Time flies, but it's been 3 months since my Helweek from Meetings in the Sun. In two previous blogs, I looked back on my learnings from April's Helweek and gave tips for if you want to participate yourself. Now that we are a quarter further on, I like to look back on how my life has changed (spoiler: A FUCKING LOT).
What all did I tackle?
Business on fleek
There are a number of things that I tackled myself - either during Helweek or afterwards, following Helweek. For example, during Helweek I created, wrote, designed and scheduled all my social media for May and June. That was a fat lot of work, but feels really nice. I also signed up for Holiweeks, which meant I kickstarted the week every Monday at 5 with a smaller group through a gym session and mini coaching.
Private life much more balanced
Privately, more has changed. Encouraged and motivated by the piece on goals, energy and mindset, I have made a sweep through my relationships. Some friendships have been boosted as a result, others have sadly come to an end as a result. C'est la vie. Hell Week has shown me in what influence the people around me have and also what influence I have on them depending on my mood, energy, goals and lifestyle. I also made more time for the things I really want, i.e. surfing, kiting and horseback riding. After months, I finally scheduled a horse ride! For some people a nightmare, for me an achievement and noteworthy event. Last but not least, I exercise a lot more now. I totally rediscovered my 7 minute morning work-out or 20 minute morning yoga and bravely do it every morning - right before my journalling, reading and meditation.
Business + private: go with the flow
Then a number of things have changed in an area between work and home. Most importantly, I have taken much more rest and time for myself. No completely packed weekends and tight daily schedules. I plan a lot less and let things come to me. So does that mean I just hang out on the couch every night and get less work done? Not at all. In fact, I do an awful lot of fun and productive things, from skating sessions to cooking workshops to SEO courses to webinars. It's just much more casual. This also makes me a lot more productive; after all, I do what feels good at that moment and what I feel like doing at that time.
And speaking of the coaching piece: quite by accident (is it a coincidence though? Does coincidence exist?) I was approached to join a coaching program by Matthijs of AWAKE Tribe, in which purposedriven entrepreneurs (me, apparently) will find their purpose on a business and personal level. Of course, totally ties in with Think Factory Agency's idea of helping mission-driven entrepreneurs.
What all 'happened'?
There have been some significant life changes since Hell Week. Sometimes I can't believe it was only 3 months ago. It really feels like years ago, when I look at what an impact it has had on my life.
That's how I decided to follow my heart and live at the beach. I cannot put into words how happy that has made me. Scheveningen has all the chill I always look for when I travel: chill vibes, lovely people, sustainability, a nice city center (The Hague then), nice restaurants, fine music, yoga, outdoor life... I didn't know the Netherlands had this. I never thought I would want to continue living in the Netherlands, but I must honestly say I could settle down here.
What's more? I've actually scheduled a vacation. Okay, it's not very far and it's not very long, but I'm really taking a week or so off. No laptop, no phone, no emails I'm going to answer or courses I'm going to take. I'm really going to take a break. Exploring Amsterdam with my dad, biking through the Oostvaardersplassen with my mom, swimming in a lake in the Gooi with a friend, taking kite surfing lessons, going to Texel for a day... then three surf trips - in Bloemendaal, Ameland and Vlieland... HEAVY. I find taking vacation quite scary because what if someone needs me and how sick much work do I have to do when I get home! But I need it and I deserve it.
What differences do I notice?
Yes, of course it's great that I go sheep watching on Texel and feel interesting courses, but what effect has Helweek really had? I notice an awful lot of differences but will organize them for the sake of clarity and cut them down to 4 main points:
1. Much better in my skin: maybe it's my move to Scheveningen or critical review of my relationships, but I'm so fucking comfortable in my skin. I'm still not there; there are always things to work on and I'm just not so easily satisfied. But I notice that I'm much happier. I get out more, laugh more, stress less and still have so much energy left at the end of the day. Everyone around me says I really shine. And I really wish that to everyone!
2. Much more productive: in terms of work, I'm getting a lot more done. I took on fewer projects for a while to give myself some space. In that time I still got a lot of useful things done, like writing blogs ahead of time or doing passion projects. I find that I just get a lot more done in less time, which leaves me super much time for fun things.
3. Getting up earlier is much easier: in Bali, I always got up early to surf or take walks, so getting up at 5 a.m. wasn't the worst thing in itself. Still, I never managed it in Holland. Now I manage much better - probably because I know I can do it now. That is the essence of the Helweek: pushing your limits and stretching them just a bit so you can be the best version of yourself.
4. Can say no better: I found saying no quite difficult because I quickly feel responsible for people and their happiness. I got a lot better at this after Helweek. We got a lot of wise lessons and insights about setting your limits, being responsible for your own happiness, peace of mind and being a pleaser. I now find it easier to stand up for myself and am convinced that this is beneficial in both business and private life.
Where is there still room for improvement?
Personal development is a journey. I am aware of that. It's not that suddenly my whole life is perfect. In fact, a few things have not gone quite the way I wanted and I regret that they have not developed as I have in mind. For example, I have not yet achieved all of my weekly, monthly and quarterly goals. I have drawn much less than I intended and often still go to bed too late, so I cannot get up as early as I would like. Snoozing is therefore a bad habit that is still in there.
So, what else am I going to work on?
1. Taking a bold step, such as setting up your own (physical) business alongside Think Factory Agency
2. Schedule a new Helweek, namely the one from July 4 to 11
3. Sleep better and longer, so that I am more rested and can really pop
4. Schedule more vacations. Because I deserve it
Let's goooo!
So, did I lie? A sick amount has changed in my life, right? I have grown so incredibly hard and can't say enough that Helweek is life changing. Try it. Push your boundaries. And support ya girl, because I'm an affiliate and get commission on your subscription. I can put it back into personal development courses, or maybe into a fun contest where you can win the prize, or a Christmas present for the Agencies so they can do a better job for you, or... anyhow, I'll make sure you benefit from it too. So if you are going to sign up, please use my link:
