Miss Modish- Mojo Maker

5 of my guilty pleasures (+ 2 high school nicknames, just for fun)

I started thinking about "guilty pleasures" this morning, as I indulged what felt like a few- enjoying a chocolaty breakfast in horrendously bright fleece pants while catching up on the last Real Housewives.

And then I thought, it's these little guilty pleasure moments- that you might find embarrassing to admit out loud to those who aren't close to you- that are responsible for a lot of fun and enjoyment in life, huh? So why not indulge every now and again, sans guilt!

Here are a few of my guilty pleasures:

• my true day-to-day wardrobe
  (as seen in the pic above) which consists of things not worn very far beyond the proximity of my own house/yard. It's mostly fleece, yoga wear and wool socks. Or in the summertime- kaftans!
  
  
• I start and end each day with chocolate
  that means cocoa in my coffee and ice cream every night. Yes, every night. See, I'm feeling guilty about it right now!
  
  
• chimichangas bigger than my head
  I like my deep fried burritos covered in sour cream and avocado too, to seal the "this can't be good for you" deal. *random side note: in 11th grade spanish class, we had to pick "spanish names" to call ourselves, and I chose "Chimichanga". It caught on like wildfire and became one of my many high school nicknames. Another school nickname of mine? Jena Tulls. Yeah, got to 7th grade before the boys figured that one out.
  
  
• basically any reality tv show that's on bravo
  RHOBH, Bethanny, Top Chef, that Art show show, Rachel Zoe, Brad, the Matchmaker lady- all of em. They keep me company while I work- I'm all alone in here!
  
  
• doing house projects & errands during normal "work hours"
  It's the little things about self-employed life that make up for 401ks and health benefits. Like being able to rearrange all the art on your office wall at 10:30 on a Tuesday morn, if that's what you feel like doing. Or going to brunch at the spots that are crazy 2-hour waits on the weekend, to slip right into a seat on a Wednesday. Or being able to get 5 loads of laundry done on a Thursday afternoon, WHILE you work! It's a thrill a minute, I tell ya.

Now that I've shared some of my embarrassing guilty pleasures- what are some of yours, hmmm???

Kitty Photo Friday

Just two cool cats, doing some window bird watching...

Lulu also likes to hide from strangers in this same spot- she covers just her head behind the curtain, with her huge fluffly butt hanging out, and thinks no one can see her. It's the cutest!

Do any of you have a scardey cat too?

Hope you have a good weekend e'erybody and see you next week!
<3 jena

ps: I sent my first "dose of mojo" newsletter out this week. It's the boiled down best lessons I've learned on life, business and the intersection between the two, a weekly dose of mojo to pump up your jam! You can sign up here if you'd like to get the next batch :)

VIDEO: On Healthy Changes & Shifting negative self-talk

Jen & I have been chatting so much on camera lately in building The Catalyst course, we thought it'd be cool to do a little "video blog" for you guys today instead! (It's a sneak peek at what our course videos are like too, if you're interested.)

So today we're chatting about making healthy changes and a couple ways to shift that negative self-talk that can sometimes hold us back. It's 6 min long- hope you enjoy it!

(this is a really greeaaat freeze frame by the way too, thanks youtube!)

We have so much more to share in The Catalyst course, which starts March 5th! Are you registered yet? There's less than one week left to snag your spot. If you've been looking to re-ignite your spark, feel less stressed and find more time to take care of yourself, we hope you'll join us!

ps: you might also like to check out this podcast I did with Brittni over at Papernstitch yesterday, on pursuing your passion & lots more!

Shop's Open! Pitch Kit's On! Come'n get'er! (Also- I'm very, very tired.)

I pulled a "not since I was a little kid" kind of all-nighter last night, as in- I haven't been to sleep since, hmm.... Sunday night!

Why? Well, I was finishing up the TIP-TOP PITCH KIT to release to pre-orders this morning, and now I'm happy to say, the kit now available in my new TIP-TOP PITCH SHOP!

I ended up having a last minute brain-storm to survey 25 radical design blog editors to hear what they think about pitches, learn how they respond to them, see what makes a pitch really STAND-OUT in their eyes and what totally IRKS THEIR SQUID. Their responses pepper and help illustrate many points throughout the whole kit!

I'm seriously stoked on the finished product as it's really everything I wish I had known about pitching back when I was getting started with all this self-promotion schtuff. I tried to pack it full of practical information, useful insight and a glimpse into the blog editor's perspective, to help you pitch better, more confidently, and really understand what to expect AFTER you hit the send button...

Check out the PITCH KIT DETAILS if you're interested in all the goodness it has in store.

And if you're looking for a little more personalized sort of advice, I offer a "PITCH CLINIC" and "CUSTOM MEDIA LIST" as a special +ADD-ON for the kit, to help you out a step further.

I feel like a proud mama! I birthed my first e-book baby, woo hoo! I really hope that it will be extremely helpful to you. I pumped it full of as much insider know-how as I could.

And now?

Perhaps it's finally nap time? I've been awake for 32 hours straight so far, and counting...

I seem to be holding up remarkably well tho, at this point. But I'm sure that's just the "brain-on" and natural delirium working their special mix of magic.

Thanks so much for checking out my new shop & offerings! I appreciate it so much!

By the way, am I speaking English right now? Or Zorbot? I can't quite tell... ;)

Kitty Photo Friday

I was trying to make the bed, and she was trying to attack the sheets. What's with cats and sheets? Do your kitties love bed-making time?

Hope you all have a goooood weekend! I'll meet you back here next week!

<3 jena

The gift of competition, and how I learned the hard way

I'm gonna tell you a little story about competition and resentment, something I've never shared out on the interwebs before because it's kind of a touchy subject, but... here goes!

When I started Modish, almost 6 years ago now, I had a real issue with what I then deemed my "bloggy nemesis". Someone else started a very similar blog to mine (at the time) very soon after I did, and it seemed like every move I made from then on- every new addition or change of focus or new idea for expansion I would try- she would do the exact same thing 2 months later, without fail.

It felt like she was constantly nipping at my heels and I just could. not. let. it. go. because, well, it was INFURIATING! APPALLING! ANNOYING AS SHIT!

After a few years of dealing with the same person "doing this to me" over and over again- a person that, mind you, I had never met, never spoken to, never even communicated with really- I became so consumed in my resentment toward her for "copying me", for stealing MY ideas, for taking credit that was due to ME, for edging in on MY community of people and MY niche- on stealing MY thunder!

And then I read A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle (I wrote about this exact subject a few years back after I first read his book) and there was a particular passage in it that shouted at me and made me realize- all of that "MY MY ME ME" stuff was really just my ego getting in my own damn way.

Imagine that.

Our ego is the part of us that wants to be seen. To be recognized, acknowledged and appreciated. The ego is that part of us that wants to be FIRST! BEST! ONLY!

So when we start to compare ourselves to others, or get caught up in competition or rivalry, it's our ego that feels the affront. And it tries to combat that "affront" by arming us with feelings of resentment, envy, scorn, hatred, powerlessness, diminishment. Our ego wants us to fight! To claim our territory!

But in reality, the only person I had been fighting with the whole time, was myself. The person who was receiving the most hurt and pain from these horrible, negative emotions, was myself. The only person who I was stopping from doing anything or keeping stuck, was myself!

We can create our own misery simply by comparing ourselves to others.

When we try to keep score, keep up, get ahead, one up, be the best, be SEEN- we tend to focus all our energies on what our competition is doing, rather than on what we want for ourselves. We tend to lose sight of our own priorities and talents and direction and get derailed, ending up stuck in the muck and mire of our own negativity.

Now, looking back on that time as I was facing my "nemesis", I honestly feel grateful for it because it spurred me on the path of finding my truest, most authentic way to present myself in this big ol' world.

Competition itself is not the issue. It will always be there- in business, in relationships, in life. There will always be people around you who would rather duplicate, than originate, someone 10 steps ahead or nipping at your heels.

But they aren't the problem. They will be forced to either fall off the wayside or find their own paths eventually, too... It's how you perceive your competition, how you react to it, that changes how it affects your life.

From my experience, I've learned that competition doesn't have to be an obstacle, it can actually be an absolute GIFT.

Competition is a spur for growth and an opportunity for change.

Competition helps you narrow-down, focus-in, refine.

Competition makes you strive, innovate and unleash your best efforts.

Competition helps you understand and uncover what is truly most unique about what you have to offer.

Competition strips superficiality and half-heartedness away, and sinks you down into your truest depths until you discover that what you're putting out there is so uniquely and authentically you, that you have no real competition after all.

It can truly be a gift, if you just let yourself see it that way.

Have you let feelings of resentment or envy towards competition hinder you in the past? How are you going to shift your perspective and stop comparing yourself to others to be able to move forward and grow?

Registration for The Catalytst is on now! Yippee!

Love to you

Aw, I love you guys, I really do! Thanks for being awesome you! (Look at that, I ryhmed. How very Valentiney of me.)

Well I re-discovered this Mary Oliver poem last night that I just adore- West Wind #2. It describes so beautifully how important it is to follow the true calling of your heart, despite how scary that can be. Here's a piece of the poem below, inspiration to love and love with all you've got!

Well it might be the perfect day to show yourself some love, and try writing yourself a letter of appreciation- check out this guest post Jen & I did for OMHG on speaking kindly to yourself.

And just a reminder, if you're looking for a little more love and attention for your business, today is the last day to snag my pitching e-book at a pre-order discount!

Wishing you all a Happy Valentine's Day! Much love to you!

Kitty Photo Friday

I posted this on instagram a few days ago, but for those of you who aren't on there (hi Mom!)-

Look, I caught an itty bitty kitty!

Well I hope you all have a great weekend! You know what I'll be doing for a large chunk of it? Working on my tip-top pitch kit! Which is, just a reminder, available on pre-order for $39 thru Valentine's Day only! More details right he-yah.

Meet you back here next week, sweet peeps!

<3 jena

Resisting change?

I have made a lot of big changes in my life over the years- from quitting a fantastic job surrounded by even more fantastic people in order to work for myself, to deciding to leave the comfort of the town I was born and raised and educated in for a new life in an entirely different place, to even my recent change with this blog, shifting from talking about other people's work and lives into talking about my life and the things that truly matter most to me.

But with each and every change, I faced resistance. An inner push and pull that had me questioning every choice I wanted to make. And I think we all face a certain level of resistance when it comes to making big changes in our lives, because we tend to think that staying right where we are, even if we know we're not happy there, is less risky and seems less painful than the thought of making a change.

That's why change requires a leap of faith. You will never know for sure what the new job, new town, new relationship, or even something as simple as a new exercise routine will feel like, until you do it. There's no proof or evidence. No crystal ball you can look into to see exactly where this change will take you.

So instead, we resist. We stay put, where we think we're safe. We rationalize ourselves out of making a change, because the reality of it is, change is fucking scary.

So how do you break through the walls of the resistance you're creating within yourself?

Here's how I was able to break through the things that were holding me back from making some of the most important and best changes in my life:

• with support: A large part of our resistance can come from not wanting to lose or strain the connections we have with people that are part of our "old ways"- so you need to make new connections related to the change you want to create. Find connections in the new town you want to move to, join meetups and events related to the new job you want, invite girls from your yoga class to tea afterward if you want to have more health-conscious people in your life. Find and use your support system. If the people closest to you aren't supportive of the changes you want to make, it's important to find people who are. From real life communities to online ones, there are people out there who understand where you're coming from, and what you want out of life.
  
  
• with role models: Akin to support, but in a more aspirational way, it's so much easier to break through our resistance if we have a role model for that change. Someone who has been there, done that, made the same change you're looking to make and was the better for it. Whether it's a friend, a group you belong to, a blog you love to read- seeing other people create changes in their lives is encouraging and motivating for you to create your own.
  
  
• with time: Change takes time, and resistance takes time to whittle away. That's why sudden, unexpected changes often throw our whole worlds out of whack- but even a sudden change becomes your new normal, eventually. We are highly adaptable creatures, us humans, and when we're thrown into new life situations, we work it out. The pains and struggles that happen during your transition through a change, will fade away with time.
  
  
• with a shift in perspective: When we focus on all the obstacles in our way for change- that's all we can see and our vision becomes obscured with that wall of resistance. But if we can envision a peek over that wall, into what our life would be like after the change, and instead focus on all the benefits that this change would make in your life in truly fulfilling ways, then it becomes easier to imagine that the difficulties you may face during the transition will be well worth it in the end.
  
  
• by finding success, even in failure: If it's fear of failure holding you back, remember- even if you make a big change and it doesn't work out as you had hoped, or planned- you made a big change! Which means, you can do it again more easily the next time, and that is a success in itself. And in "failure", disappointment, rejection or frustration, we learn more about ourselves and what we really want out of our life, than we would if everything just came easily to us all the time. That knowledge and growth brings you closer to your true self, and to me, that's the best success of all. 

Change can happen, for real! The dreams you want for your life can become a reality, if you break through those walls of resistance and make it happen for yourself!

Are you facing any resistance right now trying to bring a big change into your life?

Registration for The Catalytst is on! Yippee!

psst...Tip-Top Pitch Kit, coming soon!

I've been working on an e-book that shares everything I know about pitching with you all, but it's a passion project that keeps getting pushed to the back-burner when things get busy and well, things are always busy! So I say, back-burner no more! It's time to finish'er up and launch it into the world!

So, in an effort to both light my little butt to focus focus and finish, and to have an opportunity to give you awesome folks reading this a discount, I decided to make my upcoming Tip-Top Pitch Kit available at a pre-order discount!

So, the Tip-Top Pitch Kit (part of the new, also upcoming, Tip-Top Pitch Shop!) is basically everything I know about how to pitch your online shop to blogs, and other online media, to receive more exposure and a more bustling business as a result!

It's a culmination of my experience behind the scenes as an editor of a popular shopping blog, coupled with my current job-title of PR professional representing fantastic indie brands and all the things I've learned from the successful self-promotion I've done for my many (oh so many) ventures over the last five years.

It's all the information I used to include in ($250+) consultation plans to clients detailing "how to pitch", but has been expanded to also include:

• how to write your pitch in a way that encourages a response
• what blog editors like and don't like, with insight into their side of the pitch email
• how to build your media list & find the right places to pitch to
• how to pitch with confidence and shirk the irk
• + see actual pitches that worked to see why they were successful!
  

It will available in a pretty little $59 package when the Tip-Top Pitch Shop opens on Tues, Feb 21st...

But for one week only, I'll be offering the pitch kit as a PRE-ORDER available for $39!

Order between now and midnight (pst) on Feb 14th at a discount, and the full pdf pitch-kit will arrive in your inbox one day before its official launch, on Feb 20th!

If you pre-order, you'll also get first dibs access to my new shop, which means you'll have first dibs opportunity to schedule any personalized add-ons for the kit, like my "custom media list" or "personal pitch clinic." Bonus!

Ready to grab some self-promo mojo?

PRE-ORDER OFFER HAS NOW EXPIRED, but you can snag the kit over at www.missmodish.com!

PS: this kit is geared toward online, product based businesses- makers, designers, artists, etc with an etsy, big-cartel or other online shop. This kit does NOT cover pitching to print magazines- only online media (although, much of the information & skills will translate to pitching to mags) If you're a service provider looking to pitch your skillz (coaches, web-designers, photographers, etc) I'll get you with the next edition! :)

Kitty Photo Friday

Haven't done one of these for awhile but I couldn't resist sharing this doggy-brother/kitty-sister cuteness with you all! They just love each other, it's SO sweet.

Phew! It's been a busy week with the launch of The Catalyst. We're so thrilled about the group of ladies we have signed up so far! Lots of talented, creative, inspiring people in the bunch- we're going to learn a lot from each other!

I've also been working on a new site and a "how-to-pitch" ebook for Miss Modish PR that will be released very soon! I'll have a special pre-order deal for you guys here next week, if you'd like to scoop it up at a discount- so be sure to check in!

Hope you all have a great weekend and see you next week!

<3 jena

The Catalyst Course, now open!

Doo-doodle-ooo! (that's a trumpet noise :)

We're officially opening up registration for The Catalyst today, wahoo!

You can read full details about the content and schedule on The Catalyst info page here, but for now, we'd like to actually speak to you, via a short little video about our course, and what we hope participants will take away from it.

(and by the way, this is me totally facing one of my fears right now- video blogging!!! ahh!)

The simple changes that I've been making in my life over the last year have left me feeling more calm and focused than I think I've ever felt. I am more grounded than ever. Happier than ever. My relationships feel richer and fuller than ever!

And I'm working just as hard as I ever did (how many jobs you got mon?) yet those feelings of stress, anxiety and unfullfillment that I was so riddled with before, now feel miles and miles away from here...

I am a lazy asshole, reformed! And believe me, if I can do it, SO CAN YOU!

We are so passionate about helping you make the changes you want to see in your life, too! And we've got the tools, strategies, experience and support you need to make it happen.

You in?