Mid year round-up: Things + tools I’m loving!
Using video
I know I’ve just done a whole mini masterclass about this but looking back to just 6 months ago, I had never done one single video. In fact, I was absolutely petrified about the idea of it. So if I could go back, I’d probably give myself a loving (/violent) shake and say ‘JUST DO IT!’. It’s really not so bad, and it has been so great for my business.
Sorting out my finances
I’ve re-read the classic Rich Dad Poor Dad and a new favourite Your Empire. I swear I’ve learned more about finance in investing in the past two months than I have in the past 10 years! My hubbie and I have been saving using the Barefoot methods for the past 2-3 years but now that we are looking to buy, I’ve seriously stepped up my reading and learning on the subject and it’s been eye-opening to say the least. I’ve also been listening to Melissa Browns podcast Uncensored Money which is making me realise how taboo money can be and how important it is to educate yourself. I’m heading to her panel Removing the ick, awkward and taboo from conversations about money next week in Sydney if you would like to join too!
Meditation + Visualisation
I have to admit, I have had a bit of an unrequited love of meditation and it seems I take 1 step forward and 2 steps backward. I read Dr Joe Dispenzas’ book Breaking the habit of being yourself over Christmas and for a while there I was meditating for one hour every morning using his audio meditations which were amazing. The general idea is that you spend the first 20 minutes ‘getting in the zone’, then the next 20 minutes un-memorising behaviours you want to change in yourself (bad habits/negative emotions etc), and the last 20 minutes visualising the future you want to create. As life would have it, once I got back to daily life and ‘being busy’, that habit fell by the wayside. But I’ve noticed a huge difference in my energy and have gotten back into it lately (a condensed 20 minute version!). Sounds a bit woo-woo, I know, but unless you give it a go you will never know the effects it can have on your life. Now I just have to stop falling back into the ‘busy’ trap and stick to it!
Self-care
I read a book once that compared business owners to a race-horse. A race-horse is an investment that will hopefully bring you in lots of revenue. As a business owner, you are the race-horse in your business as without you, there is no business. Yet, look at how race-horses are treated? They are fed well, exercised every single day, treated by the best professionals in the business. All this to ensure a return on investment. Does this sound like how you treat yourself as a business owner? Somehow, I doubt it (if you are anything like me anyway!). I run my race-horse into the ground and still expect it to win the race. So I have to consciously try to do things that will bring me joy and make me feel well. I’ve even joined a fiction book club (well, 50% fiction, it’s a start!) and it will be the first fictional book I’ve read in about three years. I also do kinesiology (love Clare Woodward), Yoga (Flow Athletic), acupuncture (Acupuncture Collective – just $25!), and Float tanks (Bondi Junction float and massage centre).
Well, there you have it. Some of the things that have had the biggest impact in my life and biz for the first half of 2019! Would love to hear some of yours.
Kady x
