“
Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.
”

— Chinese Proverb

If you remember the "Review & Reset" email that I sent you on the 26th of February, I promised to share with you some of the actions that I have taken as a result of this activity.

I hope this gives you the energy, motivation and enthusiasm to do this at the end of every month.

So here goes!

What did I learn in February?

In February, I learnt the importance of connections and improving my networks. I learnt that people are the best resource you can have in all areas of life whether in friendships, business, social interactions etc. I was able to make 3 new friends from my Mastermind and online contacts that I can now confidently say will become lifetime friends.

I also learnt the importance of documenting and tracking stuff. HUGE LESSON: If it is not tracked, it will not be done! One of the things I did was buy 2 planners (that I use religiously) and lots of sticky note pads to keep track of my actions.

I also learnt that my morning routine is like oxygen to me! Honestly, when I do not do my morning routine, my entire day becomes really messed up. I get a lot of energy and motivation from my morning routine so consistency in this is crucial to my overall success.

What was my greatest accomplishment?

I decided to take charge of my health and signed up with a wellness coach. As you all know, health is wealth and having had serious health challenges in the past, I am very determined not to go down that route again in the future.

I also realised that while the bulk of my energy and focus is on my business, my family, my clients and all the other pieces,I was doing my health a major disservice. Facing the sombre realization that if I continue neglecting this vital wellness piece, the price will be extremely costly in the long run and this is definitely not a price I am willing to pay.

Fatigue, exhaustion, burnout and emotional distress come when I am not taking charge of my emotional wellbeing, my physical body and my spirituality. This is changing NOW!!

What am I spending too little/too much time on?

Part of my wellness coaching is really identifying the areas where my life is off-balance. I realised that I spend a lot of time creating content and not necessarily using it, on various social media  platforms just flipping through and listening to numerous podcasts / FB and YouTube videos etc. I also found that I was spending very little time on my personal stuff and on paying attention to my own needs.

What didn't go according to plan? And how can I improve it?

Failing forward is one of the lessons I keep leaning on daily! I was to re-take my UK driving exam in March but due to the unbearable weather conditions, I had no choice but to reschedule to April.

"A BIG lesson for me is that I am not in control of everything and that many times things will not go according to plan BUT that is fine!"

This has largely inconvenienced me but has taught me a way to work around my movement. After driving myself everywhere since I was 18, I have now learnt to take public transportation, to walk and generally be creative and it has been a eye-opening experience for me.

What is holding me back?

Too much on my to-do list leading to overwhelm and frustration. And as a recovering perfectionist, there is the constant need to battle perfection in everything I do.

What do I need to stop doing?

Being Superwoman. Yup!
Having too many activities in a day has made me exhausted and burn-out.
I need to reduce the things I put in my to-do list and use a prioritization technique I use with my clients to determine the level of urgency.

What do I want to achieve this month?

My 3 objectives for March revolve around 3 areas of my life: my habits, my health and my business

I.               Stick to my morning routine and include daily journaling to channel my thoughts and feelings.

II.             Work very closely with my health coach to ensure that I achieve the objectives / goals that we set together. One of the main ones includes daily movement – either through the gym or walking and reduce the consumption of sugary foods and carbohydrates in my diet as well as drink at least 2 litres of water daily.

III.            In as much as a lot of my time goes to my work which I absolutely love, I have put aside a full hour each day towards myself. In this hour, I spend time doing something I like such as reading a novel, listening to music, doing online personality quizzes (I loooove this!!), flipping through a magazine, watching a movie or series  Netflix or simply just chill.

Now that you have seen mine, over to you! Let me know how this has been of help to you.

In the meantime, if you have not liked my FB page or are not even aware of it’s existence, please head on there and you will find lots of content that will help you to get perspective and clarity on your life purpose.

And you can start with this live video that I posted last night on "The 6 fatal flaws that are keeping you stuck."


As always, can't wait to read your responses and feedback.

Love,

Joanne xx

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”

— Walt Disney

Have you missed me?? Have you? Well, I have missed you BIG!! I am back, with so much excitement and energy and content that will help you move from where you are to close & closer to your goals, until you finally get there! You know there? Well, yes….I can see it for you already!

Anyway, the last 2 months have just been totally LIT! Yeah, I had to use that word! EPIC, AMAZING, TRANSFORMATIONAL…you can add your own adjective! And I got this HUGE lightbulb moment on my flight back home to the UK that God had answered one of my BIGGEST prayers and I had not even recognised it.

Having worked in corporate for 13 years (and slightly more!!) BIG sigh, I had always prayed for the day that I would "retire" so I could live my life as I wanted, doing exactly what I wanted and with whomever I wanted.
 

Thank God I have not had to wait until 65 to live a life that I’m very grateful for. I am living it in the here and the now!

Flashback to June 2016!

I had resigned from the UN, moved continents, was still very new in marriage and all I wanted was clarity on my next steps. I remember signing up my 1st coach for 1:1 coaching and just processing the payment without so much as a thought because I just needed to get clarity on what I needed to do with my life. I did not even care about the numbers, I just needed a way forward! I knew for sure that I wanted to run a business, but a business doing what? Start an NGO (hmmm!! Save the children?), become a nutritionist (lol!!), open a bank (yes, I am totally ambitious like that!), become an artist, launch a dance studio (with my 2 partially left feet?), open an African kitchen and whip out some fantastic Kenyan meals for my mainly Caucasian clientele (not a bad idea, I love to cook)!! As hilarious as this may sound now, all these are ideas that criss-crossed my mind! And some are actually now part of my longer-term goals! Watch me bring them to life!

So after much introspection, it came to me! I literally stumbled across coaching (story for another day) and when I made the decision to pursue that area, I decided that my business was NOT going to be my plan B but my plan B! It had to work PERIOD and I was going to make it work no matter what! I went ALL in and this is what my first months in business looked like:

🔹I fell asleep on my computer many times at 1 am while working on my signature 90-day programme. I even was part of a coaching Mastermind that met at 2am my time (because of the time difference between the US and the UK) and for the 12 weeks I was a part of it, I never, ever missed a session. I was so, so committed to it that many times I would go to bed at 11pm and set my alarm for 1.50am, attend the session until 3.30am and since it was already morning, just get on with my day!

🔹I did not have the luxury of watching TV and just chilling on a random Friday with my friends. I was SUPER focused and guarded my time with extreme jealousy. I would have wanted to just go with the flow but whenever I envisioned the outcome of me being a "BossLady", I just kept going on and on like an energizer bunny!

🔹I made sacrifices in the short-term so I could enjoy in the long-term. I love my candle-lit dinners with my husband in fancy restaurants and could easily spend ALL my money on books, shoes and clothes, but those little pleasures had to be suspended momentarily so that I could set up a rock-solid foundation for the business that I am so, so madly in love with.

PS. Some of these moves are dangerous and are definitely not recommended, now that I know better.

Why do I share this? Because I knew that just sitting and wishing that my dreams came true and that my business just magically grew by itself was an ILLUSION! Daydreaming, meditating, visualizing is good but DOES NOT bring dreams to life. Dreams are brought to life by taking DAILY, INSPIRED action towards them.

"Bringing your dreams to life is NOT about the massive leaps forward. Let no one kid you! It’s about the tiny steps, the tiny mental shifts, the tiny trial and errors (not perfectionism!), the tiny successes and the BELIEF in self, that no matter what the challenges, IT WILL HAPPEN!"

So, as I disembarked from that flight from JKIA to Birmingham, I recognized that I was truly living the life that I have always desired. And I know bigger and better is yet to come but for now, I am savouring the beautiful place I am! And my biggest source of joy is not having the stress and accompanying nausea and headaches of reporting to work on January 2nd, extremely exhausted after the holidays, needing a holiday from the holidays. I now have the ability to spend my January on vacation whilst serving my clients and good fortune of running EPIC workshops and Vision Board Parties with amazing women that I absolutely ADORE & BELIEVE IN!

As I type this message out, in front of the fire, this cold chilly wintry evening, I have this big, wide smile on my face because I know it is possible for you too! I think about you all the time! Because, I know that just like me, you can start that project that you’ve decided to actively pursue this year! Whether it’s quitting your corporate job to launch a new business, or re-launching an old business, or writing your first book, or launching a charity helping orphaned children, or even learning to play a musical instrument, then this is your time.

My work is simply to support you, to coach you, to hold your hand, to pray for you and give you the guidance that my own coaches have given me so selflessly. Let us move YOUR dream from your head to reality together!

It Is really that simple, I promise you! Just as I started, I will also wind up with this beautiful quote I love;

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them". -Walt Disney

So, if you are truly looking to get out of your corporate job this year to relentlessly pursue your life calling, or to finally do something AMAZING with your life, then I invite you to respond to this email. That’s it, a simple response saying, I AM IN!

Think about the liberation, personal fulfilment and freedom that is awaiting you on the other side! And know that I am so waiting to do this with you!

To your success,

Joanne xx

“The only thing holding you back from success is YOURSELF.”

— Joanne Muturi

Welcome November!! On Sunday night, the temperatures here in the UK plummeted to almost 0 degrees! I kid you not! But I am very prepared for the change in weather. As I type out this newsletter, I am sipping on my hot chocolate, wrapped up in my lovely baby pink shawl and my crockpot is out -nice and clean, in readiness for warm, nice, spicy comforting soups this season.

Now, the countdown is on to the final 2 months of 2017, which means it's time to buckle down, wear your big girl pants and take MASSIVE action in your life and business to set yourself up to end the year strong.

While chatting with one of my good friends this past weekend, I shared with her one of the fears I personally have been working on. She was really interested in hearing more as she was so used to hearing more about fear of failure but had never heard of this concept of mine.Thank God I have finally wrapped my head around it. Wanna hear what it is? Well, I will be very honest and raw today. It is the FEAR OF SUCCESS!

While the fear of success phobia (Achievemephobia) may seem weird to many; it is actually a very real social phobia. Fear of success exists especially for top achievers and high performers. It might surprise you to note that many top CEOs and presidents of banks have been known to have Achievemephobia.
 

Let me break it down a little from a personal perspective.

“I am afraid of what success will do to me. I am not afraid of what it will do t others. I am afraid of the scary, unknown place that success will take me and how my ego will handle it. I am afraid of my ego. The amount of success I see myself achieving is limitless, like the dark expansive universe where my feet and hands can’t touch and grasp”.

Success means change (even if it's the change you always wanted)

If you try something and fail, you go back to what you knew. You may not be happy about it, but you go back to your comfort zone.
If you try something and succeed, you head into uncharted territory. Things are different. Things change.

You often hear about athletes, musicians, or performers who are catapulted from relative obscurity to the big time. Although that kind of success may have been their dream and aspiration, many say that they were just not ready for that level of success.

Many talk about not being ready for the financial and social pressures, the lack of privacy, and the lifestyle changes from when no one knew them compared with now being household names.

Success also often means a bigger impact on more people

For me, I totally understand that the more responsibility I am given, the more I am expected to perform. To whom much is given, much is expected. I understand that the more people will depend on me. It means that more people care about what I do and say, and that my opinions are further reaching. So scary, right?

It sounds great on paper, but the fact is the bigger my impact, the more vulnerable I feel because I am now in the spotlight to many more people and of course this comes with the fear of judgment and scrutiny and everything else that comes with that broader exposure.

But guess what, I have a coach who has gone through all these emotions and feelings. She gets it! I feel supported and she has helped me realize that my holding back is not of service to anyone more so my tribe, my community, my family and society in general. She brought to light the consequences of me holding myself back from success are far more profound and painful.

It’s your turn now. This November, I invite you to explore the opportunity to dig deep and discover for yourself what you need to work on at a personal level so that you can fully open up to receive all the abundance that is waiting for you.

What is it time for you to let go of?

Which thoughts, habits, behaviors, relationships, etc. are no longer serving you in your life and business?

What do you need to release in order to achieve the results you want?

Oh, and by the way -

What do you really want? It is time for you to reclaim authenticity.

Accept discomfort.

Stop overthinking. Just START!

Baby steps…one foot in front of the other

What do you want for you? Right now….. in this moment?

Answer the deep questions in your heart.

And then begin to change your thoughts about your life and your current situation. Be ready to do what it takes to make these last 2 months super meaningful. And as you take that first brave step, you'll find the courage and enthusiasm to embrace the amazing person you are meant to be.

What is your fear? What is that one thing that you need to process but are so scared of even sharing with your spouse / BFF etc? I really would want to hear from you. Please drop me a line, I will be grateful.

Love,

Joanne

“Note to self: Get rid of the dead weight in my life – people; thoughts & things!”

This one will be short and to the point.

Does this sound remotely familiar? If it does, then it's for YOU!!

• That dropbox folder full of photos with your dead-beat ex!
• Emails from your old job that retrenched you!
• Those 2 bottles of 2009 almost dry red nail polish and blue mascara!
• Boxes of old oversize  / undersize  clothes  (depending)!
• Dead. irreparable friendships that are hanging on a thread!

I could go on and on……

My message this Saturday is succinct. The equation:

Out with the old, in with the new
                              +

Declutter your mind, declutter your physical space!
                              =

Creating space to receive your desires.

If you are hoping to receive the lifestyle that you desire, then you need to take stock of the following.  Does your physical environment look ready to receive the things you pray for daily? Or is it full of junk; clothes littered all over the place, 2-week-old seafood pasta in the fridge? Empty bottles of perfume lying on your dressing table? Well, by now you must have caught my drift, right?

Now to your mental space? Is your mind cluttered? Do you have your old life holding you back? If you are holding onto old stuff, distant memories......you will not progress. If you are holding onto dead things you cannot attract the good things into your life.

Delete all those emails that remind you of the woman you used to be to help you step into the new woman that you have created to be; the woman that gets her desires.

Happiness begins with truth. You cannot simultaneously have your old life and new life at the same time. For you to step into this new woman, you will need to get rid of the dead-weight that’s holding you back. Let it go!!

The things that were serving you back then WILL NOT serve you in the place that you are headed.

I believe in offering solutions where I can. The four steps below will help you take control of your mind and change your brain through what psychologists refer to as thought reframing.

1.     ✔ Relabel – Become aware of and identify deceptive brain messages and uncomfortable sensations. Consciously put a label on your experience as it’s happening.


2.     ✔ Reframe – Change your perception of the importance of your thoughts. Realize that they’re simply products of your brain that you don’t have to believe.


3.     ✔ Refocus – In the first two steps, you clear your cognitive field. Then, focus your attention on the moment in the direction you want to go and consciously do something constructive.


4.     ✔ Revalue – After the first three steps, the fourth step begins to happen almost automatically as the result of new thinking patterns. You begin to see thoughts, urges, and impulses for what they are: sensations caused by deceptive brain messages that don’t benefit you.
 

SO this weekend, take time to really look at your physical space and DECLUTTER. Purge! Throw out what needs to go! And this continues tomorrow, have a Sunday afternoon date with yourself, God and your journal and let go of any unforgiveness, resentment, bitterness, hatred, jealousy and envy  -  all that dead stuff that’s stopping you from moving forward.

You will be surprised how easily you stay afloat when you drop the dead weight that you are trying to save.

My inbox, and my heart   is always waiting for your responses! I cannot wait to read your emails on how this process went for you.

Love,

Joanne xx

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your ONE, WILD & PRECIOUS life?”

— Mary Oliver

I tossed and turned all night! Not sure why!! But the podcast I listened to late last night probably led to this. Well, one of the few people I consistently follow online other than my favourite spiritual mentor, the Rev. TD Jakes is a woman who curses like a sailor but has the most sensible, truth bombs blown into my face every time I listen to her! Anyway, I will spare you the nitty-gritties.

The first question she asked was "Do you even f***ng ( further expletives!!) know what you want?  I FROZE! Luckily, I do! And I want to throw the same question to you (minus the expletives!!). So here I am, coffee in hand, asking you again! What do you really want? Like really, really want?

"Many of us want the reward and not the struggle, the result and not the process, the victory and not the war".

I like to reverse engineer stuff so this is my current thought process. Figure out what upsets you, what you do not like about your current life situation and be specific about it. Don't just say that you hate your office job. Peel off everything about that job -  layer after layer and pinpoint exactly why you hate it. Could it be your micro-managing boss? Your workload? Your low pay? Your meaningless job title? Or all of the above? What bothers you, and how can you fix it? How much do you want to fix it?

So, this weekend, take out your notebook and really ask yourself what you really want. Who you are is defined by the values you are willing to struggle for. People who enjoy the struggles of a gym are the ones who get in good shape. I speak to many of my clients and many dream of quitting their 9-5 corporate jobs to start their dream business. However, I stand here with authority declaring that you cannot establish a successful enterprise unless you find a way to appreciate the risk, the uncertainty, the repeated failures, and working insane hours on something you have no idea whether will be successful or not. End of!!

When I launched my business almost a year ago, I truly did not know the extremes I would go through. Moments of extreme bliss and moments of extreme lows! It has been quite the rollercoaster ride bit guess what, I could not trade this for anything in the world.

"Sometimes you need to go all the way down before you go up!"

And I am not pushing down your throat the call for willpower or "grit" but it sure does count. Life is not all roses in bloom but with proper support, accountability and the decision to do whatever it takes, IT CAN BE DONE!

Now to the HARD, COLD TRUTH!

If you find yourself wanting something month after month, year after year, yet nothing happens and you never come any closer to it, then maybe what you are chasing is a dream, a figment of your imagination, a fantasy, a false promise. Maybe what you want isn't what you want, you probably just enjoy desiring. Perhaps you don't actually want it after all.

October is here, and we are literally at the sunset of 2017! I am offering 3 months of intensive 1:1 coaching to 5 women who know what they want and are ready to get it! And if you are not sure what you want, I get that too…we shall figure it out together.

If this is you, read on:

You want to finally stop procrastinating and make progress on your personal and professional goals.

You want to be supported and be seen for who you really are without being judged.

You have been "in a rut" for months, years or even decades and it's time to get unstuck!

You long to find your purpose and create more meaning in your life and work

You need to wind up 2017 in style and lay the foundation for 2018 and beyond.

Instead of waiting for someday, you might be surprised at what's truly possible for you to do RIGHT NOW.

>>>The days of listening to your FEAR are over.

>>> It's time to start acting on your FAITH that everything is possible for you.

>>> The truth is, you are powerful beyond measure.

And now it's time to create your NEW reality.

This life-changing transformational 1:1coaching experience is by application only! Please respond to this message and I will be in touch with more details.

Have a wonderful weekend and remember to FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU WANT FIRST, COMMIT TO IT & KEEP GOING!

Love,

Joanne xx

“Plans are nothing; planning is everything. ”

— Dwight D. Eisenhower

I looked outside, it was getting dark. I looked at the time. It was 19.07pm. I almost got a heart attack!! Surely, “What did I do all day?” If you have ever asked yourself this question, READ ON!

FACT:

❗If you want to grow a super successful business or career while living a lifestyle you love, you have to be the ultimate professional. You need to be the CEO of your life and a CEO does not waste time on unproductive, non-income generating activities! 

❗A CEO exercises self-discipline. The good thing though is that if this discipline is exercised, the result is ultimate freedom. Freedom to dictate your work hours and workweek. Freedom to create a life that’s is in total alignment with your values and your ethics.

In order to maximise your productivity, it is imperative that you have a plan for each goal that you are trying to accomplish. A good plan will consider the following:

✅ What is the goal? 

✅ Why is it important? 

✅ What is the deadline? 

✅ What is the next immediate action you can take?

There are a million productivity hacks but these 5 are the foundational ones for helping you manage your time like a BOSS!

1.  Eliminate Distractions

When it comes to the time to perform your task, it is imperative that you are able to focus. When you are able to focus solely on the task, you get into a flow which allows you to make rapid progress. By only focusing on one task at any time, you are able to give that task all your energy, ensuring that you do the best job that you can.

The best way to identify and remove the distractions from your work environment is to examine your own habits. Monitor where your time is going by keeping a record of your time for a few days. Record what you were doing for each 30 minute period. It is important that you record this at the end of the 30 minute period, to ensure accuracy.

Maximum productivity cannot be achieved if you are constantly being distracted. That is why, along with focusing on one task at a time, you should consider the following, though not exhaustive.

· Limit the number of times that you check your email  / phone

· Turn your phone off, or switch it to voicemail during busy periods

· Only attend essential meetings.

· Learn to be assertive with people who regularly disrupt you

2.  Focus on Importance

Before you go to bed every night, plan for the next day. Identify the most important task that you would like to complete and make that your priority. Then, you can identify the next 2 tasks in order of importance. When the day comes to an end and you have successfully completed these tasks, you will have had a very effective day.

If all hell breaks loose, as long as you have completed the most important task, you will still have had an effective day. At the end of the day, you will be pleasantly surprised with how much you have accomplished.

3.  Know the Purpose
Lack of motivation should never be an excuse for failing to complete the tasks that you have agreed to. There is no job without boring tasks. However, the most mundane tasks also have a purpose e.g. filing my invoices and receipts is mundane but if I fail to do so, I will not be able to produce accurate accounts at the end of the year – a necessity for any business. When you find that you do not want to perform a task; you must remind yourself of the purpose that the task fulfils.

 4.  Use “NO”! - The Magic Word
Having to deal with requests from other people can be very stressful. Handling requests effectively is essential in many areas of life, most notably in time management. Handling requests is a lot like managing tasks; you need to identify the things you do not need to do and say ‘No’. Learning to say ‘No’ is the quickest and most effect way to reduce stress in interpersonal relationships. It can feel uncomfortable at first. It may even ruffle a few feathers but it sets clear boundaries and people will soon learn to respect you and your time. Once you become more comfortable at saying ‘No’, you will find that it improves your time management and your interpersonal relationships and it’s also guaranteed to reduce stress.

 5.  Don’t Let Setbacks Set You Back! ⚠⚠
When you are setting goals and working on improving your life, you will spend time developing plans to help you achieve your objectives. Many times, these plans will prove to be effective and will lead swiftly to the achievement of your goals. Every so often, your plan will fail and you suffer a setback. Setbacks happen to everyone; knowing how to react when your plan fails is an essential aspect of achievement. The simple recommendation here is when your plan fails, that is not the end of the world, pick yourself up and keep moving.

I cannot end this email without this wonderful quote that I read. 

“Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday".

 – John Wayne

As always, I cannot wait to hear how you put these tips to good use.

Joanne xx