I used to dread Mondays… 

I used to start thinking about my work week on Sunday afternoons. My entire Monday evenings would be spent stressing out about how much I REALLY did’t want to go into the office the next morning to spend my whole week in a windowless cubicle, in a completely male environment with far too much chauvinistic testosterone flying around. I would become a grumpy, stressy, mess and I probably was not that pleasant to be around…

All I could dream about was how I wanted to, one day, work from home (or from anywhere for that matter), so I could hang out with my dog, Roxie, all day and wouldn’t have to feel guilty about leaving her home alone for nearly 10 hours a day. (Poor beastie!) 

I used to sit in my Vancouver basement suite and dream up ideas on how I would make my income from wherever I wanted, and I even started my own little company at one point, found a few clients, and was slowly working toward being able to leave my cubicle job.

It was HARD!! And eventually I just gave up. 

THEN I saw this girl on Facebook who was doing exactly what I always wanted to do. She had it all! She had the freedom to work from home while raising her baby, and she had the financial freedom to buy her dream home/hobby farm with her earnings! She was doing it!!

So I started to follow her. At first I would silently stalk her posts. Then, as I got to know her online self a bit better, I started to interact with her posts a little bit, and one day I got up the courage to send her a message. 

Let me tell you something: That was the BEST thing I’ve ever done for myself!

This girl inspired me to dream bigger and to believe more in myself and my ability to be, do and have whatever I can dream!

I joined her team and haven’t looked back!

Mondays Look Different Now

I am now living my dream, spending my Mondays and everyday working from home, with my 2 dogs and my husband at my side. I start my days with a workout, make my own hours and can take my work with me wherever I go, so my income isn’t impacted if I want to take a vacation or spend a week at the beach. I no longer need to ask for time off. I no longer work in a windowless cubicle. And I am now surrounded by an incredibly inspiring team of people who motivate me everyday to be a better version of me!

I used to be stuck in a rut of thinking that life had to be about the morning commute and the 9 to 5. I thought that the location independent lifestyle was something only OTHER people could do. I thought I just wasn’t good enough to deserve it for myself.

Boy was I wrong!

All it took was the courage to send one message and it totally changed my life!

What does YOUR Monday look like? And what would you like it to look like? What will it take for you to send that one message that could completely change your life? Are you ready? I’m here for you. 

#thiscouldbeyou #livealifeyoulove 

If you’ve been following my blog and social media for a while, you know that financial freedom, time freedom and location independence have always been important to me. These are things that I have dreamed about for quite a while.

For years I have been working a day job, and taking on side projects with hopes that “one day” the side jobs would out-weigh the daily grind. But, due to the time commitment of the day job, that dream always stayed a dream. I never found the right formula and support system to make it happen.

Are You a Dreamer?

Are you a daydreamer? Do you ever sit at your desk job, thinking about the other things you could be doing? Thinking where you might be if you were location independent with financial freedom? What you would be doing? Who you would be doing it with? Which passion projects you would be working on?

• Close your eyes.
• Take a deep breath.
• Think about what that day dream looks like.
• Visualize it.
• Got it?
• Write it down.
• Read it to yourself everyday.

What would you say if I told you that you could HAVE that dream?

What would you do if you had the tools and the means to get there?

Would you give it a shot?

Becoming my own boss has given me the freedom to work on my own terms, set my own hours and do something I’m passionate about, all from any location I choose! Whether I’m  at home, at the beach in Parksville with my family, skiing in Whistler, or somewhere more exotic like Europe or Costa Rica, as long as I have an internet connection I can get my work done! My online business has taken my dreams out of my head and into my life!

If this inspires you and you’re ready to take your dreams into your own hands, try something new, be a part of a supportive community of like-minded entrepreneurs, and dream a little bigger, drop me a Facebook message, comment below or shoot me an email for more info.

Wow! That 10 days just FLEW by! Today is the last post in my 10 Day Blog Challenge with Natalie Sisson. And as this blog post says, I am now a “Certified Freedomist!”

What is a Freedomist, you might ask…?

A Freedomist has:

Thanks to Natalie Sisson’s 10 Day Blog Challenge, I have explored all of these areas and she has helped me get clearer on many of them. Some will always be a work in progress, but the dream is there and I truly believe that it is completely attainable!

The exercise I found the most helpful and the most fun int he past 10 days was the post we wrote about Mentorship.

I honestly believe that every human being has the ability to help another. You have the power to lift up every person you meet any day of the week. Whether this is through a compliment, holding the door for them, or giving them advice on a life situation.

Knowing that I have soooo much to learn in the world of online business, it was so much fun for me to think about who I would love to have the opportunity to meet and what I would ask them from a mentorship point of view. Not only did this exercise identify questions I would have for my dream mentors, it also brought up questions that I should be exploring more for myself.

As much as I would LOVE to meet and pick the brains of my dream mentors, there is so much more self exploration for me to tackle, and this exercise helped me identify even more questions to answer for myself.

Thank you Natalie, for an amazing 10 days of self-exploration! It’s been a wonderful way for me to dive back into regular blogging and I’m excited to keep this momentum rolling in the days and weeks to come!

What’s This 10 Day Blog Challenge?

This round of the blog challenge has ended, but don’t fret! The posts are still available and there is always the Freedom Plan to take you even farther down the rabbit hole of self discovery and goal crushing!

[This blog post is in response to Natalie’s 10 Day Freedom Plan Blog Challenge Day 9]

My first location independence experience was in Bali. My aunt has a home in North Bali, so I decided to spend a month there to take a break from the riffraff of home with a working holiday.  The key to getting the work done, as well as experiencing the freedom I so craved, was balancing the two.

I found that maintaining some form of schedule was imperative to making the work/freedom lifestyle balance work. I would build my work schedule around the things I wanted to see, explore and do in Bali. Having changed my personal lifestyle somewhat (I’m much more active than I used to be), I imagine an average day looking something like this:

A Day of Freedom:

Wake up early (around 6am, thanks to the local roosters) and start the day with a 30-minute workout beside the pool, followed by a dip. My tea and breakfast is ready when I finish swimming and I check and respond to email while I eat.

Today, the plan is to visit Air Panas in the late morning. We will leave at 11am. So,I get some work done, edit yesterday’s photos and upload them to Flickr while I schedule my social media posts for the day, bearing my home time zone in mind to ensure maximum engagement opportunities.

Air Panas hot springs in Bali, Indonedia

I spend the morning working on my business and then head out for the afternoon to explore and photograph the hot springs – both with my DSLR and my iPhone for easy social media posting later.

On the way back from the hot springs, we make an unexpected stop at one of the only Buddhist temples on the island of Bali. It’s so peaceful here, I could meditate here for hours.

When we get back to the villa, it is nearly dinner time. I try to spend so time in the kitchen a couple of times a week, learning about Balinese/Indonesian cooking. (Learning local cooking is something I always like to do when traveling in new places.)

After dinner I watch the sunset from the upper deck of the villa, as I check in on my social media, respond to engagement, post images and updates from the day and spend a couple of hours working, as my home time zone is just waking up.

An Average Day of the Freedom Lifestyle

A basic  schedule for my location independed freedom lifestyle includes:

• Waking up early
• Getting my workout in, first thing
• Eating a healthy, balanced breakfast
• Spend 2-3 hours working
• Spend the afternoon exploring/enjoying my current location
• Eat a healthy dinner
• Spend another 2-3 hours working
• Head to bed

Depending on my location, this schedule may be changed up, depending on what is planned for the day or what opportunity is presented. However, the idea is to spend a minimum of 4 hours working each day.

The 10 Day Blog Challenge is Still Open!

Join the 10 Day Blog Challenge to explore your own freedom in business, there’s still time! You can join right up until the last day of the challenge (Sept. 20)! *Click* the image below to join!

Today’s adventure was not unlike most days, but today’s walk was a bit more special than other days for a few reasons:

The Rain

We had the first rain storm in Victoria in quite some time today. It poured cats and dogs! We caught a short break in the storm and we took advantage of it and headed out.

The Old Lady

Silka is our old lady dog. She’s a 14-year-old Weimeraner, and she will likely not be with us all that much longer. Her legs don’t work like they used to, and she gets cold quite easily – hence the rain jacket.

The Quality Time

I also got to spend quality time with my man during our walk today. Our recent engagement is still very fresh and exciting, and I love every minute we are able to spend together. (ok ok, enough of the mushy stuff… haha!)

The Good Days

Silka managed to make it through a longer walk than usual today. She has had a few health problems lately, from stomach issues, to a foot injury, to her general age issues with failing hips. I’m always so grateful and relieved when her body cooperates to give her her better days.

The Mushrooms

Thanks to the rain, the forest is coming back to life after a dry summer. Mushrooms are some of my favourite things to photograph, so finding this pine cone with tiny shroomies growing out of it was super exciting for me. You’ll find some of my other fave mushroom shots here, here, and here.

The Puddles

And of course, no walk is complete without the fur baby love of my life, Roxie! Roxie is a swimmer. If there is water around, she will be in it. Even though it rained, the streams are still dry as are her usual water holes, but we did come across a gigantic puddle for her to play in.

If I’m able to choose my own adventure for my days, dog walks will always be a part of them. Hikes, walks, swims, bike rides, as long as our beasties can be a part of it, I’m happy!

Want to design your own adventure?

There’s still time to join Natalie Sisson’s 10 Day Blog Challenge! The challenge has helped me find my focus, identify my road blocks as well as my superpowers. *Click* the image below to join!

[This blog post is in response to Natalie’s 10 Day Freedom Plan Blog Challenge Day 7]

I’ve been working at my Beachbody coaching business for a little over two months now. I’m still learning the ropes and figuring out where my momentum is going to come from, but there a couple of things that I know will make a big difference by committing 45-60 minutes every day for the next 30 days. I’m taking Natalie’s advice to take this on for 30 days as a personal challenge!

This time commitment will be shared by two tasks:

Daily Beachbody Workouts

In order for people to truly understand what I do is and the true benefits of it, they need to see the program in action. Over the past couple of weeks, I have substituted other outdoor activities (hiking, running, etc.) for my daily workouts at least 2 or 3 times a week. My commitment is to do a Beachbody workout every single day for the next 30 days. There are so many options, from yoga to bootcamp to extra ab workouts – I have no excuse to not get a workout in everyday.

Daily Personal Development

Personal development plays such a great part in transformation and growth. It is something that Beachbody encourages over and above all else. Always be learning. Always be developing yourself.

I have read bits and pieces from Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich,” and I have heard great reviews about this book, but I have never read it cover to cover. This will be the first personal development book I tackle and will read from start to finish.

The Compound Effect is another book I’ve heard is worth checking out. If you know of any inspiring books that I should add to my list, I would love your recommendations in the comments below.

There are Still a Few Days Left to Join the Blog Challenge!

I have found this 10 Day Blog Challenge to be a fantastic exercise to help me get back into a habit of writing everyday, as well as to explore where my personal road blocks are.

Do you have road blocks of your own that are stopping you from living your dream life? There’s still time to join this Blog Challenge! *Click* the image below to join!

[This blog post is in response to Natalie’s 10 Day Freedom Plan Blog Challenge Day 6]

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”? ~Zig Ziglar

I strongly believe this. Looking back over my life and the groups of people I chose to spend my time with, it becomes very apparent (in hindsight) that the group members influenced each other in one way or another.

So which 5 people would you choose to have to yourself in a room where you could ask them any question you like? Who would you choose? and what would you ask them?

For me, I can name a good number of people I admire and whose businesses inspire me. My top mentor opportunities would be:

Gary Vaynerchuk

Do you follow GaryVee? This man’s energy blows me away! I love his enthusiasm for life and other people’s success and helping them get there. The blunt way he communicates is refreshing – no sugar coating here, people!. He sees the world through an interesting lens.

My question for GaryVee would be, “What is the biggest road block that new entrepreneurs hit that makes them give up just when they should push harder? And what is your advice to them?”

Sir Richard Branson

This is a man who I believe understands work/life balance. He has built up a huge empire of businesses, while still prioritizing time with family and to do the things he wants and loves to do.

My question for Sir Branson would be, “How do you switch your mind from work mode to life mode without allowing one to get in the way of the other? How do you find and maintain that balance?”

And a second question would be, “What are the initial steps you take to bring a new idea into reality?”

Anthony Robbins

I’d love the opportunity to meet with Tony Robbins. His ability to see through someone’s bullshit(even when they don’t even know it’s bullshit) is amazing! And then his ability to break through that obstacle and rebuild from there to something inspiring and motivating is incredible. My question for him would be, “What can I do better to help inspire and motivate others?”

Natalie Sisson

I suppose this one is a bit obvious, as Natalie is the leader of the blog challenge for which I’m writing this post. I’ve followed Natalie Sisson’s journey for several years now, have done a few of her challenges and her Mastermind program. I actually met her once at her book launch event in Vancouver (do you remember, Natalie?) 😉 , and as you may devise from her videos and podcasts, she’s lovely!

My question for Natalie would be, “How do you choose what to outsource and what to look after yourself? And what is your criteria for your outsourcers?”

Do You Have a List of Mentors to Share? Join the Blog Challenge!

Join in on the 10 Day Blog Challenge to explore your own freedom in business, there’s still time! You can join right up until the last day of the challenge! *Click* the image below to join!

[This blog post is in response to Natalie’s 10 Day Freedom Plan Blog Challenge Day 5]

I’m loving this 10 Day Blog Challenge that Natalie Sisson, the Suitcase Entrepreneur is hosting! (If you want to build a lifestyle business and you aren’t following her, YOU SHOULD BE!) In the past 5 days she has made me think (and write) about things that I would not have otherwise picked out as things that would bring me success and freedom in life and business. So far we have covered and explored:

• Finding My Focus
• Exploring My WHY
• My Perfect Day – Conceive. Believe. Achieve.
• Identifying My Inner Superpowers (this has been my fave, so far)

And today’s assignment is to think about how to set myself up for success.

What does SUCCESS look like?

STEP 1: Create a Productive Workspace

Today, after watching Natalie’s video, I walked into my office to my desk covered in papers, receipts, bills, and all kinds of other things that have been left there in a “dump it and run” fashion. I have recently worked from my back deck, my couch, my kitchen bar stools or even my bed, and I haven’t given my actual designated workspace any love or respect.

So, after listening to Natalie’s very clever advice, I dove into the office and organized the space. I paid and filed the bills, filed my financial statements and receipts for the 3 businesses we are running from our home, and completely uncluttered mySetting Myself Up For Success space so that is became liveable, and more importantly, WORKABLE!

This is what is looks like now…

STEP 2: Make a List

I find I work far better when I work from a hand-written to-do list. When I’m working, I always keep a notepad within arm’s reach to write down all the things I need to do, as well as ideas as they come to me. The list tends to be long and gets overwhelming at times. My plan to make this more manageable is to prioritize this list and then break it down into a list of 3-5 tasks to accomplish per day. It always feels great to cross things off the list.

STEP 3: Choose a Production Time Period

My days tend to be a bit unpredictable, as I like to allow myself the freedom to take a longer do walk when the weather is nice, or to run out for coffee with a friend if the invite pops up, or to help a friend move (this has happened twice with two different friends this week), so my production hours will be different each day, depending on the events of the day. I do, however, ensure that I get at LEAST 4  good production hours in each day.

During those production hours, I find that I work best in 20-minute increments (I never realized that this was a “thing,” until Natalie Sisson identified this as the Pomodoro Technique). I have watched the clock and have noticed that it’s pretty consistent that I lose focus at the 20-25 minute mark. So, I schedule my work time in those increments to chip away at the to-do list mentioned above, beginning with the highest priorities to get them done and dusted first.

After each 20-25 minute increment is done, I get up, walk around, hugs my beasts, refresh my glass of water or tea, and then go back for another session.

STEP 4: Celebrate Successes!

I strongly believe that celebrating successes, even the small ones, is very important to keep people motivated. So, when a series of tasks leads to the completion of a larger scale project, it’s important to acknowledge and celebrate not only the goal itself, but also the milestones that get you to the goal.

This acknowledgement could be as simple as a glass of wine or a treat at the end of the day, or social media post to celebrate an accomplishment, or even just telling my partner about it and my excitement around it.

Celebrating success is so important for me to stay motivated, so I make sure this is something I always incorporate into my accomplishments.

What are some of the methods YOU use to be your most productive? (share in the comments below)

There’s Still Time to Join the Blog Challenge!

If you enjoyed this post and you’re interested in joining in on the 10 Day Blog Challenge to explore your own freedom in business, there’s still time! You can join right up until the last day of the challenge! *Click* the image below to join!

Today’s assignment for the 10 Day Blog Challenge is to talk about my superpowers. As I’ve discovered while thinking about this throughout the day, I’ve got quite a few things that I’m good at that could fit into this category, but I’m going to choose just a few.

Self Proclaimed Superpowers.

From the historical content of this blog, I’m going to go with:

I’m Good At Photography

It’s no secret, I LOVE taking pictures. And I think I’m pretty good at it too! Over the past 8 years I’ve traveled more than I ever did in my previous life, always with a camera in hand. I just love experiencing different scenes and cultures and people and capturing them in pixels. Sports and event photography tie for a close second place for favorite photography subjects.

I Provide Good Tips & Tricks

Whether it’s travel tips, how to make a drink, how to use a sarong, or how to naturally cure a headache, I’ve got tips for you! I really like writing these types of posts, and some have become quite popular and well-visited on my blog.

I’m Good At Motivating Health and Wellness

This is a fairly new superpower I’ve discovered over the last couple of months, since beginning my Beachbody business. I love sharing my health and fitness journey so as to help others make healthier choices for their own ongoing wellness as well. It’s so inspiring to see others’ success come out of a spark I lit for them. Amazing!

Superpowers Identified By Others

It’s a funny thing to ask people what they think you’re good at. Some of the responses I got were unexpected and surprising. Things I would never claim to be good at, but apparently other people think that I am! I really enjoyed this part of the exercise!

Some of the things other people said I’m good at:

• Organizing – both physical spaces and business related things
• Creating websites
• Social media
• I’m solution driven and come up with creative ways to solve problems
• My love for dogs came up as a superpower – this made me happy!
• I have a huge heart – although, this came from my fiance, so there may be some bias there…
• Organizing events for groups
• Stress-free traveling
• Trying new things and getting out of my comfort zone
• Self- motivated

If you know me and you have something to add to this list, I would be so appreciative if you would leave a comment below.

It’s not often that people express these things unsolicited, so I’m soliciting! 😉 I would be very interested to learn what you think!

There’s Still Time to Join the Blog Challenge!

If you’re interested in joining the 10 Day Blog Challenge, there’s still time! You can join right up until the last day of the challenge! *Click* the image below to join!

Back January of 2014, I experienced the power of this Napoleon Hill quote:

“What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”

I had created a picture in my mind of myself at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia. I pictured the perfect 2-week adventure and then worked backwards to make it a reality for myself in a very short time. Through a Kickstarter campaign and the support of my incredible network of family, friends and supporters, IT HAPPENED!

So today, in response to Natalie’s 10 Day Freedom Plan Blog Challenge Day 3, I’m going to create a new challenge, goal and adventure for myself to achieve.

My Perfect Day

I wake up, feeling refreshed, to Roxie and Cash (our dogs) cuddling up to me and my man (Adam) in bed. The sun is shining in through the window and we drink a cuppa coffee together in bed before we begin our day.

We get up and drink our superfood nutrition shakes outside on the sun deck and then Adam hops on his bike for his daily 2-hour ride. I spend a few minutes checking and responding to email and then spend 30 minutes doing my daily at-home Beachbody workout in our living room (the dogs try to distract me, but I don’t let them… much…) The dogs are excited for their own workout, which is going to be a great one today!

I use the time while Adam is out riding to work on my business, check in with clients and work on post scheduling for the week. When Adam returns from his ride, we have day trip planned out to Sandcut Beach on the west coast of Vancouver Island. It’s one of our favourite beaches near our house, you can see why here.

We pack a picnic full of clean, healthy foods (and a few treats): quinoa salad with roasted chicken, cheese & crackers, fruit salad, some cut up veggies, a bottle of prosecco, a couple of Soda Stream water bottles.

Oooooh! Today is going to be so GREAT!

During the hour-long drive, we have a little strategy session about The Cycling Co. (our cycling coaching company). We are deciding which coaching camps and clinics we want to offer in the coming months. This chat continues as we hike down to the beach.

There are so many beautiful places on Vancouver Island, so my camera is always in hand to create new content for my blog and flickr feed. (Travel photography is a passionate hobby of mine.) 

We spend most of the day at the beach. The dogs love it here. They run, and run, and run, and play, and dig, and swim, and chase, and play! They’re in heaven! They will sleep all the way home from pure ecstatic exhaustion. 

Adam loves to cook (boy did I luck out with this guy!), so he comes up with some delicious meal for us to share and I do some work on my health business for about an hour while he prepares dinner. I use some of the photos we took today as social media content.

The day winds down in our ocean view backyard, sipping on a glass of French wine, enjoying a wood burning campfire, watching the sunset. We’re planning our next travel adventure to a place neither of us has been before…

I’m ready for my mind, my efforts and the universe to work together on this to bring this perfect days to reality. I’ve seen the power of Napoleon Hill’s quote before, and I know I’ll see it again!

“What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”

Does this exercise inspire you? – Join the Blog Challenge!

If you’re interested in joining the 10 Day Blog Challenge, there’s still time! You can join right up until the last day of the challenge! *Click* the image below to join!