Finding Meaning In The Everyday

Posted on April 24, 2018 Posted in Create your Business!, Gay Landeta, Hints & Tips for Creating & Goal Setting, Personal Development Leave a comment

Aside from the beauty of this time of year; the seasonal change and Mercury retrograde is ushering in a time to rethink who we are and where we are going. This always brings up the concept of meaning in our life. meaning

As with many of you, my sweet spot is the balance between being and doing. Too much doing and I get caught up in the world of achievements. I start adding more and more onto my plate. Too much being and I loose motivation and get bored. As balance can never be static that fine line is the one I work with walking each day.

One of the things I find works to help keep me on track and maintaining my balance is working with 3 (only) achievable goals each month. This keeps my focus but stops me from getting into overwhelm. Choosing only 3 means that I must prioritise those that relate most directly to my bigger vision for my life. One, at least, will be personal and they all will have meaning to me.

I teach this process to my business mentoring clients and inside my Life Mastery Process but there are also other tools that I recommend – and I am always on the look out for new ideas. Last year I watched ‘Best Self Journal’ move from kickstarter to one million in sales in only a few months. It looked an amazing planning system. However I already have a system that includes a gratitude and reflection planning diary, Trello (online) for my Master To Do’s and reminders and notes for stuff so I really didn’t want to add something else. But I did mention it to several clients who I thought might gel with it.

One client recently came back saying that she had a wonderful period using it – and gifted me with one. Wow! Perfect timing to try it out this quarter! I am using it and am really impressed. The psychological processes it uses to induce positivity, motivation and habit change are magic.

The ‘Best Self” process of identifying 3 quarterly projects that are part of your big picture obviously fits with my own process. In the BSJ process you next break these down into 3 actions or steps that need to be achieved this quarter. This is great as you reallly have to start thinking how you are going to make that happen. And then each action into 3 tasks, which may be an action or a habit change. In the end you have identified 9 items to focus on over over 13 weeks. Everything must be achievable and measurable, ie you know when they are done, kind of tasks (rather than an overall intention).

Next you write a commitment to doing them – double checking that they can be done in the time frame no matter what! And your why – for motivation. You then plan a celebration for when you do it. We are often not very good about celebrating our successes unless they are a major achievement. In this process you are celebrating the milestones along the way which is a good sound psychological process.

Weekly you track your tasks and changing habits and reflect on your progress. Daily you spend a few minutes in the morning (really only a few minutes) setting yourself up to ‘win the day’ (BestSelf’s big call to action!) In the evening you spend a few more minutes reflecting on your wins and lessons learnt with a bit more gratitude for balance.

I really enjoy the regular positive reflection and the tiny steps to a big goal. Mine lives on my bedside table as a journal rather than with me as a diary and I find new insights each day. Some of them are ,glaringly obvious but until I had not seen them. Using this minimalist morning and evening reflection process means they became obvious. I really like this as a process of positive personal growth and can see it is infinitely adjustable no matter if you are a super high powered exec or someone who just likes experimenting with finding your own best self and finding meaning in the everyday.

Martin Seligmen (a guru in the positive psychology area) considers that our meaning comes from belonging to and serving something beyond ourself and from developing the best from within ourself. Choosing this type of reflective journalling as a daily practice will really help align yourself with this concept, bringing in more meaning to your everyday and a sense of accomplishment even with day to day tasks.

… love to hear how you go …..

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A question, do you run your practice like a business? If not why not?

Posted on October 29, 2017 Posted in Create your Business!, Gay Landeta 2 Comments

By Gay Landeta

Did you know staying in hobby mode after you are ready to make something you love your livelihood is one of the ways practitioners and other heart centred entrepreneurs sabotage their work getting out there?

Here are a 4 keys to stop having a hobby and start creating a business:

1.Schedule time for your business. Don’t just fit it in. Create the space for it, even if you don’t have any clients to see. By space I mean the physical, mental and emotional space as well as a defined time in your schedule. And then, in that space, work on your business. Create plans, develop intentions, think about marketing, design brochures, write materials, do anything that is related to your business to officially claim that space as your time to connect to your clients. Then, once your preparations are working you will easily transition into filling that time with clients.

2.Look at your business as a business, what is not working? Don’t get caught up in your emotions at this point, feeling bad or inadequate. It is as it is. Your work may be your love but if you really want to make a living out of it, getting it out there is simply business. Business you can do with love and care and ethics, but business all the same.

3.Check into any mindsets that you may have around business or money and do work on them. Everyday if you need to. This is the personal growth that is required to step up anywhere in our life! You can do it, don’t let what others are doing intimidate you, do the work and become more of who you truly are and step into your power.

4.Once you know what is not working make the plan to fix it. Then do it. Action is the only key to this. If you don’t know how then find someone who does. This is not the time to ask friends or others who are struggling, they don’t know the answers either. You want someone who knows what you don’t to short cut your journey to success. Be brave and claim what is yours. Don’t try for perfection – that will NEVER happen except in your dreams. Just give it a go.

If you are a therapist, practitoner or other heart centred consultant and are looking for more tips on how to create a business you love click here and register for my on-line class to learn how to get more clients and make more money in your practice while remaining true to yourself. You owe it to yourself! ; )

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Create A Successful Business Part 3

Posted on March 14, 2017 Posted in Create your Business!, Gay Landeta Leave a comment

This is part 3 in the series Create a Successful Business which explores the 5 foundations we dig deeply into with the Marketing with Heart Program, either On-line or in person.

This article focuses on your marketing language, getting this right is essential to getting more clients. So grab your pen and paper and read on….

Moving onto your second foundation, Your Offer, is the heart of what you do and Your Branding which is how others perceive you. You may not have reflected too deeply on this in the past, especially if your business has evolved from a passion. You may simply be offering your services the way you think you should. However by brainstorming this topic you might be surprised by how it helps both your clients and your business – you can follow this link to find out more.

Next it is time to think about your niche – who you serve and how you can speak directly to them. This is where you need to learn the game of marketing – how to share what you do in a way that your perfect clients can understand. You have already identified your perfect clients, you know how they think – so have a look at your exisiting materials from their perspective and see if your materials actually speak to them.

Usually we just talk at our potential clients – not engage them in a conversation that they care about. You know, “I do this and this and I can achieve all of this and this for you.” That may be all very well but are they actually looking for ALL of that? Or are they simply looking for someone who can solve their problem? Even if they are looking for the modality or service that you offer, you will still need to educate them about why you are actually the perfect person for them through your USP.

Your USP (Unique Selling Point) clearly shows who you are and why you are perfect for your perfect clients. These are your unique qualities, usually 2 or 3, that ensure you stand out from the crowd.

This is something to take the time to get clear about, but even if you are a new practitioner there will still be 2 or 3 qualities that define the way you work. This may include things like education, interest, experience, wisdom, even the area you work in or the hours you are available. Ask people you know or existing happy clients and find out why they like working with you. And then don’t be shy about sharing it. Discerning your USP is the golden nugget you need to share in all your marketing.

Always speak to your potential perfect client about their problem, let them know how you can help them with that. Stay focused on the solutions you offer rather than educating them about what you do. Practitioners, especially, get carried away with educating their potential clients about what their modality can achieve for their clients. This is because many practitioners have had amazing results with their modality and want to convince everyone that it is the answer. Don’t fall into that trap! They are not yet ready to be sold on your skills.

In reality we need to wait until our potential client is interested in who we are and the solutions we offer BEFORE educating them about how we get those results. They may not actually even be looking for what we do, but if we have the solution they are looking for they may well give us a try. Telling them too much too early about the details of your work may put them off coming to see you. Focus on them.

Finally, when you share about yourself, share the person they will be working with, rather than just a listing all your credentials. Don’t get me wrong, excellent training and experience is essential (and may form the crux of your USP) but listing it in the expectation that it is enough can just feel too clinical and impersonal.

Help people feel connected to you through your marketing materials. If you have put part 1 and 2 of this series into place they will already see you as a professional. Share the outcomes you get for your clients – this is the person they will be working with – in your materials and then just add the list of credentials at the end of your bio to reinforce all you have already put into place.

Next time we will look more about reaching your perfect clients, in the meantime if you want to find out more about my program or working with me register for my free on-line class . Marketing ourselves is a difficult thing to do and a successful approach is often a very strange process. I can help you not only learn how to do it but how to do it effortlessly so you can reach more of your perfect clients and create more abundance in your life.

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Create a Successful Business pt 2

Posted on December 23, 2016 Posted in Create your Business!, Gay Landeta Leave a comment

Create a Successful Business pt 2

This is part 2 in the series Create a Successful Business which explores the 5 foundations we dig deeply into with the Marketing with Heart Program, either On-line or in person.

Once you have developed your Guiding Star, which is the first of the 5 foundations you need for a long term successful business you will begin to have the clarity you need to define your branding and refine your offer. I say begin because this will always be a WIP (work in progress), the joy of having your own business is that it can shift and change as you do, but that needs to happen within clear boundaries otherwise things can get messy. (You can follow this link to part 1 if you need some help developing your vision.)

Moving onto your second foundation, Your Offer, this is the heart of what you do. You may not have reflected too deeply on this especially if your business has evolved from a passion. You may simply be offering your services the way you think you should. However by grabbing a pen and paper and brainstorming this topic you might be surprised by how it helps both your clients and your business.

Start by thinking about who exactly are your perfect clients? Describe them in detail, really get to know them, what they desire and what keeps them up at night. This is the only way you can make sure that what you offer them will work for them. Think about what the benefits of your work is for them, how your work will help them. We often get caught up in all the features or the cleverness of what we do, but it is the outcome that matters.

Once you are clear about how you can serve those beautiful people or businesses you want to serve you can start to figure out how they can find you. To stand out in crowd and look professional you need to consider the third foundation, Your Brand.

Branding is one of those areas that many people focus on first. Name, logo, colours, design … The fun arty stuff. It often feels like the first step in starting a business but can instead become a frustrating project, taking up time and resulting in something that doesn’t really authentically reflect your business. (Interesting aside, this may vary from your own, personal authenticity).

Taking time to reflect first on Your Guiding Start and Your Offer will inform the creation of your branding and will mean that you end up with something that authentically reflects you and your work, avoiding an expensive do-over down the track. Important when you consider this will be reflecting who you are for years to come!

What is Branding really? Your professional face. The way people can identify you and how you can stand out from the crowd to your perfect client. Once you create your professional face it should feel congruent all the way from the name and logo to your website and stationary and into your office and even the way you dress and work with people. Imagine wanting a massage, perhaps you have a sports injury and want a remedial massage but you also want it to be relaxing so you google and find someone who seems to offer a spa sort of environment and seems well qualified in remedial massage as well. Score!

You arrive and it is bit tatty on the outside but you don’t worry too much, that is just the outside. You go inside, expecting candles and quiet spa music and instead there is row of chairs with several well thumbed ’Who Weekly’s to read. You might start to feel a little concerned but you hurt and you want that massage and the therapists credentials looked pretty good so you sit down to wait.

Then out comes someone who doesn’t look much like the inviting picture you saw on the net, dressed in a pair of board-shorts and a t-shirt, hair still crusty from a morning surf …. Maybe the website said they had excellent qualifications and you love the beach yourself however you may well be starting to feel a little uncomfortable….

By this time some of you will already have left the building, but many will stay and give it a go, you hurt and are already here. If the massage is brilliant or you live in a place with few options you may well be sold, however if anything is much less than perfect you probably won’t go back.

If instead everything had been congruent from the spa logo and language on the website to the signage and frontage, to the waiting room and therapists appearance you would be more open to the experience, more forgiving of anything less that 110% perfect (who’s perfect anyway – really!) and more likely to go back. Maybe for years.

There is nothing wrong with being a surfer massage therapist or a clinical remedial therapist. Working in a quiet luxury spa or in a funky shack or anything at all, as long as you can identify your perfect clients and that when they find you, they can see that you are exactly what they are looking for!

Consider your logo as the face of all that you do. If you have designed it yourself get a professional graphic designer to have a look or tidy it up to make sure it will translate into all mediums. (Just Google logo bloopers to see some great blunders!).

Think about what it is you want it to reflect, decide on your colours and how you want things to look and keep that congruent over every medium you do. Don’t swap and change to be more creative on every brochure, it makes it hard to recognise you. A professional can also help you get templates in place so that your congruency is across all your stationary as well. The investment is worth it!

Next time we will explore the language you need to master to get great results in your marketing. If you want more info in the meantime have a look at my on-line program or feel free to contact me about how I might be able to support you to grow your business.

Create Your Business – leadership and management for any size business

Posted on November 2, 2016 Posted in Create your Business!, Gay Landeta Leave a comment

A successful, sustainable business, regardless of its size, requires clear direction, good management, solid systems for administration, good marketing and *great service.

As a working business owner you need to ensure all these are in place – whether you are a solopreneur or have multiple staff.

And as an employer, you will have the additional challenge of creating a culture of happy empowered employees who are interested in the success of your business. This interest depends on solid management and clear leadership.

Management and leadership are actually two distinct skill sets. Spending the time to understand each of these roles will help you to achieve your business outcomes and create the foundations for future growth regardless of the size of your business.

Firstly – Leadership.

As the leader you are responsible for innovation, you need to have a clear picture of the vision, mission and goals for your business. Writing (or drawing) it out helps to clarify what you know and what you need to explore further.

(Often we think we are clear and don’t need to write things down; that writing things down might somehow damage the creativity or the beautiful big picture. This feels true because until it is written down it is still a daydream, the process of writing down the details of your vision will take it from a daydream fantasy into a potential reality that you can create.)

It is important to clarify and explore the missing details but, even more importantly, you need to find out what you don’t know that you don’t know! These are the missing links that you cannot see yourself. This is not the ‘how’s’, at this stage you are still staying with the big picture. However, to make sure you have considered everything find someone you trust who can ask the hard questions related to your vision. Make sure you choose someone who has some relevant expertise, this is the time you need a critiquing eye not a raving fan!

As a leader you don’t need to get into the how’s. Leadership is not about figuring out how to make things happen, leadership is about getting clear about the big picture and then being able to sell the ticket, to your staff and, even more importantly, to yourself! Once everyone involved has ‘bought into’ your big picture any decision making will stay in alignment with your vision, goals and mission.

Management.

The manager is responsible for taking the vision and making it happen. A manager’s job is to ensure that what must be done today is done in a timely, effective and profitable way. The manager takes care of the ‘how’s’.

If you hold both roles then take the time to switch hats between when you are leading and when you are managing. As a leader you will want your big picture, idealistic and optimistic hat on. You will want to see the distant shore and trust that you can make it.

As a manager you will need your realist hat on, you will need to see how rough the seas are, what debris there is in the water that you may need to negotiate around and whether your sails are big enough to get you there or what help you will need.

By seeing these two roles as separate you will gain the benefit of becoming the observer, an emotionally resilient position to hold in your business. You will also start to identify if you are by nature a leader or a manager. Which of these roles feels more comfortable? Holding the helm or looking out for potential challenges? If you are by nature a leader one of the first steps you may take, once your business is sustainable, is to employ a manager.

Once you employ a manager you must decide what their level of accountability is. As a small business owner it is common to have difficulty letting go of control, however your managing staff must have the level of responsibility they need and be empowered to make the decisions required to bring your vision into reality.

At the same time, as the owner / leader, you must identify and clearly request the reporting you need, for accountability, peace of mind and to supply the information you need to continue to lead the way.

Management accountability can include (but is not limited to): financial management, marketing, administration, human resources / staff management, etc. Clarify what are the decisions that need to be made in each area and who holds that responsibility. At what point do decisions need to be moved up the ladder?

– Financial concerns: To effectively manage you need to know what turnover, gross and net profit is required to achieve the vision. There needs to be a cash flow budget, contingency plans and actual progress to date. Who is responsible for what? What sales or client acquisition targets are required? What turnover? How much expenditure is expected?

While these concepts may not feel relevant to a someone just starting out on their own, exploring these ideas with your managers hat on will help your business become more quickly sustainable and more fun to own. By being accountable you set the bar, and by setting the bar you set your energy and intentions which, in turn, will help you create your ideal business.

– Marketing: Every business markets itself, even if it is just by word of mouth. Whatever your strategies are in this area you need to be clear about how it will help you to achieve your vision. You will also need to consider how much time, money and energy you need to devote to this to ensure your success and what outside support you need. Who makes what $value decision and who has the final say will be some of those considerations.

– Administration: Your administration department is best run with very clear systems in place for data management, record keeping, customer service, etc. It is the manager’s job to make sure these are working efficiently. If you have staff in these areas they may be able to suggest better ways of doing things.

If you are leader, manager and staff all in one, creating these systems is the first step in being able to outsource them, well worth the time it takes to document.

– Staff Management or Human Resources: How can you keep your staff happy and motivated? Communication is essential here. Often little things, like more autonomy and more thanks go a long way. Ownership of outcome is often a great incentive so consider tangible targets and reward systems. And, again if you are a one person band what will keep you loving working for you?

To be honest, many small businesses and self employed people don’t bother to do this. Some people enjoy the chaos of not knowing what is happening next and prioritising by emergency. Some people don’t know how to do it or don’t think it is important. But successful businesses all consider these concepts no matter how big they are.

If you are looking for a more peaceful way of operating that allows the space for growth then start working from the big picture down. It will help you to keep stepping forward with confidence, open to innovation and new opportunities.

To find out more about this tip feel free to email me at create@gaylandeta.com.au

More from Chris from Balance Central…

Posted on October 20, 2016 Posted in Case Studies and Success Stories, Create your Business! Leave a comment

Oct 2016

I love seeing clients growing into their untapped potential and creating businesses they love, here is a beautiful testimonial I recently received from a business client that has been working with me on and off for a number of years. I love Chris and her work, plus us energy workers gotta stick together! 🙂

I always remember how hard it was for Chris to explain what she did to potential new clients when we first started working together back in 2010. Like many of us in the alternate therapy world, Chris’s modality is pretty wild and she would try to explain all about it, often leaving people confused or disbelieving. In addition, all that extraneous information would divert her potential clients from recognising the incredible effectiveness of the work she did. Through our work she created marketing language for all occasions and went from avoiding networking events to becoming a Networking Queen of Brisbane! Now she has spoken at international events and just wrote a piece for a book about to be published. You totally rock Chris! ❤

“I first started working with Gay Landeta and Create in 2010 and have had many benefits from the many times I have worked with Gay by my side.

The most recent decision to work with Gay was at the beginning of 2015. My business was in it’s 6th year and was flowing along very nicely. However, I could see that the next couple of years would need some refocus and redirection. The obvious choice for me was Create and I’m so glad I did. After all I needed to create something new and working with Gay had brought me many benefits in the past so I knew it would work for me again.

I am now 18 months into the process and have had massive leaps forward in my business which has benefited my clients and also myself in ways I couldn’t even imagine. What has transpired in my business by working with Gay is amazing and if left to my own devices I would not have made any movement at all. I am a planner and very self-disciplined however I needed encouragement, support and the right amount of motivation to get me from cruising to full speed.

In just over 12 months I increased my service range by 50%, created greater value for every service I offer and I have been able to leverage my time so I am still working the same hours per week in my business.

My business is very unique and I find it a comfort and simply invaluable to have Gay as my Business/Marketing Coach. Gay is someone who has been there, done that, and keeps expanding her own knowledge and skills. As Gay expands – she pushes me to expand my thinking and my goals which has a direct impact on my clients. As Gay grows – I grow and – my clients grow.

My business continues to go from strength to strength and I’m excited to continue working with Gay to see what we create into the future!!”
– Chris Wildeboer
www.balancecentral.com.au

Create a Successful Business

Posted on October 8, 2016 Posted in Create your Business!, Gay Landeta Leave a comment

There are 5 foundations for a long term successful business, and, as in everything, no one is skilled at them all.

These are :
Your Vision – the big picture, your why.
Your Services – what you do, the services you share.
Branding – your professional face to the world.
Marketing – connecting with your perfect clients.
Lead Generation – creating a solid flow of new clients.

Being human we tend to focus on the bits we like and ignore the bits we don’t – which is severely limiting to the growth of a successful business. Over the next few weeks I will explore these foundations and pose a few questions for you to reflect on. Take time to put your reflections down on paper, it not only solidifies them and helps you to clarify the missing links but it also builds a strong energy intention to help you manifest your dreams.

We start with The Vision – a vision is simply essential for any business. Very often when we develop a skill or a hobby into a business (for example consulting) or are passionate about offering a service (for example natural health) we skip this step. We just want to get out there and do it!

To be successful though we need to follow the lead of a natural entrepreneur such as Richard Branson and take the time to develop a clear vision. Many people (and for a long time that included me) don’t take the time to do this simply because they don’t know the answers yet, however this cloudiness affects their energy and the energy in their business. It can make it much easier to get distracted, follow the red herrings that will inevitably pop up or even give up. No matter how clouded your vision is at the moment there are still things you do know – taking the time to get clear on what you know and then just adjusting it as you step forward will help you create a business you love.

Grab a journal and doodle, brain storm, write or draw as you reflect on these key components that will set the pathway for your business. This can be a lovely thing to do with your New Moon Wishing. Once you have this on paper you not only have created a basic business plan but you have also created an intention that you can tweak and play with over the next few years.

Reflect on:

Your mission – why are you doing this? What is it that will keep you going when everything else gets too hard? (Because at some stage it will.)

Your strengths and weaknesses – what are your own strengths and weakness and what are the strengths and weaknesses of your business? How can you use this information to grow? NB this is often a bit of a scary evaluation because it gets us out of our dream and into reality – but taking the time to do this and follow up on your insights will help future proof your business. You might enjoy this blog post to explore it more.

Cash flow – how much do you need to make? Consider things like holidays, sick days, ongoing training and self care, regular and emergency business expenses and superannuation as well as general living expenses. You may well not be earning enough to cover all of this yet but you can start the habit of taking an amount, no matter how small to start, out of each weeks gross and squirrelling it away from your spendings account. Then review and increase it every month or so and before long you will be comfortably caring for yourself into the future as well as in the now. NB If you are not earning enough to even put a small amount away regularly you probably need to seriously look at your fee structure and / or your marketing.

Your business values – which may vary from your personal values but each will support the other. For example, a personal value may include something about generosity in helping others and a business value may be abundance and profitability. If your business is supporting you comfortably, then you will have much more energy to support others. Do you know your top 5? These will guide the development of your business over time helping you to create something that is authentic and enjoyable to own. You may like this blog to help you clarify yours.

Your vision for your business – do you have a big vision – a 5 year view? Get as clear as you can on how you would like your business to look in 5 years. Become intimately aware of how each day will look from the time you get up to when you go to bed. Once you have a 5 year picture (as clear as possible at the moment – remember you can always adjust it) then consider where you want to be in 1 years time. Get clear on the specifics of that, client numbers, income, schedule, etc. Next break it down into what needs to happen to to get there and prioritise this weeks actions that will ensure you reach your big picture, i.e. if you want more clients and you have been avoiding doing something about it recognise that is the next big step and do whatever it s that you need to. Or change your big picture. An interesting thing is that most people underestimate what they can do in 5 years and over estimate what they can do in 1 year. So make sure you make a big, big 5 year vision and just keep on keeping on with this years – doing what you can. Even if you don’t achieve all you thought you could you will be well on your way.

Next time we will get into your offer and professional face in the world. In the meantime keep practicing choosing a priority and dealing with it, and step by step you will be creating your big beautiful vision.

Keep flying!

Purpose – Elizabeth Gilbert On Finding Yours

Posted on April 19, 2016 Posted in Create your Business!, Gay Landeta, Hints & Tips for Creating & Goal Setting, Personal Development Leave a comment

Many people feel deeply the need to live their purpose, they want to discover what they are here for and then live it. And by living it they usually mean to make their living out of it.

Some people know their purpose from early on and create a pathway to follow with perfect trust. But for many of us it is a more complicated journey. Firstly we may not know what that something is, secondly, even if we do know we also need to earn money, perhaps support a family or a mortgage so we can’t just do what we want to.

Being caught between the need to make money to live and the desire to find and follow a dream can lead to terrible feelings of frustration and disheartenment. But in fact their are many ways to uncover your purpose and live your vocation without sacrificing everything.

Some of us take the journey process, as I did. I started training in counselling and kinesiology to improve my parenting skills and support my children. My work evolved into volunteer work before it became a fully fledged practice 20 years ago. When I decided to do a degree to support my practice I fell back on my previous career in publishing to take the financial stress off. I had to do work around it though, because I felt somehow that I was backtracking, it felt like I was betraying my purpose.

Many people can also feel this stress when confronted by the serious need to create income versus the inner calling to live a life on purpose. Personally, when I finally came to peace with it and could see how perfectly it actually supported me and my work, I manifested the perfect job that not only paid well but also gave me down time in Byron Bay and the space to develop an amazing friendship I would never have had otherwise.

When I think about this dilemma I am often reminded of a photographer friend of mine who chose a more peaceful route. Photography was her passion but she chose to work in hospitality instead of becoming a professional photographer. In that way she could earn good money and, at the end of her shift she was done. She could then devote the rest of her time to taking pictures without worrying about how to sell them or find commercial clients. She chose day time hospitality work and a simple life and so she could follow her dream without any stress. Looking at her life it seemed such a beautiful way to live a life of meaning. She quite enjoyed her day job, no doubt she lightened the day for many people she came across and she could do what she loved the rest of the time without any creative limitations.

This dilemma, of living a life of meaning, of the challenges of having a job, versus a career, versus a hobby, versus a vocation is explored far more eloquently than I ever could in this facebook article by Elizabeth Gilbert. It is well worth reading to find a piece of peace for yourself. I loved it and would love to hear your thoughts. You can also read the original and follow her here.

Elizabeth Gilbert

14 January · 2016

Question of the day: WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR LIFE?

Dear Ones –

I get a lot of questions from people who are seeking purpose and meaning in their lives. And I get a lot of questions from people who are seeking career advice — especially about creative careers. And I get a lot of questions from people who are absolutely confused about where their energy is going in life, and why.

For anyone out there who is seeking purpose and meaning and direction in their lives, I thought it might be useful today to define and differentiate four very important words that relate to HOW WE SPEND OUR TIME IN LIFE.

Are you ready?

The four very important words are:

HOBBY
JOB
CAREER
VOCATION

These four words are often interconnected, but they are not interchangeable. Too much of the time, we treat these words like they are synonyms, but they are not. They are gloriously distinct, and should remain gloriously distinct. Each is wonderful and important in its own way. I think a lot of the pain and confusion that people face when they are trying to chart their lives is that they don’t understand the meaning of these words — or the expectations and demands of each word. So me break down what I consider to be the definitions and differences.

1) HOBBY— A hobby is something that you do for pleasure, relaxation, distraction, or mild curiosity. A hobby is something that you do in your spare time. Hobbies can come and go in life — you might try out a hobby for a while, and then move on to something new. I grew up in a family where everyone had hobbies (my grandmother made rag rugs; my grandfather made jewelry out of old spoons; etc) and I have hobbies myself. Gardening was my hobby a few years ago; now it’s Karaoke and collage-making You can tell when something is a hobby because your attitude toward it tends to be relaxed and playful. The stakes are SUPER low with hobbies. Sometimes you might make a bit of money out of your hobby, but that’s not the point — nor does it need to be. Hobbies are important because they remind us that not everything in life has to be about productivity and efficiency and profit and destiny. Hobbies are mellow. This is a wonderful reminder, and the concept should relax you. Hobbies prove that we have spare time — that we are not just slaves to the capitalist machine or to our own ambitions. You don’t NEED a hobby, mind you, but it’s awfully nice to have one. Even the word itself is adorable and non-threatening: HOBBY! What a cute word. Go get one. You have nothing to lose, and it’ll probably make you happier. Also, my grandparents would approve. Back before TV, everyone had hobbies. It’s nice. No big deal.

2) JOB— You may not need a hobby, but you do absolutely need a job. Unless you have a trust fund, or just won the lottery, or somebody is completely supporting you financially…you need a job. Actually, I would argue that even if you DO have a trust fund or a winning lottery ticket or a generous patron, you should still have a job. I believe there is great dignity and honor to be found in having a job. A job is how you look after yourself in the world. I always had a job, or several jobs, back when I was an unpublished, aspiring writer. Even after I’d already published three books, I still kept a regular job, because I never wanted to burden my creativity with the responsibility of paying for my life. Artists often resent having jobs, but I never resented it. Having a job always made me feel powerful and secure and free. It was good to know that I could support myself in the world, and that I would never starve, no matter what happened with my creativity. Now, here’s the most essential thing to understand about a job: IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE AWESOME. Your job can be boring, it can be a drag, it can even be “beneath you”. Jobs don’t need to be soul-fulfilling. Really, they don’t. I’ve had all kinds of weird and lame jobs; it doesn’t matter You don’t need to love your job; you just need to have a job and do it with respect. Of course, if you absolutely hate your job, by all means look for another one, but try to be philosophical about why you have this job right now. (Some good philosophical reasons for staying in a crappy job right now include: You are taking care of yourself; you are supporting your beloved family; you are saving up for something important; you are paying off debts. The list of reasons to have a job — even a bad job — goes on and on, and honor abides within all those reasons.) Don’t judge yourself about your job and never be a snob about anyone else’s job. We live in a material world and everyone has to do something for money, so just do whatever you have to do, collect your paycheck, and then go live the rest of your life however you want. Your job does not need to be how you define yourself; you can create your own definitions of your purpose and your meaning, pulled from deep within your imagination. A job is vital, but don’t make it YOUR LIFE. It’s not that big a deal. It’s just a job — a very important and also not-at-all important thing.

3) CAREER — A career is different from a job. A job is just a task that you do for money, but a career is something that you build over the years with energy, passion, and commitment. You don’t need to love your job, but I hope to heaven that you love your career — or else you’re in the wrong career, and it would be better for you to quit that career and just go find yourself a job, or a different career. Careers are best done with excitement. Careers are huge investments. Careers require ambition, strategy, and hustle. Your career is a relationship with the world. I used to have jobs, but now I have a career. My career is: AUTHOR. That means: Professional Writer. When I think about my work in terms of my career, I need to make sure that I’m building good relationships in the publishing world, and making smart decisions, and managing myself well within a realm that is more public than private. I need to pay attention to what critics are saying about my work, and how my books are selling, and how well I’m meeting my deadlines. I need to tend to my career with respect and regard, or else I will lose it. I need to honor my contracts and my contacts. When I make decisions about my life, I need to think about whether this would be good or bad for my career. If I win an award, that’s good for my career. If I get caught in a hotel room with a pile of cocaine and six exotic dancers, that’s bad for my career. (Actually, now that I think about it, maybe that would be AWESOME for my career! Gotta look into that! HA!) Let me make something very clear about careers: A career is a good thing to have if you really want one, but YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE A CAREER. There is absolutely nothing wrong with going through your entire life having jobs, and enjoying your hobbies, and pursuing your vocation, but never having “a career”. A career is not for everyone. A career is a choice. But if you do make that choice, make sure that you really care about your career. Otherwise, it’s just an exhausting marathon, for no reason. I really care about my career, but it’s not the most important thing in my life. Not even close. The most important thing in my life is my….

4) VOCATION — The word “vocation” comes to us from the Latin verb “vocare” — meaning “to call”. Your vocation is your calling. Your vocation is a summons that comes directly from the universe, and is communicated through the yearnings of your soul. While your career is about a relationship between you and the world; your vocation is about the relationship between you and God. Vocation is a private vow. Your career is dependent upon other people, but your vocation belongs only to you. You can get fired from your career, but you can never get fired from your vocation. Writing was my vocation long before I was lucky enough to get the career of an “author” — and writing will always be my vocation, whether my career as an author keeps working out or not. This is why I can approach my career with a certain sense of calm — because I know that, while I obviously care about career, I am not defined by it. When I consider my writing in terms of my career, I have to care what the world thinks about me. But when I consider my writing in terms of my vocation, I TRULY DO NOT GIVE A FUCK WHAT THE WORLD THINKS ABOUT ME. My career is dependent upon others; my vocation is entirely my own. The entire publishing world could vanish, and books could become obsolete, and I would still be a writer — because that’s my vocation. That’s my deal with God. You do not need to make money from your vocation in order for it to have meaning. Writing had meaning for me LONG before you ever heard of me, and long before anyone else wanted me to do it. Vocation has nothing to do with money, with career, with status, with ambition. I often see people corrode their vocation by insisting that it become a career — and then making career decisions that destroy their vocation. (Amy Winehouse’s career destroyed her vocation, for instance.) The day that I feel my career is destroying my vocation, I will quit my career and go get a job, so that I can protect my vocation. But I will never quit my vocation. Nobody even needs to know about your vocation, in order for it to have meaning. Your vocation is holy because it has nothing to do with anyone else. Your vocation can be anything that brings you to life and makes you feel like your soul is animated by purpose. Tending to your marriage can be your vocation. Raising your children can be your vocation. Teaching people how to take care of their health can be your vocation. Visiting your elderly neighbors can be your vocation. I have a friend who finds his vocation in picking up garbage off the streets wherever he goes; this is his gesture of love toward his fellow man. Searching for light and peace and meaning can be your vocation. Forgiveness can be your vocation. Brother Lawrence was a 17th century monk who worked his whole life washing dishes in a monastery (because washing dishes was his JOB) but his vocation was to see God in everything and everyone, and that is why he radiated grace. (Awesome vocation, by the way. People came from all over the world to watch Brother Lawrence wash dishes, because of the way he radiated divine love in every act. THAT’S vocation.) I admire the Roman Catholic Church for understanding the sanctity of vocation, and for teaching that the purest human vocation is LOVE. A vocation is the highest expression of your human purpose, and therefore you must approach it with deepest reverence. You can be called to your vocation by what you love (for instance: I love writing), or you can be called to your vocation by what you hate (for instance: I know people who dedicate themselves to social justice because of their hatred for violence and inequality.) If you don’t have a vocation and you long for one, you can pray for one. You can ask the universe with humility to lead you to your vocation — but then you must pay VERY close attention to the clues and signs that point you toward your vocation. Don’t just pray and wait. Instead, pray and SEEK. Everyone wants the lightning strike, but the path to your vocation is usually a trail of bread crumbs, instead. Look for clues. No clue is too small; no vocation is insignificant. Don’t be proud; be attentive. What brings your soul to life? What makes you feel like you are not just a meat puppet — not just heard to work hard and pay bills and wait to die? You cannot be lazy or entitled about your vocation, or apathetic, or fatalistic, or calculating. You cannot give up on it, if things don’t “work out” — whatever that even means. You must work closely with your intuition in order to find your highest meaning in life. This is hard work sometimes, but it is divine work, and it is always worth it. (Here’s a possibility, for instance: Searching for your vocation can be your vocation!) You can choose your hobbies, your jobs, or your careers, but you cannot choose you vocation; you can only accept the invitation that has been offered to you, or decline it. You can honor your vocation, or you can neglect it. You can worship it, or you can ignore it. A vocation is offered to you as a sacred gift, and it is yours to care for, or to lose. When you treat your vocation as sacred, you will see your whole life as sacred — and everyone else’s lives, too. When you are careless about your vocation, you will treat your whole life carelessly -— and other people’s lives, too. Your vocation will become clear to you through the act of PAYING ATTENTION to your senses and your soul, and to what in the world causes you to feel love or hate. You will be led to your vocation, though the path is not always obvious. You must participate in its unfolding. Do not fall asleep on this job. Your vocation is hinted at through your talents, tastes, passions, and curiosities. Your vocation is calling you, even when you can’t quite hear it. (“What you are seeking is seeking you” — Rumi.) When you embrace a vocation, and commit yourself to that vocation, your mind becomes a quieter place. When you accept the divine invitation of your vocation, you will become strong. You will know that — as long as you are tending to your vocation — everything will be fine.

My feeling is that people look for purpose in life without understanding these four words: HOBBY, JOB, CAREER, VOCATION. People blend these four concepts, or mistake them, confuse them, or try to have all four at once, or pretend that they are all the same thing. Or people just generally get freaked out and confused, because they haven’t thought these words through, or decided which ones are most important. (Or which ones are most important RIGHT NOW.) People generally want to know, “What am I doing with my life?”, but they don’t slow down long enough to really think about these four different aspects of this question — the four different possibilities for where our time and energy goes. People worry so much about their careers, for instance, that they often forget to pay attention to their vocations. Or people get so seduced by the grandeur of their vocations that they forget to have a job, and so they stop taking care of themselves and their families in the material world…which will only bring suffering. (Remember: Even Brother Lawrence had a job. He was not too proud to wash dishes.) Or people are so busy chasing social status and personal advancement that they forget to make time for the relaxing joy of having a sweet little hobby. And oftentimes people mistake a sweet little hobby for something that they think should be a job, or a career, or a vocation. Don’t try to blend what perhaps doesn’t need to be blended. Don’t mistake a job for a career, or a career for a vocation, or a vocation for a hobby, or a hobby for a job. Be clear about what each one is, and be clear about what can be reasonably expected from each one, and be clear about what is demanded of you with each one.

Here’s another thing I see happening: people get so embarrassed or resentful about their lousy day jobs that they forget to be grateful that they have a job at all — and this causes only more anxiety and confusion, which again, will make them stop paying reverent attention to their vocation, or enjoying their hobbies, or making plans for a career.

We live in a real world that is heavy sometimes with real-life obligations, but we also have souls that deserve care and attention. We can pay attention to our worldly ambitions and pleasures (hobbies, jobs, careers) without neglecting our mystical, otherworldly, beautiful and often impractical vocations. We can pay attention to all of it — but this requires sitting still at times and really thinking things through, with courage and dignity. And it requires an understanding of terms.

The important thing is to be sober and careful and attentive enough to know what you are REALLY talking about when you consider the question, “What am I doing with my life?”

It isn’t easy to answer this question, but understanding and respecting these four different words might be a start.

And when in doubt, at least try SOMETHING. As the wonderful poet David Whyte says: “A wrong-headed but determined direction is better than none at all.”

Good luck out there, brave seekers!

Onward,
LG

*****
This article was borrowed from facebook with much respect. Buy Elizabeths book. It looks great. 🙂

BTW, If you haven’t down loaded my free ebook you may like to do that. I also developed my on-line programs to help you figure this stuff out so you can feel more comfortable walking in both camps. To have a look click here.

Create Your Business – Deciding your priority

Posted on February 29, 2016 Posted in Create your Business!, Gay Landeta, Hints & Tips for Creating & Goal Setting Leave a comment

Gay Landeta

This time of year many business owners start to consider how they could grow their business, maybe create some passive income or just get more clients.

I don’t know about you, but I can get excited about opportunities and then overwhelmed by ideas. Finding ways to avoid that is always useful. This process that I am about to share is a really simple but very profound process developed by a psychologist friend who is also an ex-engineer.

This process has no place for grey. This can be a challenging way to think as it can feel limiting, however it does help those of us who tend to start projects without enough thought.

Begin by choosing your priority. To do that …

Imagine you are holding a ball bearing skill game. This one is shaped like a triangle. (i.e. one of those little hand held board games where the goal is to get the little ball bearing into the correct hole.)

In each corner of the triangle there is a hole for a ball bearing.

And each corner of the triangle has a label: time, quality or money.

Choose where you want the ball bearing to land. That is your overall priority at the moment. And you can only choose one.

You then choose projects that comply with that priority, i.e. be timely, be quality or save money – you may need to compromise somewhat on the other aspects.

For example if you decide saving money is the priority you may need to sacrifice some quality and / or some time to achieve your budget.

If it is time then that may mean you need to focus on the speed of the project, so it may cost more or the quality may have to be reduced.

Or if you decide quality is the priority then it may take more time and money than you initially thought.

When you have an idea you can check in again to see if your priority is still the same and what the potential compromises may be. This way you can more clearly decide if this is a step you want to take instead of getting caught in a process that takes more time, costs more money or produces something that is of a lesser quality than you would like.

Join Me For A Free Webinar

Posted on July 17, 2015 Posted in Create your Business!, Gay Landeta Leave a comment

Join me for a free webinar to help you get more clients, double your income or just learn how you can talk about what you do in a way that excites people.

This is suitable for any practitioners or those who are offering services, especially if they come from your heart.

You will also get a replay once you register so if you miss the day you can watch it later, love to have you join me ….

How to get more clients and increase your income … the 5 crucial steps to a successful business occurs Wednesday July 22nd at noon or 8 pm Brisbane Qld time.

Please register for the date and time that works best for you:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/8004170140202466306

Please join me in this free webinar and learn how to build a more successful business doing what you love.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Love to ‘see’ you there!

Gay

Create a Successful Business pt 2

A successful, sustainable business, regardless of its size, requires *clear direction, *good management, *solid systems for administration, *good marketing and *great service.

Firstly – Leadership.

Management.

Elizabeth Gilbert

14 January · 2016

Question of the day: WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR LIFE?

A successful, sustainable business, regardless of its size, requires clear direction, good management, solid systems for administration, good marketing and *great service.