IT'S NOT ABOUT BEING DONE

So I started a new book today! It's 'The E-Myth Revisited' by Michael E. Gerber. This is a book about small businesses, why they get started, why they fail and how a person can avoid the fail part. 😉 

A story he told was about the owner of a pie shop and how she started to hate this thing she built her life and business around. The quote I illustrated is what her aunt told her as she was learning to bake when she would start to rush. I re-read this passage a few time to let it really sink into my brain.

I have felt this way a lot in the past. I'd start something and then immediately want to move on. But then what?

It reminded me of a favorite piece of stand-up comedy from Jerry Seinfeld where he says something to the effect of 'we are all going around from one destination to another for another chance to sit down.' I think that says so much about how we appreciate or don't appreciate the act of making what we love or even experiencing life for that matter!

This is when life becomes a chore or a hassle, you can easily see this in business. The reason why you get into it stops being enjoyable because of everything else (book keeping, marketing yourself, technical issues, etc.).

The challenge is to enjoy IT ALL.

I know that might seem like expecting a lot from yourself, but I truly believe it's necessary to stop negativity from slowly over taking your life and the things you love. The good thing is that positivity is just as contagious as negativity. As soon as you relax and enjoy making stuff, even if the stuff is kind of crappy, that joy will be felt. I can't celebrate that fact enough and how true it is.

When you exude positivity it will shine back to you. Granted, I'm not perfect at this, but when I notice myself falling back to negativity I can recenter myself and it makes a huuuuge difference.

So bake those pies, draw those illustrations, read that book but not to be done, instead, do it to learn, grow and have some goddamn fun. 🎉

SUCCESSFULLY UNEMPLOYED: TIP 8

Heeeey! You made it to the final day of my Successfully Unemployed series! Woohoo! I hope you've found some of these tips useful, no matter what your employment status happens to be! Okay, with that, let's get right into the final tip, it is to…

STAY OPEN

What started to trip me up while unemployed was being motivated to actually apply for jobs.

Every job description I was reading started to sound the same and worst of all they didn't sound like me at all. When I would read the descriptions I would look at them like 'well I can only do 50% of what they're looking for so nvm…' If you are anything like me, focus on what you can do and what you could learn and apply anyway!

Thankfully, all of my practices that I've laid out with you in this series brought me to confidently deliver this final piece of advice, which is to stay open.

What that has meant to me was to keep an eye on the job boards and apply to something if it sounds interesting, even if it's just a tiny part of the job that sounds interesting. This is because if you have the chance to interview, you will have the opportunity to have a real conversation with this company and getting to know them better. Just because you go on an interview, it doesn't mean you have to take a job from them if they offer. So try not to get too ahead of yourself :)

Another thing you can try is to get in touch with a recruiter who may help find leads for you. Especially if you are new to an area, a recruiter can help you a lot simply because they have more resources. To be very honest, I wouldn't be in my job right now if it wasn't for a recruiter! AND just because they suggest a lead to you, doesn't mean you have to take it. All recruiters want to find a good match for both the employee and the employer.

Being open takes practice, and it takes courage. But the best results come from keeping your eyes open.

Have faith that all of the work you've been doing will be put you right where you need to be at the right time.

—

Welllllll that's it! That's all my advice for those who are unemployed! I hope you found these tips useful if you are or every find yourself in between jobs, trying to find your first job or quit your job to find something or build something better for yourself.

As I said in the beginning of this series, these tips are great for anyone, no matter what your employment status is, but they're especially great for the unemployed. I was once there, probably will be again, and it's not as scary as it sounds.

Thanks for hanging out with me for this series! Things will go back to their regularly scheduled programing in a few days. Just a heads-up, as I mentioned a few days ago I'm enrolled in Marie Forleo's b-school right now and that's taking up a good chunk of time, so updates will be less formal :)

PS. If you are interested in reading my techniques/recommendations/advice of productivity, last year I did a small series called Productivity Week! Check it out if you want to know more about it. The techniques I wrote about then are practices that I still use today!

—

Intro | tip 1 | tip 2 | tip 3 | tip 4 | tip 5 | tip 6 | tip 7

SUCCESSFULLY UNEMPLOYED: TIP 7

I have tip #7 ready to go for you! It's a fun one too!!! It is…

BRAIN FOOD

This has nothing to do with zombies, what I mean by 'brain food' is games, drawing, playing music, etc.

If you have a hobby that has been sitting on the back burner, move it to the front! For example, if you play the guitar but haven't actually played in a while, that's the kind of stuff I'm talking about.

In my case, I like to draw so my Drawn & Delivered card project and my Daily Intention series were great ways for me to dust that hobby off.

I know a lot of people like games and it helps them stay more alert and happy. My mom, for example, loves word searches, which is a great way for her to exercise her mind.

When you engage in an activity that you find great joy in and that challenges you, your brain will grow.

So don't for a second think that working on that sudoku, crossword or jigsaw puzzle is a total waste of time. The added bonus to playing games and solving puzzles is when you finish one you get a huge boost in confidence and when you are looking for a job, every ounce of confidence is valuable!

You know the expression 'if you don't use it, you loose it'? Well don't let that happen to your hobbies. OR don't let little experience keep you from trying. When you try something new new pathways are opened up in your mind.

—

What kind of activities or hobbies do you enjoy the most? Is there something you've always wanted to try but haven't yet? Especially if you are unemployed, now is the time!

I've got the final tip coming to you tomorrow! I hope you've enjoyed this series so far :)

See you tomorrow!

—

Intro | tip 1 | tip 2 | tip 3 | tip 4 | tip 5 | tip 6

SUCCESSFULLY UNEMPLOYED: TIP 6

Hi! It's me again with another tip perfect for anyone between jobs. This one is great for those with a job too and it is to…

READ

I read for 5 to 10 minutes of non-fiction every morning. 

When I was unemployed, my non-fiction favorites were self help books. What non-fiction can give you is real perspective on how other people live their lives. It can teach you a new perspective and give you inspiration.

Reading these kinds of books in smaller chunks works out well because it gives you the rest of the day to digest what you just read.

For me, reading calms me down and stops me from feeling overwhelmed with to-do list thinking first thing in the day. I think this same principal would apply to spiritual texts too, basically anything that resonates with you on a deeper level. So break out your Bible or the Quran if that's your thing, anything that lifts you up will serve you well.

What I love about this tip the most is that I'm pretty sure you'll never get bored with reading. There are just waaaay too many good books out there, and more being published all the time. My Good Reads list is exploding with great books that I'm excited to get to eventually!

Here are my top book suggestions for empowerment and balance:
The Miracle Morning
The Power of Now

—

Do you read as a way to connect with yourself? Have you read anything recently that spoke to a very deep, true part of who you are?

Another tip is coming to you tomorrow! See you then!

—

Intro | tip 1 | tip 2 | tip 3 | tip 4 | tip 5

BOUTIQUE & ART SUPPLIES

not pictured: the paint brush. oops!

Hello! So this is an unplanned post that I decided to publish!

I spontaneously decided to film a video of what I picked up yesterday! My thought behind this is to just share the things I'm excited about and to be a little less formal around here in general. I'm not a very formal person so yeah! Sharing stuff like this feels pretty excellent to me :)

If you are in or visiting Minneapolis and love women's fashion, check out Proper & Prim (located in Uptown). They have a great selection of unique, fun items and really great prices, IMO. 

Secondly, if you are into creating art and needs supplies, check out Art Materials! It has everything you would need for art projects. ALSO, it is a local business with locations in Minneapolis and Fargo. So if you want to support local retailers, check them out. I think they will be my go-to for supplies from now on! 

Both of these stores are pretty close to where I live so that means those long treks out to the burbs can be minimized a little! Woohoo to that!

With that, enjoy the video!