Page 22 of 125

Are you trapped? Are you a freedom seeker? I need your story for my book!

Written by

WE-RISE-BY-LIFTING-OTHERS-BLOG-800PX-LR

I am deep into the writing of my book, which is due out with Hay House in Spring 2017. It will be called ‘Freedom Seeker: Live more. Worry less. Do what you love.” This writing process is tough, tough, tough, but it is also one of the most spirit-lifting, intellectually-stimulating, and thrilling things I have ever done. I absolutely love it. But there is still a long way to go until I hand my manuscript in in the summer.

And this is where you come in. The book is packed with tools and personal stories to help readers escape whatever is holding them back, and learn to soar, so they can live a life doing what they love.  But I also want to include a host of stories of other people at various stages of life, with a variety of experiences, who have felt stuck, trapped or held back from living their fullest life.

It could be that you are in it right now, feeling like you have lost control, or that your circumstances are dictating what is possible for you. Perhaps you have dreams of what you want things to be like, but you never seem to get off the starting block, or you get part of the way along and then the dark clouds come in – the fear, the negativity, the worry about money or what others will think. Or maybe your responsibilities always seem to take over and you can’t find the time to take the steps you need to take.

Or perhaps you have been there, but are now living a freer, happier life. Perhaps something happened and you were inspired (or forced) to make major changes in your life which have resulted in you feeling more free, doing something you love and being happier?

If so, I want to hear your story! If you would be willing to share it, please sign up here to join my Freedom Seeker Research Group by Wednesday 30 March, and I will be in touch later this week with an initial questionnaire.

Even if you aren’t able to share your story, I hope you will cheer me along over the coming months as I birth this book and put myself out there in a way which right now feels terrifying! Some things just have to be done…

Thank you so much!

Beth

**A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO SHARED THEIR INSPIRING STORY WITH ME AND HELPED TO BRING MY BOOK TO LIFE. FREEDOM SEEKER: LIVE MORE. WORRY LESS. DO WHAT YOU LOVE IS NOW OUT.**

Freedom Seeker

Do What You Love interview – Henrik Dahle

Written by

thebiginterview1

Writer, artist, director of theatre and film, anxty environmentalist and social engineer, Henrik Dahle is passionate about doing what he loves. Always on the case with a project and forever thinking up new ideas, he spends his days rewriting scripts, lugging art to galleries, scrawling poems on tiny pieces of paper, editing digital images and making stories with them. Top of his list of priorities is protecting the natural world, and making the most of his time in it. This is what inspired his recent personal challenge: to climb a tree every day for a year.

tree 111aTree 111. Bay Tree. Chiavari, Italy. I bloody love this tree. Such beautiful shapes of intricate interwoven curls, pulsing out from the centre to gather the light. Image credit: Jacob Parish.

“365 days is a long-haul project and there’s discipline involved. There’s a scale to it – you have to persevere,” Henrik says. “Trees are the greatest lungs of the world. The largest single offering from the Earth. We take them for granted. We appreciate them if we take notice. We explore them as children, our bodies remembering the primal experience of climbing. It’s why hands were invented.” 

Henrik’s journey took him through ten different countries, and saw him meet everyone from belly dancers and actors to school children and professors. As well as taking photos from the trees he climbed, Henrik found himself conducting interviews among the branches and he is now writing a book to document his wild and wonderful escapades. We caught up with him to find out more about his life, loves and leafy adventures… ~ Rachel

(more…)

Are we afraid to ‘do what we love’?

Written by

lifeaccordingtomrk

There are two things that really stick out for me in people’s responses when I tell them that our company is called Do What You Love and then subsequently explain what we do.

Firstly, “Wow, that sounds cool… I need that” and secondly, only seconds later (often within the same breath) in complete contrast “But then, not many of us can… we all have jobs to do don’t we?”

I continually wonder why we, as human beings, are so quick to shy away from our dreams, shut down our options and turn away from opportunities. Usually I come to the conclusion that our feelings must be based in fear. I know this has been, and still is, true for myself. Growing up I was often scared to push myself and commit to things. The reason? Because I was afraid that my best would fall short; way short of my own expectations.

DWYL_FIRSTVIRTUE_BLOG_800PX_LR

We are all unique and built in different ways, each with vastly different personality traits – so why does this ‘fear’ affect so many of us? Where does it come from? Society? Media? Family and friends? Ourselves?

Well if the ‘fear’ is significant enough to prevent you from doing what you love, then it needs dealing with. But how? The recipe for freeing yourself from the ‘fear’ is pretty straightforward in principle, but putting it into practice is another thing altogether. Women seem to be talking about their fears, and how they deal with them, more and more these days, but I still don’t hear us guys talking about it anywhere near as much as we really need to (not one of our strengths I know).

Here are a few simple tips that have worked for me, together with some FREE resources that will hopefully help inspire and motivate you to move forward towards realising some of your dreams:

  • Slow down and make time: if you’re always rushing from one thing to the next, trying to get through your neverending to-do list and outwardly multitask with confidence, whilst inside  wondering when the spinning plates are going to come crashing down, maybe you need to pause, reflect and re-prioritise .

FREE resources – Zen for Ten and Making Time will encourage you to get back to basics, enjoy the simple things and think about what really matters to you.

  • Immerse yourself in the world you are interested in, and find, a community of like-minded people there. Their positivity and energy will boost you up and make you realise what is possible. You may also be amazed what you can accomplish when you are not surrounded by the naysayers.

FREE resources – Alchemy and L.E.A.P – two fantastic resources that will help show you what is possible when you change your mindset.

  • Plan! My God, if I didn’t plan my days I am not sure I would make it past breakfast, especially with two small daughters keeping me on my toes. Planning in time every day to do something – however small – in the direction of your dream, adds up to big strides over time. Trying to visualise every step can be daunting, but breaking it into smaller manageable steps allows us to find direction, movement and most importantly momentum.

FREE resource – New Year’s Revolution – a practical toolkit to help you spend more time doing what you love.

 

Let’s just consider those two very different responses I mentioned at the beginning of this post for a second…

  1. “Wow, that sounds cool…I need that”

Yes it is cool to do what you love. For me, to have found something as rewarding as being able to help people improve their lives has been one of the highlights of the past five years. Life is short. How can doing what you don’t love be a better, happier choice than doing what you do love?And yet, this doesn’t mean it is an easier life. I can honestly say I have never worked so hard. But I certainly don’t mind, as the motivation behind my actions is in line with what I believe.

There is also a misconception that you should be ‘doing what you love’ at work. Not necessarily. If you have a job you love then great, but you might have a job that provides for you and your family and allows you time to follow your passions. It really is an equation that has to fit you and you alone.

2.“But then, not many of us can… We all have jobs to do, don’t we?”

Yes, the truth is most of us do need to earn money to pay the bills, but there are thousands of ways to do that. In today’s connected world there are more opportunities than ever to have a flexible lifestyle, such as negotiating some remote working time, starting your own business, learning something new or sharing your expertise with the world by teaching online. And if none of those suit your particular situation, there are always ways to free up more time and prioritise even a small amount of money to do what you love outside work too.

TheLittleBeachHutOfDreams-HollyBooth-40

Sounds like it’s [Tweet “time for a lifestyle spring clean.”] Are you in?

Until next time,
Mr K.

 

Reasons to be happy

Written by

Did you know yesterday was the International Day of Happiness? Where does your happiness come from? What are your sources of joy? Do you actively think about it, and prioritise those things in your life?

DWYL the girls

Hanging out with my girls. This makes me happy.

Here are a few treasures from around the web to explore and ponder this week (After all, being happy is the whole point of doing what you love):

If you find any other great resources on happiness around the web please share them with us via Facebook or Twitter!

Have a happy week

Beth

 

Do What You Love Interview – Tiffany Coates

Written by

thebiginterview1

I’ve always dreamed that one day I’d be able to ride a motorbike. As a child I’d sit for hours watching my next door neighbours tinker with their bikes and, come the weekend, speed off in their leathers on some wild and crazy adventure. I had no idea where they were going or what they would be doing, but I wished I could go along for the ride.

As an adult I started thinking differently. ‘It’s way too dangerous’, I told myself. And then, when I became a mum, ‘I have to be responsible now and when would I find time to ride anyway?’ Comments from others, like: ‘bikes are really heavy you know’; ‘you need good balance’; ‘it’s a skill’; ‘it takes a long time to learn’; ‘the test will be difficult’; ‘you don’t have a bike – or any gear’ gave me all the more reason not to try. 

But a few weeks ago, when I interviewed the inspirational Tiffany Coates, the world’s foremost female bike adventurer, something changed. Tiffany has covered more miles than any other solo female rider and, as an international freelance motorcycle guide, she really is doing what she loves. Tiffany’s story reminded me that I’d let fear get in the way and that I needed to give myself permission to follow my dreams. Two motorbike lessons later and I’m so grateful for her words of wisdom. I hope this interview gets you thinking about what you’d love to do and how you can make it happen. ~ Rachel

Tiffany PeruTiffany and Themla (bike) in Peru

(more…)

Adventures in the Rainbow Nation

Written by

DWYL_BLOG_EXPERT_COLUMNISTS_TYPEWRITER_550X200PX_LR

This is a guest post from Claire Le Hur who is cycling to China with her fiancé Stuart Block. The couple will start their journey in East Africa where they will follow new ‘silk roads’ charting the journey of key natural resources as part of an exciting new education project. Claire will be riding a bamboo bike, built by an African social enterprise and Stuart will ride a tandem, keeping the back seat free for those they meet en route. They will also be raising money and awareness for two great educational charities. Find out more about Claire’s big adventure here.Claire Le Hur

We spent six weeks in South Africa, or the “rainbow” nation, as Reverend Desmond Tutu liked to call it, and were amazed by its diversity and contrasts. It’s a place where wealthy cutting-edge cities stand next to primitive aborigines and wild animals, where natural beauty lies next to ugly scenes of human depravity, and where the kindest, most generous people live side-by-side with gun-brandishing criminals. Sadly modern South Africa is still carrying the legacy, and the scars, of more than 300 years of oppression and segregation and while some credit must go to the post-apartheid governments for improving roads, electricity, education, and housing, the country still faces huge political, social and economic challenges.

We crossed the border to South Africa at Beitbridge, the busiest border post in Africa, where we waited three hours in the midday sun. It was tough, but people were saying that it can take all day to get across, so in that respect we were lucky. Once over we headed straight to Johannesburg where we had a few days exploring the city and enjoyed a much-needed break from pedalling!

(more…)

Start as you mean to go on

Written by

Start as you mean to go on DWYL BLOG TUNEINCHILLOUT 650X250PX LR

I think there’s a lot to be said for being conscious about how you start your day, so I did a little experiment this morning.

DWYLNL B2 

Mr K pedalling between the forest and the sea this morning

It has been a really busy couple of weeks with the announcement of my book deal(!) and some travel, and I have a ton of things on my to do list… But when I woke up this morning the sun was out and winking at me. So Mr K and I packed our bikes into the car and headed to the New Forest (which is actually not new at all, but a medieval royal hunting ground created by William the Conqueror nearly 1000 years ago). We parked up by the beach and cycled for three hours on empty forest roads, stopping for breakfast in the sweet village of Beaulieu where local ponies roam the streets. It was bliss.

DWYLNL B3

Breakfast companions

I’m now back at my desk and have a sense of lightness and energy about me which I didn’t have first thing this morning. The important stuff on the to do list has still got done, and the not important stuff didn’t really need doing anyway. What a great way to start the week.

This week I challenge you to ditch the routine and start your day in a different way.

Have a great week!
Beth

PS Our blog columnist Alastair Humphreys is just about to release a fab new book ‘Grand Adventures’. Check it out here! ‘Dream big. Plan quick. Go, explore’, as Alastair says…

Do What You Love interview – Oona McFarlane

Written by

thebiginterview1

Imagine that fear was suddenly no longer a factor in your life. What would you do? What would you change, be, give or do? Those who create an extraordinary life and achieve their highest vision share one fundamental power: the capacity to turn their fears and limitations into positive focussed action.

One such person is the inspirational Oona McFarlane, a lady whose passion for self-development and growth motivated her to do a firewalk and go on to become a firewalk instructor and a trainer for firewalk instructors.

“When we choose to walk on fire, we give ourselves an opportunity to affirm our trust in our own power and our ability to use our fear for transformation,” Oona says. “We rekindle our passion for our visions of what could be and make a physical commitment to our chosen path and take that first courageous step forward towards it, knowing that – like anything in life – there are risks involved in making our dreams come true.”

Oona has been making magic with fire and feet for over a decade, at festivals and gatherings all over the world, as well as from Tir na nOg, her own holistic centre in Scotland, UK. We were excited to find out how firewalking has changed her life and how she combines it with her skills as a Master Practitioner of NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming), Ericksonian Hypnotherapy and Reiki to make the experience so incredibly meaningful and transformative for others.

Oona MacFarlane is a Reiki master teacher and firewalk Instructor. She is based at the Tir na nOg holistic centre near Drymen. 19/10/09

(more…)

Life really can be the greatest adventure you’ve ever dreamed of

Written by

As Eleanor Roosevelt once said: “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” In other words, when we live curiously and courageously, and embrace every new opportunity with an open mind and a loving heart, we allow ourselves to learn, grow and be the best we can be.

If that isn’t motivation enough to be more adventurous, check out this inspiring video from adventure.com: