Posts in "make meaning" Category — Page 10

make meaning

Are you just polishing the mailbox?

I was driving down the road when I spotted an old man polishing his mailbox.

(In case that seemed like a normal sentence or you’re skimming: polishing. His mailbox.)

POLISHING HIS MAILBOX.

Like any kind and enlightened human being, I immediately judged him for having too much time on his hands and scoffed at his chosen activity. Really, dude? Really?

Buuuuuuut then I came up with alternate reasons for his mailbox polishing. Maybe his daughter was getting married and he was supposed to be landscaping the backyard for the ceremony but then he saw the mailbox smudges and they were a symbol of his love for his baby girl. Or maybe he was supposed to be finishing his novel and sending it off to his editor, but then he caught a glimpse of the good-for-nothing mailbox dirt that had to be solved right that second.

Maybe he was avoiding his big, important work.

Maybe he knew what he was supposed to be doing and he also wanted to avoid it with a seemingly useful task.

My guess is that, when it comes to growing your business or shaking up your personal life in order to make yourself happier or peaceful-er or wealthier or freer than ever, you already know what you have to do.

But you don’t do it.

Because it’s hard.
Because you’re tired.
Because you have Shiny Thing Syndrome.
Because you constantly second guess whether THIS thing is THE thing.
Because you’d rather eat ice cream and watch Hulu than tackle your to-do list.

Because there’s always a mailbox that needs polishing.

We all need accountability to help fight through the inertia and mailbox dirt, into the realm of our deepest fears and doubts (which is, of course, where our most fulfilling work and joy comes from).

Steer Your Ship is about doing the things you know you need to do with the support of someone who gives a shit about you and your work. And that someone would be me.

It’s not that I have a REVOLUTIONARY STEP-BY-STEP PROGRAM GUARANTEED TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE AND MAKE YOU SO VERY SKINNY, or that I’ll say anything new and shocking and [insert buzz word here] that you haven’t vaguely heard in other places, though of course I’ve got a killer curriculum all lined up to share with you.

The trick of Steer Your Ship is that I help you figure out what’s right FOR YOU.

I listen to the words coming out of your mouth, and I listen to what your heart seems to be saying, and when those two things are in alignment we pause. I help you see that alignment, acknowledge it, and we move forward together from that connected, totally aligned point.

That means I’m capable of giving 100%-totally-and-completely-different advice to two people facing a very similar issue because I’ve take the time to listen to what those peeps are actually saying, to what they need, to their life circumstances, and to who they way-deep-deep-down ARE before opening my mouth. (Often, you’ll be jealous of the advice other people in Steer Your Ship get because it seems so EASY to do that thing she gets to do and I’m making you do something HARD, lol.)

I help you feel and know and experience the deep truth of who you are, and I help you bring your particular magic to light in every aspect of your life.

That work isn’t easy,
nor is it prescriptive.
It certainly isn’t simple.

But it is WORTH IT.

Instead of buying another $49 or $249 or $2000 product or course or class or seminar and white-knuckling your way through, determined that THIS TIME YOU’LL MAKE IT WORK, DAMMIT, it might be time to invest in untangling the threads of your own heart.

When you’re sure about what you want to do and why you want to do it;
when your whats and whys are broken into small daily steps instead of swirling in a tornado of overwhelm;
when you have a fellow human invested in holding you accountable;
everything shifts.

You move, you change, you find yourself more alive than ever before.

It all starts with listening to yourself. Steer Your Ship will make it happen.

During our six months together we go on two retreats — one in Los Angeles, one in Philadelphia — and we hit up the 1-on-1 coaching, group accountability, and a series of activities that will knock your socks off. (READ: Private animal encounters. Balconies with ocean views. Fun camp. Homecooked meals. Ocean time. Silly games and tears and laughter and hippie-dippie-woo-woo practices that will astound you, too.)

We live together for a few days, we meet online and in person as both a group and individually, and you grow into the next iteration of who you are over the course of six months together.

We stop polishing the mailbox and do the big, important work. 😉

Check out Steer Your Ship. (As of this writing, there are 2 spots left in the 2017 program.)

Hugs,
Kristen

P.S. When you’re ready, write me a note! Fill out the contact form or tell me what’s up, what you want me to know, and what you don’t want me to know and fire it off to k@kristenkalp.com.

listen to the podcast, make meaning

Talking Money and Happiness with Sarah Von Bargen

You know those people who can take a few dollars and turn them into a fancy cocktail AND an overnight stay in a gorgeous cottage AND a freaking cute outfit?

I usually hate those people.

But Sarah Von Bargen doesn’t count, because (she’s genius and) she doesn’t make me feel bad for spending way too much on the two cocktails with fancy umbrellas that I bought with the same money she stretched to purchase all the things.

More Money, More Happy Bootcamp is just the tip of her money wisdom iceberg!

In this episode of That’s What She Said, the wondrous and thrifty Sarah Von Bargen and I talk about:

why ‘having a budget’ does NOT translate to ‘absolute deprivation for all of time’
viewing a budget as a challenge versus a death sentence that condemns you to feeling broke and poor and WHY CAN’T I JUST GO TO TARGET AND SPEND $100 ON SNACKS AND SPARKLY THINGS, ANYHOW.
how saving money can actually be exciting (I shit you not! I, too, am still skeptical of my own conversation with her, but she really is brilliant enough to make this savings thing feasible!)
the money habit she wishes she could magically make everyone on earth do (and it’s not even that big a deal. Your fancy cocktails are safe.)
how to figure out what makes you happy, material-things-wise
why a highlighter and a handful of printouts just might revolutionize your spending
what a spending diet is, and why it doesn’t suck nearly as much as the name implies
how to create habits in order to counteract decision fatigue
…and how to move toward your big goals by putting your life on autopilot.

Sarah breaks my brain a few times. I’m actually going on an actual spending diet and that is both a.) incredibly strange and b.) absolutely freeing.

I encourage you to join Sarah in the free 5-day More Money, More Happy bootcamp.

Feeling friendly? Sarah’s got a Facebook group where she’s hosting the Spending Diet + Earning Spree.

I can’t recommend Sarah’s work enough, as either a friend or a teacher. Those are *not* affiliate links, either! I just want to spread the good word and get you happier with your money as quickly as possible.

P.S. What’s your true currency? (Mine sure isn’t dollars and cents.) And a reminder: money blocks are probably not your problem.

listen to the podcast, make meaning

Dammit, I cried: in conversation with Branden Harvey.

When you find someone who’s holding up hope as more than a feel-good business model or a way to get press — and when you find someone who’s actually doing the hard work of building a better world by showing us all how much good is already happening — you naturally follow their work closely, support their projects, and wish them well in every way possible.

When you find out that person actually knows who you are and is willing to be interviewed on your podcast, you book ’em and then break down crying within 90 seconds of starting the interview. (At least, that’s what happened when I had Branden Harvey on That’s What She Said.)

At twenty-four, Branden has amassed a following of hundreds of thousands of people and traveled the world as a photographer, storyteller, and Snapchatter. He currently hosts the Sounds Good podcast, writes the GoodNewsletter, and recently launched the GoodNewspaper to bring an actual newspaper into the world that focuses exclusively on the forward movement and progress the world has to offer.

Listen in while Branden and I talk massive creativity, unplugging, social media, and the relentless pursuit of bringing your highest, deepest, and brightest work into the world on any given day.

In this interview, we talk about:

how Branden’s choosing to fight back against apathy in a big way
how becoming a Snapchat celebrity helped him embrace the ephemeral nature of creative work
the core questions that govern everything Branden creates
the evolution of the GoodNewspaper and the challenges of making a real-life physical object for the masses
the sadness of gaining lots of followers and the weight of having an audience
how to respond to the “you’re such a baby” comments that beleaguer anyone under 30
the intangible benefits of making work and doing it well
the ways storytelling has shaped Branden for the better
finding the work only you can do — and then doing it
how clicking ‘follow’ that one time led to gaining a wife (obviously)
and how to reach hope through…data? (Yup!)

You’ll want to head on over here and get a GoodNewspaper subscription right now.

Hugs,
K

P.S. Want more interviews like this one? Listen to Nick McArthur talk about the way gender plays into sales in business and whether or not male privilege is real, since, in his own words, he “has a history of being a woman.” Or check out the top 10 podcast episodes of all time.

(Want to ask me to interview someone? Rad, just click here and tell me all about it.)

listen to the podcast, make meaning

How to get to anywhere you want to go.

I spent a bunch of years buying 7-step programs. Double your Instagram following like 1-2-3! Follow these 7 steps to 6-figures! Get tighter in 10 days! (<<– yes, that’s an actual program that I actually bought.)

You know the kinds of programs I’m talking about! You probably have a few ::cough six or seven cough:: on your hard drive right now.

The problem was never with the steps. It was with me. Inevitably, somewhere between step 2 and 3, I’d veer off track and the rest of the steps would become irrelevant. (Thus, many many thousands of dollars also became irrelevant.)

It’s taken years for me to find the words and articulation for what I do instead of following step after step to get to where I’m trying to go with my whole being intact: I grab hold of the 3 threads.

What are the 3 threads, and what do they have to do with making the most of your time on this planet?

You’ll have to listen in, friend. 😉

In this episode of the That’s What She Said podcast, I’m offering a sneak peek of what’s happening live at the Brave workshop right this minute. Aside from the three threads, we’ll delve deeply into boundary-making. I’ve talked about boundaries before, but this time I’m diving into why they matter, why they’re more important than ever, and how they’re deeply connected to your ability to live a meaningful life. Starting today. No steps required. 😉

Boundaries aren’t about being mean or saying “no” or being selfish, they’re about making the space to live your deepest, most connected, and most fulfilling life. Listen below or by clicking right here.

It only gets better from here! That’s what she said.

Registration for Brave in Philadelphia this September is open, and there are less than 20 seats available!

P.S. No more business frappuccinos.

listen to the podcast, make meaning, rebel!

‘Don’t store a mouse in your mouth’ and other vital rules.

You might imagine that a Special Education facility for socio-emotionally disturbed students in Philadelphia would have lots of rules. You would be correct. The first thing you learn at new teacher orientation is how to successfully restrain a student without causing any harm to the child. (It’s a grip don’t twist scenario, in case you’re curious.)

Each classroom has a teacher and a full-time aide. Each classroom has no more than 10 students for the safety of all involved. Students regularly lash out, flipping desks or tossing books or throwing punches — at other teenagers, at therapists, at supervisors, at me — and all the rules keep the chaos to a minimum.

There are protocols for everything. Protocols for when a student brings a razor blade to class and protocols for when someone has a meltdown during lunch and protocols for verbal lashing out. Every staff member knows the general outline for rules: violence is bad, get it under control, and then issue a consequence. These rules are absolutely vital for the safety of everyone on the campus.

And then there are the other rules.

The classroom adjoining mine has a pet mouse. I don’t know who approved the use of a live animal as a reward system for a group of often-violent teens, but it’s happened. The kids love the mouse. He’s given potato chips and french fries saved from lunch and is often the recipient of copious amounts of love because humans have hurt these children deeply, but mice have not.

One kid — I’ll call him John — is a squeezer. Meaning he can’t be trusted to simply hold the mouse or enjoy the mouse, he expresses his love by squeezing the mouse. He’s soon banned from mouse-al contact.

He does not enjoy this turn of events and goes on a stealth mission to hold the mouse. He’s foiled at every turn: there’s always someone (or two someones, or three!) in the classroom.

And then.

One morning, he does it. He’s got the mouse, he’s giving it all his squeezing love, he’s in mouse-holding heaven! John’s teacher walks in. Oh…oh god. He’s caught.

He shoves the mouse in his mouth in an attempt to hide it.

He shoves. The mouse. In his mouth. To hide it.

This does not go well. The classroom next door erupts into screaming, chaotic laughter and the breathless teacher steps out for a moment to get her shit together. She cannot, under any circumstances, laugh at the mouse in the mouth situation. (But of COURSE she wants to laugh at the mouse in the mouth situation.)

I’m still not sure how the mouse gets out of the mouth: was it choked up or voluntarily surrendered? Did the mouse flee of its own accord and make a victory lap around the classroom, or was it simply spit into the open hands of the classroom aide who returned from the restroom in the nick of time? WE’LL NEVER KNOW.

Eventually, the mouse is returned to his cage, and a new rule is penciled onto the classroom rule board: don’t store a mouse in your mouth.

Life at the school moves on, and no other student finds out what the consequences are for mouse-in-mouth storage. Thank God.

I was telling this story over the weekend and it got me thinking about other rules: the necessary kind, the unnecessary kind, and how we often mistake the two.

No knives on your person in school: great rule. Don’t store a mouse in your mouth: true, but hardly useful. Mostly made up. Unlikely to be needed again.

We, as humans, as makers, as business owners, as evolving creatures, operate under an enormous set of rules. Laws, of course, but also rules of our own making.

Let’s take a minute to sift through the rules consciously, because I’ll bet there are some mouse-in-mouth rules that could use dumping.

This episode of That’s What She Said sorts through the murky, grey area between our current rules, our subconscious ones, and the rules that need dumping.

P.S. The trouble with mentors and the problem with bullet points.