In this episode, I’m talking about the 5 easy tips for enjoying your mornings more. It’s not about being the best morning person ever, but about making them enjoyable. 

Note that your inner critic may be super loud in the morning and try to pile shoulds on you. Your inner critic might have an idea for what a morning person should do or should be, so try not to listen to that as that can cause chaos to your mornings and not allow your mornings to be lovely.

5 Ways to Enjoy Your Mornings More

1. Give yourself time to wake up
2. Don’t worry about a morning routine
3. Don’t make mornings filled with to-dos and shoulds
4. Ask what would feel good
5. Do not try to force yourself to get up hours before the sun

Quotes:

• There’s something about the promise of the start of the day, it feels like I’m getting away with something.
• The point of waking up earlier in the morning isn’t to add more hours to your day, it’s to add more hours to your day that feel good.
• Allow yourself the ability to say “I’m still waking up”
• Allow waking up to be a process and a transition

 

 

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When I posted my Q&A post on Instagram I actually didn’t get any responses so I figured in this month’s Q&A episode I’d ask you the questions. This episode might be a little vulnerable for you but I hope it serves to bring about some ah-ha moments and subtle internal shifts.

Q1. Do you focus on the giving or the receiving?

If you’re reading this post (or listening to the podcast) chances are you’re heavy on the giving. This will show up in all aspects of your life and relationships. It’s important to learn how to receive; there’s a different energy shift when you’re in the energy of receiving. Receiving is a very feminine energy state and feminine energy is relaxing, open, creative, and playful. It’s about being rather than doing. Everyone has access and balance to both masculine and feminine energies. A strength can become a weakness at any point if it’s overused.

Here’s a quick test you can do to see where you fall on the spectrum of masculine/feminine energy. When you’re putting lotion on, are you focused on the hand that’s applying the lotion or are you focused on the arm or the leg that is receiving the lotion? There’s a subtle shift you can do to change the focus from the hands that are applying the lotion to how your legs feel when they receive the lotion. Shifting your focus can help de-stress areas of your life.

Q2. What are you trying to prove?

My marketing coach Brit, of JAM Marketing Group, asked me this question in one of our recent coaching calls, and it really helped me through some recent things at work.

Whether you’re aware of if you’re trying to prove something or just asking yourself if you’re trying to prove something can help lift a weight of yourself. Recognize that you’re trying to prove something can shift your energy to release that burden. Think of an area of your life where you’re struggling or things feel stressful. What are you trying to prove and to whom are you trying to prove it? Most likely you’re trying to prove you’re some version of enough, you may think it’s to prove it to someone else, deep down your inner critic is wanting to prove something to yourself.

Q3. What are you responsible for?

On the flipside what are you not responsible for that you are taking responsibility for? Most likely you have an overdeveloped sense of responsibility. Chances are this isn’t in just one area of your life, because how you do anything is how you do everything. There comes a tipping point where shouldering the burden of the responsibility of things that you’re not responsible for becomes too heavy and actually prevents you from having really good ideas and doing a really good job and being present, living up to your potential in the areas of your life (the tasks, projects, relationships) that you are actually responsible for.

Believing that you can change the world becomes a double-edged sword because you believe you can change the world so you have to change the world. That then causes your energy to drop low because you realize that you can’t change everything. When you have that energy drop that brings your whole energy level down and you don’t have the energy resources to come up with creative thoughtful solutions to the parts of the world that you can change.

Q4. What are you not responsible for that you’re taking responsibility for?

It’s okay to let go of the responsibility for things that aren’t yours. You can let some of the balls drop, you don’t have to solve all of the problems. Taking responsibility for what you’re responsible for and letting others take responsibility for what they’re responsible for is a spiritual exercise. Slow down, take a deep breath and remember and trust that other people will come through.

3 Last quick questions for you:

1. Do you follow me on Instagram? If not you can come follow me here: @joanna_platt.
2. Do you know someone who’d love this podcast? Send them your favorite episode and share Love Always, Jo with them, I’d really appreciate it!
3. Are you curious about what a coaching session with me would be like or just coaching in general? You can book a free call with me here.

 

Have a question you’d like me to answer in a future episode? Follow me on Instagram and send me a message.

 

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In this episode of Love Always, Jo, I interview Kim Gorski, an educator, inspirer and coach at Kim Kelty Gorski and is also the host of the podcast, Balance Over Perfect. Kim is a multi-talented creative who specializes in wellness, mindset, and balance in life. Listen to this episode to hear more about perfectionism.

Kim is a podcaster, educator, social media and breakthrough coach where over the past 4 years has studied psychology, vitality, and balance we need as women to accomplish our goals and to do our best daily. She is also the host of the podcast, Balance Over Perfect, where she talks about finding grace, peace, and action to do your best in your health, relationships, career, and life.

In this episode Kim and I discuss…

• How the podcast Balance Over Perfect got started (hint: it was after reading Present Over Perfect)
• How the perception of balance differs from person to person
• The Breakthrough Blueprint (Kim’s course)
• Perfectionism and the inner critic
• The power of writing down our thoughts
• Speaking up and sharing no matter the size of your platform
• Starting with working on your mindset and well-being before helping others
• 3 things that helped Kim deal with perfectionism
• Shifting your focus internally so that you can ride the ebbs and flow of life
• Kim’s definition of balance
• Finding pockets of peace in the high’s and low’s of life

 

Find Kim online:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Website
• Podcast – Balance Over Podcast

Links:

• The Portfolio Life – Jeff Goins
• Marie Forleo’s interview with Brene Brown
• Danielle Laporte

Recommended Reading:

• The High Performance Habits – Brendon Burchard
• Present Over Perfect – Shauna Niequist
• The Mask of Masculinity – Lewis Howes
• The Untethered Soul – Michael Singer
• The White Hot Truth – Danielle Laporte

Recommended Podcasts:

• The Brendon Show
• Joanna’s episode on Balance Over Perfect (episode 25)
• Self-Service
  • Instagram
  • Podcast

Quotes:

• “I want people to feel, to heal.” — Kim
• “It’s not quantity over quality it’s determining what your balance between quantity and quality is.” — Kim
• “Being a big-feeling person we tend to develop our perfectionist tendencies so we don’t have to feel anything” — Joanna
• “Perfection is a 100% an inner critic tactic” — Joanna
• “Perfectionism is just a lie for procrastination” — Kim
• “You’re the only one who has to deal with what you’re feeling or lacking 24/7. So you need to either: Find peace with it, find closure, or find action.” — Kim
• “Regardless of the size of your platf0rm you have the ability to speak up and share it in the 4 walls of our home, 4 walls of our mind or the 4 walls of the world.” — Kim
• “Give yourself grace for yesterday, peace for today and a plan for tomorrow” — Kim
• “We all mess up, it’s all about how you perceive it” — Kim
• “Balance is about finding peace in your high’s and low’s” — Kim
• “Find pockets of peace” — Kim

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There is still one month left in the sacred time that is winter.

This is a great time to reflect once more on what you want this year to bring, solidify your intention and vision, and then, “how can I create space for this? What do I need to do to create space for this?”

In this episode we’ll talk about three types of space: physical, calendar, and mental space.

Reflection questions:

What do you want 2018 to bring?

Where can you clear space in your physical space?

What spaces have the biggest impact on how you feel?

What are your favorite times to do nothing? When do you need to not have any plans (spoiler alert: during your period you need no plans)

How many “things” can you have on your calendar each week?

What self-expectations might be holding you back?

 

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We’ve got 3 questions in our January Q+A:

1. How can I strike the balance between accepting people for who they are and eliminating hurtful people from my life?
2. Tips for dating in a saturated big-city market
3. What books would you recommend to learn about relationships in general?

If you’ve got a question you’d like me to answer in a future episode, follow me on Instagram: @joanna_platt.

Links*:

Follow me on Instagram to ask a question next month

Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

Energy Leadership by Bruce D. Schneider

Keys to the Kingdom by Alison Armstrong

The Queen’s Code by Alison Armstrong

The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein

*These links contain affiliate links which means I might get a small commission if you buy. That said, I would recommend these if we were talking over coffee together, probably multiple times in one conversation because I like them and recommend them so much.

 

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In this episode of Love Always, Jo, I’m talking with Lindsey Warren of Lindsey Warren Coaching about Imposter Syndrome. We talk about what Imposter Syndrome is, where it can show up in your life and how to handle it.

Lindsey Warren Coaching is a core energy coaching business is the result of seeing other feel stuck in lives that are good enough, but not passionate. In the name of long lasting and well-deserved change, Lindsey brings a life of fulfillment and achievement to open-hearted, intuitive women. In a world where overwhelming expectations aren’t in vogue anymore, creating a life based on your values is.

In this episode, Lindsey and I discuss…

• What is Imposter Syndrome
• Imposter syndrome and the inner critic
• What do you do about Imposter Syndrome
• Steps to take to move beyond it
  • Realize it’s normal to feel Imposter Syndrome
  • Share your feelings with someone you trust
  • Do a quick exercise to help minimize/overcome Imposter Syndrome
  • Look and see what small steps can you take to go out of your comfort zone
  • Recognize that Imposter Syndrome is going to show up at some point
• How Imposter Syndrome could show up in your life
• Imposter Syndrome / Perfectionism/ Procrastination

Links:

• Find Lindsey Online at:
  • Lindseywarrencoaching.com    
  • Instagram 
  • Facebook

Recommended Reading:

• Brené Brown – Daring Greatly
• Brené Brown – Rising Strong

Quotes:

• “Everyone experiences imposter syndrome at some point but not everyone recognizes it or want to admit they feel that way.”  — Lindsey
• “Any time you’re out of your comfort zone imposter syndrome can show up.” — Lindsey
• “You’re not alone in feeling Imposter Syndrome”
• “Shame can’t survive being spoken” —Brene Brown
• “Don’t let Imposter Syndrome stop you from being your true self”
• “Imposter Syndrome can cause people to suffer in silence”
• “Don’t let one instance represent the totality of who you are”

 

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I had another episode planned for today, but I’m really feeling called to talk about rest. So that’s what we’re going to do.

The energy of the New Year (or the energy/pressure we put on the New Year) doesn’t align with the energy of January and winter. In this episode, I’ll share some ideas to lean into the season we’re in and how to make the most of January.

In the quiet of winter, you’ll be able to hear the call of your intuition whispering, guiding you to what’s next.

But you have to slow down and get quiet yourself to hear it.

In this episode I offer some words and themes for January including rest, refuel, relax, reconnect, and reflect. I give you permission to slow down, sleep in, and go to bed early. I encourage you to cuddle up with a good book or Netflix show and reconnect with yourself, your body, and your mission. And I offer some questions to journal about or simply reflect on.

 

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Christmas is a few days away and emotions and stress are already getting high. In this episode, we talk about why we might feel sad/anxious/nervous around the holidays and what we can do to make it better.

Links:

Glennon Doyle’s pre-thanksgiving post

Engaged course

 

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Jocelyn Cates is an award-winning startups entrepreneur, best-selling author, creator of mini-meditations, host of The Easy Now Podcast (coming Jan 2018!), and, most importantly, a deeply connected wife, mama, and lover of life.

In this episode we’re talking about how making space for quiet, even just a few minutes a day, can change your life and where and how to start.

Links:

Jocelyn’s website: jocelyncates.com

Easy Now: Mini Meditations to Reflect on Your Purpose, Find Flow, and Raise a Deeply Connected Family

Ultimate Self-Acceptance Meditation, created especially for Love Always, Jo listeners

 

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