My painting installed! And defining success on your own terms...

Today marks the end of the 7 Days of Gentle Business reminders Naomi Arnold, Amanda Rootsey and I have shared on social media.

I’ve been pondering what to write you today, and I can’t get past the first post I shared, which was to Define Success in Alignment with Your Values. It’s been so warmly received, and I don’t want you to miss it if you’re not on Instagram or Facebook, so I’ve decided to post it on my blog also.

Much of that post comes from the book I’m currently writing about living a creative life, so if you enjoy it, please stay tuned for the book in a few months time (I can’t wait to publish my first book on Amazon – Oh, be still my beating heart!!!).

When we define success in alignment with our values, it’s the key to finding soulful satisfaction. In contrast, when we follow other people’s, or society’s, definition of success, we can find ourselves wondering what we’re missing when we reach our perceived level of success, and notice our heart is still longing for something more.

When I was painting the commission for The Star on the Gold Coast at the end of last year, I knew if I was to cultivate one of my values, which is to be gentle, I needed extra supports to help me navigate the very tight deadline.

My process of painting means once you start, you can’t really stop. The oil paint has to be worked while it is still wet. Which is fine for a normal sized painting, but when the painting measures a whopping 12 x 3 meters, it takes a special kind of physical stamina and mental focus.

I knew I needed help.

I slept in the van at the studio a few nights, so I could start fresh and early in the morning, before the paint had dried.

In order to switch off my mind and find ways to calm my nervous system before I went to sleep (working on a commission is quite different to just painting what you want to, you have to adhere to colour schemes and meet multiple people’s expectations, which can be quite stressful) I downloaded a very handy app for my phone.

The app is called Buddhify and what I loved about it was the way I could choose a meditation to suit whatever activity I was currently doing, from falling asleep, to waiting around, to beginning the day; it had multiple mindfulness based meditations which I found immensely useful.

They helped me be gentle with myself.

(Here are some photos of the painting being installed. I can’t wait to get up to the Gold Coast with a wide-angle lens to take some other shots to show you – and see it for myself!)

Once you know your values, finding ways to act on them and bring them into your life is where the gold is found. Values are a tool, much like a compass, pointing us in the direction we want to go. But it’s not until we find ways to incorporate them into our lives and take action on them, that we get to experience the fulfilment, purpose and satisfaction of living in alignment with them.

How can you find ways to act in line with your values today?

If you value creativity, is there a book, class, workshop, or art material you would like to give to yourself to inspire your personal expression? If you don’t want to take out your wallet, is there a way you can use what you already have to act on your values and nurture your creativity, right now?

Is there a new recipe you’d like to make, or do you simply need to give yourself permission to spend time doing what your heart longs to do? Maybe you have creative materials tucked away in the cupboard which you can pick up again, pursuits such as needlepoint, watercolour, playing with acrylics, knitting, quilting or sewing?

Free Video Series on Gentle Business

Amanda, Naomi and I will be sharing a free video series about how we incorporate gentleness into our businesses this week. I invite you to register your interest here if you haven’t already, to get to hear our personal experiences and tips.

This week I’m going to continue writing my book while we are at anchor. We will likely be in Port Stephens for another week, judging by the weather, before we head further north.

It’s been lovely seeing so many dolphins while we’ve been here, including two baby dolphins, sooo cute! I’ve loved spending time with my gorgeous step-daughter Skye and her boyfriend onboard too, before they move to New Zealand (we will miss her like crazy).

Well, wishing you a beautiful week. Here’s to clarifying and taking action on our values, helping us to create a life well lived.

~ Nicola

PS. In summary, you’re invited to register for the free video series Amanda Rootsey, Naomi Arnold and I are putting out this week on Gentle Business -it’s going to be lovely!

And you’re invited to read my post on defining success in alignment with your values here.