Monthly Reflections: November
Welcome to my monthly reflections! This is where I get personal, sharing my monthly highs and lows of running my business as a solo founder, whilst navigating life as a girl in her 30s, who loves to not take life too seriously whilst also having existential thoughts most days. This is my 8 for November.
What I’m Loving
I feel like I go through phases with music of not listening to it a lot then listening non-stop – I’m in my listening non-stop phase right now. It is such a great way to shift your mood and get into a zone. I have a chilling playlist, working playlist and this R&B Classics playlist is on repeat when I’m driving at the moment. I highly recommend making some playlists for yourself to help shift your energy on the days when you need it, whether that’s to make you smile, cry or focus.
What I’m Grateful For
Been feeling very grateful for the glorious sunshine we’ve had in November. I’ve also been reflecting on the impact people have had on me and my life (see my Insta post on this here) and feeling so incredibly grateful. New friends, old friends, family, random strangers, my husband – I can think of so many ways meeting these people have allowed me to connect more to who I am and want to be. It feels magical!
What I’m Reading
The Last Asylum by Barbara Taylor is such a moving account of her experiences with mental illness and the mental health system. It’s one of those books that I feel so grateful that I’ve read, and I know I am changed having read it. If this is a topic that interests you, then I highly recommend!
My Upcoming Goals
Personal: Prioritise my health and wellbeing during December – we all know what it can get like in the lead up to Christmas so I’m coming back to my healthy habits and thinking how can I really nourish my body in-between having lots of fun.
Business: Create updated coaching resources for my revamped coaching programmes – very excited to share these will be launching soon!
A Challenge I’ve Faced
Finding my voice on LinkedIn… There is something about LinkedIn I find hard to get on board with, for me many of the posts feel quite gimmicky and inauthentic BUT I know it’s such a great platform to be on and essentially another marketing tool. I’ve taken a step back from the platform in November as I’ve been trying to find my voice on LinkedIn, what I want to share and how I want to share it. I keep holding onto my experiences with Instagram – going from saying I’ll never use it to loving it – and keeping the faith that if I can make this shift, I can learn to love LinkedIn too. If you’re a fellow business owner, I would love to hear how you find building your business on social media and any LinkedIn words of wisdom.
Monthly Win
Something that is incredibly important for me is walking my talk. My boundaries were put to the test this month and where I may have previously just let something slide, I reminded myself how important it is to communicate boundaries and that I can do this in a kind way. Ultimately having these boundaries is a way to protect what I need in life. Even though communicating them isn’t always easy, it felt like a big win to express how I felt, and it was received very well. A reminder for us all that it often goes so much better than we anticipate!
Client Breakthrough
So many client breakthroughs this month! One of my clients was feeling really scared of putting herself forward for something in case she failed. By working through this, I was able to help her recognise that it wasn’t just about the potential failure but actually how she would feel about herself if she did fail – that she personally was a failure, would never be successful, wasn’t good enough (you might recognise this pattern of thought). We focused on these meanings she was creating on a deeper level in addition to working through her fear of failure and let’s just say she achieved something incredible!!
Favourite Meal
If you’re looking for a delicious 3 course meal, with excellent service and all the added extras (we’re talking parmesan crisps, chocolate truffles, shortbread…) then Chez Bruce is always a winner. We went for my dad’s birthday and it was the best.
If you saw on my Instagram the other day I also shared that I’m back in my baking era – I made these tahini and dark chocolate chip cookies the other day which were amazing! Right now is the perfect time to get cosy and do some baking in my opinion.
Have a lovely month and I’ll see you at the end of the month for my 8 for December!
Elyssa x
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