1205: Find the tiny moments of joy
We’re kick starting the new week with a challenge that runs counterintuitive to so much of the productivity advice we hear, but is SO important!
Episode transcript:
Good morning, daily peppers. And a very happy Monday to you. It is the start of a new week, and it's time to kick off this new week with a compassionate bang. So in the personal development world, one of the things that I think is really fun is doing experiments, seeing life through different lenses, and really challenging ourselves in a really fun way. And I've got a fun challenge for you this week. And is this, what if this week you measured success not by the amount of things that you got done on your to do list, but by the number of tiny moments of joy? I don't know about you, but it is so easy to go into the week with so much shit I have to do that I barely stop to take a look around me, and I get so involved in what I'm doing. And while I get a tenner shit done, I probably miss a load of tiny moments of joy. That could be by being on my phone and check an email when I'm in the queue in a shop. It can be by just putting my head down and not taking a proper break. And I know I'm not alone.
For so many of us, we do naturally worry about having enough time and the sheer number of things that we need to squeeze into the seemingly shrinking amount of time we have. But I think one of the things that we can completely unintentionally end up doing is spending so much time on focusing on getting everything done and being as efficient as possible and missing a lot of the small magical moments. And it doesn't have to be major. It could be intentionally taking a 5 minute break to look out the window and watching the birds. It can be getting a bit of fresh air when usually we would power through, and just taking in the world around us when we get the bus or when we're in the queue rather than trying to be productive at the same time. The older I get, the more I realize that I am truly shit at multitasking. And I find that very frustrating in the past, but I'm starting to find that quite nice. Because I've given up trying to do tons of things at once because I know my brain just doesn't operate that way.
My brain feels a hell of a lot calmer for it, and I feel like I get to experience more of the magic moments. So that is my challenge for you today. What if you measured this week's success by the number of small moments of joy you receive rather than the amount of work you do and just see what happens? At the end of the day, it's all an experiment. We tend to be very curious around here. So let's put our curious superpowers to use. Have a fabulous rest of your day. And a quick reminder that if you're planning to order from my pop up shop, orders close tomorrow, so get yours in soon. Have a good one.
Episode transcript produced automatically 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!
1204: Maybe it's not the season
If you're feeling like you're pushing the same boulder up the same hill day after day, today I've got a different perspective that might help!
Episode transcript:
Good morning, daily peppers and a very happy Friday to you We are so close to the weekend. We made it. Before we get going, a quick reminder that my physical product, pop up shop, is live. You can go find it and see all the things at therebelrousers.com/popup or check the link in the show notes. And there, you'll find my 2025 calendar, my bookmarks, postcards, and even a weekly desk pad, all designed to give you that extra bit of rebel rousing on a daily basis. Orders close on the 5th November. So if you'd be meaning to check it out, now is the time to do so. Now on to today's show.
So one of the funny things I find about the daily pep in general is that you could listen to a whole bunch and you could get completely contradicting messages. Because sometimes we need like yesterday the firm but compassionate kick up the bum. Other times we need permission to take a break. And our journeys really aren't very linear. And part of that is because we've all got different seasons. There are times in our life that are really for pushing forward, and there's other times where we need to hibernate and conserve our energy a bit. And that's what I want to talk to you about today. If you are pushing and pushing and pushing and it still feels like you're pushing a boulder up the hill, Maybe it's time to just turn around and see what else is around you as well because it might not be the season for that particular boulder.
It could be that you're at the bottom of one hill, but you're also on the top of another hill and you could push something else down quite easily and really find your flow there. A more concrete example might be, maybe you really want to start a novel, but you're finding it so hard to face a blank page and it just feels impossible. But on the other hand you've also got this nudge to research this really specific thing that isn't anything to do with your novel. Maybe it is the season for that one instead. And maybe by focusing on something else you're gonna get all kinds of inspiration for your novel that you might not have found otherwise. And because you've stopped trying to push it so hard, it relieves some of the pressure. And one day you wake up and you're just ready to write it or you decide to write a short story and that's your way in instead. Sometimes the path we take isn't gonna be the path we thought we would take.
Sometimes we need to stop trying so hard at some things and put our focus on other things and trust that it's all part of our process. And it's also worth bearing in mind what kind of personal season you're in right now. Sometimes we're more introverted, sometimes we're more extroverted, and I love that Zora Neale Hurston quote that there are years that ask questions and years that answer. And maybe you're in slightly different a place than you thought you were, and that's not a bad thing and maybe opens even more possibilities than you previously thought. So just some things for you to think upon as you're going about your day, your life, and your projects. And know this, you are always so much further ahead than you think you are. And you are also so much more capable than you think you are. Have a fabulous weekend.
I will see you back here bright and early on Monday morning or on Sunday evening in your inbox if you sign up for my letters of rebellion, which are email newsletters I send out every week sharing my own behind the scenes of me building a life I love in the hopes it will help you too. You can sign up to them by going to therebelrousers.com/letters. I'd love you to be part of that email community. And whether I see you Sunday or Monday, I look forward to being with you again. Have a good one and take care.
Episode transcript produced automatically 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!
1202: A sassy hump day pep talk
One of the things we all excel at is getting in our own way. So if you you're in need of a firm pep talk, listen up!
Episode transcript:
Good morning, Daily Peppers, and a very happy Wednesday to you. So for this hump day, sassy meg is back. In case you need a compassionate but firm, kick up the bum, and a reason to go do the scary thing. Because here's the thing, There are always gonna be very good reasons to not do the thing. Life will never line up perfectly and there will be very valid reasons to put things off. But very valid reasons can also be excuses and we only really know that if we get really honest and quiet with ourselves. The same way as there are so many reasons not to do the thing. We love justice and fairness around here.
So if we look at the other side of things, there are also many, many valid reasons to go and do the thing as well. Now you do not have to go do the thing to the best of your ability. You do not have to pick the scariest thing you could possibly do and go and do that, but you can make at least some small steps. And those small steps can be tiny. It doesn't matter. The point is of getting some momentum and putting one foot in front of the other and just getting going. So today, as you listen to this, I just want you to be honest about what in your life right now are reasons versus excuses. And try and get curious rather than judgmental.
And also cut yourself some slack. We don't do scary things because they're scary. Hard things are hard. Our brain also has a built in negativity bias. It also really wants to keep us safe. And we're also battling against our inner dream shooter. We have a lot going on here, but here's the thing. You have done hard and scary things before and you can do them again.
Try and have even 10% more faith in yourself. Look back at all the things you've done and take that tiny step today. And to go back to that Winnie the Pooh quote I think most of us have heard, you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think. Have a good one and I'll see you tomorrow.
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!
1201: Eat birthday cake for breakfast
If you need a reminder that you get to do things your own way, this one's for you!
Episode transcript:
Good morning, Daily Peppers, and a very happy Tuesday to you. In case you missed it yesterday, the rebel rousers pop up shop is open, and we've got a calendar, we've got bookmarks, we've got a postcard set, and we've got a desk planner. And if you're a fan of the Daily Peppa, I think you're gonna love them. It's open until the 5th November, so you can check it out by going to the rebel riser.comforward/popup, and maybe I'll be sending you something in the mail very soon. Now on to today's show. So there's something that somebody said to me once that absolutely blew my mind. And it's this idea that we can have birthday cake not on our birthday and we can have it for breakfast. Now I grew up as a good girl.
I wanted all the gold stars, and I think many of us can relate to that. And I think it takes a lot of deprogramming and unconditioning to realize that actually we get to do things our own damn way and we also get to create what gives us the gold stars when it comes to our lives. And I think this birthday cake example just really makes me laugh because it is so simple yet so fucking obvious that if you wanted to buy yourself a birthday cake not on your birthday and seriously enjoy it, you get to do that the same way as you get to make so many different choices and decisions in your own life that you alone get to decide or you get decide what feels right for you. It's so easy to get caught up in the trap of thinking that there's a right way to do things or we have to follow the status quo. But really, we get to make our own damn rules. I don't know about you, but sometimes I find myself in a bit of a bind in terms of the there's part of me that is the good girl who wants all the gold stars. And at the same time, there's this massively rebellious part of me that knows that I get to make up the rules, and it can be really hard being caught up in the 2 worlds. But one way I think we can really challenge that whole good girl thing is to start doing things like having birthday cake for breakfast.
And I mean that literally if that feels good for you. Taking small steps to remind yourself that you have autonomy, you have freedom, and I know this might not sound that liberating, but it really is. That nobody cares as much as you do, and people aren't necessarily studying your actions as closely as you are. So for today, what is your version of eating birthday cake when it's not your birthday? What is a rule or a convention that you can break that is gonna make you feel really good or remind you that you've got more power than you think you do? So put your thinking cap on. That is my challenge for you today. Have a fabulous Tuesday, and I'll see you tomorrow.
Episode transcript 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!
1200: Make your best guess
Today I'm sharing a reminder that I very much need to hear - that your best guess is good enough, and you can move ahead without 100% certainty.
Episode transcript:
Good morning, Daily Peppers, and a very happy Monday to you. So before we get started this week, I wanted to share a really fun announcement with you, and that is to let you know that I have opened my very first pop up shop. For the last couple of years, I've been doing the rebel riser's calendars, which have just been so much fun. And this year, I have added to the range with not only the calendar but some postcards, some bookmarks, and a weekly desk planner. So if you're like me and you fucking love stationery and you also fucking love a bit of rebel rousing, I think you're gonna love it. The store is open for preorders until 5th November, and you can go check all the fun shit out by going to therebelrousers.com/popup, all one word, or just click the handy link in the show notes. So I thought it would be helpful at the start of the week to pop in with a reminder that I know is definitely helping me right now. And it's the fact that you don't have to be a 100% certain to move ahead.
Around here, we tend to be overachievers, perfectionists, and we're also really conscientious. And we might have been brought up with the notion that everything has to be just right before we take a step forward, but I am calling absolute bullshit on that. The truth is, no matter how much research we do, we're probably never gonna be literally 100% sure. And sometimes the more research we do, the more we find out we don't know which on one hand can be a good thing, but we tend to just go into research mode harder. The best thing we can do is check-in with ourselves and see what feels right. We can do the research, but not until the point that we are completely overwhelmed, and we can make our best guess. The fact of the matter is, yeah, when we look back, there are some decisions we might have made differently. But it's really easy to see that because we know hindsight is 2020.
So if you are feeling muddled over something, if you are feeling stuck in the mud, or if you're waiting for a 100% certainty, let this be your permission to just make your best guess and know that that is good enough. And also, there are very few things in life we can't undo if we want to. So happy Monday. I hope this week brings you some fabulous unexpected joy. And remember that everything changes when you believe you matter.
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!
1197: Gather more data
When it comes to change, making a decision or facing a crossroads, there's only so much we can do just thinking about it. Today I'm giving you a challenge to get out of your head and take the next small step!
Episode transcript:
Good morning, Daily Peppers. And a very happy hump day to you and a very happy Wednesday to you. For today's Daily Pep, I wanna remind you just to take the next step. For so many of us, there are so many things we wanna do, yet we are so good at talking ourselves out of it. Including for very noble reasons because we are conscientious. We wanna make sure we've done the research, and we wanna do the best that we can. But the problem is perfectionism is a sneaky fucker, and it can can often feel like we're not taking the next step because we're not ready for it or there's one more thing to learn or we're having hypothetical arguments with ourselves in our head if you're anything like me. So today, I wanna give you and me a compassionate but firm kick up the arse to take the next step.
Now I don't mean take a big step. I just mean take any movement in the direction that you're looking in because chances are you've thought about it a lot already, and also you know what you need to do. Often, we can get so caught up in our head overthinking things and thinking about every single possible outcome. But the truth in a lot of situations is you're not gonna find out until you do it, and you don't know what you don't know if you're at a crossroads or you're going through some transition period it is easy to sit and think about all the ways it could go right all the ways it could go wrong, and how you think you're gonna feel, but you don't know if you don't take action. Now I am definitely not saying just run-in that direction and throw caution to the wind. But what I am asking is how could you go out there and get a bit of data? How can you start actually testing the waters in a way that will help you move forward? So for example, say you want to do some big huge career change, and you might be looking at some qualification or you might be looking at a job opening. Rather than mulling it over in your head trying to guess what would be the best answer, see if you can go talk to somebody who does it or see if you can go find out some information. Say, for example, you're getting into creative writing and you're not sure whether to start a novel, give a short story a go.
Be open to finding more facts taking action and giving yourself more data to work with so that is my challenge for you today and also before I go, I just want to say try not to go down that all too familiar shitty shame spiral whereby you feel bad for not doing the thing, and then you feel bad for feeling bad about it. Change is scary. It takes a lot of courage, so give yourself some grace. Our brains are also very good at protecting ourselves. And in the words of the fabulous late Barbara Sher, it's only too late if you don't start now. And starting can begin with an incredibly small step. So happy hump day, you are doing fabulously, and I'll see you tomorrow.
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!
1196: On being proud of yourself
Today we’re flipping the script on our inner dreamsh*tters, and singing our own praises!
Episode transcript:
Good morning, Daily Peppers. And a very happy Tuesday to you. Now, around here I know that our inner dreams hitter can be pretty fucking loud. And we spend way more time than is reasonable feeling bad about things, feeling guilty, going down the shame spirals, replaying conversations in our head, and beating ourselves up for things that we did do or things that we didn't do. So today, I wanna flip the script because there are so many reasons that you have to be proud of yourself. Now I know that in the personal development sphere, we're always thinking about where we wanna go and the gap between where we are right now and where we want to be. But for the moment, I want you to, as uncomfortable as it may be, to focus on being proud of where you are right now because you have done a hell of a lot of courageous things in order to be here right now. You have put yourself out there.
You've done really brave and really scary things. And chances are, you've survived a lot of shit too. Rarely do we ever really take account of that. We tend to focus on what we're not doing, what we haven't done, and we don't really take a pause to see just how far we've come. Yes. There might be further you wanna go, but fuck me. You've done a lot. Things might not always have turned out according to plan along the way, but look at all the unexpected good shit that's happened too.
And if looking at things from the big picture just feels too much or inaccessible to you right now, think of one thing about yourself that you're proud of, and I bet there's something that comes to mind. This does feel uncomfortable because it's not really like we're encouraged to do this very often. If you're anything like me, you also might have been brought up with ideas about not getting too high above your station or being too big for your own boots, but you get to toot your own horn. You get to take up space, and you get to say, do you know what? Despite all of this, I'm really fucking proud. So that is exactly what I want you to do today. Either find something you're proud of from the past or find something that you're proud of today. We tend to see ourselves through such a specific lens that tends to be really negative and doesn't factor in all of the brilliant and beautiful things we've done. So today, we are switching out the lens and seeing ourselves through wonderful multicolored glasses.
Have a good one. Happy Tuesday. And remember, as always, that everything changes when you believe you matter.
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!
1195: Arguing with your art supplies
Today’s pep talk is inspired by the argument I’m having my art supplies, and what I’m doing about it.
Episode transcript:
Good morning, Daily Peppers, and a very happy Monday to you. Last week was a reprise week as I haven't been well and I am just so glad to be back and I'm very happy to say that I am feeling much better and much brighter. So today I thought I'd share one of my own stories about getting myself unstuck. So me and my art supplies have been taking it in turns to glare at each other from opposite sides of different rooms. For a long time now, on our travels, we've been lugging around my art toolbox and it's barely been touched, although it has been up many flights of stairs and in and out of the car more times than I can count. And I've been having this real tug of war between wanting to do creative things and doing everything I can to avoid them. And because I think so much, write so much, and coach so much about creativity, this funny relationship with my art stuff has become a real shame spiral. Well, last week, for the first time in over a year, I got my paints and collage stuff out and I'm not sure what made it happen.
Maybe it's because I've been reading a whole bunch of books about getting inspired. Maybe it's because I finally got sick of being scared of it and sick of my own shit. Maybe it's because I bought this sketchbook when we were in France and I wanted to fill it while we're in Leeds. Or maybe it was just a build up of many different things and the time just came. Now part of me wonders if the why is even important to know, but the curious part of me wins and I can't help but dive in. And this is what I've come to. And I think maybe we all need to hear it today. Sometimes change builds up incrementally behind the scenes rather than from some explosion of courage or a big huge ass effort.
And it can be so hard to see things are changing internally and that we are making progress when we're not yet doing what we want to do. Instead we decide we're failing when we're actually well into the journey. We've almost been taught to expect the cinematic moments of clarity with the soundtrack building up in the background, and to expect this kind of singular inciting instant. But I don't think it often works that way. I think part of the magic in making changes or starting something comes in holding what we want both simultaneously, sacredly and also kind of not giving a shit. Like a balance between it being the most important thing in the world and also a fuck it attitude. And that's what I think has happened with my creativity. I've been trying to figure out how I can make these big deal things into non big deal things in my brain, and I'm starting to think that maybe it's not about trying so damn hard, but rather making things as easy as possible and lowering the stakes.
Because we've all got things we want to do, things we don't want to do but maybe need to do, and a bunch of shit in between. And here's where I get excited. Maybe we've actually started. Maybe we've already taken the incremental steps and we've done it stealthily in a way that our dream shooter hasn't even noticed. And actually, maybe we're a whole lot further ahead than we actually thought we were. So. So that is my food for thought for you as you start this week. Today's episode was taken from one of my letters of rebellion, which I send to my email community every week where I share the real behind the scenes stuff and the experiments I'm trying.
And if you'd like to be part of that community, head over to therebelrousers.com/letters and it would be a joy to have you there. Have a fabulous Monday. I hope you find some unexpected joy and I'll see you tomorrow.
Episode transcript produced automatically 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!
1187: Use your beginning as motivation
It's so easy just to stare down the finish line, that we forget some of the most helpful motivation can come from the start.
Episode transcript:
Good morning, Daily Peppers, and a very happy Wednesday to you. So this week on the Daily pep, we are diving into all things creative process. And creative process is on my mind because next week I'm doing my annual Creative Harvest workshop, which is a really good chance to just pause, sit down, look at the creative seeds you've planted, look at your harvest, and really give some time for you and your projects. You can find out more by going to therebelrousers.com/creativeharvestworkshop that's also in the show notes. But today we're really diving into your why. So yesterday we started talking about the messy middle, and I just want to stay here a bit because I think it's a place where a lot of us get stuck and a lot of us give up. Now I am all for quitting things.
I love the Barbara Sher quote about not finishing things where she says, maybe you got what you came for. And that is sometimes the case. If things don't feel right, if they no longer align with your values, or if you're in a different season of your life, maybe it is time to let it go. But in the moments where you feel like giving up because you lose confidence or faith in yourself and you can't see that you're making progress, here's something that I find really helpful, and it's to spend more time on thinking about why you started rather than where you want to get to. Our brains can get so caught up in the end result, and a lot of the time the reason we're feeling disheartened is because all we can see is how far we have to go. But if we look at the younger us, at the version of us that started the project, we can start to get really inspired by the fact that we're actually doing it. And we can see the intangible wins along the way as well. So if you're feeling stuck right now, think about it in terms of feelings.
How did you want to feel by doing this project? What really called you to it in the first place? And how did you think it was going to add to your life and maybe start there? Try to use curiosity rather than judgment. If you're not feeling that thing right now and see how you can add more of that into it, maybe it's time to tweak the plan. Maybe it's time to shake things up a bit based on what you really wanted out of it. And also ask yourself if that's still what you want right now and if this is still the vehicle that you want to use to get yourself there. I know for me, often when I'm in the middle of something, I become so focused on the minutiae and the imperfections that I often forget why I even wanted to do it in the first place. And reconnect into that spark. And even if you have to be pretty intentional about it and take some time out can really help. So go find your why.
See if you can reignite that spark. And remember that this is a phase that we all go through. You are certainly not alone. And I wonder how you can reframe this as seeing how you're honoring your past self. So try these on for size. See how they fit for you. Happy hump day. And remember, as always, that everything changes when you believe you matter. And you, my dear, really fucking matter.
Episode transcript produced automatically 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!
1186: Throwing glitter at the messy middle
Often, the messy middle sounds better than it feels. So today we're flipping it on its head, and taking another look!
Episode transcript:
So this week on the Daily Pep, we're diving into all things creativity and creative process with the caveat that creativity doesn't just look like getting your paints out. Now yesterday, we started about talking about the beginning of the project. And today, I wanna lend some time to the messy middle. So I think it is a place that we're all familiar with. We start off with the excitement. We start off with all the plans, and the enthusiasm is there. And somewhere around the middle, we forget why we're doing it, and it just feels like a slog. Now we're gonna dive into the why more tomorrow.
But for today, we're really gonna focus on putting more joy in the messy middle. I don't know about you, but the messy middle always sounds a bit more interesting than it actually feels, and it can feel like wading through sludge. But I think rather than forcing ourselves to do the same old thing, maybe it is time that we start upcycling and we start throwing glitter at it. The messy middle is often where we can't necessarily see all the massive progress that we have made. We can only focus on how far we've yet to go, and we forget that process is a huge part of it. And a bit like we rebranded starting things yesterday. Maybe it's actually taking comfort in the messy middle in the fact that you don't have the same fears as you did when you started. You don't have the same fears as you do when you end a project.
What if you could actually start to really enjoy it? What if you start to recognize your own rhythms? And what can you do to enjoy the process of doing? That could look like creating new rituals. It could look like documenting the process in a really fun way, and it could also look like doing some side quests so going down some completely unrelated rabbit holes and letting your brain work its magic. The messy middle can often feel really sticky but the fact is you are doing the work. You are putting the time and the effort in. And it is sometimes really shit that when we most need patience, we have the least of it. Like I was saying a minute ago, there is this opportunity that presents itself in the middle where the starting fear isn't there and the finishing fear isn't quite there either. So maybe this is about trying new things. It's about running experiments, and it is giving yourself some of that newness that really spurred the project on to begin with.
So this is some food for thought for you if you're in the messy middle and also a shitload of empathy because it can feel really hard. It can feel like a lot of work, and it can feel like you're doing everything for nothing. But trust your own process. Trust that you are making waves whether you feel like it or not and keep going. Autumn is the time of the year where I run my annual creative harvest workshop where we really dive into the creative seeds you planted this year and what you're harvesting, and it can be an absolute confidence boost. So I'm running the workshop next Tuesday. I'd love to see you there if it feels good for you. You can find out more about it by going to therebelrousers.com/creativeharvestworkshop, and I've put that link in the chat.
And it's not only a lot of fun, it's really strategic. It will help you feel a lot less alone, and it will also be a really helpful tool to use to plan and make decisions on your projects. So that's happening next Tuesday. I'd love to see you there if you fancy it. But if you take one thing only from this episode, it's that keep going, dig in, find the patience from somewhere, and know that you are further along than you think.
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!
1185: Let’s rebrand starting
This week we’re diving into all things creative process, and today I’m sharing a helpful strategy that I use with my coaching clients and myself, to help get us started!
Episode transcript:
Good morning, Daily Peppers, and a very happy Monday to you. So this week on the daily pep, I thought it would be really fun to dive into our creative process. Specifically, the beginning and the middle and the end of projects. Now, I wanna be really clear that when I mean creative projects, I mean the whole spectrum of creativity. I am a big proponent of this idea that just living your life is a creative process because of the amount of creativity and problem solving it takes to survive. So whether you're a writer, an artist, a photographer, or you feel like you have no creativity in your bones, all of this is applicable to you, whether you are doing a big creative project or whether you're decluttering your house. And today, we're gonna start with starting things. So this can easily feel like the most intimidating part of any project and it is also the part that can really trip us up.
We can get really, really lost in research, and we can get really lost in planning, and that can be productive to a point. But sometimes we just have to say fuck it and start. So I wanna share something that I found really helpful and my coaching clients have also found really helpful and that is reframing the whole starting thing. Because truly, are you really starting from scratch? So many of the things we do are natural consequences or the next steps or the result of something that we've previously done. And maybe starting has a bit of a branding problem, and maybe it's simply rewording it to continuing. I particularly like this as a framework to start the new week or start a new year because it takes the pressure off. It makes it a bit less scary, and it also names what you're actually doing. If we're thinking of starting some big new thing, it is gonna feel intimidating.
But if we can see it as a continuation of some dreams or plans that we've had in the past, then it just takes the edge off a little bit. So whatever you're thinking of starting, how can we rephrase it as continuing? And if it feels nebulous and abstract what you're working on, maybe it's as simple as this. You are continuing to build a life you love because you are never truly starting from scratch. You have so many past experiences and so many things that you've already done that can really help, so bring them along for the ride. Now if you're curious about your creative process, you're curious about whether you have 1, and I assure you you do, and you wanna uncover it and use it more, I've recently created a solo venture, which is all about uncovering your creative process. Now a solo adventure is a bit like a mini DIY retreat. You do it in your own place at your own pace, and it's a really, really good way of diving deep and getting some of those moments and understanding yourself without the massive, gigantic courses that you swear you'll get round to but you never do. And believe me, I'm not judging.
I'm just talking from experience. I wanted to create something that could be done over the course of a really lovely afternoon, giving yourself some quality time with yourself and your creativity. And they're just really damn helpful and will also help lift your creative fire. So if you're curious, you can check that out at therebelrousers.com/creativeprocess. I think you're gonna love it. And here's to continuing, my dears, because we are all too good at telling ourselves we're not doing the thing, and we don't recognize how much we do show up. And you do show up. So happy Monday, have a good one and I'll see you tomorrow.
Episode transcript produced automatically 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!
1184: F*ck lemonade!
We don’t always have to make lemonade from the lemons! Today we’re wrapping up the week with a hearty middle-finger to ‘good vibes only’.
Episode transcript:
Good morning, Daily Peppers. And a very happy Friday to you. Around here we tend to be hard working, we tend to be warm hearted and we try and make the best of every situation. And today I wanna remind you that sometimes it's okay if you're just not feeling it. It's okay if things are feeling a bit shitty, and it's okay if you don't have the best attitude. I think it is so easy for us to internalize this and set we're doing something wrong, But the reality is we can't be positive all the time. To expect that of yourself will not only be impossible, it would be totally unsustainable, and I don't think it'd be particularly healthy either. You are allowed to do your equivalent of stomping in the puddles.
You do not have to turn lemons into lemonade, and it is okay to have a good moan, and it is okay to throw yourself a pity party. I always find a timed pity party quite helpful and give myself a day of the week when I'm gonna go back to my normal activities. But I think it is really healthy and helpful to acknowledge how you feel. We internalize so many things and make them about our self worth when they're really not. How many things you ticked off your to do list this week has nothing to do with your success as a person. And it's always a helpful, not particularly happy reminder that sometimes the people that seem the most happy and successful on the outside are the ones that are feeling the least like that on the inside. So allow yourself to be grumpy. Stop comparing your problems with other people because it is not a game of top trumps.
And know that it is absolutely okay not to be good vibes only all the time. In fact, I, a 100% would not recommend it. And if you are feeling grumpy today, if you're just feeling off or if you're feeling shit, know that this is temporary. Ask yourself what you need. Try to honor it. Ask for help where you can. And if you've beaten yourself up, try not to beat yourself up about beating yourself up, which is a cycle I think many of us are familiar with. So, however you're ending the week, know that you've done enough.
But more importantly, you are enough. And as always, everything changes when you believe you matter. I'll see you 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!
1182: An important hump day reminder
If you need a reminder that no one can do you, like you do you, then listen up!
Episode transcript:
Good morning, Daily Peppers. And a very happy Wednesday and a very happy hump day to you. For today's daily pep, I thought I would share a reminder that I think all of us need to hear, and something that I think is all too easy to forget. So the truth is, there exists no other person exactly like you on this planet. You have this wild, fabulous combination of skills, experiences, ways of seeing the world, tastes, and strengths that nobody else has. And all of those things combined make you absolutely, uniquely you. Now I totally get that there can come some pressure from that. You can end up thinking, well, am I doing what I'm supposed to be doing? Could I be making more of this? What the fuck should I be doing in the first place? And I think those are questions that all of us grapple with on the regular.
I think one of the biggest lies we've been sold is this idea that everybody has their shit figured out apart from you, and it is total bollocks. So if we put the pressure aside for a second, and I know that's not easy, let's look at some truths that come out of the fact that there is nobody like you. Because that means when you're comparing yourself to others, it's never a fair comparison because you are not the same and you're never gonna be the same. Everyone has their own different flavor of magic. And even if you can't describe what yours is, it is there every day, and it shows up whether you recognize it or not. I think so many of us get caught up with not being able to recognize and identify what sets us apart. And I think what can end up happening is we mistake that and end up believing that there's nothing particularly special about ourselves. And that, lovingly, is total bullshit.
You could have a 100 people given the same writing prompt with the same characters based in the same location with the same story arc, and you are gonna have a 100 wildly different stories. There may be overlaps, there may be similarities, but the motivations of the characters, the things that happen in the story are gonna be completely unique to you and your own experiences and your own way of seeing the world through your own unique lens. And that, for me, is where it gets really exciting. We can have fun with it knowing that even if we can't put our finger on what our magic is, it still exists. So whatever you're working on, whatever you're thinking of working on or heavily resisting because it matters so much to you, know that you are gonna infuse it with your own magic, whether or not you can see that for yourself. The world needs what you have to say. You do what you do in a way that nobody else can do it. And if you think about it, that can be pretty fucking inspiring.
So see if you can turn to yourself for inspiration and keep doing the thing even if it feels hard and scary. And it most likely will do because our inner dream chitter really likes to pop up loud and clear when we're doing something that matters to us. And in a way, we can sometimes take that as a good sign that we're maybe on the right track. So take a deep breath. You've got this. You've got things that nobody else in the world has. And you are pretty fucking spectacular. Go out there, do you and know the world is a brighter place for you being in it.
Episode transcript produced automatically 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!
1181: Some questions to power your projects
Big dreams and big projects can power us on, filling us with purpose. But sometimes, they can become daunting and build resentment when we don't get the time to focus on them. Today we're going through some questions to help us focus!
Episode transcript:
Good morning, Daily Papers, and a very happy Tuesday to you. So I've been thinking a lot lately about the big projects and the big dreams we have. Now, on one hand, they can fill us with an enormous amount of purpose and help us keep going, and we can be really inspired by them. But at the same time, if we don't have time to work on them or we believe that we can only make significant progress on them when we have a huge chunk of dedicated time, the resentment can start to build. We can start to get frustrated. Those things can end up on the dreaded someday pile, and it can also be really disempowering. So I wanna pose a couple of questions to you today. Number one, what is the minimum viable way of working on it? Do you really need, for example, three months off work to work on a novel, or could you start building up your writing skills with short stories, or could you build in an hour a week to work on it anyway? Number two, what is it that you want from the big project? And I'm talking feelings here.
How do you really want to feel? And get curious about if there's any other ways to fill that bucket. For example, it can be so easy to think that in order to feel really rested, we need an entire day at the spa, if that's your thing. But, actually, regular mini meditations, while they might not get you to the relaxation state that you want to, they might also start to tend to that need rather than putting that need on the back burner for their, quote, perfect time, which we know rarely arrives. And number three, how can you tap into the identity of the person who does that dream? So if you dream of painting huge murals, how can you feel more like an artist? And how can you start practicing for that role already? These might be some really good prompts to take to your journal today or something to ponder over on your commute or making a cup of tea. But it all comes back to this. You don't have to put your dreams aside to the perfect time. And sometimes it's not about achieving the actual dream itself, but the things that you hope it will give you in terms of feelings, emotions, and a sense of identity. And I truly believe that we can start to do that right now.
So get your thinking cap on. Use that fabulous, curious brain of yours. And remember also that there are seasons for everything. And if it is not your season to work on the big dream right now, that's okay. But figure out what this season is for and how you can give yourself some love in the meantime. I hope you find some fabulous unexpected joy today. And I'll see you again tomorrow.
Episode transcript 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!
1180: Let's think about the long term
Something that's helped me in planning my own life, and a lot of the people I work with, is the idea of alternating calendars. That's what we're diving into on today's episode.
Episode transcript:
Good morning, Daily Peppers. And a very happy Monday to you. It is a fresh new week and whether you're feeling it or you're feeling shit, which I hope you're not, the Daily Peppers here to help you start your week with a compassionate bang. Now I don't know about you, but I'm really good at looking at things short term. I find it second nature just to flip between projects and to look at what is the most urgent, and it can sometimes be really hard to look at the long term or the bigger picture. One of the things that I do that the most with is my calendar. I look at the week that I've got in front of me. I look at what feels good.
I look at anything that I might need to change, but most of all, I'm really good at filling it. And the thing that I don't tend to do, which I think all of us could do with doing more of, is looking at the week gone by and actually looking at whether our current week is doable when we take last week into account and also looking forward on the horizon. So to get us started this week, I really invite you to think about what you need long term. Have a look at your calendar from last week. Have a look at the weeks coming up, and really think about what you need to bear in mind. Something that I have seen be really helpful for a lot of my one to one clients is this idea of having a week a and a week b week. Week a is more of a beast mode week, and week b is more of a fluffy week that builds in time for recovery. And another way of doing this could be having week a as a extroverted week and then week b as a introverted week.
Now we all have wildly different calendars and wildly different levels of control over our calendars. So that might not work for you, but it might be worth thinking about, is there a way that you could adapt that? But, also, what does bigger picture you need from this week? So I invite you to think about that as we start this new week. Know that you are not behind in the grand scheme of things, that you are doing many things that past you is incredibly proud of, and that present you can also be a really big gift for future you. So happy Monday. Here's to looking at the big picture. Here's to recognizing what you need and giving it to yourself where you can, and to remembering, as always, that everything changes when you believe you matter. I'll see you tomorrow.
Episode transcript produced automatically 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!
1179: You don't have to earn fun time
We’re wrapping up this week with a loving (and fun) challenge!
Episode transcript:
On a Friday, it's all too easy to think about what we need to get done and to try and wrap things up with a neat bow. But we know that it's rarely possible and sometimes we just have to say fuck it. Fuck it, you did your best. You got done what you got done and you get to have some fun. So my challenge for you today is this. See if you can find a way to make your Fridays more fun. This could be about adding a bit of a Friday fun tradition. This could be about expecting yourself to get less done on a Friday, or it could be making sure that every Friday, you plan something fun to look forward to on the weekend knowing that that doesn't have to be a huge thing.
It doesn't have to be an expensive thing, and that joy can often be found in the simplest things. Around here, we are really into personal development, into growing, into being the best that we can be, and into getting all the things done. But I think sometimes we forget, and I'm saying this absolutely from personal experience and as me right now, we forget that we also get to enjoy things. We get to do things for the fun of it. And not every moment has to be productive. And not every second of the day has to be a learning moment. So this Friday, I invite you to say fuck it. You don't have to be everything to everybody.
You don't have to do everything. And you are allowed to have days where you are not at your peak. You are a human being. You are definitely not a machine. And it's time to start treating ourselves a bit more human too. So see how you can add a bit more fun into today. See how you can let go and hold things a little bit more lightly, and see what you can check-in the fuck it bucket. You get to have fun and you get to enjoy things without having to earn them.
So that is my challenge for you today. It might be hard. I find it hard too and that's okay. Let's see how we can add the fun. Let's see how we can say fuck it, and happy Friday. I look forward to being back with you in your ears on Monday or in your inbox on Sunday if you're part of my letters of rebellion community. And if you wanna find out more about what that is and join the fun over there, you can do that by going over to therebelrousers.com/letters. Have a good one and I'll see you soon.
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!
1177: You are growing (whether you feel like it or not)
Happy hump day! Today we’re giving ourselves a midweek boost, and a loving reminder on our growth.
Episode transcript:
Good morning, Daily Peppers, and a very happy Wednesday to you. It is hump day. Sometimes we struggle with a bit of motivation and inspiration during the middle of the week. And that is exactly for what today's episode is for. To give you a bit of a boost and to remind you the things that are true that you might not see. So today I want to talk a bit about evolving. Now if you see somebody every single day, you don't tend to notice the changes that might be really obvious if for example, you haven't seen them in a couple of years. That could include physical attributes.
It could include different strengths and different ways you're seeing them growing. But if you tend to see somebody every day, those things aren't really immediately obvious. And the same is true for ourselves. If we look at a picture of ourselves 10 years ago, we're probably gonna notice a lot of changes. But day to day, we don't tend to notice that much because we are so close to ourselves, and that counts for the ways we're growing as well. Change is often gradual, is often a lot slower than we'd like, but it doesn't mean it's not happening. We tend to see growth as this idea of having huge epiphanies. And if it was a graph, there'd be huge spikes.
But the reality is a lot different. But because we can't necessarily see the gradual growth, it can be really easy to believe that we're not growing. A fun way of looking at this could be to look at your life right now. Think about you from last year, and think about what doesn't feel so hard anymore. Think about the different things that you've done, the different skills that you've grown, and the different ways you're able to react to something differently. Personal growth is a bit of a funny fucker because it can feel like unless we are this future idealized version of ourselves, we're not doing it right. And along the way, we really do discount all of the huge things that have changed. Our brains have a built in negativity bias and a confirmation bias, so chances are, as you listen to this, all you can think about is the things that you said you'd do or wanted to do that you haven't.
But look at the things that weren't even on the plan that you've done. And for those things that you haven't done, think what the very easiest and simplest first step would be, and know that that takes a shitload of courage. If you think about somebody who really wants to learn to swim, when they've been swimming for 5 years and they are regularly beating their personal best, that is technically harder. But actually, the hardest thing is opening the door and getting in the pool that first time. So keep that in mind. Try and be a bit kinder to yourself today about what you have actually done. Know that you do have a shitload of courage and that you are growing even if you can't see it. Have a good hump day, I hope you find some unexpected joy. We are so close to Friday. And as always remember that everything changes when you believe you matter.
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!
1176: You can do it, part 2
We can often be haunted by the ghosts of projects past, and create stories to trick ourselves into thinking we’re people who don’t get things done. But we are!
Episode transcript:
Good morning, Daily Peppers, and a very happy Tuesday to you. So yesterday we kicked off the week with a reminder that you can do it and that you do have your own back. And today I kind of want to do part 2. And I want to remind you that you are somebody that shows up. As multi passionates, sometimes we look at our lives and all we can see are the unfinished projects, the things we haven't finished, or the things we have yet to do. And we completely disregard this notion that we are people who show up, but you really are truly somebody who shows up. You are here right now as you are every day, and you are doing the things. The thing is success looks different every single day.
So you might have had a beast mode yesterday. So today is a fluffy day, but one doesn't undermine the other. Showing up is over half the battle no matter how cheesy that sounds, and you do show up. And give yourself grace for the times that you don't show up in the ways that you might want to be showing up. And also bear in mind that in the nicest possible way, and I'm including myself in this too, we are probably one of the worst people we could choose to show ourselves just how much we do show up because we tend to concentrate on when we don't. And we create huge honking, untrue stories about the type of person that we are. And it is all too easy to buy into the version of us that our dream shitter would paint. So if you can't say it to yourself, take it from me.
You are somebody who shows up. You show up fully to your life even when it's hard. You keep going. You keep trying, and you're doing your best. Your best is different on different days. So however this episode finds you, give yourself a bit of a break. Think about what you would say to a dear friend or loved one, and give that gift to yourself instead. Keep going, take a break when you need to, and remembering that struggling doesn't mean failure, it simply means that you are human.
Have a fabulous Tuesday and I can't wait to see you tomorrow.
Episode transcript produced automatically 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!
1175: You can do it, part 1
We’re kicking this week off on The Daily Pep! with an important reminder.
Episode transcript:
Good morning, Daily Peppers. And a very happy Monday for you. So, I wanted to kick off this fresh new week with a boost of motivation. And to remind you that you are doing the things, you are getting there, and you have done more than you think you have. It is so easy to look forward and see what we haven't done and beat ourselves up about the things that didn't go perfectly right. But let's also make space to celebrate the things that weren't even on your plan, that you didn't know that you didn't know, that you have absolutely smashed, my dear. All too often, we look outside of ourselves for motivation and we forget that we ourselves are pretty fucking badass. We have done a whole shitload of things, whether we can remember them or recall them right now.
And we've also all done a shitload of brave things. So go into this week knowing that you, my dear, you have your own back. You can do the hard scary things and you also get to experience the joy as well. Not everything goes according to plan and sometimes that is the best possible thing that could happen. So see if you can find some magic in the mistakes. Look to yourself for inspiration and know that you really are going into this week further ahead than you think you are. And something I have to regularly remind myself is that when you're doing the brave, hard, scary things, they very rarely feel like you're being courageous. So maybe if you're feeling wobbly, take this as a sign of strength.
So keep going, you can do it, and be on your own damn team. I'll see you tomorrow.
Episode transcript produced automatically 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!
1174: On finding your wins, and arbitrary goals
Today I’m talking about how freezing my tits off taught me to rethink what can sometimes be arbitrary goals!
Episode transcript:
Good morning, Daily Peppers. And a very happy Friday to you. You, my dear, have made it. And to wrap up this week on the daily pet, I wanted to share a realization I've had this week that I think you might be able to relate to. So, one of my goals right now is to move my body more. And it is all too easy to get into tracking things. Now trackers can often be really helpful, and sometimes they can be pretty unhelpful. I know with my Fitbit, if I concentrate too much on the sleep tracking, I get myself really wound up about it and that doesn't help.
But I do find the step counter pretty helpful. But I do think we have to be really careful in actually when we don't meet our exact goals. And this is what reminded me of this this week. So it was 11:30 at night and I was taking my dog, Merlin, out for his late night wee. And I realized that I was on about 9,200 steps. Now I am not trying to get to 10,000 steps a day right now, but any day that I can, it feels good. So it's pretty late at night. I'm freezing my tits off, and I'm trying to figure out, okay, do I try and just leg it around for 20 minutes and get those extra steps, or do I just count today as a win? And as I was thinking about it, I was thinking how ridiculous it would be to force myself to essentially walk around in circles at half 11 at night just to reach that elusive 10,000 number when, ultimately, it didn't matter, and 10,000 is pretty arbitrary.
And it got me to thinking about how much we beat ourselves when we don't reach our exact target and completely fail to see just how far we have got. Because the difference between me doing 9,100 steps and 10000 steps that day, who really gives a fuck? It doesn't make that much of a difference. Yet our dream shitter can really use it as evidence to show that we're not doing enough and we're not committing to our goals seriously enough. So for this Friday, I just wanna say a huge fuck it. You are doing the thing even if you are not doing it perfectly. Watch out for the arbitrary goals which completely dismiss the wins that you're already doing. And here's to also giving yourself a bit of a break. Whatever goals we've got in life, whatever we're working towards, we're not working towards that in a silo.
And by that, I mean, we have a shit ton of other things going on in every aspect of our lives, yet so much of the time, we barely take that into account when we're wondering why things are harder than we thought they would be or we're not doing it perfectly. So fuck perfect. Keep going. You are doing good enough. And here's to doing something for yourself this weekend. Not because you deserve it, because fuck having to deserve doing things for ourselves, but because I'm pretty sure you need it. So happy Friday. Have a good one. And here's to the 9,100 being enough.
Episode transcript produced automatically 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!