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Wow. Wow. Wow.
It's the end of 2022. It's been a huge year for me ... it was my first year without the safety net of my government job. It was my first year of high end, high cost, long term coaching with my mentor Jana Kingsford.
It was a lot of successes. A lot of lessons. A lot of uncovering and redefining who I am.
... and in 2023 I'm stepping into my own even more. Let's fuckin go, ladies!!!
(I love this picture so much I think I've shared it 392 times ... or 4 ... maybe 4.)
COFFEE TALK
Ok so for those of you who know my 2022 Mentor, you'll know that she used to refer to herself as the Big Dreams Genie. I love that she just shows up, exactly who she is (and that she has a marketing degree). I signed up with her because I knew that I needed some help to be "more me than ever before". I wanted to build a business that felt like it was a part of me, not something that I built to make a shit ton of money and then hated so much I needed to burn it to the ground in year 2.
I learned SO much in 2022 from working with Jana, but there is ONE lesson that I had to repeat:
I can't do big goals.
While Jana talks about having a big dream and aligning yourself to it daily ... about doing the mindset work every single day to eliminate the limiting beliefs that hold us back from achieving that big goal, I can't do it.
Not because that strategy doesn't work ... it does ... I saw many of Jana's clients who killed it using that strategy (50K, 100K, 160K, 260K months kinda killed it).
But for me ... a big lofty goal like 100K months feels fun and dreamy but so far off that it also feels unattainable. What that does to me, is keep my head in the clouds and not my feet on the ground (or hands on the keyboard). I could have easily forced myself to do the mindset work, the journalling, the meditation but ... I just didn't wanna. It was like my inner child threw a temper tantrum when it came to the daily mindset work I needed to do and resistance took over.
What I know about me is that the goal is WAY too far off for me (for right now). I work best when I make my goals smaller and closer to where I am at.
So this year in 2023 ... I'm doing things a little differently. I'm committed to a daily practice and journey of personal power. I'm focusing solely on the daily tasks and seeing where I end up. In order to keep myself committed to this process ... I'm creating something super fuckin spectacular!!!
It's the daily practices ... the millionaire mindset work ... the miracle mornings ... that make the difference. Welcome to:
THE POWER PROJECT
The Power Project is a private facebook group where I am committed to personal growth, power and transformation ... showing up for myself (and you) every fucking day.
What I've learned in this past year is that there are entrepreneurs who make money and then ones who THRIVE in all areas. If I merely wanted to make money, I would have stayed in my soul sucking government job. I wanted to make an IMPACT though and I wanted to be able to have the energy to show up in all that I was created to be.
In 2023 ... I'm doing it even MORE.
Whats even better about this container is that it will be my MOST behind the scenes you've ever seen. I'm sharing the things that I think, the crap that I'm processing through and the WAY that I'm processing through it. It's gonna be messy ... but you know what? LIFE CAN BE MESSY and beautiful.
I will be showing up live sometimes (sometimes quick, sometimes longer), sharing my thoughts of the day and I will encourage you to share yours. This is about finding your brilliance, finding your power and finding your voice.
Cause fuck it ... we only get one shot, we might as well make it a masterpiece.
LINK TO JOIN IS IN THE "WHAT'S COMING UP" SECTION BELOW!
FENG SHUI TIP OF THE MONTH
This month I ran another vision board party!! Okay YAY these things are so much fun. I gave away prizes. I had a glass of wine. I started the ball rolling on 2023 and what we want it to look like. One of the things that I shared was that the subconscious mind is responsible for 95% of our manifestation abilities. It responds well to visuals, symbols and metaphors.
This is why vision boards (and Feng Shui) WORK!
So create a vision board you LOVE ... and create a home that represents where you want to go!
(and p.s. while I love the look of this vision board it is NOT good Feng Shui to have your desk pushed up against the wall. It leaves you feeling uncomfortable, open to unexpected things happening and it cuts off your creativity. Move your desk so that your back is to the wall if you can!)
For those of you who want or need more ideas to create a vision board that feels AMAZING ... here are a few more:
If you'd like access to my masterclass, respond to this email and I'll send you the link!
WHAT (or who) INSPIRES ME
What you may not know about me, is that I own over 200 "Company's Coming" cookbooks by Alberta author, Jean Pare. Two HUNDRED. (This is a LOT considered how much I dislike clutter and storing things. In fact other than rocks, it's the only thing that I collect.)
**note** another random fact about me is that if I'm looking for a particular cookbook, I know it by the colour of the spine. For example: "Pies" happens to be a really pretty bright pink spine. Whyyyyyyyyy I remember these things I don't know but they come in SUPER handy when you're scanning 200 cookbooks.
My love of these books started with my mom giving me a copy of Jean's very first cookbook "150 delicious squares" as a gift. It was a cookbook that my grandma had given to her (she made a lot of squares).
During high school, university and my first years of marriage I continued to buy them for myself and get them as gifts (inscribed by the person who purchased it for me). The recipes were simple and easy to make and they were filled with everyday ingredients. I didn't have to go searching for some obscure chilies just to make lunch. (I mean, I love you Bobby Flay but ... Oaxacan chillies? I cannot get them in my local grocery store, buddy).
When I was in the thick of my collecting years, I was trying to track down the ONE BOOK I was missing. Ground Beef.
I searched in every store, it was sold out line and finally I found it on Amazon. This tiny book was rare and selling for HUNDREDS of dollars... no kidding. I emailed Jean (cause by this time ... we were friends and all, she just didn't know it). I told her that I needed this cookbook for my collection and wondered if there was a reason it was so rare (and would she be re-releasing more). Her team replied that Jean said NOT to buy it for that .... that she was in the middle of moving homes but she had that exact cookbook in a box from her private collection and would send it to me.
Yep ... for free ... and a handwritten note to me on the inside cover.
It is one of my most cherished Company's Coming cookbooks and to be honest, I don't think I've even cooked anything out of it.
Jean wrote over 200 cookbooks and 17,000 recipes herself before she retired (I didn't continue buying them once she retired - the recipes weren't the same when her kids took over). She passed away this Christmas at the age of 95 (and I teared up just writing that!)
She was one of the top selling cookbook authors in the world, selling over 30 million copies before 2011. I always thought that was just so amazing ... that she could come up with so many of these recipes out of her kitchen in Vermillion, ya know? But HERE is what I like most about her story from a business perspective:
THE REASON SHE STARTED: Jean had a catering business in Vermillion AB for years. She was continually asked for her recipes or given recipes to use - most often she was asked for her squares recipes. She said "More than one person would say 'why don't you put these recipes in a cookbook so we don't have to keep asking you for them'."
THE ORIGIN OF THE NAME: This is my favourite I think ... Jean said "When I was growing up it was the end of the Depression and my mum fed more men (unemployed men riding the rails looking for work and food) who came off the train. Our house was straight north from the train and we'd sit on the couch and look out the window and when we'd see two men walking up towards the house we'd say 'Mum, company's coming!'"
HOW HER BUSINESS FLOURISHED: She listened to her intuition and then took action. "It was like a door opened and I went through the door and did (what was there) and then another door would open."
So often we overthink the living hell out of all of the magic that surrounds us. We have gifts we dismiss. People repeatedly suggest "why don't you ....." and we ignore those nudges. We get great ideas and we NEVER step through the door to see what is possible. We struggle naming things when the perfect right name is something we say every damn day.
What if ... we just decided that in 2023, we were going to LISTEN to those thoughts, those comments, those nudges.
What if .... we chose that in 2023, we were going to sit in an absolutely knowing that those little messages are not sent from our friends, our family, our clients, our gut ... but rather from a higher power.
What if ... actually LISTENING and taking action on what we hear is the key to all of the happiness you ever dreamed of?
What if ... and why not? (as Cassie Howard says)
FUN STUFF from the INTERWEBS
You may or may not know, but I follow many of you on Social Media. I try to always engage on your posts (especially if you have a business because the more comments, shares and likes/loves/wows/laughs you have, the more people see your stuff ... and your stuff is awesome ... and I like to support female entrepreneurs). Here are a few of the things that I liked this month!
no comment .... lol
love this.
This is the truest thing EVER.
Okay as an ex-figure skater this made me laugh WAY too hard.
COOL SHIT
Another little known fact about me ... I love black truffles. I know I know ... I JUST told you that I loved the everyday ingredients of Jean Pare's cookbooks and now I'm telling you I also love one of the most expensive foods you can buy (in price per pound anyway).
Yes ... this is me ... the pattern interruptor. Just when you think you've got me figured out ... nope! ;)
While you can't buy Oaxacan chilies NOR truffles in my small city what we CAN buy is this black truffle infused hot sauce by TRUFF (and my husband bought it at HOME HARDWARE, if you can believe it).
TRUFF is a luxury brand sauce company and it's just so dang good and when I don't even really like hot sauce this is the BEST one hands down. It's so good that I want to use it every day (and at the same time I want to NOT use it, so that I can save it.) Uhmmmm I can get it at the HARDWARE store and also online ... pretty sure I can use it whenever I want. lol
If you need to buy something for someone who has EVERYTHING in 2023 ... I'm telling ya ... TRUFF sauces are the THING. They have salts, oils, pasta and hot sauces, mayo ... you gotta try it.
PLUS ... it was one of Oprah's favourite things this year!!!!! Now you've got TWO reasons to try it ... ;)
https://www.truff.com
CLIENT SHOWCASE
I love private coaching. I love getting to know the women who I work with, to connect with them on a totally new level, to help them work through their blocks, their resistance and to help them to achieve anything that they desire.
Shauna Edwards is one of those clients.
She has created a 10-week course called "Communication Within" where she helps you to "forge a deeper bond with nature, your animals, your family but mostly yourself". (that is actually part of a testimonial she received but what a COOL course hey?).
She also shares the most inspirational memes and beautiful pictures of her animals and landscape.
If you're interested in Communication Within (Level One or Level Two) message her on facebook!
FOLLOW SHAUNA HERE
WHAT'S COMIN UP?
2023 is all about helping women achieve personal power (while I continue to work on my own ... you didn't think we just flicked a switch and that was IT, did ya? It's a lifelong thing).
The Power Project is going to be SO much fun!!! Join me if you dare ... I'm so excited about this process!!! It's 365 day quest. Can you IMAGINE what we will look like by day 366????? EEEEEEEK!
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP
I'm running another round of my (do it with me) Feng Shui group! Each month is dedicated to a specific gua ... you can upload pictures of your space and you get my Feng Shui eyes to help!
Feb - career/life path/journey
March - Wisdom/self-knowledge/inner peace
April - Family/Ancestors
May - Wealth/Abundance
June - Fame/Reputation
July - Relationships
September - Children/Creativity
October - Helpful People/Travel
November - Health/Happiness
$222 CAD/Month for 9 months
(if you would rather choose your own months, hit reply to this email and the tech team will create a special link for you!)
CLICK FOR INTENTIONAL
TASTY SHIT!
WHIPPED FETA BOARD
Ok ... have you been following the Butter Board trend? I'm not on TikTok, but my daughter shares with me the cool new things that come out on that platform. Butter Boards are one of them that started in the fall of 2022 with the idea of being the next charcuterie board kinda movement.
They are said to be the "love it or hate it" trend where you take room temperature unsalted butter and smoosh it onto a nice wooden board in whatever kind of fun pattern you'd like, then you add fun things like chopped herbs, edible flowers, sauces, fruit, roasted garlic ... basically whatever you would like. You serve with breads or crackers and just slather it on.
meh
I mean, I love a great compound butter and I actually think compound (blended) butters for topping your steaks (or chicken, or shrimp) are SO good that I resisted trying the butter board but springing from that has been ...
THE WHIPPED FETA BOARD
and I was in.
It's interesting, fun to make and really tasty. You won't eat a ton of it, but I think it's SUPER cool to serve at a party. You can find a ton of options on line but this is the one that my daughter and I tried!
Honey Garlic Whipped Feta:
1 (200g) tub of feta cheese
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp honey
sea salt and pepper to taste
** blend everything together in a food processor until smooth. Glob onto a wooden board (or plate or whatever you'd like) and then using the back of a spoon, a knife, a spatula to kind of make peaks and valleys for the toppings to rest in. Make sure to leave enough room at the edge of the board so you can add the scoopers!
Toppings:
chopped pistachios
fresh pomegranate seeds
fig jam *
fresh thyme leaves
caramelized pecans **
orange zest
Place little bits of these toppings on top of your feta.
Surround the feta with your scoopers:
pieces of a baguette
pretzel chips
fun crackers
extra nuts
apple chips
or whatever else you'd like
Our Tips and Tweaks:
* I found this in the cheese section of Sobey's. Don't look in the jam section ... it's not there. I suspect because fig jam is not entirely something you'd wanna place on your toast right next to the peanut butter? We used apple fig jam - it's SO good on this whipped feta board and I will definitely be using it for my next charcuterie board as well. In a panic, when I couldn't find any at first ... I thought about using blackberry jelly ... or a pepper jelly! I think they would work very well too.
** to caramelize the pecan you place them in a dry saute pan and toast them slightly, then once they have a bit of browning to them, add in some honey or maple syrup. If you would like, you can dust them with cinnamon at this point (or cinnamon and cayenne ... that would be tasty too). When they are still warm, remove them to a piece of parchment paper. I didn't do this and I almost needed a damn chisel to get them out of the cold pan.
- you can add a drizzle of honey to the finished board if you would like. We didn't choose to do this because I didn't think it would look as nice in the picture. I do think it would add that extra "somethin-somethin" though so go for it!
- I had a few extra sprigs of rosemary so I added them to the board and I think that it gave it a nice bit of colour to compliment the thyme leaves. I would even add more I think
and that's it!
If you try it, or tweak it I'd love to hear what you do! Post a pic on your social media and tag me!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
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This concludes the very last episode from 2022. Wow. Once again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you SO much to all of you who regularly email me, recommend my group, my courses, my coaching or this newsletter to your friends and colleagues, your biz besties and your family. I appreciate every one of you and every message that I receive.
OH AND ONE MORE THING!!!
If you're loving this email but you're wanting all the blasts from the past, you can now access ALL MY PRIOR NEWSLETTERS on my blog!!
www.thefengshuichick.ca/blog
"Life is not meant to be an assembly line of tasks ... it's meant to be a masterpiece. Only you can hold the brush".
Sandra Priestley
XO
If you've got a friend who might be interested, invite her into my free community recently renamed to:
from here to EXTRAORDINARY
You can also direct her to my IG account: sandrarpriestley. The link to this newsletter is in my bio and I LOVVVVVE seeing the number of subscribers go up!!!
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