Author: Christina Greve

From Overwhelmed to Empowered

Are you sometimes overwhelmed with negative thinking – perhaps being downright rude to yourself? Criticizing yourself for not doing enough?

I guess we’ve all been there; having bad days and moments of self-doubt. Days in which you fall short of your own expectations, and instead of treating it as a learning opportunity, you beat yourself up about it.

The frustration that comes from trying to turn your creative passion into a profitable business can quickly turn into a long rant of self-critique.

The pain of being the starving artist, the struggling creative, overworked with little or no money is REAL.

Fighting to figure out how to do it. Constantly looking for the missing piece to get clients, build an audience and harvest a great income. It´s scary, it´s frustrating, and it´s the situation for so many creatives out there.

I get you! I’ve been an entrepreneur for 28 years. I launched my first clothing line at the age of 15. Started my own dance studio at age 18. I´ve been a full-time artist, a personal trainer, an interior designer and created three 6-figure businesses, including a coaching business, a photography business and numerous of online training programs.

Bringing my creative ideas out into the world is my passion – I love to see my vision grow into empires.

And 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: 

There’s absolutely NOTHING wrong with YOU!

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 compass. It´s that simple.

Going from struggling artist/creator to a running a profitable business isn´t so much about hard work, brilliant plans, talent or luck as it is about confidence, thoughts, and emotions. 

With the right mindset in place, there ain´t nothing you can´t do!

I want you to remember:

YOU can start over, each day. The best time for new beginnings is NOW. It´s okay to have setbacks… it´s okay to draw a line in the sand and start over. Just make sure you are moving the line forward – in a positive direction.

Move in the directions of your dreams and goals. Take baby steps, but take steps that stop you from being stuck.

We all want to reach the top of the mountain and feel that we have achieved something amazing. We want to feel alive, happy and excited. We want to be financially independent and work with what we love.

Whatever you are working towards, and however far you still have to go, let me tell you that; YOU CAN DO IT!

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.

When you Play BIG in life fear will be a constant shadow following your every footstep.

Fear will show up asking if you’re sure – if you’re really, really sure you want to take this big risk? And you start to feel shaky.

You start to fear entering unknown territory. You think of all the things that could go wrong.

But, If you spend your life playing it safe, sticking to what you know and what’s comfortable (even if those things cause you unhappiness), you’re missing out on the incredible possibilities of what could be.

Sometimes the biggest risk is taking no risk at all. And oftentimes in taking the biggest risks, you find yourself living your dream life.

Here’s the thing…

The quality of your life and the success of your business is directly affected by how you FEEL about yourself, and how you THINK of yourself?

That’s why I want YOU to make a firm decision TODAY to boost and improve your self-esteem! Give yourself some credit for ALL that you DO and ALL that you ARE.

Doing so will empower you to do more, love more, give more, become more and live more.

All success in life comes from a place of self-confidence. A deep trust in yourself, that you are worthy of it all and that you deserve the best in life.

Abandon the idea that you are not good enough. Stop trying to ‘fix’ yourself; you’re not broken. No one is! You might have some bad habits, you might be a bit out of sync with yourself from time to time- just like the rest of us. But you are not broken, and there´s nothing wrong with you.

You are a perfect, beautiful, unique human being with perfect imperfections. Instead of telling yourself little lies about who you are and what you can and cannot do, focus on your potential, your passion and spread your message with the world.

With love and excitement,

Nordic Seaside Lifestyle

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.

Warm Summer Greetings,

The Fine Line Between Being Inspired & Being Overwhelmed

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.

With love and passion,