Change is in the air
As I settle into my new life as a studio owner, I can reflect on how the winds of change have swept me up and how Im trying to reconnect with my grounding nature.
A glimpse into the studio life, unloading the glaze kiln.
Learning to take time for reflection
In this time of total change, I am reminded abut how important it is to step back, zoom out and see things for what they really are. The past month or so has been a whirlwind of moving my ceramic studio across Amsterdam, from the east of the city to the west, from my humble home studio to a very real storefront. It has all been so exciting and new that I’ve forgotten to take a step back and breathe.
After ending a 5 day streak of back to back workshops yesterday evening, I couldn’t escape from this feeling of emptiness. My mind had slowly slipped away from seeing the wonder in everything, just jumping from one task to the next in my mental to do list. Taking the past few mornings slow, allowing time for meditation, reflection, and most importantly, time for my mind to rest, has allowed me to gain some perspective on how I was needing balance.
Letting go
I believe that entrepreneurs, specifically small business owners, can get stuck in this cycle of overworking. It’s a normal human feeling to try and gain total control over everything around you. It’s scary to not be in control all the time, its scary to live in uncertainty. Going into this, I knew that I was going to have to get comfortable with both of those concepts: total control over your life is an illusion and there will never not be uncertainty. I am now consistently working towards integrating those ideas into my subconscious, the more I can let go and trust the universe, the more I will feel supported, but that’s easier said than done.
Letting go of this feeling of constantly needing to work towards something actually takes us out of a “lacking” or “scarcity” mindset. I realised that a lot of the limits to my personal and professional growth were put there by me. It’s actually quite annoying (yet empowering) when we realize how much of our lives is determined by our mindset. One of my goals for the new year is to really tap into this power, and to not be afraid to always dream bigger.
Gratitude is a constant practice
One of the most powerful things that I have played with on and off for years is having a daily gratitude practice. I’ve tried gratitude journals, different apps on my phone, but the best thing for me personally is a small visualisation/meditation practice first thing in the morning. While I am doing my morning meditation, I will just start to feel all of the things I am grateful for, whether that’s actually listing these things out in my head, or just dropping into the feeling of gratitude and being supported. I feel that this really sets me up for a great day while opening up my energy to abundance.
Your desired will always be fulfilled when you are coming from a space of needing nothing and being perfectly happy with what you already have.
Join me on my current meditation challenge! It’s a 21 day challenge called “21 Days of Abundance” with Deepak Chopra. Each day he guides you through a meditation, with the goal of forming an abundance mindset by the end of the 21 days. I’m currently on day 6 of the challenge and I’m loving it! You can find the meditation challenge on Spotify.
