010: It's okay to not feel like doing the thing
In our heads, I think most of us create this fantasy where everyone gets everything they want to do done, apart from us. So today I want to remind you that you’re not alone.
Episode transcript:
Good morning, Daily Peppers, and welcome to another episode of The Daily Pep. The only podcast, the only daily podcast for creative and multi passionate women. So this morning, I set a timer for fifty minutes to come up with two episode ideas for The Daily Pep! I got down to the last fifteen minutes, and in that time, I cleared my desktop. I read a couple of articles in Flow Magazine to try and get inspired. I tried to find some extra inspiration by looking at some books of quotes. I also got seriously sidetracked when I realized Kesha's tour in The UK and started looking at when and where she's performing. And I spent a good deal of time with my eyes glossed over, not really doing or thinking of anything.
And you know what? Sometimes you won't feel like doing the thing, and that is just okay. Sometimes it just is about showing up and staying the course. Sometimes that's the best you can do, even if it looks like you're doing nothing or even if you are literally doing nothing. Sometimes your best is just sitting there for the carved amount of time, even if you get sidetracked by other things, and being seriously fucking compassionate to yourself. In our heads, I think most of us create this fantasy where everyone gets everything they want to do apart from us. In this imaginary world, everyone has these wonderful routines and habits they never fail at, and they sit down and just do the work, and everything is fine and dandy. But there on the outer edge of the world in failure forest is you, all alone struggling and wondering what on earth is wrong with you. Today, I wanna remind you that you are not alone.
The last time I checked, Elizabeth Day's How to Fail Podcast literally has thousands of reviews on iTunes. There are also countless listicles rating the best books on failure, and that's not even to get started on the world of habits and routines. As humans, we are fascinated with the idea of failure, but so rarely do you recognize that it's a universal experience. If you get caught up in failing, and I'm doing air quotes so you can't see them, and beating yourself up, the chances of you showing up again tomorrow is unlikely. I remember interviewing Maria Gil Ulldemolins for episode 21 of Couragemakers, And in it, she said, and I'm gonna paraphrase here, feeling shitty about feeling shitty doesn't help anything. And that has just always stuck with me. So whatever you're procrastinating on, whatever isn't getting done, and whatever it is you're currently beating yourself up about, today, just try to be okay with it. I don't know about you, but I would much rather do something imperfectly than not do it at all.
I would much rather have the frustrating days when nothing much happens and get up and try again tomorrow than give up and wonder what might have been. So know that you're not alone, that it's better to try again tomorrow than to throw the towel in altogether. Remember, we all struggle with this shit. No matter who we are, we all see ourselves as the one on the outside sitting in the Vale Of Forest. To end the episode on a bit of a spoiler, you might just find that in the process, learning to be okay with not feeling like doing the thing is the very thing that reignites your inspiration. Thank you for listening to the daily pep. And if you're enjoying the show so far, go give it some love on iTunes. Stay tuned for tomorrow's Daily Pep where we're talking about the creative power of being pissed off.
Episode transcript automatically produced by Castmagic.io
ABOUT THE DAILY PEP! PODCAST
New episodes air every Monday - Friday 6AM GMT
A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!
A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!
The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women. If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own worst enemy, this is the podcast for you. Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser - Meg Kissack helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter. Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines
MORE REBEL-ROUSING THIS WAY!
009: The problem with inspiration
We all know the myths about inspiration, yet I think we all still get caught up in the notion of creating when we feel inspired. So what can we do about it?
Episode transcript:
Hello Daily Peppers and a very happy Monday to you. You're listening to the Daily pep, which is the only daily podcast for creative and multi passionate women. If you've woken up feeling uninspired or you're feeling less than excited that it's Monday morning, got you. So now we all know the artist tropes. You know, sitting by your typewriter with a vase of freshly cut flowers, working on your next novel, Moulin Rouge style, or taking your sketchbook to a cafe and just sitting in the sun. And we all know they're a myth. But I think we all still get caught up in the notion of creating when we feel inspired. We put off projects, we wait for another day, we decide we're just not in the mood and and our today plans turn into tomorrow plans, which turn into someday plans, which turn into maybe plans.
And I'm just going to come out and say it. They sometimes turn into never plans. Here's the thing, and before I share it, I know you already know this, but I just think it's worth the reminder. Creativity isn't about waiting for the stars to align and for the weather to be perfect. It is about showing up and doing the work anyway. Especially on the days where your inner dream shitter is trying to drown out every thought, or when you just don't feel inspired. It's about doing the work when you're in a bad mood, an ambivalent mood, and when you just plain we just really don't feel like it. I would say it's especially important when you don't feel like it.
Now I know for me, some of the best work I do is when something's pissed me off. And there's going to be an episode about that later this week, so I'm not going to go into too much about that today. But I mean, inspiration doesn't just have to look like motivational quotes on Pinterest. Creating when you feel like shit or when you don't feel inspired is more than just about doing the work or what Steven Pressfield terms turning pro. Creating when you're not inspired draws right into the heart of what creativity can be. And that's a gift for yourself, a gift to process things, to get clearer on what you're thinking and what you need to do and to heal. But sometimes it's not even about clarity. Sometimes it's about connecting with ourselves, with getting back to the literal bones of who we are, and connecting with what it means to be human.
Try not to get so caught up in the idea of being inspired that it stops you from being creative. Because that's quite literally what happens. If you only create when you feel inspired or you feel on fire or you're just really in the mood. Chances are you won't create very often, and when you do, it'll probably be weighed down with so much pressure that you feel stuck. When you do eventually sit down to write, paint whatever your medium is, you'll be so in your head about wanting it to turn out the way you envisioned it that you won't allow for imperfections. And you know one of the best things about creating when you don't feel like it? Well, the more you create, the more you'll want to create and the more, dare I say it, you'll be inspired to create. It really is quite a sneaky, self fulfilling prophecy. So try and get into the practice of creating when you don't feel like it.
Experiment with seeing being creative as a gift instead of searching for the tangible outcome. Because creativity is not a linear process. It is not about putting something in to get something out and knowing what it's going to look like before you even start taking that approach. It just doesn't work. And I'm pretty sure you know that by now. So no matter how inspired or uninspired you're feeling today, try and create something. And let's take the some days and turn them into these days. So that is it for today's daily pep.
Don't forget to subscribe to the show on itunes and leave a rating or review so more wonderful women like you can get some more rebel rousing too. See you tomorrow and I hope your week is off to a fabulous start.
Episode transcript automatically produced by Castmagic.io
ABOUT THE DAILY PEP! PODCAST
New episodes launch 6am GMT, Monday through Friday
A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!
The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women. If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own worst enemy, this is the podcast for you. Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser - Meg Kissack helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter. Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines
THIS WAY FOR MORE REBEL-ROUSING!
008: The hidden generosity of vulnerability
Sharing your behind the scenes can feel really vulnerable, like putting your heart out on a platter for the world to judge. But it might just be one of the most generous things you can do.
Episode transcript:
Hello. Good morning, Daily Peppers. It's Friday. We made it. So I don't know about you, but one of the things that fascinates me most in the world is the creative process of people I admire and look up to. I love seeing the development of an idea. I love it when fellow creatives share their journals and their first drafts and generally all things behind the scenes. But we increasingly live in a world that is super shiny.
We see everything through filters. We see the grand reveal, and generally we see the final versions, not the messy drafts. Rarely do we see the messy and unglamorous process that often led to the thing. It's a bit like how the world stereotypes us as creatives and doesn't see the very boring act of sitting down to do the work when it is really hard. For the last couple of weeks, I've been thinking how I would love to see more of that shit. And I often wonder how much of a great culture shift would happen if people shared more of that. I'd love to see more of the ideas that didn't work out, the thoughts that never made the light of day. And the project set nearly immediately got put into the metaphorical shit pile.
If one of my favorite musicians put on an exhibition that showed their journals, early recordings, song lyrics, they scrapped all that good stuff we never get to see, I would go in a heartbeat. I remember going to see an exhibition of J.K. rowling's work and seeing the piece of paper where she plotted all the novels was just. Just amazing. I've spent literally hours going down the rabbit hole of how creatives I admire work and how they develop their ideas. And I know I'm not alone in that. We all love behind the scenes, but we almost love it, with a caveat that is, as long as it isn't our own. Because it can feel really vulnerable.
It can feel like putting your heart out on a platter for the world to judge. It can feel like pulling the curtains back on your own life. And, well, that's because pretty much that is exactly what it is. But here's the thing. We can moan about it until the cows come home, but that doesn't really change anything. Major shifts in culture start at home and they start with us. And here's the added bonus of all of this that I don't think anyone's talking about. It is not just about you.
In sharing your process, you are giving other people permission to do the same. Permission to have messy first drafts, permission to fuck up, permission to have ideas that don't work out, you're giving others the encouragement and reassurance they so desperately need that creative work is very rarely linear and and that we all have shitty first drafts. I want to live in a world full of dreamers and doers. I want to live in a world where projects see the light of day instead of being confined to beautiful and unused notebooks. I want to live in a world where messing up isn't the be all and end all and it's just seen as part of the process. And maybe, just maybe, then, we'll be able to have more nuanced discussions and make huge shifts when it comes to talking about life too. How life is messy, how no one has their shit together no matter how much they try to make it look otherwise. And how life isn't linear and how the narrative sometimes changes before we can even turn the page.
And how that's okay. So whatever project you're working on right now, I dare you to share. How? Have a Think of how you could share something behind the scenes. Think of one thing you could easily do right now in under five minutes, because it doesn't need to be a whole project in and of itself. And remember, this is so much bigger than you and me. If you share something imperfect or half baked, and it encourages even one person to go back to an idea or give something a go, then surely that makes the fear worth it. Have a fabulous weekend and I cannot wait to see you back here on Monday.
Episode transcript automatically produced by Castmagic.io
ABOUT THE DAILY PEP!
New episodes air every Monday - Friday 6AM GMT
A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!
The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women. If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own worst enemy, this is the podcast for you.
Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser - Meg Kissack helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter. Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines.
MORE REBEL-ROUSING THIS WAY!
007: Would it just be easier to give up?
It's so easy to give up, and it's so hard to keep going. How do you know which one to do? That’s what we’re diving into in today’s show.
Episode transcript:
Hello Daily Peppers, and a very happy Thursday to you. So every so often someone shares something in an email that just makes me sit up and think and puts words to something that I've been feeling for a while. This week I received an email from Caroline Pick, who not only inspired this episode, but has the best Instagram handle ickillily in her email and I've checked she's okay with me sharing this. She says it's hard not to put too much pressure on yourself, and it's easy to think about giving up or just hiding. And I couldn't agree more because it is just so easy to talk yourself out of things. To believe that there isn't space in the world for you to give up and pretend that it wasn't even important to you in the first place. To take the voice of your inner dreamshitter as a sign to give up. To feel you should just suck it up and go with the status quo.
To get lost in procrastination because it's less scary to make excuses for why you shouldn't start or that you just need to do more research. It's easy to believe that you don't matter and to not even try. It is so hard not to get overwhelmed by the sheer weight of your own expectations that you just can't anymore. It's so hard not to feel other people's judgments. It's hard not to give up when something doesn't turn out the way you imagined. To carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. To not feel swayed by other people's ideas of what you should be doing. To ignore your inner dream shitter and buy into everything they say.
To create without judging as you go. To not buy into the lie that there's something wrong with you because you want a different path from the people around you. It's hard to deal with the loneliness that can often come with doing your thing. And it can be really hard to remember why you even started in the first place when you don't feel like you're making or you can see any progress. But here is the truth. It would be much, much harder to live with the consequences of not doing the thing. Now, I don't buy into the stoic ideology that everything needs to be hard. Quite the opposite.
I found that things you are born to do are often the things that you can get lost in the flow of doing, and they don't feel like hard work at all. In fact, they feel fun and quite easy. But the reality is that it does take hard work to keep going in spite of internal and external pressures. I'm sure you know by now building a life you love requires a pretty uncomfortable dance with fear and uncertainty. But I know for me, I would rather do an uncomfortable chicken dance than rob myself of the opportunity of doing the work that lights me up and living by my values, even though I don't know where it's going to lead. I mean, of course it would be easier to walk away. And not only would it be easier, but it would be safer. But would it really be walking away if you gave up or went into hiding? Although it would be more comfortable in the short term, I think there's a huge chance that there would be a voice in the back of your head almost haunting you, wondering about the path not traveled.
You would always wonder, what if? Yes, by giving up and hiding, you might save yourself potential heartbreak and disappointment. But ultimately, could you live not knowing? That is the question of today's daily pep. Get quiet and just see what your gut says. I've got a feeling you might just find that you you are more stubborn, more rebellious, and more courageous than you.
Episode transcript automatically produced by Castmagic.io
ABOUT THE DAILY PEP! PODCAST
A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!
The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women.
If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own worst enemy, this is the podcast for you.
Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser - Meg Kissack helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter. Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines
MORE REBEL-ROUSING THIS WAY!
006: Stop looking for signs
Reading into everything is dangerous. And not only because in doing so we’re able to let ourselves off the hook for things we really want to do.
Episode transcript:
Good morning, Daily Peppers. Happy Wednesday and welcome to another episode of the Daily Pep, the only podcast, the only Rebel Rousing podcast for creative and multipassionate women. And today's episode is definitely putting the sass into the podcast. So I want to start today's episode with a question. Have you ever stopped to think what would happen if you read everything as a sign or as a marker of fate? One of the things that irks me the most about the self help industry, apart from the law of attraction, but I fear that could be a two hour episode in and of itself, is the notion of reading everything as a sign. I mean, let's just look at how that plays out. Just by taking this morning as an example, you may be able to tell I have woken up pretty fired up. So today I left my towel in the downstairs bathroom.
Is that a sign I shouldn't have showered this morning? Merlin didn't want his breakfast. Is that a sign I should just stop feeding him? My earphones didn't connect automatically on my walk this morning. Is that a sign to stop listening to podcasts? And it was pouring down this morning. Is that a sign to not leave the house and go back to bed? I could totally buy into that one. I could go on and on, but I think you get the point already. Reading into everything is dangerous, and not only because in doing so, we're able to let ourselves off the hook for things we really want to do. The reality is, if you struggle with anxiety, like a lot of us do, reading everything as a sign is only contributing to a belief system that already has us overthinking and over analysing our every move. And if you're a creative person, reading everything as a sign can stop you from making your very best work.
Feeling uncertain and unsure is part of the creative life. And if you take that as a sign, you need to stop, turn around, or go down another path, well, it's not going to be a very long lived creative life. Now, I know I've said this before, but it remains true. If you're looking for evidence that you're shit or that you should quit, then you're going to find it. In fact, you're going to find many signs because our brain already has a negative bias and it will more than rise to the challenge. So I say, fuck the signs, stop searching for them. And I say this in the most compassionate way possible to myself as well as you just get on with it. I know it sounds harsh, but I think it might be just exactly what you need to hear today.
And it could be the kindest gift you could give yourself. So have a fabulous day, and I can't wait to see you back here tomorrow. I can't promise it's going to be any less sassy, though. I hope your day is as fabulous as you are. See you then.
Episode transcript automatically produced by Castmagic.io
ABOUT THE DAILY PEP PODCAST!
New episodes launch 6am GMT, Monday through Friday
A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!
The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women. If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own dreamshitter, this is the podcast for you.
Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser - Meg Kissack helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter. Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines
MORE REBEL-ROUSING THIS WAY!
005: You are not a machine
Today I want to offer up a compassionate and kinder definition for trying your best.
Episode transcript:
Hello, Daily Peppers, and a very happy Tuesday to you. Today, I wanna dive into something I've got a bit of a long history with, And that is the term, trying your best. When I was in school, I went through a period of time where I'd get really bad bronchitis from pushing myself too hard. Instead of seeing it as a warning sign, it would almost become this badge of honor. I literally got to the point where I genuinely believed if I didn't end up with bronchitis, that I simply hadn't tried hard enough. I equated trying your best with sacrificing yourself Until the bitter end. Trying your best was working until you got sick, and then and only then would it be okay to stop. The truth is, as women especially, we're brought up with pretty fucked up markers of doing our best, sacrificing ourselves at all costs, and pushing ourselves too hard.
And instead of seeing the experiences as a lesson that we went too hard, we just work on the assumption That working ourselves to the point that we become physically and emotionally ill is simply normal. Sometimes, I think it's worth stopping to examine our own definitions, where they come from, and if they're even true in the 1st place. We live in a world where busyness is glorified, Where often our effort is only recognized when we look haggard. I know the same is true for me all these years later. While I'm living with a new definition of trying my best, which I'll share in a second, there are still people around me who reserve their finest praise for when I'm absolutely exhausted. I know it's not about living by praise, but no matter what the self help books would say otherwise, our ego loves praise. So today, I want to offer up a new definition of trying your best. A kinder, more compassionate, An ultimately much more realistic version because the one we're living by, well, it's bullshit.
The less grueling definition is doing your best is trying your hardest without depleting yourself, Without collapsing the heap at the end of the day and working in alignment with your values, it's about looking at each individual day and getting honest about what your best looks like on that particular day. It's not about sacrificing yourself and instead it's about noting how you're actually feeling versus what you think you should to be feeling. It's not about pushing yourself when everything in you need to break. It's about honoring your own journey And acknowledging that your journey is not the same as everyone else's, and that's okay. It's about honoring the fact that, and I know this isn't Popular opinion, and I know we don't wanna hear it. We all have limitations. Our bodies and our minds can only take so much Because you are not a machine. If you're listening to this, I can guarantee you that you're someone who tries her best.
I can guarantee you that you're conscientious, that you're always striving to be your best self, and doing things for others. And because all of that is irrefutably true, I know for a fact that you need to give yourself a break and write yourself a new definition. We are all too often our very best rule makers and our very worst cheerleaders. So for this week, imagine what being your own cheerleader would entail. And write your own definition of trying your best, or feel free to adopt mine. Treat yourself like the wonderfully imperfect human you are because you, my dear, are not a machine, and thank goodness for that. I would love to know what you're thinking of The Daily Pep so far. Send me an email.
I'm over at meg[at]thathummingbirdlife.com, or alternatively, pop over to Itunes and leave a rating or a review. Every rating or review helps women who need the podcast find it, And it helps spread courage like wildfire. So see you tomorrow morning, and remember, everything changes when you believe you matter.
Episode transcript automatically produced by Castmagic.io
ABOUT THE DAILY PEP! PODCAST
New episodes air every Monday - Friday 6AM GMT
A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!
A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!
The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women. If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own worst enemy, this is the podcast for you. Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser - Meg Kissack helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter. Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines
MORE REBEL-ROUSING THIS WAY!
004: The myth of the lone creative genius
It's one thing to stubbornly chase after your dreams, it's another to make things harder for the sake of it. Today we're diving into the myth of the creative genius.
Episode transcript:
Hello, hello, good morning, happy Monday and welcome to the Daily Pep, the only daily podcast for creative and multi passionate women. I'm your host, Meg Kissack, and today we're going to be busting some myths about the idea of the lone creative genius. I want you to imagine that you are in the middle of a beach. It's just a heads up, this is not one of those visualization things. Don't worry. You're in the middle of a beach and suddenly you realise that you're sinking, your feet are getting lower and perhaps a mild panic is creeping into your chest and you realise you're in quicksand. So you start to worry. But out of the corner of your eye you see a rope attached to a pretty sturdy pole in the ground.
And they're both within arm's reach. Question, what do you do? You might be wondering if I'm asking you a trick question. Nope. Obviously, you grab the rope, you get to the pole and you pull yourself up and you simply get out of there as quick as you can. Because nobody likes being in quicksand. The idea makes me feel a bit, hmm, not even gonna go there, but nobody. You're not just gonna sit there and just be like, wonder why this is gonna end. We all know how that is gonna end, and it's not so great.
So why am I starting your week of talking about drowning in quicksand? Let me explain. The simple truth is, if either you or me were stuck in quicksand, we would be doing whatever the hell we could with what we had to get ourselves out of there. We would look around for resources, we would see the rope, we'd see the pole, we'd put two and two together and we'd just get ourselves the hell out of there. So my question for you now is, why do we give ourselves such a hard time doing that for ourselves in our own life? Why is it just so hard for us to use the things that are actually designed to help us? Why is it that we think that looking at Pinterest for color palettes is cheating? Why is it when we go to write our own work of fiction, we think that going back to books that we loved as a child or books that just make us feel all the things is somehow, again, cheating? Me and Mr. Meg were talking about this the other day. As you'll know by now, he's a baker and. And for a while he was giving himself a really hard time about using his mixer because all the books that he was reading were saying about, you know, doing it all with your hands, which maybe that works if you're making one or two loaves of bread, but when you're doing 20 at the same time, that's just not feasible. That's not.
Why wouldn't you just save your hands and use the mixer? I think we can get so caught up in this creative myth of being a lone struggling artist. This idea that everything we have to do has to be a million percent original and it all has to come from such a labor of love. It has to be literally ripped out of our hearts. It's that kind of myth that we have of this genius. And I just call bullshit. You are allowed to help yourself. Things do not have to be hard for the sake of being hard. It would be a bit like getting really stubborn in that quicksand and being like, I am self sufficient, thank you very much.
I might die, but at least I didn't have to use the pole. I mean, if you think about it, and this isn't to judge you or me, it's just a bit silly. It's ridiculous to think that we can do everything on our own just for the sake of it. I really love the book Steal like an Artist by Austin Kleon because it just gives you full frontal permission to take inspiration from other places and that you don't have to do all of this alone. How would things change if you allowed yourself to work with what you have and stopped judging yourself for needing help or using things to help you? That's the question I want to leave you with today and start looking around your own life. What are your pieces of rope? What are your poles? And what can you use that already exists to just make your life that little bit easier? I am all about being stubborn when it comes to dream chasing and sticking to your goal even when it's hard. But I am totally not about making it harder for the sake of it or buying into the myth that there's this idea of this lone creative genius. It's bullshit.
I know that you know that. So let's just see how our lives change if we just say fuck it and use what we have. I would love to know what are your pieces of rope? What are your polls? Come and join the conversation using the hashtag dailypeppers on Instagram or Twitter because I know this is something so many of us struggle with and it's as simple as this. You don't need to struggle alone.
Episode transcript automatically produced by Castmagic.io
ABOUT THE DAILY PEP! PODCAST
New episodes launch 6am GMT, Monday through Friday
A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!
The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women. If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own worst enemy, this is the podcast for you. Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser - Meg Kissack helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter. Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines
THIS WAY FOR MORE REBEL-ROUSING!
003: Belly laughs & making room for the unexpected
The unexpected joy of being open to whatever happens in the moment, regardless of what was supposed to happen.
Episode transcript:
Hello, Daily Peppers, and welcome to the Daily Pep, the only daily dose of Rebel Rousing for creative and multi passionate women just like you and me. So for today's episode, I want to start by sharing a story. A couple of weeks ago, I was taking an online workshop and as part of it, we were invited to meditate. Now, in hindsight, I should have realised that lying on the floor and meditating with a Merlin around was never a recipe for success. For those of you who don't know yet, Merlin is my wildly enthusiastic and jolly puppy. So it didn't start too bad. He was already asleep by the time I laid on the floor. But when I realised I'd leant on one of his really sharp toys and decided to move it, well, in a split second, he decided it was the single most fascinating thing that had ever happened.
So while I was lying on the floor, desperately trying to pay attention to the voice coming out my laptop speakers, doing a body scan and feeling the ground hold me beneath me, I could just hear random noises. I opened my eyes to see Merlin's head was literally millimeters away from my head, chewing a soggy piece of cardboard with his head nearly upside down, looking manic. The cardboard tumbled out of his mouth. It got stuck in his ridiculously big ear. He's shaking his ear, baffled. And it just made me laugh so much. Just thinking about it now, it just starts me off again. And I have a feeling this is one of the situations where you needed to be there, so bear with so I lay there for a good couple of minutes with melon sniffing my armpit getting more ridiculous by the second, and I just laughed and laughed.
And in that moment, I can remember the last time I belly laughed. And in that moment, I realized that this was what I needed. Not to meditate. I realized that I could press play on the meditation another time. I could go back and do that later. But for that moment, I needed the mayhem that was happening at the time. But here's the thing. We are brought up to be good girls, to follow the rules and do what you're told to.
We're taught to sit up, pay attention, listen to instructions, and just obey. But today I want to tell you, you do not have to follow the rules. You don't have to do what you think you should be doing. You get to leap off the page onto a new chapter or fuck, even a new book. Sometimes you'll find that while you're doing the thing you think you should be doing, you will find the thing you actually need along the way. I'm just so glad I decided to ignore the meditation and leant into having a good laugh, because that is what I needed at that moment. And you can probably already record some of these events in your own life. Maybe you intended to go to a workshop and instead of making it there, you bumped into somebody fascinating and grabbed a coffee instead.
Maybe you intended to go to some local thing and instead you got sidetracked by a market you didn't even know existed. Or maybe you sat down to write, put on some music, and ended up stumbling down the black hole of Spotify and finding the song you needed to hear at that exact moment. So today, be open to whatever happens in the moment, regardless of what was supposed to happen. And maybe you'll accidentally stumble on the thing you didn't even consciously know you needed. Maybe you'll end up laughing until your belly hurts. Maybe you'll meet someone you never would have met. Or maybe you'll simply have a better day for it. Just try not to get so stubborn about doing the thing you were meant to do that you miss out on the very thing you actually need.
Dare to break out of the good girl mold. Dare to live in the present and dare to rebel. And remember, there is no one way or no right way of doing anything. And the way that works best for you can change by the hour. And that's okay. So that's it for today's show. If you're enjoying the daily pep and would love to help it spread like wildfire to like minded women who who would also love a daily dose of Rebel Rousing, I would be so happy if you consider rating and reviewing The Daily Pep on itunes. You know what algorithms are like now and it seems to be the biggest thing that helps other women who need the show find it.
So let's spread courage like wildfire and have a fabulous day.
Episode transcript automatically produced by Castmagic.io
New episodes launch 6am GMT, Monday through Friday
A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!
The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women. If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own worst enemy, this is the podcast for you. Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser - Meg Kissack helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter. Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines
MORE REBEL-ROUSING THIS WAY!
002: On procrastination & creative resistance
Ever got excited about a project, bought a new notebook especially for the occasion, and then just got stuck? That's what we're diving into today!
Episode transcript:
Good morning, Daily Peppers, and welcome to another fabulous episode of the Daily Pep, the only daily podcast for creative women like you and me, and frankly, creative weirdos. That's the people that I love the most. So I want to start today's show with a question. When was the last time you got excited about a project, bought a new notebook especially for the occasion, and then just kind of got stuck? If you're anything like me, you may have a bookcase with many beautiful notebooks that have rarely seen the light of day. Or maybe they've got a couple of pages written in, or maybe you've stuffed them in a drawer somewhere, or maybe you've even got some notebooks that haven't even been written in, but you look at them and it doesn't give you a great feeling. And maybe it's not notebooks. So, letting you into a behind the scenes secret here, I can't even begin to tell you how many microphone comparison videos I watched before actually starting this podcast. I can't tell you how many hours I spent on Amazon looking at reviews.
And what makes me almost cringe, looking back, is that I'm starting this podcast already, having another podcast, and a successful one at that. It's not like anybody's ever emailed me and said, meg, listening to you is like nails scratching on chalkboard. I mean, I'm sure for some people, they're sick of the sound of my own voice, but nobody has said, hey, Meg, the sound just isn't working. So literally no basis in reality. I just figured, new microphone, that's what I need. Then I get started. I know I am far from alone in this because we've all done it. Whether it's buying a new notebook or a new paint set, or really going down the rabbit hole of researching what mediums and what particular products and what particular software our favorite creatives use, as if just by using the same thing, we can emulate their successes.
Now, I watched something the other day that really called me out on my own bullshit. Billie Eilish is someone who fascinates me. I am in absolute awe of her. And I saw her carpool karaoke. What really, really was kind of a wake up call and just blew my mind is the fact that she recorded the album, the one that won her many Grammys, in her childhood home. May I just add that she still lives in her childhood home and she recorded the entire album with her brother in his childhood bedroom. Literally sat on his bed in a real kind of hodgepodge, DIY makeshift studio. It was A real wake up call that actually the tools don't really matter.
Another time this happened to me. That has just come to mind is a couple of years back, me and Mr. Meg went to an exhibition all about the creative process of J.K. rowling's work. On exhibition was literally the pieces of paper that she plotted all the Harry Potter books. And now I can bet anything that she was not thinking, which Biro shall I use? Or does is that piece of paper okay? Do I need to go to the art shop and make sure I get the best piece of paper? Of course she wasn't. She was trying to work out how everything fits in and she was just getting lost in her ideas. And I think that's the thing.
You do not need the fanciest equipment. Frankly, you don't even need great equipment. This whole shit is a myth that your brain buys into to stop you from doing the scary thing of actually starting. Because as long as you're looking for the right notebook, as long as you're looking for the right paints, or going down the Google rabbit hole of your favorite people and figuring out what processes they use, you're not doing the thing. And the thing is, sometimes it can feel really productive. Sometimes we can actually convince ourselves that no, this is part of the process. No, this is what we need to do to get started. But my friend, that is bullshit.
That is your brain trying to keep you safe. You do not need another notebook. You do not need to work out which pen your favourite artist uses, and you do not need to wait until that thing that you absolutely must have comes back in stock or gets delivered. And I am saying this as much for you as always as for me. That is all a form of procrastination. And even though your brain might like to tell you it is, that's not doing the work instead. That is textbook creative resistance. Creative resistance is coined by Steven Pressfield in his book War of Art.
And this is one of my favourite quotes. Resistance is always lying and always full of shit. Our need for that new notebook or the new microphone is textbook procrastination. I know this shit is scary. I know it is really, really intimidating to start a project. Part of the whole thing that has been really keeping me in the fear of starting this podcast is what if it doesn't live up to the picture I have in my head? What if I peaked during my last project? What if, what if, what if I'm going to stop looking at microphone reviews? You stop buying new notebooks. And everybody, let's just work with what we've got. And while we're at it, let's cut the bullshit, go make music in your childhood bedroom, go and scribble down ideas for that novel that you've got in your head and just get started already.
I would love to see what creative projects you're working on and what your own experience with creative resistance has been. Come and join the conversation on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag DailyPeppers and let's just muddle through this shit and get things started together. And until tomorrow, remember that creativity takes courage, and you are already way more courageous than you.
Episode transcript automatically produced by Castmagic.io
ABOUT THE DAILY PEP! PODCAST
New episodes launch 6am GMT, Monday through Friday
A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!
The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women.
If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own worst enemy, this is the podcast for you.
Join your host, writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser Meg Kissack Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser, helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter.Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines
MORE REBEL-ROUSING THIS WAY!
001: The problem with other people’s advice
Today I'm sharing with you my top three lessons about other people's advice. This has definitely been that learned the hard way!
Episode transcript:
Good morning Daily Peppers and a happy Tuesday to you. You are listening to the Daily Pep, the only daily podcast for creative courage making brilliant and multi passionate women just like you. And I'm your host, Meg Kissack. I'm a coach, a writer and a professional rebel rouser. And today I'm feeling pretty fired up. Why? Because we are diving into all things dreamshitters. Now, if you've been around here a while, you will know how much I bang on about and how much I love talking about our internal and our external dreamshitters. So today we're diving right into the problem with other people's advice.
We've all had those people, whether they are well intentioned or not, they know exactly what we need to do with our lives. They know what we're doing wrong, they know what the answer is, they know the solution. And all we need to do is follow their advice. So today I'm going to share with you my top three secrets about other people's advice. That has definitely been learned the hard way. But it's three things that I think might just help if you are dealing with dream shitters in your own life or you're just getting advice thrown at you from every single angle. So number one, other people's advice is always biased. It's always biased on their own experiences, but it's also kind of got a bit of their agenda.
Maybe it is that they want to keep you safe and they want to look after you and protect you. Maybe it's that actually they'd be pretty jealous if you did that thing and it would actually reflect back on them what they are or what they're not doing in their own life and how much action or chances are inaction they're taking. Basically, advice never comes without strings and the strings are their experiences and the things they want for you. Whether they're telling it from the good of their own heart, whether it is no matter what situation they're telling you in, remember that it's always going to be biased. Number two, like it's steeped in their own experiences. People, people's advice generally is birthed out of their own fears, in their own things that haven't worked out for them or the things that they find too scary. Something that's definitely been true in my own life is that things that are done out of fear instead of hope are usually the things that we look back on and we wouldn't necessarily make the same decision again because it's coming from an entirely different place. So other people's advice is steeped in their own fears.
And those fears are going to be unique, as we all are. Advice comes with a lot of baggage. It comes with a lot of other people's stuff that actually has nothing to do with you. And that leads me onto the third one, and I think the most important one is that other people's advice is centered and grounded in their own values. And sometimes, maybe a lot of the time, if you feel like you're surrounded by people who just do not get who you are and what you do, maybe their values aren't the same. Maybe they value security over freedom. Maybe they value safety over adventure. That's not to say their values are wrong.
It's just that there might be a complete mismatch in values which is ultimately going to lead you to advice that simply isn't applicable to you. Why are we really digging into the problem with other people's advice? Well, because sometimes we're in a situation where everybody has the same piece of advice and none of it matches as to what we think we should do in the situation or what we think we could do in the situation. But because everybody's saying the same thing, we're like, maybe they're onto something and maybe that's what we should do. I want to encourage you to follow what you feel like you need to do regardless of what other people are thinking. Because other people's advice isn't about you. It is a projection of their own experiences, their own fears, their own worries. Really, your own situation has got nothing to do with it.
And because of that, their advice can be pretty dream shitting and sometimes unintentionally so. So know that you are the ultimate person who gets to decide what advice flies straight through one ear right at the other, and what advice you listen to, hold on to or what things you think. Okay, actually that part works. The rest is bullshit. But I'm going to keep on to that bit. I know as women sometimes we worry about being rude or we worry about other people's opinions too much. But here is the truth. It is your life, and you're the only one that can make the decisions.
And ultimately, just remember, you're the one that has to live with your decisions. They don't. I would love to know what you're thinking of the daily pep so far. Feel free to get in touch over on Instagram or Twitter. I am megkissack. Or if you are feeling in a generous mood, I would love it if you could go over to iTunes and leave a rating and a review. This is the way that other creative women like me and you find the show and find their daily dose of rebel rousing. So hop over to iTunes, let me know what you think. And I cannot wait to see you back here tomorrow.
Episode transcript automatically produced by Castmagic.io
ABOUT THE DAILY PEP! PODCAST
New episodes air every Monday - Friday 6AM GMT.
A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!
The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women.
If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own worst enemy, this is the podcast for you.
Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser, Meg Kissack, helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter. Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines
MORE REBEL-ROUSING THIS WAY!
000: Welcome to The Daily Pep!
If this is your first time listening to The Daily Pep! - start here! I share why I started the Daily Pep, what you can expect from the podcast and who’s behind it!
Episode transcript:
Hello! I would like to officially welcome you to the Daily Pep, the only daily podcast for creative and multi passionate women. I'm your host, Meg Kissack and I am so excited you're here. So I'm imagining this is your first time listening to the Daily Pep. So I thought I'd do a really quick intro to the podcast to share more about why I started the Daily Pep, what you can expect from the podcast and who's behind it in case you're curious. So first things first, to put a person to the Voice. My name is Meg and I'm a creative, infj, notebook hoarding and color loving coach, writer and an all round rebel rouser for creative and multi passionate women who want to live the life only they can live. I'm also the host of the Courage Makers podcast, which is a weekly podcast interviewing unconventional women all around the world who share their stories, their advice and their dreams as we have really honest conversations about everyday courage, living a wholehearted life and dream chasing.
I live in Liverpool in the UK and seeing as you hear some stories about them along the way, I live with Mr. Meg, who is a baker with a big beard, and our very adorable, ridiculous and jolly puppy, Merlin. Now onto the important stuff. So the idea for the Daily Pep was born from my own experience of being a creative and multi passionate woman who wants to leave the world a brighter place. Over the years, I've spent hours and hours in the company of like minded women, the dreamers, the doers, the rebel rousers and the courage makers. And while we've all been on different paths, aside from our shared values, there's been one thing in common. Building a life you love takes a shitload of courage. And it is hard to keep yourself motivated.
It's hard to be your biggest cheerleader, especially when you're simultaneously trying to keep your inner dream shitter at bay. And it can be really hard when you feel like the people around you just don't get you. Because let's face it, it is hard to keep your own light lit. It's hard to keep going on the path when you're constantly wondering if you're on the right path. Wondering if the next step will take you to a wrong turning or if you've actually been walking in the wrong direction all this time. And it's even harder when you're surrounded by people who don't even recognize that there even is another path than the one they're taking. Or maybe they do recognise it, but but they're doing everything they can to warn you off your path because it's too dangerous, it's not sensible, or they fear how it will turn out because they don't have access to your compass. People just don't understand that you don't intentionally seek out to be different.
The quote conventional way of life just doesn't work for you, no matter how hard you've tried or how many times you've pressured yourself to fit into a box. And that's without even touching on the exhaustion of trying to keep your inner dream shitter at bay. That voice in your head that questions your every move, attempts, and sometimes succeeds in convincing you that you're not good enough. You don't know what you're doing and it's not even going to come of anything, so why even try? Sometimes it feels easier to give up, but you can't even begin to imagine what the alternative would look like. But here's the thing. While building a life you love does take a shitload of courage and and energy and perseverance and patience, you don't have to do it alone. The Daily Pep was born from what I felt I most needed and what I saw other people craving. We don't need more platitudes like too blessed to be stressed.
We don't need any more fucking posters that advocate for positive vibes only. And we don't need more bullshit that ignores the nuances and complexity of life, creativity and mental health. What we do need is more stuff that recognizes that life can be hard and that unpredictable things do happen and we need to find ways to pick ourselves back up. So on the daily pep, you can expect to hear reminders, permission slips, stories, musings on life, and boosts of encouragement to help you keep going and be unapologetically you. My hope is that it will be the antithesis to your inner dream chitter and give you the courage you need to put yourself out into the world, lean into the things that bring you joy, and treat yourself with compassion and kindness along the way. The idea is that it's something that can be part of your existing routine, like your coffee in the morning, your commute, even if it is only to the sofa or walking the dog. And if you're struggling to build habits or a routine in the morning, this might just be the thing that helps. So whether you're feeling completely stuck or or you're feeling fired up with a new idea every Monday through Friday, no matter where you are in your creative journey, there will be a short and snappy episode waiting for you to remind you that you matter.
You're more than the negative voices in your head, and you have a combination of skills, perspectives, experiences, strengths, and stories that no one else has. So that's everything you need to know for now. If you're listening and there are heaps of episodes and you don't know where to start, you can listen in any order, see which title resonates with you, or pick one at random. I have a feeling you'll choose the one you most need to hear that day. So hit subscribe and welcome to the Daily Pep! Community. I am delighted to have you here, and I can't wait to rebel rouse and encourage you. I remind you on a regular basis that everything changes when you believe you matter.
Episode transcript automatically produced by Castmagic.io
ABOUT THE DAILY PEP! PODCAST
New episodes air every Monday - Friday 6AM GMT.
A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!
The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women.
If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own worst enemy, this is the podcast for you.
Join your host, writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser Meg Kissack Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser, helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter. Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines
MORE REBEL-ROUSING THIS WAY!