Category: digital business

 
I woke up this morning at 6 am feeling a familiar combination of excitement and anxiety: I had a full day of Skype calls with clients and a creative project persistently tugging at my ankles. It is the one. I want to give it every ounce of my attention. I wake up in the middle of the night to type notes with eyes half closed into my phone for it. I dream about it and stress about it and it is consuming me.
 
But it wasn’t always that way.
 
Like every idea, this one came as a passing thought, amongst many other thoughts on a regular thought-filled day. There was nothing special about it. It didn’t stand out in any particular way.
 
After years of creativity, I now have a candid system, that allows me to capture the ones that are meant for me. This is how I hone in and focus on a specific project even when I have alllll the ideas.
 
Just like the seasons and the moon and everything else in nature, I go through a sequence of cycles in my creative process. There are four parts: idea, incubation, evolution and formation. Within those four parts are woven four other strategies: testing, space, structure and offer.
 
Idea
Ideas are like stars. There are billions of them but not all of them are going to light up the sky in your corner of the universe. Whenever I have an idea that I feel particularly inspired or excited by, I add it to a fluid ever-changing list of ideas. I often get ideas while I am working on something else, and sometimes there is an irresistible urge to jump ship and move onto this new idea now. If it’s something smaller, that I can do in a day, I allow myself to be swept away by the creative current. If it’s something bigger, I add it to my list and trust that, if it is the next one, it will incubate and start to reveal more of itself in the future. Some ideas are particularly persistent and alluring, while others fade away and end up being crossed off the list.
 
Test
Once an idea had caught my attention particularly, I test it out. I start with self-enquiry:
 
Does this idea stand the test of time?
Do I have the resources to execute it?
Will I still be excited by it in a week, month or year?
Can I commit myself to it for however long it takes to complete?
Is the commitment worth my time and energy?
 
If there is even an inkling of apathy, I let it be for now. If there is a full-body yespleasetakemenow, I move onto the next phase: testing. I check in with my tribe, the people that I create for, and see if they’re as into the idea as I am. I love that I can rely on them to always tell me how it is. If it’s “no” I drop it and move on. There are always more great ideas.
 
Incubation
Upon receiving a green light from my folks, the idea generally moves into the incubation stage. This is where timelines start to differ. Some ideas have been quietly incubating before I even took notice of them, so the incubation phase is shorter. The creative project that I am working on right now, has been incubating for about 18 months, but in reality, it is the culmination of my 36 years of existence.
 
Space
Incubation requires a lot of space in order for the idea to take form. Because it is my idea, it is something that I am already wildly fascinated by and involved with in my life in one way or another, and so it is being fed by my natural curiosity and interest to explore and learn more. Ideas come through me, they are not mine, but rather an expression of all of us, that takes pieces of me and integrates them into it as it grows. I give it space and quietly ruminate, allowing myself time to come to a place where I can feel the fullness of it start to burst forth.
 
N.B.: Incubation and Space are non-active parts of the creative process. What that means is they require nothing from me, but the allowing of them to be present in the back of my mind, while I do and focus on other things. I might be working on a different creative idea or project while a new one is taking form and incubating. I might be in-between ideas. I might be brimming with allll the other ideas, and giving some of them my attention, while I file others away to refer back to in the future, using the system outlined previously.  My focus is not entirely on the idea. Instead, I allow it to guide me, around when it is time to give it my undivided attention. I know when that is, because, like right now, there is nothing I would rather do or think about.
 
Evolution
This is when things get exciting because I get to initiate the making of the idea into a real, tangible, accessible thing. Generally, all that the evolution process involves is some blank paper or my journal and some coloured pens. I give myself the freedom to play, to be curious, to brainstorm and write down all the concepts and ways that I could engineer this idea. Sometimes it takes a few minutes, as a result of much incubation, sometimes the process happens in moments between other things over several weeks.
 
At this point, I usually have a number of options around roll-out and will go back and test those with my tribe once more. Sometimes what I think is best, is not what they want, and they always provide me with fresh insight on how to make the things I make, better.
 
Something else that often happens at this point, is a new wave of bright and brilliant ideas, vying for my attention. I give them the same treatment as I do all ideas: follow through if they are resolute and easily completed, or add them to my list for further review. I firmly believe that if the idea is that good, it can wait for me or move on to someone else who can provide it with the nurturing it requires in that moment.
 
Structure
Along with this evolution of the idea into a more cohesive form, a tangle of many elements, thoughts, concept and visions, comes the need to wrap the idea in structure, to give it lasting power.
 
Much like we swaddle a newborn, we want to tightly envelop our idea-babies in a safe web of timelines and plans, so that it can grow into the thing we want. I used to believe that structure was creative kryptonite. I quickly learned after many incompleted and failed attempts to follow through on creative ideas, that without something to hold and move it all together in union the evolution of my ideas are at risk of getting lost and falling apart.
 
It is here, where I take everything and break it down into a comprehensive, chronological flow that can be easily utilized. I write the overlying concept to guide me and pull out the leading topics. I create a breakdown of all the various steps that need to be done to completion and map out a timeline within which I want to create my vision. And finally, I place each step into my calendar over the defined time-period.
 
Formation
I often feel like formation is the most paradoxical phase because it is both the most fun (yay: creativity) and the one that brings up the most resistance because now you’ve actually got to do this thing and give form to something that was previously only a notion. The birthing of a creative idea is not without pain or challenge.
 
The one I am working on right now has been full of stops and starts, and yet every day it finds a way to lure me back in and engage me. I am being stretched and asked to dig deeper than I ever have before which takes more time than my overly-optimistic taskmaster mind likes. I know this about myself and plan in less than I think I can do when I am creating the structure and timeline. I also make a note of celebrating my accomplishments as I go along, every day, even if it’s as small as completing a particularly difficult paragraph.
 
Offer
This is all about sharing the creative idea with the world and offering it. Another word I could use here is marketing. My marketing process begins as soon as I’ve engaged in the evolution stage. I start by sharing my creative process on social media. I write little hints about it on my blog, like this article you are reading right now. I keep the lines of communication open with my tribe and keep coming back to them, asking how they feel about specific approaches I have in mind around the creative project I am working on. The closer I come to completion, the more I share.
 
At this point, I am still fairly early on in the active formation stage, and so I’m still holding much of this project close to my heart. It’s important to keep some secrets, secret. But slowly, slowly I am revealing more and more. What I do know and can share is that that I am going to have a month-long pre-sale period where folks can buy this project at a significantly reduced price, before the official release date in January 2018.
 
That’s my strategic process for honing in and focusing on a specific project, even when I have allll the ideas. I teach other heart-led creative and business practices, like this one, in another of my projects: The Heartful Biz.
 
 

 
I have noticed that I tend to go through two different phases: In one phase I block out all the external noise and create, a lot. In the other phase I am selectively receptive, open and I learn, a lot.
 
It is in that second phase that I start reading and absorbing all the books that I have collected over the months, ready for them to open my eyes and give me pivotal tools for transition and change. This is where I find myself right now.
 
I love the way books, and their audio counterparts that accompany me on long walks and while sunbathing, always tell me exactly what I need to hear and seem to arrive at exactly the time I am ready to hear them.
 
Whether you find yourself in phase one or two right now, I wanted to share with you my latest favourites, so you can either tuck them on your bedside table for later, or start devouring them with hungry eyes, straight away.
 
 
Sacred Success
I often catch myself enthusiastically nodding my head and emphatically gasping “yes” even on my second spin of this book as Barbara Stanny, author of Overcoming Underearning explores the true meaning of money for women, and how it can be used as a tool to step into their power. Essentially, for us women money isn’t about money, it is about choice, freedom, alignment and power. I love every word she speaks and my heart skipped a beat when you, very practically, teaches you how to wield the power of money well. She makes affluence meet generosity and creating positive change in the world. Get it here.
 
 
The Woman Code
I picked this one up upon several recommendations when I decided I wanted to educate myself around my health changes and challenges. It completely changed the way I viewed and understood women’s hormones, our cycles and the way that our needs for different types of foods and exercises changes, week-by-week and even day-by-day. Alisa Vitti’s book helped me change my diet habits and gave me the permission slip I needed to take a different approach to life. Get it here.
 
 
Red Moon
I’m obsessed with the link between moon cycles and menstrual cycles at the moment and Miranda Gray is my go-to women to reference on this topic. She says when women ovulate at the full moon and bleed at the dark, new moon you are in a fertile cycle that supports nesting, settling down and caring for loved ones… And when a woman ovulates at the dark moon and bleeds at the full moon our attention is away from the energies of procreation and the material world and towards inner development and its expression.’ She adds that both cycles are expressions of the feminine energies and neither is more powerful or more correct than the other. I used to always bleed at the full moon, but ever since my lover and I bought a house my nesting instinct immediately kicked in and I now bleed at the new moon. Fascinating stuff! Get it here.
 
 
The Universe Has Your Back
I am a firm believer that we create our lives through the words we speak, the thoughts we think and the vibes that we emit out into the universe. I personally call it ‘manifesting’ and talk, teach and write about it a lot. This easy read by Gabby Bernstein is essential about exactly that: how we can create our lives through intentional thinking and being. It’s a beautiful reminder of just how powerful we are, and how important it is to dance the co-creative dance with the universe to live your happiest, most fulfilled and best life. Get it here.
 
 
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook
This book was recommended to me years ago, but I wasn’t quite ready to read it until recently. The premise is that effective marketing is real and generous, something that I wholeheartedly agree with. In more detail, the formula is to give 75% value and then only ask for sales 25% of the time, something that I have applied to my work as much as possible, and love. Gary Vaynerchuk is a leader in social media marketing and I love the straightforward, no BS approach he has toward business. Get it here.
 
 
Defy Gravity
Another one of those books that just left me nodding my head like a bobble head, Carolyn Myss takes us through the energetic healing that has to occur in order for our bodies to be at their healthiest. While the title may seem a bit misleading listening to this audio book makes me feel weightless as I work through past traumas and unwanted patterns as I listen to her wisdom. Get it here.
 
 
The Vortex
Voices of wisdom channeled through Esther Hicks, The Vortex is an extensive outline on how to live a spiritual life and use manifesting in a way that is conscious and self-aware. Since this is a topic that I have stepped much of my life into, these teachers are my favourite source of knowledge on creating a life in alignment with my unique energy. Get it here.
 
 
Nobody Wants to Read Your Shit
I wrote 24,000 words to turn into a book last year. Then I came to Canada and life happened and I’ve not quite gotten the last part finished. Partly because only now am I learning more about what needs to be included. Partly because I’m scared it won’t be good enough. In this book Steven Pressfield very beautifully outlines how to write anything: a script, a blog post, a movie, or a book, so that people will read it and love it. I took millions of notes and it was a game-changer in the way I have structured and formatted and created the flow of my writing. I would call this a bible for writers. Get it here.
 

 
Every now and then, when I am writing a social media post or updating my profile, I want to embellish it with pretty symbols and characters that illustrate pieces of my soul.
 
For some reason, it always feels like such a chore to find the exact ones I want, and to put them together in a way that’s magical and alluring.
 
So decided to gather a list of sacred characters and symbols that I like to use, and copy and paste into my social media, without having to scour the entire internet for them.
 
I thought you might like them too. Enjoy!
 
 
SUN, MOON + STARS
☾ ☽  ❍ ☼ ☀ ★ ☆ ☄ ╰☆╮ ✳ ✴
 
PLANETS

ARROWS
↠ ↞ ➵ ➳ ➳ ➴ ➵ ➶ ➷ ➸ ➹ ➺ ➻ ➼ ➽ ← ↑ → ↓ ↔ ⋖ ⋗ ⋘ ⋙ ☟
 
FLOWERS
❀ ✿ ❇ ❈ ❅ ❄ ❆ ✷ ✸ ✹ ✺ ✻ ✼ ❆ ❈ ❊ ❋
 
LOVE HEARTS
♥ ♡ ❥ ❤
 
SACRED SYMBOLS
◯  ◠ ⋒ ≋ ❂ ྊ ྾ ྿ ࿄ ࿇ ࿈ ࿉ ࿊ ࿋ ࿌ ࿏
 
TRIANGLES
► ◄ ᐄ ⍙ ◣◢◥▲ ▼△▽
 
 

 
Yesterday I went to a lunchtime yoga class. There was a small rectangle of sun on the studio floor shining in from the window. I hurried to it and placed my mat down within that exact rectangle. I didn’t care that I wasn’t in line with the other mats. I just needed the sun. As I peeled my top off to reveal my sports bra and pulled my yoga tights up to my knees, and laid down, tears came to my eyes. The sun felt so good on my stomach, chest, arms and legs as it warmed me and penetrated my skin.
 
Tears have been a daily companion the last two weeks.
 
I can’t really explain them. I suppose many things have compounded at once. I just feel really sad. And sometimes really angry. One kind word from someone and I feel those tears well up in my eyes again. I quickly squeeze my eyes shut in the hope to make them go away. Crying doesn’t always feel so comfortable around people you barely know. More often than not they well over and slowly make their way down my face, as I look at people apologetically and assure them it’s not their fault.
 
I can explain the tears logically, pragmatically, sensibly, if I want to.
 
I’m coming off the traveler’s high. After 6 months of rapid movement, adventure and constant focus on what’s next, stopping and being still feels like a small death. Withdrawal has set in and I desperately want that feeling of being immersed in the sensation of the high to never end, yet I know that it’s time to stop and restore life to a softer pace. I want this. And yet I resist it.
 
I haven’t had real sun in about 2 months, and it is possible that I have a vitamin D deficiency. Our bodies need 10 – 20 minutes of direct sunlight on our skin every day. Without it we start to whither, much like a flower, and can feel anxious, depressed, and have a compromised immune system. People often mock me about having a hard time with winter, but you’re Austrian! And they are right. But I have spent my entire life living in summer.
 
I haven’t found my tribe… yet. That sort of thing takes time. And there are so many people who are barely alive, here. It hurts to see so much of humanity walk around like zombies like this. I cried to one of my best friends who lives in the UK about a few days ago. She said You often miss the real version of people… you have surrounded yourself with adventurous folk who have an open-minded global perspective… most people are boring and bored. Another friend said Welcome back to Earth. They are right. I have created a very narrowly filtered reality for myself filled with incredible human beings doing truly great things. And I intend to keep doing exactly that. Because that’s what I want to strengthen in the world. That’s why I have this space, here, and you.
 
On a deeper level, I think there’s a lot more going on than the practical reasons I can give to my solemn mood. Because really, my life is very, very good. A new, local friend reminded me yesterday that often when we are processing strong, heavy, challenging emotions they are not only ours. There’s a lot shifting in the world and in our stars. Those of us who are willing to feel it, do the work for all of us. That’s what lightworkers do she said.
 
I know exactly what I need to do during this time: allow myself to feel as uncomfortable as I feel.
 
These times of discomfort are always the rich fertilizer for radical transformation. I can almost taste it, there’s an urgency to what’s ahead. A sense that what will happen next is really, really different, and that I am being prepared for it. Yet I feel impatient and want to know everything, now. Cultivating radical self-trust takes all my strength and courage during times like these.
 
Two things are saving me during this time.
 
A deepening in my spiritual practice: my meditations are more insightful and powerful than ever, as I return to this connection with Source from within over and over during the days. I feel pulled to bring in more ritual and dedication to listening and connecting, and crave a space of my own to do that in. This too, will come.
 
And gratitude: every night before I go to sleep, I mentally walk myself through all the things that I have to be grateful for during the day that just passed. It always surprises me how many things I can find that I am truly appreciative of. The thing here, is not to just think it, but to actually feel it. It’s with feeling gratitude that my body relaxes and can absorb the loving energy that flows through from the thoughts.
 
Fascinatingly, I’ve never felt more creative than I do now. Creatives often bemoan the fact that they are most inspired when faced with challenge. It’s almost like that sense of loneliness, of isolation, allows us to nudge that much closer to our souls, and pour what we find inside, out. This process is to heal more than to share. And the result of the process is art.
 
Last Sunday I frantically created ‘Love Letters’, a free 7 day journaling course as it surged out from within me. From it has evolved an idea that has been toying with me for longer than I care to admit: a very intimate look into my daily writing and journaling practice, that I use to literally create my life. I can’t wait to reveal it to you, in a few short days, with the New Moon.
 

 
Late one night last year, during my detox in Bali, I had one of those sit-up-straight-in-bed aha moments. Simplifying and streamlining my life is a huge priority in my life for several reasons. It creates more time and space, it makes everything a lot easier, and it means that practical and organisational tasks feel less daunting.
 
I am organised. But I’m not someone who wants to spend lots of time organising. I like to have systems and practices in place that keep everything organised. I used to think that stuff was boring, but nowadays it necessary.
 
But there was one system in my life that was becoming the bane of my heavy travelling bags: my notebooks. As much as my life and work is online, I really love connecting pen to paper for: taking client notes, creative ideation, taking notes from books I like, journaling, keeping track of my income, moon rituals and business ideas.
 
This meant that each of those areas of my life were represented in its own little (or big) notebook, that I carried with me around the world. Everywhere I went, I took 5 or 6 notebooks with me. And as cute as that might be, it’s not practical, and is extremely wasteful.
 
Which brings me back to that evening in Bali, in bed, when I realised there had to be another way. I started researching ‘planners’ and ‘filofax’ across the internet and found tonnes of articles and blog posts dedicated to the art of organising ones life in one single book.
 
Immediately I was hooked.
 
And promptly spent the next 5 hours researching for the perfect solution: a beautiful planner that would lovingly hold all the words of my heart, soul and work. The one I settled on was this one in the pictures from Kikki K. They don’t have the peach colour anymore, but you can see their latest range here. (I got the textured leather personal planner in Large. And if I were to choose again now, I’d totally go for the tangerine one!)
 
I ordered it, had it sent to my friend’s place in Byron Bay, where I knew I’d be passing through in the near future. I am so happy I did. My pretty peach planner has revolutionised my life!
 
 

 
Now, everything I’m working on is organised into section with tabs, yet it’s still sitting prettily, all together in one beautiful book that I adore and take with me everywhere. My laptop and planner are literally all there is to my mobile office that I travel the world with. (Plus, obviously a collection of pens and such.)
 
I love that I can go through my planner every 3 – 6 months and remove the old notes I no longer need, and then fill it up with fresh new pages whenever I want. I buy my refills from Etsy.com and prefer to get unlined paper in both plain and rainbow!
 
I’m not sure, but I think I might be saving rainforests with this. (Now, if only the rainbow refills came in recycled paper, my life would be complete.)
 
 

 
To take you through each of the sections, here is how I organise my planner:
 
Calendar — Self explanatory really. I use my online google calendar to organise my schedule, and I use this calendar to pencil in my project dates and blog posts schedule.
 
To Do — This is my ongoing ‘To Do’ list. At the start I have my goals and intentions for the year. Then I break those down into months on the following pages. And then at the start of each week, I write down my tasks that need to be completed that week. This keeps me aligned with my goals and intentions, and means that I am consistently taking micro-actions towards want I want to experience, have, be and do in my life.
I usually leave  my planner open on that page so I can go back and check off completed tasks. At the end of the week I tear the page out of my planner, throw it away and start again. I personally don’t do daily ‘To Do’ lists because I feel stressed when there’s too much of a time limit and pressure to complete something. I am more likely to get my work down, when I feel like I have plenty of space and time for everything.
 
 

 
Coaching Notes — Here I write down every single mentoring session, to keep track of what we are working on and how many sessions we have had. I write the person’s name at the top and then the session no. so I can refer back whenever I need.
 
Biz Ideas — Is where I collect all of my ideas as they arise. Some of them evolve into fully fledged projects, while others fade away. Writing them down gives them all an equal chance to manifest, and once I had something on paper, I have a better idea whether it’s viable or not, and whether I have the passion and interest to invest into it and see it through. Once it’s got a skeleton structure, I flesh it out into its fullness in my Google Docs.
 
 

 
Money Love — Has become a favourite practice that my money mentor taught me. Every time I get a little ‘ping’ from my PayPal account, letting me know I have been paid, I enter it into this section. This file is organised into years: past years with monthly earnings are written out on a page each, with a total at the bottom. And for the current year: each month has a page to track my daily income, which is tallied at the end of the month.
When I tally the month, I also like to write little affirmations below it like: “Yes. Thank you! More please.” or “Money comes to me easily and frequently.” or “I expand in love, success and abundance every day, as I inspire those around me to do the same.” or sometimes “I am open to expected and unexpected financial abundance that arrives in a fun, safe and healthy way.”
Tracking your income is so important, beyond just being organised. More importantly (for me, anyway) is that it keeps me focused on abundance and gratitude for what I already have. I write down everything, even if I find 20c on the ground, or someone gives me a gift that has a specific value (like a free course, for example). When I first started doing it, I was surprised to learn that I was earning more than I thought. And within a few months my income started to double and triple, simply because I was feeling so abundant, instead of focusing on lack or not having enough. Isn’t it amazing!?
 
 

 
Intentions + Sacred Words — Last but by no means least, here I write down my monthly moon rituals, set my intentions and journal my thoughts and feelings. This space is extra special to me because the words I write here hold such potent power. I’m pretty sure this part of my planner is where all the magic happens, that creates the rest of my life!
 
And that, my friend, is how my pretty peach planner has revolutionised my life. It’s most definitely a love story.