Tag Archives: business success

Staff Meeting, Part Two

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“People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of anything.” 
~ Thomas Sowell

Once upon a time, I was a member of the corporate world. My meetings lasted hours and sometimes days. I wore a suit. I was often bored, or frustrated. Every hour a meeting dragged on made me feel a little more dead inside.

I do meetings differently now.

Our Staff Meeting started with a cup of tea and a tasty piece of cake on the veranda.

After a skype meeting with our team member who’s in another country (Hi, Miss Love, And HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR TODAY!!!), we broke for sourdough toast and soup in the winter sunshine.

Then we did a little more work.

We finished scheduling our next course and looking at the calendar for 2020. That also involved scheduling a mini-break interstate with Ben for my birthday in September this year. Because holidays matter!

In the afternoon we walked up into the orchard and picked sweet mandarins and lemons.

Just a little more work and then we called it a day.

In the early evening we stood outside looking up at the moon and the stars in the crisp winter sky before we came back to sit by the fire and enjoy a leisurely dinner.

We got plenty of work done and came up with some great new ideas. But we also balanced that work with living. And that feels right for me.

I like this new business model much better than that old way of working. How about you? What kind of business world do you want for yourself?

Much love, Nicole xx

A cup of tea for us, under the Jacaranda tree here at my farm!

When the Muse Whispers in Your Ear…

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This beautiful image from josephinewall.com.uk

O! for a muse of fire, that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention.
~ William Shakespeare

Inspiration comes to us in many ways, but there is one way almost all creative people have in common – the Muse comes and whispers in your ear.

The Muse knows you – she knows your talents and gifts – she knows what is written in your heart.

So she chooses you, and with Divine Timing she drops her tiny mouth to your ear and whispers an idea that is perfectly matched to your talents, your purpose, your dreams…

All you have to do is listen.

And you’ll know this is something out of the ordinary.  You’ll know you’ve just been given a gift.  Your heart will beat a little faster, you’ll feel a pull right down in your belly, your mind will snap to attention, and with your heart you’ll answer ‘Yes!’

The Muse will sigh contentedly. Then she’ll wait. She’ll wait for you to show her that her whispering is safe with you. All she wants is for this idea to be born. She’ll pour her own energy into it, hoping to co-create with you.

If you pull her idea deep into your heart, and if you nurture this whispering with thought and with action, she’ll happily whisper some more.

Try this, she’ll say.  This is the next part.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if…

But… if you ignore her… if you take her whispering and put it on the shelf, letting it become dusty and dessicated… if her whispered idea becomes a ‘someday’; or if, even worse, you begin to slowly kill the magic by coming up with all the justifications why it won’t work, and why you can’t do it…

She’ll fly off and whisper her idea in someone else’s ear!

And trust me – that won’t be good for you…

One day you’ll be at the markets and you’ll see the thing she whispered to you first, and you’ll think, ‘Hey! That’s MY product!’

You’ll read the book or watch the movie and think, ‘Hey! That’s MY plotline.’

You’ll walk past the shop, or open the newspaper and think, ‘What the? That was MY idea.’

The Muse is endlessly patient and encouraging as long as we honour her inspiration with a little perspiration – if we work at the ideas we’re given, the whole Universe will contrive to support and prosper us!

Her gift to us will be like magic in our hands.

We ignore the Muse at our peril.

So the next time she whispers in your ear, understand that she chose you for a reason.  She chose you because it’s written in your heart, it will make your soul sing, and you have what it takes to bring this idea to life and make it shine!

And isn’t that all you’ve ever wanted to do?

When Divine Inspiration comes calling, say YES. Take your new idea seriously. Nurture it and help it grow.  It might transform your entire life. ♥ It might transform ours too.