Feel content every day by expressing your deepest creative desire

Are you living a contented life that allows you to express your deepest creative desire or are you “hopelessly hemmed in by frustrations”?[1] This is a tough one. It’s all too easy to let the years whizz past without pausing long enough to hear that little voice inside of you saying “I have something that needs to come out”. Years of subconscious conditioning can make it even harder to take action on this even if you do sometimes hear that whisper.[2]

Pause to rebalance & listen to your inner voice

That’s where pausing to just be comes in, whether it’s meditation, journaling, getting out in nature or something else. For me, it’s sitting with a bowl of tea with space for quiet and journaling. Tea creates space for awareness and answers (or at least space for the right questions). Take a pause now and check how your body feels… become aware of your breathe and any areas of tension in your body.

As you brew and sip your tea consider how you want to live. If you had to describe that intention in one word, what would it be? Hold your tea, lower your gaze and sit quietly for 2 minutes. Just let thoughts come and go naturally, as you bring your awareness to your natural breathe. Please don’t judge yourself. Simply observe and see what comes up for you.

If you discover you’re on a hamster wheel and don’t know how to get off then know that you’re not alone. Also, know that you’re capable of so much more than you think. The economy and current circumstances are a huge worry for most of us but we still have to live our lives.

If you dream of making a career change or starting your own business someday, what are you waiting for? Perhaps there’s a path in your current role that you’d love to pursue. Take the time now to get really clear on that and the next few baby steps. You’ll never get today back and the years go quickly.

Women supporting women to start and grow businesses

I’d like to take a moment to speak to women in particular now because as a group, women are hugely underrepresented in the business world. Businesses which are majority-owned by women currently contribute £8.8bn to the Scottish economy every year and account for over 231,000 jobs, which is 13% of the private sector total in Scotland.[3]

Years of progress have now stalled, with the number of women-led businesses in Scotland declining over two consecutive years from 20.6% in 2017 to 14% in 2019.[4] I can only imagine the further decline since Covid-19, which has presented enormous challenges for women-owned businesses. As small businesses with limited resources, these businesses are especially vulnerable to the disruption caused by the pandemic.[5]  Of the women business owners surveyed in December 2020, three-quarters found managing their businesses stressful during the pandemic, compared to just over half their male peers.[6]

We need to increase the percentage of new female entrepreneurs now more than ever. As it stands, Scotland alone is not realising the £8.8bn economic output opportunity represented by women-owned businesses.[3]

My top 5 reasons to start & grow your business

Speaking for myself, there are tonnes of reasons to start a business or to push through those barriers and grow your business. Here’s my top 5:

1. For a start, you get to create a platform where you can truly express your deepest creative desires and feel fully aligned and fulfilled. It’s not easy but it is rewarding.
2. You get to create your own definition of success. Create space to listen to what you want your life to look like… you can be ambitious without having a massive board of directors if that feels right for you. You can create balance in your work and personal life – granted things probably won’t always be equally balanced but you can learn to live with the ebb and flow of the world.
3. You’re free to create your own flexible lifestyle. It may mean getting up earlier or working a little later but you can be there for more of the moments that really matter with your loved ones.
4. It’s the most effective way to grow as a person. Especially in the current climate! To succeed in business I think you really have to get to know yourself and work through any limiting beliefs that might be holding you back. There is so much support available nowadays to empower you to stay the distance. Problems are much easier to solve when we’re collaborative. We no longer need to fly solo.
5. Who knows what opportunities it might lead to. I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world with my business, eteaket tea, tasting tea with growers in Taiwan, speaking at Expos in Japan, meeting buyers in New York and I’ve met so many wonderful and inspiring people along the way.

Where do I start?

Women’s Enterprise Scotland (WES), of which I’m proud to be an Ambassador, launched the digital Women’s Business Centre in 2020 during the pandemic (www.womensbusinesscentre.com). It’s a great place to start. You’ll discover expert, gendered support and guidance for women across Scotland, supported by Royal Bank of Scotland. It is free to access and offers dedicated, needs-based content for women starting and growing businesses.

Of course, you don’t need to start your own business. Perhaps there’s space within your current role that you’d love to do more of? Or maybe there’s a business that you’d love to get involved with that’s really aligned to your values.

So if you’ve ever heard a faint whisper that perhaps there’s something that you’d like to create or feel ‘hemmed in by frustration’, take a moment to pause while you’re having your cup of tea and really imagine what it would look and feel like to express your deepest creative desire. Set your intention for this month and write down 3 things that you can do to help you achieve that state.

If you’d prefer to do this with others, I’m running a free online guided intention setting tea meditation on Wednesday 23 November 1945-2030. Register here for the link No experience necessary, just bring a cup of your favourite tea.

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[1] Quote by Hans Selye, pioneering Hungarian-Canadian endocrinologist who conducted important scientific work on the hypothetical non-specific response of an organism to stressors.

[2] Read these words while sipping your favourite cup of tea for optimal results.

[3] Women in Enterprise: the Economic Case (Federation of Small Businesses) 2018

[4] Small Business Survey Scotland (2019)

[5] Women’s Enterprise Scotland Covid19 Policy Brief 2, 2020

[6] Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship Update, 2021