do what you love Page 31 of 94

Summer is upon us and I really can’t believe where the time has gone since I joined the company back in April 2013. We’re in the midst of very exciting times here at DWYL and I wanted to take this opportunity to catch my breath and update you on the work going on here behind the scenes.

It’s all going on at DWYL!

As individuals we all have our own limits. We simply cannot do everything alone. And this is something that’s become very apparent for our company as well. At DWYL HQ we’ve been working passionately and tirelessly from day one to let you know that you have choices and a place to come to help you make your dreams a reality. We want to inspire you to take that first step. And more than that, offer you the tools and support you need to make sure the changes you make are sustainable and life changing. A big promise, I know! But a promise we wholeheartedly believe in. To ensure we keep our promise, and reach even more people worldwide, we need help to take DWYL to the next exciting level. So, over the past few months we’ve been recruiting…

Five new employees have joined the DWYL team! They are all amazing in their own right, with unique skills, stories and experiences. And more importantly, they’re all at a point in their lives where they want to contribute to something larger and more profound. They’re fully committed and driven to help you make changes to live the life you imagine. We hope that during their work with us we can also help them fulfil their own dreams and aspirations. Henry and Rachel have already made themselves at home and they’ll be joined by the other three who I look forward to introducing you to in the coming weeks.

And there’s lots more exciting news to report…

1. We’ve bought a beach hut! The aim is to provide you with a unique space to escape the daily grind and make time for yourself and your creative dreams. The Little Beach Hut of Dreams is that very space. Will you be our first ‘dreamer-in-residence’? Find out more here.

2. Our website is getting a makeover: in order to make DWYL more accessible and to inspire even more people we’re making some cool changes to our website over the coming months. We can’t wait to get your thoughts.

3. We’ve emerged from hibernation… Last month we were privileged to be invited to the Hibernate retreat along with other businesses and inspirational individuals who are striving to make a difference in the world. The concept behind it was a digital detox. That simple. Leave emails for Monday morning, turn of the phone and socialise. And as always, Sienna quickly became the star of the show!

On top of the world…  in our treehouse!

We discussed our businesses, the challenges we’re facing, and more importantly, how we could help one another. The power of community is huge and I’ve witnessed this first hand with the DWYL, Make It In Design and Make Art That Sells communities. On this weekend we definitely found our own little community. Subsequently, the ideas flowed – and continue to flow! Of course we’ll be keeping most of them a secret while we work hard to bring them to life here at DWYL HQ! What we can tell you however, is that over the coming months we’ll be introducing you to some very interesting and inspiring guest blog columnists… watch this space!

An update on collaborations

Make Art That Sells: The Global Talent Search 2014 – Starts August 5th. Registration closes on July 31st. Last year’s competition changed the lives of two very talented people (Zoe and Daniel) and they haven’t looked back. Don’t miss this opportunity to change your life.

Make It In Design: Fill your Summer with inspiration and creativity, by joining the Make It In Design Summer School – for FREE! There are three options – beginner, intermediate and advanced. Please feel free to sign up for one or more options, and use this opportunity to stretch yourself and grow your portfolio.

Most importantly, we await the arrival of Rachael’s baby with eager anticipation! We look forward to sharing the good news with you soon.

Our thought for the month: you’re never too busy to play

Beth and I love what we do but that doesn’t mean that work doesn’t overwhelm our thoughts from time to time. It really is important to take time out, relax and have fun. Last week we had our first SUP (Stand Up Paddle) boarding session – SUPing to the regulars. It was brilliant! We were out in the ocean, sun blazing down and we did nothing but laugh at each other falling in. For two and a half hours we were just Beth and Paul. We were not directors, we were not parents, we were simply two people in love.

The beauty of SUP is that there’s no big long tutorial so we were out on the waves within minutes of starting our lesson. It was the perfect break, just what we needed, and I can highly recommend it.

Beth showing great form

Make sure you make time for yourself to play – whether it’s having an adventure, drawing, painting, taking a new class, or chatting to a friend over a cuppa in your garden. Those precious moments will improve your daily outlook no end.

Have a great day.

Mr K

 

He believes that the future belongs to companies and organisations with a sense of purpose, a strong culture, engaged and happy employees and loyal customers. And that if you can get all these things right you can change the world in your own little way. Meet Laurence McCahill, the man who’s inspiring a new breed of entrepreneur…

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“I’m too positive to be doubtful, too optimistic to be fearful and too determined to be defeated.” – Unknown

12 years ago a good friend lent me a book that changed my life. I was 22 and in a job I hated and a relationship I’d outgrown. “Read this,” he said. “It really makes you want to get out there and go for it.” I couldn’t really see what it had inspired him to do until he dropped the bombshell: “I’m moving to America! I’ve booked my flight and I’m going to write.”

That night I read Feel the fear and do it anyway by Susan Jeffers, and my eyes were opened. For far too long I’d been worrying that somehow life would come back and bite me if I dared to chase my dreams.

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I bought a beach hut on a whim. Well actually it has been one of those things I have always thought about in a “Wouldn’t that be cool?” thing-that-other-people-do kind of way. But then one day a couple of weeks back I was walking by the sea (in Hove, England) admiring the cute little huts, and I spotted a ‘for sale’ sign. And that was it.

In need of some TLC

At first glance it might look like I bought myself a shed. But actually I found somewhere I can turn into a space for dreaming, not just for me but for others too. We got the keys a couple of days ago, and today we tore down the old rotting structure, and have started building our own little place from scratch (with the help of an amazing carpenter friend, Iain Moncrieff).

But this isn’t just any old beach hut. This is going to be The Little Beach Hut of Dreams (she even has her own Twitter account – you can follow her at @beachhutxx).

My idea is to invite anyone (that includes you) to apply to be a Dreamer-in-Residence. That means you get to borrow her for the day (for free), to come and just sit, look out to sea, and think, dream, draw, write, plan or do whatever is going to help you get a step closer to doing what you love. In return we’ll just ask you to write a blog post about your experience to inspire others.

Mr K and Iain hard at work

We are going to make it beautiful inside, and then open it up for applications in the next few weeks, so hopefully we can squeeze in our first Dreamers-in-Residence before the end of this glorious summer. Why not have a think about what you might day with a whole day by the sea to dream, and jump on the waiting list to hear more when applications open!

This is the view

We all need the chance to escape our chaotic lives every now and then. We all need the time and space to dream. We are creating the space. You just need to make the time (and apply!)

Speaking of making time, we hope you will join us for Making Time, a new free 31-day prompt series to help you carve out more time for the things you love, starting August 1. Find out more and sign up here.

Here’s to more space and time for the things we love!

Beth

Get stuck into a good novel, read more to your children, flip through a magazine, start a journal, write a story of your own… what will this inspire you to do this weekend?

Download a hi-res version here.

 

 

Andrew Stanton’s TED Talk: The clue to a good story

Some of my earliest and most treasured memories are of being tucked up in bed, listening to mum or dad read to me. I couldn’t wait for story time because I knew I’d get to spend time in some magical fantasy faraway land before drifting off to sleep.

It is in our DNA to love a good story. These words, in an advert by Sky Atlantic, summarise just why stories can be so powerful: “Stories, we all spend our lives telling them, about this, about that, about people… but some, some stories are so good we wish they’d never end. They’re so gripping that we’ll go without sleep just to see a little bit more. Some stories bring us laughter and sometimes they bring us tears… but isn’t that what a great story does – Makes you feel? Stories that are so powerful… they really are with us forever.”

Today we invite you to immerse yourself in the world of words, unleash your creativity and discover the power of a good story for yourself. Here’s how:

1)    Dive into the book you’ve been meaning to read for weeks

2)    Take a trip to your local library, browse to your heart’s content and be inspired

3)    Put pen to paper and write! A short story, your very first blog post, begin that best seller!

4)    Visit your local bookstore and treat yourself to a new read

5)    Make a cuppa, relax and enjoy that audio book

6)    Write a book review, send it to your local newspaper or magazine and see what happens!

Need some more inspiration? Watch filmmaker Andrew Stanton’s TED talk.

“Storytelling is medicine for the spirit and healing for the soul.” – Linda Goss

 

“For many years I lived with a guarded heart. I did not know how to extend love and compassion to myself. In my fortieth year that began changing. As I grew to love all of who I am, life started changing in beautiful and mysterious ways. My heart softened and I began to see through different eyes.”

This is the introduction to the beautifully simple and inspiring little book of wisdom, When I loved myself enough, by Kim McMillen. In it, Kim shares her tips for living in peace and joy and by the end her message is clear: our time on earth is limited, we are never alone, and the key to loving others is to first love ourselves.

It’s great advice, yet many of us don’t know what it means to love ourselves – to really, truly love ourselves. Instead of nurturing ourselves we compare ourselves to others, tell ourselves that we’re not good enough and complain that we don’t look or sound the way we’d like to. Often we don’t believe that we’re actually worth loving. The reality is that we are more than good enough, we’re all perfect in our own unique way and we’re definitely worth loving!

Feeling worthy requires us to see ourselves with fresh eyes of self-awareness. Rather than looking outwards and seeking approval from the rest of the world, we need to spend more time being quiet, looking inwards and listening to the only voice that really matters – our loving, caring, nurturing inner voice.

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From my 2002 photo album

Fifteen years ago someone took a chance on me, a recent graduate living in Japan in my early twenties. I found myself as Employee Number Five in a tiny start up company that would grow to hundreds of staff in the space of three years. We were the FIFA World Cup Accommodation Bureau for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and a case of being ‘in the right place at the right time’ saw me in charge of all the accommodation for all the professional teams playing in one of the biggest sporting events on earth. And if that weren’t enough, a few months later I was also given responsibility for all the ticketing in one of the World Cup venues. Looking back it was complete madness.

Yesterday saw Germany win the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Twelve years before, at the 2002 World Cup Final, I had been sat in the stadium cheering for Brazil (as England were long gone). This time I was sat at home with my baby asleep on the rug in front of me, a world away from the craziness of the 2002 tournament 12 years before. And it made me think of this…

You are not a sum of the job titles you have had, or the companies you have worked for. Having experiences is so important, but having exactly the right experience is not always necessary. When I found myself, at the age of 25, with a staff of 20, three mobile phones and ticketing responsibility for a stadium of 50,000 seats, it wasn’t because I had done that job before. It was because I was cheeky, keen, willing to learn,  and up for anything. It was because I took a deep breath and asked a friend of a friend to introduce me to the guy who eventually gave me my job. It was because I knew I wanted to be part of something amazing, and I went after it.

So many things have come out of that experience. In fact, without it I would have had a completely different career path, not to mention never having met the mother of my god-daughter (who was the friend-of-a-friend who got me the job and then offered me her spare room until I found somewhere to live).

Sometimes jobs can be exciting. Sometimes they are dull. Sometimes they stretch us. Sometimes they are mind-numbingly simple. But there is something to be taken from each and every one of them, whether that is learning some new skill, meeting someone who will be important in your life, or even discovering what you DON’T want to feel like at work.

However you feel about your job right now, think about how you can make the most of the situation you are in to learn something, try something, or build one more connection before, perhaps, you move on. And if you love your job, take a moment to think about all the twists and turns, the steps and the bold moves that got you there. What a journey!

 

 

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