by Vienda | 5 Feb 2013 | Travel + Freedom
As those of you who have been following me for a while would know, I left my sanctity of a sweet little life in Sydney in July 2012, after two and a bit years of being settled, to follow my heart and whims back to life on the road again.
It’s been almost 7 months and what a roller coaster of a journey it has been! Instead of heading straight to South America, as I had originally thought, due to unexpected circumstances I ended up roaming around Europe until mid December 2012, working, catching up with friends and fortifying the foundations from times gone past.
The universe is always much wiser than I so I followed the signs and flow and ended up writing, working and learning my way through Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, Austria and Holland, where I was living for about three months under the most unusual circumstances. I like to call this period of my life the “falling in love with a schizophrenic” phase. It was very drugs, sex and rock n’ roll… And one day soon I’m finally going to write a memoir about it. You’ll love it, I promise!
After a few more weird and scary experiences I ran away to Prague, where I spent 10 days mending my heart and soul, and revising my goals and values amongst the gold, red and bright orange leaves of autumn and spectacular architecture that makes up this incredible city. My memories of Prague are incredibly sweet and romantic, though I spent the entire time completely on my own, barely speaking to the staff of my hotel, nor the endearing ladies at the nearby farmers market, as I tried to trace where I had gone wrong and got myself into such confronting situations in the past month.
I then was gracefully taken in by a very close friend, who set me straight, gave me some tough love and sent me back out into the world after caring for me and feeding me for two weeks in Leipzig. After a Berlin techno party to shake off the remaining dust from the past months on a Friday night in mid November, I flew to the UK to do some work and catch up with friends. By mid December I knew I had to make a decision. Stay in London for Christmas or choose a new destination.
So three days before my departure, I booked a one way ticket to Cancun, Mexico. Finally I was getting closer to my intended destination! Since then life has been and incredible roller coaster of miracles, just as I know and love it to be.
I spent my first four days in Mexico in a house that belongs to the Princess of Yemen, and then travelled to the archaeological ruins of Palenque where I met my friend and soul sister and current gypsy companion, Lily. Since we’ve joined our journeys we’ve attracted adventure like a pair of thrill-seeking minxes: we celebrated Christmas in San Cristobal, then went to Tulum for New Years where we were very kindly invited to camp on an empty $7 million dollar piece of land with its own private beach by a pirate who currently had the position of caretaker over the land. We celebrated in style at a party in an Eco-resort where I ran into a friend whom I haven’t seen in 6 years. A few days later we were given free entry to one of the world’s biggest house music parties: the BPM Festival in Playa del Carmen after having a business meeting with one of the DJ’s who was playing there, and ended up perching ourselves in a mansion that a friend and his entourage had hired, that they generously shared with us.
After four days of dancing we desperately sought the sanctity of quiet beach life and returned to Tulum, only to be inundated with party-goers who had the same thoughts. One morning we both awoke and realised: it was time to go. We packed up, booked a bus to Belize city and moved our coterie south that very day. Belize is a strange country, both lusciously beautiful and yet dark and curious; there is a dark undercurrent that touches everyone and everything due to being on the cocaine route that plagues much of the coast from South to North America and back again. It’s been a fascinating journey as we discover and explore what this country has to offer and it’s secret and hidden underbelly beneath the tropical allure.
Now we are heading further south. As we are both working at a festival called Envision in Costa Rica at the end of February, the plan is to make it down there over the next two weeks, so right now we are in transit. As you are reading, I’m on my way to Nicuaragua, overland via Honduras, apparently one of the most violent and dangerous countries in the world, and on the same day as the launch of my new digital guide Build Your Own Business Blog, as if life isn’t exciting enough already! But I know we are safe, protected as only professional gypsies can be, by being naive and innocent and aware and street smart, all at the same time!
Which brings me to why I love sharing my life with you:
I share all my thoughts, lessons and journeys with you for one reason: I want to encourage you; and inspire and ignite in you the fire and passion to live life on your own terms. We all have a choice. We are all free. I implore you to break free of your social conditioning, the should and shouldn’t, the way you were told things are and truly be yourself and live your life you own way.
In no way do I decree to have all the answers, know the best way for you or have a fool-proof method of how do do this. Every day I make mistakes, every day I recreate myself and my life; every single day I stand at the ledge of my existence and scream back at my echo, asking “Life, do what you will with me! Show me and guide me!”. And every single moment I am guided and protected to shown exactly what I need at exactly the right time.
Every single day I choose to make a new choice and to live life on my own terms. And I am free. And I am alive. And I know this life is worth living because I I fling myself into its arms and receive back alchemy. I love observing what magic I can conjure through my thoughts, beliefs and actions in my every day life. I love being a part of life and yet, simultaneously an observer of life. This is why I love sharing my life with you. Because I am indulgent enough to believe we all have the choice and the freedom to create the lives we want and dream of. And because I want it for you.
by Vienda | 1 Feb 2013 | Biz + Blogging
It’s finally here! The Build Your Own Business Blog guide for your dream-building pleasure.
I started writing this sweet little guide about 6 months ago, upon many questions and requests from friends, family and readers wanting to know “how did you do it?”
The Build Your Own Business Blog guide is list based, step by step implementation on how I built my site using Bluehost as my hosting platform, WordPress to manage the back end of the website and Headway Themes for the “skin” and visual design and feel of the site. I then also include all my tips for writing compelling content, design tips and how to increase your popularity and readership.
I then attempted to get you all excited (because I was) with a series of blog posts preparing for the roll-out and launch of the guide which you can find here:
How I Started My Business Blog Website + How You Can Too
9 Daily Marketing Actions For Your Blog + Business
And some sneak peaks on some of the contents the digital guide would contain:
Made You Look! An SEO Reminder for Bloggettes + Bloggers
10 Magical Plugins For Your WordPress Site
But I wasn’t ready. For whatever reason, life asked me to place that project on hold. Until now! And I am ever so pleased to finally be able to share with you the fruits if my labour, mistakes, lessons and experience of building my own blog from scratch to what it is today.
The Build Your Own Business Blog is a simple and easy to follow digital guide in PDF format which takes you through building your own business blog from the grand ideas in our head to a tangible home amongst the shiny stars on the world wide web.
In a fun + fast moving, step by step format, learn how to choose your business + domain name, download WordPress, use Headway Themes to build your own site + develop a successful blogging strategy.
WHY BUY THE BUILD YOUR OWN BUSINESS BLOG GUIDE:
It’s a fun, easy to follow guide with simple, to the point instructions on how to build your own business blog that is usable by ANYONE and applicable to all types of blogs and businesses.
The guide includes 35 pages, 15 chapters + 6,000 words full of tips, tools + tricks to build your business blog from nothing into a successful enterprise that you love.
Get instant access to all the experience I’ve garnered from building my own successful business blog + I also include how to write compelling content, top design tips and how to increase your popularity and readership.
This guide is specifically designed for creative entrepreneurs + non-geeks like you, who are looking for an easy, cost effective way to develop your own website, and have complete creative control over all it’s elements.
The 15 topics covered as outlined in the Contents page include:
- Start Here
- Why A Business Blog Website
- 7 Steps to Get Started
- Get Your Domain and WordPress Set Up
- Why Headway Themes
- Need More Persuasion?
- 7 Steps to Your Own Website
- Design Your Site with Headway Themes
- 6 Web Design Tips + Tricks
- The 6 Step SEO List: Search Engine Optimisation
- Learn to Love Plugins
- 10 Things to Do to Get to Top 10 Status
- That’s All Folks
- About the Author
- Glossary of Terms
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Your ability to create a sustainable business as a passion-driven entrepreneur (yes, I mean you!) is directly related to our (yes, I mean us!) ability to create what we need in our business in a cost effective and time efficient way. This guide on building your own business blog site shows you how effortlessly and inexpensively you can get professional looking results that will blow you (and your readers and prospective customers and clients) away.
The Build Your Own Business Blog has been designed for absolute beginners with no previous experience or understanding of computer-geek-jargon (like me) who just want to get their site up and running and start promoting their art (aka business). It is a simple to follow guide, without all the computer-geek jargon and tells you only what you really need to know right now.
At the very low price of $8, it is an enjoyable read and affordable for every budget.
Grab your copy now and build an impressive website that you have full creative control over, that supports your business and will ultimately build your wealth.
by Vienda | 27 Nov 2012 | Intuition + Manifestation
Guest post by Rebecca Hunter.
As I’m writing this, I can barely see outside my bedroom window for the fog that’s descending. It sounds totally cliché, but the weather couldn’t be more apt. I feel as if I’ve been squinting through metaphorical fog for a while, holding out hope for any inkling of light, plugging away in the pursuit of purpose.
I’m 25, and I’d say the majority of my adult life has been spent in some state of confusion. I left school with no idea what I wanted to do. (Isn’t it insane that 16-year-olds are expected to have their lives mapped out, when they’re still figuring out who they are?) I had wistful, childhood dreams, but also dire self-belief. The thing I dared to dream of most was writing, but I never believed I could get away with making it my life’s work.
I remember going to a university open day and sitting through a lecture about their journalism degree. The speakers kept emphasising, very decidedly, how cut-throat and competitive the industry is. Basically, only the best would make it. So, being the meekling that I was, I didn’t even bother applying. Instead, I fumbled around for a few years, enrolled in an English degree and then dropped out, tried on a couple of office gigs for size, and at one point found myself incomprehensibly in a counsellor’s office, crying brazen tears and ruminating on the meaning of this thing we call life.
It was probably then that I realised that I wanted more from life. That there had to be more! The status quo simply wasn’t cutting it, but I was at a loss as to where to go instead. So I settled. On teaching, actually (a ‘proper’ job). I mean, I love kids, so why wouldn’t teaching be a fantastic choice? It became apparent very quickly that loving kids and teaching them are two very different things, but that’s a lesson for another time. To cut a long story short, I spent two years as a teacher before I quit my cushy job back in July.
I had big plans to start something, anything (!), when I left my job. But four months have passed (wow, has it really been that long?), and still nothing. I kid myself into thinking I’m doing worthwhile ‘research’, when in actual fact it feels like nothing more than procrastination. I’m still grappling with life, going back and forth and up and down between biz ideas and project plans that might help me wake up excited every morning.
That old writing dream is refusing to quit, but I’ve still got the word ‘unrealistic’ tattooed onto my mind’s eye. I know all about following your dreams, doing what you love and telling ‘realism’ to shove it, but doing something is far from the same thing as knowing about it. A wise friend once said to me that transformation comes in three stages. The three A’s, if you will. First there’s awareness, next comes acceptance, and then there’s action. Four months into my own lifestyle transformation (or much longer, if you want to get philosophical about it), I find myself hovering firmly yet restlessly in the corridor of acceptance, waiting for some unknown entity, carrying a clipboard and looking official, to shout “Action” and grant me permission to enter the stage.
So how do I make the leap? How do I figure out exactly where to go from here? How do I start daring to do, rather than simply daring to dream?
It all started with shutting down. My laptop and I have been bosom buddies over the past few months. It’s my portal to a new and shiny land where kindred spirits have got me sussed and any crazy dream can be brought to life. Or so I thought. The truth of the matter is that it’s really tough to find out what’s important to you when there are countless self-styled leaders shouting at you from all angles, showcasing their own wonderful ways of making it in this brave new world. Inspiration is priceless, but overwhelm is inevitable. So take an afternoon, a day, heck, even a whole week, and step away. Step away from the teachings of everyone else, no matter how wise or well-meaning they might be. Start listening to yourself.
Since I quit my job, I’ve been chasing the wrong dreams, looking at whatever the ‘in’ thing happens to be and convincing myself that I need to do it too. No matter how many stomach butterflies the idea of writing gives me or how many tears I’ve shed over the tug I feel inside, that fog’s had me shrouded in uncertainty and it’s kept me stuck. But now I see that it’s only when you shut down and take time out, to play around and wile away the hours, that you can ever get clear on what your next step should be. There’s simply no substitute for treading on solid ground, inhaling fresh air, and revelling in real-life adventures. Whatever makes you smile and lose track of time, go do it. And see what comes up.
The world doesn’t necessarily need another coach, speaker or guru. I see that now. What it needs is another someone to do what truly gives them the shivers. It needs someone to do the seemingly impossible and chase down their dreams until they catch them and live them. What dreams are you chasing?
Rebecca Hunter is a twentysomething self-proclaimed misfit who giggles a lot and wears her heart on her sleeve (sometimes a little too distinctly). She believes in the power of words and the power of people, and also that life is way too short to make excuses or frown. You can keep up with her misadventures on Twitter. Do say hello!
