Pep Talks Free Download

Pro-tip....If you don't read Elise Joy's blog or follow her on Instagram, I highly recommend her.  She is a small business owner, author, DIY-er, podcaster, blogger, and very thoughtful parent.  I appreciate how much she gets done and how much she lets go off without guilt.

I also subscribe to her newsletter, too.  Design-wise, it's always so pretty and she includes free gems in it, like this pep talk.  Why not take a highlighter and highlight the pep you need for 2021?

Here are Elise's links:

Blog

Book

Business

Podcast

Instagram

Go check 'er out,

Jen

Dream Queue - An interview with myself

If you are new to this blog, here's something you need to know about me.  I generally have a Dream Queue.  

Depending on what's in the queue or what's going on in my life, that Dream Queue is either moving along at a lovely clip or pace or man, that queue is stuck.  Recently, my Dream Queue was totally stuck.  So, let's interview myself, shall we? 

.....By the way, if you have ever wondered what (life) coaching is like, this interview is what coaching is like.  A lot of thought-provoking, honest questions and not the coach giving advice.  Let's go to my inner self interview...

Hey Jen, what's a Dream Queue?

A Dream Queue is the place inside me where all of my dreams and big ideas go to wait for their turn.

Why do you capitalize Dream Queue?

Because it feels like it's a proper noun and deserves the attention and recognition.

What makes the queue stuck? (Hmmm...notice the lowercase....)

Great question!  What makes my Dream Queue stuck is time (or feeling like I have lack of time). Or that work projects or classes I am teaching need my full attention and that I don't have space for dreams-into-action.  Also, malaise and fear of the unknown.

What gets the queue unstuck?

Writing about it like I'm doing now.  Coaching.  I recently got coached on my Dream Queue and finally have some answers.

What are the answers?

The answers are that some dreams need to wait their turn.  Some dreams are more time sensitive. Some dreams require me to collaborate with others (which leads to some stuckness....who do I want to collaborate with right now? Not everyone floats my boat).  Some dreams ignite fear within me like "Will the time spent on this dream pay off?  Will my return on effort pay off?"

When you say "pay off" do you mean money?

Not necessarily.  Some dreams and ideas could generate extra income, but many dreams just generate joy - which to me is as important as real dollars.  Actually, now that I am typing this...I think both are true.  I like real money and joy.

So, what's holding you back, Jen?

Great question.  What's holding me back is feeling like I have to get XYZ done before I begin moving my dreams through the queue.  

What's true?

What's true is that yes, I do have some things that need to get done in life (like work, prepping for next semester, making sure my holiday shopping is complete, etc.) AND, in reality, those are excuses for letting my dreams sit in the queue for too long.  What you focus on grows is one of my favorite quotes.  I've been focusing on distractions and small wins.  AND afraid to put forth effort into bigger, dreamier projects that may - in the short term - not feel like they are paying off.

What's next knowing this?

I am just realizing something....I need more small, micro wins.  I crave more micro wins. Some of my Dream Queue ideas are so big that it feels like 6-12 months before I could see them paying off.  The fear inside me doesn't want to wait so long to see "if" a dream is going to take off, workout, or generate joy or extra income.  What I am also realizing is I need to take my big dreams and break them up into smaller chunks.  Then, tackle one chunk at a time.

Jen, why are you shaking your head?

I'm shaking my head because I missed this!  I missed that one, big dream is really just an accumulation of small, small steps.  

What do you want to commit to, Jen?

I want to commit to taking one of my dreams out of the queue and making a list of all the small steps - small wins - I need to accomplish to make that dream come completely alive. Then, I will start taking a step one after another.

Jen, how will we know you've done that?

I'll report back here.

💜

With new insight and apparently a dream about to become queue-less,

Jen

Three Part To-Do List

As you know from my last blog post here, Miss O and I are two-week entrepreneurs.  Technically, we are down to one week, so make that one-week entrepreneurs.  To help us create products, launch our shop and reach our goal of becoming small business owners, we used a three part to-do list that was suggested by my new Zappos friend, Jennifer.  Jennifer is the goals queen!  Literally, it's what she does for a living - teaches others how to create goals groups, set goals, and accomplish them.  How's that for an amazing niche?  I think every business, school, and college needs her (probably every family, too).

Jennifer recommend a three part to-do list.  She may have called it something differently when we were in Las Vegas, but I am calling it this very fancy name, The Three Part To-do List.  Though, you can name each part whatever you'd like, Miss O and I went with....

To-do:  This included all of the micro-steps to accomplishing our big goal of running a successful small business....

In Progress:  Once a to-do item was in progress, we moved it to this portion of the three part list. There was something REALLY gratifying about seeing each micro-step in action and moving along the completion journey. And really, can my business partner's hair be any shinier or straighter?  I foresee Pantene commercials in her future.

High Five:  This last part of our three part list was full of celebrations.  Miss O and I literally high fived each other each time a new sticky note made it to the end of the journey.  Using sticky notes, by the way, was another Jennifer suggestion.

Now, as you can see below, we are in the final two sticky notes of our three part list.  The only items left for us to do in the progress section is "create thank you cards" and "ship necklaces," which we will be doing for one more week before we close up for the summer (PS - we plan to re-open at some point in the fall).

I asked Miss O what she thought of the three part to-do list and she said she really liked it.  Her favorite part was moving the stickies along the journey and realizing how much we needed to accomplish and how much we did.  High five!  What do you think of the three part to-do list?

See you at our Etsy shop, OJCreates.  We close around June 7th, so go now!  Big thanks to Jennifer for suggesting the three part to-do list.  And good luck, Jennifer, on the release of your book, Goallaboration, this summer!  Goallaboration!?  What a fun word!

Off I go, dear friends - life is full as a small business owner, college professor, mom and blogger. Lest not forget I am writing a book, too!

#haveilostmymind

#nay

Cheers,

Jen

Being Present in Colorado

I just love Breckenridge, CO.   No, duh, right?  It's the town, the people, the energy, the pace, the fresh air, and there just feels like there is so much to do or not do.  I also love just looking at the mountains and leaning into them.

One of my goals this summer is just to be.  Do you know how hard it is to just be sometimes? Without thinking of what's next or what just happened?

Being present in the exact moment of time is tricky.  However, I do believe that is what is so magical about being outdoors and being lost in the mountains (or the sea or the jungle or wherever you are outdoors). Being outside is probably the best and easiest place to just be.

When I am just in the present moment (the opposite of worrying or planning), I admire all the amazingness that life and Breckenridge offers.  Things like bouldering, hiking above tree line, admiring the cutest foxes I've ever seen, seeing Molly and Mr. UpCyclist ski/snowboard in early July..... (Didn't I tell you Molly was rad?)

Going sledding with Lil O and Cousin A (in July)....

Watching the gals ride our DIY long board (a snowboard mounted with wheels) and celebrate our newest family addition, the Diggler (which you can see in the background; Lil O is riding it).  The Diggler deserves its own post.  You know how long I've been wanting one.

See you on the other side of the weekend.  It's time to get back to being present.

xo,

Jen

Coffee Dates

There are some things I am good at and some things, I'm not.  Being a great friend and making the time for my friends is one of my goals for early 2014 and something I really, really, really want to improve.

My super power, I've discovered, is connection.  So, without these amazing friends in my life, how will I honor it?

Thus, I'm on a coffee date tour.  Actually, it doesn't have to just be coffee - lunch, hiking, crafting - those are all good activities to rally around and spend time with my friends. So far, I've....

• Had coffee with Jennifer S.
• Had coffee via Skype with Susan from Crafterhours
• Had coffee with the Starbucks queen, Cathy
• Had lunch with my coaching friends in person
• Had a crafting day with the Higgins Family
• Had a Facetime lunch with Jenn in California
• Had tea with Jesse, the statue, one impromptu afternoon
• Had coffee with Mr. UpCyclist and Randy one impromptu morning
• Had coffee via Facetime with lifetime BFF, Cindy

My goal is ten coffee dates.  I'm up to nine with the two impromptu ones.  I have four more on the books - Carey, Shannon, Erin, and Courtney.  I've only been stood up once.  Ha!  She is soooo embarrassed - I won't mention any names.  And, I have a few more thoughts about who I've been neglecting.  Actually, the list is pretty long.  

Then, there's this question:  Why didn't I start this sooner?  These people - these friends - totally fuel my soul and I hope I do the same for them.

xoxo,

Jen

2014 On My Mind

Many of my favorite bloggers have publicly shared their goals and their "one little word" for 2014. 

Am I the only one who is still processing 2013 and attempting to envision 2014?  Thankfully, Jedi and I are in the same boat.  Strength in numbers, I tell you.  

But, this I know.  2014 is going to be pretty amazing when the noise in my head comes to fruition.

What are your 2014 goals or your one little word?

Super curious - maybe it will inspire me,

Jen

Summer Goals Update

At the beginning of the summer, I set a few goals for myself.  Let's see how I did.

• Study wildflowers with Lil O - We studied flowers all summer long.  We learned many names, checked out books on wildflowers, sought out wildflower hikes and sketched a few.  I now don't feel like a complete wildflower novice.  
• Build my online special education class that is slated to run in the fall - This course is 90% ready to go.  I still need to create a few more module assessments before it goes live in October.
• Mountain bike and road bike more than I did last summer (and proudly wear my UE jersey) - I think Mr. UpCyclist wore his jersey much more than I did.  I did do a fair share of running and hiking.  But, riding...not as much.
• Have four separate Yes Days - one for Lil O, Mr. UpCyclist, Puppy Jedi and myself - Since the entire summer felt like a Yes Day to me, only Lil O "needed" her Yes Day.  
• Trail run to the neighborhood lake three times (last summer, I just did this once) - Yay, I did it! Check Instagram for proof here, here, and here.  Plus, I'm not bragging, but I actually ran the trail seven times.  Woot!
• Make time for yoga, reading and just being - and not doing - I absolutely made time for yoga, reading and just being.  I think that is one of the reasons why the whole summer felt like a Yes Day. 
• Create string art like this - Totally!  This blog post details the entire string art endeavor.  It really is one of my all-time favorite projects.

This summer, I did more reflecting and creating than I have in the past.  Such fuel for my soul.

xoxo,

Jen

Summer Goals 2013

Photo from here. Pic Monkey by Jen

I am reminded of what a friend told me....

We are human beings, not human doings.

I do, however, have several things I want to do this summer.  I thought if I wrote down my goals, I might actually remember them and accomplish them.  Here's my short list:

• Study wildflowers with Lil O
• Build my online special education class that is slated to run in the fall
• Mountain bike and road bike more than I did last summer (and proudly wear my UE jersey)
• Have four separate Yes Days - one for Lil O, Mr. UpCyclist, Puppy Jedi and myself
• Trail run to the neighborhood lake three times (last summer, I just did this once)
• Make time for yoga, reading and just being - and not doing
• Create string art like this

What's on your summer goal list?

My best,

Jen