Have you ever heard someone say: “If you wanted to change you would just change, just do it?”

And of course, you have the answer on the top of your tongue, “It’s not that easy. If it were, I would have done it by now.”

The question is: How do we even start and remove an unhealthy habit from our lifestyle? And how do we find the passion and drive to stay committed to quitting a bad habit? 

Are bad habits really bad? 

How many of the negative habits you have are a reaction to the stress or pressure you feel every day?

It’s pretty easy and normal to release stress eating, taking a nap, smoking, drinking, shopping, binge-watching Netflix, procrastinating… 

The list is endless.

Stress is always there, present in our daily lives, and it’s causing us to react in unproductive and unhealthy ways. 

The bad habits we create are our coping mechanisms to the stresses we have cultivated in our lives. 

In one way or another, these habits are there because our mind interpreters them as something good and that they are rewarding us with a good feeling.

Why we stick to bad habits – The habit loop 

Our brains build neural pathways of any repeated emotion, thought, or action so that we can be more efficient.

The habit loop looks like this:

  Your brain gets cued. 

Cues can be anything such as a place, a time of the day, a situation of stress, or even an emotional need.

When your brain gets cued, it goes into autopilot mode that can be either mental or physical. 

The cravings happen.

This situation you go through ( the cue) triggers a craving.

 You follow and repeat the same set of patterns, think the same type of thing, or do the same actions.

You respond to the craving.

The response you have is the actual habit ( bad habit) you want to change in your life. 

You get rewarded.

Finally, this habit you have gives you a reward. 

As you go about your life, your nervous system is continuously monitoring which actions satisfy your desires and gives you pleasure. It’s an endless game of instant gratification. 

This reward is what makes the habit stronger and, consequently, difficult to break. 

The first step to break a habit 

“All behavior is driven by the desire to solve a problem. Sometimes the problem is that you notice something good and you want to obtain it. Sometimes the problem is that you are experiencing pain and you want to relieve it. Either way, the purpose of every habit is to solve the problems you face.“ – James Clear (Atomic Habits)

If you really want to break a habit in your life, you need to learn how to be intentional. Setting intentions, tracking your emotions, and the way you respond to them, is the most efficient way of getting rid of unwanted habits. 

And what is the best way of tracking emotions if not by keeping a journal? 

The good habit of journaling daily gives you the power to observe your own thoughts and how you react to them. 

Your current habits were learned along the way and as surprising as it seems – They can be unlearned! 

The 4-step process to break any habit 

1. Make your habit invisible

While journaling you will get to understand what situations trigger you. Awareness is an important factor during all this process. For instance, if you have the habit of emotional eating every time you get frustrated, upset, or stressed you can stop buying those items you always eat in these situations. 

Don’t keep candies or goodies around. Refrain yourself from buying junk food. Choose healthier in the supermarket. Be mindful of what you consume. 

You become the product of the environment you live in. 

2. Make your habit unattractive 

   Remind yourself of all the bad aspects of that specific habit. 

        Reframe your mindset. Train your mind. 

        Repeat to yourself over and over all the bad consequences of having that habit. 

   Find other commitments to overweight that habit. 

If you have the habit of sleeping your weekend away when you are frustrated with something or someone, commit yourself to a group activity like hiking, running, or even some pottery class! 

3. Make your habit difficult 

The more attractive an opportunity is, the more likely it is to become habit-forming. 

Want to quit a habit? Don’t make it attractive or easy. 

Binge-watching Netflix is robbing you of the valuable time you could be up-leveling your skills to launch that online program? 

Ask someone you live with to hide the tv remote somewhere for the day. Make the access to that thing inconvenient for you. Don’t have it easy around you. 

4. Make the habit unsatisfying for you 

Reward yourself for NOT doing it. Think about a bigger and more satisfying experience you could have IF you allow yourself to NOT do that habit. 

After all, it’s the anticipation of a reward that makes us going into action. 

So, are you gonna take a chance and see the change happening?

When you don’t feel confident, you may not trust yourself or your abilities and end up not taking action, causing you to feel stuck in life.

That’s exactly why it’s crucial to build and strengthen your self-confidence in your life, and in doing so, you will be able to face every fear and challenge that comes your way.

When you are self-confident, you feel quiet, relaxed, and comfortable being who you truly are.

Are self-confidence and self-esteem the same?

Self-confidence is often confused with self-esteem, and while they overlap, there is a distinction between the two.

Self-esteem is a certain belief in your overall worth and is connected to the knowledge that we have the right to be happy. People with low self-esteem tend to have the feeling that their worth comes from people around approving of them and quite often their worthiness is affected when they experience a lot of criticism or rejection.

Self-confidence, though, describes how you feel about your ability to perform roles, functions, and tasks.

In the modern world, confidence is, in part, a result of how you have been brought up and how you’ve been taught. You learn from others how to behave and the way you think about yourself is oftentimes a reflection of what others told you.

The result of your experiences and the way you learned to react to different situations build up your overall confidence too.

Confidence is the outcome of the thoughts you think and the actions you take.

Self-confidence is not a static measure

It’s crucial to note that your confidence to deal with situations and perform in life can increase and decrease, and undoubtedly you will feel more confident on some days and less on others.

Low confidence can result from a combination of factors including fear of the unknown, criticism, depression, feeling unprepared, poor time management, lack of knowledge, and previous failures.

The whole idea of confidence includes knowing what to do when you make mistakes and is also about problem-solving and decision-making.

     People often feel less confident about new or potentially difficult situations

The good news is that with consistent effort and learning to go from a fixed mindset to a growth one, you can gradually improve and expand your self-confidence.

How do you do that, though?

Below, you can find the 10 most important pillars you need to boost your confidence.

1. Build momentum

Confidence is built on accomplishment.

It begins with your day-to-day goals and keeping the promises you make to yourself!

When you realize you are meeting the small goals you set for every day, chances are you will begin to see some results and will start feeling proud of yourself too!

Keep in mind that progress does happen with small steps and big changes do not happen overnight!

2. Stand up for what you believe

It’s tempting to ask for advice when you are in doubt or you don’t know whether you are making the right decision or not.

Quite often there is a battle inside your head and you start questioning yourself and thinking: “How do I know I am right when there are all these doubts in my head telling me I can’t do this?”

Stop listening to the voices in your head and practice connecting to your intuition.

One of the best ways to tune into your higher self, aka intuition, is to practice some kind of meditation. The whole aim of meditation is not exactly getting good at it, but rather getting good at knowing yourself.

3. Take risks

How can you know what you are capable of if you don’t embrace the unknown?

Allow yourself to be driven by curiosity and not by fear.

Be a beginner. Do something for the first time. Learn a different skill. Most importantly: Do not settle.

You can have many great ideas in your head, but what really makes all the difference is the action.

Without acting upon an idea, there will never be any manifestation, any results, and any rewards either.

4. Review past achievements and celebrate small wins

Look back and try to find evidence of what you have already accomplished, but have never taken the time to acknowledge.

This simple act has a huge impact on boosting your levels of self-confidence.

By doing so you are sending a powerful message to your brain: ” I can do this, and here is the evidence.”

List the things you’re most proud of in an achievement log. Include big and small wins.

This can be particularly powerful if you have a tendency to negative self-talk.

5. Learn to receive and give feedback

To progress in life and in your career, you need to be open to feedback and be understanding.

Don’t get wrapped up in negative thoughts about yourself and don’t take criticism personally. This leads to falling levels of motivation and productivity and conflicts with other people.

Instead, remember that we are all humans and are susceptible to making mistakes.

Don’t think of your mistakes as a negative thing but rather as a learning opportunity. After all, growth comes as much from failure as it does from success.

6. Focus on solutions

For all the complainers out there: Complaining without offering a viable solution doesn’t do any good to anyone, let alone to yourself.

The best approach will always be to pinpoint the problem and brainstorm solutions.

Always ask yourself: How can I create a solution here?

For instance, if your problem is always feeling tired – ask yourself: How can I create more energy here? What actions should I take to feel more energized?

By focusing on solving the problem, you not only train your mind to be more positive but also regain power over your own decision-making and eventually increase your self-confidence.

7. Empower yourself to learn new things

One of the best strategies to improve confidence is through knowledge. The more you master something the more confident you will feel.

Be curious. Find ways of innovating in your area of expertise or learn something completely new.

8. Embrace impermanence

You can build resilience and confidence by staying flexible enough to alter behaviors and attitudes quickly to support a new direction.

When you accept that everything is temporary, you find yourself strong when facing the unexpected and are able to live a life with no drama.

9. Learn to say no and set boundaries

The more difficulty you have saying no, the more likely you are to experience stress, burnout, and even depression, and all of them affect your confidence negatively.

Being a people-pleaser puts you far away from your own personal values and inevitably you will lose yourself and feel like you are living a life without purpose.

Setting healthy boundaries with people around you is crucial to fill your cup first and then be able to feel whole and fulfilled.

10. Dive into personal development

When you are trying to overcome a negative self-image and replace it with self-confidence, your enemy is often yourself.

The key to creating this transformation is to really understand yourself and all personal growth journeys start within.

Increasing confidence takes commitment and persistence. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is the best way to start using the right tools, the ones that really work best for you.

And to know more about getting past the fear of taking action and feeling overwhelmed by it read our article on taking small steps using Kaizen philosophy.

Building relationships is key to scaling your business and with this Covid pandemic still, all around, we just can’t meet in person yet or go to big events with a huge audience.

Well, maybe for all the introverts out there, this is definitely not a bad thing, huh? And here’s the thing with networking: Sometimes it’s really subtle, and sometimes you have to be a little bit bolder.

It’s been a year now that the pandemic brought along with all the anxiety and uncertainty, the easiness of working from home.

With technology making it easier and easier for people to connect from all over the world through video calls on Zoom or Google Meet, undoubtedly, you can find many different ways to build your network without having to commit to going to in-person social events.

You don’t need to be the loudest to make an impact!

While not all introverts are quiet, it’s likely that you’re not the loudest in the room. And that doesn’t mean you can’t be a good leader in your business area or a great entrepreneur.

On the contrary, being an introvert, you tend to be much more connected with your intuition, closely observe people and things around you, and take calculated or inspired action.

Don’t ever let a label hold you back from being successful, whether you define yourself as an introvert or extrovert.

Reminder: Just because a particular soft skill may not come naturally to you, it doesn’t mean you can’t learn it and with practice, improve it.

All it takes is some determination and the intention to learn. We all have the means to grow if we truly want it.

Believe you can achieve, and you can find a way.

Self-promotion is an absolute necessity

The internet is a big, noisy place. While there is room for everyone, you have to really put yourself out there in order to be seen and heard. Not only that, you need to be consistent about it.

Allow yourself to feel the fear and nervousness that comes with promoting, but don’t let it paralyze you and prevent you from doing the necessary self-promotion.

The most important thing is that YOU see the potential in it and that YOU believe in it. I struggled for a very long time not knowing how to position myself out there, showing the value of what I do to others.

I came across The “I am Remarkable” movement and its mission. This is a Google initiative aiming to empower women and underrepresented groups teaching them exactly about the importance of self-promotion at workplaces and beyond. I recently became an “I am Remarkable” facilitator helping people to acknowledge the importance of self-promotion and making them feel more comfortable about it.

Self-promotion is not a display of arrogance

It’s super important to note that self-promotion is not a display of arrogance. Rather it is a display of confidence. You believe that you can provide value, answer a question or solve a problem.

You are letting people know that you can do and are good at one or more tasks. There is someone out there who needs your services, who needs your help and you are the right person to do it.

While self-promoting online can be the easy route, especially for an introvert, it’s just as important to self-promote offline.

So here I gathered 8 tips to make self-promotion and networking much more effective, so that you can see the results from it and start your journey into spreading your word and impacting people.

1.  Have a clear idea of who you want to connect with

Knowing exactly what businesses out there you are most aligned with, will help you tremendously in reaching the right audience for YOUR business.

A lot of online research needs to be done BEFORE you actually start reaching out to all those people. Gather information on who your ideal connections are, research, and make a list of all the possible and probable people and businesses you might have access to connecting with.

2. Pick your choice of online platforms

If you’re an introvert, then you probably aren’t going to feel drawn towards extroverted ways of promoting yourself, like YouTube for example. That’s OK.

Instead, work on your strong sides. If you like writing as a way of expressing yourself, you could choose LinkedIn, which enables longer written posts than Instagram and covers a wide range of business areas of all types. It’s a great chance to connect with business owners and professionals from all over the world.

3. Plan virtual coffee dates

Reach out to someone online you’ve already aligned with to have a conversation with and invite them for a virtual coffee chat over Zoom. Be sure to have questions prepared ahead of time to get the conversation going. Always great to bring a notebook to jot down ideas and valuable advice you may receive.

4. Collaborate with people who complement you

There is nothing wrong with being an introvert. Introverts have strengths and weaknesses, and so do extroverts. Collaborating with someone who complements your traits is a great way to play to your strengths and fill in the gaps where you are weak.

Find someone on your network who has a skill you don’t and be straightforward – ask for a collab. It could be a Live on Instagram or on LinkedIn. You can also set to go on a call on Zoom, just the two of you. You could chat about some interesting and relevant topic and record it to release later on, on your social media accounts.

5. Hire someone else to make some noise for you

Having an introverted personality shouldn’t hold you back from having thoughtful conversations and creating valuable relationships. However, when it comes to networking as an introvert, you may need some professional help in case you don’t have the energy to give.

If you have the means to, hiring a VA (Virtual Assistant) can come in handy. Besides being professionals who work remotely from anywhere in the world, they can come up with nice tactics and even teach you a bit about online marketing.

6. Apply for coaching programs, masterminds, courses, etc.

Learning new skills, especially the ones you are not that good at, is a great and effective way of networking.  Why? Simply because you are in contact with people. Your network is made of people after all, right?

I started a coaching program two weeks ago focusing on making 2021 the year I get shit done and make things happen. My focus for this year is pivoting and becoming a full-time digital nomad improving my skills in content writing and copywriting.

And guess what? Three out of eight participants in this coaching program are currently working as digital marketers and copywriters and have already offered themselves to help me with wherever I need to launch myself as a full-time freelance writer!

Knowing many different kinds of people = exponentially more business and career opportunities.

7.  Adopt the Kaizen philosophy mindset

The Kaizen Philosophy states that small steps do change your life.

You don’t need to start networking with a bunch of people at once or reach a certain number of connections until a certain day. Forget about big milestones! They are a reason for a lot of anxiety, after all!

Start small. Networking can be as simple as joining a relevant group online. Or inviting an old colleague to connect on LinkedIn. Or sending an email to a professional or personal contact you haven’t spoken to in a while. Just take one small action –– you never know what the ripple effect might be.

8. Get out of your head

Be yourself. You have lots of interesting things to share. When you are not thinking about that end goal (that new gig you’re looking for, or that new client you need to scale your business) you can actually focus on being yourself and talking about things that truly matter to you.

And always remember to have fun!

As an introvert, you naturally have the ability to listen, observe, be sensitive to your clients’ needs, and be focused on the tasks at hand and this gives you the potential to be a great leader if you want so. The trick here is to acknowledge your strengths and do whatever works for you.

I am really curious to know which idea was your favorite and which ones you are you going to apply right away? Message us on Instagram!

When you know what your personal values are, you trust yourself more. And because you trust yourself more, it makes the decision-making process easier. Your self-respect grows and so does your self-esteem. And you can have confidence that what you are pursuing is going to leave you feeling fulfilled, instead of depleted.

I know this from personal experience, having spent a lot of my life feeling frustrated and never feeling like I was living the life I was meant to. 

If you are struggling to make decisions in your life, there might be a good chance that you are out of alignment with what truly matters to you.

Here are four reasons to start living your life in alignment with your values.

Core values are not permanent

Our personal values can be pretty consistent throughout our lives. However, they are not set in stone.

Experiencing big changes in our lives, like moving cross country, leaving parents home, going to university, or even going through trauma, such as the death of a loved one, illness, or divorce, may change completely what we value most.

So, discovering your core values is not an exercise that you do, and then forget about.

Our experiences have the power to dictate our needs but sometimes we let fear take control and we see ourselves stuck in a certain period of our lives.  Our automatic thinking patterns can limit us in a ridiculous amount of ways if we allow it.

So it’s important to be deliberate and learn to understand what actions really take us closer to where we wanna see ourselves.

There is great freedom in starting to focus on what is essential, discarding that which takes up unnecessary space, and filling our lives with more of what gives us a sense of purpose.

Live your life according to your standards and not anyone else’s

Have you ever set aside the time to focus on determining your core values and what really is important to you?

Do you know the real reasoning behind the things you do or don’t do?

Well, it all comes down to your personal core values.

They are a way to check if you are on the right track or if there are things in your life that need to be removed. 

It’s incredible how these values play an essential part in your overall happiness, success, and confidence in the choices presented in front of you.

So you want to take the time and energy to be sure that your definition of your best life is according to your own personal standards and not anyone else’s – before making life-altering decisions.

When we aren’t in tune with ourselves and what’s important to us, it can be easy to judge our life by other people’s standards. Each of us has our own unique definition of what it means to live a successful life.

For some people that might be how much money they make, for others how much adventure was packed into their lives, or it could be making a difference, and so on. Defining your life by someone else’s measure of success will only lead to frustration and never feeling like the life you are living truly matters.

Take some time to create vision-aligned goals, based on your values.

Have clear guidance when making tough decisions

We all have to make difficult choices each day. There are only so many hours in a day and we often have to say no to things in order to say yes to others.

When we aren’t clear about our core values, we might be saying “yes” to things that don’t truly matter to us and saying “no” to the ones that do. Knowing your core values will give you a clear guiding light to base your decisions on. You’ll feel more comfortable saying “no” because you’ll know that you’re living up to your core values.

The lifestyle you live, the food you eat and the friends you hang out with are all choices influenced by your personal values.

When you know what your personal values are, it will better the quality and improve your decision making. Even better, you have peace with what you have decided.

Living in alignment with your personal values makes you trust yourself more, you honor your own decisions and your self-respect grows and so does your self-esteem.

In a nutshell, it only brings you closer and closer to :

• Focusing on what is essential
• Increasing your self-trust
• Not questioning your decisions
• Increasing peace of mind
• A more purposeful life 
• Achieving your goals easily

Find more contentment

Your values are deeply personal and uniquely yours. They are the things that you consider to be important and meaningful in the way that you choose to live your life. And as you start making decisions in life according to them, you will naturally find yourself drawn to people, ideas, events, etc., that align with your values. They will effortlessly inspire you to take action accordingly. 

Okay, sounds great – right? But how do we figure out our values in the first place?

Try out this simple 2 step exercise and you yourself can map out what values do mean a lot and which ones you can start using right away to live a more purposeful and aligned life .

Step 1

Come up with a list of about 50 Personal Values ( If you can’t think of any, you can easily find a list on Google too.)

Circle the ones that are more in tune with what you believe or live by and from them go narrowing down the list until you get to 10 values.

Step 2

Try uncovering the “why” behind why a value is important to you. Go deep and try asking yourself why is this important to you, at least five times or until you can’t come up with any more answers. 

You may find that a particular core value drives a ton of other values for you, but there’s always a core reason why those things are important to you. 

Finally, check which ones are interconnected and try to reduce the number of values to five.

Now comes the time to be deliberate and start using these five core values as a compass to guide your personal and professional decisions living a more aligned and meaningful life.

For some like me, social distancing was nothing more than beneficial to our inner work and self-development, but for many, this period of isolation was daunting, lonely, and detrimental to mental health.

This feeling of general uncertainty that a lot of us have been experiencing lead to a complete powerless and overwhelming state of mind.

How can we overcome feeling overwhelmed? Here is how I’ve dealt with overwhelm and anxiety using the Kaizen Philosophy.

What leads to overwhelm

First of all – what exactly is overwhelm?

It’s nothing more than your brain triggering an alert that it has too much to deal with at any given moment. Your brain’s capacity isn’t limitless, so understanding some things about how your brain has been designed to work can help you prevent or recover faster from it. 

Overwhelm is a trigger of the stress response and It can lead to a lot of physiological and emotional issues such as hypertension, insomnia, irritability, stroke, burnout, and depression.

There is one part of your brain called the pre-frontal cortex that is in charge of all your conscious thinking. It is the part of your brain that is activated when you set goals and plans, control impulses, solve problems, think things through and use creativity. 

Undoubtedly, one cause of overwhelm is change. Routine tells your mind what to expect. It is calming and gives you a sense of security and normality. Anything which causes change triggers stress and negative emotion as your brain tries to alert you to the changes. 

In times like we are in now, change is everywhere. Many of us have lost all our normal routine. This is totally disorienting and stressful – even when it means that we have less to do than normal. This is why inputting routine, and trying to stick to normal things where possible can help. 

The Kaizen Philosophy

Although you cannot predict everything that happens in life at all times, you can prepare yourself for any situation by being mindful of how you react to everything.

The human mind is the most adaptable tool there is — make it work for you. No matter what happens, you can adapt, cope, and stay calm.

Kaizen is an alternative strategy to cope with the fear or anxiety that comes when we are face to face with big changes.

The Japanese word Kaizen means good change:

Zen = good

Kai = change.

As Robert Maurer explains in his book – “One small step can change your life – The Kaizen Way”

” Your brain is programmed to resist change, but by taking small steps, you effectively rewire your nervous system so that it

• Unsticks you from a creative block
• Bypasses the fight or flight response
• Creates new connections between neurons so that the brain takes over the process of change and you progress rapidly towards your goal. “

Our fear of change or anxiety usually tricks us into creating the worst-case scenario in our minds and most of the time, it proves itself wrong. We tend to focus our attention on big and scary questions and situations that may never happen.

 2 Kaizen Way strategies to minimize overwhelm

• Take tiny steps 
• Ask small questions with a gentle and kind spirit 

The Kaizen way is based on taking tiny small steps, thinking small thoughts, asking small questions.

The thought of just having to take a tiny step every day is comforting to the overwhelmed, anxious mind. 

When you ask really small questions or do really small tasks, they are non-threatening, so a good kaizen question to ask yourself when you are feeling like it all is a bit much is: 

What is that one small thing I can do to feel less overwhelmed today?

Asking small questions is also an effective way to gain self-confidence. Those of us who tend to have negative self-talk can practice replacing the negative comments and questions with more empowering ones.

For instance, if someone tends to ask constantly: Why am I so dumb? “ can replace that with: What is one thing I like about myself?

The Kaizen technique of asking small questions can be used to determine your next small step too – by simply asking what small step could I take today that will make me feel closer to my goal?

You remove all that weight your big and scary goals may inflict on you and as a consequence, you will experience that in fact, small steps can indeed lead you to big results.

So what small questions can you ask yourself today that will cause you to take that tine tiny step that will move you forward without making you feel anxious and worried?

Since many places are still facing social distancing or even lockdown due to a second wave happening, what about being creative and going virtual hygge this year?

The key idea behind hygge

Pronounced ‘hoo-ga’, this is the Danish word that could be translated simply as ‘coziness’, but in fact, it’s much more than that – it’s an entire attitude to life in which people value going back to basics.

The first step is to slow down. We are always rushing, have somewhere to be and we are thinking about the next thing we have to do but to truly hygge you need to slow down and make your well-being a priority. 

The key idea behind hygge is to enjoy the environment around you and what better place than your own home?

Scandinavian design is often about clean spaces, whitewashed walls, signature lights and lamps, and bringing old, traditional pieces with a history together. Hygge is about feeling homey, being in a space that feels good to be in, and having pieces around you that make you feel happy.

Due to increasingly stressful lives, an emphasis is placed on the need to ‘escape’ everyday life to experience true relaxation. 

Christmas Hygge feelings

The holiday season calls for coziness. The weather outside is cold and snowy (depending on where you live of course), the twinkling lights everywhere telling us Christmas is almost there, Christmas wreaths on everybody’s doors, baking cinnamon rolls, Christmas movie nights with our loved ones, and the most important and most magical task of all – decorating the tree!

So, isn’t it the perfect match to give Christmas holiday a Hygge touch and innovate a bit going virtual?

Here are four creative ways to incorporate Hygge in our so called new normal in which everything is virtual for now…

1. Tree decorating party

When I think everything Christmas, I think of twinkling lights and obviously, decorating the tree. The entire family can make an event out of it by live-chatting as they decorate their trees. Simply set a tree decorating time that works for everyone, and then you can all decorate it and be safe in your home at the same time. It’s a fun way to share one of the most magical parts of the season. You’ll be able to see and talk about your family’s decorations and create a sense of connection while chatting about old Christmas gatherings, telling each other stories, going live on Instagram, and sharing pics of your trees. 

2. Bake cookies together

Everyone in the family can set a time and choose cookies that they’d like to make and then have a group baking party with their phones. Everyone can make different cookies and share the pics on Instagram. And to add a little ante, why not have your family or IG followers vote on the most beautiful cookies in your stories? 

You can also swap your very favorite cookie recipe with another family member and bake each other’s recipe. 

After everything we all went through during this year of 2020 – this Holiday season comes with a great reminder: We should celebrate the joys of life, the little things in life that make us smile, and value those dear to our hearts! The spirit of Christmas is in your heart, and you can connect those across any distance.

3. Cozy crafting night on Zoom

DIY in style – Host a crafting night for your friends and family. This is, once again, something you can do both in person or virtually. Pick a craft you want to complete – a DIY ornament, mason jar gifts, wreaths, or maybe something for the kids. Whatever you decide, make it festive with some Christmas music going on. 

4. Christmas gift baskets 

Not having that usual big Christmas family gathering this year to exchange presents? No worries.

You can take advantage of the crafting night to decide on what items you should pick for a lovely Christmas basket and send your loved ones a very cozy and festive gift through the mail.

You can pick and choose what you want to put into this cozy gift basket, you may even think of some items that aren’t listed here. These are just simple, affordable items that can be apart of any gift basket for someone you like.

Cozy gift basket ideas:

1. Fluffy socks 
2. Cuddly toy
3. Woolly hat
4. Cozy blanket 
5. Mug 
6. Hot Chocolate
7. Homemade cookies
8. Scented candle
9. Book 
10. Pajamas / Christmas sweater 

Pamper Gift Basket Ideas:

1. Essential oils
2. Book 
3. Face masks
4. Fluffy socks
5. Tea
6. Hand cream 
7. Bath/Shower loofa
8. Comfy blanket 
9. Scented Candles
10. Chocolates

These pamper gifts will hopefully inspire you for what you want to put into your special someone’s Pamper Gift Hamper. 

Are you having a virtual Christmas this year? Let us hear your fun, hygge at home ideas!

You are not alone. According to Emily Fletcher, who is the founder of Ziva Meditation, most people judge themselves on how good they are at meditation based on if they’re able to command their minds to be silent.

Contrary to popular belief though, meditation doesn’t always mean sitting cross-legged with your eyes closed. In fact, most people are unaware that you can practice meditation anytime and anywhere. 

From mindfulness to creative visualization and positive affirmations, we are all more susceptible to autosuggestion when we are in the Alpha level of consciousness – in a relaxed state of mind.

How do we choose the right meditation, though? 

Thoughts are not the enemy of meditation 

Even if you find yourself too busy, if you believe that you can’t focus or if you have already tried to meditate but gave up because of your mind chatter, be aware that it is a skill and it’s possible for you too. 

Meditation is typically associated with stillness, yet movement can also offer a path to contemplation and insights. Who would’ve thought that putting movement and thoughts together can actually make you achieve a meditative state, right? Yet, that’s exactly what can happen. 

This is the beauty of meditation. You can make the practice perfectly suited to you and your personal needs.

Moving Meditations

If you get uncomfortable with the idea of sitting still, there are also some moving meditations you can try, such as tai chi, dance meditation, and walking meditation. For those who are new to the practice, moving meditations can be less intimidating and more exciting.

From this group, my favorite one is walking meditation, also known as “Kinhin” in Zen traditions.

It is a simple practice and you can use it to calm the mind, shake off worries, and become more aware of your body. In walking meditation, practitioners move slowly, continuously, and deliberately while focusing on the here and now. Look around, observe nature, feel the moment you are in, be aware of the smells, and pay attention to your feelings.

For walking meditation, you should put emphasis on good posture, take deep breaths, and if possible walk barefoot. 

Chakra meditation

The chakras are energetic centers located throughout the body. We have seven major chakras, which are known as the root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third-eye, and crown chakras. Each chakra is located in a different part of the body, and each is associated with a different corresponding color and energetic purpose.

From the practice of yoga, chakra meditation can be greatly effective when focusing on different areas in the physical and emotional body. Many people use sounds, mantras, hand positioning, and visualization techniques to help connect, balance, or heal a body issue that needs their energetic attention.

Creative visualization

Visualization happens to be my favorite kind of meditation!

It is one of the most powerful exercises for life-changing experiences.

I know that not everyone can simply close their eyes and picture the perfect image of whatever they are trying to feel or accomplish. Sometimes worries, thoughts, and overthinking get in the way.

That’s why guided meditations are the perfect fit for the ones that have some trouble quieting the mind. What triggers me (in a good way) might not trigger someone else and that is all right. 

This is exactly why I share here some of my favorite guided meditations so that you can choose the one that suits you best. You can use them to feel calm, to bring more clarity to your days, or even as a tool of manifestation as I do.  

The important thing to keep in mind here is that, while you are being guided by the voice in the audio, you really focus on the situation they are describing and truly feel the feeling. The more relaxed and focused on the situation the better the result you get.

I am really curious to know which meditation method you will choose and as soon as you give it a try, please share here your thoughts on them and how you felt after practicing it.

There are so many who go after their goals and achieve them, only to feel a bit disappointed that their achievement didn’t leave them feeling happier.

Do you actually know where your goals come from? Are they really coming from your heart? Are all these goals really yours? Or maybe you are completely lost in all this goal-setting mindset and don’t even know what you want for your life.

Well, that was exactly where I was back in 2013.

The breakdown

In that year, I reached rock bottom and I saw myself completely hopeless in the middle of severe depression, had gone through a traumatic breakup and lost the love of my life to whom I was married at the time, didn’t have the comfort of a parents’ home to go back, got fired from my teaching job of almost 7 years, had to send my 11-year-old daughter back to her father’s home 300km far from me. And on top of all of that, I was sleeping on a mattress in a friend’s living room. I didn’t know at the time, but I was about to live the most painful, saddening, and depressing years of my life.

The duality here is that those years ahead were also the ones in which I experienced an exponential personal growth level.

You may ask how and why I ended up in that awful situation, right?   

Answering that is not simple at all, but I can shorten it to these two sentences : 

• Lack of alignment with who I truly was.
• Not having a clue about what goal setting was really about.

A life with no vision 

People around me always called me “a total dreamer”. At the age of 18 my dream was to become a writer and travel the world.

I knew writing was my passion in life, but I simply didn’t know what to do to really transform that passion into something real and I lacked incentive by the ones around me at the time. 

They would always say things like:

Nobody can make ends meet writing.

You Need to be realistic and accept that you gotta find a regular job like everyone else.

Our family is poor. You gotta understand that. You will never travel or live abroad. You are studying English but you gotta understand that it doesn’t mean you will be able to write books in English or even travel.”

Sometimes when you are young, naive, and inexperienced, you allow those with no vision at all to cloud your judgment or even destroy your dreams in life. My dreams were not destroyed but rather stayed dormant while life happened and I accepted the fate of just getting by, instead of living fully. I started teaching English since this language is my second passion in life, but my inner self was always craving for more.

The breakthrough and getting to know Mindvalley

Life cannot be just about paying bills, right? I just was not able to figure out what I should do with my life so all that sparkle would come back to me. I was living in autopilot – surviving. Little by little, I simply got so far from who I really was that I couldn’t even wake up to go to work in the morning. I knew the day ahead would be so draining. So the ending of my marriage and that depression were the ultimate wake-up call.

I needed to find myself again. I would bring myself back to life no matter what.

That’s how I came across Mindvalley. One of the most influential personal growth companies in the world at the moment. Its founder Vishen Lakhiani has these sets of bold visions for humanity and a mission to create a personal transformation that raises human consciousness.

As said at Mindvalley’s website, “Today, Vishen is on a quest to remake how the world works in terms of business, politics, education and spirituality.”

When I read their content, I immediately knew I had found what I didn’t even know I was looking for. Tools to not only take me closer to my true self, but also to shift my identity to be the best version of who I really am.

The very first online course I took at Mindvalley couldn’t have had a better name: Extraordinary By Design.

Understanding the idea of the ‘culturescape’

One of the first things Vishen makes us understand in this course is how most of the time goal setting is done wrong and a lot of us end up choosing careers or chasing dreams that are not truly ours and how the environment we are in affects our decision-making.

Some of us are conditioned to believe that we cannot change our reality. And others are conditioned to believe they need to achieve certain things to be successful or even happy. But just a few of us really listen to our inner self.

In Vishen Lakhiani’s words, “Most of us are being taught to set goals in a way where we end up chasing the wrong things – not things that truly lead to our happiness but things that the culturescape models as needed.”

The culturescape Vishen mentions, in his words again, “that tangled web of beliefs, practices and ideas that program us in terms of how we should see and function in the world that the rules of society, outdated education systems, your culture, company, family, and friends might impose upon you.“

Identifying  Brules and going through “The 3 most important questions “

Brules are “bullshit rules” created by the culturescape that often times hold us back from doing what we really want to do. During this course, Vishen takes us to a deep dive into our own life story and asks us to reflect on what beliefs may be holding us back. Through journaling and reflecting, we are supposed to write down all the “brules” that we follow and are not helping us to live up to our best selves.

After identifying and understanding these brules, we then are able to start the most creative and transformative part of the process: Going through the three most important questions (The 3 MIQs) 

Vishen created and designed this technique to help you identify what really matters to you, so that you have a clear vision of what you want your life to be and the experiences you really want to live. 

They are based on 3 categories: Experiences, growth, and contribution.

You go through them asking yourself questions like: What beautiful experiences do I really wanna have in this life? What really matters to me? And to have all these experiences who am I supposed to become? What skills do I have to learn? Then to go over the third category, you ask yourself how you can give back to the world once you become that person, having all those experiences and skills.

This course proved itself to be a beautiful journey inwards and after taking it I could finally understand my purpose in life. 

What happens when you find out that time management just isn’t your thing and you need help?

Well, that’s what I discovered about myself.

When I had a 9 to 5 job, I would always nag about not having time to dedicate to my passion projects or even for not having enough “me time”.

I would often be so exhausted that once I got home, I could only be bothered to prepare something to eat and enjoy some couch potato time.

When I gathered some courage and decided to become self-employed, mainly working from home, I thought that it would finally be the time to make that happen. And yet, I still kept finding myself struggling to find time to do the things I wanted to do.

On top of that, I started feeling overwhelmed by guilt for not doing what I set out to do.

1. Acknowledge we need help to be more productive

When being self-employed didn’t give me the power to be more productive and I kept not ticking those things off my list, I asked myself: “What is my problem? Why I can’t accomplish things the way I planned?”

While wondering all these I realized what my biggest problem was. Clearly, I was awful at time management. I needed help.

Effective time management is one of the top things that entrepreneurs struggle with, especially during these times in which almost everybody’s businesses are home-based.

Have you noticed that some days seem to vanish in a mysterious way? And you realize you lost yourself while scrolling down on the ‘gram or you spent hours researching on Pinterest for some kind of inspiration?

It’s ok if it happens once in a while, but when it started happening regularly, I decided to reach a coach to shine some light on all these issues.

She started off by some basic questions on productivity like:

• How do you keep on top of your tasks and goals?
• Which tools do you use to manage your time?
• Are you a schedule person or a go-with-the-flow person?

2. Make the most of the unexpected 

One of the first lessons I took from my coach was that we can plan and project our day, but we can never predict 100% how things will unfold.

New things pop up throughout the day, sometimes priorities may change or shift a bit and there will also be that one topsy-turvy day that everything seems to be going wrong. Tell me I’m not alone!

When unexpected things happen, it’s really important to review your schedule and adjust it accordingly. Don’t get frustrated if you can’t follow it completely. If your day didn’t go as planned just give yourself permission to move on.

Work smarter, not harder.

3. Pay attention to your energy levels

The second lesson was deciding on my highest functioning times.

I found I get the most creative after 4 pm and at night (yes, I am a night owl), so I started scheduling everything creative during these times, like writing, looking for inspiration on Pinterest, creating content for LinkedIn and designing on Canva and on Google Spark Post.

Another super relevant hint is to track your energy drivers.

Ok, but what are energy drivers and why it’s essential to track them?

Well, they are the things you feel most engaged on and as a result, they boost your energy levels. For some it is a sweaty work out session, for others like me, it’s yoga or guided meditation and journaling. It can be a walk around your favorite park as well. Whatever your energy driver is, it will increase your focus and accelerate your workflow.

If you are interested in learning more on energy drivers and you enjoy listening to podcasts check out this episode of Mindful Productivity podcast.

4. Batch tasks and time block

Another invaluable lesson was batching tasks into time blocks. There is no doubt at all that it will also help you to see when you can work most productively.

The first thing to remember though is that you already need to have your to-do list set beforehand. Having a clear idea of all the tasks you want to complete in that week is key for an effective time blocking. 

A reminder from myself to you: Time blocking is not a time for multitasking.

In my first week testing it, I was randomly setting chunks of time and inevitably I started jumping from one task to another and I soon felt very overwhelmed. 

So the best thing is to start off by blocking all those set-in-stone appointments (video calls, meetings, webinars, online classes, etc.)

Then let your most important goal of the day or creative tasks blocked at your most productive time.

Always remember to schedule in all those activities that are considered your energy drivers. They are the ones that will keep you up and running after all! 

A great hint as well is to overestimate the time it takes to do a task. Wait… what? Isn’t it counterproductive when talking all about time management? 

Well, everyone assumes that every time they get their laptops to start working, it will be a perfect, undistracted flow. I assure you: It almost never happens this way.

Those are the lessons I’ve been learning from my coach on time management, and I’d love to hear, what are the time-management strategies you’re working on?

That’s where the slow living lifestyle takes place: Having time to yourself and making time to the simple acts that make life meaningful and enjoyable.

While I can be fascinated by the idea of living in an apartment on a very high floor (let’s say on the 50th floor) right in the middle of a downtown area and sitting on a reading nook by the window staring at a breathtaking skyline view, I am drawn as well to sitting at a beach somewhere far from the crowd and watching a magical sunset just reflecting on my own life up to now.

I find myself happy being both a city girl and a person passionate about slow living as a lifestyle.

Slow living in the city? Is it even possible? 

Many people may think that this lifestyle is only practiced by the ones living in cottages in a small town. How can someone beat the busyness of a big city after all?

We don’t need to beat anything. We can embrace it. We take advantage of all the ease available in a big city and get the best of it. I simply love the pace in the city and its many options of entertainment, opportunities of businesses, different kinds of leisure activities, and even better if the place you live in has parks all around making it possible to have direct contact with nature!

When we feel rushed, we miss out on the precious little moments though.

Rest is important 

Burnout is a real issue. We cannot be in the on-the-go mode all the time. If I don’t make time to take care of myself, I will get to a point where I am mentally and physically drained, and consequently, I will go into survival mode (eat, sleep, work, repeat) living on autopilot.  Sometimes not even making time for the things that bring me joy.

At this point, it’s where I brought slow living and intentional living into my life to create space for a more balanced and unhurried way of living.

So, what exactly is slow living? 

The slow lifestyle idea started in Italy in the 1980s with the Slow Food movement as a counterpart to fast food chains spreading all over. The concept was to slow down and appreciate your meals, eating mindfully.

Quoting Kayte Ferris, a simple living blogger from Simple and Season Blog and Slow with the Soul Podcast:

“Slow living is all about knowing and passionately loving the things we value, and designing our lives to spend the most time possible enjoying them. It’s about having intentionality and consciousness in our activities, about escaping the mindless scrolling and unproductive multi-tasking and focusing on purposeful action. It’s about embracing the fact that you’re not doing it all – it’s about doing less, but better. It’s about knowing what the priorities are in your life and spending the time on them.“

As we see from her words, slow and Intentional living is a lifestyle that can be experienced wherever you are in the world. It’s not about doing things slowly but rather doing everything grounded in the present and intentionally creating your days.

The essentialist way

My passion for slow living came from the fact that I was never a multi-tasker but always wanted to find a way to keep my mono-tasking personality and be productive at the same time. I started off by reading “Essentialism – The Disciplined Pursuit of Less” by Greg Mckeown and when I came across this paragraph I knew I had found basis to a completely new lifestyle:

“The way of the essentialist means living by design, not by default. Instead of making choices reactively, the essentialist deliberately distinguishes the vital few from the trivial many, eliminating the nonessential and then removes obstacles so the essential things have clear, smooth path.“

Needless to say – that paragraph from the book showed me exactly who I wanted to be and the best news ever: I would be able to keep living in any downtown area without having to be swallowed by the hustle and bustle of life

I would be able to thrive, to create, to inspire, and be inspired having those little precious moments to myself.

My home became a peaceful sanctuary. I created some Hygge spots full of candles, vision boards, small Buddhas, and fluffy cushions.

Self-care started meaning much more than just skincare, it became a non-negotiable time of the day.

By defining my energy drivers (meditation, journaling, yoga, and walks in the nature in parks nearby home) I could focus on what was really meaningful to me.

I learned to say no and set reasonable boundaries in the name of my mental health.

I studied myself a bit more and defined my core values.

The big lesson: I was able to create momentum and stick to slow living as a lifestyle the day I aligned my decision making to my core values.