Half-Year Check-Up: 10 Questions You Should Ask Yourself To Make Sure You Are On Track

7 / 29 / 18

Every Summer, I do a half-year LIFE check-up. I investigate every corner of my life to make sure I´m on the right track, moving in a direction that brings me happiness.

I love doing my half-year check-up! I feel like it´s a second chance to make things right. I re-evaluate my decisions, my goals and all my dreams that I planned back in the beginning of the year. I re-consider my business plan. I re-connect with my passion, my WHY and my life purpose.

Taking time to check in with ourselves is crucial because we sometimes lose sight of what´s most important to us doing the daily grind. We get so caught up in daily chores and to-do´s that it so darn easy to lose sight of what matters most.

I ask myself; are you where you want to be now? And are you on track to be where you want to be at the end of this year?

Rarely, will our dream life magically appear. If you genuinely want to live your dream life, you got to get out of your comfort zone and ask yourself some hard questions. You got to get comfortable with the uncomfortable questions, and you got to challenge yourself to answer truthfully.

Not always easy…but very effective!

Without being MINDFUL about your direction in life, chances are someone else will take over your agenda. And without the clarity and purpose from choosing your steps mindfully, you´ll never truly experience and express your highest potential.

You owe it to yourself to live a life that is extraordinary to you. A life that makes you happy and fulfilled.

Doing a half-year review is an act of self-love. It´s NOT an excuse to beat yourself up for not reaching your New Years´ resolutions.

No way!

I want you to do this exercise with kindness. Being hard on yourself NEVER works – it only results in lack of motivation, depression and low self-esteem.

At the end of the day, your personal goals should be serving you. They are YOUR goals, and you get to set them so that where you end up is exactly where you want to be.

So as you enter the second half of the year, I want you to set time aside – maybe a few hours, perhaps a full day or a weekend and do a half-year check-up.

Use this time to reflect back on the first six months of the year and make adjustments to your goals for the rest of the year.

I created the following questions to help you be fully mindful of the way you live and to look at your life with open eyes. These questions are asked with love, and the intention is to guide you to stay on track with your life purpose.

Are you ready?

Okay, here we go…

Half-Year Check-Up: 10 Questions You Should Ask Yourself To Make Sure You Are On Track

1. WHAT do you need to let go of?

There´s a big difference between giving up and letting go. Letting go means freeing yourself from something that is no longer serving you. It involves removing toxic people and negative belief systems from your life so you can make space for wellbeing and happiness. Giving up reduces your life. Letting go expands it. Giving up is self-defeat. Letting go is self-care. What do you need to let go of, so you can make space for the things that really matter?

2. WHO do you need to let go of?

Is there someone in your life that is blocking your happiness and growth? Perhaps a person that is close to you? Or maybe someone you interact with online? A person that is always negative, putting you down, pointing out your weakness and accusing you of not being good enough? Is it time to let go of that person?

Remind yourself that you don´t need anyone´s permission or approval to live your life the way that feels right. No one has the authority to tell you who to be or how to live.

3. What do you need more of in your life?

Focus on the exciting feelings, relationships, events and habits that will improve your life. What makes you feel full of joy? What makes you feel completely at peace? What makes you feel confident and happy with yourself? How can you get more of that in your life?

4. What´s your biggest struggle and how can you deal with it?

Everyone has a difficult time coping. So if you feel like life is a struggle you are not alone. Life is a rollercoaster, and sometimes we all fall apart. During these times, we aren´t always easy to be around. No one is easy to be around 100% of the time. It´s called being human. So when that happens, remind yourself that it´s okay, to not be okay. You are not Superman or Superwomen.

Acknowledge that you struggle and turn your attention and focus to the things in your life you are grateful for. What in your life do you truly appreciate? What and who are you sincerely thankful for?

And remember, you are better today because you have learnt from your setbacks. You are stronger today because of the pain you overcame. You can love today because you understand that nobody is perfect and everyone is doing the best they can with the resources they have. You can overcome your struggles because you are not what happens to you, you choose to be who you are.

5. What areas of your life do you need to simplify?

I can never say this enough; simplify the heck out of your life, and you´ll be a much happier person! Think about it; where in your life do you need less drama and less pressure? The best way to quiet your mind is to simplify your life. When your mind is quiet, you can work on the big things. Focus on things that really matter, like your goals, health, giving back, your passions, hobbies, and quality relationships with your loved ones. To simplify, ask yourself what in your life you can delete, delegate, remove, say no to or take immediate action on. Remember, it´ s always better to keep things simple and flexible rather than chase perfection.

6. How can you bring more self-compassion into your life?

We, humans, tend to strive for perfection. We want to be perfect. Look perfect. Act perfect. We hide our insecurities behind flawless social media images. And we protect ourselves when we don´t feel complete. The truth is we are just HUMANS…and no human is perfect. We fail. We disappoint ourselves. We disappoint people. We judge others – and judge ourselves even harder. So instead of striving for perfection – strive to do things with love.

No one cares about you being perfect….the only thing people care about is how you make them FEEL. Nothing is more attractive than a person who is comfortable in her own skin and who has compassion for others as well as for herself.

Self-compassion makes life very simple. It’s us that complicates things with our expectations. The biggest mistake is thinking that you have to change something before you can love yourself. The truth is that love is the ONLY thing that needs to be changed. You don’t have to get better before you can love yourself. And if you don’t know how to love yourself start with kindness and compassion. Treat yourself as a loving mother would care for a child. Treat yourself as you would treat your best friend.

7. Are your “shoulds” getting in the way of your “wants”?

I delete about half of my emails every day! Why? Because my time is my most valuable asset and I want to be in full control of how I spend it. Now, don´t get me wrong here…I do love all the emails from you, my dear readers, subscribers and students – those emails are always my favourite emails. I´m talking about all the emails offering web service, SEO, unpaid work, collaborations with no rewards, ad requests, guest blogging requests, unpaid speaking gigs and I could keep going…. I don´t want anyone else´s agenda taking over my time! I know so many business owners who answer all emails as fast as they can, just because they feel they “should”. And it´s keeping them from spending time on their most important projects – or even worse it´s keeping them from valuable time with their family.

“Should” is how other people want us to live our lives. It’s all of the expectations and obligations that others lay upon us. But here´s the truth; you don´t have to answer all emails, you don´t have to reply to all Instagram comments, and you don´ have to say yes, to things, jobs or events you don´t wanna do.

If “shoulds” have overpowered you in the past, how can you make a shift and focus on “wants”? These are the things that are super important to you. “Wants” is who you are, what you believe, and what you do when you are alone with your truest, most authentic self. It’s your instincts, your desires, the things, places and ideas you are passionate about.

Every day you are being presented with two choices: evolve or repeat. Will you step away from “shoulds” and evolve or will you keep repeating things you really don´t want to do? How can you reduce “shoulds” and make space for “wants”?

8. What important goal or decision are you procrastinating?

The costs of procrastinating can be enormous. When we procrastinate our goals, we are basically putting off our lives. Think about it; what in your life are you currently procrastinating? Do you delay making an important decision you know you need to make? Do you need to take care of something, but keep postponing it? Look into areas such as happiness, stress, health, finances, relationships and work.

A recent study shows that 47% of people’s time online is spent procrastinating. Social media can be fun and bring loads of good things like new friends and creative inspiration – but potentially social media is also one of our greatest time wasters. How can you help yourself to take action and break free of procrastination? Think about how great you´ll feel on the other side of procrastination.

9. What BIG DREAM do you need to go after?

What big dream are you putting off, because you are waiting for:
⠀⠀
1. the perfect time?
2. the perfect conditions?
3. more confidence? ⠀⠀ .
.
Let me just say this; there are people less qualified than you doing the things you want to do, simply because they decided to go for it. So stop waiting. Go after it.

You will be surprised at the things you can accomplish with a little belief and action. There will never be a perfect time anyway, so you might as well just start. And confidence….it will grow as you take action. Confidence comes from taking action – not from waiting.

Forgive yourself for accepting less than you deserve. Re-adjust. Re-start. Re-focus. And then set a step by step plan to reach your goal. You don´t need to have it all figured out before you start something. Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the most significant step of your life. Tiptoe if you must, but take the step.

10. How well do you celebrate your life?

On a scale from 1-10, how good are you at celebrating? Unless it´s a big fat 10, you need to start throwing more confetti NOW! Listen, YOU are the only cheerleader you got, so you better show up cheering on yourself and throw a happy dance whenever you get the chance. Life is serious enough, as it is, so spice it up with some fun. Growing up my dad always said to me, life is as fun as YOU make it; meaning YOU are responsible for bringing joy into your life.

Don´t wait for someone to come and entertain you. Don´t wait for people to cheer on you. Don´t do things just to please others. Be pro-active and create small everyday celebrations. You don´t have to buy yourself a fancy new car or eat at the finest restaurant in town to celebrate. It can be little moments of joy that you create to make you happy. Like serving champagne for breakfast on a Monday morning. Enjoying a long warm bath while listening to your favourite podcast or a phone call to a long lost friend. The key is to fill your life with celebration – and not just fill it with chores.

That´s it…now it´s time to….

TAKE ACTION:

Perhaps you are on vacation while reading this, enjoying a refreshing GT or a big scoop of chocolate ice cream, laying on the beach or by the pool? If so, there really is NO excuse to not find a moment to yourself, to ponder on the above questions.

Get a notebook, a hotel napkin or use the Notes app on your phone and make sure to answer each question as truthfully as you can. Enjoy the process and remember to do it with kindness. Harsh self-critique will get you nowhere.

Like this article? Share it with your friends or post it to Pinterest – perhaps you´ll help someone get unstuck!

Got an aha-moment? Come on over to my Instagram account and share it with me. Your feedback always inspire me so much.

With love and gratefulness,

Christina

PS. You might also like the following articles:

5 Reasons Why You´re Not Making Money With Your Creative Business (And How to Fix It)

How To End The Destructive Habit of Comparing Yourself To Others

How To End The Destructive Habit of Comparing Yourself To Others

4 / 10 / 185 / 30 / 18

Do you sometimes compare your creative work to other photographer’s work and get discouraged?

If so you´re not alone…

So let me just say this once:

Measuring your success through comparison is a recipe for letting yourself down.

The only photographer you should compare yourself to is the one you were yesterday.

Why? Because…

Creating art is not a competition, someone does not have to lose for someone else to win. We can all win if we create images that bring personal satisfaction.

Comparing, in photography or in life, is not productive. You cannot look to external standards, whether it be others work or their opinions, to find personal satisfaction. You must be comfortable with yourself and your art to find true joy.

The very act of comparing yourself to others takes up your precious time and headspace and you have absolutely NO CONTROL over this other person and their creative work.

When you compare yourself to your competition or tailor your business to match other businesses in the field, you´re forgetting the ONE thing your business has that no other business has; YOU.

Your secret sauce is YOU!

Build your business around your own unique talents, ideas, and vision, and you´ll ensure that not only will you stand apart from the rest; you´ll also do the work you love and were meant to do.

Instead of wasting valuable time comparing, focus on being more creative and innovative than ever before. Focus on doing things that are directly related to building your creative skills and your brand style.

The fastest way to free up your creativity is to spend less time on social media comparing and more time creating.

WHEN YOU CREATE:

You generate more creativity.
You produce more ideas.
You improve your skills.
You get more business.

Celebrate your creativity

The best thing about Instagram is that it can be your creative outlet. Instead of focus on the outcome; the photo. Remember, you have a particular set of gifts, personality traits and talents that are unique to you. Comparing your life, your personality and talent is a waste of your gifts.

Focus on the process of creating your photo. Put more effort into the details, care about the composition, play with the colors, experiment with editing styles and so on. Imagine there´s no rules, and just like a child you allow yourself to play with new fun ideas.

Who cares what it looks like if you had fun creating it! It´s the quality of life that matters – not how it looks on the outside.

Real beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself. And Personality begins where comparison leaves off. Be unique. Be confident. Be proud. Focus on your journey, not the destination.

Post for your eyes only

Take your power back and decide to post for you – and only you! After all your Instagram account is yours right! Post photos that make you feel; happy and creative.

Have fun with it and do it for you – don´t post photos to try to please others and get more followers. It will only make you feel detached from yourself and stressed.

Ready for more soul empowering motivation?

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Every third day, for one entire year you´ll get small bursts of powerful insights to help you transform your life, and build a confident roadmap for your creative lifestyle. AND it´s 100% FREE to join!

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9 Things to Do In 2018 to Improve Your Creative Life

12 / 6 / 1712 / 7 / 17

Every year, at the beginning of December, I unplug for three days in a 5-star spa hotel to uncover my path for the new year. It´s not just about spoiling myself. Yes, I do celebrate the ending of a marvellous year, and champagne sure is included. BUT, having worked with psychology and mindset training for 20 years, I know that the brain needs rest in order to think BIG. And that´s where the spa-pampering lifestyle comes in.

Going to the sauna, getting a massage and swimming outdoors in the midst of the freezing winter helps me relax and connect with my body and soul. I might get my creative business ideas with my mind, but I´m always checking in with my body (my gut-feeling) to make sure I´m on the right track.

Taking some time away from work, family, pets and chores are, in my opinion, one of the best ways to connect with my soul, check in on my values and plan a rich + abundant new year.

Today I´m sharing a few of my favourite tips on how to improve your creative life in the new year.

Are you ready? Here we go…

9 Things To Do In 2018 To Improve Your Creative Life

1. PLAN Your Dream Year

If there´s ONE THING I´ve learned from my many years as a creative entrepreneur, as well as from coaching thousands of clients, it´s this;

If you struggle with growing your business, it does not mean that you are incompetent or incapable. Not at all! It simply means that you are an entrepreneur without a clear plan. It´s that simple.

Remember, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Chase your dream and set clear + small step-by-step goals to make it happen.

Going from struggling artist/creator to running a profitable business isn´t so much about hard work, talent or luck as it is about PLANNING and taking ACTION. With the right plan in place, there ain´t nothing you can´t do!

Keep chasing your dream. Don´t give up! It doesn’t matter if you are moving fast or slow, only that you keep moving AND that you STOP criticizing yourself!

Because the truth is; every time you criticise yourself you take a step back – away from your desired destination called your dream life.

2. FOCUS On NOW

To make the most of time, lose track of it. Life unfolds in the present. But so often, we let the present slip away, allowing time to rush past unobserved and unseen. When we’re at work, we fantasize about being on vacation; on vacation, we worry about the work piling up on our desks. We dwell on the past or fret about what may or may not happen in the future.

In order to feel more in control of your mind, your life, and to find the sense of balance, you need to pause, and allow yourself to rest in stillness. We need to live more in the moment cultivating a nonjudgmental awareness of the present.

Focusing on the present moment also forces you to stop overthinking. Instead of getting stuck in your head and worrying, you get to connect with your body and soul. Living in the moment makes you happier – why? Because most negative thoughts concern the past or the future.

You can become present at any moment just by paying attention to your immediate experience. You can do it right now. Become aware of being alive. Focus on NOW. Focus on your breathing and you’re already there.

3. Declutter Your Space

Take a quick, intuitive look at your life and decide what “toxic” to get rid off. Do you need to change something in your diet? Perhaps drink water instead of diet coke? Maybe less junk food and more fresh food? And how about your living space and your workspace.

Creating a comfortable + beautiful environment in your home and creative workspace is fundamental for you to start thriving, being happier, more focused and relaxed.

It is a fact that our environment has a huge impact on our mood, our productivity and our creativity. Working in aesthetically pleasing surroundings is important, very important. It simply makes us happier, more creative and more productive.

Clean out your closet, your kitchen cabinets, and your bathroom drawers. Out with old papers, things never used and everything that is clutter to your eyes and mind. You need a free, clean space to work and think creatively in.

And more importantly, you need to surround yourself with things you love, things that give you energy and put a happy smile on your pretty face.

It´s a hassle to get it done – but so incredibly energizing when done. The best way to start a new year! And remember it´s not about perfection, it´s about reducing clutter to release energy.

4. Learn A New Creative Skill

If you want to be good at something you must practice. If you wish to be the best you must practice a whole lot. You can´t become a great photographer, stylist, designer, creator by spending time on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook looking at other people’s photos. You must set time aside to explore, investigate and experiment to learn something new.

To help yourself succeed, plan to learn a few new skills this year – but never try to do it all at once. One step at a time is the best way to go. Dive deep into just one area of a topic and keep working on it until you are really good at it.

And don´t put pressure on yourself to perform in any specific way, or imitate someone else work – just play and have fun and see how much better you will become. It will with out a doubt improve your style and help you fine-tune your creative voice.

5. Let Go Of Negative People In Your Life

Consider if it´s time to end a relationship or a friendship that drain you more than it energizes you. Rule number one in life is NEVER to let another person put you down. You are so precious and you deserve compassion and love.

The people you surround yourself with will influence you tremendously. You are more or less the sum of the five people you interact with the most. Therefore, if you surround yourself with negative, nagging and judgemental people, you might end up feeling awful and unhappy – and it will reduce your ability to be creative.

Surround yourself with positive – amazing people who will support you, cheer on you and lift your spirit up. If you have successful, creative and joyful people around you, chances are you will be inspired, feel free and alive.

In the past I´ve phased out friendships with people and family members who invite too much drama and negativity into their life and mine. I want to protect myself from people who obsess about problems and all the negative things in the world.

Honestly, it´s okay to say NO and ban people from your life who aren´t adding to it in a positive way. You have permission to say no to demands on your time that don´t light you up and don´t give energy back to you.

You have the permission to let go of people who make you feel like shit. You have permission to enrich your life by surrounding yourself with people who are good, and loving and nurturing to you.

6. Uplevel Your Marketing

Are you SUPER proud of your work and your offerings? Are you jumping with excitement to tell people about your work and show your website, service and creative projects to the world? Or are your website always a work in progress, and has your blog been silent for months?

For so many creatives promotion and marketing feel scary. It feels like ego. It feels salesy. But the truth is; creatives who release their fear of self-promotion are the same ones who grow a successful business fast and make more revenue than they ever dream of.

Marketing is not sleazy or false. Marketing is about serving, inspiring and helping your ideal clients. In fact, it’s a relief when you realize that the problems in your business are not the Universe telling you that you’re not good enough. You just got “marketing problems.”

Sometimes rebranding is the best way to kick-start and uplevel your marketing game. Rebranding is a great way to symbolize your evolution; it can energize your brand, both internally and externally. Developing a new brand identity send a message that your business is taking it to the next level and it can boost your willingness to self-promote.

If you´re not ready to fully rebrand, just do visual clean-up. Sometimes your website could do with a little TLC. Clean up broken links, remove old photos and allow for more white space. Declutter your site so your messages, story and offerings stand out clearly.

Prioritize how you visually present your portfolio and your brand. It must be 100% YOU. Make it personal. Show the world who you are. Be proud of your work and most of all be proud of the way you work.

Take good care of your clients, be a helpful networker and ask for what you are worth. Don´t work too much, but work efficiently and with focus when you work.

If you´re ready to transform your creative business into a soul-driven empire that supports you with consistent cashflow so that you can be all about your genius work and live the rich life you deserve, then join my unique training program OPTIMIZE YOUR CREATIVE LIFE >>

7. Connect With Your Body & Soul

It´s all about the art of slowing down and making time to re-connect with yourself. Think of your soul as a small child that needs time to play, relax, laugh, touch, hug, feel, create and explore.

The first step in slowing down and making more stress-free time for yourself is to start saying NO. Say no to all unwanted stuff. Stop pleasing everybody but yourself and practice to say the word “no” out loud.

Yes, there´s a risk of becoming unpopular, and disappointing people – but remember that this is your life, and if you wish to be happy, you must not live it on other people’s terms. Follow your own agenda in a calm rhythm with plenty of room to relax and do what you love. Say no to a hectic lifestyle.

It´s your job to nurture your soul and fulfil its needs. No one else can do it for you! A stressful life in the fast lane often makes for a sad and lonely soul.

Slow down your tempo and make time to breathe, walk barefoot, listen to the silence, take a long warm bath/shower, get a massage, meditate, sleep more, write your thoughts down in a journal and so on. A happy soul ensures a clear and focused mind.

8. Spend Less – Save More

Many creative entrepreneurs tend to spend too much on equipment in their first years of business. And if you are a beginner in your field, chances are that you might be buying the wrong things.

Focus on what you really need to grow your business. Most of the time you need to learn a new skill more than you need new equipment.

Some questions I ask myself every time I consider spending money are:

“Is this nice to have or need to have?

“How can I use my creativity to manage without it?”

“Will my business struggle if I don’t get it?”

“If I buy this will it help me make more money?”

These are very helpful questions. If I think it’s just nice, I will let it go and put it on my wish list. You can absolutely grow your business BIG without buying unnecessary things. So really think about where you put your money.

Creative entrepreneurs who save money automatically each month end up with more money. They are living a balance between having a life today and making a life in the future. They forget about what is automatically deducted and therefore tend to live below their means.

If you´re thinking; “But I don´t earn enough money to be able to save money”, I get you – I´ve been there.

And that´s why I love “The Latte Factor,” This is the idea of eliminating your $5 daily latte, and instead put those $5 towards your savings. A $5 daily coffee amounts to about $35 a week, $150 a month and $1.800 a year.

If you kept doing that for 10 years, you’d end up with $18.000, from just leaving out your daily Starbuck coffee. I think that´s so amazing and it proves that a little saving goes a long way if you stick to it and stay consistent.

9. Accept and love yourself – let go of anger, worry and resentment

Last but not least; forgive yourself for everything and anything! You can´t change your past, and if you keep looking at the past, and regretting things you´ve done or not done – you will reduce your chances of happiness TODAY.

Feelings of anger, resentment and worries will always steal your ability to stay focused and be present in the now. If you hold on to negative emotions and thoughts, you will only harm yourself, and slow down your chances of inner peace and joy.

Let go! Your well-being is too important for you to hold on to any form of negativity – imagine how much better you´ll feel without it. Let go darling.

Much Love and all the best wishes for the new year!

PS. Below you can see pictures from my New Year Retreat on a 5-star hotel in Germany. This is my way of saying goodbye to a wonderful business year and at the same time make a fabulous business plan for the new year. If you want to make 2018 your best business year yet, check out my new coaching program for creatives here >>