Creating a Community

Last week was International Women’s Day and the team at H+K were really struck with the beautiful solidarity and fearlessness we saw! We are always in awe of the strong women in our lives and seeing how we can all come together and celebrate our own magnificence was inspiring.

It got us thinking about the community that we create in every choice and moment of our life. When we actively strive for better or work towards our dreams we can witness the physical manifestation of this in the people we cherish. Building a network of people who build you up, and who you can in turn support is so gratifying and gives us a greater sense of purpose and drive.

We are feeling so much love and appreciation for the community of people coming together to support us in our vision, in the words of one of the most inspiring women in history (well we think so anyway!) As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others. -Audrey Hepburn.

We all love being supported and encouraged to thrive, and when we do this with people who share our dreams and our vibration then it makes it all the more beautiful.

So this is a quick thank you, to all the inspiring women and men in our lives who love and appreciate us. For those people that allow us to believe that we are worthy of our dreams and who build the foundations on which we can stand and share our vision with the world.

Much Love,

H+K

Focusing on the right feedback

We have recently been focusing on the power of constructive criticism and also our thought patterns regarding our fear of critique. Oftentimes when we receive feedback from others we tend to focus on the negative. We may receive 5 raving reviews but one person may not understand our vision or simply not be on the same wavelength as us. That one person can send you in a downward spiral and you begin to second guess yourself.

However in moments like that it is important to bring the focus onto three things:

1) We are all completely different, so you will always encounter someone who doesn’t like what you do!

2) You cannot please everyone!

In the journey towards your dreams the only person who needs to be 100% in support of your vision is you. You need to be so invested in your goals that even if no one understands or celebrates your ideas, your passion can carry you through and they will come to see why what you do is so important.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson said "Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right."

So even when you hear negative feedback, or even just a comment that what you are doing isn’t enough or isn’t worthy, focus on the ways you can recenter you r attention on the constructive and positive comments you get. Furthermore look to yourself for the courage and strength to do what you love with conviction!

Good luck and Much Love,

H+K

I am...

When creating the life that you want and deserve it can be easy to lose yourself in the dreams and planning of the future. We get so caught up in planning, strategising and hustling to get things ticked off our list that we can lose focus of the one thing that we are actually in control of at the end of the day.

You.

Manifesting and acknowledging what it is that we are in the present moment is a hugely profound and powerful thing. Furthermore learning to come back into contact with your inner self and figuring out how you identify with yourself is a beautiful tool to help you along your way.

Reaffirming the profound things about you can be a great way to strengthen your resolve and bond with the life you are creating. Every day acknowledging that “I am powerful, I am worthy, I am unique and I am strong” are beautiful gifts you can offer yourself as you work and strive for your best.

What is it that you want to cultivate deep within you. Are you looking for more confidence? Or are you looking for courage? When you figure out exactly what is calling you to action and the things that you need in order to get there you can reaffirm and cement this into yourself. Creating and developing a more steady foundation for the person you are becoming.

Remember that you are worthy and that you deserve everything you are creating in your life right now.

Have a wonderful week and as always Much Love,

H+K

Being Kind to yourself

As we welcome in another beautiful week the team at Hayley and Kelly are reminded of how important it is to be kind to yourself. We can get lost in critique and wanting to improve who we are and what we do. However often where we are in the present moment is exactly where we need to remain. Placing restrictions and rules on the way we live our life can make us feel boxed in and can result in a large amount of negative self talk when we don’t conform to the boundaries we create.

Inviting a feeling of kindness and understanding to yourself, as you would to a child learning to walk or even to a new colleague learning the ropes of the office. Sometimes we don’t get things 100% right and that is OK! We need to appreciate that we cant be perfect all the time, and that things we do (in terms of activities we do, food we eat, how we spend out time) may suit us at one point but that could change over time.

Listening to what makes you happy and what fulfils you on a deeper level than simply striving and working towards goals mindlessly is so integral to our overall feeling of content. Demonstrate a softness in the way you speak to yourself and also how you nourish yourself. Remember that you are a unique, powerful and incredible person and deserve to be treated as such, especially by yourself!

We are all deserving of radical and empowering self love, and by demonstrating this to yourself it will gradually expand out to the other people in your life.

Much Love,
H+K

Practices for Daily Inspiration

By the end of the working week it is perfectly normal to find yourself feeling depleted and exhausted. While we rush around ticking off our to-do lists and hustling for our next goal or dream, it can be challenging to maintain our trajectory and keep a firm eye on why we are doing what we do.

One of the most important things you can do for yourself is to curate and cultivate practices to keep you energised and empowered! Therefore allowing you to fulfil your desires and continue serving your community.

As a team we are constantly aware of the things we need to do in order to ensure we are able to continue helping others. However, sometimes you need to take a break from the rush of working and take a moment to reignite that creative self we all have.

Here are a few ways we love to make sure that we are servicing our inner self:

Kelly:
One daily practice that really serves me is my gratitude journal. Every day I write three things down that I am grateful for in a lovely bound journal. This beautiful book then serves me as I re-read the last three days when I need a bit of a boost of inspiration. I also start every day reading my list of “I am” words, these are qualities that I see in others that I admire and want to cultivate in my own life. For example “I am happy”, “I am kind” and “I am strong”. In this way I am positively reinforcing those traits and ideas that I love in others and creating a space for them within my life.

Hayley:
When I am preparing for my day I write down 6 things that I want to achieve with the understanding that I am aiming to complete 3 of those tasks. Any tasks that are not completed are carried over to the next day with non judgment. This is a hugely beneficial practice for me as it allows me to clear out those ‘daily worries’ as I become aware and understanding of what I need to achieve. By not placing the fear of having to complete every task I am also acting in kindness to myself and this allows me to carry this through every aspect of my life.

Team Practice:
For the past few years both of our families have created and used a ‘Happiness Jar’. This is a big jar where we place little notes of all of the achievements that we are proud of, things that make us feel good and moments that made us happy. Throughout the year this jar gets fuller and fuller and by Christmas time we all choose a day to go through our ‘Happiness Notes’. This is a fantastic way to reinforce the beauty of the little moments in life, it also demonstrates that goals are achieved by the daily practices and victories.

We hope that this has provided you with a little bit of inspiration for your own daily practices. Remember we are all on a journey so these things take time, never judge yourself for where you are and always admire how far you have come.

Much Love,

Hayley and Kelly