The Recession is Bullhonkey Kathys Story - When I Grow Up

The Recession is Bullhonkey Kathys Story - When I Grow Up The Jerk Store card by Signfeld  (the best idea for a company ever) This is part of  The Recession is Bullhonkey series, where I share stories of those who have gotten hired and/or started their own businesses (or sometimes both!) since 2008. This is  Kathy Stowells Story, a former client of mine who learned the hard way how to quiet the naysayers and keep moving forward to being a chicken-raiser, homeschooling Mama and coaching school founder! On our second date my future husband asked me over sushi what my dreams were. I’ve never been  asked that on a date so I got pretty excited. That clued me in he was ‘that into me’ and so far he was  passing try outs for my future husband position with flying colors. We were living in the city at the time and I confessed my ultimate dream was to be out in the country,  raising chickens and other small critters (that was my code for kids but I didn’t want to freak him quite  yet). And once we got married that’s what we set out to do. We found seven acres of raw land eight hours  away from any major centre and began researching strawbale house building, exploring permaculture  and integrating into this eclectic, out of the beaten path, small town. We also began brainstorming on  how we could earn an income from such a remote location. And we were figuring it out. As we shared our plans with friends and family the naysayers started coming out of the woodwork.  They  said if we did move out there we’ll be back in one year’s time. And oh yeah, houses built from straw get  blown away by angry wolves. But we forged ahead anyway and have been blissed out in this general neck of the woods ever since.  Straw house still fully intact. But the naysayers kept popping back into our lives. Especially in moments like when we announce things  like we were planning a homebirth. Or when we gush our baby sleeps through the night (we got ‘just  you wait’ for three years running). And, hoo boy, especially when we informed them we wanted to  homeschool our daughter. My husband and I began sharing this newly invented look to throw at each other when we started  getting these comments. It was even kind of romantic. So it was much to my chagrin that when I announced to my beloved that I decided to start my training to  become a coach to help other moms navigate these choppy naysaying waters I was heartbreakingly met  with a hint of nay to his say. Lucky for us deep down he trusts my judgement, my vision and my natural talents to manifest almost  anything. But since this was at a time shortly after the recession the Universal Scarcity Pscyhe was  rubbing up against him like a fat cat. I helped us move past this challenge by busting out a few naysaying squelching moves that not only put  his mind at ease but also helped prevent me from getting rubbed the wrong way while I was putting my  business best forward. 1) Keep a low tolerance for negativity. Kind of like the birth plan announcement episode. The moment you mention you’re having a homebirth,  brace yourself for an avalanche of horror stories. Homebirth or not, I tell expectant mamas to stop those  tales in their tracks. Instead, surround yourself in positive stories only. Here’s where boundary making is a handy life skill to hone. Practice in front of a mirror a script that  expresses your wishes. It helps if you blame someone else like: “My life coach told me to stay away from  negative stories this week. Can you get back to me later on what happened to your friend who quit her  day job to open up a video/karaoke store?”. When next week comes, surprise! Your life coach told you to stretch out the assignment for one more  week. 2) Keep your foundation solid as a rock. In my coaching training program the whole first module we explore what I call the Four Pillars to Mama  Bliss. Mama’s not useful to anyone if her foundation is wobbly, cracked or flooding from spring run off.  When you’re embarking on a naysaying-rich terrain ensure that you’re paying attention to your base  self-care practices, carving out the space for creative play everyday, reviewing your core values and how  to incorporate them into the steps you take toward your vision and drawing in simplicity by discarding  what doesn’t fit with these values. With these pillars in place, you’ll be speaking from your soul’s truth. And who can say nay to that? 3) Keep a gratitude list. It’s totally normal to let the naysayers get to you once in a while but whatever you do don’t linger in that  negative space for long. A sure fire way to wriggle out of that clasp is to embrace a practice of writing  out a list of things, big and small, you’re thankful for in your life. I found this practice to be helpful on a few levels. Not only does it change the charge within me to a  more positive state (which is naturally delicious) but it offers hints to where your initial vision can be  tweaked and your course subtly corrected to head down on a more lucrative and fulfilling path. And that’s kind of what happened with my own journey. I paid attention to the clients I felt most  excited working with and meditated on how I can best serve them. That’s when I experienced my aha  that I should open up Mama Bliss Coaching School. These mamas were ready to turn their passion of  connecting with other moms into a work from home opportunity. And I say yay to that. And I’ll show you  how. Not only do I support them with all the tools to make that dream a reality sooner than later but also the  techniques to contend with the bull of the bullhonkey of the current Zeitgeist. So if you can’t beat them, tell them to shut up, take a hot bath and make a list of all that is conspiring  with you to make all your dreams come true. Your intuition is on to something regardless of what the  numbers say. Kathy is the founder of Mama Bliss Coaching School  ~ a 12 week coaching training program for  moms.  She’s a full-time work at home mom and certified Simplicity Parenting Coach and  Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach. Her work on becoming a blissful mama has been  published by Leonie Dawson, Tiny Buddha and more.  She’s a wife, proud mom to two kids and is mildly addicted to warm lattes and hot  yoga. Connect with Kathy and explore your inner mama bliss by visiting Bliss Beyond  Naptime. There you can sign up for her free ecourse, Money Bliss: Earn an Income  from Home (and still be an awesome Mom)   Early bird pricing for Career Camp ends at 11:59pm Eastern tonight! Click here for deets registration!