Alexia | Alexia Petrakos

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Jun 11

Starred Items: Doing the Unstuck

Remember that post I wrote a while back about my fastest path to cash? Well, it’s working. I officially brought in enough to cover bills this month! Yay me!

Hubs took me out to Five Guys (yummiest burgers & fries ever) to celebrate.

We don’t get out much.

And not only that, because I’ve been taking a class on money matters/fear and dealing with a few big icks lately on top of refocusing on the things that bring in money relatively quickly, things are flowing again. And the next few months are RIPE with possibilities for even more.

One thing that I realized is the moment I decided, the moment I focused, things started falling into place. Clients came back for more work, amazing twitter folk were referring work to me, and biz even started popping in the other places I wasn’t focusing on much.

I’m one busy gal this summer!

Anywho, here’s stuff that’s been blowing my mind this week:

The Tiny Soprano asks Can We Stop Talking About Stuck, Please? Her remedy? Trust. I like that.

A new discovery this week: a site called A Big Creative Yes. And the post that hit me? How To Have Bigger, Better, Bolder and More Beautiful Creative Ideas.

New way to think about productivity in 6 New Productivity Principles to Live By. I especially like #2: Fresh Starts Every Day. Don’t beat yourself up for not doing what you said you’d do the day before. Start every day as if it’s all you have. Anyone who caught my call with Chrissy of Indie Biz Chicks knows the beef I have with the productivity crowd. If you want to listen, you can get a copy of all the audios for the Summer Biz Sessions PLUS worksheets & stuff here using my affiliate link (come on, it’s only $15!).

And lastly, I won (!!) a space in the World Changing Writing Workshop (aka WCWW) this week thanks to the lovely Pace & Kyeli generously running a writing contest. It’s already started, so you can’t get in (boo!) but I’m sure they’ll do something neat like release a home-study version.

And if you’re not too sure where “Doing the Unstuck” comes from, I give you The Cure…

**You may ask yourself, “Why has she used a kitty as the image for this post?” Because everything’s better with kitties. And the Cure. Yep.

photo credit: TrishHamme

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Posted in Links creativity stuck trust money

Jun 04

Starred Items: You Are Enough

If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you know that I’m pretty big on creativity. The expression and cultivation of it is intensely interesting, and I read everything I can get my hands on about it. This week’s Starred Items is no different.

I’ve seen a flurry of posts lately on “enoughness” and fighting the thoughts that say you’re not good enough, you’re not doing enough, you’re not living up to your creative potential. It’s kinda serendipitous because I’ve been writing the same kinds of things in my daily writing.

So in the spirit of creativity & being enough, here are my starred items for this week. Have a fantastic weekend!

Befriending the Hounds of More: As a creative person, I know I’m always pursued by a pack of these hounds. They bark “You can do more!” and make you feel like dirt when you’re not doing enough.

Little but Really Useful Guide to Creativity: Funny how we complicate things. Creativity is a natural extension of all of us (yes, you, too) and you just need to nurture it.

Effective Solopreneur: Aligning with Your Natural Creativity Cycles: Even creativity has cycles. Here’s a quick guide on the four stages and how to identify them. Nancy also gives some tips on how this cycle relates to your business.

10 reasons to just do something creative and not care about the result: Sometimes you just need to do something without being pressured to perform or come up with the next huge thing for you or your biz.

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Posted in Links creativity cycles hounds solopreneur starred items

Jun 02

I must remember

I’ve been doing a mix of Morning Pages and LaVonne’s 2500 words/day challenge (#2500wds on Twitter) the past week. And frankly, I’m freaking myself out.

Things that have been plaguing me since I’ve been able to think abstractly are coming clear and how to un-stick myself from these old beliefs is pouring out of me.

And it’s scary. Really. I mean, it’s a good scary. If scary can be good. I guess you can call it more freaky than scary…

I didn’t realize that 2500 words in 45 minutes is some kind of feat (I timed myself, and several of my twitter friends seem to be in awe)… But to know that what pours out is my prescription? To read my words and realize how much I’ve been holding myself back? To know that all I have to do is remember who I am?

Freaky.

In my daily writings, I’ve written two words more often than any others.

Repetition and Remember.

I must remember who I am. And I must keep repeating this to myself so I don’t forget.

If I can get the hubster to suspend his distaste for tattoos for one minute, I may just get one.

“Remember” tattooed across the inside of my wrist.

Maybe.

P.S. Did I mention I’m chickenshit?

Photo Credit: Christa Sawyer: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/clsawyer

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Posted in Life 2500 words remember repetition Writing

May 28

Morning Pages and Seriously Stabby Knee Pain

So, how’ve you done with the challenge I issued so far?

Me? I did my Morning Pages four out of five days this week. Pretty good for a start!

And I attribute the fact that I’m 75% done with a new freebie for my WPChick.com subscribers to these Morning Pages. I should be done this weekend & I’ll release it next week to my list.

LaVonne Ellis of The Complete Flake also issued a similar challenge to write 2500 words/day and even started up a hash tag for Twitter. Warning: her post truly is 2500 words long. Just read the first & last paragraphs & the comments to get the gist of it.
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Quick update on my Couch-to-5K journey: I’m done. Can’t go further. Doctors (both GP & Chiropractor) have told me to quit jogging because it’s too much of a strain on the joints.

And boy do I FEEL it. I have been in agony all week with serious stabby knee pain. Aparently I have patellofemoral pain from my one week of “too much, too soon” C25K.

So I’m icing my knees, stretching gently and taking mounds of ibuprofen gelcaps (don’t worry, I’m not OD’ing).

Doc recommended a podiatrist and physical therapy but since my insurance has a $3k deductible and I don’t really have that much to spend on rehab & orthotics, I’m going to bug the snot out of my neuromuscular therapist friend and get fitted for a good pair of stabilizing walking shoes from the Big Peach Running Company.

After I’m all healed up or at least can walk down the stairs without stabby pain, I’ll start walking.

Fun! I guess I was a little too enthusiastic about the mind-body connection to remember the limitations of truly going from couch to 5k… And I realized that the mind-body connection goes both ways. Body feels good = brains work better.

Body feels like shite = brains don’t work for shite, energy levels crash and nothing works.

So, take care of yourself. Please.

And Couch-to-5K doesn’t really mean you can jump off the couch and start the training program, despite what they say.

So, anything new in you-land?

*notes for comments: Not looking for sympathy for my knees. It was stupid and as an ex-martial artist I should know better. Hubs gets me sorbet and chocolate so I’m good on the sympathy front.

photo credit: Ulrik De Wachter http://www.sxc.hu/profile/Ulrik

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Posted in Life fitness julia cameron morning pages pain

May 26

A challenge and a call to more creativity

On Monday I gave my newsletter readers a way to come up with and develop ideas and challenged them to start writing every morning. Three pages of anything that comes to their minds, no censoring, with the intent of dumping their brains on paper (plop).

I got this from reading Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way a few years ago and whenever I do my Morning Pages regularly, things start clicking, ideas start flowing, I get stuff done.

When I was younger, I did this without knowing about the Artists Way. I wrote in my journal daily. Not much of it was interesting or even coherent. A lot of it was whining and complaining but there really is something to getting all that gunk out of my brain and making room for the good stuff.

This was as much a challenge for me as for my awesome newsletter subscribers. So far I’ve done my Morning Pages every day. Nine pages of scribbles.

If you’re on my list, have you done your Morning Pages?

If you’re not on my list (and if you want to be, sign up here), will you take up the challenge and let me know how it goes next week?

photo credit: juliejordanscott

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Posted in creativity creativity julia cameron morning pages the artists way Writing

May 18

Now this is a testimonial…

I did a coaching session with Yolanda, helping her with trying to figure out her new “thing” in light of her strengths and things she loves to do.

After our very first call, this is what she sent me:

Okay here’s the deal, you have a head-cold. You are the same awesome person you were yesterday but when you think about it you’re a little “head-cold-foggy”. Then someone hands you a “head-cold-cure” pill. You pop it and all the fog is gone. You are still awesome but suddenly your awesomeness is so much more clear. That’s the best description I can think of because when you work with Alexia there are so many things that happen.

You might have been thinking “I wonder if I can do that” and then 10 minutes later you’re thinking “Of course I can do that, what was I thinking?!” THAT’S the mojo that is Alexia. You will see yourself and all your awesome powers in a whole new way, you will be energized to move forward, she’ll put the pieces together for you and you’ll know exactly what you need to do.

Today I’m seeing my mission in a whole new way and it’s really cool.

Make your appointment for the free 20 minute session, by the time you’re finished you will not only know your value you will feel it too. Seriously.

I’m rarely speechless. But I often cry. And this was a time for both.

Thanks, Yolanda. And I can’t wait to see what comes next!

And if you’re moved to sign up for a free 20-minute call (no strings attached), go here and pick a time that’s best for you.

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Posted in Biz testimonial

May 17

Mind-Body Connection

Late last week I read this article by Johnathan Fields about how exercising your body also makes your brain work better.

And I’ve been feeling a bit foggy (part of that is the thyroid crud I deal with…) and slow. I know something’s up because I used to write in my Idea Book at least once a week and spent an hour pouring out all the ideas I had collected during the week. I haven’t touched it in months.

So I finally decided it’s time to get moving again for the sake of my brain and my business as well as my own health.

Today I started the Couch-to-5k program using probably the best-designed C25k app I’ve seen. I used an “on the go” playlist and headed out the door.

I made it without puking (although I felt like it once), and I did 5 of the 8 running intervals and did the entire 30 minutes without stopping once. My hands are swollen and my face is still burning. But I count it a success. Wednesday I’ll see if I can make it all the way through.

I hesitated announcing this to the world because usually I give up on something like this after the first week. But I’m hoping the accountability thing will kick my arse enough to get me out there 3x a week.

…and the very last song on the playlist at the end of the first day? “Be Still My Beating Heart” by Sting.

It’s not healthy to run at this pace. Blood runs so red to my face

Yeah….

Photo by Ariel da Silva Parreira – http://www.sxc.hu/profile/arinas74

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Posted in Life c25k health jogging

May 15

Art: Houses & meaning…

It’s been a while since I’ve posted any of my art, mainly because I’ve not done much.

But yesterday it hit me, hard. I ripped open the pack of watercolor paper I’d ordered last week and tore one sheet into 8″x10″ and went at one with my Inktense colored pencils and a paint brush.

And this is what came out:

Yeah it’s a little lopsided…

But I woke up this morning finally realizing what these houses mean to me. I’ve been painting/drawing them since last year (see: houses journal on flickr) and they keep popping up in my journal.

They’re usually the same shape. They always have one door and no windows. The door doesn’t have a doorknob.

I think you can guess what it means by now… but just in case. It’s feeling trapped. In a box. With no way out. No sense of what’s outside either. and just so you get an idea of how it’s situated on the page, there is nothing outside.

I guess I’ll leave it at that. In spite the kinda depressing meaning of what I painted yesterday, it felt good to make art. And I should do it more often…

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Posted in Art house inktense painting red watercolor

May 13

What’s your fastest path to cash? How I’m refocusing in a time of cash flow crisis.

Cash flow has been at the front of my brain the past few weeks in that it’s not positive. Yep. Not Good.

After a few panic-filled crying spells, I decided to see this as an opportunity instead of a problem and re-evaluate where I spend my time. So I asked myself:

“Who can I help? Who can I serve? What’s my fastest path to cash?”*

I’ve toyed with the idea of finding a part-time job, but adding up gas, time commuting and part-time job wages, I can’t justify it. So my fastest path to cash right now is WPChick.com.
( Read more )

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Posted in Biz business cash flow opportunity

May 07

Friday Lynx

I’ve been fascinated by big cats since I was a kid. So I’m renaming (at least for this week) my Friday Starred Items to “Friday Lynx.”

Because I feel like it.

It’s been a few weeks since I did this, and I’ve been waffling on my posting schedule (because I’m not one for routine or schedules…).

There are only three this week because I’ve neglected to bookmark the awesomeness I’ve been reading (and because part of my getting sh*t done thing requires I reduce my input… ).

The Lynx!

F*ck Conventional Wisdom: Why do we have to follow what everyone else thinks is “common sense?” I mean, why do I have to pick one thing and stick to it for 20 years? Why do I have to be an employee? Why must I sit quietly and be ladylike? And the “truth” that all artists will starve and never make a penny? Hmph.

If I’m so Smart, Why Aren’t I Rich? Crystal & I tossed around this question a while back on twitter and she came up with two answers: fear about money & being driven by emotions. And I think she got it right. For me, I think I’ll add in lack of focus and spending too much time on stuff that doesn’t engage my true strengths.

Why You’re Still Stuck Trying To Find Your Life Purpose: Cath Duncan at the newly-renamed Agile Living gives some hope to those of us still trying to find what everyone else calls your true passion. Truth is, you may not have just one, and that’s perfectly OK. I don’t have just one, and it rankles me to hear coaches & productivity folks & career counselors repeat “find your passion” in the singular. That’s such a loaded statement, full of crazy-making urgency that if you don’t find your “one passion” that your life will suck. Cath brings a whole lot of sanity to this whole notion of finding your purpose.

So, what awesomeness has your brain swirling this week? Leave the links in the comments!

photo credit: vmaidens