolutely love it. But there is still a long way to go until I hand my manuscript in in the summer.

And this is where you come in. The book is packed with tools and personal stories to help readers escape whatever is holding them back, and learn to soar, so they can live a life doing what they love.  But I also want to include a host of stories of other people at various stages of life, with a variety of experiences, who have felt stuck, trapped or held back from living their fullest life.

It could be that you are in it right now, feeling like you have lost control, or that your circumstances are dictating what is possible for you. Perhaps you have dreams of what you want things to be like, but you never seem to get off the starting block, or you get part of the way along and then the dark clouds come in – the fear, the negativity, the worry about money or what others will think. Or maybe your responsibilities always seem to take over and you can’t find the time to take the steps you need to take.

Or perhaps you have been there, but are now living a freer, happier life. Perhaps something happened and you were inspired (or forced) to make major changes in your life which have resulted in you feeling more free, doing something you love and being happier?

If so, I want to hear your story! If you would be willing to share it, please sign up here to join my Freedom Seeker Research Group by Wednesday 30 March, and I will be in touch later this week with an initial questionnaire.

Even if you aren’t able to share your story, I hope you will cheer me along over the coming months as I birth this book and put myself out there in a way which right now feels terrifying! Some things just have to be done…

Thank you so much!

Beth

**A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO SHARED THEIR INSPIRING STORY WITH ME AND HELPED TO BRING MY BOOK TO LIFE. FREEDOM SEEKER: LIVE MORE. WORRY LESS. DO WHAT YOU LOVE IS NOW OUT.**

Freedom Seeker

Are we afraid to ‘do what we love’?

Written by

lifeaccordingtomrk

There are two things that really stick out for me in people’s responses when I tell them that our company is called Do What You Love and then subsequently explain what we do.

Firstly, “Wow, that sounds cool… I need that” and secondly, only seconds later (often within the same breath) in complete contrast “But then, not many of us can… we all have jobs to do don’t we?”

I continually wonder why we, as human beings, are so quick to shy away from our dreams, shut down our options and turn away from opportunities. Usually I come to the conclusion that our feelings must be based in fear. I know this has been, and still is, true for myself. Growing up I was often scared to push myself and commit to things. The reason? Because I was afraid that my best would fall short; way short of my own expectations.

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We are all unique and built in different ways, each with vastly different personality traits – so why does this ‘fear’ affect so many of us? Where does it come from? Society? Media? Family and friends? Ourselves?

Well if the ‘fear’ is significant enough to prevent you from doing what you love, then it needs dealing with. But how? The recipe for freeing yourself from the ‘fear’ is pretty straightforward in principle, but putting it into practice is another thing altogether. Women seem to be talking about their fears, and how they deal with them, more and more these days, but I still don’t hear us guys talking about it anywhere near as much as we really need to (not one of our strengths I know).

Here are a few simple tips that have worked for me, together with some FREE resources that will hopefully help inspire and motivate you to move forward towards realising some of your dreams:

  • Slow down and make time: if you’re always rushing from one thing to the next, trying to get through your neverending to-do list and outwardly multitask with confidence, whilst inside  wondering when the spinning plates are going to come crashing down, maybe you need to pause, reflect and re-prioritise .

FREE resources – Zen for Ten and Making Time will encourage you to get back to basics, enjoy the simple things and think about what really matters to you.

  • Immerse yourself in the world you are interested in, and find, a community of like-minded people there. Their positivity and energy will boost you up and make you realise what is possible. You may also be amazed what you can accomplish when you are not surrounded by the naysayers.

FREE resources – Alchemy and L.E.A.P – two fantastic resources that will help show you what is possible when you change your mindset.

  • Plan! My God, if I didn’t plan my days I am not sure I would make it past breakfast, especially with two small daughters keeping me on my toes. Planning in time every day to do something – however small – in the direction of your dream, adds up to big strides over time. Trying to visualise every step can be daunting, but breaking it into smaller manageable steps allows us to find direction, movement and most importantly momentum.

FREE resource – New Year’s Revolution – a practical toolkit to help you spend more time doing what you love.

 

Let’s just consider those two very different responses I mentioned at the beginning of this post for a second…

  1. “Wow, that sounds cool…I need that”

Yes it is cool to do what you love. For me, to have found something as rewarding as being able to help people improve their lives has been one of the highlights of the past five years. Life is short. How can doing what you don’t love be a better, happier choice than doing what you do love?And yet, this doesn’t mean it is an easier life. I can honestly say I have never worked so hard. But I certainly don’t mind, as the motivation behind my actions is in line with what I believe.

There is also a misconception that you should be ‘doing what you love’ at work. Not necessarily. If you have a job you love then great, but you might have a job that provides for you and your family and allows you time to follow your passions. It really is an equation that has to fit you and you alone.

2.“But then, not many of us can… We all have jobs to do, don’t we?”

Yes, the truth is most of us do need to earn money to pay the bills, but there are thousands of ways to do that. In today’s connected world there are more opportunities than ever to have a flexible lifestyle, such as negotiating some remote working time, starting your own business, learning something new or sharing your expertise with the world by teaching online. And if none of those suit your particular situation, there are always ways to free up more time and prioritise even a small amount of money to do what you love outside work too.

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Sounds like it’s [Tweet “time for a lifestyle spring clean.”] Are you in?

Until next time,
Mr K.