Feb 1, 2017
This month has been a little bit of a doozy!!! We have simply been trying to coast and move through the month day by day. Between illness and travel, Rachel and I have been trying to simply stay on track and have been relying on each other to stay afloat and keep on the right track. We started the year by outlining some awesome goals and creating our mantra for the year. We’ve known what we want to get done, but life has gotten in the way recently. We were so excited by our goals at the beginning of the year and ready to take them on, that when life got a little hairy, we started feeling a little disappointed and frustrated. In today’s episode we talked about how were are dealing with the rollercoaster of life that we have been on and how were plan to take on February with a new mindset.
Even though life has been a little messy and we haven’t been putting in the serious hustle that we have in the past, we realized, with some further reflection, that in being able to take time away from work and being able to just let our business coast we ARE meeting some of our bigger goals. We recognize that we have put in place some awesome strategies and systems that are proving their efficacy as we’ve had to each step away this month for one reason or another. We’ve been able to cut some of the waste in our business by simply cutting out the unnecessary tasks that have saved us time, energy, and money. We’ve been able to share more of ourselves with our families and friends. AND we’ve been able to live our why by taking time away when we want and need it. Things have been running smoothly and without having to put in a whole lot of extra effort because of all of the work we’ve done in the past.
Even though we are definitely happy (a little proud) that we have been able to run on auto-pilot, we are definitely wanting to work more actively toward our goals and refocus our attention in the month of February. In order to work toward those goals more effectively, we outlined 3 strategies that we are going to be reintroducing to our business and using more diligently, especially in the coming month:
- Creating a Structured Plan by Assigning Tasks & Getting Specific in Trello – We want to set our big goals into motion by breaking them down into smaller, specific tasks that are achievable throughout each day, week, and month. Every time we take time to plan out exactly what we need to accomplish, we get it done and achieve our goals in a much more timely and successful manner.
- Weekly Business Meetings – These are short business meetings where we can regularly check-in with one another, get on the same page, and figure out what where we need to be headed.
- Chalkboard Method – Writing it down is the most important thing you can do in achieving goals. Simply be creating the space fro something to exist, you are creating the opportunity for it to happen and to be successful. Creating something that is visual and trackable has been a game changer for us! We talked a little about our chalkboard door in our facebook live video during our recording of today’s episode.
We’d love to hear more about how you are staying on track in both life and business and how you keep working toward your goals even in the midst of craziness.
Until Next Time,
Katey & Rachel
Jan 25, 2017
We are in a very creative, but also very clinical field. Marrying the creative and clinical sides together can get tricky, especially when we spend time around other professionals doing the same job. It’s so easy for Rachel and I to both lose our sense of validity both within our professional practice and as music therapists. Today, we are talking about how we find validation in our daily work and own our legitimacy as business owners.
Music therapy looks so different for each setting and with each individual music therapist. Though we all have the same background, initial training, and competencies we have to meet, our individual skills sets differ as we continue our training/work and develop a unique set of personal assets. It is easy to get caught in a comparison trap or set up unrealistic expectations by trying to emulate our heroes and can feel frustrating when those ideals aren’t achieved.
Instead of letting our selves feel caught in the trap of comparison or looking to outside sources for validation, we are actively working to build ourselves up in what we do every day and finding what works for us. Here are some of the ideas we shared that could be helpful for you in your business and practice.
- Realizing your specialty – It is perfectly fine to say no to certain work. You do not have to work with every person or take on every project. Realize what you love doing and what you don’t.
- Embrace what you are best at – Take stock of what you are and are not good at so you can play to your strengths and ask for help when needed. What are you an expert in?What would someone else say are your strengths?
- Instead of getting caught up in the “I should be doing” or “why am I not doing”, have a personal pep talk and recognize what you have been doing or are doing!
- Save pieces of positive feedback to go back to (ex. emails, voicemails, notes, etc.)
- Write it down – Keep a running list of the positive things you are doing, have done, and want to do. Write down the positive things in your day. What is your big or small win for the day?
- Mindset is everything!! Your mindset makes all the difference in your success and growth. What attitude do you want to have? How can you achieve that?
- Share the burden – If you don’t have an awesome business partner like I do, find someone you can talk to, openly, about everything! You can solve so many problems by just talking out loud and sharing what’s on your mind.
- Track your goals – Find a way to actually track where you are and where you have been. Seeing your progress is inspiring and helps you to keep progressing.
No matter where you are in life or in business, there is a way to celebrate your success and find validation. Celebrate your little victories and find ways to build yourself up every day! If you are still looking for some answers or ideas, check out our new course, Setting Yourself Up for Success.
Until next time,
Katey & Rachel
Jan 10, 2017
Cleaning up from the holidays is almost like starting the year over with a clean slate. We take stock of what we have, put all of the old stuff away, clean up everything from the holidays and start fresh. In our business, we use the start of the year to hit the refresh button on everything.
We sat down for a long series of meetings the other day to review some of our goals from last year and hash out some of our goals and ideas for the new year (using two of our favorite tools, Trello & Google Drive). We’ve experienced so many changes over the past couple years and added so much to our business that we have been feeling scattered. We are working to find a better, more sustainable way to proceed with everything we are doing this year and in doing so we want to be really intentional with this year so we can find our flow.
We’ve heard the words “you do so much” repeatedly over the past year and, for a while, interpreted that phrase in a positive light. We’ve been so excited about all of our ideas that we’ve lost sight of some of our priorities and lost focus on what we really want/need. As we’ve taken a step back, we’ve seen that we are definitely doing too much and that we need to be taking a different approach and implementing new strategies.
Our motto for 2016 was “simplify, streamline, selfcare”. Due, in part, to this motto, we have achieved so much over the past year and took the time to first write out all of those accomplished at the start of our business meeting. We excelled in so many areas (even achieving a 5-year goals several years early), but also completely ignored parts of our business in it’s application. We’ve swept some big issues under the rug that need to be dealt with in a more hands on manner. We’ve already made some huge decisions this year and you’ll be able to see a few of those changes over the next few months on our website, in our products, and even in some of our physical services.
Even though we are taking a new approach, nothing big we are working on, none of our services, and none of our projects are technically going away. We are simply moving some things around, editing/streamlining some processes, and making things more succinct and sustainable so we can continue to move forward in our business in the best way possible. With that, comes our motto for 2017.
Waste less. Share more. Live our why.
Waste Less – Time, energy, resources. We only have so much time in a single day and are limited on physical resources as well, so we are working to be more effective with what we do have. That will mean making some serious changes and being truly intentional with what we are doing.
Share More – We are so excited about everything we have to offer that want to be better at sharing those things with you!! We don’t want to share an overwhelming amount of material with you but do want to share our best content, conversations, and more in a way that makes the most sense. We want to embody our true selves in all we do and break down barriers by sharing more of our personal story/selves along the way.
Live Your Why – What is the intent and purpose behind what we are doing? Busy seems to be the new, hip trend. If you need to be busy, be busy for a purpose. We want to do what aligns most with our why. That means asking the hard questions up front, determining the why behind what we are working on, and letting everything flow in the way it is meant to instead of forcing pieces to fit into place.
This motto is one we are trying to live in every aspect of our lives but also believe it can be a good fit for almost everyone. Please feel free to share our message, adopt our motto, and tell us your thoughts on the new year! Most importantly, determine the best motto for you and your business.
We’ve got so many exciting new things headed your way! Stay tuned for our new course coming out 1/17/17!! In the meantime, sign up for mailing list so you can get our secret episode, work through our free course, and get updates on new courses and free secret episodes as they come out!
Until next time,
Katey & Rachel
Dec 27, 2016
How has Christmas already come and gone!?! This year has absolutely flown!! We are still in the spirit though and holidays have us feeling a little nostalgic. In today’s episode we are reminiscing about what this year has meant to us as well as outlining some goals for the New Year.
Oh 2016! You have been a doozy. It’s hard to know where to start so I’ll quickly run down some of the big things we’ve been through and accomplished over the past 12 months. Here are the overarching themes that helped us make the most out of our year:
- Before starting into 2016, we held the longest business meeting we’ve ever had! 10 HOURS…. We were starting the year with a team of 10 and did a lot of brain work in our meeting so we could make some big decisions and create a vision for the year. Everything felt like a hot mess at the beginning of the year and we both felt a little out of control. Out of that meeting came our game-changing mantra for the year: Simplify, Streamline, Self-Care
- Self-care has taken a huge role in our every day life and work. Rachel and I have held each other accountable for engaging in self-care on a regular basis. That has looked different for both of us and you can read more on our personal pages (Rachel Here and Katey Here)! However, we have read some of the same motivating books that we mention in this episode and about recommend to anyone. (“You Are a Badass” & “Big Magic“)
- We have be working to create a shift in our mindset, trying tirelessly to adjust our thinking and perception regarding everything business and life. Our mindset is the single biggest change that we have made & has had the largest impact. Setting our values, living in abundance and appreciation, taking care of ourselves, and finding a new perspective and been LIFE CHANGING!!!
- Simplifying and streamlining our systems has allowed our business to be more profitable. We have found ways to save ourselves a lot of time and energy in a way that make a financial difference for our business.
Some of the specific events that took place in our year include the following:
- We started the year by adding a LOT of new classes and then almost immediately got rid of all of them so we could focus in on what we specialize in within our company. We cut a lot of programs so we could grow our business by focusing on what was working instead of further diving our attention and resources thus creating a strain on our business.
- Rachel and I made the decision to not take on ANY new direct service work ourselves. We have so much that we take care within the business. on top of all of our time spent with our students/clients. We sat down and determined what our value was within the business and determined the most important things we need to be focusing on during the few hours we have available within our days. Taking on new clients personally is unfair to our business, our selves, our employees and our students.
- Our first intern finished her internship in March and we hired her on the spot! Since then, we have built a position from scratch that is now full time!!!
- In August we started with our second music therapy intern. She is continuing to document her intern journey in her Intern’s Corner blog. We have learned so much being internship directors and love the experience.
- We started a HUGE NEW CONTRACT with a local school where our team members provide music therapy services.
- At the beginning of September we completely revised our payment system and overhauled our policies! It has changed our relationship with our families and team members in the most positive way as well as creating consistency financially.
- On top of everything else, Rachel and I went on a couple work road trips together which was an awesome new adventure!
With all of that being said, we’ve both been thinking about the coming year and what we want to see. Going into 2016, we were both exhausted and burnt out! The big goal for 2016 was to pull back, go back to basics, and simplify everything so our business could continue. Because we’ve made so many changes throughout the year, we are feeling invigorated and ready to take on new and exciting things in 2017.
Rachel talked about her focus for the new year in the episode with the word, share. Sharing resources, experiences, time with family, and more. Giving more. My word for the new year is intention. I want to waste less (time, energy, money, etc) and be more present in the time and experiences I am a part of. We are definitely on the same page with wanting to reach more of our potential and follow our passions within our work and individual lives! Stay tuned for our next episode in the new year where we reveal our new mantra and get more specific about what this year will hold.
Wishing you Happy Holidays, a Merry Christmas, and a wonderful New Year!!
Until next time,
Katey & Rachel
Nov 8, 2016
How is it already November?!?! This year has been flying by! This week Rachel and I are headed to our National Music Therapy Conference in Sandusky, Ohio, where we will have a booth in the exhibit hall for the first time together! I LOVE going to conferences! It is a time to be around like-minded, incredibly talented people who inspire me to do be better every day. I always come home from a conference feeling excited, mentally refreshed, and usually physically exhausted from all of the awesome sessions, conversations, and time spent with friends.
With travel plans and events, this is not only a busy time of year for our business but we are also moving into a holiday season and have had a lot going on personally. That all adds up very quickly and can start to feel like a huge burden. In this week’s episode we shared a few of the ways we stay grounded, focused, and on the right path throughout this crazy time. Here are a couple of the things we mentioned during our Tuesday chat:
- Find a friend and vent. Letting the craziness that surrounds you build up is never a good thing. Often, just letting it go, venting, journaling, phoning a friend, or having a good cry can be the most beneficial thing for everyone. I know that I always feel better if I can simply talk it out.
- SLEEP!! I know it’s tempting to stay up until all hours of the night working on whatever amazing project you have started or simply trying to play catch up, but I can promise that a good night of sleep will help be more productive, pleasant, and peaceful the next day.
- Most things can wait. Making mile long to-do lists is a bad habit that I am trying to break. Prioritize what you need to do instead of what you would like to see yourself accomplish. Pick the one, singular thing that absolutely HAS to get done and let the rest wait or delegate it to someone else if at all possible.
- Be Thankful! It’s so easy to get caught up in the business and forget why you are doing what you are doing and with whom. Stop and take a minute to realize how wonderful things really are and be grateful for the incredible things you have been able to accomplish.
Until next time, enjoy the beautiful season and make time to spend with the people you love most.
-Katey & Rachel
