I was interviewed by Laura from The Female Success Coach on Instagram Live this week and after receiving so many lovely messages, it inspired me to write this blog post.
The aim of our chat was for me to share my journey to becoming an entrepreneur, my challenges, my achievements and everything in between! However I really believe that everything I have learnt from my sessions with Laura and in life along the way can motivate, uplift and motivate you whether you have your own business or not. I hope so anyway!
You can catch the replay on Laura's IGTV - follow her on @thefemalesuccesscoach - here is a little snippet!
This last year has been such a massive journey for everybody and we all have a different story to tell. The main part of 2020 for me was that I was so busy with bridal headpiece orders at the beginning of January that I decided to hand in my notice at my part time job where I had been for the last five years. Now if it wasn't scary enough that I was going to be forgoing my monthly wage (the ultimate security blanket), two days into my new full time life as a designer and we were thrust into a national lockdown. Oh my gosh what a scary time and we have all had to find ways to diversify and even try and embrace it!
I told someone recently that I went full time during the first lockdown and they said 'But Claire, would you have done that if you had known what was going to happen last year?' and my answer was hell no! It really made me stop and think. The timing actually couldn't have been better for me. It allowed to finally slow my life down a bit and get my ducks in a row. I had been so stressed with how many orders I was getting and this meant I could now chill out a bit and not put so much pressure on myself. I was able to get a proper work/life balance and spend lots more time with my husband George and our fur baby Pickle which is difficult when we're all running around like headless chickens all the time. I know how lucky I am to have been able to go to my studio - it's almost felt like 'normal life' for me and I created my own little world.
I got a lot of comments and messages on my 'Positivity Box' idea which I shared with Laura on the live chat so I thought I would share it with you!
I took some time off in between Christmas and New Year and read some inspiring books to motivate me for the year ahead. One of them being 'The Miracle Morning' by Hal Elrod. He teaches you six things to do before 8am (the time doesn't actually matter, you can fit it in around your sleep patterns, schedule) which really sets you up for the day.
Hal Elrod also has other Miracle Morning books in the series such as The Miracle Morning for Parents and Families and Entrepreneurs, Teachers, Network Marketers, Real Estate Agents, Salespeople, Writers as well.
The most important thing for me to change was getting out of bed in a timely manner. My old routine was George getting up for work first and very kindly bringing me a cup of tea in bed but I ended up drinking it there for nearly an hour whilst scrolling on social media, reading my emails and checking the news headlines. This is not a good thing to do first thing in the morning. What is you see something that upsets or annoys you? You need to start your day with a positive mindset. So I listened to Hal and put my alarm clock to the other side of the room meaning I would need to get up to turn it off (I have a great clock by Philips which has a ring of light around it which gradually lights up in 15mins minutes until it wakes you up with gentle birdsong). I aim to get up between 7.00 - 7.30am depending on how busy my day is going to be. I'd love to get up around 6am but we'll see!
After turning my alarm clock off I put on my dressing gown and go straight downstairs to make myself a hot drink and go to my special chair in the living room with my Positivity Box. My box is actually a small wicker basket in which I have a candle, essential oils, a couple of inspiring books, my vision board, my journals and my 'to do' book.
The daily practices of the Miracle Morning are nicknamed SAVERS and they stand for
Silence
Affirmations
Visualising
Exercise
Scribing
I looked up other entrepreneurs morning routine's on youtube and adapted them to create my own 'miracle morning'. It takes me between 45mins to an hour depending on how much I want to do that morning. So for example if I'm getting up at 7.15am I have 15 minutes to make myself my drink and settle down in the living room and then I will start at 7.30am and the hour will start from then.
Firstly I meditate, I will either listen to the 10 minute daily meditation on my Calm App (I have a discount code if you want me to send it to you - and also Headspace is another great app) or if I have a bit longer that morning I will listen to Breathpod on Instagram Live. Stuart has been doing these live sessions for months during lockdown and they are all saved onto his IGTV. Oh and before you say it, trust me, my mind wanders too! As I have to use my phone for meditation I have muted all notifications until 9am so I'm not distracted by any messages or social media notifications. (10 mins - 30 mins depending on how long you want to do it for)
I will then get my first journal out. This is a blank notebook which I use to log the date and the number of miracle mornings I have done to hold myself accountable. I describe this as a free book where I will write whatever I am feeling at the time. Sometimes I'm not sure what to write so I just put what I have planned for the day. Other times I have a lot going on in my mind or goals I want to achieve and affirmations I might want to write so I jot them down in there. (10 mins)
My second journal I have only started a couple of days ago and it is from The Female Success Coach! It has morning and night time questions such as 'Three things I am excited about today are:' and 'What amazing things have happened today?' I think it's really good to mark positive things that have happened so you can see how far you've come. (5 mins)
If I want something in particular to happen I will sit for a couple of minutes and visualise it happening. I might also look at my vision board and visualise my future goals. A vision board is a collection of photos of things you want to happen or quotes that resonate with you. But beware they won't just 'happen', you have to put the work in too. So it might be your dream house or car, a successful business, a money goal, holidays and time spent with your family etc. What would yours be? You might want to also write some affirmations to help you get in a kick ass mind set (10 mins)
I might then read from one of my inspiring books for ten minutes or so - usually something to do with the Law of Attraction like 'The Secret' by Rhonda Byrne so I can get into a positive thought pattern. (10 mins)
I'll then get my to - do list out and write what I need to do that day. It feels really good to tick them off as you go. (5 mins)
Lastly I do a bit of exercise! I have a 7 minute exercise app which is the perfect amount of time for me! We usually do cardio but you can do whatever exercise you choose - yoga or pilates etc. George usually joins me for this which is nice! I then stick on some feel good songs on Alexa and go and do the washing up. We always eat dinner late so I clean the kitchen the next morning and having a clean kitchen makes me feel like i'm starting the day off right! The whole routine will take about an hour so I'm usually ready to start working about 9am or a bit later if I'm going into the studio. (7 mins)
You can shorten your routine if needed and have a long and a short version for particularly busy days. However the point is that you can pull out your positivity box at any time during the day as well.
If you're having a particularly down day when you're feeling really demotivated or imposter syndrome kicks in, take some time out and remember to breathe. A couple of weeks ago I decided to write down my favourite sentences or words from reviews that my brides have written so if I was ever feeling low I could read those and remember that I am a bad ass business woman and have given a special experience to so many. Or maybe you could look at comments on social media that people have left or text messages and write those down or cards your family or friend have sent you. The idea is to look back at how far you have come, be grateful for what you have and get your mojo back for the future to come. I also like to go through my workbooks that I have done with Laura and see if there is anything I can re read or update.
I'll be honest, last week I was really rubbish with my miracle mornings and it really affected me! After the Instagram Live with Laura on Monday and talking about my journey so far it made me realise what I have achieved and have yet to achieve and it has put me right back on track. Meeting Laura has also been a game changer for me. I took a three month course during the first lockdown and have continued to invest in her coaching ever since. Our Zoom calls are my favourite - I finish them literally buzzing and feel like I can do anything! I 100% recommend you speak to her if you want some guidance and a cheer leader in your business/life!
As I finish writing this blog post this morning (at 8am!) I am on Day 60 of My Miracle Morning. I have had a few days off here and there since I started it on the 28th December 2020 as you know but it's something I really want to keep in my life. I am so proud of making the commitment to getting up that bit earlier as I am honestly not an early bird naturally at all! Maybe tonight you could make the first step but putting your alarm clock across the room and setting it for 15minutes earlier that you usually would do. Then you can gradually work it back a bit earlier each day until you get to the time you'd need to wake up at to have time to fit in your morning routine.
Also there's nothing wrong with a little nap during the day! If I know I need that extra fuel to push through my day at 100% I stop for 20-30mins and rest my eyes. On my calm app they have refreshing nap stories which send you to sleep for the optimum amount of time and then wake you up with gentle birdsong. If napping isn't your thing, take some time out to go and enjoy a coffee or stretch your legs outside - it really helps you reset.
I feel so much more positive, organised and ready for the day ahead so I really urge you to find a morning routine which works for you!
Another thing I have done is a deep clean of my Instagram newsfeed. Did you know you can mute people or companies so you don't see them on your feed or their story at the top? It sounds mean but if they're dampening your glow they gotta go! And I follow lots of positive accounts with inspiring quotes or photographs which will lift me rather than take me down a dark hole of comparison. I also try to have a Sunday detox as well and take some time away from my phone. It's hard when all my enquiries come from social media so I'm constantly on there!
Feel free to message me if you want a chat, I'm always here to lend an ear! Let me know if you make or have a morning routine and if you make a positivity box - I'd love that :)
Have an amazing day!
Love Claire xxx
