The Best Blogging Advice You Will Ever Receive

I was inspired by my client Nancy (aka: Miss Worldwide Traveler) to write this post, because she is currently working on this. Nancy, you rock.

I think this is THE best blogging advice you will ever receive:

Don’t start a blog. Continue a blog.

Do you know how many people START blogs? Everyone and their kid sister has started a blog.
And how many of those blogs are just dead, floating around in internet? I’ve got at least four.

Don’t learn how to start a blog.
Don’t learn how to start a YouTube channel.
Don’t learn how to start a podcast.

Learn how to continue a blog, YouTube channel or podcast.

You’re not a blogger if you just have a domain name with three posts and you intend to blog but life gets in the way.

You don’t need to change the fonts.
You don’t need more followers.
You don’t need a new vlogging camera.
You don’t need new podcasting equipment.

You need to write. You need to record. You need to film.

When?
Not once a week.
Not three times a week.
Every single day.

This philosophy is what has got me to where I am today with 325 blogs in 325 days.

Some projects can’t be published every day. Fair.
But you can work on them every single day. Even if it’s for 60 seconds a day.
Make a commitment to showing up and progressing your dream every single day.

Forget about starting. Learn how to continue.

____________________

Follow Nancy:
Nancy’s Blog
Nancy’s Instagram
Nancy’s YouTube

Rethinking my Priorities

We’re finally out of lockdown, so to celebrate my best friend Georgia’s birthday, we got a bach (that’s a beach house/holiday home for anyone international!) in Lake Taupo.

It’s totally gorgeous here, and the best thing is that I’m taking time off (something I don’t do enough!) from running my business. I am still doing my coaching calls, but not all of the extra admin tasks.

One of the biggest learning lessons I’ve had over the past few days is how true Paretos principle is:

“The Pareto principle states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.”

This is definitely the case in my business. I spend so much time working on things that don’t actually matter.

Too much time scrolling on Facebook.

Too much time checking emails.

Too much time planning instead of doing.

So I’m using this weekend as a reset button, to check in with what actually matters.

I’ll let you know what I discover!

I'm Officially Recertified

Woohoo! I've just completed my 4-day re-certification online.

I’m super pumped! This photo is from my first certification in November 2018, because it was the in-person event (during Coronavirus we did it online of course, so I didn’t get a real-life photo).

What is High Performance Coaching?

Coaching is a process that leads to performance improvement and goal achievement. It’s about creating heightened levels of success across all areas of your life.

I’m taking on new clients at the moment, so if you’re interested in working with a High Performance Coach to take your life to the next level, fill out this application and we can have a discussion to see if it’s right for you:

How To Keep An Abundance Log

Wait, what is an abundance log?

An abundance log is a way to see how much income you actually receive. You might think your salary is X amount, but wait until you add all of the incredible value you don’t even realise you get.

How it works:

It’s about keeping a list of all of the items of value you receive in your life, (kind of like a gratitude journal). When you see how much value you truly receive in the world, and you convert that to actual dollars, you’ll see your ‘income’ is actually a lot higher than you might think!

I’ve been keeping an Abundance Log on and off for years. I’ve decided to get back into it this month, and I managed to find some of my old abundance logs in the notes on my phone as examples.

December 2018 Abundance Log:

• Unlimited yoga for three months in exchange for volunteering $510

• Stella paid for coffee at our hang out $6

• Pirates of the Carabiner Show from Lynne $50

• Jasmine’s school play $16 value

• Free train from Northampton to Cardiff $200

• Fluffy socks for Christmas from Max & Bob $15

• Joke Pencils for Christmas from Sashi & Julie $20

• Delicious food at Kirsty & Max’s for dinner estimated $20

• A meal out with Peter & Chris estimated $40

• 3 nights staying at Emma & Ian’s house in Cardiff – equivalent of 3 nights in a motel $200

Total value: $1077

January 2019 Abundance Log:

• Airpoints paid my flight Auckland-Christchurch $85

• Hot chocolate from my Uncle Paul $4

• Transformational Conference Gifted by Joanne $500

• Pad Thai paid for by Joanne $20

• Coffee on the house at Presuming Ed’s Cafe $4

• Nutribullet housewarming gift $150

• Shoes that don’t fit Latisha + Lipstick shade that doesn’t suit her $120

• Saved a whole grand by flying to NZ with a cheaper airline $1000

• Coaching client gifted an extra $300

Total value: $2183

April 2020 Abundance Log:

• Scholarship to a join mastermind $1056

• Free accommodation during quarantine $1000

• Borrowed a bike for an hour $30

• Coaching swap with Stephanie $3000

• Disney Plus Screen from my sister’s account $10

Total value: $5096

Counting only those three months over the last 2 years, I have experienced over $8000 worth of value!
If we take those three months as an average, it works out at an average of $32,000 a year of extra ‘income’.

Think about it right now. Take your salary, and add $30,000 of value. Not bad!

how to Keep your own abundance log:

1. Whenever you receive something for free, or you get a discount, add it to the log with the price it would have cost you had you paid for it yourself.

2. Add your free coffees. Add coins you find in your old jeans. Add your tax refund. Add dinners at friend’s houses and sleepovers. Add the Netflix account your friends gave you the password for.

3. Let it sink in. Realise how freaking rich you actually are. Read the log. Feel the gratitude! You just accrued a ton of extra value in your life. Thank the universe, god, spirit, whoever you believe in – and don’t forget to thank the people who gifted things to you.

Will you try keeping an Abundance Log? Let me know in the comments!

My Morning Routine

Beautiful beach house on my run

I was on a call with my coach Angie this morning, and she absolutely kicked my booty on the topic of morning routines. I told her I had committed to doing a morning routine every day this month, but I’d been doing a really half-hearted job.

She asked me, if I was truly living into my ideal self, my fullest potential, would I be pressing snooze 9 times and waking up at 11am, checking Facebook in bed, and then rushing to get ready for the day because I was late? Um, no.

Angie was right. If I want to play in the big leagues, I’ve got to start acting like someone who already does.

So I committed to Angie that I would do a full morning routine today, and for the rest of the month.

Here is what I ended up doing:

1. Meditation
   I used the Insight Timer app and did the “Good Morning Gratitude Practice” by David Gandelman. It was very peaceful. Usually, I struggle to do meditation in the morning because I just fall back asleep, but I’m hoping to get into a better habit of trying to do it anyway.

2. Affirmation
   My favourite affirmation in the world is “I am unstoppable!” (And the explicit version, if you know what I mean). Because it doesn’t matter what mood you’re in or how you feel – happy, sad, tired, anxious, depressed – it always feels good to say and keeps you motivated.

3. Visualization
   I sat with my vision board and envisioned my goals – small and big. I visualised welcoming 2000 Facebook Group members in my Impossible Girls group (join here!). I imagined being able to do 100 push ups in a row with ease. I thought about it in detail – what it would feel like, what I would do when I achieved them, and how I would celebrate.

4. Exercise
   I used to believe exercise in the morning really sucked. But today I stepped into my ideal self and thought “Would Tony Robbins skip exercise in the morning?” HELL NO. And then I just did it. I went for a run. It was almost effortless. If Tony would do it, then I’m going to do it.

5. Reading
   One of my May Goals is to read 10 pages of a book every single day. I have been, but I’ve usually been doing it in the evening, right before I fall asleep. This morning, it was so much easier to read when my mind was properly alert. (P.S. I’m reading How To Win Friends & Influence People – for the third time, it’s that good!).

6. Journaling
   I journaled on my goals. Here are the questions I asked:
   1) What are 3 things I’m grateful for?
   2) What result do I want in my life?
   3) Who do I need to be to get that result?
   4) Now that I already am that person, what do I do/say/think/eat/wear/believe?

7. Cold shower
   I had always thought taking cold showers had to be for the entire time. But Angie suggested turning the handle to hot, and then getting it in and turning it on. The time that it takes to heat up from cold to hot is the only time you have to bear. Although it was a serious shock to the system, it only lasted 10 seconds and then the warm water felt soooo good. I’m definitely doing this every morning from now on!

The beauty of this morning routine is that there is no expected timing to it. You could spend 60 seconds on each of these tasks, and be done in 7 minutes. Or even less! Now I have no excuses left not to do this every morning.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for making my morning routine even more powerful!

Don't Discipline Yourself to Do 1000 Tasks

“Don’t discipline yourself for 1000 tasks. One. Only one.”

This was a reply that one of the members of my Impossible Incubator gave to another who was feeling overwhelmed with her to do list today.

And it reminded me how easy it is to get wrapped up in setting myself a million to-do list tasks, and then having to stay up all night to get them done.

I’ve written about this before. “Don’t put too many things on your plate” is not a new idea. And yet, somehow when I read it from my member today, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

I’ve totally been doing this. Guiiiilty.

This was my to do list yesterday:

• Morning Routine

  • Meditate

  • Affirmations

  • Visualization

  • Journaling

  • Exercise

  • Shower

  • Breakfast

• Coaching call with Jessica, the winner of my Facebook Group 500 members giveaway.

• Consultation with a new potential client

• Apply to join a top-secret project (I will tell you more at some point!)

• Complete work for an old client

• Message Impossible Incubator members to remind them about our Prosperity Call tomorrow

• Fill out the strategy session form for my new coach

• Call with my bestie

• Eat a salad with my lunch

• Grow my Facebook Group

• Post in my Facebook Group

• Read 10 pages

• Blog

The bold ones are things I commit to every single day.

That’s too much. Lets face it.

So here’s my plan to discipline myself to do ONE thing.

Aside from my blog post which happens automatically every day, I’m changing my to-do list to:

1. Meet people

2. Add value

3. Offer to help them

That’s it. Those are the only tasks I’m committing to (again, aside from my automatic blog posting which I do everyday now).

I’m going to try this technique for a week and see how I go!

Commit

I used to be so flakey 

I couldn't commit to anything.

And then 286 days ago, I found a post that fully changed me.

It's by a random dude named Sean Wes.

He told me to show up every day for two years.

Just commit to something.

So every single day for the last 286 days, I've posted on my blog.

Are people reading it every day? Probably not.

Am I getting better at writing? I think so.

But that's not even the point.

I'm not doing it to build a blogger following.

I'm doing it to teach myself to be the kind of person who shows up for my dreams – every single day, no matter what, even if I don't feel like it. Especially if I don't feel like it.

How would your life change if you committed to something every day for two years? 

Why You Should Stop Working On your Dreams And What To Do Instead

The biggest mistake I have ever made is working ON my dreams, instead of IN my dreams.

When you work ON your dreams, you’re setting up shop. You’re planning, you’re organising, you’re thinking about doing. But you’re not actually doing.

Examples of working ON your dream:

• Changing the font on your website

• Deciding on a name for your book

• Watching other people pursue your dream on YouTube

• Thinking about creating a podcast

• Planning to create a plan (you’d be surprised how much we do this)

• Doing “market research” before you can make a decision

• Talking about your dream with friends

• Anything else that is disguised as working on your dream, but when it comes down to it, it hasn’t actually moved you any closer to your dream

Examples of working IN your dream:

• Meeting potential clients

• Doing the necessary workout

• Creating and publishing content

• Writing the chapters of your book

• Recording the podcast

• Making offers to help people

• Actually helping people

• Anything else that is actually doing the thing that moves you closer towards your dream

I’m so guilty of of working ON my dream. It’s sneaky. It feels like progress, but it’s not.

If you meet my past self, please tell her this.

A Plan for Financial Freedom

I don’t know about you, but school and university never taught me about money. Not one single lesson on how to handle money. Is that not the craziest thing?

So after handling money badly for most of my life, I decided I better educate myself.

That’s when I discovered Dave Ramsey, and it’s not an exaggeration to say his ‘7 baby steps’ have changed my life. I’m not all the way to step 7 yet, but I’m certainly on my way. I feel so relieved to know that as long as I follow these steps, I can create financial freedom for myself. No complicated decisions, no confusing maths. How amazing is that?

Dave Ramsey’s baby steps are as follows:

1. Save $1000

2. Pay off all debt

3. Save a 3-6 month emergency fund

4. Save 15% of your income for retirement

5. Save for your kids’ college fund(or save for a house

6. Pay off the house

7. Build Wealth and Give

Have you started on the baby steps? Let me know!

The Antidote to Boredom

I realized during this lockdown period that I don’t think I’m capable of being bored.

I used to hear kids say “Muuuuum, I’m bored!” and I’d be confused – how could they be bored?! There was always a goal or a dream to pursue. From building a treehouse or making crafts, to starting a business selling cookies and making up a dance.

Sure, some tasks are “boring” but even as a kid, I always had 1000 ideas I wanted to implement.

I never have nothing on my to-do list. I wired myself this way.

There is always a project I want to start or an idea to bring to life.

I will never be someone to sit down and think “there’s nothing to do”.

And for some personality types, that might be hectic. Not everyone would like that – but I thrive in that space.

I often can’t get to sleep at night because I’m too excited about an idea or a project. It’s a genuine issue I face – my brain won’t stop talking to me, it just wants to keep on inventing and planning and creating.

I do take time to slow down and relax, but it’s out of rejuvenation, fun or self-care, not because I am done with my tasks. I am never “done.”

My current goals and projects I’m working on/want to be working on are:

• Growing my coaching practice

• Building my YouTube channel

• Hitting more push ups (to 100!)

• Blogging daily

• Meditating

• Journaling

• Reading all of the books I buy

• Doing all the online courses I have

• Planning a retreat

• Going Live on Facebook

• Building a Facebook Group

• Choosing a volunteer project

• Building a vegetable garden

• Creating a short parody film

• Choreographing a group dance to every single Britney Spears song ever (yes, actually)

• Designing a clothing and jewelry line

• Writing a TED talk

• Creating and publishing my own goal setting planner

• Starting a Podcast

• A million other things that will pop into my head at 2am

Setting yourself big goals and dreams is the antidote to boredom.

Dream big, my friends.