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Tag: confidence

Celebrating all entrepreneurs and creatives

To those who refuse to give up, those who won’t turn their backs on dreams;

Those who wake at all hours of the night with a new idea, a new vision, a new challenge to solve;

Those who push past naysayers and doubters, who instead choose to listen to their own voice, no matter how small the whisper;

To those brave enough to return to the drawing board, pick up the pen, revisit, redraw, rewrite, edit for the 1,237th time;

To those who build communities of people with energy and light, people who champion innovators and creators;

To those who cheer on others just like them, others choosing life of action over apathy —

You are seen. You are valued. You are loved.

Keep going.

Ask for what you need

Before you can ask, you have to know what you need.

When you pay attention to how you ask for what you need, you may be surprised. If you fail to voice for what it is that you require, how will the universe bring it to you? Owning your feelings gives you the platform to issue requests.

Assertiveness doesn’t need to be an intimidating habit, however; understanding the areas in which you experience lack help can contribute to greater empathy, more confidence, and deeper understanding. Advocating for your needs increases the likelihood of success.

To improve your asking skills, check out this nifty guide from The Creative Independent.

Want to change your life? Change your conversations

If you’re searching for change, one of the easiest things you can do RIGHT NOW is to evaluate the conversations you are having. Chances are they can use some editing.

  • What are you talking about?
  • What topics keep repeating?
  • Who is involved?

Monitor your conversations, both online and off, then prioritize the kind of world you want to live in:

Creation, not lack
Goals, not complaint
Care, not brokenness
Change, not stuckness

The best conversations will be rooted in the question Who do I want to become? These conversations can help you reach goals and dive into deeper levels of living.

First you must find people with similar goals. These are the people you want to spend time with: People who are equally invested in exploration, growth, process, and evolution. Don’t tolerate negativity. Those people who can’t seem to stop talking about others? Refuse to participate. Change topics. Don’t entertain abusive, destructive, or derogatory remarks. 

If you can’t find positive people, make adjustments. Be intentional. Use online resources and set boundaries. Time limits can also be helpful.

Think of your conversations as currency. Meetings, phone calls, chats, emails, even text messages. Be strategic about the way in which you invest.

Fight fire with water

Stop fighting and relax. Instead of trying to confront obstacles head on, look for ease. Can you infuse confrontations with love? Bring fluidity into challenging situations? Maybe you feel stuck. Sometimes desired outcomes happen as a result of less effort, not more.

When you’re feeling the heat at work or at home, weave cool and refreshing resources into the mix. More fire just adds more flames.

How to create your future

Last weekend my team and I organized the first free outdoor film festival in Pokhara, Nepal. From crowdfunding to logistical planning, we spent months outlining how the event would run. Through hard work, grit, and perseverance, we turned what was once a dream into reality: Over 400 attendees enjoyed films in three different locations throughout the city. Popcorn, prizes, and toys were distributed. People who had never stepped foot in a movie theater were inspired by Rocky, Titanic, and Pocahontas. The smiles were priceless. And it was all set beneath starlight skies.

Plenty of times along the way we could have given up. When we first launched our crowdfunding campaign, I spent several days riddled at home with anxiety, wondering how and if we were really able to pull this off. We could have let frustration win when we were sent to yet another government office for another stamp or another signature. We could have shrugged our shoulders and moved on to another idea when we were questioned, “What is this? Who watches movies outside?” or asked about the motive of our program. We could have quit when we were laughed at.

But we didn’t. Even when we knew people were watching us, hoping we’d fail, we kept going.

And that, my friends, is how you create your future. You keep going.

When the naysayers doubt your dreams, even when you doubt your own abilities, keep going.

Your future is ready for you to create it.