Miss Modish- Mojo Maker

Happy Friday!

I am so blown away with the support and interest you guys have shown in the Maven Circle, yippee! It's always a little scary putting your new creative thing out into the world, no matter what it is. We seriously can't wait to share all that we have planned for you and appreciate all the support and enthusiam you've already shown us!

Can you believe it's almost November already? Dang! Is this just how it goes? Each year of your life feels faster and faster? Craziness. Well I'm gonna try to get at least one of those 12 by 12 goals crossed off the list this weekend, as well as do some scary movie watchin with the mister. I hope you all have a great one, see you back here next week!

<3 jena

My Morning Routine

Routine! What a strange word for me. I'm more a fly by the seat of my pants type of person, so having a morning routine was not something I ever even considered until I started getting serious about finding more balance in my life. I've now found, and stuck to, a great morning routine for a little over 6 months now and woah man- let me just tell you, it's made a HUGE difference in my life. 

My mornings before

As what could be considered a work-a-holic maniac, I'd go to bed thinking about work, wake up thinking about work. I'd check my emails from bed right when I woke up or jump onto the computer first thing and immediately become engrossed in the internets.

I'd forget to eat, go all day without a sip of water, never felt like I had the time to exercise or take care of myself and all the while, I felt so stressed, always overwhelmed and like I was working working working but not really getting anywhere, still not getting it all done- being busy, but not being productive, ya know?

Earlier this year after taking on too much all at once, and not taking care of myself, I started to wake up with a horrible anxious feeling in my gut, nervous butterflies as soon as I opened my eyes. From the moment I woke, I'd start worrying about what the day was to bring and "how can I possibly get it all done?!" and the to-dos would start piling up and piling up in my head until all I wanted to do, and this is being really honest, was crawl in a hole and die. Or at least go back to sleep.

I'd pull the covers over my head wishing I could hide all day, wishing all my obligations could just disappear... but then the deadlines and to-dos would keep tap tapping at my brain and kick my bootie outta bed. I'd slog over to the computer, with a weary and cluttered mind, and try to just make it thru the end of day, so I could start the cycle all over again.

It got to the point where I was feeling totally burdened by the day before it even started.

The weight of just getting out of bed each morning was becoming too heavy to bear and that's when I realized, I needed a serious change.

 

My mornings now

The difference between how I felt earlier this year and now is like night and day, polar opposite. It's incredible really how taking time to take care of oneself can make your life better in every aspect, including work. I think much of my new perspective comes from my new found, stress-busting morning routine.

NO WORK BRAIN ALLOWED

I've given myself permission to take some distance from work related thoughts. I don't let myself worry about what needs to get done each day right when I wake up, I don't read email from bed or jump straight to the computer. Instead, I have my little morning routine to look forward to, something fun to get up for and look forward to. So instead of getting trapped inside my brain first thing in the morning, I do things that help me reconnect with my body, get grounded and get focused.

WATER

The first thing I do now when I get up is drink a big ol' cup of cold water. I started doing this when I found these "brain on" pills made with blue-green algae and PEA, which I take everyday to help focus. (I was up for trying anything that could help that's not a prescription and they seriously, seriously make a difference) The water itself is also super effective in helping me start my day- it wakes up your nervous system, gets your digestion started and hydrates you after 8+ hours of not having any liquid. And, I tend to drink more water throughout the day if I start right in the morning- bonus!

EXERCISE

Next, I exercise from 10-60 minutes, depending how much time I have. I figure 10 minutes is still better than nothing, right? Because hey, I don't like exercising either, let's just get that straight. It really was a struggle for me to add exercise into my every day, but the more I did it, the better I felt and now I actually kinda look forward to it each morning because I know how good it makes me feel afterward.

I usually do workouts on demand thru my cable because they have a range of stuff I can choose- I get really bored doing the same thing over and over and am more inclined to work out if I can do something different everyday. If I'm feeling strong and awake, I'll do yoga. If I'm feeling lazy, I'll do something low impact, like pilates. If I'm kinda grumpy, I'll do kickboxing and get my aggression out. If I'm really tired, I'll do some cardio or hip-hop or bellydancing, something fun. As long as I move my body, I'm happy.

SHOWER/GET READY

I used to not shower or get dressed until the afternoon when I'd run out of energy and need a pick-me-up, or after the Mr. got home from work, if we had something to do... but since I started working out, now I like to shower right afterward and get ready for the day (and act like a functional member of the human society.) It helps wake me up and makes me feel better. I don't always get dressed in clothes that I would actually wear in public, but hey- baby steps. 

MEDITATE

By far, the biggest shift that has occurred in my life has come from meditating daily. I light some incense, sit in my comfy chair and usually listen to a guided meditation of some sort- they help you focus and get out of your head, especially helpful when you're first getting started with meditation.

Taking time to breathe, slow down, connect with my body, feel my feet on the ground- it reminds me that this task-oriented, worrisome world that exists in my mind is not all there is. It reminds me that right here, in this moment, I'm alive, I'm breathing and things are pretty darn great. It's helped my confidence in myself and has changed my reaction to situations. I've found my mentality in general has been shifting more towards the positive, and I naturally tend to be pretty negative, so that's a big change. If I do nothing else in my routine to start the day, I will at least, always, meditate.

BREAKFAST

I used to kind of deprive myself of food, getting so involved with work right away that I'd go well into the afternoon before I even ate anything. Now, after I meditate, I go start some coffee and eat at least a little something- yogurt, oatmeal, toast or a smoothie. I've noticed it makes a huge difference in my energy levels throughout the whole day if I eat in the morning.

And the last thing I do before I get started with work is sit down with my coffee and plan my schedule for the day.

I get up as early as I can to give myself a full hour and a half or so each morning to not think and just BE. And as woo-woo as that sounds, starting each day from a more centered, calm place makes all the little stresses that pop up during the day feel so much easier to handle, it's amazing.

And the best part of it is? I look forward to waking up each morning and getting to start my day. I feel healthier, happier and that anxious feeling is gone, gone, gone.

Do you start your day stressed out, or from a place of calm? How can you fit in more time for yourself in the morning to start each day on a good foot?

The Maven Circle

I'm so excited to introduce a big project that a friend and I have been working on for months, but first, a little background about how we got started with it...

Saying yes over coffee

When a friend of a friend, Jen Neitzel, asked to meet me for coffee one morning last spring to talk about a project idea she had, I had no clue what she was going to ask me about, but I had a good feeling my answer was going to be no.

I was on a recent rampage of trying to trim the fat and focus on what I really wanted to do with my life. I was saying no to every extra thing that came my way, hopping off project trains, cutting scheduled things out of my calendar and referring clients elsewhere. I had reached a point of being so overwhelmed with doing so many things at once that I realized, I either really need to get focused on what I want in my life, right now, or I was going to fail miserably.

But when Jen started talking about this idea she had for a site revolving around creative business people, the resources we could offer them, the community we could create for them, I was thinking, "yes.. yes.. uh huh, I like that, yes... " and by the end of our first meeting I found myself saying "YES, I'M IN!"

I was simultaneously excited and scared shitless about taking on yet another thing, but there was something about Jen's ideas and demeanor that felt so harmonious to my own ideas and where I wanted to go with my life and business, that I couldn't let the opportunity pass me by.

What we had originally envisioned as a business/marketing-oriented site for creative biz owners started to evolve as we began meeting more, getting to know each other and becoming friends.

The more we shared with each other, the more we began seeing parallels in our larger life goals of beating stress, getting organized, managing our time better and finding somesort of work/life balance. We were both dedicated to finding ways that worked for us, both had so many tips, tricks and resources to share with each other that it hit us- THIS is our project. This is what we need to be sharing with people!

And so, The Maven Circle was born!

The Maven Circle is our new space to share resources and practical tools to help creative mavens like you balance your busy lives even better!

Our first offering is a 4-6 week e-course coming in Feburary 2012 called from Busy to Balanced. We'll share our stories and real-world strategies for how we were able to break out of the constant stress cycle and find more balance, more meaning and more happiness in our everyday.

The course is designed to help you identify where you're stressed-out or unfilfilled and take action to make some real, significant changes for the better. It'll help you think differently about your time and to-dos, give you tools to defeat the stress monster when it rears its ugly head and help shift your perspective into a more balanced place. There will be lots of fun and support along the way as we help you discover which methods work best in your own life, and your particular situation.

We'll have lots more info on the course coming soon. To stay in the loop:

• sign up for our inner circle mailing list - we'll be releasing some fun and helpful subscriber-only freebies over the next few months to help keep your motivation revving and perspective shifting!
• Connect with us on facebook and twitter - our pages are a little bare at the moment, but we'll be updating both often with great links, quotes and our thoughts about balance and finding your inner awesome

And starting tomorrow, Jen and I will be writing joint posts on our blogs exploring topics around work/life balance. First up, we're talking about our morning routinues and how they can make a huge beneficial impact on reducing stress.

Sound interesting? Do you have problems with stress and finding a balance in your life?

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday! This week felt like kind of a wash, lost in a haze of sick, but I'm feeling much better now and looking forward to a weekend of catching up with work. Oh, yay! It's a thrill a minute around here, let me tell ya.

Hope you all have a great weekend! Kitty says, bye bye!! See you next week!

<3 jena

12 by 2012

Welp, we had fun at the St. Vincent show last Friday but it seems I came home with a little party favor- a bad cold :( I have been down for the count the last couple days, but am feeling a little better today and wanted to pop in and say hello!

Yesterday I came across this 12 by 2012 goal project on Oh Hello Friend (I discovered it on Indie Pretty Projects) and thought it'd be good motivation to get some stuff done. I have a heckuva lot of housey and work related goals that get pushed to the back-burner dealing with everyday stuff, so it seems like a good opportunity to make some of those goals more of a priority.

Nothing like public declaraion to light the fire under one's lazy bootay, so here goes-

1. go thru our closets and donate all the clothes we don't wear any longer
2. make a serious dent in the pile of boxes that is our garage
3. buy a new range (aka: use those gift cards!)
4. defrost the freezer in our 50's fridge, for real (ugh)
5. go to at least 5 more studio yoga classes (aka: use those  groupons!)
6. plant a new tree in the backyard
7. get my first e-book out into the world
8. get missmodish.com site updated with re-design
9. open Maven Circle up for registration
10. create/make/paint some Christmas cards/gifts
11. go back to see Miss Renee, the psychic that totally rocked my world (more about that someday)
12. get out of town with the mister to somewhere we've never been before

Hmm, how many days left til 2012?! We'll see how far I can get! I'll blog about my progress, of course.

What are some things you hope to accomplish before the end of the year? It's comin' mighty quick!

Happy Friday!

 

It's been a hair raising week! In a good way tho, just busy working hard! I didn't get a chance to write a post this week (sheesh, once you get out of the habit of blogging it's hard to get back into the swing of things) but I'm already working on some good stuff for next week- wahoo!

The Mr and I have a date to go see St. Vincent tonight!! I'm so excited, she's my favorite. (Any PDX readers going?) And for the rest of the weekend, I hope to curl up with my laptop and some movies and get some behind the scenes work done on my websites. Hope you all have a great weekend and hope to see you round here next week!

<3 jena

Gotta See: Bill Cunningham New York

On Mondays that are this dark and soggy out, one must eat breakfast with her feet up while watching a movie, instead of getting straight to work. It should be in the Portland work-from-home handbook or something.

I'm easing into the week this morning and thought it the perfect time to finally watch Bill Cunningham, New York and gosh it was good, it seriously made my day!

{image from Zeitgeist Films}

If you haven't seen it yet, it's a documentary about Bill Cunningham, a New York Times fashion photographer and overall super awesome guy. If you like photography, fashion or want a glimpse into the life of a really inspiring creative, you'll love it. He's a fascinating artist and seems such a sweet and genuine man- makes me want to work harder and dress better! It's on netflix instant too.

(don't worry Mr, I'll re-watch it with you, you'll like it :)

Happy Friday!

Have a happy weekend, kittens!

The Big Shift

A few weeks ago, the Hello Etsy conference came to town and my friend Jen Neitzel, from the DIY Lounge, was co-chair for the Portland event. She had to do the opening speech and asked if I'd be up for sharing a relaxation breathing technique with the audience as part of her speech.

My first reaction was, "Yeah! I'm in! Sounds like a great idea!"

My second reaction immediately afterward was, "Oh shit. I don't want to do this. I'm not gonna do this. She wants me to get up on a stage in front of 250 people and make them all breathe together? I'm gonna look like some weird new-agey hippie lady! Which ok, I guess I am, but these people don't need to know that. What if they feel uncomfortable? What if they don't join in? Nope, no way. Won't do it. Can't do it."

I was scared. The audience number scared me. The fact that it was being filmed and broadcast at Hello Etsy events around the world scared me. And this definition I have of myself as someone shy and awkward who definitely doesn't get up in front of audiences and speak (or even worse, tell them what to do) well, scared me.

Jen and I met a few days before the conference to figure things out and I told her flat out, "Not gonna do it! Can't do it!" But Jen, in all her wise assurance, ignored my freaked-out-ness saying, "let me just read to you what I have so far for my speech and how I tie the breathing in- I really think it'll be good."

Her speech was all about gratitude and how people who express gratitude in everyday are truly happier. She gave thanks to everyone who helped organize the conference and then talked about taking time to show gratitude to ourselves too- and that's where my breathing exercise would come in, as a way to show gratitude to this moment, to this conference we were about to experience together.... she was right, it was good.

"Dang," I thought to myself, "now I have to do it."

So I went home and psyched myself up. I figured out an easy technique to share, practiced my breathing, went over what I wanted to say in my head and figured, now's as good a time as ever to conquer this public speaking fear I have, right?

Sitting at the conference a few days later, listening to Jen speak and waiting for the moment when she would call me up, I felt something I've never in my life felt before having to get up in front of an audience: calm.

She called my name and I stood up, felt calm. Walked onto the stage, felt calm. Saw 250 faces looking back at me and much to my surprise, felt calm.

And then the moment came when I asked everyone to sit up straight in their chairs, so we could begin breathing, and I felt this SHIFT. Everybody moved. Everybody sat upright. Everybody was looking at me and listening and participating! The voice in the back of my head was saying, "Woah. That's cool. What the heck were you so scared of?"

And then everyone closed their eyes, and breathed with me. And it was awesome.

Before I headed to bed that night, I felt compelled to scribble something down in the dark, in a fresh new notebook, and here's what came out:

I have felt a strange and sudden sense of calm pass over me in the last few days. I feel a sense of clarity, of purpose. For my whole life I feel as if I've been running, running, trying to get wherever it is I'm going as fast as possible, trying to become whatever it is I am "supposed to become." But that sense of needing to speed into the future has diminished now. I feel not only happy to just be right where I am, right now, but I have this confidence inside me that I'll get to where I'm gettin' when I get there, ya know? That everything happens at a pace, that I don't need to always be striving for something more, more, more- that here is where I need to be, in this moment. And for that, I feel grateful. So grateful to have this heaping insecurity I've harbored within myself for years seem to be farther off in the background than I've ever felt it- so distant, in fact, that I can't even see it from here, I can't hear it from here. I feel safe and calm and ready to take life one day at a time and cherish each moment, by moment.

I feel like I've shifted into a new definition of myself, where suddenly things I never thought were possible for me to do, seem possible. I think so often we hold onto the definitions we've created for ourselves from youth and sometimes those can hinder us in adulthood and keep us from realizing our true potential, our true happiness, our true selves.

We let the "I can't because I'm too [insert negative idea of ourselves here]" get in the way of letting us explore the possibilities of all that we can do. I'm only realizing now that I don't have to be the scared, shy, "no one cares what I have to say" kid that I have always felt like. I can flip the script, change that definition, move beyond it. And to do that, I have to face my fears, head on.

Is there an old "definition of yourself" that you think is holding you back from your true potential? A fear that you know you need to face in order to grow? Realize that you're stronger than you think you are and that those old ideas you have of yourself aren't necessarily true. Who do you want to be today?

watching the fog break

Sometimes pretty scenery is all you need for a rejuvenating little pick me up, and we got lots of it during our drive out to Hood River yesterday! We went for a little day-trip to celebrate our first wedding anniversary, which is tomorrow! One married year almost down, I can't believe it! The stuffing our faces with delicious food portion of the anniversary will happen tomorrow night, yum.

I just love foggy fall in the pacific northwest, it's so, so beautiful. Hope it helps you have a nice start to your week, too. Happy Monday! Make it a good one! (as my Mr. would say :)