GRATITUDE + CONSCIOUS LIVING Page 10 of 22

On recalibrating

A while back I talked about how we often teach what we need to hear, and this has never been more true than right now, this very minute, as we kick off our new course The Business Soul Sessions. Today has been a day for recalibration and redirection and it has been exhilarating.

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Rewind to yesterday, a glorious sunny day here on the south coast of England. Mr K and I took Sienna to Stanmer Park, a wonderful green space in the grounds of a stately home, complete with cows, a stone church and a sweet little tea room. We spent two solid hours laughing as we chased her round and round the field, stopping only to make a daisy chain crown for her hair.

She has been walking with assistance for months now, but for some reason, last week, she just decided to go for it and started walking unaided, round in circles, up steps, and even breaking into a little wobbly run. It was amazing. Pure joy, and she was so proud she kept clapping herself. Now the world must look very different to her, as she can go where she wants and look at anything that catches her eye.

For us yesterday was such a fun family day, and it made us start thinking ahead to the expansion of our family in the months ahead, with baby number two on the horizon (due at the end of July).

When Sienna was born I did a really bad job of juggling work and new motherhood, to the point where I exhausted myself, and probably did neither of them properly. This time we want to do it differently. We want to spend more time with the new little one, but also with Sienna as she gets used to having a little sister. So things need to be done differently.

With that in mind Mr K and I spent today working on our business development plan for the next few years, with thoughts of our family front of mind throughout the process. It was an invigorating day of brainstorming, questioning, challenging and imagining, and we are truly excited about what lies ahead. The best part? We were recalibrating for our change in lifestyle, but by REALLY focusing on what is important to us, came away with ideas that will make our business better as a result. (I look forward to sharing some of those things with you in the coming months…)

How did we do it? Using the resources from our very own Business Soul Sessions course! We took a selection of the worksheets from the course and powered through them in a mammoth café session. We came away with an extraordinary sense of clarity, direction and new ideas. It was so exciting to use our own course to help direct the next phase of our own business, and it makes complete sense.

Because having a soulful business is all about being clear on WHY you are doing what you are doing, serving WHO you want to serve, with WHAT they need, and doing it all in a way that makes you happy and makes you profits you can be proud of. But we all change and grow over time, our motivations change, our situations change, and the world outside our door changes. So it follows that your business needs to change, adapt and evolve with it. The principles of the Business Soul Sessions played a major role in the early days of our business, and I am thrilled that the course is equally valuable at this stage, because it’s about principles and possibility, which are important wherever you are with your business. (And it wasn’t just us – here’s a fantastic case study from designer Hannah Nunn who took the Beta version of the course a while back and has seen a 53% rise in sales, combined with a complete perspective shift – it’s an inspiring tale!)

If you think it’s time to recalibrate your own business, to get re-motivated, re-inspired, and ready to create much greater impact, profits and freedom, then join us. Class has just begun but you can still squeeze in here if you are quick!

This week we’d like to challenge you to think about what areas of your life could do with recalibration. What have you been doing the same for a while now, even though something has changed – your circumstances, your friendship group, your interests or whatever. Think about it, and take a moment to reflect and recalibrate today.

Have a great week!

Beth and team

Nature’s beauty is everywhere

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Nature has so much to offer us, if we simply slow down to enjoy it. This week, just for a few moments each day, be present and appreciate the beauty of your surroundings. What makes you smile and feel grateful to be part of this amazing, awe-inspiring world? We’d love you to share your special moments in nature in the comments below…

Take a walk on the wild side

 

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Explore your wild side! We love nature and created this colourful word cloud to celebrate all the beautiful things it has to offer. We hope it inspires you to spend some time in the great outdoors.

  • When was the last time you took a break to admire nature?
  • How does Mother Nature inspire and motivate you… at home, at work, in your spare time, in your relationships, and in life in general?
  • What will your next outdoor adventure be?

You can download a high res version to print here.

May’s happy list is here!

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May's happy list is here! Library at Anthro HQ e1430423181837On my happy list this month: feeling inspired by nature and magazines galore in this gorgeous little library at Anthropologie HQ, Philadelphia

Each month we share a free ‘happy list’ as a place for you to capture the things – big or small – that have made you smile each day.

Download your happy list here.

Wishing you a marvellous May,

Rachel

April’s happy list is here…

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Each month we share a free downloadable ‘happy list’ as a place for you to capture the things – big or small – that have made you smile each day.

Happy listOn my happy list – an inspired coffee break

Download your happy list here.

Wishing you an amazing April,

Rachel

PS: We are launching an exciting new course, The Business Soul Sessions, very soon. We can’t reveal the details just yet, but let’s just say it will completely change the way you think of business, and offer you a whole new blueprint for creating a soulful business that generates significant profits you can be proud of. Hop on the waiting list today to find out more and get:

  • The chance to shape upcoming contents and the new course by answering our simple Business Soul Sessions survey here about what challenges you are facing starting or growing your business. One person who responds by Wednesday 8 April will win a free place on the course when it launches later this Spring!
  • Your free copy of ‘Your mission in business’ (interactive worksheet to dig deep into what makes your business tick).
  • The opportunity to get an exclusive early bird offer for course registration (it’s HUGE) – only available to those who join the waiting list.
  • Get our newsletter and articles as they come out – free valuable business news and insight to be released soon.

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Nurture yourself: part 3

4 ways to de-stress your life

We all know what it’s like to feel stressed. It happens when everything gets too much and we feel overloaded and overburdened. And when we start feeling this way we start to doubt whether we can cope with the amount of pressure being placed upon us.

Stress is the body’s natural reaction to pressure. Some of us experience physical effects, like a rise in body temperature, a churning stomach, sweaty palms and a dry mouth, others experience emotional effects, like worry, sadness or anxiety, and others are affected mentally, losing concentration and focus. All are normal and let you know us that our bodies are working exactly as they should be.

Sometimes a little bit of stress (what experts call acute stress) that you feel “in the moment” can be good. It’s a kind of fight or flight response that you have when you give a presentation, give your best performance in sport, or meet a deadline. This type of ‘stress’ is defined by the fact that it’s immediate and short term. In most cases, once the cause of your stress has been removed, your body and mind return to a normal state.

Chronic stress however, is entirely different, and it can be detrimental to your health. This type of stress is the kind that you experience every day with no reprieve because there’s no escape from the things that are making you feel stressed.

Whatever the cause of your stress, The Mayo Clinic suggests using ‘The Four As’ to help you deal with it in a healthy way… (more…)

Why you should do something nice for yourself today

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images in this post from the fab workshop I took with Philippa Stanton (@5ftinf on Instagram)

I woke up at 5am on Sunday morning stressed about one of the projects I am working on. I couldn’t get back to sleep, as one particular problem kept going round and round in my head like a siren. Mr K got up and made me a cup of tea, we talked through it and I felt better. But I still felt like I needed to do something about it, to spend the day working on it, even though it was Sunday. And not just any Sunday, but Mothering Sunday.

The ever-thoughtful Mr K was planning to have Sienna for the day while I took a workshop with Philippa Stanton, known on Instagram to her nearly-half-a-million followers as @5ftinf, famous for sharing stunning still life photos of flowers and objects laid out on her wooden kitchen table. This was to be my first creative workshop in months, and I had been looking forward to it for ages. But as I sat there eating my toast and giving Sienna her breakfast I nearly cancelled the workshop, feeling guilty about wasting money if I cancelled, feeling guilty about wanting to work on Mother’s Day, and so it goes on. I am sure you know the feeling.

But Mr K encouraged me to go anyway, to forget about everything else and have a nice time. It felt very indulgent – six whole hours arranging objects into pretty configurations, when I had other pressing things to do – but I went, and I am so glad that I did. Those six hours disappeared in a dreamy haze of colour exploration, meditative composition, nosing around Philippa’s lovely house, picking flowers from the garden and sharing stories over tea and cake with the five other mothers at the workshop.

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Nurture yourself: part 2

5 Energy-Boosting Snacks for Busy People

Snacking is a normal part of 21st century life and, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it’s estimated that by 2015 the world snack foods market is expected to reach almost $335 billion. So why is the industry growing so fast and why are wsnacking more now than we ever have before? It seems that longer work weeks, busier schedules, irregular meal times, and stress are all key triggers, and that we also snack for comfort or to give ourselves a pick-me-up if we’re feeling low, tired, lonely or bored. 

Snacking isn’t necessarily bad; it can even be healthy. But it depends on the food you choose. When a snack attack strikes, instead of heading for the vending machine, opt for foods that are high in fibre or protein and low in sugar which will stop your hunger pangs and keep you going until your next meal.

Here are some simple healthy snack ideas for busy people on the go…

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Nurture yourself: part 1

How well do you look after yourself? When we get busy it can be easy to neglect ourselves; we eat badly, put off exercise, don’t get enough sleep, and spend too long in front of the computer screen. Taking a few minutes of ‘me time’ each day is not a treat, it’s vital for your physical health and your mental and emotional wellbeing. It really does make you happier, more focussed and more productive. In a series of weekly posts throughout March we will share some simple tools and techniques which we hope will inspire you to take better care of yourself.

“Be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars. In the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.” ~ Max Ehrmann

5 simple yoga poses for busy people

Relaxation, weight loss, greater flexibility, glowing skin, a calm mind, improved health and a more positive outlook… yoga can give you all this and much more besides.

If you’ve never tried it before, you might just assume that you need to be ‘good’ at folding, twisting, standing on your head or bending like a pretzel but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Yoga is an art of personal discovery and growth. It combines mind (focus, concentration and meditation), energy (life-force cultivation through breathing practices) and body (physical movement and postures) to create complete wellbeing – not just physical but mental, and spiritual as well. This results in a powerful all-round practice that restores health, mental balance and vitality.

When you lead a hectic life finding time to nurture your mind, body and soul can be a challenge. But the great news is that you don’t have to take a 90-minute class to start feeling the amazing benefits of yoga. When your energy levels are waning it’s incredible how a little deep breathing and muscle movement can completely re-invent your mood. These simple techniques and poses are suitable for all ages and levels of fitness and you can do them as a series, or mix them one by one into your hectic schedule to help you feel relaxed, refreshed and re-invigorated.

(more…)

What will make you happy this March?

March is on it’s way… and that means springtime, flowers and many more hours of sunshine! So much to be thankful for.

Secret door in woodsOn my happy list… discovering a secret fairy door on an enchanting woodland walk

Each month we share a free downloadable ‘Happy List’ as a place for you to capture the things – big and small – that make you smile each day. Get yours here.

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Wishing you a magical March!

Rachel