Somewhere Over The Rainbow

21/12/2023

I realise that as much as I want to write more, I have resisted it because I was comparing myself to someone who told me their practice was to write three pages every morning.

Somehow I heard this as “this is easy for me so it should be easy for you too.”

And I know that is ridiculous.

But writing half an A4 page is easy for me. That’s about 125 words.

What I also know is that once I start I am likely to write more. This is my principal for approaching any kind of block. Just do 10 minutes. There’s no pressure. It might be fun. You can stop very soon. Your life doesn’t hang on this 10 minutes. It will make you feel good. Any progress is progress. There is no “should”. Explore. Play. Enjoy.

mikeyshackwriting

I saw a post talking about how Terry Pratchett only wrote 400 words a day, how that goal helped him write literally dozens of books before he died. So I reduced my own daily word goal. I went down from 1,000 to 200. With that 800-word wall taken down, I’ve been writing more. “I won’t get on tumblr/watch TV/draw/read until I hit my word goal” used to be something I said as self-restraint. And when I inevitably couldn’t cough up four pages in one sitting, I felt like garbage, and the pleasurable hobbies I had planned on felt like I was cheating myself when I just gave up. Now it’s something I say because I just have to finish this scene, just have to round out this conversation, can’t stop now, because I’m enjoying myself, I’m having an amazing time writing. Something that hasn’t been true of my original works since middle school.

And sometimes I think, “Well, two hundred is technically less than four hundred.” And I have to stop myself, because - I am writing half as much as Terry Pratchett. Terry fu***ng Pratchett, who not only published regularly up until his death, but published books that were consistently good.

And this has also been an immense help as a writer with ADHD, because I don’t feel bad when I take a break from writing - two hundred words works up quick, after all. If I take a break at 150, I have a whole day to write 50 more words, and I’ve rarely written less than 200 words and not felt the need to keep writing because I need to tie up a loose end anyways.

Yes, sometimes, I do not produce a single thing worth keeping in those two hundred words. But it’s much easier to edit two hundred words of bad writing than it is to edit no writing at all.

13/08/2023

Waking up and thinking of three things you’re grateful for can be such a beautiful way to embrace the day.

11/08/2023

The more self compassion you can practice the more centred you become and the more receptive you can be to the positive inspiration waiting to light up in you.

You can practice self compassion in less than one minute. Make a habit of it and you change your life.

🩷🩷🩷

30/07/2023

-care is just as important as sending your invoices! When you let it slide your business struggles to be buoyant. There’s lots of ways to take care of your self - body and mind. What’s your go-to?

Mine is meditation, journaling, and spending time outdoors, either in the forest, in the edible garden, or zipping off on my e-bike!

x Victoria

Here’s the view from my ride this weekend. Melbourne city and the Yarra River.

08/04/2023

If you’re anything like me, trying to use a planner to stay organised just doesn’t work.

It can cause stress trying to meet other people’s expectations, and make it difficult to start and follow through on tasks - unless you’re able to develop your own shortcuts and systems.

In primary school I managed to get away with being disorganised most of the time because there were no huge consequences, other than a little stress when I couldn’t find something or wasn’t aware of the time.

In high school it was much harder. It usually meant I just didn’t do my homework. Now, as a parent, I’m glad I didn’t have the pressure to do it. I don’t know how I got away with it. I guess I thought my parents and teachers didn’t actually care that much. I guess I was supposed to be self driven. But I just didn’t know how to use a planner.

This isn’t because I wasn’t smart but because I’ve since discovered I have ADHD. If only I’d known then. Life would have been much less stressful because I’d have support and systems to help me engage and feel empowered in the process of learning. And the stories that Ininternalised about my own abilities would have been different. More positive. At the time I felt disengaged and misunderstood and different - like there was something wrong with me. All this time I just thought differently.

These little cues were missed by everyone then, and they added to my own mental health struggles - an erosion of self compassion and self love, because I didn’t understand myself and I wasn’t getting support because nobody else could see me as I truly was either.

I got through and went to university and carved out an amazing fulfilling career, but deep down I had a brewing sense of doubt and anxiety.

As I got older and life threw greater challenges at me, those anxieties and doubts bubbled over.

It hasn’t been easy taking steps in a direction towards my ideal future. There’s been self sabotage and mistakes and I could have handled a lot of things better …. But I managed and many times I did myself proud.

Fortunately I did have some meditation skills that I’d learnt as a young child and developed through my life.

Now I have a suit of tools and inner resources that help me let go of grief and anxiety and triggers, and shift into healthy mental and emotional states.

Resources in the self-love workbook are a great starting point for DIY techniques. And it’s perfect for those of us for whom a planner just doesn’t work! This is designed to dip into as you need it, to support you any time, and help you develop a sustained healthy mental and emotional state.

You can check it out here, to download right now:

https://www.yellowbrickroad.academy/store/self-love-workbook

Restoring your vitality is so important for being able to show up as your best self in your business, and that requires self-care and self-love. If you want to support yourself on your self-love and self-care journey, this workbook is rich with opportunities to explore and grow.

25/03/2023

09/03/2023

If you feel emotionally overwhelmed and resistant to showing up in your business, being seen and speaking up, or having the confidence sharing your ideas and your truth, there’s three ways this can go.

1. You’ll push through because this business doesn’t feel like a choice anymore - this IS the choice - so you feel the resistance and keep trying go to break beyond it. It’s exhausting but full of hope. The question is, how will your inner confidence change by pushing down your feelings? How will you be authentic ally your best self if you let them fester down deeper?

2. You’ll decide that you’re not made for this, believe that there’s something wrong with you and that you’re not one of those people that can succeed because others can’t understand the difference in your way of thinking and seeing and helping. You tell yourself that they’ll never really see you, or if they do they won’t appreciate you, so you shrink further, don’t follow through, feel too disfunctional to shine, and give up.

3. You know deep down that even though it is hard, there is a way to become visible that feels good. There is a way to feel good so you can become visible. By looking deeply at yourself and understanding the dynamics at play, and bringing compassion and healing and openness to your truth, you do transform yourself. You let go of the weight of shame and fear and overwhelm. You embrace hope and possibility and your truth. You show up and shine.

Which do you choose?

02/03/2023

Brilliant! 💜

13/01/2023

It’s ok to take time out if you’re not up to facing the day or the task ahead. There’s no value in feeling bad about feeling bad. Think of it as giving yourself space to regroup with yourself, to calm your emotions, and still your mind. You can practice being kind to yourself firstly with what you tell yourself. You’re worth being kind to.

07/01/2023

Sometimes it’s enough to wake up and see a reminder to breathe in and embrace a beautiful idea … it’s enough to get you up and into the day, at peace.

That’s what the self-care downloadables can provide. Simply print them out and have a daily dose of peace at your fingertips.

https://www.yellowbrickroad.academy/store/breathe-anxiety-workbook

Building a business as an empath, HSP, creative, sensitive woman is challenging, but by finding ways to step into your best, most authentic, and aligned self, you can change your life while you make the world a better place. Somewhere Over the Rainbow is an online store to support you on your journ

22/12/2022

Rest is goooood. Let yourself rest ♥️

🙏🤍🙏🤍

22/12/2022

As much as I am looking forward to celebrations and fun with family and friends over the next few weeks, I know there are a few people who will bring drama. I don’t want to focus on protecting myself at the expense of focusing on joy. That’s why I’m preparing now.

I have an imaginary transparent golden rainbow shimmering bubble that protects me from other people’s negative energy … it deflects right off the surface… if I remember to activate it. If I don’t, anxiety can hit! Having self-love resources are essential for me to regulate and get back on an even keel.

Do you have techniques to protect your energy?

This self-love workbook is the ultimate guide to supporting yourself on your self-care journey with lots of resources to help you in a ways that fit your life.

Take care out there, and enjoy ###



You can download your copy here:

Restoring your vitality is so important for being able to show up as your best self in your business, and that requires self-care and self-love. If you want to support yourself on your self-love and self-care journey, this workbook is rich with opportunities to explore and grow.