I Was Just Thinking...

I was just thinking about calling this project done. Recording and releasing this podcast has given me so much more than I thought it would when I started and now I'm putting it to bed. Why on earth would I do that? Because sometimes, finishing is as important as starting.

In this episode, we're exploring:

• why we keep doing things even if we don't want to
• the benefits of being done on your own terms
• the power of finishing a project instead of letting it go on forever

Thanks for listening to this podcast! I'll be leaving the feed up. It's a great example of doing something because you want to and then letting it go because you want to.

For updates on my next project, go to https://www.devcolearning.com

And be sure to check https://heatherdeveaux.com and follow along for more blogs and updates on the creative side of things.

I was just thinking about expanding our definition of want and allowing ourselves to want for more. We often ask the question, "what do you want?" but what if we took it one step further to ask, "what ELSE do you want? "

In this episode, we're exploring,

• what happens when you let yourself ask the question, "what else do you want?"
• what to do when faced with the challenge of wanting more
• acknowledging the hard things and doing them anyway

Check out the blog related to this podcast episode here: What Else Do You Want? | Heather Deveaux Creative

I was just thinking about what it means to be creative and how we can be our own worst enemies when it comes to making things and putting them out into the world. It doesn't have to be that way, though. And I've developed a simple system for getting things done that might work for you too.

In this episode, we'll explore:

• where and when we get stuck
• how to recognize the hesitation
• when to implement three steps to get you to the finish line

If you want to join any of my 5-day challenges to connect with your creative side, journaling practice or travel bug, visit https://heatherdeveaux.com/challenges

I was just thinking about how to write a romance novel. I've written six novels in the last few years and am getting ready to publish my 7th romance novel. I was asked about my process recently and it had me gushing about how much I love the writing process, and how to ease the burden of writing for others.

In this episode, I'm exploring:

• three ways to improve the writing process
• what might hold you back while you write
• unconventional advice that worked for me

Visit https://heatherdeveaux.com/start-and-finish-a-romance-novel/ to read the blog and grab the step-by-step guide to write your own romance novel.

I was just thinking about business and how taking a step back, getting some clarity and having a conversation with my 17-year-old son changed the way I saw what I've created in the world. And it turns out, I've done the exact thing I set out to do ten years ago without even realizing it.

In this episode, we're exploring:

• the idea of taking a break
• how getting a different perspective can change everything without changing anything at all
• why I love business so much and how it can be even better in the future
• a new business model I hadn't considered before

For more information about my creative sabbatical and to explore the work I've been doing to come to these conclusions, check out https://heatherdeveaux.com/blog

I was just thinking about value-based decisions and how I have worked to identify and use certain values in my life to help guide my decisions.

In this episode, we'll explore:

• thresholds as markers for your values
• how values can come through in actions
• what to ask yourself to determine what's important to you.

I wrote a blog about value-based decisions that you can read to accompany this podcast episode.

I was just thinking about bartering. Not the kind you do in business when you're trying to get someone to scratch your back while you scratch theirs. I'm talking about the kind of bartering we do with ourselves, putting off what we want now for the comfort or benefit of others.

In this episode, we're exploring:

• how to recognize when we're bartering with ourselves
• the sneaky ways we miss the compromises we make for the comfort of others
• what you can do to take back some of that agency over yourself and your life.

Want to do some journaling on the ways you might be compromising so you can call it out and do something about it? Check out my free 5-day journal challenge now.

I was just thinking about what motivates us to get up off the couch and take action and I've been spending a lot of time thinking about old stories I used to tell myself about my ability to finish something. Maybe they aren't all true. And maybe, they are. And maybe that's perfectly okay.

In this episode, we're exploring:

• doing things you want to do, not have to do
• how you can skip the guilt and focus on how you actually want to feel
• why following our feelings can be more honest than external motivators
• being honest about what feelings you're after so you can create more of them

If you want to learn more about how I'm using self-reflection and story-telling to explore my life and its meaning, check out my blog. Feel free to join my mailing list or one of my 5-day challenges to help you explore your thoughts in this way.

I was just thinking about purpose and all the ways we put pressure on ourselves to find our purpose. But what if purpose was a choice? What if we got to decide not just today, but everyday, what our purpose in life was? And what if instead of trying to define our entire lives through our careers and things we achieve, we pay attention to the little moments in life where our purpose is as clear as a bell?

In this episode of I Was Just Thinking, we're exploring purpose from the perspective responsibility and pressure. And we're letting go of the pressure in favour of the ownership of our lives.

We'll explore:

• the role purpose plays in our lives
• alignment and misalignment as a way to identify purpose
• what's next vs what is in our lives
• questions we can ask to get to know our purpose better

If you want to continue doing this work with me, you can visit my website or join one of my 5-day challenges including a creative challenge or a journal challenge.

You can find the blog I mention in this episode here: The Role Purpose Plays in My Life Right Now

I was just thinking about seasons of change. What happens when we're forced into change and what happens when we choose change?

I'm deep into a season of change I created because I wanted to explore what else life holds besides a 6-figure business and a never-ending to-do list.

When I decided to take time off from my consulting business to engage in a creative sabbatical for one year, I was anticipating creating a lot of new things...just for the sake of creating them. And it turns out that one of the things I wanted to create was this podcast. So I did.

The point of this sabbatical is to follow what feels good. And recording a podcast and putting into the world feels good. So I did it.

In this episode, we'll explore:

• forced change vs chosen change
• getting from where you are to where you want to be even if you don't know what that looks like
• being open to what comes up as you explore change
• embracing wants and desires as they come up

Visit https://heatherdeveaux.com/podcast for more information and to join my mailing list for goodies, updates, opportunities to connect and more.