Slow the rush and start with intention

18 months ago I joined the self employment club. 

I left a steady, supportive and secure job, to follow the soft voice inside that urged me to take a leap and build my own solo driven, creatively led lifestyle. This was one of the most terrifying choices I’ve made, but in all honesty I had no choice. If I was going to live with integrity and walk the talk that I speak to my clients, urging them to listen to their inner creator and sing the song their soul wants to sing, then I too needed to take the leap when the time felt right.

From this new uncertain and unpredictable space, a whole new set of challenges emerged. Living without a regular and consistent income triggers our safety and security response. Having to reply solely on your own creativity can activate our perfectionist tendencies which block us from exploring and experimenting as we fear with others will think.

These fears can challenge our most authentic and personal set of values. 

I learned very quickly to keep an eye on these fears so I could quickly make adjustments and come back to making grounded, empowered decisions.

When an old fear program takes over our mind, we move away from intention based choices and into a knee jerk, hustle based response. Our inner narrative shifts to pushing, rushing, do more, act quickly, “time is running out” mentality. To me, that is what hustling is, a fear based response to our security.Responding and acting out of fear feels dense, sticky, uncomfortable and rigid, like we’re pushing a dead weight up a steep hill in the middle of a summers day.

The flip side to a hustle based mentality, is a different approach that I call intentional action. When we act from a foundation of intention, we move in the rhythm of flow. 

We make considered choices, we take time to reflect, we feel into our intuition and gut instinct and we change our mind a few times before we commit to an action that aligns to our goals. This way of working, living and being is how we move into alignment and we can receive what is truly meant for us. This is a space where we can create freely, work authentically and move at a pace that brings true, sustainable abundance.

This mindset sits at the heart of how I operate when advising my Creative Advisory clients.

So, what does intentional action look like?

 ~ Crafting ideas and making decisions that feel true to you and your deepest values

~ Creating work from internal direction and external inspiration, over following from others or taking what they do and making it your own.

~ Working in collaboration with those who share your same values

~ Determining the qualities of the clients, teams and people around you that you wish to seek out and bring into your world, then attracting them in

~ Cultivate a relationship with your inner creative life so you can access your own unique messaging system.

~ Doing inner work so you can recognise and reject outdated beliefs and behaviours that will stifle your potential.

~ Breaking down the busy. Taking time for rest, for ideas to form and to balance the doing with play and being.

~ Drawing out a vision, creating realistic goals and taking slow, sustainable steps each day toward them

~ Ensuring you have a “pit crew” of like minded people around you that support your vision and ideas, inspire you, believe in you and push you to be your best self

~ Taking time to make both big and small key decisions

~ Moving towards that which feels heavy over that which feels light.

What does hustle look and feel like?

~ Pushing your ideas, business and creations onto others, particularly those who have shown no interest.

~ Striving to be perfect.

~ Not having an idea of who your community are so you’re trying to actively sell and share your ideas with anyone who will listen. Selling to everyone is selling to noone.

~ Discounting or undervaluing your work, time and energy

~ No fluctuating balance in your world and living in a constant state of high stress 

~ Forcing, pushing, applying pressure, in any aspect of your life, to try and force an outcome

~ Moving too quickly and regretting your actions

~ Lacking connection with your intuition and make decisions solely from your intellect.

Intentional action is the pause. Hustle culture is the run. When we act intentionally we conserve our energy for when we need it. When we hustle we are burning the candle at both ends.

Ultimately, you may end up at the same place. The decision is how you want to feel in the process and what journey you want to to get there.

If you’re resonating with this post and are ready to create some change, contact me HERE and let's chat some more.

Rach x