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Are You Waiting For Permission?


alt="Elizabeth Gilbert quote on post it note. From blog on permission. Read at brambleandfoxshop.com

In a scrappy notebook held together with an elastic band, is the pre-launch plan for Bramble & Fox. 


The idea for a hygge shop tapped me on the arm one night in 2019. I had the name, stock ideas and three distinct strands of the business. It was as if my brain knitted the idea together, woke me up and whispered ‘Off you go.’ 

 

Hygge workshops are on that pre-launch plan. 

 

I intended to weave workshops into the mix some time ago, but Covid hit and like many plans, they were shelved for a while. 


Once or twice, I reached back to the shelf to retrieve the idea and I hesitated. After journalling on it, I realised it’s because I’ve been waiting for permission. 


So many of us are subconsciously pressing pause on our dreams and waiting for permission slips, I thought I’d dig into some of the factors at play. 


Taking up space


If you read my blog post on being visible, you’ll know that somewhere along the way, I subconsciously picked up some limiting beliefs on taking up space. I got my first inkling about this when I read Glennon Doyle’s cheetah metaphor in her book Untamed. 


Like many women, I’ve been conditioned to believe it’s inappropriate and attention-seeking to take up space. I internalised these beliefs as an inner voice that sneers when I step outside of the limits I’ve unwittingly created for myself.


Choosing ‘visible’ as my word for the year is my way of breaking down those beliefs and giving myself permission. 


Imposter Feelings


Like tangled necklaces in a jewellery box, this has been tricky to unpick, as amongst the rhinestone fears created by imposter phenomenon, is a genuine fear. 


My imposter fears relate to not being suitably qualified. 


I have ten years’ teaching experience in coaching people how to accomplish goals.


I have a foundation counselling qualification, so I’m able to apply skills I’ve learned to support and nurture women in their self-development journeys. 


I’m a qualified baker and cake decorator with experience of working as a baker in a highly regarded Manchester coffee shop. 


I have seventeen years of practical experience and skills in creating a cosy, inviting home with a signature style. 


I’ve successfully planned and launched a creative business from the seed of an idea and continued to nurture it through a pandemic.


I live the hygge lifestyle that I encourage others to adopt. I’ve used hygge to help me cope with the most difficult, traumatic periods of my adult life and I've used it to create a life filled with comfort and joy. 


I have all of these precious jewels, and yet…


I worry I’m not qualified enough to call myself a hygge coach. 


There, I said it. 


I worry I’m not qualified enough because I don’t have a specific coaching qualification.


A chat before Christmas with a wise friend, who’s a qualified coach, was very revealing. 


I realised I was seeing the financially out-of-reach coaching qualification as a barrier to this next phase of Bramble & Fox. 


I had three options: 

  • Abandon my business plans
  • Delay the plans for a few years until I could afford the coaching qualification 
  • Find a different way to bring my dream into today. 

After researching the finer points between coaching and mentoring, I’ve decided that mentoring describes what I’m trying to achieve with my hygge workshops.


A mentor is someone who shares their knowledge, skills and/or experience, to help another to develop and grow.


A coach is someone who asks the right questions and provides an environment of trust for a person to come to their own solutions. 


Although formal qualifications are not required for mentoring, first-hand experience, knowledge and insights are essential. Learning this has liberated me and given me the confidence to move beyond my limiting beliefs. 


The Key to Your Year


Over Christmas, I launched my first workshop, The Key to Your Year. The workshop is an opportunity to discover your unique word to unlock your year ahead. 

 

A word to act as an anchor and a compass point to guide the way. 


I loved every minute of it and I was asked if I could hold more workshops over the year at key points to provide support and gentle accountability in using your special word to work towards your dreams and goals. 


Coming soon 


Which neatly leads me on to say that I’ve been quietly crafting the materials for the next Key to Your Year workshop. I’m excited about it and I’ll be sharing it with you very soon. 


If you want to be sure not to miss it, head over to my hygge workshops area.


If you’re intrigued by the idea of choosing a word for the year and you think you’ve left it too late, then I want to reassure you that it really isn’t


Here's my free video guide to help you choose your word, so you'll be ready to take action at the next workshop. 

 

What do you need to give yourself permission to do? Carry on the conversation over at @brambleandfoxshopuk


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