Business

  • Success defined. Be the change you wish to see.

    It’s a fact. Most people don’t like change. Change has two very different sides. On the one hand, it can be positive, exciting and joyful; on the other hand, too much change feels overwhelming, messy, time-consuming, and takes up a lot of energy we simply don’t feel we have. It means jumping out of our deeply rooted comfort zone. Deep down, we might still long for change and a desire to feel more successful, happy, and content with our choices in life.

    So what can we do if we desire change but don’t want all the discomfort that comes with it?

    We must STOP the inner chatterbox and break down our LIMITING BELIEFS. We need to start LISTENING inwards rather than just ACTING.

    We need to LET GO and subtract before we can ADD. We need to BALANCE our feminine (being) and masculine energies (doing).

     

    They say to make a vision board and start goal setting. I say…

    …get out of your head and take a day or two to get blissfully pampered! Yes, I mean it, literally. Focus on YOU and your heart’s and body’s deepest desires. Give yourself that luxury treatment, that first-class experience you might only dream of giving yourself and yet we all deserve so profoundly, regularly. What you decide to pamper yourself with is irrelevant as long as you deeply enjoy it, may it be a bath, a walk, an uninterrupted long night’s sleep at a hotel, a concert or a massage. 

    At first, it might feel strange to care for yourself so profoundly, especially if you’re not used to it. Try to get into the FEELING of change rather than forcing and creating change with your MENTAL knowledge. That part comes, but only later.

     

    What is Change?

    When we talk about change, it’s quite often all about those big, stepping-up visual goals like changing jobs, moving houses, losing weight or running a marathon. We don’t really talk about the small changes behind closed doors within us, and I want to shed light on those. Because those tiny changes are the ones that genuinely help us initiate change for good. And they are the motors for the big changes. 

     

    You Already Know

    I wish I could tell you that all you need to do is a 10 min meditation, scribble down a few ideas on a piece of paper and glue those cool dreams on your vision board and you’re done manifesting change for the new year.  

    I wish I could tell you that you could delegate implementing change to a partner or a therapist, or a coach like myself. 

    I wish I could tell you it doesn’t matter where you look for inspiration and goal setting. 

    I wish I could tell you that hiring the “best” therapist or joining that “best” education program is the answer. 

    I wish I could tell you that trying harder, doing it all by yourself, working more and performing your life is the answer to bringing about change.

    It just doesn’t work that way.

     

    There Is Only One Answer

     And that answer is YOU – Trusting yourself and your inner wisdom and listening deeply. Journal if that’s your thing. Get a coach to help sort things out.

     Creating that mental space. Seeing, validating, and understanding yourself and your own unique human design, desires and natural talents and gifts. 

    Creating from within. 

    Creating and living Your success story.

    Creating space for a life you LOVE. 

      

    The Outside Affects The Inside 

    Look around your home or your office. Look more closely at the space and the objects, the people and the environment that surrounds you. How does it make you feel? Ask yourself: 

    • Are you relaxed and at peace? Does it uplift you and make you smile?
    • Is it beautiful, tidy, and organised?
    • Do the people around you make you feel seen, heard and loved?
    • Are you anxious and stressed by unfinished tasks?
    • Is it messy and chaotic? Cluttered?
    • Is clutter causing tension in your home/your office/your relationships?
    • Do the people around you cause you stress and pressure?

    We start feeling out of control whenever we feel overwhelmed by clutter or emotional stress. We don’t know where to start or how to fix things, and we freeze—paralysis analysis. We do nothing. 

    I know these feelings better than you can imagine. Why? Because I’ve been there too. When your stuff (physical and/or emotional) takes over, it’s hard to truly feel at ease. When you lose control, it’s hard to know where to start. 

    When the external and/or internal mess piles up, it’s hard to feel at home. Within your physical home and your bodily home, and your own skin. 

    Make sure to find a way to create environments that lift you up and take good care of all homes – your body, your living spaces and your work environment.

     

    Mental Health Check-In For An Amazing Life

    • I’m feeling great
    • I’m doing ok
    • I’m starting to struggle
    • I’m having a hard time
    • I need to reach out for support

     

    Let Go and Live More Simply

    In today’s consumerism society, it’s hard to be heard if you feel and think differently. I dare to challenge this and invite you to my world and the philosophy of life that We already have all we need and where we allow ourselves to let go of all that doesn’t serve us.

    Guilt free.

    Shame free.

    Of course, we will need to acquire certain things from time to time, but on a general level, we have more than we need of everything. And at the end of the day, this movement of transforming your physical and mental environments translates into

    • More freedom to do what you love
    • More time to focus on loved ones
    • More harmonious relationships
    • Less anxiety and overwhelm
    • More space to receive what you desire

    I know I certainly don’t have it all figured out, but being more aware is the first and most crucial step. 

    So, what does your success look like? I would love to hear all about them. 

    Happy creating, and all my love.

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  • The Minimalist Mompreneur. How To Juggle a Home, Business and Family Life

    Sunday, May 9th is Mother’s Day, both here in Switzerland as well as in many other countries worldwide. If you’re a mom yourself, you know how unique a mother’s love is. There is nothing like it. Parenting is the greatest gift of all, and the biggest challenge of a lifetime. Playing on repeat every single day.

    Adding a business to the family equation may be crazy, but my family is the reason I decided to start my business in the first place. I wanted to be able to spend more time with the kids during the week and be able to be a part of their daily life, like my own mother used to be when I grew up . As a child I wanted my mom to go to work like “all the other moms” but isn’t it funny how we may have disliked parts of our childhood as children but we grow up to love them as adults? For the past few years being a mompreneur, which is short for mom and entrepreneur, I have through trial and error, sweat and tears, become both painfully and happily aware of what works and what doesn’t in terms of combining these huge roles. Voilà, I present you my biggest learnings and why becoming minimalist has been the best solution ever.

    Work less, work smarter

    There’s only so much we can do in 24 hours. Lowering expectations and prioritising becomes essential. What do you need to get done daily in the business and in your home?

    List max. 5 realistic business tasks that move your business a step forward. Then list all the necessary (no, not the nice to haves!) things that need to happen in the home to get through the day. Share some of the tasks with your partner (mine cooks), if you are able to, hire help and/or delegate some of the home chores. Order your groceries online, get help with meal planning or cleaning, and only do laundry once a week. Whatever works for you. We don’t need to be superwomen, even if that would be super cool..!

    Minimise your schedule

    Minimise your game and plan ahead; daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly. Schedule your day the day before and make sure you’re able to finish the tasks you’ve set for the day, even if it’s only one or two business tasks. Otherwise you will forever feel behind and not enough on any level. This took me a long time to feel at peace with.

    However, every time I minimised my to-do list, I felt better and was able to accomplish what I really needed to steer the business in the right direction. And it freed up valuable time to spend with the kids in the afternoons. It’s certainly not always 100% undistracted time, but moms are only human, and we do the best we can. Always.

    Becoming minimalist

    Becoming minimalist was nothing I ever strived for. After having trained with Marie Kondo to become a KonMari Consultant a few years ago, my personal minimalism grew, developed and thrived within and beyond me. And maybe my minimalism actually is something I define in my own way? But it most certainly isn’t about depriving oneself of anything or owning only 2 pairs of shoes or 5 books.

    On the contrary, minimalism for me is all about being present, authentic, raw and real, with yourself and people around you. It enables you to deepen your relationships. Knowing what your true core values are and focusing on what matters most in your life. Being surrounded only with the things you love. My minimalism is all about curating a minimal, simple lifestyle with maximal purpose. It creates positive changes and makes life solid, satisfying, rich, easy and open for more true connectivity, love and experiences. 

    Simplicity is key when ruhelena zachariassen joynning a business and managing a home and family at the same time. It’s a little bit like pushing the reset button of your life and getting a whole new, fresh start. Your whole life and mindset changes. You become more aware of what makes you happy and joyful, as well as what your kids and loved ones need from you. Start with letting go of things that no longer serve you, may it be physical belongings, social media, attitudes or relationships. Say no to everything that doesn’t take you closer to your ideal lifestyle or where you aspire to go in life.

    Lagom

    means not too much and not too little, in my native language Swedish. It’s the perfect definition of how any busy mom is able to juggle all these roles we’re supposed to carry on our shoulders. You don’t need to be anything else than you already are, lagom is the new now.

    When you feel loved you have more strength than you know

    As moms we tend to juggle so many roles that we’re all worth medals for just that! If you want to care for your busy mom friends, entrepreneurs or not, make sure to send them a text, ask them how they are, take them out for a walk, offer them a cup, or bring them fresh flowers for no reason. If they struggle maybe you can offer a helping hand with their kids or cook a meal, or even better, take them out for a drink. No matter how small the deed, it might make a world of a difference.

    Yet, despite all the struggles, we wouldn’t want to have it any other way, would we?! The same kids make us totally lose it as well as hold it all together. For love.

    Small kids shower you with their love in return, while older ones might be turning their teenage backs at you for a while. Whatever life throws at you, love never ceases to exist.

    Happy Mother’s Day to all of you Super Moms out there!

     This article was first published on the expat blog My Swiss Story, where I am part of the expert editorial panel as the Home and Lifestyle Expert. Would you like to contribute as a guest writer? Please contact me.

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