Traveling is ultimately the best way to refill yourself with creativity and new energies – or, you could also argue that it’s about ridding yourself of old, destructive energies and thinking habits. In both cases, it’s about letting yourself go and letting yourself feel life in a new way. Everybody deserves that feeling of freedom once in a while.
“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”
One of my personal getaways are theThe North of Jutland – an island on the top of Denmark. This is were the sun always shine, even when it rains in the rest of our little country (it´s almost true… ) All photos in this post are from that area.
Over this delicious dinner with a friend we talked about information overload and how creative entrepreneurs are constantly being bombarded with tips, ideas, how-to’s, podcasts, blog posts, videos, and stories.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love that we have access to so much inspiration and knowledge. I´m a complete information junkie myself. I love to read and learn. Knowledge is fabulous.
But the downside is that it’s easy to lose your focus if you´re not careful. Be very selective in what you allow yourself to embrace, see, hear and listen to. You are the boss of your brain – you decide what to do with all the information and when to pull the plug and take a break.
Too much information can lead to confusion and frustration. Suddenly you find yourself doubting if you’re on the right path, wondering if you’re doing things the right way. You risk losing connection to your own inner compass and gut feelings.
There’s a fine line between being inspired and being overwhelmed. To navigate all the daily information and use it for optimal growth be sure to keep focus on your purpose and your life goal.
One huge trap to fall into is the idea that you need to follow specific strategies and steps recommended by experts, gurus and highly successful people. Of course, it´s great to seek inspiration and motivation – but know that it´s okay to do things your way.
I guess business success is found in the balance between following expert advice and doing your own thing. No matter what you’ll always be the secret sauce in your brand. So allow yourself to let your true personality shine.
There are no rules in life so why limit yourself to what everybody else is doing?
Pooh-poohing the rules can be so freeing and a refreshing way to spark your creativity too. Listen to your gut feelings and respect yourself enough to do things on your own terms.
5 Tips for Dealing with Information Overload
#1: Don’t feel obligated to spend hours and hours on social media if you rather spend your time doing other things. You don´t have to reply to ALL comments, you don´t have to post daily, and you don´t owe anyone your time!
#2: As the boss of your brain be VERY selective in what you spend time on. Your mind is super sensitive. Reduce access to whatever drains your energy and makes you feel bad. Allow yourself a break from the News, gossip, and negative people. Protect your creative mind at all costs.
#3: Remember, there’s a time for creating and a time for thinking. Avoid trying to create and research at the same time – it confuses the mind and slows you down. When you´re creating, make sure to block out all unnecessary information.
#4: Don’t let FOMO (the fear of missing out) control your mood or your life. It´s okay to let go and just focus on being in the moment doing something you love. It´s okay to take it slow and just doing nothing. Moments of doing nothing can help you become productive later as it recharge your creative mind and prepares you for thinking.
#5: Clear your desk, your desktop, and your head as much as you can. Turn off the computer and your phone for a little while to meditate and stretch. The renewed energy you gain from this will help you navigate through all the information you receive.
My biggest struggle in running my business is this; I suck at grammar and spelling! You see, English is not my first language, and after living in three countries, mixing different languages, I’m a pretty grammar-confused woman in general.
I’ve grown to embrace and attack this challenge with playfulness and optimism. Luckily, I love to learn. I see myself as a longtime student of the beautiful English language.
When it comes to my blogging, I sometimes get emails from readers telling me how they love what I write, but that they find it full of spelling and grammar mistakes.
I don’t get offended by this, and I don’t consider these individuals language bullies – the opposite actually. They kindly offer to help me proof edit my writing for free and honestly, I love them for that! These people have big hearts. They mean well.
I always give them the same reply though, because the thing is; my errors and flaws are important!Why? Because my life purpose is helping creative women believe in themselves and follow their dreams – even if they are not ready and even if the circumstances are NOT perfect.
Here’s an example of how my usual reply sounds:
Dear x
Thanks so much for you kind words and concern about my writings.
With time I´ve come to love my grammar and spelling mistakes. In the past, it was a huge confidence struggle for me, and I´ve also had proofreaders employed earlier in my career.
But I learned along the way to embrace my imperfections – I can´t be perfect in all areas – nor do I want to. And if I waited for perfection I would never write a single word,
I want to show my audience that it’s possible to grow a successful business – even though their grammar/spelling is not perfect.
Many of my students and clients are not native English speakers. They come from all over the world and many struggle with English grammar, and it keeps them from moving forward with an International career.
If I can inspire just one person not to hold back from writing. If I can inspire just one woman to start a blog/creative career/magazine/business/online course in English – even though English is not her first language – I´m happy. It can be the key to changing her life!
Thanks again for your kindness,
Christina
You see, I used to believe I needed to be perfect before I could do anything! And it limited me big time!
Luckily, I soon realized how wrong I was! Like-minded creatives started to follow me even though I was a complete novice in photography. (This was back in 2009).
People liked my photographs even though my results were far from perfect and they started reading my blog despite ALL my spelling mistakes…
By being myself with all my flaws and imperfections, I was able to build a solid client base + a great network of creative people. I grew my business from scratch with a simple Blogspot blog and a lousy camera.
Many things have changed since then. I finally have a better website and an excellent camera – and though my writing is still full of errors, it has improved tremendously.
The key is, I don’t worry about it anymore. I know now that I don’t have to be perfect to be successful. I just need to be me – and ask myself how I can serve the world?
One of the biggest causes of creative dry spell is the need to “get it right.” We strive for perfection, and when we fall short, we feel less than and worthless.
What we don’t seem to realize is that CREATING something and being WILLING to put ourselves out there is an accomplishment in itself, regardless of how many times we “don´t get it right.”
NEVER let spelling/grammar struggles stop you from doing what you love.
Never let the lack of applause keep you from creating. You don’t need to be the best to succeed.
You don’t need to get it perfect all the time. And you certainly don’t need other people to approve of your skills.
The moment you realize that being kind, loving and supportive towards yourself and those you serve – everything changes. Your creativity will blossom, and you become unstoppable.
Don’t wait for everything to be perfect to create your dream business. Start without the perfect circumstances, begin without that beautiful logo, offer your service even though your product or skills are not fully developed yet.
Don’t wait for doors to open! CREATE your own door and invite abundance in.
BE the best YOU you can be and step out of the shadow to shine in your own wonderful accomplishments.
Success isn’t about your circumstances it’s about your thinking and your habits. The fastest way to let go of your limiting beliefs is by taking action. Just start. Take one tiny step every day.