Meet the three gunas; a philosophy about our natural energetic states. There’s a Sanskrit philosophy called the three gunas; sattwa, rajas and tamas. “Guna’ translates as strand or quality and essentially represents the energy forces of the universe and our psychological, emotional and energetic states. We are always weaving between our sattwa, rajas, tamas energies.
I’ll never forget getting a call from a Creative Director I worked with while freelancing at an agency. “Yo, there’s some vodka on your desk, can I have a bottle? I need to get loose, I need to write some lines.” What the actual? Firstly, it was gin — a gift from a client that I hadn’t yet taken home. Secondly, what the actual?
Forget downtime - make room for creative uptime! As creative solopreneurs we need to prioritise creative uptime. It’s how we recharge our batteries and invest in our creative growth journey. It's quality time to spark ours imaginations and feel creative connection that is both progressive and meaningful. If you’ve been feeling empty and uninspired and you’re not sure why - ask yourself if you’re getting enough creative uptime?
Life is not meant to be an over-polished trophy. Sometimes though, we can’t help ourselves; we get caught up in trying to make it this big, impressive, shiny thing. We obsess, self-assess, goal-orient, productivity-hack, focus-focus and super-charge our way to efficiency and success.
Writers have a hard time owning the title of their craft. If you write, competently or professionally or as a practice, you’re a writer. If you engage in the process of writing, be it a book, blog, short story or journal entry; you're a writer. So why does the word ‘writer’ stir so much discomfort and vulnerability in those who do the damn thing?
We get to choose and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Life can be busy, layered, stressful, even confusing. It can be filled with chaos, change, judgement, lessons, trauma and strain; events that can alter us into reactionary states. Always reacting to external input or forces. Always just trying to cope with it all. Always doing what everyone else wants, needs or expects of you. Sometimes we need to be reminded that we can put ourselves first.
When I began my Ship 30 journey, I became aware of fellow writers talking about ‘Smart Notes’, Zettlekasten and The Second Brain: A field of productivity called PKM. What the hell is PKM? Google explained: Personal Knowledge Management. A lightbulb went off. I have been needing this!
An incredible thing happens when we realise the only thing standing in our way is ourselves. We can decide to stop taking detours, ignoring our calling or waiting for others to approve of our ambitions. We can step into our power, purpose and flow. We can thrive.
It's always a good day to write - even on Friday's, but especially on the 13th day of the month. Here are 13 ways to get out of your own way today. 1. Stop looking at your phone the moment you wake up even through you promised yourself you wouldn't and that this morning would be different
“This is a story about two roads — Should and Must. It’s a pep talk for anyone who’s chosen Should for far too long — months, years, maybe a lifetime — and feels like it’s about time they gave Must a shot” … And so begins The Crossroads of Should and Must by Elle Luna, a blog post on Medium that found me at the start of my journey as a solopreneur back in 2014.
Beginners mind is a Buddhist practice that invites you to approach life with eagerness and an open mind, which in turn allows you to be more present and enjoy the moment. Generally, the more we think we know about a topic, the more likely we are to close off to the idea of learning more about it.
