Page 13 of 125

How to make it in the world of digital nomadism

Posted on 2016-12-14 at 8:55 am.

In January 2014, Natalie Martin decided to quit her comfortable corporate job in London and go backpacking in India. It was a trip that changed her outlook on life for good and gave her the confidence to kick off her writing career by self-publishing. Since then, her debut novel, Together Apart, has become a No.1 bestseller on the Amazon charts and Love You Better, her second full-length novel, became a bestseller on release last October.

Despite having a base in both London, UK, and Germany, Natalie is always on the move. As a digital nomad she has lived and worked in Japan, India, Thailand, Cambodia, and a host of European countries, and this is just for starters. According to her, the adventure is just beginning. Here Natalie shares her inspiring story and explains why remote working is the way forward…

Credit Janograf Photography

It’s almost four years now since I left my comfortable life and well paid job in London to make the world my office. I’ve wandered around Cambodia’s magical Angkor Wat temple, glammed it up in Monaco and listened to the Dalai Lama at his temple in Dharamshala, northern India. I’ve had the time of my life but I am not special. There was nothing to set me apart from anyone else in my pursuit for happiness. I was not, am not (and probably never will be) rich. When I left my job, I had just under £3,000 in my bank account. I had no job to come back to or degree to fall back on. All I had was the feeling that I didn’t want to work in a rigid structure and a choice, although it didn’t feel like that at the time.

Bags packed and ready to go… laptop included!

Before I’d even thought about leaving my job, I came out of a long relationship and decided to take up French. I’d always loved the language, especially French film. Meanwhile, my career was approaching a crossroads: either I studied for a promotion or looked elsewhere. With no idea what to do, I stumbled upon Workaway, a site connecting volunteers with hosts to exchange skills in place for accommodation worldwide. I felt inspired enough to apply and instead of taking the usual two week summer holiday, bunched up my annual leave and headed to southern France.

I’d barely managed a Wagamama lunch alone before this but there I was, meeting new people and basking in sunshine all day long. I’d never felt happier or healthier. One day, I heard some musicians playing in the market. We got chatting afterwards and I was in awe of their lives. They busked around France during the summer, making enough money to spend the winter in Goa, playing in bars and restaurants. They invited me to join them but of course I said no. My life could never be like theirs, whether I wanted it to be or not.

In Monaco – the trip that changed everything

Soon enough, I returned to England but something had changed and on my second day back at work, I cried. I couldn’t justify having a job that didn’t fulfil me anymore, or a lifestyle that was slowly wearing me down. I wanted to be my own boss or at least be able to work more flexibly. I desperately wanted to try something else, so I decided to apply for a sabbatical to join my musician friends in Goa. To my disappointment, my request was denied and I was faced with a choice: stay and be unhappy, or not. I handed in my resignation that day.

I know this all makes me sound a little flighty and fearless, but like I said before, I’m not. I’m just a regular girl who craves routine and stability, cleanliness and order. Quitting my £38k job to go to India was never part of my plan. In fact, I’d never even really made a plan for anything before.

Looking back, I know that things started to change when I decided to make things happen. I chose to learn French and go to France. I chose to leave my job to take a trip of a lifetime. Ultimately, I guess I chose to open my eyes to what could be. I met countless people who worked while travelling, staying connected with smartphones and laptops. They inspired me to self-publish the novel I’d been secretly working on and most of all, to trust that it didn’t matter if things went wrong.

The novels I was inspired to write along the way. My books feature real-life-like characters – people who could well be your sister, uncle or best friend – and issues that are far from the stereotypical ‘fluffy’ romance storylines. They’re what I like to call contemporary fiction with love.

Worst case scenario, I’d go back home, use my skills and get a job. I wouldn’t end up destitute and homeless. In fact, I added to my skills, certifying as a Yoga Teacher and Thai Yoga Massage practitioner.

Six months later, I returned to England and, ironically, to my old job, covering maternity leave. I sat at the same desk, went to the same meetings and earned even more than I had before. But after a few months, I felt exactly how I had before leaving for France. With everything I’d seen and done, I knew the office life wasn’t for me, so I returned to India where I met my wonderful German boyfriend. I’m now happily settled (for now at least) in Bavaria, and I’ve never looked back.

Having the freedom to choose my own way of working has completely changed my life. I work when I have the most energy and relax when I don’t. Being free to take the afternoon off to rejuvenate instead of being forced to work means my concentration is much better than before. I sleep longer and wake up at a time that suits me before having a long yoga practice and relaxed breakfast. And instead of eating expensive lunches, I have time to make something during the day (or, being honest, eat what my boyfriend makes). Having three good, healthy meals a day means that I feel stronger, with less sick time and more output than before.

During my travels I discovered a passion for teaching. Here I am leading my first Yoga class

But it hasn’t been all easy. It was difficult at first to find my own rhythm and be disciplined when it came to carving out ‘work time.’ Some people assumed that because I was at home, I was available for unannounced coffees and chats. And of course, I’ve questioned my choices – emigrating for love, learning yet another language and becoming a full time writer – in case it all went wrong. It took a long time to learn to trust myself and my inner voice. I’ve also had to change my attitude towards things, especially money. My earnings as a writer are extremely variable and I’ve had to rein myself in on spending. I can’t just go and buy gorgeous shoes whenever I want, but it’s a tiny sacrifice to make for living the life I’ve always wanted. Plus, when I do treat myself, it feels that bit sweeter. It hasn’t been perfect, but I’ve learned that even during the tough times, I always have a choice. So often, it can feel like life is out of our control, that it happens to us and not for us, but that’s not true. And I know that because it was the choices I made years ago that have brought me here, and nobody else.

Me being interviewed by the BBC Interview in London

The beauty of life is that there are endlessly different ways of living it. Taking your work outside of the normal structure doesn’t mean having to completely up sticks and leave. It’s simply a case of listening to yourself. Ask yourself: How do I want to feel in my every day life? What do I really want? Where am I feeling most unsatisfied? When we start being active with ourselves instead of passive, that’s when change happens. It can be choosing to walk to the station instead of driving, or reading a book instead of watching TV. They’re small changes, but that book could spark your dream of being a writer. That walk might start a fitness journey leading to you running a marathon.

We humans can move mountains when we need to get things moving, or even become the mountain when we need to be strong. [Tweet “We might not know the outcome, but we always have a choice.”]

Worktime! Today’s choice of office: a Cornish beach

How to make the world your office

Remote working doesn’t necessarily mean making a drastic lifestyle change like I did. It could be a simple case of asking your boss for more flexible hours, or the opportunity to work from home one or two days a week, something that can be hugely beneficial to both employees and employers. In fact research by Stanford University has found that remote workers are 13% more productive, take fewer sick days and enjoy a quieter working environment than their commuting colleagues.

However, if like me, you crave the freedom, flexibility and opportunities that life as a digital nomad brings, here are my top tips for making a bigger change…

Be clear about why you want to work remotely. Is it to pursue the career of your dreams, or to have more time with loved ones? Or are you just badly in need of a holiday? Switching to remote working is a big decision, so take your time. You wouldn’t rush into buying a house and this is just as important, if not more.
When you work remotely you can’t just call the “IT Guy”, so it’s important to be sharp and self-reliant when it comes to the basics. Now’s the time to evaluate and hone your own skills. Read this article on Upwork for a list of things every remote worker should know.
If money is tight, start small but think big. A Pret sandwich is the equivalent of a night’s accommodation. A month’s worth of those sandwiches could pay for a no-frills flight from Thailand to Singapore. Put the savings into any scenario that resonates for you.
Find your own rhythm. It can take some time, so don’t get frustrated with yourself. It’s okay to veg out for a week if you have to.
Be flexible enough to recognise when rhythms doesn’t work. Don’t force yourself into patterns that don’t work for you – that’s why you wanted this in the first place.
Define your work time. Don’t overdo it by sitting in front of the computer until midnight. Do what you can, while you can.
Take yourself seriously. It’s a sad fact that some people think working from home means doing nothing all day long. Remember that your working time is just as important as anyone else’s.
Connect with other remote workers. It can feel lonely without the office camaraderie. Find a Meet-Up group to join, or even create your own!
Make time for yourself. Whether it’s a daily yoga practice, knitting or Netflixing (there you go!), do something that makes you feel good.
Enjoy it, whether it’s switching to working three days a week from home or handing in your notice to fly to Costa Rica with your laptop in hand. You’re living the life you want to, not the life you don’t!

My favourite quote is: “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”, so ultimately my advice to anyone who dreams of making the world their office, is make plans, get out there and go for it!

For more information about Natalie visit https://nataliekmartin.com or connect via email at [email protected], on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nataliemartinauthor or on Twitter: @natkmartin

***

Are you ready to make a big change in 2017? Are you curious to find out if digital nomadism is for you? Download Do What You Love’s free resource and unleash the remote worker in you!

***

How to publish your book

Posted on 2016-12-13 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

This is a guest post by Alastair Humphreys. Alastair is an adventurer, blogger, author and motivational speaker whose expeditions have included cycling round the world, walking across India and rowing the Atlantic. Alastair was named as a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year for his pioneering work on the concept of micro adventures. He has also written five books about his adventures. Find out more here.

I get asked regularly about how to publish a book, and whether it is best to find a publisher or to self-publish your story.

(more…)

4 Steps to Embrace Your Wholeness

Posted on 2016-12-09 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

This is a guest post by Homaira Kabir, a positive psychology coach and a cognitive behavioral therapist. Homaira offers online courses and coaching programs that help women develop the self-worth it takes to lead in relationships, at work and in life.

For as long as I could remember, I had a problem with negative feedback. Not only did I constantly seek words of approval, I was equally sensitive to looks and subtle signs, and likely read into them far more than I needed to.

It almost seemed as though negative feedback would open the door to a part of me that I was hiding, perhaps from my own self. I seemed to live in constant fear that were my reality revealed, I would be rejected by others – and perhaps by myself too.

It took many years of searching within to understand my insecurities and to develop the courage to embrace them. When you’ve spent a lifetime distancing yourself from certain aspects of who you are, it can be a lesson in humility to finally accept them as your own.

Homaira Kabir

There are far too many of us caught in the search for approval, sometimes from those whose approval we didn’t receive in our early years, sometimes looking for redemption and appreciation through our partners, and sometimes seeking the approval of society at large. We’ve succumbed to the messages that we’re damaged and broken inside, and we’ll go to any length to deny our faults and weaknesses so that we’re finally worthy of love and acceptance.

But the irony is that when we shut ourselves off from who we truly are inside, we also shut out all that is bright and beautiful within us. We pursue perfection and come up empty even after we attain it, because wholeness and perfection are dialectically opposed. Wholeness is about embracing every part of our being, because that is the first step towards change. It’s about seeking out the darkness we deny so we can use our light to rise above it. And it’s about listening to the fears we succumb to, so we can use our wisdom to work through them and finally let them go.

If you’re tired of always pushing, always evaluating, and always coming up short, then here’s what you can do to begin your journey to wholeness.

(more…)

Do What You Love Interview – Homaira Kabir

Posted on 2016-12-08 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Today we chat to an inspirational lady who shares our belief that it is possible to achieve positive and lasting change by designing a life that you love. Homaira Kabir is a positive psychology coach, cognitive behavioral therapist and writer who is on a mission to help women break free from the grip of low self-confidence and stop living half-lives, something she says “is a disservice to us, and to the world.”

Through her scientifically backed strategies, courses, resources and the articles she writes for Forbes, The Huffington Post, Positive Psychology News Daily and her own website, Homaira helps women discover the power of self-worth and empowers them to show up fully in their relationships and rise to their full potential at work and in life. Enjoy the interview. ~ Rachel

Homaira at work

(more…)

Give yourself the gift of self-love this season

Posted on 2016-12-07 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

This post is written by our Senior editor, Rachel Kempton.

“When I loved myself enough, I began leaving whatever wasn’t healthy. This meant people, jobs, my own beliefs and habits…anything that kept me small. My judgment called it disloyal. Now I see it as self-loving.” ~ Kim McMillen

A few days ago one of my friends reminded me that “You cannot pour from an empty jug” and it rang so true. How can you possibly take proper care of the people around you if you’re not taking good care of yourself?

Her wise words got me thinking about the importance of self-love and how it really is key to living a present, positive and happy life. After all, self-love is a state of appreciation for yourself that grows from doing things that support your physical, psychological and spiritual growth.

Of course self-love also requires self-respect – an acceptance of who you are. And there may be times in life when we find ourselves making poor decisions, facing difficult situations, or being so influenced by outside circumstances, that we act out of neither self-love nor self-respect. For example, are you loving and respecting yourself if, as a working mum, you constantly put everyone else’s needs first and burn out? Are you loving and respecting yourself if you have a “successful” career that is making you unhappy or depressed? Are you loving and respecting yourself if you’re constantly being swayed by what you should do rather than what feels right? Or, are you loving and respecting yourself if you put up with the boss who is treating you badly? The answer is, probably not.

While you can’t always control external circumstances, and how others might think, feel, or act, you can control your own mind, your own body and your own soul. You can try and be more conscious about how you treat yourself.

Here are some things that can help you make self-love and respect a priority in your life:

Forgive yourself. We can be so hard on ourselves. The downside of taking responsibility for our actions is punishing ourselves too much for making mistakes as we learn and grow. Accept that no one is perfect and practice being less hard on yourself when you make a mistake. Remember, there are no failures, only lessons learned.

Set boundaries and be honest with yourself, and others. You’ll love yourself more when you set limits or say no to work, love, or activities that deplete or harm you physically, emotionally and spiritually, or express poorly who you are.

Nourish your body. Give your body the nurturing, rest, exercise, and comfort it needs to the best it can be, after all it’s the only place you have to live! Set your intentions by writing a commitment letter to your body, telling it how you intend to love and accept it unconditionally, and practice self-care habits that support its thriving. For example:

Dear dedicated body,

From this moment forward, I promise to feed you with healthy, clean food and positive thoughts. I will water you often. I’ll cherish the spirit you so tirelessly protect and take time out to rest. I’ll strive to understand you, to exercise and inspire your mind so that I may serve you into your old age. From this moment on, I will trust that you are the perfect vehicle for my journey through life. From this moment on, we are a team and I will repay your best with my best.

With love, respect and deepest gratitude, Me xxx

Speak positively about yourself. Judgmental voices from the past may have left a hidden residue of toxic shame, which blocks us from honouring — or even noticing – what we’re really feeling. Being gentle with ourselves means accepting the feelings that arise within us. It is normal to feel sad, hurt, and afraid sometimes. It’s a sign of strength, not weakness, to become mindful of these feelings and allow a friendly space for them.
Follow your intuition. Instead of living out of your brain and ego, follow your heart.
Don’t settle for less than you deserve. Get in touch with who you really are. Ask yourself: how do I want to feel in my every day life? What do I really want? What are my core values and beliefs? Who/what matters most to me? If you’d love help figuring all this out, take our life-changing Do What You Love course.

Our thought-provoking course will help you start building a life that you love now by:

– Doing what you love, more often. Very often. In fact: daily.

– Getting paid to do what you love. (If that’s what you want — for some, it’s not. For many, it is!)

– Making your life simpler and sweeter — not busier and more complicated.

– Re-opening doors that you thought were locked shut… re-opening possibilities that you thought were long gone… and illuminating possibilities you never knew existed.

Self-love: it’s all about what’s inside

No one else can do these things for us. No one can take our vitamin pills for us, or make us speak our truth, or force us to choose the path that brings most joy. Even if we have the best partner/most loving family/most supportive friends in the world, we won’t feel happy and whole unless we create the space for it inside by practicing self-love and respect.

What do self-love and self-respect mean to you? We’d love to know! Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Back home and over £55,000 raised!

Posted on 2016-12-06 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

This is our final guest post from Claire Le Hur who has just returned from an epic cycling adventure to China with her fiancé Stuart Block. The couple started their adventure in East Africa, where they followed new ‘silk roads’ to chart the journey of key natural resources as part of an exciting new education project. Claire rode a bamboo bike built by an African social enterprise, and Stuart rode a tandem, keeping the back seat free for those they met en route. They have now raised awareness and thousands of pounds for two great educational charities. Find out more about Claire’s big adventure here.

We got back to the UK on a very cold and grey day, and the next day was Brexit and all the ensuing madness: a political revolution in London, or just more of the same on (super) fast-forward? For anyone who hasn’t seen it, you can read Stuart’s blog post from a year ago here. He wrote it as we were leaving London for our adventure and he proved remarkably prescient when he predicted a ‘bloodbath in the corridors of Westmister’.

We were starting to wonder why we had bothered to come back to England, so to take our minds off things we got back on our bikes and made sure we cycled the full 11,000km we were aiming for (we reached 10,000km in Hong Kong.) We did our own version of the ‘London Revolution’, cycling around the M25 (or a few miles outside it!), visiting schools and friends along the way.

Our route took us to several schools in Surrey, Cambridge and London as well as two days at the Telegraph/Wellington Festival of Education at Wellington College. At Wellington we addressed teachers on ‘how to bring an adventure into the classroom’ and students on ‘Overseas Aid; Who Benefits’. We were delighted to have a photo call with renowned philosopher, A. C. Grayling.

(more…)

SHIFT: Manifest Your Dreams With Feng Shui

Posted on 2016-12-02 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Do you feel tired, uninspired or overwhelmed? Have you lost direction in life or feel that you’re no longer in control of your own destiny? Is there something that you wish you could change – a relationship, your career, your financial situation, a health issue, or other issue? Do you have big dreams but have no idea how to make them a reality? Well you’re in the right place…

Today we speak to Feng Shui expert Salvatore Manzi who believes that by clearing away obstacles that weigh you down, and redesigning your space to align with your intentions, you will propel yourself towards your ideal life.

An author, speaker and teacher, Salvatore has been studying the way our environment impacts us for over 20 years. He has travelled the world living and working with teachers from the East, Native Tribes and spiritualist communities. His book, Feng Shui Life Mapping is a guide to turning your home in a 3D vision board, and his latest work, Desk for Success, is designed to help you energise your work area, get clear on your purpose and shift to a mindset that allows you achieve more with less effort.

“Feng Shui is the art and science of harmonising our personal energy with our environment,” Salvatore explains. “I view my space as a reflection of who I am, who I was when I bought certain items, choose colours, spent time with friends in my space, and as my space keeps reminding me of these stories I have about myself, my space essentially shows me who I am becoming. A seemingly plain lamp in my room, on some conscious or unconscious level, reminds me of my friend who gave it to me, and attached to that memory is my intention to have healthy, light-giving relationships. The lamp thus keeps my life on course to manifesting great relationships. If the light bulb goes out, or the lamp needs dusting, it’s an opportunity for me to revisit my intention.”

Here Salvatore shares more about how we can combine the powerful forces of Feng Shui an the Law of Attraction to take a new look at our world and redesign our reality.

Discovering Feng Shui completely changed my life. Feng Shui came into my life when I was at a real low point, I was in a job I hated, in an apartment that was a dump, and struggling through a relationship that was unhealthy at best. Someone gave me a book on Feng Shui. I tried out some of the things it suggested and my life turned around. My work relationships improved, my partner and I stopped fighting, and we moved into a beautiful new apartment, all within a few months.

My journey began in Paris. I was roaming the streets late one night when I stopped to see the full moon reflecting off the River Seine beneath the Notre Dame. Bearing witness to that beautiful reflection, I had an epiphany: I’d lived my life searching for beauty and perfection on the outside, and the world was really just reflecting what was on the inside. So began my inner journey, and it’s one I’m far from finishing!Over the last 20 years, I’ve studied with a Master Taoist and learned about energy systems, the flow of energy, and Feng Shui. I studied with a Native American Shaman, and learned about the plants and animals and the power of ritual, ceremony and intention. And for eight years I studied with a spiritual teacher who taught me unconditional love in personal relationships. At the moment I’m honoured to be studying with a Feng Shui Master from the East to learn more about Chinese mysticism. Feng Shui has become the foundation of my life’s work.

My current work is to energise people and their spaces. It is a culmination of my past 20 years experience and training. My days are extremely varied and in any given week, I’ll have a number of on-site consultations, both business and residences. I have follow up consultations via phone or on-site. The rest of my work time is filled in with my coaching practice.

My clients range from entrepreneurs who are expanding or launching businesses to new home owners to couples who are moving in together, to parents who want to ensure their child’s room is supporting him/her. Men often call me because they get complaints about their home/office space and want to know how to make others feel comfortable in it. Women often contact me because they feel stuck in a relationship cycle or they are desperate for a career change. Everyone wants to know how to increase the flow of abundance into their lives.

The most common issues that clients need help with are work, relationships and health. When these issues arise I always focus on the entrance to the home (career), the bedroom (relationships), and the kitchen (health). I tend to address issues like this, which can have a big impact on people’s lives:

Front door/entrance – be sure it’s free from clutter and debris, that the doorbell works and that the house name/number is visible.
Bedroom – nothing under the bed (stale energy), create as many natural “pairings” of things as possible (pictures, ornaments, pillows, etc. to symbolise your own balance and integration of your masculine and feminine nature), and no TV (unless it’s in a cabinet), desks or exercise equipment.
Kitchen – check the fridge and stove are clean and in good working condition (symbolises better health and wealth), and if you have your back to the rest of the kitchen when standing at the stove, install a reflective surface/mirror so you can see what’s going on.

To help create a success-enhancing space at home I also advise people to:

Create inspiration points: What is the first thing you see when you enter your home, room, or office? That “thing” is a visual cue to where your energy is going once you’re in there. Re-set the energy in the room by making something that inspires you the first thing you see.
Make space: Clear the clutter! Eliminate the excess! Anything that is unused, unfinished or unloved is dead weight on your path.
Wake up to something beautiful: let the first thing you see when you wake up be something that makes you feel grateful and hopeful.

‘What if my home or office is a mess?’ I hear you say… Everyone has a room in their home or space in their office that’s a big mess! Feng and Shui mean “wind” and “water” respectively and those are metaphors to help understand the natural flow of energy in a space. If there is too much resistance in the space (clutter), the flow is reduced. If there is too little resistance, the flow can be overwhelming. Balance is the goal. In other words, clutter slows down everything. If you feel stuck, or like things just aren’t working out the way you wanted, chances are you have some stuck energy in your psyche/emotion/mental world and it is being reflected by the clutter in your space. Reduce your excess physically, and the “weight” of those energetic blocks get lifted so you can make the changes you want.

The best way to begin is to START SMALL! Pick the smallest table top, the smallest drawer, the smallest cabinet and clear the clutter. The next day, do the next smallest, and so on. The energy begins as space is freed up and soon the momentum builds until you are ready to tackle what used to seem like the impossible clutter mountain in that room you try to ignore!

A principle of Feng Shui is that our lives are shaped by three things: Fate (things we can’t control like who are parents are); personal character (that which we can control and grow like our intellectually and self-awareness); and environment (the space which holds us and energetically and ideally supports us by reflecting the stories we have about ourselves, past, present and future).

When it comes to using Feng Shui to transform your life, the best advice is always to look at your environment and see how it reflects who you are right now, versus how you were and no longer want to be. Then, ask yourself what you can do to the space so that it reflects the you that you are becoming.

Set your intention by answering this powerfully clarifying question: “What do I value and want to have in my life?”
Create space by asking yourself: “What do I need to let go of in order to have that thing?”
Create a reflection by asking: “What feeling do I get when I think of having that thing?” Find something that captures that feeling for you and place it in your space as a focal point. It will act as a constant reminder of where your life is going.

A powerful technique for manifesting your dreams is to create a vision board. In 1992 I created a collage of images that inspired me. Immediately, things started shifting in my life that were inexplicably synched up to that collage, and the shifts continued unfolding for years. My accidental discovery of the art vision boarding sparked a thirst for just how it is that we can create and turn dreams into reality.

Creating a vision board on top of the Feng Shui bagua, the grid which depicts the nine life areas of life (below) act as visual reminders of what we want to be, do or have in our lives. They are powerful because they are visual representations of our intentions and can quickly align our mind with where we want to take our lives. That alignment may take a day, or 30 days or 6 months, but with our eye on where we are going, we cannot help but end up there!

Having taught, written, and practiced vision boarding over the decades, I’ve learned secrets that separate successful vision boards from those that are just pretty images. Everyone knows that having a goal is good. Writing a goal down, however, increases the chances of success exponentially. So imagine what having a visual representation of our goal that activates the visual cortex and reticular activating system portion of our brain can do! Shazam!

You can use the idea of a vision board to create a Feng Shui Life Map. This involves going around your living space or office to ensure what you have placed as your intention on your vision board is being reflected in every area of your space. Essentially, the aim of Feng Shui Life Mapping is to turn your entire home into a 3-D vision board, by placing, orienting and envisioning the various items in your home in such a way that they continuously remind you of your desires and intentions.

Layered vision boards takes intention to the next level. Imagine you’re having an off day and someone tells you to “cheer up”. Do you? Probably not! When it comes to vision boards, if you’ve make yours when you’re in a state of inspiration and hope, and make a point of looking at it when you’re feeling happy, it’s likely that your positive energy and momentum will accelerate the manifesting of your desires.

However if you made it when you were in a negative frame of mind or subconsciously you had a strong negative momentum going even if you were trying to be positive, you might react to it as if it were that annoying person telling you to “cheer up!” we you’re in no mood to hear it. And this can elicit a knee-jerk rejection to the very things you were trying to manifest.

Placing a neutral picture over the vision board guarantees that we look at our vision board from a neutral energetic state. From that place, if we’re in a good mood, we can peel back the picture and reveal the full expression of our Vision Board as we align with the positive momentum it brings. If not, we can just enjoy the neutral picture. It’s not necessary for everyone to cover their vision board with an image. If the board is in a place where there is a lot of stress (like an office), having the image to cover the board is helpful.

Life mapping can take us all closer to doing what we love. It can help us find greater fulfillment in the professional world by helping us get clear first on what it is that we wish to create in our life and in the world. From that clear place, it helps us set SMART goals to get there, and the big impact is that it teaches us how to use objects in our environment to help us remain focused on creating that reality.

Transforming our workspace or desk can help us do this too. Everything about my office is reflecting some aspect of my professional life. If I consciously create an intentional space that inspired and uplifts my energy, I will definitely launch my career to great heights! I’ve just created a self-guided, 4-week course called Desk for Success that will help anyone create an office that will launch their career.

Applying the principles of Feng Shui in the work place can can be hugely beneficial to entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs have the benefit of complete control over their environment and from that place can curate a work environment that supports their mission, and their team. Whenever I want to “energise” a space or team, I turn to any number of tools that “add” energy to a space: lighting that is balanced and uplifting, aromas that spark creativity and joy, plants that give off positive ions/oxygen, moving objects such as water features or desk toys or mobiles that keep energy moving healthfully, and sounds that are pleasing such as water fountains or music or even chimes.

My big dream now is to create a conscious awareness of our space. The current trend of meditation and mindfulness leads naturally to such consciousness. As we build appreciation, we can create spaces that reflect the very best of who we are and flow effortlessly towards our collective highest good.

For more information about Salvatore, visit his website. You can also check out his desk for success course here and order a copy of his book: Feng Shui Life Mapping Master the Art of Designing your Future here.

***

SHIFT: Manifest Your Dreams With Feng Shui DWYL FREEDOMSEEKER OUTNOW 2 650X300PX LR

Save

How to make it in the world of… travel writing

Posted on 2016-11-30 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Today we speak to Laura Knight, a lady who has combined her three biggest loves – travel, motorbikes and writing – to make the world her office. Laura has been riding motorbikes for over 10 years, a passion which has opened her up to many life-changing experiences and inspired her to give something back to the travel industry. Here she shares her story and top tips for making it as travel writer…

A few months into a great job at a hedge fund, I decided to pack up my New York City life into a tiny orange R.E.I. backpack, sublet my cosy bedroom, and hit the road. I didn’t know where I was going or what I’d end up doing to stay fed and sheltered, but I knew that working a desk job just wasn’t for me.

Fast-forward three months and here I am: writing this from a vegan coffee shop near my new digs for the week – my travel friend’s apartment in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Working from coffee shops around the world – that’s what’s in store for you as a travel writer. And, to be honest, the Wi-Fi in Cambodia is spot on!

So… how did I get here?

I love to travel. Meeting people from cool places, sampling new cuisines, and experiencing some of the most beautiful places in the world are all things that I want to do. Every. Single. Day.

As a motorcycle travel writer, I get to ride roads like this, then write about them. Then I get paid. Why would anyone want to work in an office again?! But the starting wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies…

Until I found myself in Bangalore, India, I hadn’t really given the money issue much thought. I have a brain and can string coherent sentences together, so I figured (all too nonchalantly) that I’d just be a freelance writer.

One slight problem – you need contracts if you want to get paid for writing freelance. And those contracts don’t just materialise the instant you decide you want to write for money. Only now, after working my butt off, I’m finally earning enough to support myself (albeit in Southeast Asia, which is an incredibly affordable place to live).

Here are a few things I wish I’d known before I launched my new writing career…

Starting out

There are two ways you can slice this pie. You can:

go full out sink-or-swim, quit your day-job and book a flight (like I did). The advantage here is that you are really putting yourself in a situation where you MUST succeed. No ifs, buts or maybes. No procrastinating. For those of you who are motivated by pressure like this, take the leap!
keep your job and slowly start to build out a portfolio of work and develop a few long-term clients that will sustain you once you finally get to the flight-booking stage.

Either way, you’re going to have to do step number two, it just depends on how much pressure you want to throw into the mix.

Plan… a bit

When I left the States, I had about $1,000 in my savings and checkings combined, as well as a credit line of about $4,000 left for emergencies only.

The money disappeared fast and looking back, I wish I’d concentrated on building up my client base and generating an income before making any big travel moves. I should have made time to actually sit down and look at the daily cost of living in the places I wanted to go, and then doubled it (or at least added on a few bucks) to come up with my daily budget.

If you are ever in a situation where you are running out of money, my advice is to be an adult about it and don’t bury your head in the sand. Find a cheap hostel (or better yet, someone to host you on their couch via CouchSurfing), then put on some tunes and rock out those job applications.

Decide on your niche

As a travel writer, you still need to come up with a more defined notion of who you are in terms of your voice and target audience. This is the topic you’ll be writing about day in and day out, and you’ll have to adjust your content to match.

I write about two things, both of which I have firsthand experience – motorcycle travel and cycling travel. The motorcycle travelling pieces are easy and fun, I just tell my cycling adventures in written form and throw in a few buzzwords and the writing is good to go.

Using your own travels as inspiration and getting paid for it is one of the coolest parts about travel writing!

But, at the end of the day, if you are travelling and writing, you need money to continue to travel and write about your travels. So, I also write some career consulting and resume advice columns. While not travel-related, these are my chance to maintain well-paid and consistent contracts which allow me to fund more travels and write more about the topic I love… travel!

Do some research and figure out what options exist for you

Look into websites like Upwork, Freelancer, Fiverr, and even Craigslist for job opportunities. I rely entirely on contract work through Upwork, and it’s enough to keep me going from Vietnam to Cambodia to Thailand, and beyond!

There will be highs and lows

Don’t get me wrong, there have been lows. My biggest was the day I realised I had only $15 cash left in my pocket and nowhere to stay. I had spent the week before lounging around on a beach hammock in Koh Rong, an island off the coast of Cambodia, blissfully unaware of the financial impact taking a week off work before developing a steady flow of writing jobs would have.

By the time I realised it, I had only enough (almost to the cent) for a night bus to Siem Reap, where old travel friends were willing to host me until I could earn enough to keep moving. Fortunately in this instance, good luck and timing were on my side but I won’t make this mistake again in a hurry.

At the same time, being a digital nomad can bring the highest of highs, especially when you aren’t expecting them. My biggest high came out of the blue one morning when I was scheduling my full day’s work as a “professional” person. I suddenly realized that I’d actually done it: I’d created a life where I could be self-sufficient, save a little, and travel around some incredible places. This was the moment I knew I’d done the right thing by taking a risk and quitting my life in NYC. My new life was totally worth it.

Don’t give up.

Yes, I know it’s the most clichéd advice anyone could give someone making a bold career move or a life change, but SERIOUSLY, do not give up. All too often I meet folks who tried their hand at freelancing and travelling only to not make it in the first few months, pack up their backpack, and return to their cubicle.

Working from the beach is so much nicer than being stuck in a cubicle all day. Stay focused and this could be your workplace, too

If that’s what truly makes you happy, by all means, work from cubicle to corner office. But if it isn’t, and for many of you reading this, it probably isn’t, stick tight to your dream.

Over the course of a couple weeks, when I was living entirely off my dwindling savings, I applied to 10 jobs per day. At certain points, I was sending out nearly 50 applications every two days only to hear back from two potential clients.

In my experience, Upwork is brilliant for allowing you to work when you want, where you want, and it offers any type of job you can think of. I enjoy writing about things that interest me, so I use it to apply for travel and career-related writing gigs.

My only advice is to do a bit of background research before sending out your first job proposal as a cover letter on Upwork is a little different to a full-on professional cover letter.

Beginning to land contracts on Upwork is interesting. My first day I landed a $35 contract writing a travel guide on an island in the Philippines that I had never been to.

It wasn’t until I started receiving more regular contracts, where I could be certain of additional work coming in after I turned in each article, that I started to really feel a bit of financial security and even excitement about the work! Instead of spending all day proposing to new jobs, I was able to just continue on, writing about topics I found interesting. But as I learned, you won’t get there overnight (or even in a few weeks). Patience, grasshoppers!

You’re your own boss now!

Don’t make excuses. The thing that nobody realises when they are getting into freelance, especially when you are transitioning from a 9-to-5 office environment, is that you are your own boss. You need to stay motivated, apply to jobs, meet your deadlines, and turn in high-quality work. Being the very best you can be is the key to gaining more contracts (especially the challenging ones that you’ll learn and grow most from!).

Dream on…

Whether this travelling, writing and wandering lasts or not, there have been a few things that I’ve learned about myself from diving right in to a new life as a freelance travel writer.

First and foremost, that balancing savings and spending (that’s getting to a point where I earn more than I spend) takes a huge amount of dedication, discipline, and willpower.
That you do have to plan ahead, be organised and work really hard.
Ultimately, that whatever I end up doing in the future, whether it’s continuing to travel the world, or settling down with a hoard of cats, I know that I have the brainpower and the chutzpah to make it.

Good luck fellow wanderlusters, may the Wi-Fi be speedy and the coffee be plentiful and locally ground, wherever in the world you are!

In addition to her work as a freelance writer, Laura has also created MotorManner.com, in which she shares the best information about motorcycling and travelling to help people get the most from their adventures. Visit her blog for useful motorcycle travelling gear reviews and helpful travel tips.

***

Are you ready to make a big change in 2017? Are you curious to find out if digital nomadism is for you? Download Do What You Love’s free resource and unleash the remote worker in you!

3 things to do TODAY to make next year different

Posted on 2016-11-29 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

As we come to the end of the year, it’s only natural to reflect on what has gone before. Did 2016 turn out how you wanted? Did you get closer to your dreams? As the founder of a company called Do What You Love, I am often asked what is the single most important factor in doing what you love. And you know what? I think it’s commitment. Perhaps not the sexiest answer, but it’s the truth.

But what if I don’t know what I want to commit to? You might ask… I hear you. That’s a tough one, right? Well, actually, early on simply committing to stepping forward in the direction of your dreams, is as important as committing to one specific idea. Because those early steps are where the dreams are shaped.

So if your 2016 was frustrating, or depressing, or simply another year of not very much, seeing your friends have the things you want for yourself, then I invite you to join me in committing to making 2017 different. And here are three simple steps you can take to do that:

Commit to doing things differently
Download the (free) New Year’s Revolution toolkit here, and actually fill it in
Tell someone what you are planning. Choose them carefully, and then say it out loud

Are you with me?

Let’s do this!
Beth

Save

Do What You Love interview – Charlie Morley

Posted on 2016-11-23 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Did you know that on average we sleep for one-third of our lives? That’s a whole lot of time spent in dreamland! So what if we could use some of this time to not only have fun, but to transform how we experience the world and who we are? Well, according to lucid dreaming expert Charlie Morley, we can do just that. How? By simply bringing mindful awareness into all stages of our dream, sleep and waking life.

Charlie has been lucid dreaming since his teens but he only began teaching it about six years ago through a holistic approach to lucid dreaming within the context of mindfulness meditation and Tibetan Buddhism, Mindfulness of Dream & Sleep, which he co-founded. Charlie passionately believes that anyone can learn how to become conscious within their dreams and he’s living proof that doing so can change be life-changing.

Charlie now spends his time travelling the world running workshops and retreats and giving talks based on his books Dreams of Awakening and Lucid Dreaming: A Beginners Guide to help people on the path to spiritual and psychological awakening. I just had to talk to him to find out how we can all open ourselves up to a world of limitless possibilities… without even getting out of bed! ~ Rachel

1. First of all, for those who’ve never heard of it, can you tell us exactly what lucid dreaming is?

Lucid dreaming is the art of becoming conscious within your dreams. A lucid dream is one in which you think, a-ha, I’m dreaming! while you’re still asleep. Once you become conscious within a dream, you can interact with and direct it at will, dancing with your unconscious mind. With practice, you can have lucid dreams of an hour in length. Imagine spending an hour inside your own mind: think of what you could do; what you could explore; the people you could meet: aspects of yourself, your higher self, guides. And remember, everyone you meet in the lucid dream is you – they are reflections of you, your own consciousness. In a lucid dream if I meet an elderly African woman, I’m meeting an aspect of my own femininity, an aspect of my own age-old wisdom, and an aspect of my own ideas and energy of Africa. So it’s a fascinating way to gain insight into yourself – and particularly into aspects of yourself that normally remain hidden because in our waking state we have filters. We can suppress things. When we go to sleep all this content can come up. A lucid dream shows that this content is you – the good, the bad and the ugly. The key is to show love towards everyone – all parts of you – in your dream.

2. How long have you been lucid dreaming?

When I was a kid I was scared of monsters under the bed so I didn’t want to wake up and use the toilet when I needed to pee. I remember the feeling of a full bladder seeping into the dream and making me become fully lucid. Then, from within the dream, I would think to myself: I really don’t want to get out of bed to pee. Maybe I’ll just do it while I’m still in the dream?

Then I kind of forgot about it all but then when I was 17, I bought some books and taught myself how to do it and I started having regular lucid dreams. I found that I had gained access to a virtual reality of incredible realism in which social norms didn’t apply. Not yet aware of the Tibetan Buddhist lucid dream practices that I now teach, and at the peak of my wild teenage years, I didn’t view the lucid dream state as a potential training ground for enlightened action. I saw it purely as a place to get laid! So it was just for having fun first but then when I got into Buddhism a couple of years later I started to use it for more beneficial stuff.

3. What kind of healing work can we do on ourselves in a lucid dream?

Lucid dreaming can offer some really powerful opportunities to unpack, accept and heal our baggage within the dream state.

Let’s say you’re scared of spiders? Gradual exposure to spiders within the lucid dream can be used to help overcome a phobia of them in a similar way to cognitive behavioural therapy. By engaging fearlessly with the source of a phobia (whether it’s spiders or anything else) within the lucid dream – while holding in mind that it’s all a mental projection – sufferers can begin to gradually integrate the phobia. I’ve worked with people who’ve all used their lucid dreams to heal all sorts of things. One man used his lucid dreams to explore his sexual behaviour – by meeting a dream character who told him he was ‘the physical manifestation of your fear of commitment’, while a young woman used her lucid dream to meet and forgive the memory of the abuser from her childhood. This potential for healing is one of the deepest benefits of the practice.

4. Why does lucid dream training wake us up to the real beauty of life and help us become more mindful of the way we think, feel and behave?

Through learning to dream lucidly, we can learn to live lucidly and wake up to life. Every time we lucid dream we are experiencing a new perception of reality, one in which we are the co-creator, and the more we experience this, the more we may also perceive waking reality in a similar way. Each time we do this we are creating a habit of recognition. It is this habit of seeing through illusion that forms the crux of lucid living.

Lucid dreamers naturally begin to take charge of their waking life in much the same way as they do in their dreams. Empowered by the experiences of their lucid dreams, they strive consciously to direct and co-create their waking lives, too. They become more positive, proactive and discerningly optimistic in their waking interactions.

In his first book, Dreams of Awakening, Charlie says that while 99 per cent of what we experience in a lucid dream is our own unconscious, there’s always room for other possibilities. “If you think of the classic iceberg description of the mind that Freud popularized, it’s as if when you go into a lucid dream, you go into the depths of your personal iceberg, which is normally hidden below water,” he explains. “But you also might move to the edge of the iceberg, or even into the sea surrounding the iceberg, and this might be exploring the edges of the collective unconscious, or even interacting with the universal mind.”

5. Why is practicing compassionate motivation in our lucid dreams, and in reality, the key to manifesting what we really want in this life?

Because this is a compassionate universe and so the universe responds to compassionate motivation. Do something for others and it will manifest way more easily than doing something just for yourself. That’s how karma works in fact too.

6. Can we all get lucid and how do we do it? Is there a step-by-step guide to follow or will having the right intention, and lots of enthusiasm, be enough to make it happen?

Yeah there a step by step guide by which anybody can teach themselves how to do it. Intention and enthusiasm are key but without the correct techniques they may not be enough. My books and online courses are pretty good at teaching people. And yes that was a shameless plug.

7. Is it easy to get confused between reality and the lucid dream state? What checks can we do in the reality state to check that we aren’t lucid dreaming?

Some people worry that lucid dreamers stand to lose touch with what’s real but in fact quite the opposite happens. Once we can see through the hallucinatory reality of the dreamscape, and know it as illusion, we become better

equipped to recognize illusion in the waking state. This makes us more mentally stable and self-aware.

Reality checks, ways of telling if you are dreaming or awake (in the dream it can be a bit confusing) are used by lucid dreamers to become lucid and so in fact nobody knows the difference between reality and dream better than a lucid dreamer because becoming lucid depends upon it!

8. What is the most amazing things that’s happened to you in a lucid dream and did it affect your life?

Oh god, we could be here all day with this one but some of the standout moments where healing my eye sight, curing my nightmares, communicating with someone who had recently died, precognitive possibility and being able to meet both my internal Jesus and the Devil in lucid dreams. Both of them were embraced equally!

9. You have many amazing teachers. Who are you looking to right now and what lessons have you learned most recently?

Ok so here’s an exclusive for you because I just revved this teaching today. I bought my teacher Lama Yeshe Rinpoche a Nutibullet so that he could wizz up his nettles for his nettle soup: the only thing he eats during his annual 3 month retreat. This morning he sent me a thank you e mail with the following teaching in it: “always remain joyful and humble. No hope of achieving anything, no fear of losing anything and being kind, honest and true will bring you good benefit.”

10. You are truly doing what you love. How did your lucid dreams guide you towards teaching, writing and speaking – and reassure you that helping others is your true calling?

I actually asked the lucid dream “what should I do with my life?” I literally yelled it out in a lucid dream about seven years ago. The dream then presented me with all these dream characters who told me to do the lucid dream teaching full time. I just took their advice.

11. What’s your ultimate goal?

It’s the same as the poet Patti Smith’s actually: “My mission is to communicate. To wake people up. To give them my energy and to accept theirs. We are all in this together.”

12. How can we all use lucid dreaming to take us closer to doing what we love?

Lucid dreaming will show your highest potential and can also be used to ask for advice on how you can manifest that highest potential. Follow your dreams, they know the way.

13. Finally can you share your tips for helping your mind move towards the lucid dreaming state?

Before you go to sleep, ask ‘may my dreams guide me to…’
Keep a dream diary to help you recall your dreams and get to know the territory of them. Eventually you’ll begin to recognize that territory when you’re in it, and know when you’re in a dream.
Reality check during your day – ask yourself ‘what would I like to be dreaming about right now?’
Before you go to sleep, hold the intention of being lucid by saying: “Tonight I recognize my dreams. Tonight I am lucid in my dreams.”

For more information about Lucid Dreaming, watch Charlie’s TED talk at the San Diego TEDx conference, below:

For more information about Charlie and his work, visit his website, YouTube or connect on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS AND DO WHAT YOU LOVE

What is it you really want? The courage to start a new career? The time to pursue passions and hobbies? The freedom to travel and have big adventures? Or simply to “feel differently” about your life, just as it is? All of those wants — and so many others — stem from one big desire… you love. The desire to do what

And if that’s what you want, you’ve arrived in the best possible place you can be. This is your launchpad — and this is your community. And this online course might just change your life.

Do What You Love is an acclaimed course for people who want to spend more time doing what they love and less time doing what they don’t. Simple as that. It’s about finding freedom and building the life you really want.

You can find out more about our life-changing Do What You Love e-course, or sign up, HERE.

Save