Enjoying the view
Without a doubt, traveling is a passion of mine. Whenever I hear that someone has traveled somewhere, my ears perk up and I want to learn more. Where did they go? What did they do? What was the experience like?
Traveling moves my spirit, and it feeds my soul. I don’t know what it is but there’s just something about going somewhere new and exploring life outside my everyday norm – what I refer to as “life outside myself” – that really gets me going. More often then not, travel becomes an exploratory journey of me not only learning about another country or culture, but also learning a lot about myself along the way. Traveling very much lends itself to being a catalyst for soul searching and reflection.
I’ve been fortunate to have traveled and lived in countries around the world, and as much as possible I like to encourage folks to get out there and explore. I’m a huge advocate for both local and global travel, as no matter where you go you’ll expose yourself to something new and insightful. So, if you’re like me and you’re oozing to get out there and do some traveling this year, here are five insightful reasons to make it happen in 2012.
You will be inspired. There’s no doubt about it, traveling is inspiring. You’ll see new sights, be introduced to new cultures and you’ll gain first-hand insight into alternative ways of being and living. The possibilities for inspiration throughout your journey are really limitless; you just have to be open to letting it in. Whether it’s the intense blue sea you’ll be surrounded by in the Greek Isles or the vast countryside of Ethiopia sprinkled with beautiful children along the way, just getting out there will fill you up with both visual and soulful inspiration.
You will get a huge reality check. This is definitely a good thing, as it often results in gaining a new perspective of what life around the world is like for many people. Once, while traveling through a developing country, I didn’t have running water in my room for days. I mean dayssssss. Daily actions that I was so used to easily doing, like taking a shower or flushing the toilet, were non-existent. It definitely was not the most convenient situation to be in (and “in 15 minutes” as a reply to when we’d get water got old real quick), but that experience was a reality check. Millions of people across the globe live every single day of their lives without running water in their homes – that’s the reality, and I got a taste of it.
You’ll open yourself up to life outside yourself. There’s no doubt about it, you’ll stretch yourself and get out of your comfort zone. Sometimes just a little, sometimes a lot – it really depends on where you go! We are so fortunate to live in a world where there are so many different cultures, ways of life and being, and dare I throw this in there… types of food (I happen love food, so I’m all about trying new great veg dishes around the world)! Explore it! See what’s out there; get out of your bubble! When you do you’ll see first-hand that yes, while cultural differences do exist – and there’s nothing wrong with that, there are also a lot of similarities and ways that we can connect with each other. We just have to be open to it.
If not now, then when? Far too many people put off their travel dreams for too long. If you’ve spent years saying you’re going to start traveling soon, but that’s not happened – let 2012 be the year that you do it! Come up with a savings game plan and stick with it! Determine what you’re financially able to do, and plan something special around that. It may not be that $3000 trip to Africa, but perhaps it’s a well-budgeted $1200 trip to a country in Central America (depending on the time of the year, and how thrifty you’re willing to go (hostel vs. hotel), you can actually do it for much less!). Stop putting your travel dreams on hold; make it a priority to make it happen!
Give yourself space and time to slip away. Sometimes what we need most is time and space to be away and to just be. It’s so easy to become consumed by our day-to-day to-dos; and before we know it, we’re living life on a treadmill and going nowhere fast. We feel lost or empty, and we’re not exactly sure why. In moments like these, getting away from your everyday environment can yield a breath of fresh air and renewed energy and insight. There are ways you can plan your trip for intentional reflection, like by bringing along a journal. Or, you can travel without any structured reflection in place, and just let what comes to you surface as it may. In either case, you’ll very likely gain new insight and perspective by simply just being away.
It’s a New Year, and it’s time for a New Beginning.
Around this time of the year, there’s a lot of chatter about how people want to start the New Year. For some folks this time of the year means getting focused and setting resolutions, and for others it means running as far away as possible from any and all structured, goal-setting resolution talk.
Let this be the year that you kick-off the New Year doing what feels right for you. There’s no right way to do it, and there shouldn’t be any expectations around how you want to jumpstart this new beginning. The possibilities of what you can do are in your hands; don’t let someone else’s opinion override what will have meaning for you.
Perhaps what feels right is committing to a New Year’s resolution, or signing-up for an e-program you’ve had your eye on for a while now. Or better yet, maybe your inner voice is leading you to simply go with the flow and let the year unfold as it may. Trust what’s there and what feels right for you. Each year is different and at different points of our lives we need different things. It’s the same with the start of a New Year.
If you’ve been on the fence about how to start your New Year, or if you’ve just flat out avoided thinking about it because of all the hype around it – it’s time to let that go. Take a deep breath and know that you just need to go with what feels right for you. Ask yourself – What feels right for me as I kick-off the New Year? Then allow yourself to be guided by the answer to that question.
Tara Sophia Mohr
There’s something really special about Tara Sophia Mohr. I can’t recall exactly when I stumbled across her work online, but I do know that these days when she says something I am there to listen and learn. She is a guiding light of inspiration, and she very gracefully holds a strong, heartfelt commitment to helping women around the world Play Big in our own lives. I am continuously inspired by Tara, and that’s why I am more then thrilled to have her as my very first Follow Your Bliss interview for 2012! Enjoy!
You’ve worked in more traditional jobs and are now very much charting your own course and doing your own thing. What’s that process been like for you? What guidance would you give to others who wish to do the same?
Yes, I used to work in philanthropy and in the nonprofit sector. I didn’t hate my former career; I actually enjoyed it a lot. I loved the people, I loved being part of organizations working for the common good. But as time went on, I began to feel ready to ask myself, “Was this the work I most wanted to do, that I felt I came here to do? The answer was no.” I think I, like many women, lost my creative self and lost some of my confidence while getting a higher education. I wanted to recover both and rebuilt a career around that.
In terms of guidance, I want people to know that it is okay to experience a lot of struggle and overwhelm and confusion in the early stages of making a change. That is actually a stage of the creative process.
I wanted to know I could, at the end of my life, look back on my career and say, “Yes, Tara, you really went for it. You really gave the dreams a shot.”
In terms of guidance, I want people to know that it is okay to experience a lot of struggle and overwhelm and confusion in the early stages of making a change. That is actually a stage of the creative process.
But also, I see many women get stuck in between two options: “Should I quit my job and just go for the dream, risking financial disaster, or should I stay in my job and have financial security?” Wrong question! This is a lose-lose question.
Instead, I encourage people to get out of your comfort zone and get real about starting to go for your dream TODAY, while staying in your job. If you are a product manager for a tech company but want to lead personal growth workshops, pick a date this month for your first workshop. Email your friends and network. Start now.
For a year and a half, I wrote blog posts in the morning before going to work. I coached clients in the evenings. I am so proud of that time.
It seems as though a lot has happened in your life over the past couple of years in terms of you building your business. What has surprised you the most over this time period?
How many women share my experience of knowing they are playing small, and wanting to play bigger. How many women know that they and the women around them are brilliant and could do amazing things, but are getting stopped up by fear of their own power, self-doubt and attachment to praise or avoidance of criticism. The work that I do now is really about helping women share their voices and their work in the world – in a big, bold, confident way.
Tune in to what makes you feel tingly with energy and lean into it – let it lead, and see where it takes you.
You’re doing quite a bit these days – writing, coaching, and leading a leadership program for women… What does a typical workday look like for you?
I like to get up around 6:30 am or even earlier, and spend the first few hours of the day writing. Green tea and scrambled eggs are involved. Around 9:30 or 10am I take a long break, which might be going to coffee with my husband or getting some exercise. I try to do my most intensive creative work during Part I of the day, do meetings and phone calls in Part II of the day, and administrative stuff and email in Part III of the day. By 4pm I’m cooked. Sometimes, some of my self-employed peers like Rachel Cole, Julie Daley and Britt Bravo come over for a day of co-working in my living room – that is super fun.
What has gotten you through the tough times – you know, those moments when you feel lost or unsure of what you’re doing or which direction you’re headed in?
First and foremost, the people in my life. I call Amy Kessel, a brilliant coach, and she helps me figure stuff out. I talk to my husband who is also very supportive. Or I call one of those friends in my life whose mere voice puts me in a better mood.
On my own, I read great spiritual literature. I get moving. I go look at the ocean. I play with a dog. I reground in life’s goodness.
I use the tools I teach. I remember that my own estimation of my abilities is usually an underestimation– that I can do more than I think I can, and that I am ready for more than I think I am.
Trust your longings. They are not random or irrational. They are pointing you toward the life your soul wants to lead.
What does Follow Your Bliss mean to you?
Tune in to what makes you feel tingly with energy and lean into it – let it lead, and see where it takes you. Surrender the planner-mind that so wants to be in charge and let bliss lead.
How have you followed your bliss?
Writing every day. Writing poetry again. Telling the truth about who I am and what I think. Filling my home with art. Building a business with integrity and authenticity. Putting really excellent cream in my coffee.
What guidance would you offer to other women who wish to follow their bliss?
Trust your longings. They are not random or irrational. They are pointing you toward the life your soul wants to lead.
It’s a fresh, New Year. What’s on the horizon for you in 2012?
Playing Big: leading the Playing Big program and stretching myself to continue playing bigger. Letting go of the limitations I’ve put on myself and opening up to all the goodness that is always waiting for each of us.
2012 is officially here! I am so excited to be back online and gearing up for the New Year after a break in blogging for the past couple of months. I have been in major transition mode with lots happening in what at moments has felt like a whirlwind of life, but even with a mountain of to-dos I am so excited for all that’s to come. And, I’m super excited to take you on the journey with me as many new exciting things unfold this year – so stay tuned!
2012 is going to be a big year full of many new exciting possibilities for all of us – let yourself be open to that. What will 2012 mean for you? Is this the year you’re going to rock your new biz? Stay committed to the goal you’ve put in place? Shower yourself with an amazing amount of self-love? Go out on a limb and do something new and different? Live more authentically you? This is your year to shine – be radiant in full you gear!
As exciting new things unfold for you this year, please be sure to keep me posted. It’s always so great to hear from my readers and learn what you’ve been up to so feel free to send me an email anytime. It really is a joy for me to hear from you.
Also, be sure to stay in the know by signing up to receive periodic updates from me. Subscribers to my list will be among the first to know about special offers and announcements, as well as new services and products. So, if you haven’t already done so be sure to submit your name and email address in the right side bar, and you’ll get a special free gift from me – a 49 Ways to LIVE CREATIVE mini-poster and workbook – just for signing up!
Again, wishing you a Happy New Year and a New Beginning. Cheers to you!
Sometimes we have to let go to let in.
The thought of this certainly isn’t always so easy to consider, and letting go of something that was once important to us can be tough. But, sometimes in order to move forward it’s just necessary to do. It’s critical to you being able to live fully in the now.
When I think about this and how it relates to my everyday life, what keeps popping into my mind are my stacks and stacks of papers. I’m talking years of documents, resources, clippings, and publications – a closet full of papers that at some point I felt I really needed to hold on to. But, life has changed. My career path has changed. My interests and what’s important to me have changed. I am sure that I no longer need some of that stuff as a future “resource” because the path I’m on now looks a bit different then it did three years ago.
I need to let it go.
In letting go, I’ll be able to make room for what’s right now and all the exciting new things that are developing. And, that’s what I want; that’s the direction that really resonates with me and fills me up with energy – an energy that I’m craving more of. That energy stems from an exciting place of change, and what’s now needed is for my physical space to reflect that change. What specifically does that mean and what would it look like? Getting rid of a lot of old stuff. Filing what remains in an organized way. And creating a workspace that inspires me and is reflective of the work I’m doing now.
That’s what I’m considering right now as I think about what I need to let go of to live more fully in the now. What about you? What do you need to let go of so that you can live the life you really want right now?
