All posts by Amira Alvarez

Don’t fight your feelings

By Amira Alvarez Sometimes business isn't easy.We get caught up in our fears. We feel panic or sadness or disappointment. We feel lost or overwhelmed or not enough.Here's what I've learned...Don't fight your feelings.If you fight your feelings, if you say "NO!–don't feel that way"... they end up clutching to you even tighter.The…
 Read more  »
Creating Easy

Sometimes business isn’t easy.

We get caught up in our fears. We feel panic or sadness or disappointment. We feel lost or overwhelmed or not enough.

Here’s what I’ve learned…

Don’t fight your feelings.

If you fight your feelings, if you say “NO!–don’t feel that way”… they end up clutching to you even tighter.

The feelings stay, gripping tighter and tighter, until you acknowledge them. Fully.

And not just in a passing way. Nope. It takes a full stop.

It takes opening the door to your heart and letting them in.

Good god, that’s scary.

Inviting any negative emotion in full force is downright terrifying.

But from experience, I can say – that’s where the release is. That’s how you free yourself from what’s pulling you down.

When you let it in, it stops banging on the door. If you don’t let it in, well, it keeps banging. And banging… and banging.

For me, this takes relinquishing the resistance.

It means that I don’t fight my feelings. I let them be. I give them the time and space that they need.

It’s disarming how well this works. Like every single time.

Sometimes it takes repeatedly acknowledging them because I slip back into the habit of resistance. Maybe 5 or 6 times. Maybe more. Maybe less.

Stay with it. Just sit with them. It always works.

This is always the way to much more ease.

When we stop fighting our feelings, everything just becomes so much easier – in both business and in life. Promise.

Amira

Go at your own pace

By Amira Alvarez Go at your own pace. It makes things so much easier. In business and in life. If you try to rush things if you try to keep up with someone else's pace, someone's who has been at it longer or has a different constitution, it's stressful and unsustainable. You'll feel…
 Read more  »
Creating Easy

Go at your own pace.

It makes things so much easier. In business and in life.

If you try to rush things if you try to keep up with someone else’s pace, someone’s who has been at it longer or has a different constitution, it’s stressful and unsustainable.

You’ll feel like you can’t keep up and it sucks the good ju-ju right out of you.

And that makes it so much harder to show up in your business and do the good work you want to do.

Instead, go at your own pace.

This is essential in business.

No. It doesn’t mean lying on the couch eating bonbons all day long. (Unless of course, your business is a bonbon tasting business. Then, by all means, lie on the couch and eat bonbons.)

Go at your own pace means…

  • Respecting your capacity, time constraints, and energy levels.
  • Respecting how you like to work, your rhythms, and requirements.
  • Respecting how you want to live your life, your need for downtime, and what refuels you.

And most of all it means…

  • Respecting the time it takes to build a profitable, sustainable, wholly you business.

It does not mean getting caught up with what someone else is doing or how fast they’ve achieved success.

It can happen quickly but don’t believe the hype.

It’s can be deceptive when you look in from the outside. On the inside, there’s a lot of showing up and doing the work.

For now, know where you are and know where you want to be.

And then set a nice deliberate pace, that feels just right for you and is sustainable for the long-haul.

Push yourself. For sure. But not so hard, that you find yourself on the hamster wheel of never enough.

Consciously decide to go at your own pace.

Amira

Do what you love

By Amira Alvarez Do what you love. It sounds simple and obvious. Yet many of us choose the practical. The safe. The compromise. This always feels like a let down inside–like something is dying inside. And ultimately, your work becomes drudgery. And after drudgery, it becomes a struggle. Instead, stop right now. Shift…
 Read more  »
Creating Easy

Do what you love.

It sounds simple and obvious.

Yet many of us choose the practical. The safe. The compromise.

This always feels like a let down inside–like something is dying inside.

And ultimately, your work becomes drudgery.

And after drudgery, it becomes a struggle.

Instead, stop right now. Shift (even a micro-degree helps) toward what you love.

Because, when you do (more of) what you love it opens you up to creativity and ideas.

It makes you feel alive and on purpose.

It gives you energy for follow-through, for action, for life.

It feels lighter and easier. (And don’t we all want that?)

Syncing up what you love to do with your business = the sweet spot of entrepreneurship.

You put in the effort, of course, yet it feels easier.

There’s less of that uphill battle, swimming against the current stuff.

If you want an easier business, actively decide to do more of what you love and let go of the rest. You do this one decision at a time. Many incremental shifts add up!

Amira

When Solo-Entrepreneurs Sabotage Themselves

By Amira Alvarez One of the biggest ways solo-entrepreneurs sabotage themselves is also one of their biggest assets. What is it? Ideas, ideas, and more ideas. If you're in business, I bet you have tons of them. Seduced by their brilliance, do you run after each of your ideas? There's something completely joyful…
 Read more  »
Tips of the Trade

One of the biggest ways solo-entrepreneurs sabotage themselves is also one of their biggest assets.

What is it?

Ideas, ideas, and more ideas.

If you’re in business, I bet you have tons of them.

Seduced by their brilliance, do you run after each of your ideas?

There’s something completely joyful and intoxicatingly hopeful about a great idea.

To be honest, it’s one of my biggest pleasures in life.

However…

There’s a double-edged sword, trap with ideas.

They can distract you.

They can dilute your energy and lead you in a million different directions.

They can distract you from your business model and can keep you from completing anything.

This is one of the unconscious ways we sabotage ourselves and stop ourselves from taking our business to the next level.

The energy of completion catapults you forward.

The energy of incompletion throws you into anxiety and stagnation.

If you have too many ideas that you’re working on and you’re not completing them, you will get stuck in the energy of incompletion.

Incompletion energetically blocks your way to more… more money, more clients, more contracts, etc.

Why?

Because when you’re unable to complete things, you subconsciously decide that you’re at max capacity and that anything additional is going to break you.

An energetic WHOA NELLY! gets sent out… “Don’t give her anymore. She can’t handle it. Stop the flow.”

Here’s how this looks for most entrepreneurs…

1. You have a brilliant idea. You focus on it. For like a week. Maybe.

2. Then you have another brilliant idea. You add that to your work docket. Everything’s still awesome.

3. Then you add another project that you’re absolutely enticed by and, at the time that you add it, all is good. You’re still in awesome-land.

4. And then something happens along the way… usually, after you’ve said yes to the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, or 9th idea…you get this huge sense of anxiety.

5. Then the unraveling happens. Disappointment, sadness, and paralysis sets in.

6. You don’t know what to work on or what’s most important. All your ideas and projects are vying for your attention. You do a little bit here, a little bit there, but you don’t have the focus, energy, or momentum behind any one of them.

At this point, you probably get a second wind fueled by fear and start to run around from project to project in a panic, trying to work on something…anything…as fast as you can.

7. You end up exhausted, disappointed, and anxious.

How do you course correct at this point?

Here’s how…

 

Step #1: Recognition

Recognize where you’re at. See the pattern for what it is.

 

Step #2: Forgiveness

Forgive yourself. Completely and immediately.

Forgive yourself for making this mistake. Forgive yourself for sabotaging things. Forgive yourself for whatever judgment you might have.

(Don’t skip this step. It’s very important.)

 

Step #3: Clarity

See the situation clearly. This takes the form of a list.

Write down all the business projects and ideas you are working on or think you should be working on.

Go back to Step #2 if necessary and forgive yourself. Release any judgement or recrimination that may have come up.

 

Step #4: Plug In

Close your eyes and ground yourself. Take a few breaths.

Then look at each item on your list, one at a time.

Is it a yes or a no?

Go with your instant hit. Don’t over think it.

 

Step #5: Release

Release any project or idea that is not a “yes” and release yourself from the unconscious compact you made with it.

This means releasing them entirely or releasing them to a notebook or online repository where you keep your ideas. Then move on.

 

Step #6: “Action Jackson”

For the ones that are a YES! – take action on these.

Focus on these. Work these. Enjoy them fully.

This is how you get it done with ease.

Amira

Walk Your Own Path, Do It Your Own Way

By Amira Alvarez Walk your OWN path. Create it. One step at a time. Show up. Take that step. See where it takes you. Sometimes it's a step in the same direction. Sometimes it's a step in another direction.   Stay true to your inner compass. Go in that direction. Sometimes this will…
 Read more  »
Inspiration

Walk your OWN path.

Create it. One step at a time.

Show up. Take that step. See where it takes you.

Sometimes it’s a step in the same direction. Sometimes it’s a step in another direction.

 

Stay true to your inner compass.

Go in that direction.

Sometimes this will feel like you’re going in a circle or like you’ve been here before like you’re backtracking. That’s okay.

Sometimes it will feel like you’re speeding ahead, forging into unknown territory. This is good and a little scary.

 

Show up. Every day.

You walk YOUR path. Your own path. One consistent step at a time.

 

Trust yourself.

Keep putting one beautiful foot in front of the other.

Look at how far you’ve come. Dream about where you’ll go.

And keep walking your own path.

You WILL get there.

Amira

Are You In ‘Idea Overwhelm’?

By Amira Alvarez Do you have an idea, but you find yourself a bit overwhelmed? Are you frustrated, confused, and overwhelmed by trying to figure out how to make it happen? Sit back and take a breather. Here's how to sort through the overwhelm. Step #1: Check for Alignment Close your eyes, ground…
 Read more  »
Business, Coaching, Tips of the Trade

Do you have an idea, but you find yourself a bit overwhelmed?

Are you frustrated, confused, and overwhelmed by trying to figure out how to make it happen?

Sit back and take a breather. Here’s how to sort through the overwhelm.

Step #1: Check for Alignment

Close your eyes, ground yourself, and bring yourself to this present moment. Then think of your idea.

Is it aligned with your desires, vision, and purpose?

Yes?

Then move onto step #2 below.

If it feels like a weight of ought to’s and should’s, stop right there. It’s time to reassess.

Perhaps this project or idea is actually a ‘no’ for you. There’s freedom in releasing what’s not right for you.

If, nonetheless, you think there’s something in the idea, go onto the next step and play it out, always knowing that you can let it go at anytime.

 

Step #2: List out the complications.

Where do you get overwhelmed? Where is complicated? Where are you uncertain or confused?

Do a brain dump. List it all out.

Get it out on paper.

By doing this you’re not energizing them. You’re just seeing them plainly in the light of day.

Step #3: Move into solution thinking.

Take each one of your points from Step #2 and ask yourself the following questions:

1. How else could I do it? Is there another way? Do I have to do it like this?

2. Do I have to do this part at all? Could I simply let go of this aspect completely? Would my idea work without this part?

3. How could I get help with this? Who could help me? What would help look like?

4. What would have to change to make this work?

5. What would easy look like? How could this be easier? Can I streamline?

Break down your idea into manageable parts and problem solve any issues one at a time.

 

Step #4: Play the movie.

Now take your idea and play it out in your head.

Run it like a movie in your mind’s eye… checking in for anything that needs to be answered or resolved.

That’s a sign that something that needs your attention. Go back to Step #3 and come up with solutions.

Repeat playing the movie until you get all the way through feeling confident and clear.

 

Step #5: Start

Sometimes the overwhelm comes from not knowing ahead of time if it’s going to work. The only way you’ll really know is to do it. Clarity ultimately comes through action.

This means you’ve got to start even if you don’t have all the answers up front.

In addition, getting into action will cause you to see more obstacles and questions. Don’t let these stop you.

Simply repeat the process.

Amira