Image by Christine Jackson

When I get emails and messages from readers wanting to take the plunge into freelancing, contracting or self employment; there is usually one thing holding them back that’s the same. Money (or lack of it). When the idea of jumping ship from a “stable” five days a week, eight (or more) hours a day job pops into people’s heads, security is their very first concern. Even if working for yourself is not your dream, money can stop us from living the life we’ve always wanted. It can freeze us in a state of fear, make us depressed and compromise our values.

Source unknown

If you would allow me to make an assumption, I would say that most of you reading this post would look at the statistics to the left and fit into the top 25% of the world in terms of wealth. Yet we never have enough cash do we? Studies have shown that although people can state how much they’d need to earn in order to be happy, when they do earn that amount they’re actually no happier at all.

In saying that, you probably do have plenty of money, it’s what you do with it that might be the problem. Where is your money going? More importantly, why is it being spent on those things?

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What are those awful spending habits that mean you’re simply unable to save and what do they stem from?

Think about it. What is it that you tend to buy time and time again even though it’s not a necessity in your life? Mine was clothing. I would buy beautiful skirts, tops and dresses; none of which I needed. At the time I made it seem like they were important purchases by saying “I don’t have enough black skirts to wear to the office” or “my old white shirt is looking tired”. The truth was that I was escaping through these purchases.

I was buying gorgeous expensive clothes to make me look like the person I wanted to be. I wanted to be successful, elegant and well put together. The funny thing was that no amount of clothing or accessories actually made me FEEL this way. Sure I may have looked the part but I was unfulfilled, unhappy and broke.

It wasn’t until I sat down and really started to ask myself what I could do to become the person I admired without having to spend every last cent available to me on my “costume”. I wanted to be healthier. I wanted to be a good friend and support those around me. I wanted to be passionate about my work and I wanted to be in charge of what success meant to me. None of these things required me out and about in heels 24/7.

Now, I’m not saying that you should never buy yourself a great handbag ever again; but once I had looked at the bigger picture and realised what I was doing, I was able to make more sensible decisions when buying “want” items. I would only buy dresses that I fell in love with or shoes that I was still thinking about days after I left the store. It’s about regaining some control over the emotional side of spending.

What is holding YOU back financially? Do you perhaps buy way too many books because you’re worried you’re not smart enough or is it spending too much on meals out with friends to keep up a wealthy façade?

Whatever it is, it’s time to let go of it. You need to pinpoint what is missing in your life personally that you are substituting with purchases. Who do you want to be? How do you want to feel? How can you become that person without buying material things?

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Does any of this ring a bell with you? Tell me your stories about handling your money.

Illustration by Garance Doré

THE WEEK THAT WAS

I could never have imagined how much fun my week of learning would be. I loved reading, watching and listening to a whole range of information and found myself quite chuffed about all the new things I was learning. It’s easy to slow down our active hunt for knowledge once we graduate from school, university or post-graduate studies, but it is so important to continually be hunting out fresh ideas and information to keep growing intellectually and creatively.

I found that I was more inspired than usual because I was feeding off other people’s ideas (which were new to me). I’ll definitely be making more of an effort to seek out knowledge, especially in areas I might not usually be watching/reading about. The world can sometimes seem very small and limited but it just takes a decision to expand your horizons to see that there is so much to learn out there!

THIS WEEK

Original photo by Wild Dawn Photography

There are a lot of people who disregard affirmations as airy-fairy bullsh*t, hell I used to be one of them, but I started thinking about the flip side. Whenever we let our internal voice get hold of our brains and it starts to natter away horrible self-loathing ideas, we listen to it. We let it bring us down, make us anxious and lose confidence in our abilities. Why can’t a positive internal voice be just as powerful? Sure it requires a little work and possibly feeling like an idiot for a while, but in my opinion it’s well worth it.

The one above was tweeted by the lovely Jess Ainscough this morning and I made a mental note that this would be a great way to start the week. I have been repeating this sentence to myself over and over today and finally gave in to my body and had a nap this afternoon. So far so good!

You can create affirmations around anything, generally what you’re wanting to bring into your life or focus on in a positive light. Others I’ve used and liked have been:

• I am finding my heart-soaring spine-tingling life passion
• My income is constantly increasing and my loved ones are safe and supported in everything that they do
• I choose love, joy and freedom, open my heart and allow wonderful things to flow into my life
• I am getting better and shining brighter every day.

The girls from Sweet Lime and Spiced Tea did a 30 Day Affirmation Challenge a while back and made some gorgeous little printable cards to help with the process. Such a cute idea.

PS: As a little aside while I’m talking about Jess in this post, she has released a shiny new eBook called Make Peace With Your Plate which is a wonderful read if you’re thinking of changing your diet to better reflect how you’d like to be feeling – to up your energy, devour more nutrients and cut out processed foods. MPWYP is straight to the point and easy to follow with some great tips and ideas PLUS you can score a copy of my eBook Turning Your Dream Into Reality free if you order her book before February 22nd (her boyfriend bet she couldn’t sell 500 copies by that point and I’m all about helping people prove others wrong, haha)!

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Have you used affirmations before?

What are some of your favourites?

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One of my favourite things about being a blogger is when I get lovely little emails from readers sharing their creative passions and talents with me. One of those gorgeous emails came from Annalaura. 

Annalaura Masciavè is a 22 year old freelance photographer, based in Rome and her work is amazing. I love the way she works with texture and angles in her fashion photography. They are definitely not your typical “safe” fashion shots; they have a lot more depth, character and something that makes me curious about who the subject is and what they’re thinking. They have a quiet, intriguing personality.

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She doesn’t just capture stunning portraits, on her website you can find a range of work consisting of landscapes, everyday life snapshots and her Naked Project, an emotive collection of the natural human form (not safe for work).

You can find her on her website, her blog and a select few prints are available here.

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What do you think of Annalaura’s work?

Do you have any beautiful creative talents you’d like to share?

Flick me an email: kim(at)dreamdelightinspire.com

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LIFE

This week has been an absolute stunner! Good news has just been pouring in, someone is taking care of me out there so thank you (and keep it coming). So this week’s Currently Loving is a bit of a bumper edition – I hope some of my positive energy rubs off on you for a fantastic weekend ahead!

Work opportunities. When you are a freelance anything, work tends to be unreliable so it’s really exciting when new opportunities present themselves. I love teaching but need to build a portfolio of skills and clients that I can work with from anywhere in the world if my travelling gypsy lifestyle dream is going to come true.

New online friends. I’ve been taking the time to contact some of my favourite online peeps this week and I’m so glad I did! It’s really thrilling to “meet” like-minded people from various parts of the world and bounce crazy ideas off them. The Sagittarius in me is going nuts! So hello to any of you who have been in touch (and those that may be wanting to but your inboxes are frightening enough as it is). :)

Getting my French on. This week I put my beautiful photography calendar by Irene Suchocki up on my wall and it is wonderful, except that it makes me easily drift off into daydreams of Paris… Anyway, I also bought some cute mini postcards from Typo with Parisian themes on them and have emailed a French tutor so that I can converse (a little) when we head over in June.

Fine-tuning my positive outlook. Due to my week of learning commitments, I stumbled across this fabulous TED talk by Shawn Achor (unfortunately doesn’t show up on Google Reader but you can click through to the site to watch). It’s all about mindset and what happens when you incorporate just a few simple tasks each day to focus on the positive and being grateful (and he’s pretty funny to boot). For the last few days I have been noting down lovely experiences, performing random acts of kindness, exercising and writing down three things I’m grateful for each day. I certainly have gained more energy and have a spring in my step since starting this!

Other:   coconut water, trying new raw food combinations, getting more comfortable with Photoshop Elements, sending sweet little texts to family and friends for no reason, naughty cakes for morning tea, buying fabulous new music, cooking T a batch of pink pancake “lilypads” complete with chocolate frogs for Valentine’s Day, getting an email I’d been waiting for, having a (relatively) clean apartment, matching my nail polish to the flowers in the studio (sad but true) and green-berry tea.

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POSTS

The lovely Jasmine from Fizzle Out watched the same TED talk as I did and was just as inspired. Read all about her Positivity and Gratitude!

Nubby Twiglet has a great post on setting goals and doing what you love.

How Do You Keep Passion Burning in Your Writing Life asks Erin on SoulPancake. The comments are really interesting on this post, some wonderful ideas!

This Vegan Coconut Vanilla Panna Cotta had me drooling over at Shop Cook Make.

“There are no guarantees in life.  And the truth is security is such a façade” – an inspiring post by Philippa of Skinny Latte Strikes Back about how she used her redundancy to start living her creative dream.

Connie from a life of perfect days has a new morning routine (and it sounds pretty fabulous to me).

30 Things to Start Doing for Yourself over on Marc and Angel Hack Life.

Check out Polly’s awesome Raw Apple and Cranberry Biscuits on her blog Polly’s Path.

LUSTING AFTER… BEAUTY AND STYLE

What have you been swooning over this week?

Now that I (usually) don’t leave home to go to work, putting on high heels, a full face of makeup and chic (but uncomfortable) clothing doesn’t seem so important anymore. But it does mean that I have two different style personalities, which is pretty cool.

The first style personality is the most glamourous. It is elegant and classic with a slight hint of quirkiness. I tend to veer toward shapes that suit the curvy female form (A-line skirts cinched in at the waist, V and sweetheart shaped necklines and relaxed but tailored shirts). I LOVE black but like to play with colour and pattern to spice things up. In terms of beauty, it’s a polished look topped off with bright lips or jet black eyeliner.

one: Tank Pleat Skirt Flare Dress by Victoria Beckham

two and four: Dresses from Erin Fetherston’s current collection

three: Bow Skirt Dress by Erin Fetherston

five: Feather necklace by Emily + Leo

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The second style personality is my home body aesthetic. It’s much more comfortable and a little playful. It revolves around colour and accent accessories layered over soft basics. I love fabrics that drape slightly, giving me room to wander around and stretch without too much effort. These outfits are almost always accompanied by a pair of ballet flats. Hair is slightly messy but well put together, a little bedhead-ish. Makeup is barely there, with a sweep of mascara, foundation and a little blush.

one: Salmon Cowl Tank by Sosume

two: Pink Silk Scarf by Emily + Leo

three: Sun Pea Pod Stud Earrings by  TDesign (via Young Republic)

four: Ballet Singlet by BODY by Dainy Sawatzky

five: Scoop Neck Tank by lululemon

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What are your style personalities at the moment?

Original image by Nirrimi Hakanson

One of my biggest flaws is pushing myself too hard and by the sounds of it, some of you have the same “defect”. My mother told me that I try to do too much when I was a teenager and I can tell that my boyfriend wants to tell me this most days (but might be afraid of the reaction)!

We creative types tend to be excited about getting our teeth stuck into anything and everything; wanting to experience as much of life as we possibly can. There is always something more that I want to do or achieve. Instead of being overwhelmed by choice and not doing any of the ideas in front of me, I run. FULL THROTTLE. I run into the eye of the storm and attack everything with vigour and energy. That is, until I can’t anymore.

Does this sound familiar to any of you out there?

This weekend I realised how much I have been able to slow the pace of my usually chaotic life without even realising it. As much as I love my family, sometimes a fleeting visit can be overwhelming as they want to spend every waking minute talking to you, quizzing you and taking you to places they’ve been dying to show you. All of this is wonderful, but full on. On the plane back home I could barely keep my eyes open and my head throbbed lightly as if it had been over-used.

Instead of kicking myself for booking the trip, I decided to hunt for the positives. I got to spend time with my grandpa on his birthday, I got to see my parents, I caught up with other family members, T had a good excuse to go on his “man weekend” and I had the uplifting realisation of how much my life had changed.

My life now contains little pockets of something that I didn’t get while away for the weekend, something that I missed terribly and craved often. SILENCE.

I didn’t realise how many tiny bursts of it I give myself nowadays, until I no longer had the space for it. You don’t know what you’ve got until its gone… I am much more positive, energetic and productive when I stop devouring text, information and constant noise!

Try setting an alarm on your phone twice a day this week with a reminder to step out of the office (even if it’s to the bathroom) to just sit/stand and soak up some silence. It really does make a difference when you tend to live on fast forward, with the world sprinting alongside you. Slow down and take a few breaths. Stay still and embrace the quiet.

Do you already give yourself bursts of silence? Is it helpful?

Do you have any other tips?

I’ve come to the end of my week of alkaline eating and believe me, it was not an easy one. To incorporate more vegetables into my food and avoid dairy and meat was a lot harder than I thought, but it did make me realise how much my meals tended to revolve around food groups that they shouldn’t.

I stuck pretty rigidly to the 60% alkaline 40% other ratio as suggested, but I often had to add a large salad or extra steamed vegetables to meals in order to tip the balance in the right direction. Green tea, coconut water, fresh vegie juices and almonds were life savers between meals. Quinoa was a staple base for most dinners and salads were the lunch of choice.

So how did it make me feel? Well, my jeans fit a million times better as the bloating I often feel from my regular eating patterns had disappeared. Not having to jump around for 15 minutes to get into my jeans is a plus in my books! I felt cleaner and more clear-headed, but I did notice that my energy levels weren’t very high. I’m not sure if this is because I’d cut a whole lot of sugar and protein out of my diet and my body was adjusting or what. Speaking of adjusting, I did have a few days where I could feel my body detoxing which wasn’t particularly comfortable but it eased up considerably by about Day 4.

My body has become accustomed to the alkaline way of eating now. So much so that on Day 7 when I had toast with jam and coffee (BAD), I really felt it. I started feeling dehydrated, headachy and lethargic. Despite countering it with lemon water and green tea, I still felt average. After an avocado and spinach mini salad with lemon juice, I started feeling much better.

My biggest challenge was over the weekend when I was in Adelaide visiting my family. Eating out is very tricky, particularly around people who are stuck in their acidic ways and don’t understand the “bizarre health kick” that you’re on. I ordered whatever vegetarian options the restaurant had and then added a side salad or extra vegetables on top of that. I limited myself to only one glass of wine and if I had dessert I would avoid dairy whenever possible (which believe me, isn’t as easy as you might think).

Have you tried to eat with an alkaline slant? How has it been for you?

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Original image from Interview Magazine

THIS WEEK

I consider one of my faults to be that when I become competent at something, I tend to stop learning about it. Why is that? Shouldn’t I continue to learn and develop throughout my life, rather than simply stopping at “enough”?

I have been singing for over 15 years and consider myself a good teacher, but I know that I could be great if I continued to learn and study new information about the voice and recent techniques being used by the top tutors.

It was while watching a documentary on statistics by Hans Rosling that my love for knowledge and the process of learning came back to me. Why have I become so complacent about digesting new information? Is it the “overwhelmed epidemic”? The “I don’t have time” excuse? Because baby, you have plenty to get your knowledge on!

So this week is dedicating to getting my smarts on and my brain growing. I’ll be reading more, watching TED videos, doing more puzzles, finding interesting articles and magazines, getting back into learning French and just generally keeping my eyes and ears open to new and fascinating things.

Do you keep yourself actively learning? If so, what do you love to learn about?

It has managed to roll around to another Friday as quick as it always does. Hope you’ve all had a fabulous week since I last checked in with you! Apologies that this post is a tad shorter than most but I am about to jet off in a plane to South Australia, so am cramming in a lot of love in a short amount of time. :)

LIFE

Seeing my family this weekend. I’m heading off to Adelaide for my Grandpa’s birthday (best granddaughter ever right here) and my parents will be there from NZ. Pretty thrilled as I rarely get to see them more than once a year. Phone calls and Skype chats just aren’t the same as a hug and chat over some tea.

Getting more flexy with my yoga. I’ve been trying to be very consistent in my yoga practise this week and it’s paying off! I am definitely feeling a little more flexible (particularly in my hip joints) and my body feels longer and moves with more ease. Love it.

Reining in my spending. It’s about time isn’t it? The big trip is in just over 4 months so I’m tightening my belt and getting on the saving train. Any tips would be most helpful!

Revisiting old books I’ve loved. Too often I buy a book, read it once and then it sits on the bookshelf collecting dust, never to be opened again. SO I’m giving my old books new life by re-reading them in the next few weeks (also saving me money in the process – booyah!).

Other: Little delightful packages (thanks Sodashi), date nights, green juices, new friends on Facebook and Twitter *waves* (PS: I am wrong in the vid, the buttons are to the right of the site, duh!), Barre Body class, continued inspiration, new projects on the horizon, MOR hand cream in Italian Blood Orange (check it out in the vid), blueberries, bliss balls, uplifting posts around the web, guilty pleasures (Pretty Little Liars currently) and sweet goodbyes.

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POSTS

Connie of a life of perfect days has a step by step guide to Super Food Smoothies. Yum!

I have a pen pal – the real, old fashioned pen to paper kind too. It’s all thanks to this fabulous initiative by Tabitha of glitter and ganache – The Handwritten project. Go ahead and sign up for the next round!

I’ve fallen in love with the smart and quirky Marie Forleo – check out this post and video: Should I Take The Safe Job or Do What I Love?

Not sure about affirmations and how they work? The lovely Jess from The Wellness Warrior helps you out with How and Why Affirmations Work.

A beautiful post by vienda maria on sensuous goal refinement and emotional magnetising. Doesn’t that title just sound delicious?

And this gem of a post by Sarah Wilson focuses on doing what you love and doing it often (with an AMAZING video which I shared with the crew over on our Facebook page the other day).

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LUSTING AFTER… BEAUTY & STYLE

Meditation cushions (made from recycled plastic bottles!) by abi and joseph

Inspirational quote cards by kikki.K

Retractable foundation brush by kit cosmetics

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What is on your love (or lust) list at the moment guys? I’d love to hear from you!

In my opinion, Valentine’s Day should be about beautiful words, thoughts and getting creative rather than spending a fortune (not that I’d have the discipline turn down a Tiffany’s necklace). Here’s a small collection of gorgeous Valentine’s Day ideas from around the web-o-sphere that I’ve stumbled across and felt a sparkle of inspiration from. There are ideas for both the coupled up and single girls out there – I for one will be taking a little from column A and a little from column B.

COUPLES

I know, I know – “I show my partner that I love them every day, so we don’t celebrate V Day”. That’s cool, you can try out these cute ideas any day then. For those of you that are stuck for inexpensive ways to show your loved ones that they mean the world to you, why not get creative with these gems?

Put together a bunch of DIY Flowers like these by Justina Blakeney ♥ Create a darling and thoughtful Lunchbox, this one is by Blog Milk ♥ Write a sweet love message in a Beautiful Handmade Card or grab one of these by moxee ♥  Cook up some Red Velvet Crepes by Taste and Tell and serve them in bed ♥  Craft an Origami Love Note by eat drink chic

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ALL THE SINGLE LADIES

Why get all mellow and depressed on Valentine’s Day? You should see it as a day to celebrate our own self-love! Take some time during the day and in the evening to pamper yourself and indulge in your favourite foods and hobbies. Make yourself feel like a million dollars!

Citrus Scrub by Paula Deen (and here’s a cute and easy scrub vid Jas from Sweet Lime and Spiced Tea put together) ♥ Get your body moving and eat what nourishes you – pic from Pinterest ♥ Write yourself a love letter, see these ones by Once Wed ♥ If all else fails, make ice – cream! This delicious cold treat in a jar is by Style Me Pretty

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Do you have any plans for Valentine’s Day? Any traditions you’d like to share?

I added the text and colours to an original image from Persia White's Mecca album

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Self promotion is usually associated with gloating or blowing your own horn – unfortunately. But it shouldn’t always be seen in such a negative light.

Okay, confession time here. I HATE self promotion. You ask me to pimp myself out and I want to hide under a large rock-like device until you decide it’s time to give up and go home. But there comes a time when you have to suck it up and just do it.

Word of mouth is the most powerful promotion tool and it has been amplified with the birth of the Internet and social media channels. It is now even easier to tell your friends about this amazing new music video you’ve been rocking out to, or to let them know that your favourite online store is now selling milk bottle-shaped necklaces.

Why not shout out to the world that you’re really proud of something you’ve done? Where is the shame in that? Most people in your inner circle will be really excited for you and if they believe in what you’re doing, will have no problem playing Chinese Whispers and passing it on.

This doesn’t just apply to you lovelies out there that are bloggers or entrepreneurs, oh no – self promotion can extend to your regular day-to-day workplace. People are generally used to shying away from this because they don’t want to seem obnoxious or overly confident, but it doesn’t have to be done in such a crass way. Think of it as just getting a tiny piece of shiny credit for the work that you’ve already done.

Make sure it’s your best work. I certainly wouldn’t go out into the blogosphere pimping a blog that I felt was really second-rate (pfft I wouldn’t even publish it at all) – I’d want to wave the flag of Kim-landia and my personal brand with something seriously awesome. Something that I knew people would enjoy and relate to. So choose your favourite blog post, cutest accessory, best workplace idea or the service you’re most skilled at and tell yourself it’s worth a bit of promo!

Ask the right people. There is no point asking your knitting-enthusiast mother to tell her friends about your incredible new product aimed at 20-something wannabe actresses. Know your target market and aim to impress them. This may be an ex-boss of yours (collect those glowing references) or your piano teacher. Figure out what kind of people you want to know about this and therefore who are the best people to spread the word.

Ask nicely. Don’t be that pushy person that screams the same thing all over Facebook 4 times a day, using 3 different accounts. People will hide/block/unfriend you for that (and that’s no fun). Be gentle about the way that you do it. A friend of mine asked a question about excessive promotion on social media the other day and one of the responses was the treat it like a cocktail party. If you wouldn’t say it/repeat it over dinner, don’t do it over the web. Love it.

Talk yourself through it. What helps you do things you’re afraid to do? A cute affirmation to fill you with courage? A quick Skype date with your best friend to win you over? Whatever it is, make sure you fill yourself with self belief and pick up the phone, send that email or press that post button.

Remember, there is not a single person out there that wouldn’t be utterly grateful for you spreading the word about their business, website or talent. Whenever you see something you love, tell people about it! Perhaps you could approach people with similar interests/businesses to do a cross-promotion such as affiliations, blogroll links or handing out coupons with your products. The possibilities become endless when you get over that fear of pimping yourself out! ;)

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In saying all this my delightful readers, if there is a recent post or one from the archives that really hit home for you, kept you nodding all the way through or could be useful to someone you know – please share. I’d love this blog to touch as many people as possible and you guys are my best references. There are little Facebook, Twitter and StumbleUpon buttons below to make it nice and easy.

 Thank you for your continued support in whichever way you show it – emails, comments, sharing or simply by reading. Love you all (wow, mushy post huh?)! xx

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How do you feel about self promotion? Do you have any tips for people to get themselves over that initial fear?