Career & Business Coaching Blog.

Inspiration and tips for multi-passionate creatives & entrepreneurs.

Murielle Marie 9/29/20 Murielle Marie 9/29/20

How to get the most out of your day planner

I was having a chat with a friend last Friday when she mentioned to me how hard it is for her to stay on track with her goals. It’s a “right brain thing” she told me, I’m build this way and I only thrive in chaos. She continued by telling me that – like everyone else – she has a planner, and write things in it. And that’s precisely the issue: she just writes things in it. She doesn’t use it.

That’s why I decided to call this tip “Make the most out of your planner” instead of buy a planner, invest in a planner, or even have a planner. Those are all really great things that you need in order to USE your planner, but that’s also really where the greatness stops.

I used to be a planner hoarder. (Still am, to be honest)

Every time I came across a planner that I loved, either because of its color (pink, please), bling (you had me at sparkle) or content (give me those pages darlin’!), I’d buy it. Once home I’d put it on top of the pile of other wonderful planners I’d “invested” in. Sometimes – if they were bubble wrapped – they would stay that way for weeks, months, sometimes even the entire year.

Planners were really unhappy around me.

I never gave them the love they deserved, and the attention they needed. Instead, come every Sunday night, I would *think* about prepping for the week ahead and writing all the amazing things down that I was going to achieve, but then the TV called, or a friend, or both.

Before I knew it, it was bedtime. Ah well, I’d do it tomorrow or next week. It didn’t really matter – so I told myself – I had the planner. Uhum – I had PLENTY of them. I wasn’t making any decent progress on my goals, so what was the deal though?

The truth is, a gazillion planners won’t change anything.

If you want to achieve your goals you need to USE your planner – not just look at it, however pretty it may be (starts to sweat knowing she’ll need to part with most of her sparkling babies soon).

Left brain or right brain, we can all use a planner. Yes it’s certainly true it comes easier to some than others. But that’s just more reason to do it. It helps you organize your thoughts, and get clear on what it is you need to work on. When I started using one – for something more than keeping grocery lists that is – everything changed. I got more done in less time, i was able to stay focused on my daily tasks better, and because of this shift I wasn’t losing sight of my big dreams and goals anymore – a chronic illness I’d been battling for years without success.

What follows are three of my best tips when it comes to using a planner, taking right from the tranchees where little guinea pig called moi tried and tested them out first. (You’re welcome :))

How to use a planner?

Take time to plan things out

If you want to take full advantage of your planner, you’ll need to take time to plan things out, and write them down in it. There’s simply no way around it. For your planner to be an effective goal-slaying companion, you need to give it the right stuff to eat: tasks. Planners are crazy about those little finger-licking sweets. They can eat them by the thousand. The more you feed it to them, the happier they get. But the problem is, planners count on YOU to get them. So make a habit of sitting down with your planner once a week (or every other regular interval that works for you) and write out the tasks you’ll take on together in the next period (that would be a week for me, but could vary depending on your chosen interval).

Keep your planner on your desk

Writing down tasks in your planner is only half the job. Once they’re in there, you’ve got to review them, focus on them, and make them happen. That’s why I love to keep my planner on my desk. I open it to today’s date and work my way through the tasks I’ve set. When I’m done with one, I cross it out (greatest feeling in the world). When possible I start with the big, important ones and work my way down to the smaller, easier ones. So make sure to check in with your planner every day and keep it on your desk.

Don’t be afraid to experiment

Every year I publish a round-up of my favourite planners. I do this because I’m always on the lookout for the ultimate planner – the one that will be absolutely PERFECT for me. That planner, unfortunately, doesn’t exist yet (I’m still working on putting it together), so what I’ve learned to do instead is to experiment, and tweak my planner so that it works best for me. If you’re planner doesn’t have a habit tracker for instance, why not add it in yourself? Or if you need a space for gratitude, why not use sticky notes? Whatever it is you’re missing in your planner, there’s always a way to add it in. Remember that you’re planner is supposed to work for you, not the other way around.

If you want more tips to get unstuck, I’ve got great news for you! This tip is part of a series, you can find all entries here.

Murielle Marie 9/22/20 Murielle Marie 9/22/20

How Nadine started her own communication and copywriting agency

What was your big dream, and what inspired you to go after it?

My big dream was to start my own communication advise and copywriting agency. I’d been helping a lot of people for free with copywriting when one of them told me I could send in the bill for the work I had done for his company. That’s when a light bulb went on. Until then, I thought I was just helping out (like I did with so many – too many – people) for free. But after that the Orange Typewriter was born.

Did you always have this dream?

Nope. My dad had his own printing business for many years. And as a kid I witnessed how my dad was always working. Then, the last ten years of his career worrying about money. Add to it that I loved the corporate international world I was working in, and there was nothing telling me I would ever start my own business.

What was one of the first thing you did to get you started?

Incorporate my business – making it official – by signing up at the Chamber of Commerce. And drink champagne afterwards. Talk enthusiastically about what I did – which helped spread the word. Talk to two entrepreneurs I knew about starting your own business. Design my logo – Which made it real :).

What were the biggest challenges you faced in working toward achieving your dream?

Confidence to just do. Taking that first step. Corporate is one thing, having your own business feels much more personal. So failing business to me would feel like failing as a person, as I saw how it was for my dad.

I also had to let go of control: I left corporate because I choose to take care of my kids of which one is dealing with autism and the other has juvenile arthritis. It was a really good decision which I would take again, but it did make me an overly concerned tiger mom. Always there, always taking care. Now that they are teenagers we all have to learn that they can stand on their own two feet.

What do you wish you would have done differently? What would you warn others about?

Be clear to clients what they can ask for what price. In the beginning I definitely under charged. So my advice is: remember that you’re worth it. Giving freebies, or a lot of none chargeable hours (which the clients often don’t even know about) doesn’t make you more valuable to them. They care about getting the solution they’re looking for, not the gifts and specials you offer them in silence along the way.

Would you say you’ve achieved your big dream yet?

Yes. I successfully started my own business. It’s about a year old now, and it was an amazing year. Getting clients I didn’t even think I could ever work for. I thought way too small! Can I still grow? Is there still a bigger dream out there for me? Yes, for sure! But wow did I achieve so much already.

What do you think helped you achieve it?

Enthusiasm and professionalism. Enthusiasm to my clients, enthusiasm in my communication and in the meantime delivering bad ass texts my clients need to grow.

What’s the best advice you have for others who want to follow their big dreams?

Just start! Every great run, every great business, every adventure started with one step, one action.

Me doing great, shining in my business is also better for my family. Yes it’s true I’m not there with them all the time. And my two kids had to get used to it. But when I am home, I’m happy – singing – dancing – taking them on adventures. My growth makes them grow as well. They are so proud of me. There is a reason I registered my business on the birthday of my daughter, hoping to show them that you can always start a new dream (even when you’re 40). It’s important to remember this, especially as women who often think about and care for everybody except themselves.

More about Nadine – theorangetypewriter.nl

Nadine graduated from the School of Journalism & Design in 1998, and was an Art Director for Reed Business Information from 1998 until 2003, when she moved to Germany and got kids. Since 2016, Nadine is specializing in International Business Communication and Communication Strategy for small business owners.

You can find out more about Nadine through her website at theorangetypewriter.nl or on Instagram @nadinevanlierop.

Nadine’s favorite quote:

Let’s go on an adventure! (Free translation from Bilbo Baggins – The Hobbit: I am going on an adventure!)

Nadine’s big dream for the world:

Appreciate and enjoy each other’s differences, each other’s cultures. It’s an asset that we are so diverse. Not a threat.

If you want more inspiring stories, I’ve got great news for you! This story is part of an interview series, you can find all entries here.

Murielle Marie 9/15/20 Murielle Marie 9/15/20

How to nurture your creativity

You are a creative super star! It might not be what you think you are, but I guarantee you that creativity is in your DNA. The problem is, most of us have gone through a creativity killing process called education. It’s when we inherited dreams we didn’t choose for ourselves, and forget about our own.

But let’s try to remember for a minute. All the dreams you had, the stories you performed, the endless imagination you brought to the table. Where’s that magic spark? What happened to the crazy life you were going to live? The unique career you were going to have?

They was slowly filtered out of you.

As you made your way from teenager to adult, there wasn’t much left. Your fidgeting, playful, passionate, insatiable self made way for a more manageable version. One that had a nicely predefined place in society, a clear role you’ve since then learned to perform well. So much that you’ve come to believe that this role you’re performing is, in fact, who you are.

The trouble is, it isn’t.

When creativity dies, big dreams often die too. And with them the stardust that makes us unique.

I’m a example of this. By the time I was 20 there was little creativity left in me. As a child I always had the wildest dreams. I wrote, painted, danced, sang, put plays together with my cousins, made things. There wasn’t a day that went by that I wasn’t creative.

As I grew older the pressure to conform, to perform, and to make something of myself increased. Creativity became a time waster, and I felt guilty for having so many interests, passions and for being unable to focus on one thing as I was expected to. Well to the dismay of my parents I decided to pursue a degree in Philosophy. Career outcomes were so insubstantial to them that they often told people I was studying to become a psychologist (slaps hand on face).

By the time I graduated, they had convinced me I’d wasted four years of my life. Although I contemplated an academic career I knew it wasn’t what they wanted. I had to make something of myself. Show them I was worth the investment. So in the final months of college I started working as a freelancer. I’d always been around computers, and it was all I’d ever seen my father do. With Internet emerging, and my DIY experience in building websites (hello 1998!), I landed a job as a freelance web project manager.

That first job turned into many other projects and clients, and eventually in me starting my own web agency. Although I’m proud of my accomplishments the truth is I pursued everyone else’s dream but my own.

Building a career that wasn’t meant for me turned the creative, multi-passionate big dreamer I was into a perfectionistic, people-pleasing workaholic.

The unhappiness I felt made me try harder. Always chasing the next thing, without taking a breath to enjoy what I’d already achieved. Or reflect on what I really wanted.

In 2010 I was forced to pause, and finally do some thinking.

I saw the dreams I’d been pursuing for what they were, and decided it was time for me. The problem was, I didn’t remember my dreams. They’d been buried so deep beneath everyone else’s that I couldn’t come up with a single idea.

Because I couldn’t figure it out, I decided to just do something.

That let me back to creativity. Slowly at first, because making stuff was now so far out of my comfort zone. But as time went on, and I tried out new things, my creative multi-passionate self resurfaced.

Creativity was my way back to me. And to my big dreams.

I believe it can be yours too.

How do you nurture your creativity?

Try things out

It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you allow yourself to play. I’ve done everything from writing workshops, dancing and cooking classes, to screen printing, improv theatre, drawing retreats and piano lessons. Recently I’ve realized that I need at least one creative outlet a week in order to be happy. And the more I do, the easier it gets. Pick something, and just do it! Like I signed up for a 5-day theatre workshop (dipping sweat off forehead) just before finishing this post.

Let go of control

Creativity is a process that you can prepare for, but that you can’t control. There’s no way to know when you’ll have a creative spark, make something amazing or experience flow. Things simply unfold. This little perfectionist had to learn this the hard way. Not being able to create what I had in mind made me want to scream and run more than once. That’s what happens when you believe you have a say in the creative process. By letting go of control you’ll be able to create freely and to experience moments of pure bliss and freedom that will help you to believe in yourself and your dreams.

Make it a practice

Creativity is a muscle, you have to train it to make it work. Doing something creative once a year is better than doing nothing. But the effect won’t last long. That’s why you should make creativity part of your daily life. By doing something out of the ordinary regularly you’re strengthening your creative dream muscle. You realize that you can do much more than you think, that things aren’t that hard or scary after all. The more you do it, the more you’ll want it. So make sure to do something creative regularly, to challenge yourself to try unfamiliar things. It really helps to dream bigger. And – more importantly – to dream you.

If you want more Dream Bigger Tips, I’ve got great news for you! This tip is part of a series, you can find all entries here.

Murielle Marie 9/8/20 Murielle Marie 9/8/20

How Mardi is helping business leaders thrive in a state of wellness and harmony

What was your big dream, and what inspired you to go after it?

My big dream was to be a thought leader in creating healthier and more balanced corporate environments. There is no doubt that the corporate world is changing and we as leaders, employees and technical professionals are struggling to operate within the old structure. Performance is dropping, almost 80% of people have been found to be unhappy in their jobs, people are either getting injured at work or executive teams are having to go over the top in implementing processes where their staff are no longer allowed to be creative in their roles. The dysfunction between masculine and feminine energies can also no longer be ignored. You see it on the news almost every other day, but fighting it and demanding change isn’t the answer –the key is to create a balance between the energies, letting both operate in harmony.

My inspiration to mentor people around how to achieve higher levels of performance, wellness and sanity within this waning corporate structure until the new structure is fully born came from my previous role as a Senior Health and Safety Executive as a woman working in male dominated industry. I saw the struggles of dysfunction day in, day out and over fifteen years working within it, I realised that I’d developed a unique way of helping people and teams not only increase their performance, but find more fulfilment, creativity and wellness while they were doing it. Now I help corporate professionals including lawyers and scientists, especially in the STEM industry, move from a place of high stress, high pressure and overwhelm in their corporate roles to a place of high performance with wellness and ease.

Did you always have this dream?

I would say my dream has always been part of me however, it has grown and become defined as I have evolved and experienced life. I come from a family with a long-line of medical and health professionals so it was no surprise that from a young age I was always interested and invested in people’s health and wellbeing.

As time went on and I heard more about people being injured and fatalities occurring in the workplace, I had this burning desire to step into a role that can be influential in stopping such events, questioning the imbalance and wanting to manage this issue in a new way. I didn’t believe that lives should be lost or we should in anyway compromise ourselves in an organizational setting. This led me into a career as a Health and Safety Professional knowing this role will allow me to make a difference, be proactive and impactful to people’s holistic wellbeing in the work environment, helping create healthy and balanced corporate environments, cultures, systems and processes to protect people’s lives and wellbeing at work.

This was a crucial time as it gave me a unique insight into how we can do it differently, how we can perform in harmony, look after our people and leaders and align with the needs of today’s society. This was the platform that confirmed and brought my big dream alive.

What was one of the first things you did to get you started?

I knew I needed a strong personal brand to communicate my level of expertise to the corporate world and to start building reputation as an expert and thought leader in the field, so my first strategy was to create a website to communicate my individual and organizational mentoring packages and to start speaking at events to get my message out there. It didn’t take long to realize just how many people were suffering with corporate overwhelm. These people are all highly qualified and experienced professionals in their fields but they were struggling with how to work with their expertise within the corporate environment. Things like how to navigate office politics, how to resolve issues with management teams, how to mitigate performance review problems and how to actually get the promotions they were working tirelessly to prove they were ready for.

What were the biggest challenges you faced in working toward achieving your dream?

Oh self-doubt for sure! Whenever you have a big idea or a big dream there’s always an element of self-doubt. I could see the need was out there, but there’s not many mentors doing what I do, so there was a little voice in the back of my head that kept saying ‘You’re crazy Mardi, just stay with your comfortable corporate salary, it’s too risky’. But I took the risk anyway.

Starting a business without having a background in business management does have its twists and turns for sure. Unlike being an employee there’s so many other things to get your head around like marketing and financial management, and what I’d say in that area is hire experts to help you. If it’s not your area of expertise, outsource it, every time. Trying to save money by doing it yourself doesn’t work, it just wastes your time and makes your dreams take longer to materialize.

What do you wish you would have done differently? What would you warn others about?

I try hard not to have the mindset of “I wish I did it differently”. Hindsight as they say, is a beautiful thing. Like many others I use my own experiences to share with people so they move through their experience with more ease, with a better understanding and at a quicker pace.

One thing I would share is to find yourself a mentor(s) when you are igniting your dream, it can be lonely, you can lose sight and momentum. External support and guidance helps with accountability, perception and achievement, keeping you in balance.

Would you say you’ve achieved your big dream yet?

Ha ha, my big dream is very big indeed! As a society we have a long road ahead of us in creating a corporate environment that honors both masculine and feminine energies. It’s not going to happen overnight, but I’m on the right path and it’s my life’s work to see it happen. I do feel like I have achieved a big dream in seeing the results my clients get after working with me. To see them go from stressed and hating their jobs to renewed and energized about the possibilities ahead; possibilities they didn’t dream they could make a reality, gets me every time. That’s the biggest reward for me.

What do you think helped you achieve it?

Stubborn determination. Dreams don’t come easy or everyone would be achieving them. It takes commitment and grit to keep believing and striving every day.

What’s the best advice you have for others who want to follow their big dreams?

Be open-minded, fearless and authentic. Find those special few friends who will support you and your dream and whether you have a win or take a little step sideways, share the adventure with them.

Dreams arise within us for a reason. It is our imagination and our intuition bringing into consciousness our higher purpose. Believe that we can achieve, that our dreams present ideas to help ignite positive societal change and growth needed in this fast evolving world.

More about Mardi – mardikeyes.com

Mardi Keyes is an International Performance Consultant, Organisation Coach and Leadership Mentor. With her signature elite program perforM she’s made it her mission to help business leaders thrive in a state of wellness and harmony delivering exponential success in today’s rapidly changing corporate landscape.

You can find out more about Mardi and her work on her website: mardikeyes.com or connect with her on LinkedIN.

Mardi’s favourite quote is:

There are so many quotes from inspirational people around the world that I adore, but here are two that I refer to when things get a little overwhelming in my life to propel me into a new perspective:

Hard times arouse an instinctive desire for authenticity.
– Coco Chanel

Mardi’s big dream for the world is:

Purely to create a healthier, well-balanced corporate environment that honours both masculine and feminine energies so it provides an environment where people thrive in a positive state of wellness, creativity, high performance and ease. And masterfully, by creating this new balanced environment by default it addresses the current diversity, inclusion and equality issues in today’s current workplace.

If you want more inspiring stories, I’ve got great news for you! This story is part of an interview series, you can find all entries here.

Murielle Marie 9/1/20 Murielle Marie 9/1/20

5 ways to cultivate a mindset of good enough (and beat perfectionism)

If I’d beam back in time to have a coaching session with my former self, let’s say from ten years ago, and I’d ask her what she wanted most out of coaching with me (I know this intro sounds super strange, but there’s a point to this madness I promise) I’m positive she’d say something like “finish the stuff I start” or “stop procrastinating all the time”. If I’d then ask her what she thought about herself she’d probably mention how she often didn’t feel confident, that life and work were overwhelming, she didn’t fit in, and simply wasn’t good enough.

(See, I told you :))

A lot has changed since then. The overwhelm and awkwardness I felt growing up and building my first business have thankfully made room for a more fulfilling state of sort-of balance and flow.

For the past ten years I’ve been my own (sometimes uber shitty) coaching client. I’ve used myself as a guinea pig to try and understand what this life and work thing is all about. I’ve tested uncountable ways to be a better, more productive and successful human. To learn, grow, and figure out what actually works.

The short conclusion – drumroll included:

Everything you thought you knew about happiness is wrong.

It’s not about being the best, having the most money, buying the Chanel bag, being *super* busy all the time. It’s not about having the seven figure business (although I’m all about money love, but that’s another story). If you hadn’t caught on yet, what I mean is, happiness has nothing to do with being PERFECT.

In fact, is has everything to do with NOT being perfect.

Happiness appears when we stop the “shoulds” and “musts”, and see ourselves for what we are – and always have been: good enough just the way we are (if a romantic scene from Bridget Jones is popping into your mind right now you’re definitely my kind of human).

Jumping back to my younger self for a minute. Ten years ago I was an utter and absolute perfectionist. Nothing I did was ever good enough. The result? I didn’t do much at all. I was also a helpless people-pleaser who lacked the confidence to make herself a sandwich before asking for permission. What I knew best was how to follow rules, to adapt to whatever I thought was expected of me. By the time I was 30 there was little room left for freedom, play, curiosity or creativity. Life and work felt like burdens. All I had were “have tos”.

The state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion I was in was the result of excessive and prolonged stress. To be clear: that I’D PUT ON MYSELF. Yes, work was hectic. Yes, building a business is hard BUT I was never the helpless little chicken I made myself out to be. I didn’t know it at the time but the truth is, I had the power all along (clicks shoes together three times).

That power is called CONFIDENCE. And it’s the result of (many things including) cultivating a mindset of good enough. That mindset will help you:

Focus on what’s really important for you
Find and do work that feeds you instead of drains you
Actually create the freaking thing instead of just thinking about it
Get off your time machine and discover where the fun’s really at (spoiler alert: it’s called now)
Start living your own dreams instead of trying to build everyone else’s

But Murielle, I hear you ask, how does one cultivate such a seemingly magical mindset?

The truth? It’s super easy AND palm sweat complicated at the same time.

You change the way you think.

Simple enough, right? There’s just one little tiny thing though… All the years you’ve been gobbling up and repeating so many other thoughts about yourself and the world. They left a mark on you. They’re the reason you think the way you do. So to get to the good stuff you’ll need to get passed those first.

It’s a process that takes dedication, time, and discipline. This pink-loving guinea pig knows because she’s been there. So here are 5 ways that work(ed) for me and hopefully will get this life-changing process of *finally feeling good enough like the star that you are* going for you too.

#1 Stop comparing your awesome self to others

Comparisitis is the disease of our time. The rise of social media – a process that’s been going on for about 15 years now – marked the beginning of an exponential cycle of out-of-control expectations and judgments about ourselves. Don’t get me wrong. We’ve always glanced at the neighbors to see what they were up to, but it was never in our face the way it’s now. We could still escape it, because we were in control of the information stream. Today things are different. Everywhere we look we see what looks like awesome people doing what looks like amazing stuff. Online nobody has a bad hair day or doubts about their life. And that’s a shitty problem. Having those perfect humans pop into our feeds so many times a day (about every 18 minutes studies find) is making us sick, unhappy about our lives, forced to hide the *real* struggles we all have to deal with.

My recipe to stop comparing your awesome self to others includes:

Limit your time on social media (15 minutes a day will do – yes I mean one five)
Unfollow accounts that make you feel blah
Avoid being sucked into the research hole that inevitably leads to “she’s awesome and I suck”
Remember that all humans are unique. A valid comparison would need both of you to be equal in EVERYTHING except the one thing you’re comparing. Identical twins wouldn’t even meet those criteria, so how could you? Ever?

#2 Accept that perfection is bullshit

As long as you think there’s an absolute state of perfection to be attained, you’ll never be happy with what you have or who you are. The truth about perfection is that it doesn’t exist. Plato (and a heap of other philosophers) believed life on Earth was a poor imitation of the *real* world. Surely, he thought, if we can imagine something to be perfect it must BE perfect somewhere. Since it clearly wasn’t in the physical world (clears throat to hide discomfort) he concluded it must be in the world of ideas.

Yes, there’s something to say for Plato’s ideas. There are many flowers in the world, but none of them compare to the idea of THE flower we have in our mind. We’ve never seen this perfect flower with our own eyes, we’ve only IMAGINED it. The point is, we’re great at conceptualizing. According to Yuval Noah Harari one of the indispensable qualities we needed in order to rule the world. But there’s a difference between ideas and reality, just like there’s a difference between being perfect and being human.

#3 Be a fearless scaredy cat

I know you’re scared. I’m scared too. Every single freakin’ day. But that doesn’t stop me from taking action (anymore). Fearless is what I call feeling the fear and doing it anyway. Because mmm… the fear never goes away. So we might as well learn to live with it, right? My advice is to be a fearless scaredy cat. To do your thing, even if you feel like you’ve got a giant sign on your back saying “I have no clue, please rescue me”.

#4 Don’t believe everything you think

Seven years ago I enrolled in a 10-week mindfulness training program. Before that I’d never meditated, never considered the power of my breath or body, and certainly never thought about the things I told myself every single day. In session one of the training our teacher, in response to a question about that subject, *casually* mentioned that we – humans – are not our thoughts.

Say what?! I’d never considered that the voice in my head could be different from who I was. This was such a revelation that it took me weeks to grasp the full power of what she’d said. Especially with the negative tune that was playing in my head at the time, realising I had CONTROL over what I was thinking gave me back my power. The thing is, you have that power too. You’re not your thoughts either, so don’t believe everything you think just because you well.. think it.

#5 Focus on smarter, not flawless

Know that you can grow, learn and improve. A mistake isn’t a problem until you get stuck in making it over and over again. Instead is trying to be flawless, learn how to learn from your mistakes, to integrate what happened so you can do a better job next time. That’s the only thing anyone could ask of you, and the only thing you should ask of yourself.

Flawless, we’ve seen above, doesn’t exist. So it would be mighty silly to put any effort into trying to achieve it. Focus on what you CAN change, on the stuff you do have control over. Meaning: just be smarter next time. Because you’ve got this!

Murielle Marie 8/25/20 Murielle Marie 8/25/20

How to visualise your dreams so they come true

What we focus on becomes our reality. This basic and simple truth holds so much power, yet is it so often overlooked, dismissed, or not even known about. We’re taught so many things at school, but this absolute key piece of success isn’t one of them.

Think about it. What are the things you think about most in your life, and what is actually present in it? This notion goes further than mere physical things. The thoughts you repeatedly have, I’d argue, account for as much as the external things you focus on. What you tell yourself over and over will manifest one way or another, just like what you think about all day long.

It’s not a magic trick, it’s not even spiritual. Our actions and thoughts are so intertwined that one simply follows from the other. And guess what? The same is true for our dreams – duh!

Dreams get born as ideas. Or wishes turned into words. Or heartbeats turned into thoughts. However they start, they eventually find their way from our subconscious to our conscious mind. All of a sudden they’re there. We “think” about them. We have a dream, and it’s taking shape in our head.

The more we think about them, the more our dreams have a chance at being realised.

The problem is, life gets busy. Staying focused is hard. A lot can get in the way of our dreams. Literally. People, circumstances, twists of fate. If we’re not careful we might forget about our dreams altogether. Sometimes for a few months, often for years, in some cases for life. Until we wake up, and finally remember.

That’s why it’s so important to stay focused on our dreams.

A surefire way to do this is to visualise them. This makes them palpable. As if you’ve already achieved them even before taking the first action-step toward them.

How to visualise your dreams?

Imagine you’re already there

From sports science we know that the brain doesn’t distinguish between imagined action and physical action. That’s why athletes now spent parts of their training imagining running around a track or jumping as far as they can. It fires off the same neural networks as physical training, and thus helps make the athletes better at their sport.

I believe the same is true for our dreams. Imagining and visualising our dreams helps strengthen our creative and action-taking muscles. It creates new neural pathways in our brains that will make the impossible seem possible, and will pave the way for us (to become the person we need to be to) achieve our dreams.

So take time regularly to imagine your dreams. I do it a few times a week, sometimes more when I’m trying to put together a clear plan to achieve a goal. I take out my list of goals and read through it. I close my eyes and imagine what it’ll feel like and be like to have achieved them. Sometimes I focus on one goal, sometimes I think about all of them. It depends on my mood, and the time I have available.

Create a vision board

I’m sure you’ve heard of vision boards before. They’re so simple to put together and often referred to as this magic thing that will miraculously make your dreams come true. Cut out images you like from magazines and glue them together on a large sheet of paper and you’re done. Tada! You’re dreams will follow. Really?!

That’s how I felt when I put my first vision board together. I didn’t believe it would make a difference but since I was desperate for change I was ready to try anything. The whole experience felt silly. As I was cutting out images and gluing them I kept on wondering what I was doing. But when I was done there it was: an inspiring and soulful collage of all the things I wanted in my life. Looking at it made me feel so happy. I hung the vision board next to my desk. Every day I looked at it, for about six months. That’s the time it took to achieve the things I’d glued down on it!

The vision board reminded me of my dreams in such a vivid and persistent way that I achieved my goals faster, and in a more systematic way.

Since that first vision board, I’ve created many more. In fact, I use this technique not only to help visualise a goal, but to organise my thoughts about it too. Seeing the end picture helps me to put the plan together, and to define the steps I need to take to get there.

Keep a dream jar

This is a cool technique that mixes together visualisation and imagination. You take a jar of any kind, and you write down your goals on pieces of paper. You put the pieces of paper folded in the jar and every day you randomly select one piece from the jar. You look at the goal on it and visualise already having it in as much detail as you can.

Grappling in your dream jar is something you can do once a day, or a couple of times a day. My jar sits on my desk so I often do it when I’m taking a short break from work. It relaxes me and inspires me at the same time. I love the feeling it gives me. Plus it helps me to stay focused on my goals!

If you want more tips to get unstuck, I’ve got great news for you! This tip is part of a series, you can find all entries here.

Murielle Marie 8/11/20 Murielle Marie 8/11/20

How to streamline your business for growth (before hiring a team)

Whether you’re just starting out or have been in business for a while, I’m sure you heard the phrase “don’t work in your business, work on your business.” I always found this to be such an eye-opening perspective on what building a business actually is.

At first, many entrepreneurs are the only ones working for the business so it’s hard not to work “in” the business, that is it’s impossible not to address all the mundane tasks that are required to keep the business going. This isn’t the same as from working “on” the business, which refers to taking steps to grow the business. It’s the difference between focusing on keeping the soup warm rather than making a bigger soup.

Once the foundations are in place it’s important to think about growth. There are different ways growth can manifest in your business. More and more customers might come knocking at your door wanting your products or services, forcing you to work longer hours. Or the profits your business is making might raise the question of investments and where to take your business next. Perhaps it’s your business goals driving growth, or the vision you have as an entrepreneur.

Whatever the situation, some level of change in how you operate your business will be required to push the business forward. You’ll need to make the switch from working in your business to somehow working on it.

It’s tempting to think that this is the moment you need to hire a team. If you’re a Silicon Valley startup, chances are it is. If you’re a self-employed (online) entrepreneur however, it probably is not.

I know, because I’ve been there. I’d love to tell you I learned the lesson fast and straightened up my act. I didn’t. It took me many years and a lot of money, time, and stress to understand the difference between working in and on my business. But finally I got it. And it changed everything for me.

Before hiring a team there’s one important thing to do first: streamline your business.

The truth is, without systems you don’t have a business – you are the business. It will be almost impossible to delegate effectively, and to let other people work for you. Hiring a team without a plan and clear, documented business systems will do nothing for you except give you more work, more frustrations, and less sleep. Because now you’re not only slaving away for hours on end to keep the business going, you need to find extra time to keep your team at work too.

How to streamline your business for growth?

The magic is in the systems.

Although you cannot automate every aspect of your business, many tasks can be structured, systematized, and put on autopilot. A streamlined business gives you the time and freedom you need to focus on growth instead of maintenance, and allows you to delegate the tasks that can’t be automated in an effective way.

#1 Plan out your business

The first step in streamlining your business is to get clear on what you ultimately want your business to become.

Do you want to keep your business small?
Are you looking to expand and eventually sell your business?
What are your financial goals for your business?
How many employees do you see yourself working with?
By when would you like to achieve your business goals?

Having a long-term business vision will allow you to get clear on your short and medium term goals. It will help you create a sales and marketing strategy, decide on what products or services to develop, the amount of new customers you need to acquire and so on.

#2 Structure, systematize and automate your business

Once the plan is in place you can start looking at how your business operates. For each business department (sales, marketing, administration, accounting, production, research and development, …) create systems by mapping out how things are done.

For instance, how are clients onboarded in your business?

Every business owner should know the answer to this question. To figure it out, map out all the steps you’re currently taking when a new client signs up with you. This is your client onboarding system.

Now that you have the system you can structure it. Make the steps repeatable so someone else can do this task instead of you. Where needed make sure to finetune the system. If you’re sending out the same email to all your new clients but you’re still typing it from memory every single time, that email needs to be stored as easily accessible template.

By looking at your business tasks as systems you’ll be able to do something else that will make your life so much easier as well: automate. I talked about automation last week when I listed 7 ways to simplify your business for success. There are so many apps that can take over parts of our business systems, and if set-up correctly, do an amazing job for us. Look at your business systems with automation in mind. What parts of the system can apps take over for you?

Once the above is done, you’re ready to hire a team. But not sooner. If you’re in a hurry to build a team, make sure to have at least your most important business systems mapped out and structured before you take anyone on board.

Your team will be grateful for the clarity, and you’ll have so much more time to focus on what really matters to you and makes a difference for your business.