ADVENTURE + ALIVENESS Page 15 of 22

Honeymoon (4): Borgo Santo Pietro

Posted on 2013-06-26 at 9:13 am.

Continuing the story of our dreamy honeymoon (which seems like a long time ago now, even though it was only in April)…

We spent three blissful days at Borgo Santo Pietro, a stunning Italian villa in the Tuscan countryside, which turns out to have been awarded ‘Best Boutique Hotel in the World’ in 2012! I am not surprised – it felt like you were staying at a rich friend’s gorgeous country home. It is hard to find words to describe this place, so I will let the pictures do the talking.

This chandelier was in the toilet!

One night the kitchen was doing a special Tuscan dinner, but we had already sampled so much rich food we decided to opt for something more simple in their outdoor bar (in the picture above). And as everyone else was at the dinner, we ended up with the whole place to ourselves, with our own personal barman, a roaring log fire and deep comfy sofas to chill in as we sampled the best the local vineyard had to offer. We talked long into the night about the shared life we have ahead of us, and I think it was actually my favourite night of the whole honeymoon.

Although the days were warm, the nights were chilly, so we spent a fair bit of time by the log fires inside the house too – so cosy.

Such a special place…

You can read my other honeymoon posts here: (1) Florence / (2) Castel Monastero / (3) Winetasting in Tuscany / (4) Borgo Santo Pietro / (5) Pasta masterclass / (6) Pisa and home

Life According To Mr. K – Love to Change (3)

Posted on 2013-06-21 at 8:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

In my last column I talked about the six month sabbatical Beth and I took last year. The change of location brought an obvious change in scenery, environment, food, culture, language, tempo and lifestyle. My physical surroundings had changed massively.

We had traded our considerably large and very comfortable 3 storey house for a postage stamp of a flat, – 12 square metres to be exact. We prepared food on top of the fridge and cooked on a single ring hob. The toilet design had been taken straight from a plane, it was three steps from the kitchen and the dining table was literally a foot from the bed. Compact to say the least (or cosy if you ask Beth).

We had no car, no phone and no TV. I had no idea how significant this was to become. These changes in circumstance prompted us to go out all the time. By going out I don’t mean going to the pub. I mean going outside and exploring. We cycled and walked everywhere. We spent time in coffee shops, by the river, at temples and shrines, in parks and public gardens. Okay and the odd bar!

I was reading, writing and drawing nearly every day. I felt alive. More importantly I felt that I was living every day.

There is no doubting that Kyoto is a magical place. It is so different it would capture anyone’s imagination for a while.

But I truly believe the most significant change for me was not the change in scenery, culture, people, language or food.

The most significant change was a shift to having less, doing less, rushing less. Less stuff, less technology and less noise led to more time, more laughs and certainly more adventures.

Maybe less is more! I never really appreciated this saying before my trip but it certainly do now. When you think about it in this way, it is actually possible to make small changes anytime, even starting right now. Small changes can have big results.

“True life is lived when tiny changes occur” – Leo Tolstoy

I remember sitting on the shinkansen (bullet train) and noticing that every single person was transfixed by their phone or tablet. I guess this is pretty much true of any commute, in nearly every industrialised society. And I used to be part of that. But not this time.

I spent the next couple of hours gazing out of the window, watching mountains and paddy fields pass by. My mind was free to wander aimlessly. I felt so relaxed, enjoying the details in the moment. Maybe if we try to be a little less obsessed with what is ahead, we can let ourselves enjoy the journey, and the view, a little more.

“True change takes place in the imagination” – Thomas Moore

I have made so many big changes recently, from changing career, to learning a brand new skill (Japanese) to getting married and now moving house.

I wonder why, after a decade of inactivity/ doing the same thing, there have suddenly been a flurry of changes? Is it my age? Is it the influence of my wife and the ethos of Do What You Love? Or is it that I changed one thing and that went well, so I had more confidence to change another, and another? Once I opened the floodgates I realised that there wasn’t that much to be fearful of, and a whole lot to be excited about. I suspect it is a combination of all the above.

How about you? What small steps could you take right now, to simplify your life and make changes today that will get you closer to feeling how you want to feel?

Until next time…

Mr K

Thought for the Week (17)

Posted on 2013-06-17 at 8:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

After a year of life changing decisions and events this is one of my favourite quotes. You have to imagine it first, then take the steps to make the change.

What would you change if you could? Think big!

So what’s stopping you?

Life According To Mr. K – Love to Change (2)

Posted on 2013-06-14 at 8:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

The six months I spent in Japan last year was certainly one of huge change and of even greater self-discovery. It is most probably one of the most important decisions I have ever made and has been truly life changing. But surely we don’t have to disappear half way around the world every time we have an issue to work through.

I think it is important to note that I didn’t arrive in Japan and suddenly find all the answers. Far from it! It was a long and very frustrating process that eventually presented me with the questions I needed to ask myself.

It is easy to say that things have to change, but the big question is ‘How do I go about changing them?’ Herein lies the key.

I had to ask myself, “How do I want to feel in my life? What do I need to do differently to feel that way?”

The changes I sought had to come from within me. In six months’ time I was to return home. I refused to consider returning with no plan for doing things differently, and allowing all my old issues to return. I needed a long term and soul defining change.

I remember sitting on the banks of the Kamogawa (Kamo River) one morning reading a book that a friend had sent me. The book “Eat, Sleep Sit”, the autobiographical story of 30 year old Japanese businessman Kaoru Nonomura, who gave it all up to spend a year at Japan’s strictest and most revered training monastery, Eiheiji.

The book made me ask myself what do we hope to achieve by making such drastic changes. Do we hope that the magnitude of the change will be directly proportional to the effect it will have? Or is it more a case of, “If I am going to do this then I am going to really do this. Sink or swim.”

My conclusion? I’m not actually sure, but what I do know is that taking a big step to arrest the trajectory of my life gave me the time, space and energy to take more control of its direction. Making a big change means you cannot help but notice that things are different. And that can be just the wake up call we need.

I found some parallels with Nonomura’s story and what I was hoping to achieve, but there was one major difference. If I was to succeed I needed to be realistic. I needed to appreciate that some changes may take a while. And I needed a plan. I wasn’t running away, I just needed to catch my breath.

“Just because everything is different doesn’t mean anything has changed”

– Irene Peter

We seem to put a lot of emphasis on changing location to help us make changes. This can help in certain situations, but it is definitely not the only way. In fact to make real soul defining changes we need to build on what we discover whilst away and find a structure that will work for us.

Surely we can find inspiration anywhere and everywhere – we just need to give ourselves the opportunity and more importantly the time to spot it!

If you could escape from your daily life, where would you go and why? Is there any way you can make that happen? It doesn’t have to be this week – it could be in the next year? Or the next five years? I’d like to hear about it.

Until next time…

Honeymoon (2): Castel Monastero in Tuscany

Posted on 2013-06-09 at 12:35 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

After Florence we headed off into the Tuscan countryside for some chill out time in a beautiful old converted monastery. I had read about Castel Monastero in several ‘luxury spa’ and ‘best hotels’ books – the name kept popping up again and again so we decided to try it out. The place was perfect for us after the manic few weeks that precede a wedding. It was so peaceful and relaxed, giving us plenty of time to reflect on the brilliant time we had at our wedding, as well as talk about the kind of marriage and life we want to share in the years ahead.

We borrowed the hotel’s bikes and cycled past the olive groves surrounding the estate, soaked in the spa (which we had completely to ourselves, complete with strange dead sea salt bath) and then came back to the stunning hotel bar for very welcome cocktails!

One of my favourite parts of this section of our honeymoon was the stunning Gordon Ramsay restaurant in the basement of the hotel. ‘Cantina’ is built inside a vaulted wine cellar, reached down a narrow set of uneven stone steps lit only with candles.

These photos don’t really do the place justice. It was so atmospheric and the food was divine, paired with delicious wines from the hotel’s own vineyard. They happily made things to order if what you fancied wasn’t on the menu, and nothing was rushed. We ended up eating here three times!

We discovered the best creme brulee in the world…

While at Castel Monastero we also hired a driver and went on a long tour of the local vineyards. Such fun! More on that in my next honeymoon post…

Every day of our honeymoon felt like a precious gift of time to relax, soak up the beauty of the Italian countryside, and spend time together. We are grateful to our families and wedding guests who contributed to our honeymoon as our wedding present. The gift of travel was the perfect gift for us.

You can read my other honeymoon posts here: (1) Florence / (2) Castel Monastero / (3) Winetasting in Tuscany / (4) Borgo Santo Pietro / (5) Pasta masterclass / (6) Pisa and home

Thought for the Week (15)

Posted on 2013-06-03 at 8:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

It may seem very obvious, right? But how many of us can honestly say that where we are heading is where we hope to end up?

When was the last time you really thought about the path you find yourself on and where is it going to take you?

And is it time to change that path?

IF YOU WANT THINGS TO CHANGE, YOU HAVE TO TAKE ACTION. GET READY TO L.E.A.P.!

Time for change (+ amazing giveaway – win mentoring worth $997!)

Posted on 2013-06-01 at 8:27 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

As the grey skies fold back to reveal a swathe of blue, and as the sun comes out and the coats come off, it feels like change is in the air. And there is certainly a lot of change going on around here at DWYL HQ.

We are putting the final touches to our brand new website (which will launch this month and we hope you will love). With that will come a new kind of blogging from us, with a different theme for each month to explore all the different aspects of doing what you love.

We are starting this today, June 1, with the first theme ‘Love change’. Change is fundamental to shifting from a life doing what you don’t love, to doing what you do love. Over the coming month we will share a series of interviews with people who have undergone major changes in their life (often involving bravery, excitement, and no small measure of fear), along with our own thoughts on how change has and continues to be a major part of our lives.

Fittingly, this month we are preparing for a major personal change, packing up our home in the north of England to go and live by the sea! We have spent many holidays by the ocean, or by other kinds of water, and every time we are near it we just feel happy. I grew up on the south coast of England, and it is time to return, and start to live in the environment which makes us happiest.

Brighton here we come!

This is yet another major change after several big ones these past couple of months – from getting married to my new husband then quitting his career of 12 years and starting to work together here at Do What You Love. After two months of it we have started to find our own work rhythm, and I know for sure both those changes were very good decisions. The best in fact!

Through this month’s posts we will be exploring the things that push us to change, the things that inspire us to change, and the things that hold us back from changing. We hope that along the way you will share your stories of change too.

And we are excited to kick of this brand new blog series with a massive giveaway from Jennifer Lee of Artizen Coaching, someone who has experienced significant change in their own life, and now helps others make major changes in their creative businesses – see below for details, and get involved! (THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ENTERED.)

THE PRIZE: The Right-Brain Entrepreneur Mentorship Program, which starts on June 10th, is an intensive 8-month programme led by The Right-Brain Business Plan bestselling author Jennifer Lee. You have a chance to win a seat at the Cohort Circle level (valued at $997) where you’ll learn how to develop new moola making methods, package your gifts and craft your offers, build your list so you can authentically attract and connect with your right peeps, create a successful plan to launch your offers, and more through right-brain interactive video chats, group coaching calls, and a private Facebook group. Any questions? Check out the programme’s FAQ here (includes dates for calls).

IS THIS FOR YOU? The mentorship program is for you if you’re a Right-Brain Entrepreneur yearning to finally take your creative business to the next level but are unsure what steps to take next because the left-brain details overwhelm you. Or you’ve been at your work for awhile but are tired of struggling to make a living doing what you love. You can find out more here.

HOW TO ENTER: Check out The Right-Brain Entrepreneur Mentorship Program here and think carefully about how this could benefit you and your business. Come back and leave a comment below this post explaining where you are on your enterprise journey, and why this programme is exactly what you need right now. Please include your full name, country and a link to your business website/blog if possible.

DEADLINE: This giveaway will close on Friday June 7, 2013 at 9am EST / 2pm GMT. Any comments left after that time will not be counted. THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ENTERED.

THE SMALL PRINT: This giveaway is open to anyone over the age of 18 from any country, and entry is free of charge. One winner will be chosen from the comments left below this post by the deadline. Do What You Love’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. There is no cash alternative. The winner will be requested to write a blog post for the Do What You Love blog once the mentoring programme has finished, to explain the impact it had on them. By entering this giveaway you give permission for your name and email address to be added to the Do What You Love mailing list. We will not pass your details on to third parties, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

If you think this is for you please go for it! Someone has to win… it might just be you. And if anyone you know might benefit from this amazing prize please share this with them.

Pop back on Thursday for a special Do What You Love interview with Jennifer Lee, the mastermind behind this mentorship programme!

Honeymoon part 1 – Florence

Posted on 2013-05-24 at 9:21 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

And so to the honeymoon story… After our brilliant wedding (pictures of which are coming soon), we headed off to Italy for our honeymoon. I don’t know what it is about the word ‘honeymoon’ but it has a dreaminess about it which perfectly describes how you feel when you are on one.

We flew into Pisa and took a train through the Italian countryside to Florence, a beautiful city packed with history and art at every turn.

We only had one night in the city, so spent many hours walking the cobbled streets, strolling through the Boboli Gardens, basking in the sunshine and eating gelato.

Borgo San Jacopo inside Salvatore Ferragamo’s beautiful Hotel Lungarno where we stayed

We had promised ourselves that we would eat and drink whatever delicious feasts we fancied while away, so we started with dinner at Borgo San Jacopo, a fine dining restaurant I had visited on my own a few weeks before Mr K and I first met.

Back then, as I sat by the window overlooking the River Arno shortly after my 30th birthday I made a promise to myself that when I met the love of my life I would bring him here – so it was the perfect place to start out Italian honeymoon.

You should have seen Mr K’s face when the ‘amuse bouche’ appeared as a gift from the chef. I think he thought this was the world’s tiniest starter (or some kind of culinary joke – but it tasted delicious!)…

Pop back soon for Honeymoon part 2, when we venture into the Italian countryside for a taste of Tuscany…

***

You can read my other honeymoon posts here: (1) Florence / (2) Castel Monastero / (3) Winetasting in Tuscany / (4) Borgo Santo Pietro / (5) Pasta masterclass / (6) Pisa and home

Thought for the week (14)

Posted on 2013-05-20 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Do you agree with Winston Churchill? I’m not sure there is such a thing as perfect, but I say the word ‘perfect’ many times a day…

Do What You Love interview: Paul Kempton (aka Mr K!)

Posted on 2013-05-16 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Today I am thrilled to share an interview with someone who is incredibly special to me… my husband! Paul (or Mr K as he will be known on this blog!) has just taken a massive leap of faith, quitting his stable, sensible career in civil engineering to come and work with me at Do What You Love! He will be writing a regular column here on DWYL giving ‘the guy’s view’, but first I wanted you to get to know a little more about him…

Paul describes himself as “a newly married man in his mid thirties who, after years of coasting and watching life pass him by, has finally woken up!“

1. How are you leading a life ‘doing what you love’?

An interesting question! Ask me again in a year, as I am only in my first month on the job at Do What You Love! However what I am sure of is that is that after quitting my career of 12 years I have now given myself an opportunity to do what I love. I certainly feel as if I am on the right path to find fulfillment, pride and happiness in my work. At this moment in time I am fully focused and enjoying helping secure the future for my family.

2. What did you do before this?

I spent my childhood growing up all over the world, as my father worked overseas. I went to 12 different schools in Hong Kong, Iraq, Trinidad & Tobago, the Seychelles and beyond, before coming back to the UK for my GCSEs. Having spent so many years away, I then studied Civil Engineering and Construction Management at Leeds University and settled in Leeds where I have been ever since. I have spent the past 12 years building a career as a Civil Engineer.

3. What was you a-ha moment that pushed you to change your passion in life?

I don’t think there has been a particular a-ha or eureka moment, but there have been a couple of key episodes in my life which have subsequently prompted big decisions.

The first episode was when Beth (Founder of Do What You Love) walked into my life six years ago. Up to that point I had been cruising around in second gear, just doing enough. Watching and supporting Beth’s career changes, particularly the creation and building of Do What You Love, provided me with a reminder about what life should be about.

The second episode was when Beth and I took a sabbatical and lived in Kyoto (Japan) for six months last year. This ‘time out’ allowed me to readdress who I was and what I wanted.

Taking tea in a Japanese garden in Kyoto during my sabbatical there

4. How did you make it happen?

Once I had made my decision I took a deep breath and discussed the situation with Beth. The decision was obviously going to affect both of us. The support I received was nothing but positive and I will never underestimate the importance of this. We (this is important) decided and agreed on an escape plan.

Interestingly I still found it hugely difficult to hand in my notice. I am not sure whether it was male pride, stubbornness or fear of the unknown, but the thought of starting something completely new in my mid 30s was proving difficult to compute. I was considering giving up a good career and relatively secure income in a recession, just before I was due to get married! In the end I asked myself the question “Do I love or even like what I am currently doing?” The answer was a resounding “no”. The next day I informed my Director. A few months on I now know that without a shadow of a doubt it was the one of the best decisions I have ever made.

5. What has been your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?

I actually think my biggest challenge has been changing my career. Many close family and friends were not convinced that it was either sensible or correct. Maybe it wasn’t a sensible decision but every part of it felt so right. Interestingly, lots of my old colleagues reacted to my news of quitting with “Wow, I am so jealous!”

How did I overcome it? Knowing I had Beth’s unwavering support and blessing was huge. I was also pleasantly surprised to have complete support from my dad. I have to stress that my parents have been very supportive in everything I have done, but my dad is a Civil Engineer himself, and it is a career that he dearly loves. So to give it all up to pursue something I wasn’t 100% clear on certainly had an element of risk, and I wasn’t expecting him to be so behind me on my decision. Whose parents would not be concerned?

Since then I have taken everything step by step and I can honestly say that life seems extremely exciting again.

6. What is the best advice you have received?

Treat other people, as you would like to be treated yourself. (my Dad).

With my new wife (Beth, founder of Do What You Love) on our recent honeymoon in Tuscany

7. What keeps you awake at night?

Hoping that I can be a good husband and hopefully one day a good father.

8. And what gets you up in the morning?

To see what the day has in store for us and what exciting plans/decisions we will make.

9. What is next for you?

I have a few goals which I would like to pursue but I guess what I can say it feels like I have an exciting and full life ahead and I cannot wait to see how it unfolds.

Stay tuned for Mr K’s brand new weekly column, Life According to Mr K, coming soon to Do What You Love!

Click here for more interviews with inspiring people doing what they love.