Just do your yoga practice, she says.

How a personal branding photoshoot reveals an important lesson that every entrepreneur and creator needs to remember

It is a Thursday in Vienna, Austria.

Seven days until the shoot in Mallorca.

We gifted my partner a personal branding photoshoot for the official launch of her business: Golden Hour Club. A place for humans who want to live a fully expressed life in sync with nature. I am a regular student and can highly recommend checking it out. It has such a nice, slow, and balanced vibe. If you’re curious, check her Instagram.

I am always so happy when I see her being excited about the golden hour of the day, the moon, and the elements. “Awww look, the moon! It is so beautiful.” I know how much yoga and related practices have helped her in the past. Seeing her passing this on now and holding space for others so they can remember for themselves makes my heart jump.

There is something magical when you see someone following their calling. 
There is something magical when you see someone feeling like a fish in the water.

Can you relate?
When do you feel like a fish in the water? 

Back to the photoshoot story. Why not just use the pictures that already exist? The ones from the last shoot are not too bad, are they? The thing is: This is an energetic thing. The old photos don’t resonate with her anymore. For a reason. She’s grown so much since then. They remind her of a version of herself that she’s not anymore. It is time to move on. Time to let go. Time to let the new version shine through.

First and foremost, for herself. I think that most of what we do is for that purpose. For ourselves. And there is nothing wrong with it. The opposite is true. If we do things for ourselves, we help us to be who we can be. Or in other words, who we are. If we do that, we enable others to see themselves in us. And if this happens, they stand in front of the door to profound transformation. For them. This would not be possible if we wouldn’t do it for ourselves in the first place.

Makes sense?

One week before the shoot, she has a final coordination call with our friend and photographer Cate. She’s lived the “classic” life. Got married early. House. Kids. But it didn’t work out. They got divorced. After a very dark period, she completely reinvented herself. Did a Kundalini teacher training. And now uses this knowledge in her photography to support her clients in glowing fully. She has a gift for capturing the essence of someone’s soul in photos that I have never seen somewhere else. I feel she would also be an absolute master guide for those who seek to trust their intuition more.

And what Cate said in this short call struck me.

At the moment it came very unexpectedly.

What should I prepare? -Dessie asks.

Do your practice, Cate says. Make sure you are well rested. Take good care of yourself. Do your practice. This is not an outside-in thing. This is an inside-out thing.

It is your inner glow that radiates and creates the magnetism. Not the pretty outfit. These were not the exact words she said, but it was something along the lines of it.

This got me thinking:

Inside-Out, of course. This makes so much sense. And it is so relevant to everyone building a business too. Because let’s be honest: how many times do we do outside-in things instead of inside-out things?

It is easy to get carried away by something external that is going to “fix” stuff. I need a new logo. I need new brand colors. I need a new design. I need a new website. I need to create a new offer to get new clients. I need to do more.

Cate caught me off guard. I noticed how I was doing this sometimes recently. It was the reminder I needed to direct my attention inward and become still.

So I sit without distraction, allow myself to get bored, and reflect:

What is the essential daily practice inside, that will naturally move the needle on the outside?

Turns out that this helped me with a) saying no and doing less outside-in things and b) doing outside-in things, but now from an inside-out attitude.

Like with Dessie’s old photos, every creation is an energetic thing.

And the place from which the creation originates matters. A lot. When train our attention, we can keep coming back to what’s essential. Every acknowledgment and coming back is a weed uprooted. If we do that over and over again, we shift our mental state.

So we can do more from an inside-out attitude, than an outside-in attitude.

And that, my friends, will be felt by yourself, your loved ones, and everyone you are creating for.

Much love,
Christian

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Questions to reflect

1. When do I feel like a fish in the water?

2. What is the essential daily practice inside, that will naturally move the needle on the outside?

3. How did you like this story? Comment or hit reply, I’d love to hear from you