I finished a coaching course recently, and was asked "and what is next for you Laura?"

And without thinking I replied with something like this:

"In this season of my life of nurturing and growing, I am going to continue to follow my intuition."

”So let me understand this correctly. Now we have kids our priorities have changed and you are working in this new way. And you want clients. To get clients you need time. You also need your own coach which costs money. But in order to get money you need to work. But then if you’re working you don’t have the time to get the clients.

How does anyone get their side hustle to become their main source of income?!?!?!”

To which I answered:

”I think they have to hustle a bit, my love.”

If you’re on more than one email list from creative coaches and mentors, you've heard everyone’s “top” advice.

A coach and mentor cannot do it for you, so invest when you're ready to put time in and make change.

And yes! That is my top piece of advice, too. I see this all the time with clients. 

But that “top” advice really isn’t helpful, now is it? You know that.

That’s why today I want to share with you my second best piece of advice.

Always have an (intuitive and holistic) plan.

Now I'm out the other side, it's given me an opportunity to reflect on what is in my control and what isn't. This is where the sphere of influence is such a useful exercise (I’ve made you a very simple document to use): to establish what you might be able to influence, those things which you allow yourself to accept and move on from, and those things you might want to get excited about and start to control more actively (yes we are allowed to control things!)

Sometimes you just have to decide to decide. 

Let me expand: have you ever ummed and ahhed over a decision, pondering away until - ooh - it's the weekend, you'll think about it again on Monday?

Perhaps you've done copious research, you've listened to all the advice, you've read all the reviews, you've watched all the videos. 

But actually - you sometimes just need to decide to make a choice.

"How do you get everything done with three small kids and three jobs?"

The answer is...well, the truth is, I fit a lot of bits in around the edges. I often have to work in the evenings, but I certainly don't work every evening, and I make plenty of time to switch off.

Sadly, there is very little that any of us can do to shield ourselves from the circumstances that will batter our confidence. However, building resilience to this battering, and developing strategies that will build your confidence, is achievable.

Creating, making, making connections with others, showing up, it all requires effort.

Of course there are times when we can do some things more easily than others (see my obsession with seasonal and cyclical living). But we can’t organise all of our work entirely around cyclical living - sometimes we have deadlines or pressures that have to be met.

Today, let's explore the significance of creating ideal conditions for our work and what it takes to achieve them.

One of the hardest things we face when we are trying to work out important decisions, whether it’s about how we're meant to parent a vulnerable human, how we're meant to develop our business, or why we're doing what we're doing, is the endless presence of ALL THE NOISE.