282: Get Unstuck: Breaking Free from Your Own Limitations

Welcome to the Thrive Podcast. If you're a blogger, influencer, you found the show for you. I'm Brie Pair, your host and blogging coach here to help you take your brand to the next level. At Thrive, our mission is to equip bloggers and influencers with practical tactics and strategies that can transform your brand to give you the lifestyle you want.

We offer tutorials, workshops, and a supportive community to accompany you on your journey. I created the thrive podcast to give you simple, actionable steps that you can use to drive real results in your business. I also wanted to give you a peek behind the curtain of others in the industry that you look up to.

Our guests share strategies they've used to grow revenue streams that are working for them. And insider info you won't find anywhere else. Now let's get ready to thrive.

So let's talk about getting unstuck, whether it's overthinking or being stuck in procrastination or just Being in your own head, just in your own way. So I wanted to share kind of where I'm at and what's going on with me and What led me to be like I should probably just record a podcast about it. So Let's dive in.

So where I'm at lately things That I've been feeling that are completely valid I've been feeling really tired really behind and like I'm doing okay But I'm not thriving. I'm not living up to the brand name, right? and How many of those things keep happening because I keep telling myself that that's something that I have started to wonder about lately and then push down and been like, Oh, no, whatever.

I'm, I'm just actually tired. Like I said, those things I'm feeling are all valid. I am not somebody to be like, let's just choose joy. And now everything's okay. Like, absolutely not. We're not doing toxic positivity around here. Those feelings are totally valid. But is it kind of like, I don't know what you call it, but you know, like, uh, the only thing I know to describe it is like that car syndrome is, is that it's, it's not correct.

I'm sure there's a technical term for it, but you know, when you start to think about like a certain type of car, maybe you're like shopping for a new car or like, Oh, I haven't really seen a lot of those Like maybe it's you start to think of a Jeep Wrangler. And then all of a sudden you start to see them everywhere.

Every time you leave the house, every time you're out driving, you see Jeep Wranglers. So in thinking of that same type of concept of, okay, now I'm thinking about this one thing and therefore I am noticing it more and more. If I keep telling myself, I'm tired. Oh my gosh, I'm behind. I'm doing fine, but I'm not doing great.

Am I in some way also making those things feel maybe bigger than they even are? Now I'm asking myself, what are some tiny, and I mean, minuscule things that I can do to change this. And so I want to share with you kind of what I've come up with and how this is all circling around to where we're at in business, because, you know, feeling tired, feeling behind, feeling like you're doing fine.

You may, Immediately think of like, Hmm, that's how I feel with life right now in general, that's how I feel with parenting. That's how I feel with my business. It applies to all the things. So what are some tiny things to do to change this and to get ourselves out of maybe thinking those things, even though they might be valid.

Are we making them even worse than they actually are? I think I might be. So one thing I am doing is trying to disrupt the routine. Now remember I said I'm tired, but here's the thing. I also just said to my husband the other day about how I feel like I have more energy since starting this new health journey a few weeks ago.

I've been Changing what I'm eating and how I'm fueling my body. I have been moving my body more and trying to pay attention to how much movement and how many steps I'm getting a day, working out more, getting more protein. I'm noticing a difference in how I'm showing up. In my own body and just that I feel like I have more energy.

So then why do I keep feeling like, Oh my God, I'm so tired. So one thing I'm looking at are what are things that give me energy? And, and this is not easy. This is, this has not been something that's like super simple for me to do. It has required like conscious Effort. For me, one thing that I have found that does help is the fact that I am coaching other people.

There's something about it where I'm like, I've really got to get my shit together because other people are looking to me for advice, and I've definitely fallen into feeling like, Oh, I always have to have it together. And how dare I not appear perfect. And I think social media can do that to all of us, right?

Whether you're doing a DIY project or sharing fashion or whatever it may be, there is this pressure to always feel like you have it together. And that's probably in a story for another day, but it is something that I am aware of. And so that leads me to like recording a damn podcast about it. To share what I'm going through and what I'm learning and how I am applying it in my own life.

So, what I'm looking at are, and forcing myself to look at are, what are things that give me energy? One of the things that I have been missing is having 30 minutes to an hour to myself in the mornings before my daughter wakes up. This has not been happening. It has not. And it took me, like, saying it to my husband again.

I've probably said it multiple times about how I miss it. And there was something that happened this morning where he woke up really early for work, as he does, and I happened to kind of wake up a little bit more than normal with him. And then he was so kind and was like, Hey, do you want to come have a cup of coffee and sit on the recliner and look at the rain?

And I was like. I do that. Yes. That is something I said that I wanted to do. Now, if my body is saying I need sleep, I need sleep. But at that moment in time, I was like, no, I think that would actually be better. Cause I'm somebody, I don't know if everybody sleeps like this or not, but like, when I wake up with him, because I always end up waking up when he leaves for work and then I fall back asleep.

It is like not the best sleep. I wake up feeling even more groggy and more exhausted and typically have really crappy dreams. Like, so. This morning I was like, you know, let me, let me get up. That sounds exciting. That sounds fun. Now am I going to continue this every single day moving forward? Probably not.

But would I like to do it more often than not? Yeah. So that is something that actually gives me energy. Other things that have been giving me energy, like when I stopped to actually think about it is my goal is to hit 8, 000 steps every day. That is somehow giving me energy. It does not come like it kind of makes sense, but it also doesn't make sense because I'm, I'm exerting energy in order to do that.

Yet it is also giving me energy. Weird thing, right? Science. Spending time in creativity. Also gives me energy. So that could look like not passing all of the creative tasks to my virtual assistant, whom I love dearly and who is creative in her own right. But I need to make sure I keep some of those creative tasks for myself.

And I've told her this, and she's really good about pushing me to be like, Hmm, Bri, I need you to do this. And it's really, really helpful. We've got a really good balance going on. So. If you're feeling tired or drained, I want to encourage you to maybe pause and do what I did, and write down some things that do give you energy.

Now, something else that I have been kind of telling myself lately, and it is frustrating me and draining me, is that finding time to create is hard. So, I'm really trying hard to fix this narrative. I've been stuck in thinking that it's impossible, that I just don't have enough time. I, I want to pull out my paint and my sketchbook and all of these different things to be creative, but I don't have time.

And yesterday I was telling a friend this and just really struggling and she said, you know, I, that she was struggling with the same thing and that she was talking with her husband about it. And what she decided to start to do is to implement creative Fridays and to block off Fridays where she is not doing work, but where she is able to block off time that day to be creative.

And I immediately. thought of my Fridays and how I don't have child care on Fridays. So I don't consider it to be like a full workday, right? Because I've got Parker and so it's not possible. So usually in the mornings we'll go to something like the zoo when it's nice outside or, you know, inside the zoo when it's cold outside.

We like the zoo, or we'll go hang out with friends and have a play date. We'll go do something typically is what our Friday mornings look like. Then we come back home. She'll take a nap. And typically I'll either catch up with friends on Friday afternoons, or I will try to get some work done on Friday afternoons.

Now, after she gets up from her nap, lately, what's been happening is since we're like on this new like health journey, it's looked like her and I play a little bit together, take her to my parents and then meet my husband at the gym later that afternoon when he's done with work. Which is awesome. But now when I'm thinking of like, okay, how can I start to implement creative Fridays and giving myself time?

So I I want to pull out whether it's procreate on my iPad or my paint or whatever it may be I keep feeling like oh, well if I've only got like 45 minutes for me personally It's very hard to like get into that artistic mindset and like actually get things done in 45 minutes So I'm like, okay And you can apply that, what I just said there, to literally anything, whether it's like being creative to storyboard something for a reel or to write a blog post.

There's so much of our jobs that require creativity. And I fully acknowledge like when you are crunched on time and have a very small amount of time, it's freaking hard. You have to really create like rituals around it and different things to help you get into the zone quickly when you're crunched on time.

And I just have not figured that out for art for me personally. I personally have quite a few blocks that I'm mentally working through. But by her saying that, I was like, you know what? I could do that. So for the month of August, And I know this is coming out August 22nd, so go and check on my Instagram stories and see if it's actually been happening.

But my plan, as of August 5th, is to block off every single Friday in August to be a creative Friday. So that means, unless there is like a fire burning, which there should not be, I do not do work things on Fridays, at least not during the day. Maybe at night if I need to do something, sure, but that means during nap time, I am focusing on that, which might mean for August, I am moving calls with friends for catching up to different days of the week or evenings or weekends.

And. Prioritizing that nap time for me to spend time being creative and then figuring out how to give myself things in the late afternoon, giving myself time there. 'cause my parents love hanging out with Parker on Fridays. That's kind of their thing. And so it's me looking at like, okay, where can I go to be creative rather than let me head to a coffee shop and crank out work for a couple of hours.

Now it's, it's both a mindset shift of like. There's always work to be done, but it's okay. And that need prioritizing creativity is actually a good thing for my business. Because when I do prioritize creativity, I'm able to therefore translate it to work. So I'm able to show up with better ideas for my students.

I'm able to show up with more creativity and ideas and. All the things that create, you know, we, like I said, we have to be super creative in this job. And so it affects everything. So for me to sit down for a few hours on Fridays and paint random, whatever that I probably won't ever show to anybody. Cause no, I just can't, um, like, It is important, and it's not something that I should keep pushing off, and I'm literally preaching to myself as I'm also recording this podcast.

So, I was texting a friend about this yesterday, and I told her, I should really talk about this on the podcast, because damn, this relates to how my business is growing right now. Feeling tired, feeling overwhelmed, feeling like I don't have enough time. So. Applying all of what I just said to work. How am I doing that and how can you do it as well?

So for me, I'm looking at do I need to move around when I'm having calls or meetings? Do I need to acknowledge the season I'm in that month and let my brain do those things that are working instead of forcing? Things. So what I mean there is I am, I love to pay attention to where I'm at in my cycle and what my hormones are doing.

It gives me, for me, it's a control thing. I like to kind of know what's going on in my body and why I'm feeling certain things. I am a control freak. I fully admit it. So as a type of recording this episode, I am not in my creative zone. Not at all. Like my poor editor right now has had to cut out so much of this podcast because my brain just froze.

So, When I'm in my creative zone, I like to try to pay attention to that. And when I'm not, try to give myself different tasks. If you're not paying attention to your cycle and hormones, I highly advise it. DM me anytime. I love to chat about it. The other things I'm doing in trying to look at changing up my routine is what do I need to take action on and stop putting off?

And what will move the needle forward? Often, it's the little things that I have made into really big mountains. In my head, are you guys doing this? Cause I think you probably are. So I'm going to give you an example of like how we can break up big daunting task into small things. So for example, I personally want to get more brand deals.

And when I just say that, that feels like a huge task and like, oh my gosh, where do I even start? All the things. But when I stop and I list things out one, I need to update the media kit. Okay. I need to go in there. There's a new page that I need to add, and I need to update some things. Two, I need to then revise my pitch email.

I need to look at it, re evaluate it, see what I need to change for this season. Three, I need to send. The pitch emails for, I need to make it a priority to get on calls with brands. And I also need to incorporate that in the pitch emails. So it is enticing for brands to get on a call with me. When I break that down, each of those tasks are less daunting than the big, I want to get more brand deals.

Right? It could be something like, okay, for me, I need to record this podcast. Now sometimes I can just flow and run with a couple of bullet points, but like I said, that is not today. Today I had to write out a very thorough outline and it doesn't mean that I am not going to record this podcast because it's harder right now.

I'm just changing my preferred routine. So are you doing this with content creation? Are you not wanting to film that reel, post your stories, write that blog post because it is not flowing? Do you have the luxury and the time to do that? Sometimes we do. I, however, don't. Did not this podcast had to get recorded this week.

So even though it is not smooth and not as easy as I would prefer it to be, and I do not like recording podcasts when my brain is being really slow, I'm making it work. And my editor knows this about me and knows that it's going to happen. So same type of thing. When you need to write a blog post, And it's just not flowing.

What are some other tools that you can lean on? Or what can you do to just tell yourself, you know what, this is not the norm. It's not normal for it to always be like this. And I acknowledge it, but I'm still going to do the work. And I'm going to allow myself to take a little bit longer and be okay with that instead of being frustrated with myself.

Do you guys do that? Is this just my brain? I hope not. But like, those are the things that happen to me. It's like, I feel like, Oh my God, this is taking me so long and I get really frustrated about it because I like to do things really quickly. But that's not always the case. And sometimes we need to change our routine.

We need to get unstuck. We need to get out of our head and we need to just do it. We need to do things in a different way. So, My challenge to you is to break out of your routine, even if it's just in one small way. What do you need to take action on this week and what can you do to get out of your own way?

I'll see you guys back here in a few days with a new episode.

Thank you for listening to the Thrive Podcast. For resources mentioned in today's episode, head to thrivetogether. blog. And if you're a blogger or influencer looking for a community that is ready to cheer you on and be a resource to help you grow, be sure to join the thrive blogging community on Facebook.

If you love this episode, I would be so honored if you subscribe and leave a review on your favorite podcast app and give our guests some love over on social media until next time, keep thriving.