Every change is...

I’m spilling the T on my business and more

I held down, waited for the little apps on my phone to start shaking, and deleted Instagram from my phone now 7 days ago.

I’m not sure for how long, it won’t be forever but it’s part of my winter manifesto of slowing down, listening inward, and nesting.

I’ve been feeling it for a while but I couldn’t put it into words until now— Instagram has been giving me the same feeling when I’m looking for that one lost email in my Spam folder. Cringy?

What’s up with all those bots saying “send it to @fake_account!” “promote it on @anotherweirdaccount_____!” Or those profiles that look like XXX vibes only.

And then right as I was about to delete it, I see that IG is giving out $10 to post Reels. Did you see that? Is this real? Is this how we’re connecting?

I don’t know and I don’t want to care.

Except for the fact that I own and operate a marketing agency. I know from conversations that even mid-way as I’m saying marke- people are already wanting to cut me off and talk about social media.

Even when I explicitly say on my website, I’m not a social media manager — they still ask for that service 🤷🏽‍♀️.

Not to discredit the power that these platforms do to support business growth, or how cool it is to see a branded feed, or that I love working on portions of the strategy — nonetheless it is not my calling to solely be a social media manager. It’s not my line to march it. And I feel it deep in my bones.

But how do I turn around from marketing now? I’ve been feeling this misalignment for about 6 months now.

I say this openly because perhaps at some point you had a vision, and it came true and it’s so incredibly exciting. Dare I say, you manifested that?

(Another day I’ll write about that word that never settles well with me, at least the way I see it used).

But then you need to tell the Universe, actually not exactly like that.

This has happened to me more than once feeling both grateful and embarrassed that this is a pattern.

For me, I turn to what I know to be true in guiding me — my practice.

A month ago I was unpacking box after box in my new apartment, and like a kid on Christmas I opened up the box with my yoga books — my heart fluttered. I am home.

I randomly opened up The Heart of Yoga and see my previous underline,

“Every change is yoga.”

And it clicks — this is my yoga. I am at a point of change. Not to mention the obvious changes in where I live. But my vision is changing. My business is changing. My priorities are changing. I’m entering my mid-thirties. There’s a groundedness to my voice I’ve never felt before.

A further meaning of the word yoga is, to attain what was previously unattainable. So if we’ve already attained a certain part of our vision, dream, career, relationship, and so forth — then aren’t we at a new starting point to reach the unattainable?

“When you find the means for bringing that desire into action, that next step [you take] is yoga.” ~ Desikachar, The Heart of Yoga

This month's muse if you couldn’t tell already is yoga (see below for several free classes I can give through Glo.com, no affiliation).

The actual practice of yoga takes each person in their own direction. Regardless of what or how you practice. There are many ways of practicing yoga whether it be with the poses, meditation, breathwork, or studying the philosophy behind it — it guides us individually to our own path, our swa dharma.

Many of us start our practice with the poses. It’s one of my favorite ways to practice yoga with asana but many of us stop there.

So, it’s like going to the gym and just working out one arm. First of all, why? You’ll just have one buff arm. LOL But we are complete human beings, and working out one arm won’t exactly work. Same with yoga.

But perhaps yoga isn’t your practice, I’m not here to preach but my hope is that through my reflection you can start to reflect on your own process and practice(s) as well. Listen (or read) this class I taught last week around the topic of practice too.

All to wrap up and say, I’m not turning around on what I’ve created for myself in marketing. It’s more of a graceful pivot. A slight right in the same direction but figurately speaking in a new city, with a new zip code, and a street name that conveys my current vision a bit more. More on that in the new year.

Here’s a glimpse into what’s in The Contentment Corner today:

△ 4 free Glo classes 30-minutes or less

△ What our mind needs during these times, according to Vedic Psychology

△ Attract, engage, charm — marketing or dating app strategy?

And more…

Talk to you next year!!,

Brenda

---

For your mind

In Vedic psychology, we talked about the 4 parts of the mind. Part of what keeps them in harmony and keeps our minds balanced is to create structure, routines, and/or daily practices. But there’s a part of our mind (i.e. one of the four) that actually doesn’t like structure. It gets bored easily, and it wants to be constantly stimulated. Unnoticed it’s like in insatiable hunger — nothing will be satisfying. Either we’re chasing the next excitement or we’re feeling heavy and depressed.

Here are 5 Tips that I’m personally using this Winter to Get Back to Balance. Maybe you’ll find them helpful too:

1. Write down your 10 most frequent thoughts

2. Take the day to notice who or what is stimulating your senses. Without judgment, write them down.

3. Begin an awareness practice. When you say “I feel” do you actually say a feeling? Or is it a thought?

4. Develop your feelings vocabulary with something like the Feelings Wheel or with a therapist

5. Take some time to step away from your devices. These tech companies really know how to exasperate our minds.

For your heart

Poem 3/3 of sharing until the end of the year! Thank you for reading.

I wrote a part of this poem in the summer of 2020. I was in a toxic work setting but needed to financially sustain myself during those uncertain times. At the time I thought, “I can’t be so picky with which clients I say no to.” With time, I’ve realized it’s always best to say “no, thank you” when I feel the nudge. The Universe somehow creates a more perfect opportunity.

What’s been your experience with toxic work settings? Or clients? Or in relationships?

For mindful marketing

♡ Attract, engage, charm — marketing or dating app strategy? There’s often this emphasis or hyper-awareness on growing business (i.e audience, email list, followers). But to what end?

♡A Content Repurposing Workflow: A pretty lengthy guide but you can read some of my highlighted notes. Essentially, let’s continue to repeat ourselves instead of creating something new. Thoughts?

For your soul

𑁍 Love at First Sit with Kia Miller 20 minutes

𑁍 Recharge and Glow with Kia Miller 20 minutes

𑁍 Vinyasa-Mashup Flow with Kathryn Budig 30 minutes

𑁍 All-Around, Feel-Good Flow with Kathryn Budig 30 minutes

These classes can be viewed once, no signup is required, and lasts up to 7-Days