Podcasts about universal cycles

Description:19 Keys presents High Level Conversations to bring you into the high frequency of talk to elevate your mindset and value. S2E3 Ft. LLOYD STRAYHORNFeatured Guest Bio:As a child growing up in Harlem New York, LLoyd has had an unusual interest in all things “weird”, “strange” or “interesting” (Or did it have something to do with him being an Aquarius “7″?)Fascinated with the “other world”; the study of astrology and the related sciences, held his time and attention. Despite a background in sales, real estate, insurance, publishing and even music, he seemed to have been the happiest if he could figure a person's astrological and or numerical chart. After long and intensive years of studying and researching both astrology and numerology, LLoyd emerged as an Astro/Numerologist… perhaps the most renowned authority in this specialized field today!LLoyd has written numerous books, news/magazine columns and numerous articles on events of the time. He brings to the radio listener and TV viewer, insight and an informative approach to his very unique world.Appearing on national TV shows, such as “Oprah Winfrey”, “Geraldo”, Regis Philbin and Kathy Lee”, “The Montel Williams Show” and “Tony Brown's Journal”, etc., along with countless radio appearances across the country. LLoyd has always left the audience mesmerized. His refreshing and warm delivery to the subject of astro/numerology is upbeat, positive, sincere and amazingly on target.LLoyd, as an experienced radio and TV personality seems to have this impact on stations in every major market. Perhaps LLoyd, born, bred and breathing in New York City has something to do with it.“It's obvious he loves what he does”LLoyd's popular best seller, “Numbers and You”, a Ballantine Publication, is sold in bookstores around the globe.Purchase your copy today! Featured Guest Contact:Website Lloyd-strayhorn.com  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/numbersandyou/ PROMO: Viewers from 19Keys interview gets 10% off any session they choose with code “19KEYS”.  19 KEYS:Top thought leader of the culture and leader in the health , financial Liberation , blockchain , crypto , NFT , High level mindset etc. An Oakland,ca  truth speaker.. BWOhttps://bwo.cheatcode.com/ LinkTreehttps://linktr.ee/19_keys Crownz 19 Linkhttps://crownz19.com/ GoldeWater Linkhttps://goldewater.com/  Book link https://crownz19.com/products/paradigm-keys-solution-based-mind-reprogramming-e-book?variant=17962889904179 **************Special EYL Viewer Promotion********** Text “HLC“ to 3235776692 Tap in on all platforms: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/19keys Twitter: https://twitter.com/Instagram: www.instagram.com/19_keys/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@19keys? Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/19keys/messageSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/19keys/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode Don goes into what he and Evonne have been taught by their life coach, the Universal Cycle of Change.   He explains where in the cycle he and Evonne have been and shows how you can evaluate where you might be and how to continue moving through the cycles. Follow Clean Eatz on Facebook and Instagram.Follow Don on Instagram.Follow Evonne on Instagram.Sign up for the weekly Clean Eatz meal plan email.

Artist, business owner and author. The multi-talented Jasminka Hansson, shares the inspiration behind her soon to be released book 'The Unseen Journey Within You' an out-of-the-box approach to unleashing the true you. She shares her wisdom and passion for astrology and how are unique personality and life experiences form the life tools we can use to navigate the world. She explores the seven year cycles and how this influences the stages of growth we are in at different times in our life. Are you taking on the negative traits of your family and want to understand why and how to break them? This episode explores ways we can begin to break the cycle.

Artist, business owner and author. The multi-talented Jasminka Hansson, shares the inspiration behind her soon to be released book 'The Unseen Journey Within You' an out-of-the-box approach to unleashing the true you. She shares her wisdom and passion for astrology and how are unique personality and life experiences form the life tools we can use to navigate the world. She explores the seven year cycles and how this influences the stages of growth we are in at different times in our life. Are you taking on the negative traits of your family and want to understand why and how to break them? This episode explores ways we can begin to break the cycle.

Alchemy, an ancient body of knowledge originating over 2,000 years ago, is not only the origin of all modern sciences but also a profoundly Spiritual practice. While popular understanding of Alchemy centers around the transmutation of lead into gold, this belies the core principles of Alchemical philosophy: in short, the transformation from Spiritual immaturity into enlightenment through harmonizing with Universal life force. The procedural steps of Alchemy, which eventually led to the foundation of modern chemistry, were merely the physical representation of the Spiritual journey of the practitioner. Today, we apply the principles of Alchemy in the context of personal actualization and empowerment in order to transform ourselves and our lives to embody a state of grace, harmony and freedom. We employ ancient practices, surrender to the cosmos and align with the Universal Cycles of Power. We consciously ground Spirit into our bodies and our lived, human experience for the benefit of ourselves, of all beings on Earth and of the Earth herself.

To date on the Quest for Freedom Podcast I’ve covered off on Season 1: Personal freedom (mindfulness, meditation and happiness) Season 2: Business freedom (business sabbaticals, Universal Cycles of Change and letting go) Season 3: Learning Mastery (growth mindset and learning hacks) And now we come to Season 4: Lifestyle Freedom (goals and ambition vs lifestyle by design) Why are you living the lifestyle you're living? If you could wake up tomorrow and do anything you want, would you be doing what you're doing? I want to talk about how you spend your days, how you spend your time. Are you're doing things because you feel you have to rather than because you want to? Are you spending your day filled with social media and checking in on things because it makes you feel popular, connected or makes you feel like you're being productive , or is it filled with finishing up work projects because you feel some sense of duty to complete them, even if they’re not a priority? When I asked myself this question the other day, the one about “What would you do if money wasn’t an issue?” I realised two things: 1) I was living the dream and wouldn’t be anywhere else than our beautiful property we’ve been in for just over six months. In fact I was so content in this new life, that I have even eased back on my goals and ambitions as a result. 2). I want to be doing NOTHING related to what I’m currently doing work wise, well almost. I simply wanted to be on the property, soaking in the birds, nature and beautiful garden. Spending time with Kayla, walking her along the many beautiful, peaceful trails and mountains. I wanted to be reading more books, painting more art and enjoying the sunshine and blue skies. I wanted to be writing, meditating, exercising learning and everything around personal growth…not teaching business. Take an honest look at your lifestyle and your current daily schedule. What do you see? Are your days filled with activities that help you grow as an individual and bring you happiness? If so, congratulations. You’ve already unlocked the key to living the freedom lifestyle. If you’re one of the people who are feeling unfulfilled and unhappy with your lifestyle, however, we are going to discuss two of the major emotional roadblocks that prevent you from living a life that allows you to move through life with more freedom. #1. The first major emotional roadblock that we encounter on paving our way to freedom is GUILT. Guilt manifests itself when we begin taking a look at our day-to-day schedule and figuring out what we need to get rid of in order to feel happier and more free. There are always things that we tend to do simply because society and or people that we care about expect us to. Like attending meetings, going to work, attending birthday events or family dinners, making dinner for our family, putting everyone before our own needs. If we continue to hang onto these activities for these reasons, we will never be able to achieve true lifestyle freedom. How can we eliminate guilt from our lives? According to clinical psychologist Ali Mattu, there are several actionable steps that we can take to eliminate guilt from our lives: #1. Facing Your Guilt Head-on. Like any emotion, we have to evaluate and understand our guilt before we are able to take action on moving on from it. Sit down and look at the events in your day that you will feel guilty ridding of. Figure out where that guilt is coming from and confront it. #2. Find Someone to Confide in. Talking out your feelings always help you to better work through them and gives you another perspective that helps you approach the situation. Look for someone who is wise and who you trust to talk about this guilt that you have. #3. Give Yourself Compassion. Guilt is something that we need to let go of immediately. Recognize your guilt, remind yourself that it is okay to feel guilty but that it holds you back from becoming your true self, and move on. Once you’ve let go of your guilt, you will be able to let go of the things in your life that do not provide you with freedom and happiness. #2. The second major emotional roadblock that we encounter is FEAR. While guilt prevents us from letting go of things that no longer serve us, fear prevents us from taking action on things that we know are beneficial for us. We refuse to do the things we want because the outcome may be uncertain and the changes in our lifestyle will create complications for us. Rather than listening to that timid voice inside of you telling you that you shouldn’t or can’t pursue what you want, here are some ways that you can overcome your fears: #1. Figure out what it is that has you scared and analyze it Much like the previous tips I mentioned to help you get rid of your guilt, you will have to figure out what is scaring you in order to overcome your fears. For example, let’s imagine that you want to add more self-care time to your day. In order to do this, you may have to lessen the amount of hours you are working and that may be scary for people who feel the need to work. Identifying your fear of not working and the issues that come along with not working is absolutely necessary. #2. Work towards minimizing your fear. You don’t have to immediately start working less hours in order to face your fears. Dip your toe in the water and see the results that come out of your actions. Start working 10 minutes less than you currently are. Has the world ended? Has your income increased dramatically? It probably hasn’t just yet. But as you continue to reduce your hours and therefore focus more on revenue generating activities, you’ll soon see that you’re working less and earning more. Taking this type of small action will show you that your goal is possible. #3. Don’t fully invest yourself in the beginning. Encountering your fear fully in the beginning can actually be harmful and counterproductive. It’s smarter to take small, actionable steps towards overcoming your fear and reaching your goals. Control over your emotions is necessary if you intend on cultivating lifestyle freedom. Changes in life often bring a wave of emotions that either catapult us toward our intended destination or drown us in our own self-doubt and hesitation. You may recall in an earlier episode I talked about how too many changes are dangerous, which I found out the hard way when I flipped my life 180 degrees in a very short amount of time. But I worked through the highs and lows, pushed through my fears and have come out the other side stronger and more energized than ever, with a new personal brand and mission - to help you achieve more personal daily freedom. With these tips, you will be able to overcome these strong feelings and find out what is truly best for you. However, this is only half the battle. In order to experience these emotions, you will first have to have an idea of what you want to be doing with your time. In the next episode, we will explore some actions that you can take to discover your ideal lifestyle. In the meantime, I invite you to register for my upcoming LIVE online workshop on how to Plan Your Ideal Freedom Year. I have run this for the last two years running and people love it, because in less than 3 hours we map out your entire year ahead, both personally and professionally. We also look at your goals and dive into your content, editorial and marketing calendar for the next 12 months (if you have an online or offline business). Then we look at your personal daily schedule to set you up for happiness, success and freedom. Head to nataliesisson.com/workshop for more details and an earlybird price. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

“Changing our beliefs can have a powerful impact. The growth mindset creates a powerful passion for learning. “Why waste time proving over and over how great you are, when you could be getting better?” This is a statement from Carol Dweck, author of the bestselling book Mindset. A leading expert in the field of motivation, her research has demonstrated the role of mindsets in students’ achievement and has shown how praise for intelligence can undermine motivation and learning. So let me ask you a question right now: Do you have a fixed or a growth mindset? Your answer to this will define how you go about learning and reaching your human potential. If you’ve often struggled to improve and the act of learning is not something you enjoy, then listen in to this short summary of the first key idea in Carol’s book by OnePercentBetter: “Mindset was written by Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck. Her decades of research on achievement and success led her to discover what great parents, teachers, CEOs and athletes already know. That our mindset is the basis of accomplishment. Lesson 1: The Two Mindsets People with the fixed mindset believe intelligence can't be changed. This leads to a desire to look smart so they avoid challenges. They don't want to look bad if they fail which holds them back. In the face of obstacles they get defensive or give up easily. They say effort is pointless and believe that people are only great at things because they were born with special talents. When confronted with constructive criticism they ignore it. Lastly, they feel threatened by the success of others. People with a fixed mindset achieve less than they are capable of. On the other hand, people with the growth mindset believe intelligence can be developed. This leads to a desire to learn so instead of avoiding challenges, they embrace them. They persist in the face of obstacles and see effort as a path to mastery. They accept constructive criticism and use it to their advantage. Lastly, they feel inspired by and learn from the success of others. As a result, they fulfill their ultimate potential.” Fascinating right? Yet how often do we just assume we’re not smart enough or good enough based on the stories we’ve told ourselves all our life, vs looking at whether we have a fixed mindset that’s caused this? As Carol says in her book: "Why hide deficiencies instead of overcoming them? Why look for friends or partners who will just shore up your self-esteem instead of ones who will also challenge you to grow? And why seek out the tried and true, instead of experiences that will stretch you? The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. This is the mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives." I wanted to share this as we come to the end of Season 3 which has been all about learning, because I think it’s critical to the role of learning in our lives, and more importantly, our enjoyment of it. Right now I have around seven courses - yes seven, that I have invested in or enrolled in for free through some of the online learning platforms I discussed in the previous episode How to Learn More In Less Time. Like most of us, I will often buy a course and then sit on it for months. Unlike many people I talk to though, I will dive into these when I most need them. I made a conscious effort on my business sabbatical to really make progress thought, setting myself deadlines to do them in, or simply tuning into them at the right time - i.e when I needed them most. So right now I’ve finally dived into Instagram with Intention that I bought from Hilary Rushford three months ago - because I love Instagram but don’t use it effectively for business and want to give it a damn good crack. I’ll be diving back into Jeff Walker’s Product Launch Formula, as I go into producing some new courses, or what I prefer to call LIVE experiences to help my community tackle areas in their business and actually DO the work like my upcoming Freedom Lab on making your first hire and building your dream team. I want to refresh my memory on some of his great tactics for interest building in the lead up to a launch. Even though I’ve done several over the years, you ALWAYS learn something new on every launch. Both of these courses are for my business growth and learning - that’s how I categorize them. I’ve been enjoying videos on The Wealthy Mindset by Tim and Kris Hallbom who concept of the Universal Cycles of Change I discussed in "When Too Much Change is Dangerous". Going through these videos (often in the evening or weekends) is for my personal growth learning, and they’re helping me look at my habits and mindset with a new pair of eyes.   Along with this I’m finishing the Code of the Extraordinary Mind by Vishen Lakhiani and there’s a course that comes with it I will dive into next - part business and very much mindset and rewiring your brain - so again personal growth. I have Dr Libby’s latest book, all about eating the right food for you and knowing how to optimize your body and mind through what you consume. That for me is learning to improve my health. I wanted to give you a taster of how I learn, as I fit this into around content creation, course creation, mentoring calls, working on the property and that very important thing called everyday life! Now I want to share a few of my personal hacks for learning, in addition to those in my most recent podcast and post on on How to Learn Anything Faster. Hacks for Learning More Schedule learning into your calendar so it becomes an event you make time for and has a deadline (a recurring calendar entry is even better) Watch videos you learn from at 1.5-2 X the speed - click the settings icon or cog on most video players to speed it up. Listen to podcasts (again at 1.5 X the speed) for daily bite sized learning Learn with someone else by taking lessons together - for example my Mum and I are doing art class together, and Josh and I have been doing a Dog Essentials Training with our puppy Kayla; or Go through an online course with a friend, do a coworking session together and go through the modules at the same time and share your learnings There you have it, some hot tips for learning more faster. I hope you’ve enjoyed this season on the Quest for Freedom Podcast. Want to stay up to date then please SUBSCRIBE on iTunes, Stitcher and Anchor so you don’t miss a show. I’ll be changing up the intention behind this show and revealing all in the next episode! This episode is proudly brought to you by Freshbooks. So you’re racing against the clock to wrap up 3 projects, prepping for a meeting later in the afternoon all while trying to tackle a mountain of paperwork. Welcome to life as a freelancer. Challenging? Yes, but our friends at FreshBooks believe the rewards are so worth it. The working world has changed. With the growth of the internet there’s never been more opportunities for the self-employed. To meet this need, FreshBooks is excited to announce the launch of an all new version of their cloud accounting software! It’s been redesigned from the ground up and custom built for exactly the way you work. Get ready for the simplest way to be more productive, organized, and most importantly get paid quickly. The all new FreshBooks is not only ridiculously easy to use, it’s also packed full of powerful features: Create and send professional looking invoices in less than 30 seconds. Set up online payments with just a couple of clicks and get paid up to 4 days faster. See when your client has seen your invoice, and put an end to the guessing games. Go to freshbooks.com/quest and enter Quest For Freedom in the how did you hear about section when signing up. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In my previous episode called You are the answer’ I talked about the results on my business that my sabbatical had. Namely all the changes I made before taking time off - new website, new brand, new systems - and how they initially negatively affected the business. I think this is partly because it was too much change all at once. Now, fortunately the changes are making a positive impact on my business and the results we track weekly. But it seemed pretty dire at the time! Then I realized that this happened in my personal life too, with the complete 180 degree flip I’ve made since April. I tell you, business is one thing but massive life changes are something else! As Shana Aborn said in her article Coping with Life Changes: “For many of us, disruption to familiar routine sparks anything from mild anxiety to extreme terror. Maybe something's been pushed on us, like being downsized or getting sick. Just as likely, we've made a risky but necessary choice, like relocating to a new town or having our elderly parents move in with us. Shift happens, like it or not—that's part of the human adventure. Then why do we resist so much? It's partly a natural fear of the unfamiliar. People think of change as something dangerous. But it helps to remember all the ways your life has been altered in the past and realize that not only did you not keel over and die, things often turned out for the better.” I’ve never been afraid of change, I’ve always welcomed it with open arms. The very nature of how I’ve lived my life for the last seven years is testament to that fact. Changing locations every couple of weeks has meant a constant barrage of change - new surroundings, often a new language, new people to meet and things to learn - all the time. This is something that many people find daunting, but I really love. Or did, until that time that I felt like slowing down a little, having a base I can call my own and being surrounded by more nature, less fast paced city life. But the changes I made come April 5th, when Josh and I flew back from Bali to move into our new property, a huge house with 2.5 acres of land, have actually thrown me completely. It was too much change, too fast and I completely underestimated this. While my friends and community were quick to point out that it was a massive shift in how I live my life and that it must be quite the shock, I saw it as exciting. Let’s put it in perspective. I went from constant full-time travel out of my suitcase to living in one house, with no international travel for the first three months of being back in New Zealand. I went from being single in December to a loving full-time relationship, and moving in together in my apartment for a few months, to then buying a house together, creating joint bank accounts and taking on this beautiful property - Josh’s first ever property ownership. I went from zero responsibility to this mortgage, getting a puppy a week after moving in and five chickens the week after. From owning so little stuff to having to furnish a 369 sqm house with four bedrooms and two living rooms in just a few weeks. (People who visit us now say how it looks like we’ve lived here for years). I went from a full on business period, getting it ready for my sabbatical and writing the Freedom Plan book manuscript which I finished on March 30th, to NO work. And I went from eternal summers traveling the world to my first ever autumn (fall) and winter. And that was probably the biggest kicker - I hate being cold. So with all that in mind, no wonder I’ve had moments of doubt, and even mild depression - or more rather feeling simply lost. I had literally taken everything that is my identity - travel, my suitcase entrepreneur brand, business and singledom and thrown it out the window! Too much change all at once. It didn’t hit me straight away, but I can definitely see the path now, and why even just a few weeks ago, I was still feeling demotivated and lost. The initial three to four weeks were pure excitement due to what I term "Project Set up House" which involved constant daily checking of Trademe.co.nz (like eBay and Gumtree) and winning auctions and buying used furniture. I was shopping for house stuff, and then going to collect it via trucks we hired - doing it DIY style - super fun by the way, but a lot of organization and effort. Then it became settling in and a few ongoing projects and trips to get other things we needed ike bins and domestic bliss items as I call them, that you just don’t realize you need until you’ve been living in a house for a while. Next up we collected Kayla, my adorable White German Shepherd eight week old puppy within just one week of moving in. To be honest I had NO idea how much energy a puppy has and how much attention and training you need to do with them, and for yourself. It was constant supervision and learning, coupled with lots of beautiful moments, followed by pain, bites, scratching, peeing, pooping and me yelling or losing the plot. Now I know how it feels to have a low maintenance kid over an intense period! Yes it’s like having a kid, but luckily you can put them in their happy place (aka crate) when you need some time out. That was my other problem, I spent too much time with Kayla, wanting to be the best puppy Mum and learning as much as I could through books and videos about her training. I didn’t give myself time out, instead I became rather isolated out in our home at the same time Josh’s business schedule turned into a full on one, that saw him leaving the house on the 6:45am train and getting back after 7pm. For a social butterfly like me I severely underestimated how much human connection I crave and require to feel motivated, valuable and helpful. Not having the workload from my business was pure bliss but at the same time quite a transition as it’s all I know. And to not have to worry about it suddenly meant I threw myself into online learning taking a number of interesting and varied courses on areas I don’t know much about. I also had to train myself not to watch, monitor and get caught up in what other entrepreneurs were doing. Hence the previous episode about not playing the comparison game but instead being your own No #1 fan and believing in your abilities. At one point I was raring to dive into something new and start a fresh business project, but I restrained myself as I knew, at that stage, I didn’t have enough energy yet for that. It also wasn’t the solution I was after. I just needed to be and stop doing. Which brings me to a conversation I had last week with my dear friend Gideon Shalwick, who himself has gone through many reinventions himself in the last four years, from personal brand and video expert, to starting a new video software business and more. He’s been digging into and learning a lot about the Universal Cycles of Change via Tim and Kris Hallbom over at The Wealthy Mind. I had never heard about it, so before I share our snippet of conversation I wanted to give you and I some background on it because it’s juicy stuff and it’s important. Universal Cycles of Change According to the Academy of Leadership Coaching and NLP there are seven change patterns that govern our lives. In a business context, leaders who are able to embrace this cycle often emerge stronger and more emotionally aware and understand how to best support themselves and their team members through change. Creation The word creation evokes pictures of new beginnings. It is the beginning of a new life event – the starting point that typically begins with an idea or an action. This could be the start of new business, or a new stage of leadership development. Creation marks the point where we begin our journey. It is an “X” marks the spot kind of moment – and once we move from that location, a new journey starts. Growth From the moment creation begins we start to grow. We develop and become “self-organizing.” This means is that once the creation takes place, new patterns of behavior start to develop, and the system organizes itself around the original creation. For example once a new business is launched, the business owner needs to start making plans – this could be product development, marketing plans, new clients and new staff. The business has taken its shape as a business (it was created), and now it is starting to grow. Steady State A steady state is a place of great comfort. It has past the point of creation and through the pains of growth to a place of what feels like you have arrived. It is a place where all systems are go and are firing correctly. Everything is moving forward as planned and everyone is in their sweet spot. It is a position to which most leaders aspire. And, if leaders are not careful, it can also become a point of complacency which will inevitably lead to the next phase in the cycle Turbulence I have heard it said that we are either in a crisis, coming out of a crisis or heading back into a crisis. Turbulence occurs when the system becomes too complex, or we become lax in our preparation, and problems begin to develop. Times of turbulence can be viewed in two ways depending upon the maturity of the leader. They can be used as a warning sign to right the ship and get back on track, or they can be ignored. Ignorance, however, often leads to chaos. Chaos Chaos is when the system begins to fall apart. It is past the point of the bumps and jolts of turbulence to a full blown tail spin. It is the time when leaders need to take control before something catastrophic happens. Dropping Off Dropping off is the point of acceptance for many leaders. It is often the lowest point in the cycle of change. The point when an individual has no other recourse but to let go and move on. It could be closing a door on a failed business and moving elsewhere or getting rid of a caustic employee. It can be painful, but also should be viewed as an important turning point in the cycle. It is the point when a leader takes control. In order to move forward through a difficult life challenge, we often need to let go of a limiting belief, a dysfunctional relationship, change a behavior or reorganize how we view the world. This allows us to make the space to create something wonderfully new. `Meditation & Dormancy Meditation and inward silence (dormancy) are the final point in the Universal Cycles of Change. Just as a tree stands without leaves in the brisk cold winter, leaders need to “be” like the tree, standing in the moment and accepting who they are and where they have been placed. It might be uncomfortable for a while, but meditating and inward silence can be very healing and ultimately can set the tone for a new Universal Cycle of Change, creativity and growth. So now you have that context, let’s pick up with Gideon and I. Gideon: “I am so glad that you took that sabbatical. It's so important that you go through this stages of the droppings off, and the shedding where you let go or prune something off, and then you just have a break. If you jump straight from the chaos stage to a new creative cycle, then you end up taking that back with you and you don't rest. You are just depleting the tank more and more. So you might get a bit of energy from this new creative process but if you didn't deal with that previous cycle properly, it holds you back on the next cycle.” Natalie: It’s so true because I think back to where I’ve tried to step back a little before and take a small break. It helps you for a little. Then there have been times where you’ve been excited by say, maybe another business idea. But I am really proud of myself because I have had that moment and I thought, "Is it just exciting because it’s totally new and therefore it gives me energy right now?" What about coming back to what I’ve got and getting re-energized about the stuff that I know I love and I’m good at, and that’s where I think I’ve got to on that stage now. But I needed that break and then I needed to come back with a new perspective and go, “You are not throwing all that hard work away, all that credibility and all the things you’ve built up.” Just come at it with a fresh perspective and improve upon the bits that you really believe in and you think are amazing. And that’s why with the Freedom Plan I have this whole new perspective about it. I want to have this freedom tracker, some apps and make it world class. And that is new to me yet that’s my core offering. So that’s where I came to in this circle as you said. Gideon: We understand this cycle and that each stage is really important. It gives you perspective but also patience. For this latest cycle that I went through, I realized that I was actually in the rest phase. Previously I would try and rush it. But then I just went "Screw it. I am not going to push anything. I am just going to sit back and I don't care what happens. I am going to let the universe share me what is the next step. When have you found yourself rushing into the next thing because it feels energizing? Only to realize after a few months your energy is depleted again and your motivation is waning. As Gideon points out, that’s because you really haven’t dealt with the shit that was holding you back or troubling you before. You’ve just transferred your attention on to the next bright shiny object. Back to my business sabbatical story…. I had a beautiful period where the weather was amazing, where I could finally take Kayla out into the public (post her vaccinations), and we started discovering beautiful nature bush walks. I also was loving the house more and more, as well as pottering in the garden and being outside. I was becoming truly grateful for this amazing location and our joint vision for what it could become. I had new friends I’d made starting to come over each Tuesday for coworking sessions and things felt good. But then things shifted. Josh wasn’t here at all during the weekdays, our workouts in our crossfit barn gym had stopped, the weather was getting colder and the novelty of this new life started wearing off. I’d scan my Instagram and Facebook feed to see beautiful photos and videos of friends in exotic locations and for the first time ever I could see how my life used to look to others - damn it looked amazing. The odd thing was I didn’t want to be there, but I did want the feeling of what they were experiencing. And I missed Portugal - as I would have been there in my three bedroom town house and learning to surf, if we hadn’t bought here. So how did I get myself out of this funk of too much change? Well it took some work. It helped that my Science of Happiness course was taking me through the stages of empathy, kindness, compassion and mindfulness. I was putting that into practice. I talked it through with friends, I read up a little on it, and mostly I stepped back to see what was really going on to change how I was feeling. In Shana’s article, she shared this advice, that I hope is valuable for you if you’re going through change: “Fighting what's happening just leads to frustration and keeps you from growing to your full potential. When you try to put your life in a box and keep it the same all the time, you're making something dead out of it. Welcoming new things can even be good for your health. People who greet what life offers with curiosity have stronger immune systems and live longer. The first step is realizing that even though you can't control what pops up in your life, you can alter how you react. When change happens, say yes. Learn and grow from it. Taking a live-in-the-moment attitude will help keep you from miring yourself in what-ifs and should-haves. The most important thing to remember, though, is that you already have the inner resources to make the most out of anything that comes your way. Bring out your natural resiliency by taking a look at how you can deal with six of life's most common upheavals.” How I handled it was slightly different. I pretty much NEVER get down or depressed, but after two many weeks of waking up and feeling lost, unmotivated and down, Josh and I had a heart to heart, and here’s what I came up. Five Ways To Get Yourself Over Too Much Change All At Once And here are my five tips. Focus on quality time. We both agreed to make more time for each other, that he would get some time off teaching in his business and we’d take long weekends or have days together here at home. Essentially we’d spend more quality time together. As an entrepreneur I appreciate some periods in your life are just going to be crazy and full on and you need to show up to them 100%, and Josh is going through one of those periods. But I could also see how it was draining him and therefore me, even though we supportive of each other. Once we acknowledged that things became a lot better instantly and we felt so much more connected. Make time for you. I started putting Kayla into dog daycare once a week and heading into town to cowork, meet with friends and entrepreneurs and enjoy the city vibe. I also started meeting more people in the area we now live, making friends and going for dog walks, having them over to visit or visiting them and making time for lunches or meetups. Wallow where necessary. That may sound odd but too quickly we try to come up with solutions and find the answer. I purposefully wallowed in how I was feeling, on the good moments and bad ones and asked myself how I was feeling, what did I think the cause was and could I shift it with an attitude reset, or a change in activity or scene? Practicing mindfulness, like I discussed in this Mind Your Mindfulness really helped to be aware and present, and not listen to the voice inside my head, that at the time, was not helpful at all! Embrace the seasons. I’m a summer baby, but this has been a particularly beautiful winter in New Zealand with more sunshine than ever. We are also blessed to have two fantastic woodburners that pelt out the heat. So I started to appreciate clear blue skies on these wintery days, the sunshine and the opportunity to rug up and go walking with my gorgeous puppy. I also got over my minimalist suitcase self, and simply bought warmer clothes which made me feel much better and more inclined to get out and about. I lit more fires, drank more hot herbal teas and nourished myself with homemade soups. I also started the 30 Day Yoga Challenge with Adrienne - can’t recommend her free YouTube Channel enough. She’s an angel. I notice the effects of yoga on my body and mind very quickly. I felt amazing. The seasons are here for a reason, as I read in Elizabeth Peru’s Global Energy Report (if you’re into that kind of thing, I’m experimenting with reading it daily and taking what I need from it). Winter is the time for focused project work and doing, spring is time for launching and summer is the time to take off and enjoy the fruits of your labour. So I am focusing my efforts on upgrading and transforming my content, my Freedom Plan program and my offerings. Learn, grow and relearn. A lot of the stories that were circulating in my head simply needed to be replaced with better ones. I needed to take control of my own attitude and focus on what I wanted. Even when I got sick and was feeling less than sure on what the heck I was doing, I knew that it was up to me to CHOOSE what I wanted to happen. And for me that meant reading inspiring books - both novels and business related, learning new things from online courses, meeting new people and getting involved. Like running popup coworking trials in Upper Hutt to connect with more entrepreneurs (and making the news). I coupled this with relearning. A big part of my sabbatical was to get a fresh perspective and I’ve since fallen back in love with the foundations of why I started my business and what made it successful in the first place. I’ve been conducting interviews with Freedom Plan Alumni members and getting jazzed up at making it a World Class experience when I relaunch it in spring. I’ve been doing interviews for podcasts and sharing my story and this new story and it’s been super cathartic for me and great for the interviewers who’ve loved hearing the rawness of it. I’ve taken opportunities I’d been saying no to on my sabbatical and they’d reenergized me and fed my soul. It led to me being on stage with Roger Hamilton at Fast Forward Your Business the day I was officially back in business, and getting interviewed by NBR (National Business Review) this week! And while in Melbourne Josh and I did our three year Life Plan together which was huge, because I finally had the clarity and energy to know what I want out of life, business and love over the next three years. So those are my five major takeaways on my Quest for Freedom….for now. And it seems a solid place to round out Season 2 before embarking on next season where I’m going to head into the realm of Self Learning and Mastery. 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