Then we found out that we were expecting a baby girl and that slowed my progress a bit and it definitely changed the content of what I’d be reading.  Despite all the excitement, I was still able to read more books than I have any previous year, including a few pre-baby titles. And with every book, comes a whole lot of lessons to put into practice…

My Top 4 Must-Reads from 2019

1. A New Earth – Eckhart Tolle
2. How to be an Imperfectionist – Stephen Guise
3. Declutter Your Mind – S.J. Scott
4. Everybody Writes – Ann Handley

My number one must read from 2019 was A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle, in fact, we are only a few days into January and I just finished re-reading the book.  This is the kind of book that you can keep coming back to and get something out of every time. I think that’s something I really enjoy about personal development books; the lessons you learn while reading them are really dependent upon the moment you are in and what is going on for you personally at the time.

How to Be an Imperfectionist was one of the last books I read last year and it really hit home.  If you suffer from perfectionism and find yourself not finishing things – or worse, not starting things –  because you are waiting for perfection, then this is a MUST READ. This book details the root of perfectionism, how it manifests itself in your life, and step-by-step habits to put into practice so you can “become an imperfectionist.”

For the self-marketers out there, I think Everybody Writes is a must-read.  And in reading the book, you’ll realize that these days, we are ALL writers whether we consider ourselves writers or not.  This book is full of tips, concepts, and insights that will make you a better writer. As someone who is constantly creating content and marketing materials for my audience to consume, this book was incredibly insightful and immediately applicable.

Declutter Your Mind was another book with immediately applicable concepts.  If you are looking for a book to read to kick off the new year with a bang, this book is an easy read and loaded with advice and activities you can start to implement right away that will improve your productivity and peace of mind.  I read this at the start of 2019 and you’ll find that we talk about a ton of these concepts in our blogs and podcasts because they are super helpful for the self-employed business owner.

In Summation…

These books definitely taught me a lot of lessons to implement in the new year and I look forward to diving into my 2020 reading goals.  This year, I’m sticking with the 30 book challenge because I really want to hit it and know that I can make it happen if I put my mind to it.  I may have a few re-reads on my list, like “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” a classic that I try to read every couple of years to refresh myself on the age-old concepts that book shares on relationships and success in life. 

For those of you who’ve been meaning to read more, challenge yourself to read a certain number of books this year and let’s hold each other accountable.  The key to getting your reading done is to make time for it regularly and to have a list of books that you want to read so that you always are a few books ahead of yourself on what is coming next.  There were a few times this year when I finished a book and a few weeks would go by before I realized I didn’t have another book on deck to read. So I recommend planning a few books ahead and always looking for new books to add to the list.  Reading is a great way to take a break throughout the day, clear your thoughts, learn and grow. Let’s make it happen in 2020!

And I’m also always looking for recommendations and would love to hear what personal development and business books you might recommend. Share in the comments your favorites and I will be sure to check them out! And as always, I’ll be sure to share my book reviews throughout the year as I find titles that really speak to me which I think you might enjoy.

Happy reading, DOers!!

The post A Year Of Reading In Review – 2019 appeared first on Learn It - Do It.

I recently read “How to Be an Imperfectionist: The New Way to Self-Acceptance, Fearless Living, and Freedom from Perfection” by Stephen Guise and I am extremely happy that I did.  I’m always looking to improve the areas in my personal development that I feel are weak and for this instance, in particular, I was looking for ways to improve my habits to maintain personal confidence. On a day to day basis, we’re aboard this crazy roller coaster called life and I’m just looking to make sure I’m wearing my safety belt.

I was drawn to this book because I found that the preview spoke directly to my creative personality.  Personally, I am a planner. I love being prepared in every situation and my mind feverishly rushes through checklists, what-ifs, and worst-case scenarios.  As a business owner and a creative person, I never realized that the pursuit of perfectionism has been what I’ve been hung up on all these years.  

On many occasions, I’ve gone into analysis paralysis, where I’d overthink something to the point where I’d choose to do nothing instead of moving forward.  The mere fact that there might possibly be the tiniest chance of something going awry would lead me to inaction, which would then evolve into guilt that would add to my daily stress. 

As I was trying to make everything perfect to avoid possible embarrassment, I was totally overlooking the life experiences that imperfection teaches us.  Understanding that there’s no true risk in being imperfect [unless you’re in the medical field!] and that the important thing is to just show up and let go of those mental projections, will help you create a much happier and more efficient version of yourself.

I am so happy that I found this book because it teaches you simple, actionable steps to improve your daily habits and headspace.

Who would get a lot out of this book?

If you are a self-proclaimed perfectionist, you NEED to read this book.

If you procrastinate by making sure that you have ideal conditions, an ideal mood, or ideal timing to complete your task, you NEED to read this book.

If you constantly project the outcome of events by listing all the things that will probably go wrong, you NEED to read this book.

If you’re constantly avoiding failure, humiliation, and embarrassment, so you always take the easy way out, you NEED to read this book.

What are our takeaways and how will we apply them?

This book teaches a series of mini habits to help you create actual change in your daily life rather than provide a sense of fleeting motivation.  Here are the takeaways that I’ve already applied to my daily routine.

1. Embrace imperfection.  Doing things wrong is the only way we get better, so the only thing that matters is gaining the experience by doing them.  As soon as you “OK” yourself to be imperfect, you’ll feel a huge sense of relief and allow yourself to get right to business.
2. Stop ruminating. The only way to get over the past is to accept it.  Rumination is a painful form of procrastination where you rehash past events, go through the shoulda, woulda, coulda and end up choosing to relive your nightmares.  Stop replaying old movies in your head and start accepting what has happened and know that each new moment gives you an opportunity to take your life where you want it to go.
3. Implement the concept of binary thinking.  Make your tasks easy to complete by simplifying them to a pass or fail concept.  Instead of getting nervous and procrastinating because you have to give a perfect presentation free of embarrassment that everyone will love, make your goal to simply get up and start talking out loud.  The more you add to the “story” of your task the more you begin to project the outcome which fires up your negative and nervous emotions and stops you in your tracks.  
   1. Another simple example is rather than thinking that in order to go to the gym and get a good workout you have to feel up to it and be motivated. Just make your goal to drive to the gym. That way, you either did it, or you didn’t and it completely bypasses your subjectivity on the matter.
4. Change your language.  Pay attention to the words you say.  In particular, use the term “could” instead of “should.” “Should” always leads to guilt and resentment towards yourself and the task you need to complete. “Could” still gives you the opportunity to do the tasks and keeps your subconscious mind from delivering a guilt trip.
5. Let go of embarrassment.  If you find yourself avoiding doing things because you don’t want to be embarrassed, then you’ll never get to where you want to go.  Embarrassment isn’t a harmful risk and has no unhealthy side effects. It’s 100% temporary and you can actually choose to let it go. Experiences are what help you become more confident and allow you to give less weight to the feeling of embarrassment. Stop seeking approval from the fictitious “everyone” because it’s just causing you to have low self-esteem.  The more you’re able to participate in your life, the more practice you will get and the better you’ll be. If you think about it, everyone who has ever been great was a failure almost 1000x more than they were great. Dreaming big doesn’t always require aiming big. Aim at what’s in front of you to make it attainable and take aim often.
6. Flip the switch on motivation.  Our culture is constantly throwing out ways to get us motivated to take action.  There are books, seminars, and coaches all dedicated to helping us get enough motivational feelings to take ourselves out of the rut we are in and spring us into action.  The trouble with this model is that it won’t work all of the time. Sometimes we just don’t feel up to it. When you aren’t feeling creative or you are in a bad mood, climbing up that hill to motivate yourself to get stuff done is extremely daunting and let’s face it, unlikely.  If you flip the switch and decide to stop waiting for or trying to build motivation, and instead just start by taking action, you’ll find that action actually creates motivation MUCH quicker!

GET THE BOOK

How to Be an Imperfectionist: The New Way to Self-Acceptance, Fearless Living, and Freedom from Perfectionism

AUTHOR WEBSITE: www.stephenguise.com

The post Book Review: “How to Be an Imperfectionist: The New Way to Self-Acceptance, Fearless Living, and Freedom from Perfection” appeared first on Learn It - Do It.

Last fall, we were looking for a jolt of positivity and enthusiasm to zap us out of a funk.  They weren’t dire times [we were actually in the midst of developing and producing LIDI], but we were definitely in the need of a 3rd quarter pick-me-up to help us spring out of bed on those colder mornings and finish strong.

What Prompted Us to Pick up this Book?

One random night, while we were caught mindlessly scrolling on our phones before bed – we happened to see a friend of mine post about You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero on Instagram and I thought, “what the heck? – I’ll give it a read!”

Honesty Alert: Reading You Are A Badass was like drinking a 2 pm Redbull and finishing the day with a slam! It’s a shot of adrenaline to get you past the small roadblocks that you’ve built up in your mind that are currently standing between you and your goals.  Its “No B.S.” attitude is just what you need to wake up from the craziness in your mind and start taking action to live your best life!

Not only did this book completely jazz us up – it actually sparked feverish creative energy that helped us reach our year-end goals and prepare ourselves for the launch of this very website.

Who would get a lot out of this book? 

If you are currently pursuing a goal and you’re feeling “stuck,” this is a great book for you because Jen Sincero paints a comically honest picture of the harsh truths that we all need to hear.  Whatever your reason may be, I bet that the majority of what’s keeping you from the success you’re looking for are roadblocks that are actually quite simple to remove.  Sometimes a slap in the face can help change your perspective and if you feel like you’re ready to understand life from a new perspective, then you absolutely should read this book.  She’s raw, funny, and tells you the things that you need to hear without the sugar-coating. This book is oh-so-human, real, honest and just the kick in the butt you’ve been looking for!

What are our takeaways and how will we apply them?

1. Awareness & Consciousness

When you start getting into self-help books, there is a lot of talk about the “ego,” and if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t think you are the greatest (even though you totally should value yourself that much), it’s hard for you to believe that you have an EGO problem.  

The truth is, the “Ego” is your subconscious that is “driving the bus,” so to speak, when you put your brain on auto-pilot.  It’s the little voice in your head that pulls you down, helps you make terrible decisions that sabotage your goals, or reminds you of a bunch of useless false beliefs you’ve been taught throughout your life at just the right moment to hold you back.  

I love how simply, and realistically, Sincero talks about this concept of the ego.  It’s so important to take a step outside your “self” and realize that you CAN make changes to your life, things aren’t always going to be the way they have been, and everything you’ve been told isn’t necessarily gospel.  If you want something, you can have it…just tell that voice in your head that you’ll take it from here and make it happen!

2. Gratitude: The Gateway Drug to Awesomeness

Appreciating when someone does something for you seems like a simple concept.  Sometimes we say “thank you” without really thinking about it or feeling it. The truth is, when we can really take a minute to truly feel gratitude and appreciate the things and opportunities we have, it puts us on the frequency of receiving more of those awesome things.  When you are in a good mood, you notice more good things coming your way. So when you are having a down moment, take a minute to be present and think about some things that you really appreciate and you’ll find yourself climbing out of that mental hole and pulling yourself into that happy place again!

3. “I Tried” is the Poor Man’s “Kick Butt”

I love that Sincero points out that we as people tend to let ourselves fall short of a goal because we aren’t really willing to do what it takes.  People who are successful push themselves outside of their comfort zone again and again. They achieve their goals and reach the highest levels of success because they simply aren’t willing to let anything get in the way of that.  The truth is, if you want something bad enough, nothing can stop you. So don’t make excuses or allow yourself to fall victim to yourself or outside obstacles. If you REALLY want something, you’ll make it happen!

4. Give Yourself  Permission to be You.

All too often we allow ourselves to settle or be less than our best versions of ourselves because of something someone else says or a silly belief we’ve been holding on to.  The truth is, anything you want to be, do, or have is totally available to you if you can get out of your own way and really believe it’s possible.  You deserve to be the best version of yourself; whatever that means to you.

Link to the book: You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero

Author’s Website: https://jensincero.com/

The post “You Are A Badass” Book Review appeared first on Learn It - Do It.

Why did we decide to read this book?  What prompted us to pick it up?

In February 2019, Rhi and I attended a conference called “Think Better, Live Better,” hosted by Marc and Angel Chernoff [of marcandangel.com].  One of the distinguished keynote speakers was Humble the Poet, who is an author, rapper and spoken word artist. Humble, or Mr. Poet (we’re basically besties by now), presented on how to overcome fear and adversity to stay creative.  Most notably, how to overcome failure, which is bound to happen at some point.

During his presentation, he discussed his upcoming book Unlearn and shared a few chapters with the audience and we knew immediately that this was definitely something we’d be interested in reading.

During the break after the afternoon speaking sessions were completed, we got to meet Humble and talk to him briefly about creativity and pushing forward even when you think you’ve hit a dead end.  He was extremely eloquent, helpful and insightful [and we thank him again for taking the time to meet with us!. 

We waited until the US release of his book and immediately snatched it up and read it in a day and a half.

Who would get a lot out of this book?

This book is a collection of his social media posts and they can be read as daily lessons.  I chose to read it cover to cover, but you can literally pick it up and open to a random page and get some great life knowledge. Humble The Poet doesn’t spout off puffy cliches, instead, he tells it straight and lets you know that you’re not alone in whatever pain or suffering that you endure.

I think that anyone in the trenches of a creative career will absolutely get a lot out of this book.  The author is extremely transparent about the battles that we face internally and externally as we continue our creative journey.  Through both the ups and downs, his lessons ring true and they serve as a great daily reminder to stay on the level and to remember what we’re actually doing here.

What are our takeaways and how will we apply them?

I’ve paraphrased my favorite takeaways, but really, each of the 101 lessons are true takeaways.

1. The only truth to life is death – everything else is what you decide to make of it. This message is incredibly helpful, especially when you find yourself in a distracting cloud of stress and fear.  It allows you to center yourself and remember the big picture.
2. Our minds are the cause of our unhappiness – not the actual world around us.  We can’t expect life to be the fairytale that our brain feeds us. We’ve got to cut the cord of the rom-com expectations that we’ve created for ourselves and actually take a good look at how fortunate we are in our own lives out here in reality.
3. We all experience pain – it’s how we grow, push our boundaries and do extraordinary things. If we spend our time building barriers of protection we are just setting ourselves up for catastrophic failure.  We only learn from stumbling and falling here and there. In addition, the happiness and sense of accomplishment that we’re all striving for only comes when we step out of our comfort zones, experience new things [good and bad], and notice that this journey is exactly what we’ve been looking for all along.
4. Don’t allow the opinions, expectations or narratives of others to affect you and your day to day life. You have to remember that each person lives their lives inside their own head and they’re only concerned about themselves.  When you view it from this perspective, the weight of opinions and expectations of others is lessened. It is up to you to live your own life and make it what you want.
5. You are the only thing or person that can make you happy.  This is a big one.  Our reaction is to look outward for happiness, but the truth is that it can only come from within.  So in order to get a head start on your own happiness, immediately stop looking to any person, product, or vacation to create happiness.

Uncover your favorite takeaways by visiting Humble’s website and/or ordering the book Unlearn here.

The post Book Review: “Unlearn” by Humble The Poet appeared first on Learn It - Do It.

Tell me if you’ve experienced anything like this in your professional career –

It’s way past your bedtime, you’ve been burning the candle at both ends and you just feel completely drained.  As you finally get ready to drift off into the coveted dreamland where you can finally relax — it hits you. Your brain reminds you about an important email that you need to remember to send, or you come up with a great idea or solution to a problem you’re having, or you stress about an interaction with a client/family member/friend/co-worker that you had recently.  All of these things, good or bad still put you in a slightly frantic state because you don’t want to forget it tomorrow, but you’re not going to do anything about it immediately — because, remember, you’re in your bed — resting “peacefully.”

What does this all mean?

Your brain’s memory card is maxed out.  It can be tough to function when thoughts are overflowing in your brain.  Whether you’re dealing with issues in your personal life or your professional life, it is extremely tiresome and taxing to hold it all inside.  It will start to drain your energy and, in some severe circumstances, cause physical ailments to your body.

In addition, it is very difficult to conjure the energy to be the best business owner or creative entrepreneur that you can be.  All business owners and entrepreneurs are creative. We use creativity to find ways to solve problems in our businesses on a day to day basis.  We are creative in the ways that we deal with our project management and our client management. We’ve used our creative brain to develop our products and services and by being in business for ourselves we’ve literally created something out of nothing.  

Being creative takes energy

Not just mental energy, but physical energy, too. So where do we get this energy if we always feel overextended and bursting at the seems?

We journal.  It may sound sophomoric – but a journal is the best antidote to stress problems, overwhelm and confidence issues.  

Let’s define what I mean when I talk about journaling.

Journaling is a physical way to let go of all of the bloated thoughts in your brain.  We’re not writing a diary — we’re not throwing ourselves a pity party either. We’re simply rolling up our sleeves, putting the pen to the paper and allowing ourselves to release all of the mental anguish that we’ve been storing that’s been causing us stress and sleepless nights.

Personally, I have a composition notebook as a journal.  I commit to writing one handwritten page a day [about 10 minutes].  I use daily prompts that I Google to make it an easier task — simply answer the question provided by the prompt.  I write entirely stream of consciousness and hold no weight to what I’m writing. The point is to let it flow. Let it out. Simply.  I actually never re-read any entries. For me, the purpose of the journal is to let go of bad things and set intentions for good things.

For you to get started journaling I really strongly recommend using prompts.  It eliminates procrastination by about 97%. When we got started, we used prompts from www.marcandangel.com for the first few months.  Marc and Angel are best selling authors and professional life & happiness coaches.  If you just head over to their blog and search “Journal Prompts” you’ll find plenty of content to get you started.

So, what are the creative benefits of journaling?

1. If you start your day with journaling then you will find that you’re automatically starting your day with creative momentum.
2. As you write each day, you’ll uncover things that will lead to thoughts and ideas which will help you be more creative.
3. It helps get your brain in shape – EXAMPLE: Running – At any time we can just run from here to there, but for most of us our distance and speed are limited by the shape our body is in.  If you start running daily [like a training regimen], it won’t take long before you can consistently run further and faster. So the more that you journal, the more sustained creative energy and momentum you’ll have in the long run.

Now picture yourself getting ready for bed after a day full of positive energy and momentum — yes, you’ll still have ups and downs, we all do, but now you know that if you just write it down, you can allow your conscious and subconscious to let go and, finally, you can go to your dreamland and relax.

The post Journaling is a Super Easy Way to Clear Your Head and Calm Your Mind appeared first on Learn It - Do It.

How to stay sane and get a day’s worth of time back

I love my iPhone, and I bet you love yours, too. These little pocket miracles allow us to do incredible things. We use them for almost everything in our life. But, as Uncle Ben from The Amazing Spiderman says, “With great power, comes even greater responsibility.” It’s been a decade since we welcomed these little internet machines into our lives and they’ve morphed into an actual extension of our bodies. Many people don’t leave their phones more than an arm’s length from their body, 24/7.

It may seem that we’re addicted to our phones because we’re on them too much, but it wasn’t until the new operating system updated a while back and gave us all the screen time app that I realized we’re not addicted to our phones; we’re just unconsciously using them.

Let me give you an example.

When I checked my stats after the first day of use with the app installed, it tracked that I had picked up and opened my phone over 160 times in one day! ONE-HUNDRED and SIXTY instances of completing a physical activity and I couldn’t accurately recount one of them! Nevermind trying to remember why I opened my phone in the first place.

Why does this happen? When we take a passive approach to our daily life and fall into whatever happens next, we’re living in a state of “reaction,” rather than “action.” More plainly, we’re just waiting for things to happen and dealing with whatever happens because we don’t have a plan of our own.

How much time are we spending?

During my first week using the app to track my screen time, I averaged 3.5 hours per day. It doesn’t sound that bad because, after all, I use my phone for phone calls, messaging, social media, YouTube, and email. That’s a lot of stuff that I’m getting done, so three-ish hours isn’t that bad.

It’s not until you multiply that by 7 days and get 24.5 hours of screen time a week that it becomes hard to swallow.

In other words, for 1 full day out of a total of 7, you are scrolling through your phone. You now have a 6-day week (yikes!).

How many times do you run around feeling rushed and wishing there was more time in the day? Without even realizing it, you’ve spent an entire day’s worth of time looking at your phone, often unconsciously.

This article isn’t at all about giving up your phone, because I genuinely believe the cell phone is the greatest invention of an era and incredibly useful for managing modern life. But, I do want to point out that for one day a week your face is staring blankly at your phone. So when you feel stressed out or exhausted about not having enough time in the day to be successful, you can look at this and smile, because you’ll realize that there is more than enough time. Let’s face it — you’ve already carved out a full day to play with your cell phone.

Don’t be Reactionary Larry

Let’s compound the fact that you weren’t present, aware, or conscious for the majority of those hours spent on your phone. When you are acting mindlessly, you are approaching life in a reactionary state. Being reactive means that you’re at the whim of the very next post, topic, email or phone call and whatever it may be is going to determine your emotions, attitude, and energy for the rest of your day. All it takes is seeing a post of an old friend, an ex-colleague or a news headline to hijack your thoughts and shove you directly down the rabbit hole. All of this happens in your mind, while in real life you’re just waking up, brewing your morning coffee or waiting for a client meeting to start.

Why do we live in this state of reaction? Why are we so passive about allowing the onslaught of media and content we can’t control rule our days and weeks?

Don’t stop using your phone. Just make sure that when you do use it, you’re doing it intentionally to accomplish something. If you’re going to open your phone to scroll through Instagram, then do it, but be present while doing it. The point here is to take control of your emotional state and avoid falling down the social media crapshoot.

Stay out of The Rabbit Hole and avoid “Scroll Thumb!”

Pay attention only to those things that make you feel good. We naturally give more attention to the negative things that affect us and less attention to the good things that happen. Strange right? Well, we have an instinctual need to compare ourselves, judge ourselves and others, to get validation on who we are and to find out what we’re worth. It turns out, that need is just our ego, and our ego is a devious instigator who likes to rile up our emotions.

When you’re scrolling a social feed unintentionally, it’s easy to fall into the never-ending rabbit hole of negative thought and judgmental emotions. As I said before, it just takes one photo or comment to set you off emotionally, and it’s almost like you’re thirsty for it. For some reason, we yearn for that personal shock factor to help us feel relevant or to acknowledge that we have a sob story, too. We all have it tough in one way or another. The human experience is not an easy one. So why do we allow ourselves to ingest all of this noise that can seriously take control of our mood, feelings, relationships, and energy? The truth is, we aren’t choosing to let this happen consciously, but it is our choice to make a conscious decision to change it.

Your mood doesn’t magically change when you close your phone. Once you’ve materialized negativity through your emotions, it can consume you. That is why it’s incredibly important to begin to view your phone simply as a tool to accomplish a task. That task could very well be for entertainment, and that’s fine, as long as that’s what you’ve planned to do.

Also, if you’re ever in physical pain, either hand cramping or you have a case of scroll thumb, this is a sign that you’ve been using your phone mindlessly. For the sake of our hands and thumbs, please practice intentionality with your phone and you’ll find that you’ll be less stressed and have less physical pain.

Happy scrolling!

The post Hold Up! How Much Time am I Spending on my Phone? appeared first on Learn It - Do It.

The following represents our top 5 steps to help you get out of a rut and rid yourself of fear and doubt.

Of course, there are dozens — probably hundreds — of strategies to shake your stale spell and get back into the groove. But, these are our five favorites because they have proven tried and true, time and again.

We invite you to share your time-tested strategies with us in the comments!

Step One: Reading

You may or may not be into personal development books, but let me tell you, once you find the right topic, author or story that resonates with you, you won’t be able to get enough. Having a consistent dose of personal development reading will help bring balance to your mind and keep you on the proper path.

Step Two: Journaling

Journaling allows you to clear your mental plate. Rather than carrying all of these uncomfortable emotions and thoughts, let them out through journaling and feel lighter, more confident and more creative. A great way to start journaling is to find some prompts to get you going. The best kind of journaling is the one that you do, so make sure you make it easy for yourself!

Step Three: Daily Meditation

Learn to meditate and practice it regularly.  Meditation isn’t a medicine that you take only when you’re sick or run down. Meditation is literally like breathing, you need it always (and it’s also literally 99% breathing in the physical sense).

Please don’t think that you’re going to sit on a pillow with your legs crossed and hum “ommm” for 30 minutes. You need to learn to meditate and — lucky for you! — there are a lot of mindful and meditation-focused apps to do just that. Just like journaling, use guided meditations to introduce you and coach you in meditation techniques.

Personally, I’ve been using Headspace for almost three years and I’m coming up on almost two straight years of daily meditation. Every day for two whole years. Sounds like a commitment that you don’t have time for, right?

Wrong!

My average daily meditation time is approximately seven minutes. Recently, I’ve tried shooting for 15 minutes at a time, but when the days are hectic, I happily turn on a two or five-minute meditation. The whole purpose is to just stop, be present, and create space between your subconscious mind and your thinking brain.

Step Four: Action Breaks the Spell

Whether you’re taking action in your personal life, or taking online courses to further your professional life, you’ll see a dramatic increase in your energy, mindset, and overall well being if you’re pursuing something for yourself.

For instance, I began learning piano and it exercises a new part of my brain that helps bring balance to my life.

Start going to a class [exercise, cooking, dancing, music, etc]. Start writing your book, start planning your next project. It doesn’t matter what it is, just make sure it’s something that brings you joy and then make sure you start.  

Step Five: Camaraderie is Key!

Hang out with people who you look up to. Friends, mentors or other people in your field.  Being around positive energy will help you break the spell.

Make momentum your MO with these five suggestions. Before you know it, you’ll forget that you were ever in a rut to begin with!

The post 5 Steps to Help You Get Out of a Rut of Fear and Doubt appeared first on Learn It - Do It.

The Small Business Situation

Starting a business or side hustle is always an exciting time. Something that seemed like a far off pipe dream is now falling into place, people are complimenting you on your skills and you’ve just been paid to do something that you actually like doing. You’ve blasted through the walls of your comfort zone and the new you is thriving in this creative space.  

So why am I writing about the struggle to get paid for creative work?  

When Sh** Gets Real

The initial rush of excitement and positive energy will undoubtedly wear off, often times leaving you filled with self-validating questions and self-sabotaging thoughts. Once they start to pile up you go from asking “Am I crazy for doing all of this?” to “Why do I suck so bad, I mean, look at [super awesome person], they’ve got it all, I’m no good. Why am I even doing this?”  

Rest assured, you can avoid this suck bucket of a rabbit hole by understanding a few things about how your brain works and why it’s favorite go-to are misery-producing moves.

Obstacle #1: The Cycle of Comparison

The first is getting caught up in the Cycle of Comparison. This is the most common trap that will set off the onslaught of self-deprecating drivel that your brain will feed you. It often happens quickly when you’re mindlessly scrolling through social media. You see a friend, business acquaintance, business competition or even complete strangers doing something that looks more impressive/good/exciting than what you’re currently doing and then you undoubtedly dive deeper. You go to their page, see what they’ve been up to, what kind of jobs they’ve been doing, what kind of travel they’ve done, and you compare it to everything that you’re currently doing — or not doing. Once this starts you begin to physically feel inadequate, your thoughts spiral out of control and suddenly the world feels heavier, more impossible and you reduce yourself to a worthless puddle.

You need to understand that no one is you and that you are only you. Stop comparing and know that your customer or client is going to hire you for you. If you find yourself getting caught in the social trap, you should consider a digital detox. It is so crucial to your mental health and business mindset. If necessary, schedule time in your calendar away from screens and other social media traps. Whatever it takes to get you back to YOU and minding YOUR own business. Literally!

Obstacle #2: Imposter Syndrome

No sooner have you emerged from the cycle of comparison that you come down with a case of Imposter Syndrome, especially if you’re just starting out.

Imposter syndrome is a state of mind where you feel like a total fraud. You think to yourself, “people are paying me hundreds of dollars to do this? Am I even qualified?”  You look at your body of work and tear it apart, allowing your brain’s ego to obliterate everything you’ve ever made.

A great way to avoid feeling this way is to be active in a creative or social community.  The more people that you interact with, share ideas and collaborate with, the more confidence you will build. You spend tremendously less time by yourself, convincing yourself that you’re the worst.

Obstacle #3: Money Blocks

Even when you’re working on your personal development and you’re confident in your skills, your Money Blocks will be right there to stop you dead in your tracks. A close relative of the two aforementioned symptoms, a money block is when you and your subconscious don’t believe that you can actually be wealthy.

Warning: This belief will…

• strangle your relationship with money
• make you feel awkward about money
• make you feel shy to talk about money
• leave you feeling afraid to ask for money
• make you give your client a quote and at the first sign of adversity immediately shout out, “Yeah, that’s the price, but I can do it for whatever you think” or “I can offer you a discount.”

How do you expect to be a business and make a living if you’re terrified of money?

Now, what happens when you couple your money block with imposter syndrome while constantly obsessing over your competition? Life becomes miserable, that’s what! You need to dissolve your money blocks through personal development and reading. Use daily affirmations and meditation to keep yourself grounded and balanced.

This is why getting paid to do creative work is a struggle. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. We get to use our minds and ideas to create amazing things for people. We get to make a living based on the “you know what would be cool?” question.  

Don’t Lose Your Ticket to Ride

Most people talk about business as a road or a journey. I like to picture a rollercoaster ride at an amusement park. You’re super excited to get on the ride, once seated and buckled you immediately question yourself, you get nervous, you get an immediate thrill, you get thrown around a little, but you always catch a glimpse of a great view if you remember to open your eyes.  

And it makes it all worth it because when you get off the ride all you’re going to remember was everything awesome about it.

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