Nourishment For Your Money, Body & Soul

What you want is closer than you think and here’s why.

written by Kate on June 18, 2013

There’s this funny, sort of modern-day fable someone once told me about some investment banker-type guys who took a trip to Mexico.

They’re sitting around in this seaside village and they notice an elderly Mexican gentleman fishing at the end of a pier.

In talking with him they find out that a huge supply of rare, super-valuable fish are swimming around in that very spot. But the gentleman just sits and stares at the vast blue all day and maybe catches one or two to feed his family. Or none. The catching is not really the point.

The investment banker dudes are flabbergasted. In broken Spanish, they excitedly tell the calm, steady fisherman that he’s sitting on a gold mine. Waving their hands around rather spastically, they explain that, with the abundance of fish swimming around right there in that very spot, they could work with him to set up a huge enterprise. With the amount of rare, sought-after fish that they would be able to catch with the help of a commercial infrastructure, all of them–the fisherman included–could make tons and tons of money.

The corners of the fisherman’s eyes crinkle with a barely detectable, knowing grin.

In a thickly accented, gravelly voice he says:

“Why should I catch many, many fish to sell to make lots of money? So I can retire by the sea in Mexico and relax all day with a fishing pole in my hand?”

Point taken. The banker dudes shuffle off with their tails between their legs. They spend the rest of the day drinking Coronas with their toes in the sand, pondering the meaning of life.

I find that, more often than not, what I truly want is closer than I think. It doesn’t require setting up a multi-national, multi-million-dollar enterprise. It doesn’t even require a six-figure income.

For me it’s all about having as much time as I want to spend with the people who mean the most to me. And making a difference in the world.

What is it for you?

Before you set up your corporation, launch your product, sign the contract, or call the lawyer, ask yourself what you’re really after.

Then remember the Mexican fisherman and the banker guys.

What you really want is closer than you think. (Tweet it.)

What do you really want? Have you ever found yourself making it harder or more complicated than necessary to get it?

Photo Credit: Andy on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/people/atmtx/

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Quitting: How to know if it’s time and how to let go when you do – Glimpse TV w/ Tanya Geisler

written by Kate on June 12, 2013

Nearly a year ago I interviewed the beautiful, talented, and hysterically funny Tanya Geisler at the World Domination Summit (WDS).

(That’s us tasting ridiculous doughnuts — Tanya’s the one in pink.)

This interview is quite unlike any other Glimpse TV episode because:

we had several celebrity sightings while we were shooting
I forgot my equipment so we had to get creative (Tanya was a rock star guest and totally adapted!)
we were lying down for half of the interview

In true Glimpse TV fashion, you are getting a raw, uncut, authentic conversation between this brilliant coach, and yours truly.

Plus, you’ll get a peek at the totally awkward first version of the interview we did if you watch through to the end. There was still some really good content in there for you, so I had to keep it in.

Tanya not only offers up tremendous amounts of compassion and soul, she’s also highly practical. I love that about her.

Here’s what you’re going to get in this episode of Glimpse TV:

how to know when to quit (the job, the relationship, the project)
the 2 critical things you have to do in order to be able to move on with grace
how to get rid of stuff (physical or energetic) using a super-simple, easy 4-step system
a behind-the-scenes look at Tanya’s program, Board of Your Life, which will guide you in stepping into the starring role in your own life
the dark side of not expressing your creativity
. . . and way more goodness!

Click on the video below to tune in to the episode!

Simple can be genius. ~@tanyageisler (Tweet it!)

Got any tips for overcoming FOMO (watch the video to find out what this is)? How do YOU know when it’s time to quit and how do you move on with grace? Leave a comment below and share with us. Tanya and I would love to hear what you’ve got!

Connect with Tanya:

www.tanyageisler.com

Click here to watch Tanya’s TEDx talk on Owning Our Authority - it’s brilliant!

Click here to find out about her next casting call for her program, Step Into Your Starring Role.

Click here to learn more about Board of Your Life.

Plus . . . I promised I’d include a link to the Communicatrix’s famous video, The Boulder. This makes me pee my pants laughing every time (kind of like hanging out with Tanya).

Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ysh7ZxWew-M

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WTF America?

written by Kate on June 4, 2013

Kate Northrup Paris Mike and I recently returned from three beautiful days in Paris.

Here’s what I noticed about this storied city:

there are hundreds and hundreds of cafes where people can be found sitting and relaxing at all hours of the day as though they have nothing else to do and nowhere else to be
people don’t rush getting on and off the Metro like they do in New York City
everyone seems to eat lots of gluten, dairy, and sugar yet no one is fat
at restaurants, people sit and look at one another and talk, instead of looking at their phones
people walk down the street looking in front of them rather than at their phones

Here’s what I also found out:

Everyone in Paris takes July and August off. It’s standard for companies to give 7-10 weeks of paid vacation to their employees.

We spoke with some friends who are expanding their business in France and they told us that it’s completely impossible to move forward with anything business-wise for all of July and August. People are literally offended if you call them during their vacation. It’s sacred time.

Having spent only three days there, and in holiday mode to boot, I’m aware that these pieces of information do not likely cover every aspect of Parisian life, and that there may be some grimmer realities going on adjacent to the practices and cultural norms described above.

Nonetheless, these practices and norms do leave me with the following important question:

WTF, America?

Part of the reason I left NYC after living there for six years was that I craved a slower, more intentional lifestyle that didn’t include constantly striving.

I wanted to recalibrate my inner compass for enjoyment and lifestyle rather than achievement.

Yet, here’s my confession:

I strive a lot.
I have tons of lofty, achievement-oriented goals.
I often check my phone and email obsessively.
I regularly find myself planning what’s next instead of enjoying what’s now.

Yesterday I got into a bubble bath at 5pm, after a day of rain-soaked sightseeing.

It felt profoundly luxurious.

And here’s what I realized:

I work for myself, and I have a solid foundation of residual income that comes in whether I’m working or not.

I can freaking take a bubble bath any time of any day that I want.

Therefore, Mike and I have agreed to incorporate a few choice Parisian lifestyle habits into our own life.

Walking down the street looking up instead of at my phone, having coffee to stay rather than to go, stopping to take a bath, and enjoying what’s happening now can all be summed up in one word:

SANE.

No matter where you stand on the old reincarnation question, I think we can all agree that this one life we’re currently living is precious.

So often, we’re too busy going for the next thing and we forget that our precious life is happening now.

No matter how great our lives are, we can always be more present in them.

Want to add a little flavor of Paris to your life too?

Practice being present with what’s now instead of planning what’s next. (Tweet it)

When what’s next germinates in the fertile soil of what’s now, the present and the future both get a whole lot brighter.

Have you ever traveled and gotten some wisdom nuggets to bring home with you?

What lifestyle tidbits from other cultures have you incorporated into your own life? What have you noticed?

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Stop freaking out and just freaking enjoy.

written by Kate on May 23, 2013

My friend Terri Cole shared this quote with me last week:

“Overwhelm is just a mountain of unmade decisions.”

Mike and I are on a plane flying to Europe for 10 days. And yet, moments ago as we awaited our boarding call, instead of deliciously anticipating the romance of touring London and Paris with the man I love, I was obsessing and stressing in rapid, repetitive succession.

Despite Mike picking me up and twirling me around, telling me that everything was going to be okay, and smothering me with kisses, I just felt freaking OVERWHELMED.

You feel me?

How many times has your stress about everything you have to do, everything you haven’t done — and everything everyone else on your team or in your family is probably not doing but should be doing — taken you away from enjoying the present moment?

I bet it’s a lot of times.

So, the reality is that I’m taking a vacation in the middle of an extremely full time in our business.

We have a BIG event coming up in Portland, Maine, on June 15th with 10+ amazing speakers and 500+ guests.

My book launches in a few months and it’s crunch time for planning and implementing the marketing strategy.

Our team is sprouting faster than I can say “chia,” and that growth requires love, attention, and mentorship from both Mike and myself.

We just moved, are still living out of boxes, and are in the process of hiring someone to help us keep the details of our life and business running smoothly.

About 30 minutes ago whilst awaiting our flight at the beautiful Portland International Jetport, Mike reminded me that our life is probably never going to be not busy.

You know what? He’s right. And his apt statement probably applies to you, too.

Your life is probably never going to be not busy. So just decide to enjoy the fullness. (Tweet it.)

How, pray tell, does one do that?

Well, I’ll tell you what I did just now that helped me plant my tush in the present and feel better pretty much immediately.

Try these 5 ways to stop freaking out and just freaking enjoy the moment:

Take a few deep breaths way down in your belly with your eyes closed. (I know you’ve been trying to suck in your belly all day. Just during this exercise let it all hang out. Trust me, no one is watching.)

Write down the most immediate, finite action steps you know you need to take. This step stops your mind from constantly and obsessively reminding you of your to do’s as though you should be doing them every second of every day (for more on this concept, read David Allen’s awesome book Getting Things Done).

Knock one or two items off the list that take less than 3 minutes each. While I was just sitting in the airport, I made a call I’d been thinking about making all day and sent off an email I’d been meaning to send for a couple days. Total time spent: about 10 minutes. Relief experienced: vast and profound.

Get excited about how great your life is. I must give credit to Mike for this one. He said that when he feels overwhelmed he focuses on how great his life is. Then he feels better. What can you put your attention on right now that’s awesome about your life? Remember: what we put our attention on grows. Focus on the great stuff instead of the overwhelm.

Make a decision or two. If, in fact, overwhelm is just a mountain of unmade decisions, making a few will immediately release tension. Start with one that’s not super complicated and notice how you get on a decision-making roll. Try doing this first thing in the morning while you’re still feeling minty fresh.

Instead of feeling frazzled and agitated, I’m now calmly watching the sun set over the friendly skies and listening to Tina Turner sing “What’s Love Got to Do With It?”.

And you know what? I’m getting excited about the trip.

Did I finish everything on my list before getting on the plane? Nope.

Will I ever finish everything on my list? Nope.

Will you? Nope.

Next time your mind is deep in the weeds of the project, the proposal, your marriage, moving, your job, or your life at large, do the 5 steps above and then remember:

You’re never going to get it all done. And that’s more than okay.

Thanks for listening. I feel better. I hope you do too.

Now I’m going to go enjoy Paris and I invite you to go enjoy whatever great thing you’ve got going on. (You know you’ve got something.)

Got any other good ideas for dealing with overwhelm? Write ‘em down in the comments.

P.S. I’m doing a meet-up in London on Saturday, May 25th in Swiss Cottage at 11am. Email us if you want to join in the fun!

***Photo Credit: AlaskaTeacher on Flickr.***

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An open letter to my mom.

written by Kate on May 12, 2013

I was inspired to write this by Nisha Moodley and Linda Siversten who both posted beautiful tributes to their mothers and to Mother’s Day at large this week.

(That’s my mom and me on the left.)

My mom recently told me about working with her lawyer regarding a course she was teaching called Lightening the Mother Load: Healing Strategies for Daughters. He was trying to grasp what it was about and she started with:

“Well, think about your wife and her mother”

He stopped her right there with: “Say no more!”

The mother-daughter relationship is so ripe with opportunity for loving the gifts of the feminine unabashedly, for honoring the Great Mother and Mother Earth, and for the celebration of being a woman.

Is it a complicated relationship? Ummm, yeah.

Is it hard? Yep, a lot of the time it is.

Does it have the potential to be one of the most healing relationships in your life? You betcha.

You know what they say:

If it’s not one thing, it’s your mother.

The relationships or situations in our lives that are the most challenging are often the most fertile with opportunities for big love.

Our moms wouldn’t drive us so bonkers if we didn’t love them so fiercely. You were formed in your mother’s body. There’s no closer relationship on earth. You are, quite literally, her.

There are a lot of things that are easy to be grateful for about my mom (like how she always told Annie and I we could trust how we felt no matter what. This is the single biggest contributing factor to my being a sane, happy adult.) I’ve written her a private letter of gratitude that I’m giving her today that focuses on all the obviously amazing ways that she rocks as a mom.

But what about the gifts we’ve been given by our mother’s that, when we were given them, weren’t so obviously fabulous?

What if this Mother’s Day (that’s today) you decided to love your mom with vigor, unabashedly, as a way of not only celebrating her, but also as a way of shining some love on the parts of you that you have previously found unlovable?

I’ll start. Here’s a public letter to my mom to thank her for all the things she is or that I am that at some point in my life I have had a hard time loving.

It is not until we learn to love the hard to love parts that we really get what true love is.

Mom,

Thank you for the Hobbit Feet. I posted a picture of mine on Instagram yesterday and it sparked the most adorable conversation with someone else who’s whole family has them too. Even though I was embarrassed to wear flip flops as a teenager because I didn’t want people to see them, I get it now how awesome it is to be grounded like us. Thank you for that tap-root to Mother Earth. Thank you for my first chakra the size of Texas. Thank you for my wide, grounded, very much on the earth feet.

Thank you for laughing as loud as you want, no matter where you are or who is trying to shush you. I used to be mortified at the theater when the people in the row in front would turn around and glare at you to try and quiet you down. But now when I hear that same enthusiastic laugh come out of my mouth and people give me funny looks, I get it. I’m so grateful you never quieted down. Neither will I.

Thank you for not being like the other mothers. I so desperately wanted for us to be normal when I was a kid. And the truth is, it just wasn’t going to happen. Thank you for hanging out on the fringe, for doing ceremonies around the lunar calendar, for suggesting Imprint Removals and Divine Love Healings to clear up physical symptoms, and for believing in angels. Thank you for not wearing the matching Laura Ashley dresses with me and Annie even though we really wanted you too. Thank you for not caring what other people think. Thank you for being wacky and wonderful always.

Thank you for sticking up for me. I wanted to climb under a table and die when I found out you marched into my first grade class to set the teacher straight about telling the class we could only go to the bathroom at certain, pre-approved times. But it also engrained in me that I had a woman who would be there for me (and my bladder’s needs) no matter what. I knew I was safe. Thank you for letting me quit Junior Great Books. Thank you for letting me quit soccer and swimming and piano. Thank you for not letting anyone get in the way of me trusting myself and my body.

KateNorthrupChristianeNorthrup

Thank you for the very big shoes you’ve given Annie and me to fill. There are some days when I think it would beeasier if I didn’t have such a lofty legacy. Then I would be more comfortable with mediocrity. And life would be easier in certain ways, but oh so boring in others. Thank you for playing full out, saying things that others are too afraid to, and for being a pioneer. Thank you for setting the bar high in your career, and more importantly, in your life. I’ve seen you give up good for great many times. I shall continue to go for great in your honor (and in mine.)

You have been, and continue to be, the most perfect mother for me. Thank you for being all of you and for letting me be all of me.

Love,

Kate

It is not until we learn to love the hard to love parts that we really get what true love is. (Tweet it.)

What have you inherited from your mom that you used to not be happy about? How has it been a gift in the end?

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Reveal with me

written by Kate on May 8, 2013

“In the company of women, it’s easier for each of us to remember our own truth. We remember that our lives depend on our capacity to drop all facades and pretenses. We remember the bliss of just accepting that we are here to be ourselves. And we remember, together, that the most powerful place for… Continue Reading

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3 simple steps to stop making it so freaking hard

written by Kate on May 3, 2013

This year Mike and I have had a goal to be one of the top 25 growers in the network marketing company we partner with. Last year we had the same goal and we missed it by one spot. We were number 26. It simultaneously felt great to be that close (you know what they… Continue Reading

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What Is EFT? Stress Management and $ with Nick Ortner of The Tapping Solution

written by Kate on April 16, 2013

Every day for the past week, I’ve been doing this weird thing that makes me look like a monkey . It’s called EFT, or The Emotional Freedom Technique, or tapping, and I love it! My friend Nick Ortner just came out with his first book, The Tapping Solution: A Revolutionary System for Stress-Free Living. This book teaches… Continue Reading

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People showed up here for what you have to say — so say it.

written by Kate on April 14, 2013

The clock was dangerously nearing 12:30pm. Tummies were grumbling. Butts were getting sore from sitting too long. Blood sugar levels were dipping. My talk, Money: A Love Story, was supposed to end the morning session. But the audience’s (and my own) need for a break were obvious. So I whispered to the organizer: “I don’t have… Continue Reading

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Hormonal Balance and Becoming a Power Source: Glimpse TV with Alisa Vitti

written by Kate on April 5, 2013

What? Another episode of Glimpse TV? Awesome!!! It’s been SUCH an amazing week of Glimpse TV goodness, has it not? Today I’m thrilled to present my dear friend Alisa Vitti who just released her first book, Woman Code: Perfect Your Cycle, Amplify Your Fertility, Supercharge Your Sex Drive, and Become A Power Source. Have you… Continue Reading

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