Does your internal monologue sound like this at all?

I should really be X…

I should get on top of Y…

I should have figured out Z by now…

‘Shoulds’ are the bane of my existence! They’re flagged in both of my journaling clubs. Whenever I hear the word uttered, I make a point to question it (even if I’m the one saying ‘should’). Do it because you want to do it or not at all! 

‘Shoulds’ are like unwritten rules we think we have to follow. If you don’t question them, you live your life on autopi...

I don’t know if this is a hot take but I don’t think you can build a successful business without failing a couple of times (at least!) There’s no one-size-fits-all way to build a business. It’s not as simple as following a map from A to B because you and your business are unique. What makes me tick is not the same as what makes you tick. What works for me isn’t necessarily going to work for you. 

That’s why I’m all about figuring out your own path to success. The figuring-out part is where peop...

How’s your self-care going? If your response is “Huh? Self-care? Where am I supposed to fit that into my schedule?” Let’s talk. 

Self-care, filling your cup, looking after your health and wellbeing, whatever you want to call it is vital for everyone. We’re human beings with human needs like nutrients, movement and fresh air. While a lot of us put self-care on the back burner, cos we're business owners doing it all, we can’t afford to not look after ourselves properly. 

Why is self-care so impo...

As a business owner, especially when there's just you, the best intentions for your day can be torn apart by a single email. Suddenly there’s something you need to sort out pronto. It’s not necessarily an incoming disaster. You could be side-lined by an unexpected enquiry you want to put a proposal together for ASAP. Nevertheless, how you intended to spend the day is no longer how you will spend the day because that’s the nature of business. 

The problem is often that means we spend so much tim...

Life can be overwhelming. It can also be incredibly fulfilling. Most of us are walking the line between the two. Personal values are a great anchor point to keep you calm in the chaos and spend more time on the side of fulfilment. These are the principles that are most important to you. For example, fun, freedom and family are some of my values (not necessarily in that order!). When I’m making decisions in my business or personal life, I make sure my decision aligns with fun, freedom and family....

When we improve our financial situations, we unlock new choices. Choices about how we grow our businesses. Choices about how we spend our time, look after our loved ones and prepare for the future. Of course you want to make enough money in your business to reach your goals and live out your ambitions, creating financial security so you can enjoy the highs and have a backup for the lows. 

But how do you make more money? Bump up your prices? Discount your products like crazy to get an influx of ...

Have you ever reached the realisation that you've completely lost touch with yourself? You don’t know who you are anymore. It hits you like a ton of bricks. I had that revelation a few years back. I had moulded myself to fit other people’s expectations of me. At the same time, I had eroded my sense of self and who I truly was. 

It was a lightbulb moment that something needed to change. I wanted to be myself. But I had no idea who that was, I needed to sort my real self out from who I had become...

How does it feel to say the phrase “I love money”? Even in an empty room, it can trigger feelings of shame and guilt. Or it might ring true for you. It depends on your money mindset which is essentially your perception of and beliefs around money that influence how you think about, make and spend money. So it’s pretty important for business owners as we determine how much money we make and how we allocate money to grow the business. 

What has been underrepresented in the discourse around money ...

Business mindset is vital to business success, whether you’re a small business owner just starting out on your own or the CEO of a multi-million dollar corporation. How can it not be? Your mindset is the framework of beliefs in which you process information and make decisions. 

For example, say you’re in a sales call with a potential client and they question your pricing, claiming it’s too expensive. Do you respond to that information by doing a U-turn, lowering your pricing and feeling guilty ...

I first came across gratitude journaling when I was in therapy for depression. Needless to say, I was in a dark period of my life and didn’t see much to be grateful for, but as I picked up the habit of gratitude I did start to notice a change. I was beginning to see shimmers of hope. Gradually, I was able to see more positivity in my world. 

That’s the thing about gratitude journaling, it seems silly at first, especially if you are starting small by writing down things like how grateful you are...