Books to Ignite Your Motivation

Becoming a entrepreneur is no easy task. It takes time, dedication and a few sacrifices to get your business up and running. However, and correct me if I'm wrong, but you probably shared the same goal I had when launching our business, that you desired flexibility and ease. Ok good we are on the same page. Then why does it sometimes feel exhausting working on our businesses?

It's because we don't take time for ourselves!

I plan to do a whole series on self care, but what better way to kick off than with a list of some truly inspirational books? Part of my self care routine is making sure I am feeding my mind with truly inspirational, positive and empowering literature.

Just like you, I don't always have the time to sit down and actually read a book especially while working 9 to 5 and raising a little one. So I have found my new best friend is Audible.

There are many resources out there for listening to your books, but honestly I found Audible and ran with it. I love listening to my books because it allows me to fit them in on my drive to and from work. 

Some books to get you started:

• You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero
• The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks
• Leveraging the Universe by Mike Dooley
• The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles
• What I Know for Sure by Oprah Winfrey
• Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes

I'm a big fan of Oprah's What I Know for Sure as a quick and SUPER effective read. I'm also such a huge fan of You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero, so much that I've listened to it three times already - I seriously can't say enough great things about the messages in this book.

I hope this list gives you a jumping off point. Remember, self care is so important not only for our own well-beings, but also for our business.

In order to give time and energy to your business and your family you must first give to yourself. 

Be Merry!

Let's Talk Motivation

I hear from so many people in our private Facebook group, Authentic Brand Builders, that they often feel unmotivated. I felt it was time I addressed this issue and the belief that we as humans lack motivation.

To begin I want to share with you that, 

"You have the time, the energy and the resources to achieve what you desire to achieve."

It's important to note that if you truly have a desire to achieve something or live a certain way, then that right there should be all the motivation you need. It's really not a matter of not being motivated. Many people look at the surface issue, which is most often an issue of time. They feel there isn't enough time in the day to get things done, so they fall of the wagon or lose motivation. It's important to remember that you have the same amount of time as the most successful people in the World - Yeah, I know right?!

If this desire is truly the life you want to create then it should be top priority and whatever needs to be done to get there will be done.

If you feel time is an issue you need to evaluate where your time is being spent.  You are the controller of your life and your time. If someone invites you to something and it doesn't serve you, then don't go. If you find you are spending time on mundane tasks that are not in your zone of genius, then you need to outsource. An example would be if you are spending three hours cleaning your home, then hire someone to clean your home and allow yourself three more hours to work on your business.

If this seems scary then break it down $ for $.

Say you charge $50/hr for your services and you spend three hours cleaning. If you hired someone to clean, you would spend around $90 total for cleaning, but you would be able to work for three additional hours and make $150. So really you are selling yourself short and stealing from yourself by not outsourcing. In addition to the $150 you are also most likely developing something that will bring in more money and reducing your stress level. WIN!

Do a time analysis and see where your time is going and where you can outsource certain tasks.

Now, after we have addressed the surface issue of time, let's take a deeper look at this underlying issue that is keeping you from feeling motivated. How are you sabotaging yourself in regards to achieving your dreams? There is an underlying issue here, something you are subconsciously telling yourself or a belief that you have that is keeping you from doing so. It could be a lack of confidence or a fear of this new life of freedom. 

You could be battling with putting yourself out there, afraid you might annoy people or people might not like you. You could be worried or fearful about this new life you are creating. You spent your whole life creating this life and are scared of how your relationships, friendship, etc. might change with this new life.

Whatever it is that you are facing; figure out what that issue is and address this - cause it is not a motivation issue. It's important to remember that you have the time, energy and resources to achieve all of your desires.

So, what is holding you back?

Get this word "unmotivated" out of your head - you are either going to do it or not going to do it! Seriously, if you are planning to leave your job you don't half ass it. Don't just say I would like to leave my job, say I'm leaving my job and put a date on it.

Make it a non-negotiable for your life of freedom. If you say you are going to do it, you will find the time, the energy and the resources to do so.

If your facing this issue of feeling "unmotivated" then I encourage you to dive deep and discover what the underlying belief might be and rid it of your mind.

Be Merry!

 

That Mindset Woo Woo Stuff

It's time to get real with you - I'm pretty woo woo. Yes, I love to burn incense, I thrive off a deep yoga class and meditation, I believe that if I dream it I will manifest it and yes, I've burned my fair share of sage when things seem a little off-kilter. I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture.

This woo woo stuff, that so many people make fun of or don't find value in has seriously CHANGED my life. Not only has mindset work opened up my soul to endless possibilities, but it also reaffirmed deep down that I am capable of anything. Feeling centered in myself and connected with the energy of the universe has helped me realize that I am destined for so much more than what I thought was "expected" of me.

You know that aching feeling in your soul that you were destined for so much more? That feeling you get when you realize you are just coasting through life? It hurts, right? When you have these feelings, it seems as though someone has placed a heavy weight on your chest, you have trouble catching your breath and there is no way you will ever be upright again. I know those feelings cause I've been there.

I wouldn't be writing this post to you today, building my new website or developing my new 90-day coaching program, if I had not decided enough was enough.

Enough of just coasting - Enough of feeling drained - Enough of feeling unfulfilled - Enough!

When I finally admitted to myself that I was destined for so much more, shifts immediately started taking place. I started to feel lighter, to feel capable of anything and started to feel FREE.

Your mindset practice is so important to not only the success of your business, but also to your life - in case you forgot, you only get one so you better stop wasting it.

There are endless ways you can shift your mindset:

• Journaling
• Meditation
• Exercise
• Long walks
• Connecting with nature
• Through music
• Fueling your body with great foods
• Creating
• Reading

And I encourage you to do whatever lifts that heavy weight off of your chest and opens your soul, but my favorite by far is creating a vision board. There is something so, dare I say, magical about seeing what is possible. For me a vision board helps me truly put myself in that life I so deeply know I deserve.

In case you still don't believe me that mindset work is the real deal, let me paint you a picture.

In December, I faced another major shift in my life and recognized this deep desire that a change was needed. I had just given birth to my son and quickly found myself not just wanting, but needing, more. I could recognize this shift because I had welcomed yoga and meditation into my life a year earlier and knew deep down this was not a calling I could just overlook.

I began listening to mindset books, podcasts, webinars, guided meditations, anything I could to become clearer on what this calling was. Over the last six months I have completely transformed my life, feel clearer than clear on what my calling is and am living my life of freedom.

In June I decided it was high time we put up a vision board in our home. I had printed out some visuals, but they just sat on my dining room table. Finally, at the end of June I took the five minutes I needed to place them on the board. Over the next week I looked at them daily and with everything I had, I envisioned my life of freedom. 

The board contained many images, but two that I deeply focused on were working with a high-level coach and finalizing our trip to Europe. I posted pictures of Belgium, Amsterdam and Iceland and had decided on a coach I knew I was meant to work with. Within a week both items were final. On July 1, I received a notification that airfare to Europe had dropped to just $700 per person and I booked it instantly. The next day I had a clarity call with my now coach which just reaffirmed I was meant to follow her lead and within a week I had paid in full for her program!

I'm not lying to you when I say it is worth it. So whatever you want to call it - woo woo, mindset, intention, whatever you need to call it to make it appeal to you, just do it. Seriously, stop wasting your life feeling desensitized, you deserve so much more from this beautiful life.

Be Merry!

Travel: Weekend Getaway to Chicago

It is not secret that traveling the world is something my little family holds very dear. Early on, my husband and I made it a top priority to see as much of the world  and to immerse ourselves in as many cultures as possible as well. Since we began our journey together in 2009, we have visited:

• California 
• Belize
• Honduras
• Puerto Rico
• Chicago (although we totally lived there too)
• New York
• Italy
• Michigan (twice)
• Ireland
• Oregon
• Costa Rica

And have plans to visit Colorado, Belgium and Amsterdam this fall. Like I said we love to travel! When we became pregnant with our son, so many people told us to get it out of the way while we could - and to that we say 'Yeah Right!' Traveling is such a big part of who we are and we feel it should be the same for new family. Since Cal was born we have already taken him on his first plane ride to San Diego, he was a champ by the way, and this past weekend marked his first road trip to Chicago. 

As part of a new series on the blog I want to share a glimpse into our lives as we travel the world. Some will be shorter posts like the one to follow and some will be multiple posts as we share our adventures overseas. My goal is to show you some of our favorite spots to visit and to help you realize that it is totally possible to create the life of freedom you desire.

*Disclaimer: I am not paid for any of my opinions or any recommendations I make in my blogs. They are just some of my favs.

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Chicago: June 2016

We will take any opportunity we can to go on vacation, so when I saw on Facebook that Chicago was posting their first Vegan Food Festival I jumped on the opportunity to visit the beautiful city we once called home. Although Ben and I started our journey together in St. Louis, where we both were born and raised, we credit Chicago for completely changing the course of our relationship and really shaping us into the people we are today. 

Chicago was Cal's first road trip and although not completely smooth sailing, he handled it like a champ. I don't think we realized when having kids that I would probably be spending long trips in the back of the car keeping the little's entertained while my husband looked like a chauffeur driver.

After our little five hour drive we made it to our hotel in Chicago! Although, disclaimer you will totally realize as we share more of our travels that we always get lost, somewhere, somehow, it happens. But we learned early on that getting lost is half of the fun (wait till you hear about the Aran Islands in Ireland :))

We traditionally are an Airbnb family, but opted to stay in downtown Chicago to be closer to the festivities. We stayed at the Swissotel and absolutely loved it - the views were amazing! For three days we explored the city and made it a point to visit some of our favorite dining spots:

• Lyfe Kitchen
• Native Foods
• Uncommon Ground (Seriously best Bloody Mary's ever!)
• Chicago Diner

Whenever we travel food is usually a top priority and we weren't disappointed. We also spent a good chunk of time at the vegan festival on Saturday, although very hot we had a great time and enjoyed some delicious beers!

Chicago was definitely one of our shorter trips, but as with all vacations it is nice to just get out of the norm and explore!

We are planning another trip to Chicago within the year and would love to know your top recommendations? Share in the comments below!

Travel Tip: I'm loving Trivago for booking hotels and as always TripAdvisor is my go to for reviews.

Be Merry!

How to Use Canva: Free Online Graphic Design Tool

Today I'm joining you to talk about my favorite new online photo editing tool - Canva! Seriously, I'm really obsessed with this photo editing option. Not only does it allow you to create some really sweet pictures and documents, but it is FREE. I love me some free!

Canva allows you to create Facebook posts, Instagram posts, Facebook banners, Infographs, Brochures, PDF's, Collages and much more.

You can also create custom sizes as well, which is very helpful for website banners and other custom pieces. The program allows you save the completed file as a jpg, png or pdf - talk about options. Ok, now lets talk about the fun stuff!

I've included some images below that were created in Canva. All of these images are free, they do offer ones you can pay for and the price is only $1, but I've found with a little creativity you can create some really eye-catching pieces for nothing.

Canva will walk you through the design process in the beginning, but I'm going to share some of my favorite little tweaks.

1) Modify Colors - You can modify the colors to meet your specific brand colors. Simply click the little color square and then select the +, then simply add in your custom number. You can modify the color of text, elements and background colors. 

2) Use Your Own Photos - I absolutely love this feature because you can upload photos to use as a background. Simply uploaded as many photos as you desire to the Uploads section. Make sure the design you chose (which is most) has an image as the background. Then simply drag your photo until you see it cover the whole background - Voila!

3) Add Shapes - Canva has a great database of elements to add, but my favorite hands down are the shapes. You can add something as simple as a circle or add a photo into the form of a shape, as seen below. Simply choose Elements in the side panel and click Shapes. The white, gray and colored shapes can be modified for transparency or color. In order to change the photo thats in the shape, scroll down until you see the shape with a vibrant landscape in it - that is the one you want. Simply drag a photo into the shape and there you have it.

4) Modifying Text - This option is also very easy and can be customized to fit your brand. There are multiple typography design options under the Text option on the side panel. You can work with some of those, although it takes a lot of testing the waters because sometimes space is limited. Often times I will just select the Add Heading option and take it from there. In the piece below I've included a few images to show how I add text, modify color, as well change the  size and spacing between letters. 

Modifying Color

Changing Font Style

Modify Typography

What started out as the image on the left, has now been modified to fit my brand the feeling I wish to evoke. Pretty sweet!

There are multiple small tweaks you can do to modify the images as well. These include sending a shape or text to the front or back of an image. Making an image transparent as to show a text overlay. Cropping images is a great tool as well. It really is a completely customizable experience for the user without having to deal with some more complex programs like Photoshop or InDesign. Once the image is to your liking, just save and upload.

I've included some generic images from Canva below so you can see that the possibilities are endless.

I hope you find this tool useful while branding your business. Remember the first place to start is an inspiration board. After that is created you can modify the images to match your brand colors, text and the overall feeling you want your brand to evoke. Stay consistent on all platforms! 

*Remember - social media posts with an image associated produce more impressions!

Be Merry!

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