If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to work with me personally, this gives you a good sense of the tasks you’ll face. The 5-day challenge is a sneak peek at some of the tools I unveil as a part of the 5-month Steer Your Ship program, delivered in fun chunks of five minutes or less.

With this free audio series, you’ll:

• get familiar with my essential tool for growing your business locally
• make more time for the light-hearted in your life — and find out what that means for your income
• take the ultimate “before” snapshot that will fuel your business growth in the coming year
• determine the area of your business you’d most like to grow — and how to start growing it
• learn my secret for getting most any new business venture to happen in a jiffy
• figure out the best way to market your business for enjoyable growth

We’ll dive deep into your business in a fun and practical way. It’s completely free, so go on and get yourself on board for the next 5 days.

To set sail, simply pop your e-mail into the box. (And yes, I will be referring to you as “seaman” throughout the series.)

Hugs,

Kristen

Want to read it on the blog? 5 days to a better business? You betcha.

Sarah Von Bargen has been writing for 13 years and blogging for five. Her blog Yes and Yes is read by 11,000+ every day even though she sometimes blogs about cat outfits. When she’s not blogging about travel or giving advice, she helps small businesses, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits become awesome on the internet with her Solution Sessions.

If you’ve got a blog for your business (which, um, I really would suggest) you probably don’t need help coming up with ideas for Facebook updates. But maybe you only blog once a week. Or maybe you’re just not a blogger.

What should you be posting on your business’s Facebook page to keep your followers engaged and excited?

I’m so glad you asked, friend! Here are eight clever, helpful, ‘like’able things that you can post on your business’s Facebook page.

1. Infographics

Gosh, but people love these. Just google image search ‘[topic related to your business] + infographic’ and you’ll find about a million helpful images. Infographics about hair if you own a salon! Infographics about fitness if you’re a health coach! Infographics about marriage if you’re a relationship therapist!

2. Links to your services page with a little reminder about what you do

Maybe people know that you offer long-term coaching, but they don’t know that you also offer one-time 45 minutes calls. Or you’ve been so busy promoting your new product that people forgot you also consult on larger projects. Write up some quippy copy, paste in an applicable image (maybe a screenshot of your testimonial page?) and then link that business up!

3. Promotions or sales you’re running

Obviously, right? Again, add an applicable image. You can make one in Picmonkey – super easy and you don’t even have to download anything!

4. Fill-in-the-blank questions

“The worst hairstyle I ever had was __________”
“The best relationship advice I’ve ever heard was ____________”
“My favorite day trip destination is ______________”

You get the idea. Ask them something that’s ‘on brand’ and be sure to ‘like’ and reply to their comments. If people leave really good comments, you can turn them into a crowd-sourced blog post – giving them credit of course.

5. Surveys or quizzes

They’re easy to create and people love taking them! Quiz your followers on a topic that fits with your brand. For example, if you’re a boutique you could ask them:

A pussy bow is:

a) a bow that a cat wears

b) a large, floppy bow on the front of a blouse

c) a weapon used to hunt leopards

d) I thought this was a family-friendly Facebook page!

6. Images + quotes
I know this silly and obvious but people love it. Really! Search Etsy for prints with quotes related to your field (for a stylist! for a bike shop!) and paste the image on your Facebook page. Of course, include a link to the Etsy listing in the caption of the post so the artist gets credit.

If you’d like to make your own pretty quotes try recitethis.com.

7. Links to things that your followers would find useful

When you share helpful information with your Facebook followers you show them that you’re not a greedy traffic hoarder, you’re not a self-promotion machine, and you want to be of service to them. When you find an article/blog post/app/platform that would be of use to your followers, tell them! If you’re a travel blogger, link to Airbnb. If you’re an accountant, link to Expensify. Your followers will so appreciate it!

8. Nice things that people say about you

Anytime you do an interview or someone writes about your services or a client of yours does something awesome, post about it. Bonus points for prefacing your self-promotion with something humorous and self-deprecating.

See? A plethora of awesome stuff to keep that page active and fun! What other things do you post about on your business’s Facebook page?

Want to read it on the blog? 8 Clever things to post on your Facebook business page

Markets everywhere are saturated for everything. If you go to Brooklyn, the number of artisan pickle makers is off the freaking charts. You can’t let market saturation be your top reason for starting (or not starting) a business.

Step into a Barnes and Noble store and see how many thousand and thousands of books are competing on the shelves with my book for attention. Judging by those odds, I’d have to say that I’m pretty much hosed! I should probably just give up on this writing thing, shut this blog down, and go about my merry way.

No? You wouldn’t advise that for me? I wouldn’t advise giving up your dreams so easily for you, either.

I simply have to trust that the right people will find the book. I also have to trust that it was created by two people who knew exactly what they were doing. Who were very clear about the target market who would enjoy it thoroughly. Who created an amazing product and had a lot of fun in the process.

So, if you want to get into the photography business because it seems like something you should do or it’s something that other people say you should do — that is not reason enough and you will be out within a year.

If you want to get into photography because you simply cannot avoid it, then go for it. Forget the masses and the markets that are straining with new portfolios, because none of those businesses bring YOU to the table.

Further — if there’s something that specifically speaks to you about photography, then explore that topic or interest to the fullest. If there’s something you enjoy completely, even though others don’t get it — keep doing it.

Let’s say you enjoy photographing mannequins in construction sites. Awesome! Do that with all your heart!

At some point, you’ll probably be tempted because you’re not making big money with those mannequins in construction site photos. You’ll be tempted to be, like, “Aww, I’ll be a baby photographer.” That’s when it’s all over.

You have to go with your heart and your gut. Ask yourself: what is it that I’m trying to do? What is it that I absolutely love doing? What is it I could love doing for the rest of my life, even if I’m not getting paid for it?

That’s the best place to begin.

Know someone who’s struggling with this issue? Please share this article with them.

Want to read it on the blog? Is it time to start a new business?

There’s no faking a smile like that. We did it!

We raised enough to donate $12,000 to Flying Kites, meaning that two of the kids under their care are fully funded for one year. Room, board, healthcare, food, education, transportation, and big big hugs: done.  Thanks to each and every one of you who purchased the book!

Because I’ve gotten what I need financially from Change the World, Dammit! — a 3-month orphan-hugging adventure to Kenya for me and for my husband, Matt — I’m able to offer a pay-what-you-can sale in honor of Brand Camp’s 4th birthday.

That’s why today, no matter where you are in the world, Change the World, Dammit! is available at a pay-what-you-can price.

People in over 50 countries have downloaded the first chapter of Change the World, Dammit! — and I know it’s just not feasible for some of you to drop $249 USD on a product in the name of changing your world and your business, no matter how awesome it is.

Here’s how it works:

Send an e-mail to brandcamponline@gmail.com telling me your story — WHY you want Change the World, Dammit! and how much you can afford to pay for it right now. Feel free to pay in creative ways if that suits you, too!

If your request is approved — meaning you aren’t like, “I’ll give 10 cents because I’m just being a cheap dickbag,” — my assistant will whip up a custom promo code on your behalf so you can checkout at your customized price.

Please do your best to be fair to the hundreds of hours I spent creating the product, as well as my commitment to donate $10 per book sold to Flying Kites. Then let your proposal rip: brandcamponline@gmail.com

Already have the book (or submitting a proposal to get yours today)?  Please do me the honor of spreading the word about today’s sale via a Facebook post or a Twitter update. Some ideas for sharing:

Love this! Pay-what-you-can day for @kristenkalp’s Change the World, Dammit! http://bit.ly/Y57bcm >> click to tweet

Business owners – check out pay-what-you-can-day for @kristenkalp’s Change the World, Dammit!http://bit.ly/Y57bcm >> click to tweet

To link on Facebook — tell peeps what you like about the book and include a link to this post: http://bit.ly/Y57bcm — thanks in advance for spreading the word! It’s my honor to reach entrepreneurs all over the globe, and I’m so grateful to be able to offer this sale.

To big dreams — and with big hugs –
Kristen

Want to read it on the blog? Pay-what-you-can sale, hooray!

For better or worse, there’s no aging and slightly balding boss coming around to peek over your cubicle and ask about those TPS reports. There’s no one to ask, “Hey, did you get that done?” and no one to fire you when you admit that you’ve been watching old episodes of Homeland instead of working on your business.

We humans need that. We need accountability. We also need to get better and better at following our hearts as much as we follow the money.

A while ago, I was commissioned by a very (very) profitable company to write a book. It was all going well and then suddenly it was like, “Oh, this just doesn’t feel right.” I didn’t say this out loud to the company peeps. I just got off the phone and I called my business partner. I said something wasn’t right. She was like, “Then you don’t do it.”

But I was like, “Yeah, it is great money and it would be totally great. I could make it work. I could totally fit it in.” Then I heard myself. I gasped, contacted the company, and killed the project.

You are not Tim Gunn! You do not have to “make it work!”

This is crucial to your entrepreneurial mindset: you are the boss of you. You have enough. You are enough.

Only agree to projects that light you up. “It’s OK” is not enough to recommend something if you are an entrepreneur, because there is no one there kicking you in the ass to get you excited about that project.

If a project doesn’t set your mind and heart on fire, you’re not going to put as much effort into it as you should. You will push it off and push it off until the last possible second. It won’t be as rewarding in the end, either, because the money isn’t going to be enough to bring you satisfaction.

The client could just keep adding zeros to the end of your paycheck, but if it is something you hate doing, it’s not going to be enough.

To stay unstuck and to enjoy your run as an entrepreneur, chase the projects that light you up like a Christmas tree.

Then get out your Google calendar and go to town. To further your transition from a day job mentality to an entrepreneurial one, have (and keep!) a regular schedule.

Be accountable to someone, somewhere. That means you’re going to have a schedule and say, “I’m going to accomplish this, this and this” — and let someone know what you’re going to accomplish.

Whether that’s by posting it on Facebook, saying, “Hi guys! This is what I’m going to get done,” or by telling a specific person, such as your spouse or your best friend about your game plan.

Tell someone what you are going to do and the timeframe you are going to do it in.

Further, create a consequence if you don’t get the day’s tasks done.

For example? If I don’t get this done, I can’t go out on a hot date with my man. If I don’t get this done, I can’t go shopping this weekend. If I don’t get this done, my kid won’t get that new toy I promised them. That will break his/her/my heart. OK, the stakes are higher, let’s get this done.

The ultimate rule for unstuckedness as an entrepreneur? Stick with projects that light you up, then implement a schedule which includes accountability and consequences.

Got other ways to think like an entrepreneur, especially for those transitioning out of their day jobs?  Please share in the comments!

Want to read it on the blog? How to ditch the day job mentality and think like an entrepreneur

This, of course, led to panic. When does the shit hit the fan? What am I being prepared for? What am I going to lose? I don’t want Matt/Hermione D. Granger/my mom to die/get sick/have troubles/be in a car accident!

I remember asking, “Is there a limit to how good life can be?”

The answer: “There is no limit on happiness in this universe. It’s on infinite supply.”

I stopped freaking. Something about that statement rang true deep in my bones, my soul, my toes, my…what’s lower than your toes? It rang in THAT place.

When those same fears of how good life can be pop up, we often hold ourselves back from trying something new. Everything is so good, or “fine,” and we don’t want to rock the boat or meet that invisible glass ceiling that controls how much happiness we’re allowed.

But there IS no glass ceiling.

When we refuse to believe we deserve to be happy or that our world can change, we’re dealing with an issue of feeling worthy. “Who am I to have _______, ______, AND _____?” “I’m too small/tiny/insignificant to change the world.” “Maybe this is as good as life can get.” “Life is good right now, so I don’t want to tempt fate.”

We’re shattering our mind’s glass ceiling and taking on an exercise in feeling worthy this week.

To feel worthy, to be reminded of all that you have, and to reconnect with those parts of you that you often minimize, forget, ignore, or brush off (i.e. your true talents) — we’re going to talk to those around us.

I’ve made this as simple as copying and pasting an e-mail with a few tweaks to help you along — go go, magic script!

Dear ______,

As you know, I love you because _____________ and _________. (Also, there’s _________.)

I’m doing an exercise for my business and I’m hoping you have two minutes to help out.

[CLIENTS] Why did you hire me? What did you most enjoy about working with me? What quality of mine most stood out during our time together?

[FRIENDS] Which personality traits of mine do you most admire? Which talents do I totally take for granted that you wish YOU had? In general, why do you keep me around?

[PARENTS/FAMILY] Which of my activities or achievements have made you most proud of me? If you had to tell a complete stranger about my best quality, what would you say? Which qualities or talents of mine do you wish YOU had?

It means the world to me to have people like you in my life, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to answer these questions.

Love,
Your Name

Send that little ditty to five people, and voila! Wait for the good tidings to roll in.

Keep track of the things each person says by creating a new document called Kind Words and keeping it on your computer. Continue to collect kind words as you come across them in e-mail, on the phone, on Facebook — wherever!

This is the start of an ongoing practice in worthiness — in truly believing those things people say about you. These loved ones are not lying, they are not trying to flatter you — these things they say are absolutely true. It is the work of a lifetime to believe them.

When you’ve e-mailed your people, lemme know in the comments! Even better, lemme know what your peeps have to say about you! I guarantee you’ll be pleased by the results.

This is part three of the Change Your World, Dammit! series. Click to nab yourself a calmer mind or to make life more fun.

Want to read it on the blog? Is there a limit to how good life can be?

I’ve explained ghostwriting and e-books, but her response was simple: “Why would anyone pay for a download?”

She’s stuck in 1995, when the internet was full of chat rooms and AOL Instant Messaging conversations, so she’s confused by what I do. She’s even more confused by orphan hugging. I appear to have healthy ovaries — no one has told her otherwise — and I’ve been married for six years, SO WHY NOT JUST GET PREGNANT!? IS IT SO HARD TO GIVE ME A GRANDBABY, KRISTEN!?

This predicament is common enough when you’re trying out something new in your business or personal life. Whether you’re using Change the World, Dammit! to study penguins, remodel your house, travel the world, fight disease, spread awareness, educate the public, or educate yourself — someone close to you will most likely be appalled by this new-improved, going-for-your-dreams version of you.

Here’s my three-step system for handling loved ones who think you’re batshit insane:

1.) Listen, no matter how much you want to throat punch them. Listen all the way, without shouting or screaming or sarcasm.

2.) Let them know that you’re going to complete the project with or without their support, but you’d prefer the “with” option.

3.) Ask them to participate in your project.

Yes, ask them to participate. Maybe they’ll say you’re a nutjob and blow off your offer. But maybe they’ll be glad you asked. They’ve got dreams that didn’t happen and secret projects they’d like to complete, so maybe they’re just jealous that they’ve never gone traipsing the globe on their heart’s mission like you’re about to do. It’s not that they don’t want you to go, they just want to feel included in something that matters to you.

Don’t assume any task is too small to be taken for granted.

Ask your loved ones to print your itinerary and add it to your calendar. Ask them to pick up your dry cleaning or help you find the perfect water-wicking travel pants. Ask them to schedule your shots at the travel center. The task itself doesn’t matter, but the participation does.

Asking for your family’s active participation means you love them and you’ll be returning. You aren’t leaving them behind — and better yet, they get to take credit for helping your project come to life.

It’s the easiest way to get support that I’ve come across so far in my travels. (And it’s how I got Matt to agree to spending three months in Kenya this summer…)

Need a few more reasons to convert your loved ones to believers? Click here for the top ten reasons world-changing is good for your business.

Psst! This is an excerpt from Change the World, Dammit! — which is available now. If you’d like to pinpoint, plan, and profit from a world-changing adventure that also helps your business grow — check it out.

Want to read it on the blog? What to do when your family thinks you’re insane

In part one of the Change YOUR world, dammit series, we talked about the patterns your mind has created and how you can shift out of them in one of three ways.

The first is by noticing what’s around you with intense focus. If someone is paying you $1,000,000 to describe the room you’re in right now, what would you notice that you might not have paid attention to before? This deep focus on the present situation keeps you in this moment, not wandering about in your mind.)

The second is by dropping a velvet curtain in your mind that refuses to let those pattern-based, mean-spirited thoughts enter. This is a great way to open a mini-meditation (30 seconds makes all the difference!) and to come back to what’s happening right now. Just imagine a velvet curtain has dropped into your mind — feel its softness, notice its texture and pattern, notice the absence of sound if you stand in the middle of that velvet room — and make a literal breathing space for yourself.

Finally, you can change the topic on your mind to something it doesn’t know how to answer. For example: your mind says “you suck” and in return you ask, “How long was Babe Ruth alive?” or “How many calories does a robin burn whilst making its nest?” This confuses your mind and the initial “You suck” is forgotten.

Don’t beat yourself up about not being present all the time — it’s a practice, like mediation or going to the gym. Your thoughts are always willing to reach out and suck you in, so just keep gently, calmly opting out of your thoughts and coming back to the present moment. If you’d like to learn from the masters, watch this video to explore the ways I’ve learned to stay in the here and now.

Because so much of what happens in our mind is based in pattern — how many times have you had the same ten thoughts swirling about in your head this week? — we’re going to break out of pattern for the sake of shaking our mind up a bit.

Breaking out of your patterns helps you to see possibilities. This affects your business in major ways — when you always wake up, check e-mail, edit photos, check more e-mail, write a blog post, and then pick your kids up from school, you’re in a pattern. Asking you to break out of that pattern for fresh thinking about your business is not as easy as it could be if you were regularly flexing that pattern-breaking muscle.

We all have patterns — I wake up, make coffee, write 1,000 words, think about going for a run, keep working, think more about going for a run, keep working, and then actually go for a run by about 2pm.

This week, let’s try breaking out of pattern in the name of shaking up our lives.

I dare you to try something new this week.

It doesn’t have to be entirely new to your experience, but ideally it will be entirely new to your adulthood. It also doesn’t have to take a long time!

For example, you can:

• hula hoop
• make a charcoal drawing
• play with watercolors
• sleep until Noon
• make a short film about your life
• share a joke or a short story via video with your friends
• write a poem
• write a snail mail letter to someone you love
• play in the dirt
• watch a movie or read a magazine in the middle of the day (without guilt!)
• steal your kids’ toys and play up a storm
• hop in the car, drive 12 miles, and make up an adventure when you get there
• jump into the pool with your clothes on
• make a fort in the living room

Need some of my personal ideas? I recently hit the mall with my girlfriends, where we built the most inappropriate Build-a-Bear creatures possible. We let the others name our bears, and it turns out they sell biker clothing for My Little Pony animals as part of a current promotion. Mine is named *(* #$#%^&%$ (censored) and cost $69 by accident. We also hit Macy’s and registered for our “upcoming wedding” (yes, we’re all married) just because two of us never used one of those registry guns. Oooh, the power of the registry gun!  Our sales guy will still make a whopping commission because we now have birthday, anniversary, and Christmas presents selected for the next 16 months.

For your own ideas, just think of what you loved doing as a kid. Hell, ask your kids what they want to do! Playing in the sand, teaching your teddy bears, categorizing your toys by size and pattern…whatever! Nothing is off-limits as you explore breaking out of your own patterns today.

It’s only by being willing to play, to grow, and to experiment that you’ll break out of those patterns that keep your mind looping the same “you suck,” “you’re not enough,” “this is stupid,” “you’re stupid” thoughts on loop.

Yes, those thoughts will still come up — but I encourage you to get back to the present moment and fully engage in the fun you’re having right now.

Your mind will probably chime in and say you’re doing it wrong — in fact, just by saying you can’t do it wrong your mind will say, “Oh yes I can!” — but I want you to ignore those directives and have a shitton of fun.

Go ahead, tell me what you’re going to do differently and how you’re going to play this week in the comments! (Seriously — it helps others to feel encouraged and to get ideas — so get to sharing!)

Want to read it on the blog? Make life 87% more fun in a single step

But there are some things you need to consider before you go hoisting your rates!  Let’s say you get home, you think about raising your prices.  You run the numbers.  You hem, you haw, you come up with a new price list, and blam!!!  You spend a ton of energy in getting those new prices out into the world because it’s scary as all hell.

When the phone doesn’t ring, or rings a little less, you freak out.  You start panicking.

Here’s the trouble with raising prices.

The minute you raise your prices by any significant amount — let’s say 20% or more — the demand for your services will almost invariably drop.  Considerably.

To overcome that drop in demand, you’ve got to hustle harder than you’ve ever hustled before to get the same amount of demand you had PRE-price increase.  That means your referral system needs to be kicked into high gear.  You need to be seeking both local and national press.  You need to be meeting with colleagues and clients and industry peeps in person.  You need to be out there, doing amazing shit, and making sure everyone knows about the amazing shit you’re doing.

I know, all your energy was taken up by simply finding the courage to raise your prices.  I know.

But your clients don’t know that, so to them — your choices seem arbitrary.  They don’t know that it costs over $60 a roll to process film with a pro lab.  They don’t know that your supplies cost $8 and you’re selling a product for $17.  They don’t know anything other than that you’ve “unfairly” raised prices, so you’ll need to work at finding new clients harder than ever before.

If you’ve recently raised prices and you’re feeling the heat, take an honest look at how much marketing you’re doing to compensate for the increase.  I recommend 30 minutes EXTRA per day to get through the tough hustle time and to get clients booking at those new prices.  Yes, it will be uncomfortable.  Yes, you will doubt yourself.  But yes, you’ll be paid what you’re worth when the hustle pays off.

On the flip side: here’s the great thing about raising prices.

If you’re so busy you can barely breathe, raising prices will naturally help clients choose others if price was the determining factor in choosing your business.  ::sigh of relief::

A 20% increase when you’re feeling overworked will gently, easily decrease your workload.  ::bigger sigh of relief::

Once you’re comfortable with raising prices when you’re overworked, this becomes a natural part of your business.

This is how I work when it comes to hourly consulting in my business.  An hour used to be $199, which kept me busier than I’d like.  $299, $399, $499, $599…still too busy.  So, that hourly rate is about to go up again.  If you’d like to book an hour-long consultation with me regarding any aspect of your business that needs work, more clarity, or a bit of focus — then I’m your girl. Want me to make a list of my top 10 recommendations for your website? A marketing to-do list or a hustle plan? Again, bring it.

What can we do in an hour?  I recently met with some peeps for feedback about a product in beta and gave them beer, burgers, and a 10-minute consultation.  I got these thank you notes for that time:

“Spending time together was clarifying in at least 50 different ways.  You truly have a gift.” — Lillian Ranauro

“Thanks for the awesome 10 min.  Kick in the ass I needed to believe in myself.” — Brenda Young

There are three spots left before May 15th, when my hourly rate reaches $699.

Click here to book your hour — a super-nifty questionnaire will be yours for the taking when you purchase, then we’ll figure out a time for our chat together.  If there’s a question you just can’t seem to work through or an issue that keeps coming up (and up, and up), this is your chance to get clear perspective and direct action steps from me personally.

If you’d rather work with me in person, I’m running a little Facebook experiment involving sleepovers.  Click here for details. 

Got thoughts on pricing — what worked, what didn’t, and how you hustled through it?  Please share in the comments!

Want to read it on the blog? The trouble with raising prices

Today, let’s take a look at these scripts — we all have them — and let’s work on defeating them.

My script is pretty epic — “This isn’t working,” “Nothing’s working,” “What’s the point anyway,” “Nothing has a point,” “Life is pretty much meaningless,” “There’s no reason to live anyway.”

Yah.  So my life goes from “my internet connection isn’t working” to life not being worth living in just a few seconds.  It’s just a habit — a pattern my mind slips into.

Because it’s just a pattern, it’s worth noticing and it’s pretty easy to change. 

Let’s start by noticing when the script is triggered — mine is generally triggered in times of frustration, and I’m much more susceptible to it when I’m tired.  Sleep is the golden grease that makes my life smoother.

Once you’ve identified your script and decided to opt out of it, you’re ready to use one of these three strategies!

Strategy #1: Engage in the moment and take careful note of details, particularly textures and sounds that would normally not be noticed.

If someone was going to give you a million dollars to describe the room you’re in PERFECTLY, what would you notice?  

Even if you’re just in your house, a place you are every single day, notice the pattern of your dining room table or the way light is hitting the room just now.  It’s always changing, so take note of this particular moment.

Notice the color of the walls, the feeling of the floor under your feet.  Hell, notice your feet.  Notice the places your body is trying to tell you something — whether that’s buzzing with sensation, in pain, or tight.  Try not to judge what it is you’re noticing, just experience it.

When you’re noticing the pain in your hip without judging it or allowing it to spark an inner drama, you’re fully present in this moment.  That’s the goal.

Strategy #2: Take a deep breath and imagine a velvet curtain dropping into your mind, creating a space where those spiraling thoughts can’t penetrate.

Again, drop into your body and take stock of the information being presented to you.  Maybe your heart feels full, your shoulders feel tight, and your knee is bouncing.  (That’s what my body is up to at the moment.)

Try not to judge any of these sensations as “good” or “bad” — though they may feel uncomfortable.  Our goal is to increase our tolerance for what we deem uncomfortable while working towards removing those old labels entirely.

Simply noticing your body takes you out of your mind long enough to break the spiral pattern.

Strategy #3: Choose something new to think about — you’re effectively switching topics on yourself.  Don’t argue, don’t engage with the annoying little bully who pokes you and makes you feel crazy — just disengage entirely.

Ask questions like a three year old.  Why does electricity work?  Why is the sky blue?  How do robins know when it’s time to come back in the spring?  Where do they live for the winter?  Who invented the carousel?  How much did a loaf of bread cost in 1973?  How do engines work?  Why is the Prius so quiet?  Why is The Office going away — I love that show?  

Those are literally the first questions that sprung into my head.  ALL of them are better fodder for your imagination — and for your mind — than going into the spiral again.

Try any one of those strategies — noticing your surroundings, dropping into your body, or switching subjects on yourself — and let me know how they work in the comments.  It only takes 30 seconds to start establishing a practice of being present and of starting to leave those spiral thought patterns in the dust!

Want to read it on the blog? 3 tricks for a calmer mind and less-stressed you