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Shared story: Lisa Langer
The first thirty years of Lisa Langer’s life were guided by habit, conditioning and the external distractions. And then she found yoga. With regular practice she was empowered to throw off the shackles of the past and live more consciously, compassionately and happily. Today she shares how she’s doing what she loves and supporting others do the same. Here she shares her story…
In 2004 Hugo Cory, my self-inquiry teacher, asked me the question that changed my life: “If you had two weeks completely free, with no responsibilities and no schedule, how would you spend your time?” Well, I said, that’s obvious, I’d practice yoga, read about yoga, teach yoga and study yoga. I had been a yoga practitioner since 1999, a teacher since 2001 and considered yoga as my hobby. But I’d never actually considered yoga as a legitimate career until that moment. You see, until then, I lived in the way that I thought I should live – I did well in school, followed rules, celebrated obligatory holidays, was active with family and society, married a brain surgeon, became a corporate lawyer, had a baby, etc… I valued the external world over my internal truth every time until Hugo and my yoga practices taught me otherwise.
Growing pains (and pleasures)
Some of our lovely team having fun pasta making at a recent team awayday
An old friend and colleague used to say “The teamwork makes the dream work” and I have been reflecting a lot on this lately. In the beginning Do What You Love was my baby – I made all the decisions, some of the progress, and most of the mistakes. But now we have a team she has grown into something far bigger than that.
Every now and then a small part of me wistfully remembers the very early days, when I had a deep seated feeling in my gut about why I had to do it, even if I didn’t really know what I was doing. It was a heady, innocent time, when I was at once inspired and overwhelmed by the possibilities.
Many lessons, hurdles, questions and twists in the road later, that feeling of why hasn’t changed, but the difference is I’m now surrounded by people who know exactly what they are doing.
And the best bit about having a team? You build something together. You share the excitement, the plans, the dreams, the ups and downs, the workload, the celebrations. This is no longer my big idea, it’s OUR big idea.
We’re hiring! Could this be your perfect job?
We are looking for a new team member. Could this be your perfect job?
MARKETING OFFICER / COMMUNITY MANAGER
An exciting and fulfilling marketing opportunity has arisen within our small dynamic company, which is breaking new ground in careers and life education.
We offer pioneering online training and resources for people who have the ambition to live the life they choose. We believe that if everyone did what they loved, the world would be a better place. We have helped thousands of people from across the globe carve their own path and make a career doing something that makes them feel alive.
We are currently looking for a graduate to support our Marketing Manager for a period of 12 months.
A new beginning today
Earlier this week I woke up to a magical winter wonderland – it was snowing! As I stood at the window admiring mother nature’s spectacular work, I started thinking about how beautiful the world looks in white.
There’s something quite special about the colour white. In colour psychology, white symbolises purity, innocence, awakening, growth, completion and new beginnings. It’s thought that we wear white clothes (often subconsciously) when we are moving in a new direction in life, such as travelling abroad, moving house, embarking on a new relationship or changing careers because white makes us feel calm, organised and optimistic. Colour psychologists also say that surrounding yourself with white is good for your soul because it cleanses and purifies your thoughts, emotions and, ultimately, your spirit, refreshing and strengthening your entire energy system.
Venturing out into the crisp white snow – a big blank canvas full of possibilities – was just the inspiration I needed to be bold and start the art course I’ve been dreaming about.
What’s will you begin today? We’d love to hear what’s inspired you.
Download a high res version here.
February’s Happy List is here!
One of the little things making me happy this month – reading some of the classics
Can you believe it’s almost February? We hope your New Year got off to a flying start and that you found many things to be inspired by and grateful for in January.
Here is your free Happy List for February. Use it to keep a daily record of the things that make you happy, whether large or small.
We’d love to hear what is making you smile – leave a comment below or join our New Year’s Revolution Facebook group (for people who have big dreams for 2015!)
JOIN THE NEW YEAR’S REVOLUTION – IT’S NOT TOO LATE!
Are you ready to make major changes in your life? Do you want to make 2015 the year you finally do what you love?
To help you do this we have created New Year’s Revolution: a practical kit to help you make 2015 amazing. This is completely free – and it comes with a community you can join to get support throughout the coming year. Doing what you love doesn’t happen overnight. It is an attitude, and a way of life, and it takes courage and boldness to make the tough decisions which let you get there. It also takes thought and planning, so we have created this special gift to help you on your way.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE NEW YEAR’S REVOLUTION KIT
Why mindfulness techniques can bring you success in a wired world
This is a guest post by one of the UK’s leading experts in digital distraction and digital detox and author of The Distraction Trap: How to Focus in a Digital World, Frances Booth. Find out more about Frances here.
We can apply mindfulness techniques to our digital lives in a number of ways to help us boost our productivity.
By pressing pause, increasing our awareness of our digital behaviour, and taking small daily steps, we can move towards increased balance in a wired world. This can boost our productivity and reduce stress.
I was speaking about this recently at an event in Tech City, London, and the discussion sparked much debate. How can we use digital mindfulness to increase our productivity and wellbeing?
Help me write my TEDx talk!
When I heard last week that I had been confirmed as a speaker for TEDxYouth@ Islington I was in equal parts thrilled and terrified. It’s a fantastic but somewhat daunting platform, and something I have had on my dream list for quite some time. Most people get around 5 months to prepare for a talk like this. I’ve got 7 weeks, and I need your help! In fact, I would be so grateful for your help that one person responding to my quick survey will win a free place on the Do What You Love course.
My topic will be “How to teach your parents to give you better careers advice”. It is based on the premise that careers advice is nearly always well-intended but frequently flawed, because we often ask our children the wrong questions when trying to help them discover their path in life.
In the talk I will offer the young people in the audience:
In their words – why the Do What You Love e-course could be just what you need
We are always humbled and thrilled to hear how our courses have helped people change their own lives, sidestep mountains, move forwards, and find fulfillment and happiness on their own path. As we prepare for the Do What You Love course to begin on Monday 26 January, we thought we’d share some of the latest words we have received about the impact of the last class, in the words of the participants themselves.
If any of these resonate with you, and you’d like to be able to say the same within five short weeks, then join us for the online adventure of a lifetime.
Our acclaimed course Do What You Love begins on Monday 26 January and runs for five weeks. In those five weeks, everything could change for you – not least how you see yourself, others, your future and your place in the world. It’s powerful and inspiring – don’t miss it. Book your place now.
The art of getting started…
Whether it’s perfectionism, procrastination, or plain old fear that’s holding you back, there’s help and inspiration at hand!
Are you struggling to make your creative dreams happen? Do you have a great idea but don’t know where to start? Or do you have so many ideas that you end up doing nothing? Illustrator and self-professed procrastinator Lee Crutchley admits that he knows the ‘first blank page’ all too well. He says: “Turning ideas into real things is NOT the easy part. It takes work, and delaying the work does one thing – it delays the work.” In his book, The Art of Getting Started, Lee shares some of the fun tasks, challenges and prompts he uses to kickstart his left-brain and get his creative juices flowing. Be prepared to write, draw, cook, explore, and be impulsive as you immerse yourself in creativity in its purest form and take the first step towards becoming unstuck.
