Zoom Secrets 4 Yoga Teachers

Being Lone Wolf

I am sitting skin to skin, like a sardine in a sweat lodge with 30 people in a confined space.

It started like a living hell especially as I knew I would be there for 3 hours.

I could hear someone else’s breathing on either side of me, another man fidgeting in front of me.

It felt like everyone’s personal space was invaded.

I sat in that space for 3 hours and hated moments, only it taught me a valuable lesson.

As everyone was singing songs, I was thinking about how to get the F out of there, only I had no choice because I would have to climb over 10 guys, along with having to explain to everyone else why I was choosing to leave.

So I stayed!

I didn’t know the words but I started to sing the songs, probably sounding like a garbled mess of words, had the sound been only mine.

We were all in there uncomfortably hot, getting each other’s sweat-drenched over our skin and there were no options but to partake.

I could sit in there in pain and suffer or I could follow suit and just allow myself to be guided through the process.

Of course, my curiosity kept me there. It gave me a little reminder. Shared experiences, if embraced can create something. But what is this going to create my brain kept saying?

Being in there I was witness to singing, conversations and great intentions flowing out of the men leading the experience.

It taught me and reminded me that going through something difficult, uncomfortable, unfamiliar and something I would not ordinarily do was easier because I was sharing the experience with others.

It was a reminder of my past lone-wolf attitude BEING so damn lonely and at times it still is.

Feeling alone and doing life alone is probably something everyone can relate to at times. Can you?

I still do at times, only less so because I have seen just how things change when I am "out there" with others.

This approach has taken a radically different trajectory for me in the last decade. Instead of thinking how can “I” , I have challenged myself to turn "I" into "WE". Whether that's in a business, exercise, projects, relationships...

The difference between “I” and “We” is immense as I experienced in this little sweat haven.

Suddenly, impossible tasks seem possible.

Suddenly, what sounds like being lonely as hell, can be fun and filled full of opportunities to grow in different ways.

Challenges are easier and more freedom and ease helps myself and I get to where we want to go.

I could have sat amongst all of those people in the sweat lodge and hated all 3 hours of it. Instead, it was 1 hour of hating it and 2 hours of well, just being in the collective experience of it, which was just a lot more enjoyable.

What a freakin great metaphor…..

As soon as I let my guard down and began listening to the music, listening to the other people, the voices my perspective began to shift.

Isn’t this the same when we choose to partake in shared experiences? Don’t we begin to see that a shared set of talents can create something unique, can create experiences for us and others, and can get us where we want to go faster!

Don’t we experience relief after "sharing" difficult times, owning our flaws and our talents and through doing so create the possibility of new perspectives and experiences?

The collaboration forms an alchemy that produces something unique.

New people = new colour, new experiences and new outcomes…..

If you are a lone wolf, you are missing out, you are isolated, a struggling talent who has enormous potential only stifled by your limited capacity to do EVERYTHING.

Do you remember what it was like to be in a team when things flowed, were moving and where you felt free to enjoy yourself a little? Yes, it may have not been something that you were excited about, but what if now you have the very thing that you are excited about and you were co-creating……. collaborating......

Stop wasting time & money

Do you keep doing the same thing over and over because it’s like a comfort blanket. It gives you the illusion of satisfaction as there are moments when you create something a little better.

Perhaps there is boredom in the repeating cycles. A feeling like “I have been here before”.

The past is repeating itself…..

The way forward is simple and a little confronting.

It means moving into uncomfortable and unfamiliar places that sit on the edge of ”some idea that’s been playing out” from how you have been. It reveals some unknown truths you believed to be true only they aren’t. The stories underneath the surface…. OR maybe not - maybe it’s just trying out a new strategy and getting help with that……… It’s probably a little of both.

AND………

There is a sense that something new could be possible.

You can compare these 2 ideas

1. Do the same. Let’s look at 2 years of doing this. Of course there will be some progression. It’s in our nature, only you are only growing from a frame of reference that has had no intervention. It has limitations (not because of your own abilities) because of your lack of consciousness around parts of your psychological make-up, specialised knowledge and experience in growing in an area that you don’t yet know much about.
2. Do something different. Let’s look at 2 years of doing this. Operating from a new frame of reference, identifying new possibilities, re-discovering excitement, creating a new pathway. If you are reading this you can possibly imagine a new future but not quite see it YET

Compare the 2 - what is the difference in money, time and experience…. Is it possible that putting focus on point 2 could increase your earning potential, have you experience more enjoyment with your time and have more great experiences whether that’s living somewhere you want to live or just having more experiences that you value (travel, adventure, freedom, family time)

I wanted to share this comparison not to be bragging but because I know this is a possibility for anyone OR maybe it’s already progression in the making….

My personal experience of Point 1:

Stagnant for 3/4 years pre-covid, boredom, pretty poor income (making losses and thinking it will eventually work out), progression, yes but nothing parabolic or exciting, low fulfilment, living somewhere I didn’t really want to be, insecurities around earning ability, trying to do everything alone, making bad decisions from a frame of reference that had little to no new vision or strategy..... A pretty poor outlook

My personal experience of Point 2:
Working less (although I still work a lot because I enjoy it), earning more, having structure to support the growing of 2 businesses not one (yes this has its challenges that’s an ongoing work in progress), having a great team of people to support the growth, having clear vision of what needs to happen for growth to be consistent, following my talents rather than trying to do it all, INSANE amounts of enjoyment and fulfilment (doing the things I love doing and where I have the highest value), living in a place I love to be (at the moment Ibiza).

A big part of the change above was accepting my limitations and confronting my own insecurities around being "alone". I was building something from “being alone”. Guess what - “it was pretty lonely”. NOW, all of it is co-created with “OTHERS”….

After
- 2.5 years of conversations
- 2.5 years of learning about the online world
- 6 plus years of leadership training with landmark
- 8 plus years of running my own business
- 22 years of being a wellness fanatic
- 8 years of coaching and being coached
- 4 attempts of trying different types of businesses around wellness
- Gifting 85 free coaching sessions

I have now built “Legacy” collective - something that matches my skills, who I am and what at least 75% of the people I have spoken to want - a mission led career. Reason for creating this is simple

On a personal level it’s to shift the dynamics of how a lot of humans approach health and
- to reducing the need for wanting to be so reliant on our flawed healthcare systems.

There is a sweet spot to stand out for everyone!

Been loving the challenges of December, January and Feb.
December - Speaking to 20 people in the wellness field & gifting 60-90 min sessions - Beautiful process, beautiful people.
January - 2 x 3 day water fast, cold showers everyday, no media, no ....., meditation, journalling, prayer and self study.
February - 3 x 3 day water fast cold showers everyday, no media, no ......, meditation, journalling, prayer and self study + Yoga on fasting days cross fit on normal days + 100 press-ups per day.
Body is getting younger, stronger, leaner and more alive
Discipline brings strength, focus and resilience. Body is the mind!!!

I have had over 50 conversations now. My ability to hold a person in spaces that are very revealing and uncomfortable (without being punched) is a reflection of the scale of impact I can have on you.

The small imperfections of life are windows for me to access ideas that people carry which are unconsciously shaping life and that are based on past experiences that limit a potential.

The greater the threshold that a person has to sit in a challenging question and to answer it honestly, the greater the energy, vision and clarity they can create.

Possibility is not logical and living inside it can change everything. I love that inside of this context a legacy can be created and live on far beyond you or I.

As I grow in this art so shall every person s world!

Almost everyone is looking for a strategy to get somewhere?

The questions that are born from seeking a strategy communicate the hurriedness and rush someone is in to get somewhere.

The question is born from a need rather than a pace at which anyone can savor, take in and enjoy.

Although I do not deny it’s relevance the source of any action is where we all get to experience an honest piece of ourselves or not.

“I am that I have all the time in the world and now is the perfect time”

It takes a curious soul to follow their creative nature

I can see those who choose a different type of life:

They are people who embrace their rebellious nature. At first without care but then with immense care

They have courage to stand for something new, different, self created

They do not know how it will work out, yet they ve made a choice

They are coming from somewhere that they have accessed most likely from a story that has involved struggle, challenge and difficult times.

They are always discovering something new in themselves and then in others, as they flash lights and signs of something new and different, scrambling normalisation.

They are unconventional, the black sheep, misunderstood yet are connected to everyone and everything. They feel that!

They do not fit anywhere but in the puzzle they are trusting themselves to create.

They do not know what the future is, yet they sense, stand for and believe in a better world.

They know now or if not now they will somehow or sometime experience their existence as worthwhile

They believe in the whispers they hear that say “there is something here, keep going”

They are not waiting for permission, looking for acceptance or celebration because they have already decided - this is the way!

Stubborn but coloured with darkness and pain transformed into depth and love bursting from their hearts

It’s lonely at times when we forget, and until we remember that we are all in this together

Appreciating you!!!

Should this resonate with you I m seeking 20 people to spend 60-90 mins where we delve deep into creating a clear vision. If you are a deep thinker and a passionate creator then you ll love this.

Listening - Creativity at its most expansive

If I become a body that just listens then I am a space that just allows whatever is there for whoever I listen to

In that space ideas, concepts and beliefs either stay the same, dissolved or something new is created.

To think is both a construct of our brilliance and of our weakness.

Thoughts loop, circle, twist, turn and either

Create
Great products and services
Collaborations
Friendships
Marriages
Families
etc……

OR

Destroy
Great products and services
Collaborations
Friendships
Marriages
Families
etc……

Without a form of externalisation and a space to be completely unhinged around the honesty of our thoughts within a specific context (business, family, career etc) then are we not just like a Juke box where the listener selects the number of the song and that song plays again and again and again…

To create something new, from somewhere new requires a listener to ask questions (to an open mind) that create and destroy.

….And to be listened too we must first learn to become a listener in order to understand its value.

To the problem solvers out there…..
“……shhhhh🙉…… you are not listening”

To those that listen, really listen and feel someone’s whole world….

You can not only feel their whole world, you see, feel and hear a commitment inside of it - even if it’s a complaint.

The experience of a listener is a knowing that we are acting as someone who is being a supporter. In so being that they are creating space, changing an entire world and creating a new one…..

I am opening up more spaces to listen and create with you, if one of the areas you are focussed on is a service based wellness business. Our first call is my gift to you to help create some clarity, energy and vision.
Beyond that call there is zero expectation to go beyond. If you are looking to expand, grow and develop your work on or off line then our program “Legacy” will be something worthy of connecting with me about.
Drop me a DM if you d like to know more

This is a little uncomfortable to share, but I’m being challenged to do so, so here goes.

The challenge is “to share some great traits / accomplishment about myself”. 
I usually don’t share what’s great about me because I am afraid of being judged for being arrogant.  What’s more I am English and appreciate humility, so I will share the best I can in a way that’s hopefully of some value. 

1.  I have a video business in the UK that relied on live events and in March 2020 everything was cut. SCARY moment!  I got my head down and built an online course with my technical guru Hargreaves.  In 2 months we built & launched a course called “Zoom Secrets 4 Yoga Classes” which was very popular during pandemic time.
 
2. In August 2020 I packed up most things in the UK and went to go and live and run my business from Ibiza (where I have now been for 2 years). 

3. I have evolved my new natural health based business to encapsulate all my skills and what I love in one place - something I thought was impossible.  Its focus = "Creating legacy based online courses / business for natural health professionals".  

I have always had an insatiable hunger and commitment to making natural health practices part of the solution to our worlds health problems.  I now feel like a small percentage of my impact is now coming to life.  

Thats enough of me - I’d love to hear something great about you too…. 

I want to live in a world where we take stock and celebrate from time to time how far we have come, so take a moment to reflect and share.

I know it’s uncomfortable but so is having a colonic:>) or doing a hard work-out.

This is why I have chosen this career.  I get to listen and hear about how people are being creative with bringing their skills to life.  

I have cleared 10 spaces to support a 10 Legacy Visions where we get to dig deep and wide and flesh out a wellness business, creating clarity and energy behind it.  I have 8 spots left, so if you know someone who wants to stop thinking about their ideas and begin the process or need some course correction then send them to me.  I'd love to support them

Thank you! and don’t forget to share below.  

Unbox Yourself - Niching Video 2 “Discovering You Are A Niche!”

If you are a seeker as I am, then naturally, you are likely to have an inclination to offer services to people that fulfil your desire to seek and be free in your creative pursuits.

Seekers are excited about creating their own life, offering unique services in alignment with passion whilst making money in the process.

Equally, you probably avoid being boxed in by modern day advice about spreading your work online and "NEEDING a NICHE".

In this second short video I highlight seeking out our past ways we have been "unconsciously genius" and to discover strengths within that that you can identify and then leverage into bringing forth a service that is truly aligned to who you are.

You’ll Never Find The Right Marketing Niches For You!

You, like me have probably been told - find a niche market and for some reason it has felt limiting.

I felt it when I co-created “Zoom Secrets for Yoga Classes” during the pandemic.

It’s true that niching works….  Believe me when I say following the rules of online marketing can have its merits. During the pandemic our little course was very popular.  

I had my first experience of my phone buzzing every time our course sold.  

The excitement was exhilarating.

Something was missing for me in what was created…..  Passion, depth, a sense or purposeful pursuit, my work meaning something beyond "how to use technology for your yoga classes"

The word of “Legacy” sat with me, played with my thoughts and the bigger questions of how I wanted to be remembered and thought of kept on interrupting my interest in entrepreneurship online….

After all if you have an interest in “Wellness”, then there is a soul behind it. A desire for something to have a lasting impact… It's pretty common that wellness enthusiasts are seekers and putting us in a box (aka a niche) is limiting and destructive in some way.

Without knowing it I found people who didn’t follow the traditional model and they were building something passionately, profitably and successfully…..

It wasn’t clinical, “box-like”, sale-sy, gross, restructive and didn’t make me want to run away.  

Instead it was attractive, authentic, expansive, valuable, inviting, intriguing, different and unique.

Probably the way we’d all like to be seen……

Some qualities at play that stood out to me were:

- Passion was at the heart of what was being built
- The uniqueness was created and generated from an internal orientation
- The depth of understanding (me) and my intrinsic values (not just what I say I want) 
- A feeling of being heard and listened to

What is your experience? and have you found niching to be limiting?

The importance of seeing a future and being in it now....

I love to be reminded that everyday is 'creating a future' versus just living according to the values and past experiences that have become our personality.

Creating from personality and creating something completely unique "a created future" are different.

A created future is fun, fulfilling and at times very confronting and challenging.

The advantage of challenging this skill/ art is just how magical & scary it is and like anything, is a practice.  

It's confronting because it brings up awareness around ways we are destructive to our own creativity and how we create our own limitations.

EXAMPLE: I did a 2nd reccy of Portugal "a place I have spent significant energy on visualising "almost" everyday. 
The house, its location, the kitchen, the rooms, the garden, the surfing, the car I own, the sunshine, the family, the business.

Whilst in Portugal, I let go of a daily practice = chaos... (where past self plays the "created future")

RESULTED  in
 - Covid
 - feeling of disconnectedness
 - talking about things I didn't like (feeling down)
 - feeling like there is something wrong
 - feeling of ungroundedness
 - lost luggage

The magic was also there but when I was creating it through a practice.
 - Experiencing the kindness of people
 - the adventurous spirit
 - feeling the sport of surfing again and loving it
 - reconnecting with great people
 - dolphins at sunset

The disadvantage and advantage of discovering our flaws is the act of accepting them and the discomfort of then going through them.

Key-phrase - "going through them"

Change is challenging and gets easier.

I am no master and I am in the dance of becoming masterful. 

This is also NOT just acting on impulse and "following my heart".

Grounding ideas, unpicking them, seeing the steps and honouring that process and the value in it creates.

Respecting the time, the commitment, the heart, the thought, the patience and the fulfilment of it "coming together" and creates the experience of "BEING it now"

Happy Monday!

When genius ideas transform into consciously created service offerings

Isn t the idea of being a genius in your work seen as either 

a little cocky & overconfident
OR
an idea that doesn't really belong to us

It’s often said in common pop culture that affirming ideas about ourselves will have us begin to act in alignment with that idea.

I wonder if Einstein ever knew he was a genius?

Don't ideas from the past creep in to tell you something else...

like "don't be silly, you genius"

The idea of “genius” is a little lost in the weeds, which by the way should generate intrigue despite a feeling of discomfort.  

Ever had those moments of genius - It’ll likely play out like this….

1. Einstein light bulb moment. 
Do you
2a. Act on it
2b. Forget it  

If 2a, perhaps a little doubt creeps in... Uncertainty…

“What if the outside world doesn’t see it the way I see it?”

The tension…. 

Facing the risk of confronting judgment. What a blessing! Would we not grow weak without it?

But can a response to the world’s judgement and ridicule be one of de-evolution or evolution.  

De-evolution - I’m going to “Prove to the world” what I know to be true.  Proving to the world “I am right” therefore “you are wrong”.  Does this imbalance create an experience of ‘being stuck’? Or let's go for 2b.

Evolution - I’m accepting of all ridicule and judgement.  I embrace it and the pain that comes with it and in so doing see ways of growing more.

Choosing “Evolution”

 - Feel painful parts of ourselves that do not see genius in our work.
 - Being accepting of self judgement
 - Observe a gap in your work and see it as tension to create
 - Express your moments of genius - watch, listen and learn.
 - Act on what you discover from watching, listening and see the value it generates for the outside world.  Every interaction is a seed that will bare fruit or not.

If this post has got you thinking and you'd like to discover how to marry up your skills, talents and passion to create an offering that creates money and delivers a uniquely genius and valuable service then drop me a DM.

I'm back and I have been missing writing thoughtful posts...

The past 3 months have been a slightly awkward dance between a video business in the UK that went dead for 2 years and then “WOKE UP” like an alarm bell in February this year. 

To say it’s been intense is an understatement

I had 3 choices back in February. 
Option 1 - Scrap 6 years of hard work and relationship building. Dumb idea
Option 2 - Do both and hire a trustworthy crowd to help and strengthen my relationships, trust and build my network
Option 3 - Park my beautiful online work and come back to it post busy time.

My plan was option 2 only life doesn’t always go the way you intend it to go.

It ended up being option 3 = Ben goes silent

To begin with I was frustrated, angry and pi**ed off it didn't go the way I wanted it to go. 

But, then why the hurry....

What happens if it takes 5 years - does it matter?

Isn t it true that sometimes we look at others and compare. 

We fail to see what he/ she has been doing before that 6 months for the past decade of life. 

The irony is it probably could take any of us 3 to 6 months to reach an “x” moment only we don t because it’s not clear what “x” is. TIP: Create clarity or fight against the wind

If we know:
We have skillset
We have value potential
We have an ear 👂 to the ground and LISTEN to the people we are offering services to

Then thats it right? - Wrong!  Now be in the dance of all 3 for 1, 2, 3 years. 

All 3 are SO essential.

The reality is my offering is something that has not just been from what I have been doing for 6 months. It’s birthed as a combination of skills, experience, training and experience that’s 2 decades old, only this dance is a year old. 

The point I wish to make to myself first is it’s never a straight line, trusting a way that is happening and knowing that our years of life experience, knowledge are so valuable.  

REMINDER: BE patient, be relentlessly loving 🥰 of clients, develop love for an industry with a desire to evolve it - IMMEASURABLY and enjoy the dance of sadness, happiness, frustration, anger, exhilaration, ecstasy, loneliness and wonder.