Being comfortable and satisfied in the present moment is something many of us desire. I also think “being in the moment” can be one of the most challenging states, not something that comes easy for many people. For us that find it difficult we may fear stagnancy, wasted time and lost dreams. For those that master this state of being, they might argue that it is quite the opposite. By lightly letting go, we might find that we can hear our soul speak and that we deepen our relationship with ourselves and others. We might find that happiness is easier to attain and our lives are filled with more sincerity and peace.

In the last couple of years, I have done a lot of letting go and stepping back to reassess. It has not been easy in any sense of the word. However, I made a promise to myself that for once I was going to let some things just happen on their own. It takes a lot of faith in oneself -that regardless, you can be happy. And it takes a lot of faith in life that some things might just come on their own  if you give it space to do so. Honestly, the latter is sometimes very difficult when so many horrible things happen in the world. Realistically, we need to remember that the good by far outweigh the bad even if it doesn’t always feel that way.

This past year I let go of a former business I shared with a friend to branch out and to do something that allowed me room to explore my own natural talents. I took a break from creating jewelry to try other crafts and broaden my experience. I have allowed myself ample time alone to write and write and write so someday I will have the confidence and skill needed to publish my own book. Something awesome is happening in my 40th year of life. I am beginning to have more feelings of personal acceptance and happiness with all that I have achieved. There is more peace and an understanding of what it takes to be happy. I feel like through this personal and professional space and all of my past adventures, I finally really know me. And by taking time to reflect on past experiences with humor and lightness along with a promise to do things differently, I believe I finally have enough space for this wonderful new person that has just entered my life. I know that all of these wonderful things have happened because I stepped back and simply let go, just a little.

 Shelly Kerry — Creating Space, Mindful Living

Shelly Kerry is the founder of the program Creating Space, Mindful Living – motivating and inspiring people to run their businesses more efficiently. She helps others look at their personal and professional lives and explore what is and isn’t working. As a jewelry designer she has spent many years testing and honing the skills and discipline needed to run your own creative business while still having time for friends, family and fun. She puts her wealth of experience to use in the Creating Space service – healthy living advice to help keep you motivated and make the most out of your already busy schedule. She will help you find both the physical and emotional space so you can pursue your dreams and she’ll always insist there’s time for yourself.

Shelly writes guest posts on living your best life on well-known blogs such as Kanelstrand, Handmade Success and Awfully Grand and is pursuing a Core Strengths coaching certificate through San Francisco State University.

You can now find Creating Space on Facebook.

Image via touch2btouched

If you ever feel a little uninspired, frustrated or lost it might be a good time to revisit your core values. Both in business and your personal life, this can be an enormous tool to use to reboot and refresh!

Recently, I took a few days away from my other job so I could get all the little things that needed to be done for Creating Space. I called it my business reboot. With a little influence from the fabulous thought leader, Lauryn Ballesteros, I started a business manifesto. When we are all so busy (especially if you still work full-time for someone else and trying to run your own business) it is easy to just go go go. The end result for some can be to feel detached. My reason for the manifesto is to maintain a clear vision of what Creating Space means to me and how I want it to help others. It’s a little like a mission statement but way meatier and more rich. Once finished, I want to share it will the world. Shout it from the rooftops. I’ll post it on my wall as something to read weekly and to keep me aligned.

How do you start a manifesto?

I started mine with a good old brain dump. This is the best way for me to get things out of my head, leaving space for creativity and room to work on the details. Once it is on my screen or on paper, it is easier for me to see things more clearly. Some people prefer to talk it through with friends or colleagues. Just make sure you have pen in hand and are catching all those good bits.

Your manifesto is about  your business values and how your business affects others. Start by listing your priorities. What are the words that come up when thinking about your core values? What will people gain from using your services or purchasing your product? How do you hope people feel – energized, calm, motivated or reflective? What are the emotions that arise when you think of your business? Can you create a voice from this place and use it when you write your manifesto?

After exploring your values, can you say that your business is aligned with this vision? More than likely the answer is not always. That is fine but I think we can do better! The manifesto can serve as a personal alignment guide as well as a promise to others. Make sure to share it with your clients, customers and readers. It can be an enormous tool to staying true to your values and running a successful business.

Shelly Kerry — Creating Space, Mindful Living

Shelly Kerry is the founder of the program Creating Space, Mindful Living – motivating and inspiring people to run their businesses more efficiently. She helps others look at their personal and professional lives and explore what is and isn’t working. As a jewelry designer she has spent many years testing and honing the skills and discipline needed to run your own creative business while still having time for friends, family and fun. She puts her wealth of experience to use in the Creating Space service – healthy living advice to help keep you motivated and make the most out of your already busy schedule. She will help you find both the physical and emotional space so you can pursue your dreams and she’ll always insist there’s time for yourself.

Shelly writes guest posts on living your best life on well-known blogs such as Kanelstrand, Handmade Success and Awfully Grand and is pursuing a Core Strengths coaching certificate through San Francisco State University.

You can now find Creating Space on Facebook.

Dreams Visions Goals Notebook from In A Nutshell

Hello, dear friends! Last time I visited Handmade Success, I asked: What will you create for 2013? The first quarter of the year is coming to a close, so I thought it would be a great time to review and renew your goals.

Soft Goal-Setting

If you’re anything like me, you’re starting the year with (1.) a list of intentions, (2.) a list of goals you’d like to accomplish, and (3.) an energetic inner-restlessness so powerful, it’s practically palpable to the people around you. (I did not put all those P’s there on purpose  .)

I ask you to begin your 8-week review of the year by softening your goals. Your vision should always make you feel good (rather than anxiety-ridden).  In the book, Psycho-Cybernetics, A New Way to Get More Living Out of Life, Maxwell Maltz offers this advice:

“You should use the same technique in all your affairs that Jackie Burke recommends in putting. That is, not to feel that you have to pinpoint the ball right to the cup itself on a long putt, but to aim at an area the size of a washtub. This takes off the strain, relaxes you, enables you to perform better. If it’s good enough for the professionals, it should be good enough for you.”

Furthermore, in the book, The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, Jack Canfield told about the year he wanted to earn $100,000 (up from his current salary of $18,000). He did what positive thinkers do: he made signs affirming his new and abundant salary, he worked all year-through consciously and subconsciously creating more income for himself, and by the end of the year he had earned more than $90,000. Others told him that he hadn’t actually achieved his goal, but he says, “I wasn’t disappointed!”

The point is not to cross every single goal off the list. What matters is that you’re setting the bar higher, and stretching yourself daily. That’s the only way to grow and work toward your dreams.

What are your intentions for the rest of the year?

After interviewing Leonie Dawson, I had a gorgeous A-HA moment. I asked her for tips about resolving unfinished business, and she gave advice that I so desperately needed to hear. She explained the “energy cycles of projects,” and how a brand new idea is easy, but the middle (the 40-80% mark) takes effort. It’s natural to feel sluggish as everything becomes a bit harder.

I’m in love with that realization because it makes total sense.

I’m also quite frustrated by the same revelation because it reminds me of my creative business, and unlike a project, I have no idea how close I am to birthing a full-fledged career. It feels very similar to giving birth to my children, and I’m metaphorically at the point of exhaustion where I push with every ounce of my energy, and then relax, rest my head, and doze off before the next contraction. When I feel the urge, I wake up and push, push, push again.

The only difference is, I don’t have a doctor to come in the room and say, “You’re almost there. Just a few more pushes to go, and you’ll be discovered, retained, contracted, and rewarded.” I have no way to tell if I’m 60% away from a the creative career of my dreams or if it’s within my reach. There are many things that are out of my control.

Uncertainty is a huge challenge to any creative business owner. That makes it very difficult to stay focused and keep your eye on the prize! So instead, I want to ask that you keep your goals within your control. Avoid resolutions that rely on unknown factors, such as: “I will make 1,000 sales this year.”

Instead, stick with goals that you can control and measure:

• I will create 15 new designs
• I will run 8 marketing promotions this year
• I will spend $250 on finding new customers through Facebook advertising

Ask: What am I going to stop doing this year?

For example: By the end of this year, I will stop the frenzied hustling. I’m going to convert that frantic energy into a more productive shuffling.

My gorgeous children shuffle all over the house, it’s a dance they all do to the song, “Party Rock Anthem” and it looks just like the old-school “running man” move. They shuffle to the dinner table, they shuffle to their chores, and they shuffle their way out the door to school.

To me, shuffling sounds like a great alternative to hustling. It’s still energetic, but it’s more joyful in nature. My hustling has gotten way too serious and anxious, and if I leave it go unchecked, it could suffocate the creativity out of my creative business.

What will you stop doing this year, and how can you convert the extra time or energy into something more productive?

Keep up the good work, and I’ll meet you back here again soon! Until then and all the best~

Lisa Jacobs — Marketing Creativity

Lisa Jacobs writes Marketing Creativity for fellow creative spirits who aim to build a career with their own two hands. She leads group webinar programs and offers one-on-one coaching designed to help you get paid to be … you.

image by three lives left

It’s easy to get attached to certain ways of doing things. This is especially true when “your way” seems to be working just fine. With spring beginning to peek her head, it is a great time to think about rejuvenating your life, your work or your craft by stirring things up a little.

Sometimes we don’t realize that we are bored or that we might be preventing wonderful things from happening by holding on to older habits and techniques. Opening ourselves up to change in many aspects of our life can allow for truly magical things that we could never imagine. It is lovely to nest and get into the rhythms of life that work. But with the sunny, fresh days of spring coming our way let’s give some time to change.

For some people this all sounds particularly frightening but I have a few easy ideas that can help open your heart and mind. You don’t have to make enormous changes. There is a subtle beauty in the little steps. The little changes tend to have a much stronger hold then the big, jump feet first ones. Although those crazy adventures can be a lot of fun too!

Allow for spontaneity

If you usually eat lunch at home alone when you are between projects or at your desk make a change and go on that spontaneous lunch date. It doesn’t have to be a big deal, far from home or a two hour lunch but taking the time to connect with someone during a time you usually are alone can be really opening. I sometimes find my greatest thoughts when stepping back and taking a spontaneous break. I am very guilty of not allowing these short day time adventures in my life, even when I know how refreshing they may be. This is my personal promise here on out.

Practice a new craft

This is a hold tried and true idea that we creators often forget. Using a different creative muscle for one or more hours a week can open us to new perspectives on our work. If you are a writer, dedicate one hour a week to creating something with your hands. Take up sewing or a wood turning class. If you are a jewelry designer, take time to go to a museum or sit back at a well made film at a small theater. I always think of my yoga instructor telling me to cross my legs the other way or to sit in a different place in the room. It is all about allowing ourselves to feel different things and to exercise alternative muscles.

Do something a little scary

Again, small steps are fine. This could be in the form of reaching out to someone you had always wanted to meet via social media or email. It could be in the form of applying for a paid writing job with 1000 other people. It could be showing someone you respect your new work. You cannot clearly project the end results. Doing something out of your comfort zone should be celebrated and understood as wonderful on its own despite the end results. You never know who will end up seeing your work or who you will meet. How very exciting!

What fun ways will you change it up this coming spring?

Shelly Kerry — Creating Space, Mindful Living

Shelly Kerry is the founder of the program Creating Space, Mindful Living – motivating and inspiring people to run their businesses more efficiently. She helps others look at their personal and professional lives and explore what is and isn’t working. As a jewelry designer she has spent many years testing and honing the skills and discipline needed to run your own creative business while still having time for friends, family and fun. She puts her wealth of experience to use in the Creating Space service – healthy living advice to help keep you motivated and make the most out of your already busy schedule. She will help you find both the physical and emotional space so you can pursue your dreams and she’ll always insist there’s time for yourself.

Shelly writes guest posts on living your best life on well-known blogs such as Kanelstrand, Handmade Success and Awfully Grand and is pursuing a Core Strengths coaching certificate through San Francisco State University.

You can now find Creating Space on Facebook.

Winter View Print from Les Images d’ Isa

February may be the month of love, but between the Winter blues and slower sales in the beginning months of the year, it’s easy to fall out of love with our handmade businesses.

The colder temperatures prevent us from getting outside and soaking up the sun, preventing our creative batteries from recharging. And the slow sales leave us questioning if we’re making the right decisions with our business, hanging on to every sale that we make and hoping another is quick to follow.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

This is the perfect times to change up your routine, find new sources to boost your creative juices, and brighten up your shop. Here are five ways to use this time to your advantage:

1. Get out of the house. 

   Head to a local coffee shop or cafe, visit a new exhibit at the museum, go for a road trip, or try a new restaurant. It doesn’t matter so much what you do, just that you’re doing something new. Something that’s going to break through your mental barriers and encourage your creativity to flourish.

2. Reassess your products. 

   Is there anything that doesn’t fit with your shop’s theme anymore? Or maybe something you have wanted to add that you haven’t had the time to do anything with? Now is the time to change your products to fit your ideal shop. Look at what you have in there that sells well or stands as one of your favorite products and find a way to make the rest of your shop reflect that.

3. Dream a little bit bigger. 

   Think about where you want to be in six months, a year or even five years with your business. Once you know what that is, figure out ways that you can work towards your goals. Maybe it’s a new marketing plan, or networking with our shop owners, or stepping out of your comfort zone. Find a way to make that goal a part of your focus every time you’re working on your business.

4. Give your shop a makeover. 

   Maybe you’re completely satisfied with the products in your shop so there’s nothing more to add to it. If that’s the case, give everything a makeover! New pictures, better tags, improved product descriptions, package deals, etc. Find a way to brighten up your current products to make them stand out.

5. Take a vacation. 

   What better time to celebrate your success than to take a vacation during your slow months? Not only will you beat the Winter Blues if you head someplace warm, but you’ll also be giving yourself some much deserved time away from the daily grind. Relax, have fun and enjoy the time away from your business. But whatever you do, don’t let the guilt follow. Give yourself some time away – 100% guilt free – knowing that you’ll come back, ready to take your shop to the next level.

What do you do during the slower months to help your business grow?

Ashley Wagner — After Nine to Five

Ashley is the creative force behind the After Nine To Five blog and shop. She’s a self-employed consultant/blogger/graphic designer that is determined to live the life that she used to believe would always be just a dream. You can follow her journey along with her husband’s journey as they make their transition from being Wisconsinites to Floridians on And a DIY Life.

She is also the founder of The Better Blogger Network – a community dedicated to helping each other grow as a person and even more so, as a blogger. She is also the founder of RevolutionizeHer – a project that is dedicated to encouraging and inspiring women to live the life they dream of living, especially through self-employment.

I will achieve my goals – clipboard from Decoylab 

I’m sure you’re tired of resolution talk by now. For a few weeks at the beginning of each year, we beat ourselves to death with talk of change — and by February, we’re tired of working so damn hard on improving ourselves.

What if we just had a single goal?

I don’t mean a single goal like, “This year I’m going to lose twenty pounds, double my business income, travel at least three weeks of the year, go vegan, and be a better wife to my husband.”

Just because it fits into a single sentence doesn’t mean it’s a single goal!

I mean, what if you just had a single goal for the entire year? Just one.

And then, you can measure each day by whether you got further or closer to your goal. If your goal is to lose twenty pounds and you worked out, you’ve had a successful day. Regardless of whether the toilet is clean or the dinner is cooked or the kids have started enjoying their etiquette lessons at the dinner table.

My single goal for this year is to run a half marathon.

Currently, I can run a pretty solid 5k. (Okay, you caught me — I have run a single 5k in my life.) But I want to focus on this one goal, so any day that I’ve worked out is a success. Period.

I’ve got a training schedule, I’ve got friends to run with me, and I’m on my way to running 13.1 miles in Pittsburgh this May. (And if I don’t make it, there are plenty of Fall options that look appealing.)

This single goal makes my year so much simpler, and I’m so much happier as a result! Instead of measuring myself against five measuring sticks — weight loss, business, travel, vegan, wife — there’s just one. Fitness.

If this strikes you as a decent way of living in 2013, go ahead and join me.

Tell me your one — single, uno — goal for this year, and let’s get to meeting it.

Kristen Kalp — Brand Camp

Kristen Kalp is a (ghost)writer who believes people should have fun being in business.  She blogs at Brand Camp for like-minded folks.

2013 Diary from Greengrass

January is a great time to make a fresh start. If you haven’t already considered what you would like to accomplish this year, it’s not too late! 2013 is yours to mold.

Here are a few things NOT to worry about:

• You have too many ideas, and you don’t know where to start.

Pitfall number one! The key here is to choose one idea and start working with it. What needs to be created will take shape.

As you’re working, another idea might take priority over the project you started, and that’s okay. It’s all in the spirit of progress. Write your ideas down on paper, pick the one you feel needs to be done first, and then number the order in which you think the others should follow. Remember to keep that plan fluid, let your most pressing creations take priority, and soon you’ll know which one to complete first.

• You might fail. 

You could dance with potential failure for the rest of your life, and I could pull 8,000 inspirational quotes right here about why going for broke is better than giving up on your dreams. I’ve personally made a lot of mistakes, and I’ve seen a lot of failure. I also live an exceptional lifestyle: I get paid to do what I love to do, and I work from home. I’m able to create a flexible business schedule around my number one priority, which is my family. The reward always outweighed the risk.

The thought of failure now reminds me of this Pinterest pin. I’ve cried like the girl in that picture before, and it’s such a real and vulnerable moment; it’s sort of gooey sweet. Moments of rejection are an absolute prerequisite to moments of unadulterated triumph and elation.

Successful big leaps are the result of numerous missed attempts. Enjoy every part of your journey, and relish in those gooey sweet, vulnerable fails. Each one of them is making your story that much better: you’re writing the kind of tale that will give the room chills when you tell it.

• You might succeed. 

Some artisans are paralyzed by the idea of opening a shop and being inundated with orders, dealing with the sudden popularity that comes with listing your products online for the world to see. Everyone will see their work! How will they keep up with the demand? The rest of us are smiling at the naivety of that idea, because we’ve all been humbled by it. Let me tell you, dear friend, that’s just not how it works.

You’re only ever given as much as you can handle. I used to wish for thousands of orders … when I had less than 30 items in stock. Last year, I took two wholesale orders (100 bracelets each), and it’s just too much for me to handle while I’m running an online store (the Energy Shop) and blogging.

There will be space in your schedule in the beginning, and it’s there for a reason. Use it to grow into the success you wish to become.

Share Your Gifts

Make 2013 the year that you share your gifts with the world. Until recently, when I thought of “God-given talent,” I imagined a singer with an amazing voice. I’ve always admired the people who were born into such voices because, no matter what I do, my voice will never sing like that.

I realized that while singing is not my talent, I am just as amazing at my own thing as great singers are at singing. I think we’re all made to be brilliant at something, and it’s often a greatness we don’t even realize we’re creating. I just finished recording an interview with the amazing Leonie Dawson, and she reaffirmed my newfound belief when she said:

“I believe that every single soul has miracles inside them waiting to be birthed, and all we need to do is choose which miracles we’re ready to birth right now.”

I think that, more often than not, people lose their way. We’re steered in another direction, or we stubbornly try to do what we think we should be doing, and we ignore our calling. People don’t always go inward to find their true north. Oftentimes, we try to think about what would be right, rather than do what feels good. And more often than not, thinking and trying are the main ingredients of an unhappy life.

I have a talent for inner-expression. Wherever I go, I imagine how everyone else is feeling. I’m very tuned into how I’m feeling. I mirror moods. I cry easily: I shed tears through arguments, songs I love, football games (or, winning moments in general), prayer, laughter, and when I see babies being born on TV. Events, people, and nature move me; I care very deeply about the the things I care about. And I can’t not process my feelings.

One of the things that I care very deeply about is you. I love that you’re putting yourself out there, taking a chance, and exploring your true potential. I love that you create because I really love creators. I think we are all, each one of us, put on this planet to create and play and explore this beautiful playground of Life.

I want to help you showcase your unique talent and birth your miracles in 2013. I want your spirited creativity to take center stage. It’s time, and this is going to be your year.

May your 2013 be filled to the brim with love, laughter, gratitude, spirit, and prosperity! Until next time~

Lisa Jacobs — Marketing Creativity

Lisa Jacobs writes Marketing Creativity for fellow creative spirits who aim to build a career with their own two hands. She leads group webinar programs and offers one-on-one coaching designed to help you get paid to be … you.