Back to school / Back to work!

Hello gorgeous,

Even though not all of us went on holidays this summer, September is always giving us that feeling of going back to school. Although we were mostly happy to see our friends again, we would also have liked to stay in holidays enjoying our free time… the usual dilemma.

We might be grown up now, but going back to work might still seem a difficult step to take and we would really like to stay longer on holidays… So the question is then: how do you get back in the mood?

One of my strategies, which I advise against, is to never really stop working… But then, I also don’t regenerate and never get to fill up my big energy tank for the year ahead… And one of my excuses / reasons for doing that is that I have difficulties to start again after a long break. Obviously, a better strategy is to take a real break when possible, and definitely longer than a week to have enough time to really relax and regenerate!

My big tip for you, to make the transition easier, is to first reconnect to your (big) why.

Why do you find yourself going back to school? To finish a study you never got round to complete? To retrain, so that you can make a career change? To learn a new language?

Why do you go back to work? Behind the obvious “I need to earn money”, my question is: why are you doing that kind of work? What excites you in what you are doing? What’s your bigger motivation? Helping people? Healing people? Bringing more beauty into the world? Expressing your unique gifts? Making people beautiful?

I believe deep down we are all looking for that thing that brings us happiness, that makes our heart sing, that we would want to do even if it wasn’t for money, just because we love it. So what is it for you?

Unless earning money is the only reason for doing it. If it feels enough, then great. You shouldn’t have difficulties to go back to it anyway. If it doesn’t, then it’s another story of course, and thinking of a career change is an obvious option, but another quicker and simpler idea is to look at what you are doing and think about how you can make it more interesting, more fulfilling. Is it by looking at the bigger picture; is it by adding some ingredients to the mix, is it also maybe by simply feeling grateful for it as it brings you money? Even if it’s just temporary, as you will explore that career change further down the road, I believe that by looking at your job with different lenses will also help you make your return to work easier!

I wish you a wonderful week!

Motivation is an inside job!

Hello gorgeous,

I got inspired to day to write about motivation. Where do you get it from, what if you loose it? How do you get it back? And I don’t think it’s any different if it’s about going to work in the morning, going on developing your business so that it finally takes off, taking that really important decision, or simply getting up sometimes.

The question is: what drives us, what moves us, what do we stand for? Some years ago (14 to be precise), I was in an unsatisfying relationship. Nothing wrong with him, a really good guy, but I was not happy with him. It took me a lot of introspection and some good conversations before I came to the conclusion that I had to end the relationship. I remember it clearly, as if it was yesterday, I said to myself: “I choose Happiness. Maybe I won’t meet anybody soon, and maybe I won’t have kids, but I take this risk for the sake of finding happiness”. That’s what drove me back then.

I also remember feeling demotivated when it seemed to me I was getting nowhere with my business, and what flipped it for me at that time was to reconnect to my big Why. Actually I think there’s more than one Why 😉 There’s why I do this work (which feels so joyful that it does not feel like work!), why am I here with the girls while my husband is spending most of his time away from us… Simply reconnecting to my answers gives me the inside drive, spark that I need to go on with my life.

So my question to you today is the following:

What are your big Why(s)? Why are you doing this work? Why are you living where you are living? Why are you in this relationship (or why did you stop it)?

At the end of the day, it’s about what brings you joy, as Joy is the ultimate purpose of life…

I wish you a wonderful week!