Weekly-ish notes on navigating big change

An Adventurous Life

Currently…

Every week is an adventure. This week's list was prompted by Ali Edward's suggestionYou can find all my adventures here, or follow along via email here.

The bold unfurl carefully. #foundwhilerunning
The peony I've been stalking finally popped! #foundwhilerunning
This one house has dozens of bushes, and it smells divine. #peonylove #foundwhilerunning

Loving peonies

Writing everything I've learned by connecting with readers through email series

Sipping iced coffee with coconut creamer

Matching shoes and skirt

Editing all the ums and ahs, into clarity and zing, turning 20 minute videos into 5 minute videos
Spending the day in my "video studio", aka living room, shooting a Starship-requested class on using automagic email series to connect with readers.

 

Anticipating my little brother's visit and our week of adventure

Planning a massive house-cleaning in preparation for a week off

Making my first handmade binding

 

Sewing on my first handmade binding! #soclose

 

Longing, oddly, to paint. For the first time ever, it just feels like I should be painting.

Hoping to join Flora's class

Bubbling with ideas for my next class with Diane

 

Join me? 

 

 

 

 

Explorer’s Club of Book Lovers – May

Hello book lovers! It's time for the book club, but let's change it up!

Last month I picked two books, but we didn't have nearly as much participation as the month before, and I think I know why. Two books is just way too limiting, isn't it?  I read a few at once, and I'm a fan of quitting whenever I want. So instead of just  picking 2 books for us to read and discuss together, let's just make this a space to talk about everything we're reading.

I'll share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can share your list of books in the comments, or we can talk about any of the books that you want to read along with me.

April's Reads

Icarus Deception. 

Amazon | IndieBound | GoodReads

This book was a big YES to everything I feel about my own creative business, and the way I encourage creatives in their own. It directly inspired this post about the Only Work You Have to Do, whose discussion led to this one on connection…which led to these two posts about creating a path of connection for your customer.

 

Market Yourself.

Amazon | Goodreads

Yes, I spent a good chunk of last week re-reading my own book, to prepare for teaching a workshop on Artist's Portfolios + Social Media. The timing was perfect since Saturday was my Book-iversary! The book launched one year ago! (You can get a signed one here.)

Sunday Morning Quilts

Amazon | IndieBound | GoodReads

I read a lot of quilt books last month, but this was by far the best – both in the I-would-make-that quality of the patterns and in the friendly, chatty beginning.

 

May's To Read List 

This month's reading list. Details are on the site.

I had intended to read Contagious last month…but I had to return it to the library (someone else had a hold on it) before I got to it. But it's all mine now, and I'm one chapter in. What makes this book different from all the other ones about business and social media is that it is well-researched by the author.

You Can't Make This Stuff Up is all about creative nonfiction. What it is, how to write it, and exercises to get you started. Since creative nonfiction is the best definition I can find for what I write, and I'm working on a new project, I'm super excited to read this.

After hearing Father Boyle on On Being with Krista Tippet, I wanted to read his book.  I strongly recommend the recording of their conversation. It's funny, heart-breaking, and is the very best I can hope for my faith.

Lean In. Eh, I'm requested this book from the library because I'm curious about what it says to women in the workforce. I've seen a lot of entrepreneurial types saying “You don't need to “lean in” because you should start your own business!“…but while I'd love for everyone to do exactly what they love, I know that's not a choice everyone has, in every situation. Until I read this, I'm not recommending it, because it has the potential to be completely annoying.

Last week my 14 year old brother called me up to say, “I just finished Divergent. It is BETTER than the Hunger Games. You have  to read it.”  We're going on a family vacation at the end of June, and since 14 year old boys are notoriously hard to have conversations with (without stabbing out my own eyes), I hope to be caught up with where he is in the series so we can talk about it. (Yes, I take recommendations from everyone. And I know we have similar taste (in movies and books, if not in video games.))

 

I’m an affiliate for Amazon + IndieBound, which means I get soy latte money if you buy through the links I’ve used here. GoodReads is a free tool for tracking what you read.  I  read all these books via my library, which I strongly recommend!

 

What are you reading? 

 

 

 

 

 

Bravery outside the safe space

Ok, time for another un-awesome truth.

Yay! New pink shoes thanks to my shoe-fairy @lindsaydrake.

You know how I'm teaching 4 workshops in the next few days? Yeah, I'm nervous.

Although I teach all the time, I don't often hold in-person workshops. On top of that, the Western North Carolina Art Councils are not my typical audience. Usually, when you come to one of my classes (in person or online) you already know me. You come because you've been reading this blog, or my book, or you get my emails. You have an idea of what you're getting – a fast-talking, pink-haired, enthusiastic book nerd with a few too many pop culture references.

That's because, like I'm always encouraging you to do, I fill my business with my Right People, and I focus all my energy on serving them. That means I am pretty much always surrounded by people who both get me and like me. But at these workshops, students aren't coming because they know me, they're coming because they're HIA members and they want to learn the subject matter.

This tiny shift is monumental.
It means that, for the first time in a long time, I'm not already totally comfortable. I'm hesitant being my weird self. And the truth is, I debated with myself: is it better to focus solely on the self-selected Right People…or go outside my already-defined comfort zone and serve not-yet-my-Right People.

But even though I still have no idea how it will go, or if I'll fail miserably, I am confident that this is the right thing to do. I know I need to wade out into unknown waters and try something new. Even if I bomb, I need to show myself that I can take the flawed, enthusiastic self and be fully ME in front of perfect strangers. I need to trust that what holds true with us, here, in the safe spaces I've built (on the blog, email, Twitter, and the Starship), will hold true in the Outside World. That openness, bravery, and exploration work for me all the time, and that business help that centers on defining your ideal business speaks to everyone.

Oh, I still stand by my assertion that you should focus your marketing energy on your Right People, 100% of the time. You don't need to try to make yourself uncomfortable and scared. Life provides enough moments to be brave. But if an opportunity comes up for you to meet a whole new audience? One that you just don't know about yet? Take it. Try it.

What Brave New Thing have you done lately? Let's celebrate our bravery in the comments!

PS. Also, thanks to a tip from Alex, I'm using science to calm myself. I'm not nervous, I'm vibrating with anticipation! I'm not sweaty, I'm enthusiastic!

Signed books, live workshops, and HILARITY

Dudes! Yesterday's post has turned into a party, in the comments and on Twitter. If you're feeling sad or lonely…read it!

Today, I have just a few quick things I wanted to tell you about.

1. Signed books! 

My book- Market Yourself.

I have a few books left over from last summer. They've been sitting in my closet for months and just this week I realized – I could send them to you! Signed (if you like)! You see, when you order my book from my page, the publisher, or Amazon, it comes to you directly from the publisher. I don't see or touch those books. But I got a box to take to a workshop in Seattle…and I still have a few left.

My book- Market Yourself.

So! If you'd like a signed book, you can order it from me with this link.
You're buying the book from me + I'm going to ship it to you myself, via USPS Priority Flat Rate envelope. It's $26.95 + $5 for shipping (US only, if you're international, I'll email you to adjust the shipping).  When you check out, tell me if you'd like me to write something specific (perhaps it's for a friend?)

My book- Market Yourself.

The pages are filled with little asides and reminders, to keep things interesting. The book is written a lot like this blog – in my voice and style and jokes – but just better organized and with a zillion worksheets so you can take what you're reading and apply it to your business. (People really seem to like it!)  I have 8 books and when they're gone, they're gone!

Click here to buy a signed book

 

2. Workshops in North Carolina

I am teaching 4  in-person workshops in the next week, as a teacher with Handmade in America. I'm super honored to be invited to be one of  their teachers, and delighted to hold my first workshop with them.  If you're in the area and you want to come, you have to register ahead of time. If you're a member, the workshops are free; if not, each is $20 (or you can join the Council at the workshop).  Each workshop is 2 hours long, and will include a lesson, worksheets and discussion. (I'll be teaching different workshops in other counties in the fall, so sign up here if you want to hear about them)

Saturday, May 4th at the Surrey County Arts Council
10 am – Noon Artist's Portfolo
1 pm – 3pm  Target Market
To register: arts@surryarts.org

Monday, May 6th at Ashe County Arts Council
3pm – 5pm Artist Portfolio
6 pm -8 pm Social Media for Beginners
To register, please contact the Arts Council at  (336)846-ARTS :: jane@ashecountyarts.org

 

3. Managing the growth of your business

Last week I wrote about post about how to handle those times of crazy-growth, when it seems we don't have space for everything we need to do, over at OhMyHandmade.

 

4. Hilarity.

If you're reading this via email, click through to laugh and laugh.

How to be (your own version of) Awesome

How to be (your own version of) awesome
I just read this post about “boho perfectionism”, and seriously, you need to read it. (Now!)

It reminded me of the OMHG twitter chat last week where someone asked me (and Jessika) something along the lines of

How do you have time to be so awesome?”

I answered with the truth:

Because I spend most of my time being NOT awesome. I sleep in, read too much, watch 8 hours of the West Wing in a weekend. When I do work, I try very hard to do my BEST work. Not to look awesome, or do what I think you want me to do, but to do the things that  only I can do, the very best I can.
So let's clear the air here, ok? Let me be entirely honest about how this pink-haired, plant-powered empire (ha!) exists.

In order to have and do what I want, I have decided to not have and not do a whole whack of things that “normal” people do.

I only cook dinner once or twice a week (Jay is an amazing cook, so even though I love it, I've turned the kitchen over to him). We rarely eat out (only once this month!) unless we're visiting family. I don't have a “home office”, so if I'm working at home it's at the kitchen table (which is in the only room – the “living room”) or on the couch. My usual “office” is whatever empty chair I can grab at Starbucks (the only coffeeshop in my town) or the library (next to the snoring-loudly homeless guy).

The "office" (kitchen table) had a crazy busy day, with #omhg chat & a copywriting client & writing.

 In other words, I'm not living your fantasy of the awesome business owner. I'm also not living  “boho perfection” in any other aspect of my life, no matter what those vegan dinners look like on Instagram.  

Sure, I do “healthy” stuff – I'm vegan, I'm training for a 5k, I strength train (love this app) and meditate/pray – but you know what? It's not for my health. And it's not because I'm particularly “good”. My veganism (which can be extremely unhealthy – did you know Oreos are vegan? YUM.) is compelled by compassion for animals and my complete disgust with factory farming. My exercise routine is entirely necessitated by my years-long mission to conceive children, without drugs or surgery. (Kate said this so well.) I meditate and pray because, well, I believe that's the best way to listen in to the Creator, to guide my life towards more love + compassion (and less stress + trying-to-control-it-all).

And suddenly, all the dogwoods are blooming. #yayspring #foundwhilerunning

But none of this is a sacrifice. None of this is “good” or “disciplined” or anything. I live this way because I (am trying to) let my values inform my actions. My values are compassion, freedom, and exploration. But yours are going to be different, so your Ideal Life will look different. You have to find YOUR deep-rooted desires and then make decisions for your life based on that.

At the same time, none of this is sad or whiny. I wouldn't change anything – I want to live this way. But sometimes, when I see your beautiful living room, or adorable children, or organized studio, I forget a little.

I'm sharing all this because I want you to know – you can have a super-happy life, one filled with the things that matter to you.

But it might not look awesome from the outside. My mother-in-law is sad we don't live in a nicer place. My mom thinks I work way too hard. My high school friends all own their house, and we're years away from that.

But I alone am responsible for defining what I want, and then creating it. And (most days) I am deliriously happy. I am delighted with my life and the person I'm spending it with (and my dog!) and my business. Because it's mine. Because I get to have pink hair and wear pink shoes and snuggle.

I was in the middle of Cobbler's pose, when this happened. On my feet.

I want you to be happy, to have what you want. And I want you to know that it won't come from lusting after someone else's business or life you see on blogs, twitter or instagram. The first step is to define what you want. And then make sure you're not being distracted by what you see in the comparison-chamber of the internet. And then look around: I bet you already have at least some of it. Your hair is great, your handknit shawl is beautiful, your business is beaming.

Let's agree together to change the nature of how we interact with the jealousy-inducing images. Next time someone (or their life or their business) is looking particularly “awesome”, look back around at your own life, not with comparison, but with gratitude. What are your values? What's your personal style? How's it reflected in your life, right now?

The Adventures

Every week is an adventure and I share the view, the path and the finds on Fridays, with an invitation for you to join me. You can find all my adventures here, or follow along via email here.

Running in 81* weather was made bearable by the FLOWERS. Everywhere. #coloroverload! #yayspring
Rosebud! #foundwhilerunning #lookup
It's a little too rainy out there. #accordingtoBeau
Weeping Cherry = my favorite! A gorgeous day to explore a new neighborhood  & route. #foundwhilerunning #uar
Conclusion: I can't imagine doing this with a whole quilt. Don't like all the pulling & gripping. Will stick with hand quilting!

The Finds

The only thing I can focus on this week is praying for Boston. I wish I could do more, but what we can all do is donate to help the victims. Give here. If you're looking for some distractions, here's what I enjoyed reading this week:

  • I love this post about beauty and our cultural insistence (even in the Dove Real Women ads) that beauty is important to self worth.
  • I feel in love this with quilt.
  • And this one. I'm definitely making it soon!

 

 

 

Quilty Goals

It's Friday, when I share my adventures. This week, a peek into my quilting adventures.

Andre approves of the backing fabric. #matcheshiseyes
If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter or Sulia, you might have noticed I'm a leeetle obsessed with quilting.

I even set a tiny little goal to finish 6 quilts this year. Since I had only ever finished one quilt, in my whole life, until I did the two Christmas quilts this year (1 + 2), this is a big deal. I let it percolate without any really planning, until I stumbled on the quarterly finish-a-long. Just what I needed! A way to plot my 6 quilt goal by breaking it up into quarters (you know I love that). So, I'm jumping right in. My quarterly goal is to finish 2 quilts by the end of June.

Let's meet the contestants.

#1. Emerald Isle

(NC, not Ireland)

2012-08-08 19.03.43

This is a collaboration with my mom. A few years ago, before we went on a family vacation to Emerald Isle, NC, we decided it'd be fun to work on a quilt while we were together. Before we left, we each bought 1/2 yard of 6 fabrics, without knowing what the other bought. We only stipulated that they be ocean-y colors. We know each other's style, so we ended up with 12 fabrics that matched beautifully (some even from the same line!)
Quilts in progress

Pattern: None at all.

I convinced my traditionally-quilting mom that as long as all of our pieces were the same width, we could cut them as thick or thin as we wanted, so we just chopped up a bunch and then strung them together into 6  panels. The plan was to make one quilt, but it was turning out to be a really big quilt, so we realized that with some borders and sashes we could each take 3 panels and make 2 quilts – one for each of us! We picked different sashing and backing fabric + basted them while we were together last fall (2 years after starting the piecing).
Quilts in progress
Status: pieced, backed and basted, only needs to be handquilted to be finished. I'm 1/4 of the way through the quilting, and it goes fast, so this should be an easy finish.

This is one I really want to finish by the time we go back to Emerald Isle at the end of June, so I can take pictures of it on the beach.

#2. Red Hot

Ironed, trimmed & layout finalized. Now if only Andre would move.

This quilt came from my obsessions with the #scrappytripalong quilts I kept spotting on Instagram. I would have loved to use scraps…but as a brand-new quilter with no studio space, I didn't have more than a few inches of scraps. But I did have a pack of fabric that Mom had passed on to me.

My stripping station. #notthat #scrappytripalong

Even though these were large-scale fabrics, I decided to be bold and chop 'em up into tiny pieces (spreading out and breaking up the prints I didn't love.) I also did a fabric swap with Kloth and got rid of some of my least favorites, and bought a few 1/4 yards to add a bit more of what I love. I also had just ONE strip worth of three fabrics from this quilt  and they provided great contrast to the more saturated blocks.

Pattern: Scrappy Trip Around the World, 5 blocks across, 6 down.

Slicing up my #scrappytripalong to the new Dr. Who! #yay
Status: Just finished sewing the back together last night! I need to sandwich and baste and then handquilt (I *might* experiment with free-motion machine-quilting this, because Elise makes it sound easy.)

#3. The Tradition

Writing a post about my 6 Quilts This Year goal. This one = made by mom, 12 years ago, just waiting for my handquilting.

This quilt was not made by me. My mom took me shopping for the fabrics when I was 16 or 17 (I was really into blue + yellow, thank goodness I was out of my sunflower-fabric stage by then) and made it for my high school graduation. But there was a problem with one block, and this pattern requires a level of precision that easily frustrates. So away it went…for a decade. When Mom pulled it out (maybe a year or two ago?) I convinced her that we should sandwich and baste it together, wonky square or not.

She let me take it home with the promise to keep my cats away from it and handquilt it by the end of this year.

Pattern: Star Log Cabin. This one, I think?

Quilts in progress

Status: Basted and ready to handquilt.

#4. Blooms and Dots

This quilt only exists in our imagination, but when Mom and I return to Emerald Isle this year, we plan to work on a new quilt together. We're doing the buy-fabrics-seprately thing again, with the stipulation that they be pinks or oranges, in florals or polka dots. There's no way I'll finish it this quarter, but hope to have it done in the next.

Quilts #5 + #6 could be anything! In the world! I'm so excited to see what happens!

 

Whew! 

That's a lot more quilting that I ever really thought myself capable of. But that's what makes it fun, isn't it? The challenge of doing something so much bigger than you imagined?

I feel like I should include some sort of dislcaimer here: I am not an Official Quilter. I don't really follow patterns, and I'm not concerned with perfection. I stayed away from quilting for a long time, because I don't really care about straight lines, but that seems to be kinda integral to quilting, ya know? But diving in, working only with materials I really love, without the pressure to do it “right” works for me, wonky seams and all. The most important thing is to have fun while making it, and snuggling under it when  I'm finished.

As I wrote this post, I realized that a huge reason I started quilting is because it was something to do with my mom. We live miles apart and reconnect when we get together by DOING something crafty.  As a kid, there was always sewing going on, and when I got married and learned to knit, I taught her right away. So quilting, especially when we each buy different fabrics and combine them, is an easy extension of this. I'm happy for the time we spend together (and lonnnnng discussions on what EXACTLY we mean by “pinkish raspberry”) and I'm thrilled to have physical representations of that time.

I really can't wait to finish and snuggle under these quilts! 

 

 

Unrelated to quilting: Next week I'm announcing 5 open spots for flight planning. You can snatch one up before then, if you're snappy.

The Adventures

Every week is an adventure and I share the view, the path and the finds on Fridays, with an invitation for you to join me. You can find all my adventures here, or follow along via email here.

The view

Happy Spring from Maddie & Buttercup!
I think Buttercup likes me (or having her picture taken). #lambI was asked to donate "those amazing cookies" to a fundraiser. Of course they meant @isachandra's chocolate chocolate chip & ginormous crispy peanut butter. #vegan #nooneknowsHappy REAL First Day of Spring! #baseball #openingdayReason I love baseball season #241: uninterrupted quilting time for me! #yayNeeds ironing, but I couldn't resist laying out my #scrappytripalong. 1/3 done!Just one more row left on my TARDISes (TARDI?) ...and then to find a border for the shawl. Suggestions?Jay jay made the MOST amazing meatballs, from a @nytimes recipe. #omg #vegan

The Path

  • After a lifetime of avoiding working on my quarterly taxes until the very last possible moment (and then remembering it's never as bad as I feared), I think I landed on a solution: Corporate Quarterly Retreats. There's a whole game system in place (leveling up, dance breaks, lots of tea), and I plan to make the retreats even more retreat-y (this time, since I dreamed it up and DID it in the same day, it was just me, the pup, my pjs and lots of breaks). Lesson learned: Find What Works. Don't stop experimenting and playing until you land on a way to do that task painlessless, and with joy.

 

  • Jay made these meatballs (subbing 1 Tbls of flax mixed with water for each egg) and they were AMAZING (pictured above). Easily the best meatballs ever. We *may* be eating them for every meal….

 

  • Speaking of life-changing deliciousness, I was asked to donate cookies to a fundraiser at Jay's work. I send over half of all my baked goods off to work with Jay, so that I can maintain a semblance of self-control. These Chocolate Chocolate Chip cookies are a favorite and they're great for bake sales because the recipe makes over 3 dozen. (And no one cares that they're dairy-free and egg-free, ie, vegan!)

 

  • If you want to try dyeing with Easter Eggs (yarn or fiber, or even wool fabric!) NOW is the time to buy the dyes, while they're crazy-on-sale. Years ago I made a video with instructions.  This is a totally safe project to do with kids!
  • I spent most of my week working with map-makers who are plotting a fabulous Quarter 2. I am SO thrilled to see where they're going. (You can make your own map here.)

The Finds

 

  • I'm completely addicted to You Need a Budget. Read the lessons, get the (free) e-course and then try it! It's really perfect for working with variable income (as we all do) and syncing up with someone else (we both have the apps on our phone and can add transactions on the fly). The stress level in my life has decreased a thousand-fold, just since using it on Tuesday. (I might talk about this more, later, because I have spent years working on my relationship with money.)

 

  • Diane just opened up her super-helpful course, Monetize Your Craft Blog. If you've got a blog, but don't have a money-making plan (or if your plan isn't working) this class WORKS (lots of my students and clients have raved to me about this class). *

 

*I'm not an affiliate for any of these projects, but I am friends with Heather and Diane. So, you know, I'm a bit biased…then again, our friendship was predicated on the fact that I already respected their work before we ever met.

 

What was your adventure this week?

 

How to read 100 books in one year.

How to read 100 books in a year

In 2012, I read 100 books.

That's (almost) 2 books a week.

When I set the goal (in February or March, after I realized I already WAS reading 2 books/week), I thought it was crazy. Way out of reach. But why not? I had a lot of long airplane rides ahead of me (Boston, San Diego, Seattle) and little did I know that I'd be in airports for looooong delays (almost 20 hours in LAX and 12 hours in Charlotte) and would have plenty of time to read.

Grateful for books, my oldest friends. 18 books away from meeting my 100 in 2012 goal (but only 7 weeks left.) This is what's next. #thirtydaysofthanksgiving #instagratitude

The real reason I set the goal is that I love to read. Love it!
But I often tell myself not to. Instead, I should be working. Or I should be reading something better (catching up on blogs, news, the latest marketing advice). But after an intense 3 months of non-stop writing to finish the book,  I decided to give myself permission to just read. As much as I wanted!

And I'm so glad I did, because I learned more about my self (and my business) than I could have from any single book. Here's how I made it happen:

1. Give yourself permission to do what you want to do.

#libraryaweek

For some reason, this seems like the most dangerous course of action. What if all I want to do is lay in bed all day in read? What if I never work again? That's the fear, isn't it? That if you let yourself set a desirable, fun goal, that you might give up on all the hard and challenging ones.

But what if that fun thing you want to do is exactly what your business needs? Or what if it's what your self needs so you can have the energy to work? What if it'll just feel great?

Turning simple permission (you're allowed to read!) into a big crazy goal, lifted my passion into something important. It suddenly mattered that I get to read everyday, it was a priority! If I hadn't committed to the big number, I would have continued to question each reading session: shouldn't I be doing something else?

2. Always have books at the ready.

Andre finds books snugglable
The photos throughout this post demonstrate the ginormous stacks of books I brought home, each week.

The key to reading a lot is to have plenty to read. 

It's silly, but I tend to worry I'm going to run out. Of everything. I “save up” the good stuff in life. I like to know I have a reserve. (Gretchen calls this as spending out – I'm glad to know I'm not alone). So I put off reading a book if I think I won't have anything to read when I finish it. And it's not enough to just books at the library, I need them next to me in the house, so I can grab it the moment I'm ready. (This is kinda like packing waaay too much knitting when you travel. You know you'll never get to it, but there is a slime chance, and you can't risk it!)

3. Always be adding.

This library obsession is getting dangerous... #canyouspotthecat
Having books at the ready is actually a multi-level affair. There's the having the books in my home, but there's also knowing I have even more books that I want to read. I have to know what books to bring home next.

It is absolutely vital for me to have a long list of to-read books and to be adding to it constantly.  For this, I use Goodreads. I find new books to read from everywhere – if it looks interesting in a book store, if a blogger mentions it, if the author has an interesting interview on Fresh Air, or On Being, if it's recommended on a podcast,  if the book I'm reading mentions another book.

The quickest way to recommit myself to reading, is to add a new book to my list.

4. Give up.

Picking books for my week away. Is this enough? Too heavy? Tricky!

Yep, I'm a fan of quitting. If I don't absolutely love the book, or I find myself studiously not-reading for 2 or 3 days, I pick up another book from the stack. I might go back to that left behind book, or I might just mark it off my list all together. There's no guilt, no pressure. Reading is something I love to do. So if I don't love reading this book, I remember that it's not me, it's the book. So I break up with it.

5. No judgement.

The library was very very good to me this week. Where to start?

I'm allowed to read whatever I want to read. I know it sounds obvious, but I can't believe the hangups I have about I should be reading, or what I'm embarrassed to be reading. I'd absolutely never pick up 50 Shades of Grey (I'm much too squeamish), but I'm often embarrassed about my hippy-dippy choices of books.

But you know what? I'm the one reading it. No one else. So no one else has to approve, or think it's worthy or even understand why I'm reading it. And I remind myself, as I stand at the check-out counter at the library that the librarians see much worse than me and my stack of yoga, religion, and infertility books.

That's how I read 100 books in a year.

But it's not about reading : these rules apply to everything. Whatever it is you want to do this year (that you really, really want to do, not just because you think you should want to do it), you gotta give yourself permission, keep inspiration at the ready, quit when something isn't working for you, and stop thinking about what other people think about it!

Books, coffee, lounge. In other words, my personal heaven. #birthdayadventure

Tomorrow: My favorite books of the year!

cross_stitches

If reading a zillion (or even 5) books is your thing, I'd love to talk about books with you! I'm thinking about starting a super-casual book club right here. What do you think? Would you like a monthly creativity/business book suggestion?
Let me know in the comments.

Listening in

I've been quiet. Not just on the blog, but on the Explorer Lessons, the Twitter, and even on Instagram. It started out unconsciously…I just didn't have anything to say. I wanted to read all day. Dye yarn. Do quiet-ish things.

Plotting with beet/carrot/ginger juice. #unpluggedadventureday

But then Thursday, I purposely took break from the constant stream of feedback. I didn't check email, twitter replies, or even likes on Instagram. Instead, I drove to Asheville, explored, wrote. I didn't really know why I avoided all feedback until I was driving home at the end. And then it hit me.

I spend a lot of time (maybe most of it) listening. When I'm answering questions on the Starship or taking part of a Twitter chat or just reading blogs, I may be talking, but I'm also listening for the connection. I'm watching for the chords that tie it all together, for the deeper question people are really thinking about. (This book opened my eyes to my system-spotting + building – it's part of my personality type!)

Once I spot the connection, I dive into it. I write a blog post, shoot a video answer or, if it's a deep and twisty question, I create a class. For example, In December I got an email from a Captain about how she'd had a banner year…but paid herself nothing. Then I saw a few comments on Twitter saying “I invest everything back into the business.” I spot the connection right away: People don't know how to measure (and improve)  their profit. So I wrote, asked questions and taught a class about doing just that. It might not be my favorite thing, but it's undeniably vital to every business…and no one else seemed to be talking about the equations that I use…so I did it. (That's another part of listening – watching for great resources I can recommend – and making sure I'm not spending my time creating something that already exists in way that my people can absorb.)

I LOVE this deep listening and connection-spotting. It's the way I process the world and my brain does it even when I'm not working. But, if I'm not careful, all that listening can result in only thinking about things other people need…instead of creating what I need and want to create. So when I finish a period of intense listening and responding, it's time to stop in and listen to myself again.

It's  just like I'm always saying about finding and listening to your Right People. If you listen in, you'll definitely make what they want.

But that's only one part of the equation. The other half is YOU. You have to spend some time listening to yourself, learning what your skills are, and expressing (or trying to express) what you need to create in this world.

So I took the week to listen in quietly to myself..and I got a whopp of insight (at 7pm while washing the dishes) about how to clarify my message (see the Start Here page for the changes) and what I need to work on next (opening the Starship for the quarter and a BIG exciting project).

When was the last time you took a break from your listening stations and tuned into your internal frequency?

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