Three Pep Talks For Big-Hearted Creatives
Before we jump in: This article was originally shared with my email community in October 2017. I'm sharing it with you on the blog today in the hope that it may be of some encouragement and insight to you in your creative journey right now, and also give you a little sneak peak of what you can expect from Weekly Letters too. If you'd like to receive letters like this one straight to your inbox every Sunday, you can sign up below. You'll also have access to over 100 past Weekly Letters too!
As a creative coach, I spend my days working with crazy-awesome creatives having both deep and meaningful conversations about their creative work and life and also the nitty gritty side of running a business and making things happen too.
It's a privilege to do this work, and I'm so inspired every single week by the courage, bravery, and sheer badassery of my clients.
But, just like I'm not, none of them are immune to feeling insecure, overwhelmed, and a little lost at times along the way.
It's my job to listen to them, to hold space for them to listen to themselves, and facilitate a-ha moments, strategic action planning, and a whole lot of big-picture thinking too. But from time to time I also share with them some straight-up pep-talks around what it takes to live a wholehearted, impactful, fulfilling, and sustainable creative life. From time to time, it's my job to remind them of their sheer badassery and encourage them to move forward in the bravest, most intentional, and meaningful way for them.
So for today's letter I want to share with you some of the pep-talks I've given to my clients this week, in the hopes they may remind you of your own sheer badassery too.
1. You’re allowed to want what you want
You're allowed to want a slow and simple life. You're also allowed to want a life full of adventure and experiences. However you want to spend and fill your days, that's a-okay and completely up to you.
Your life choices don't have to look like everyone else's or make other people feel more comfortable about their own. You are not lazy, aggressively ambitious, boring, obsessed with your work, or whatever other words or phrases you use to shame yourself about the way you've decided to live your life. You don't have to justify your choices or your desires to the world.
I believe that the bravest thing we can do with our lives is live them with a whole heart and however the hell we want to. To ignore all of the rules, pressure, and expectations that society and the people whose opinions don't truly matter have put on us and live our life on our own terms and by our own rules instead.
2. You don’t need everything the internet is trying to sell to you
You don't have to buy that e-course that says it's the secret to business success.
You don't have to attend that workshop that you keep receiving emails about if you don't feel a "hell yes" in your gut that you want to attend.
You don't have to hire a coach just because everyone is telling you that you should if you don't want to or are not currently in the headspace to work with someone 1:1.
You don't have to buy that book that everyone says is a must-read if you already have ten others on your bedside table that you want to dive into first.
Every single day the internet is trying to sell us things to make us a better/more successful version of ourselves. And that's just in the business space - we're also being sold to every day about how to be prettier, thinner, better dressed, and have a more stylish home, the list could go on and on.
Spend your money on the things that bring you joy, on the things that help you to be the very best and happiest version of yourself, that feel like a "hell yes" in your gut and truly aligned with your values and your goals. Spend your money on the things you want to, not on the things the internet is using very clever marketing to tell you that you should.
3. Your own instincts and ideas are good enough (and usually the most valuable ones)
Just because there are 10-20 emails arriving in your inbox each week telling you the ways you should be improving your business, life, health, relationships, and appearance doesn't mean that you have to listen to them. You don't have to doubt yourself and your ideas just because there are people screaming loudly at you to pay attention to their own.
You are the expert of your own life, your business, your health, and your relationships. Nobody knows what you need better than you do. Be the gatekeeper to your own inner world - only allow things in if they can truly serve you along the way.
There are so many awesome, talented, big-hearted people out there sharing ideas, resources, and offerings to help you build incredible businesses and live incredible lives. They can be amazing resources and support as we navigate the seasons of our life. But the most important answers that you're looking for will always be found within you.
Don’t give away your power or look to someone or something else to be your anchor or your truth.
Here's to being the brave and badass humans that we know that we can be...
As always, I'm rooting for you!
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