I’m self-aware enough to know never to call myself “low maintenance.” 😉
I’ve always been a goal-setter and a go-getter. And I’ve always been my toughest critic.
Some of my most painful moments in life occurred when I didn’t achieve the dreams I’d set for myself. Small or large, it didn’t matter. My biggest fear has always been failure.
You may have already spotted it, but it took me a long time to realize that I was a control freak. And I’ve been in recovery for about 15 years. There are easy days and there are hard days, but I’m pretty sure that most days present some sort of control-related challenge. Though I know that the world would not be better off if I was in charge, it doesn’t always stop me from trying!
Photos by: Valerie Denise Photos featuring The Created Co. mugs
I’ve talked several times before on this blog about my personal and business retreats. I’m actually out on another one this week, but more on that later. They are incredibly valuable to me, and I recommend them to everyone.
In fact, I even shared specific tips on how to plan one for this guest post for The Yellow Conference last week. Take a look, and let me know what you think.
A few quotes:
“Anxiety was growing. Stress was building. My head was swimming. And I had more questions than answers. This was December 2015 for me.”
“Until that time, I’d always considered retreats a luxury. Something wealthy people did. Something people who were offered sabbaticals did. I thought, a retreat wasn’t something ‘regular’ people did—but there I found myself.”
“It was during this intentional, introspective time that I resolved something huge—I needed to start my own business.”
“Of course, I didn’t leave with all the answers. But this time did, however, become a catalyst in taking my next steps.”
Last week I had the privilege of attending the Yellow Conference in Los Angeles for the first time. If you aren’t familiar with it, the event is for creative and entrepreneurial women who want to do good things in the world. This is only the third year of the event, and there were about 500 of us present. It was a lot of fun, a great time for learning, an opportunity to make new friends…and perhaps even land a few new clients.
L – Live in the moment. We all still have to avoid the tyranny of the moment. Don’t check email for a while after waking up. Leave space in your life to respond to the needs of others.
O – get Outside.
W – be Willing to ask the who, what and where of everyday choices.
Jedediah Jenkins, travel writer
Your dream for your life is the thing you were meant to do.
Your goal is a version of your dream, but not the big thing.
What do you want to spend 10,000 hours doing so you can be the best at it? (Gladwell’s Outliers principle)
Elle Luna, #ChooseMust
The crossroads of should and must.
Make less art. Become art.
“Should” comes with a lot of expectations. Should is from the outside in.
“Must” is the truth of who you area.
“Should” is a “must” in training.
The first thing a prisoner needs to understand is that they are in prison. 🙂
Fill your canvas. Choose your story.
TED Talk – job vs career vs calling
Find your “must.”
Krysta Masciale (krysta @ bigdealbranding.com)
You can kick butt from a gentle place!
There is nothing more powerful than a brand who owns it.
When were you last functioning in your sweet spot?
Don’t choose to be a replica. Choose to be yourself.
Intersection of values and talents, and where the market exists = that’s where each of us needs to be.
No one buys the knock-off without wishing they could afford the real thing.
Identify your top five values. The people with those same values will find you.
Is the thing you want for the world also the same thing you want for yourself?
Your impact is valued by those closest to you. Impact those closest to you first, then go bigger.
You need to make the biz side of your biz your friend, not your enemy.
Friends are fun. Find time for them. You understand each other. You need each other.
Find time: education. Weekly investment. Set aside dedicated time.
Understand each other. Love without judgement. Scarcity/abundance principle.
Social media is the running conversation around your brand.
Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.
Understand each other. Be a generous listener. What do you need? What does it need?
If you can’t do what you do profitably in 40 hours per week, it’s not a practical business. But you can also give it a year or so to get there.
Make sure you have an accurate representation of what goes into creating and delivering your service. Cost of sales includes what it would cost you to replace you.
Taking care of each other’s needs:
How do I know what to charge per client?
Desired salary x 2.5 = gross sales
Desired hours worked / average time per job = job production
Job production / Â sales = average number of jobs needed
Dived “desired hours” by 1/3 due to 1/3 admin and 1/3 marketing
Include 11 months instead of 12 for vacation/holidays
I’m excited to be heading to The Yellow Conference this week! It’s my first time at this event, which is dedicated to creative and entrepreneurial women. And as an added bonus, it takes place in my self-adopted second home of Southern California. Should be an awesome event!
Ok, it’s April and I’m a late in getting this up, but wanted to share the conferences and major events I’ll be at throughout this year.
I love conferences! I always say that I could never go back to school, but I could always go to another conference.
In fact, I love learning so much that I usually plan my year around the conferences I’ll be attending. Even when I had a job with regular vacation days and limited time off, I’d fill those times with learning opportunities.
Last week I had the privilege of attending the 
Mental Post-Its 