​When was the last time you congratulated yourself? I work with entrepreneurs and just this morning I spoke with a young entrepreneur who is very career driven and very focused on being the best that she can be. She has these big goals and then she has a high standard for herself, like most entrepreneurs do. I had to remind her that it's very easy to be hard on ourselves and to remember all of the things we did wrong in a day.  Little errors we can easily get frustrated with, but I wanted to remind her as well as myself when was the last time I actually patted myself on the back. To physically give myself a pat because I signed a new contract. To simply stop and appreciate that. I tend to just take these things for granted as the years go by, as I'm learning to trust more and more in the universe. The whole lesson of stopping and appreciating what you have and acknowledging what you've done.  Pat yourself on the back doesn’t have to be only for financial goals, but it could be small daily things such as today I chose to not take that Coca Cola.  Instead, I chose a really fresh fruit smoothie and to acknowledge my choice to nourish my body instead of something that will deplete my energy.  
 
Being an entrepreneur, I feel we need to be out of our comfort zones, and just that unto itself is a huge success to step into the unknown. I really encourage you to start acknowledging your small steps.
 
I used to be very impatient, and I wanted everything done yesterday. I’m learning to calm down and to be more in the flow and listen to myself. Just recently, I started taking naps, which was super against my beliefs about myself and what society says in North America. I had to make that into homework, literal homework to say this part of the day I'm going to relax my nervous system. I'm going to relax my body. I'm going to relax my mind and then made it into almost as much of an important task as any other task I would do in my day. How often as employees do you request these emotional days off?  Our society only allows you to have physical sick days, but not emotional sick days.
 
I often remind people I work with, all we have is our energy especially if we're self- employed. People want to work with us and they choose us, and if your energy is depleted, or your mood or you have brain fog or anything that is not optimal in your life, it will reflect in business. When I work with people, it's not only financial goals, but about the different pillars of life, such as health and spirituality. Are you at your optimal energy level to be able to achieve your financial goals? This young entrepreneur, she has big financial goals, but I asked, “Are you willing to be sick for that goal? Are you willing to lose your romantic relationship? Are you willing to lose friends? What have you sacrificed and what have you almost sabotaged in the way to get there?”
 
As the years progressed, I asked, “Am I full of integrity with my own word to myself? When I put something on my calendar, such as go for a walk in nature, do some yoga, meditate.
Do I always honour the commitments I made to myself? When I don't, that means I'm a person who lacks integrity. I value integrity a lot and I don't ever want to be a person who lacks integrity. If I say, I'm going to take one hour to myself as a break this afternoon, and I go into emails or I do whatever I do in business, then I start lacking trust in myself.  If I can't even keep my word to myself, for little things, then subconsciously, I'm telling myself, I can't trust myself for the bigger things. And I think that's all we really have in life.
 
I'm really big on words, and what we say to others and to ourselves. The people I surround myself are for full integrity. I would not even want to have friends or be around people who I can't trust or who say things that I don't believe will manifest. I want to be around people who really take their word seriously. It doesn't have to be strict or massive things. It could be simple things like wanting to take a nap every day.  I really respect someone who says that and then does it. To be gentle with ourselves along the way. That's the message I just really feel called to share with you today.
 
We have many goals in our life. We may have physical health, mental, spiritual, financial, goal that you have, I encourage you to play the Seven Step Why Game. Ask yourself seven time why you want a specific goal until the until reason is really revealed. 

​I'm purposely doing this video with the light not perfect, half in light, half in darkness.   Right now, I feel called to share some lessons that I've learned being an entrepreneur for over a decade, but sometimes I limit myself. I think the lighting isn't perfect and make so many excuses because it's uncomfortable. To get dressed up to get out of my comfortable clothes and do a video that takes effort.  It's very easy for myself to make excuses and say the conditions aren't perfect. When are the conditions really ever perfect though? The point is to share some knowledge and to hear from you and to inspire someone to become an entrepreneur.  I don't need to be so focused on all the outside things such as if there's a dog barking or this sound or that sound.  It just doesn't matter.  If we just show up and to with good intention to help others and to serve and trust that inner knowing and inner message, then that is all that matters.
 
I showed up.  I'm here, but now, what am I supposed to say? Sometimes I really don't know. And I just let myself speak. What I need to say or what I feel called to say in the moment, and I just find it just kind of a bit funny today how the message came through. You know, if not now, then when?
 
I spoke with this one coach this morning, and that's her tag lines, and I just thought is brilliant. If not now, then when? I wanted to remind you guys that if you're thinking about being an entrepreneur, starting a program, being coached, taking a training, anything, we often talk ourselves out of things. I understand you because on a daily basis, I could talk myself out of many things. It's really about listening. We don't always need these huge signs or huge emergencies to hit us over our head to get the wake-up call that we need. If we just learn to slow our life down and really listen. Just create space. That's why I like meditation. It's to create space to let things come up and go, but also to hear these little whispers. I feel like intuition is just these gentle whispers.
 
Through my course we talk about different ways to receive intuition. We're all different. Some people feel it, but if you're so busy in your day to day, how can you really feel that intuition in your body? It’s important to create space for yourself, to feel what you need to feel.  I often talk about the importance to take that inspired action when we hear the message.  What if you listen to your intuition, where would your life take you? Where could it go? Probably even better than what our limited minds could ever imagine. When we really slow down and listen to our subconscious, the universe guides what our soul really wants for us. I believe only magical things can happen. That's really what I want to inspire in anyone, especially entrepreneurs, to have that silence and create clarity for yourself to create the magical life that you deserve.
 
I could never have imagined where my life would be when I first started my company 10 years ago, never. You just can't even predict what will happen in the future and globally we’ve learned that recently in the last couple of years with the pandemic.  It's impossible to have really forecasted that. It’s about taking small, inspired actions and you have no idea what it will lead to in the future. Being prepared though, an opportunity is to be ready for you to say yes to!
 
I invite you to create some space, to create some time for yourself to listen and to be observant to the sensations of your body. We're so mental in our mental brain a lot of the times because society values that as intelligence, but there are different levels of intelligence.  We really learn to appreciate our other spheres of intelligence, such as intuition for me.  I can get so much information more quickly through my intuition.  I have a lot of the answers for my life already within me. I just need to allow that space for it to manifest.
 
I'm really drawn to work with entrepreneurs who value personal and spiritual growth.  People who want to take their life to the next level to create their dream life, whatever that is. Everyone has different dreams. We're all called to different things. To stop and really realize what that is. We're often so busy that we don't stop and realize what our dream life is. I worked with a coach last year who helped me so much because I would have these goals and he would ask, “what do you really want with them?” This made me look on a deeper level and ask, “Do I really want to create that in my company?” It clarified the kind of lifestyle I really wanted.  To be congruent with both your goals, but also the lifestyle you want to create.  Sometimes they don't match.
 
For example, for myself, I thought I wanted a certain number of clients, but that wasn’t true. I prefer to work with a select few, who fuel me.  I don't want to feel overwhelmed or stressed.  I can still have the lifestyle, the laid-back lifestyle that I want with less clients. It helped me to realize, oh, maybe that's not actually my goal. That's a goal society says we're supposed to have, but is that really true to myself?
 
It's great that all humans are different. We all have these different goals and these different passions, and I believe we came to Earth with them. They're of service and they're supposed to be specific for us. For me, I could never be a doctor. If I see blood, I want to faint.  I scream, I go into shock more than the actual person. I clearly know, that's not my calling. Whereas if I see a little animal when I was able to volunteer, my heart will burst open and I felt so in alignment to help, whereas other people may be allergic to animals.
 
Once again, I invite you to slow down, even if it's 30 minutes in your day just for yourself to reconnect to yourself and see how much clarity that will bring for you.

​I wanted to just touch base and talk about entrepreneurship today I'm always curious why people want to be entrepreneurs. The more I asked the more I learned that people each have such a different reasons. Just here, we're meeting entrepreneurs. We went on this amazing waterfall rappelling tour and it was this young entrepreneur. He was probably one of the most impressive entrepreneurs I've met in a long time. His attention to detail surprised me because there's a concept in Costa Rica called “Tico Time” where people do what they want with time. He was 10 minutes early, he was polite, so sweet, his car was nice. He made us feel so special. He made us feel like we are the most important people for him. And I read the reviews after and he has only five out of five stars and everyone says the same thing.
 
Those entrepreneurs are really impressed me. I asked him when the world shut down in 2020 and there wasn't tourism in Costa Rica how did they survive? He replied, “Well, I went house to house and I cut grass.” Just thinking about him makes me emotional because that's entrepreneurship. You do whatever it takes for your company to work. And I really hope they're successful.
 
I wrote a book this year on my journey of being entrepreneur. It's called Intuitive Business Connections. So that's why I base this channel for my book, because my book talks about all of my lessons learned in the last decade of being an entrepreneur and about life and all of my favorite topics. I love spirituality and I love entrepreneurship. Therefore, I wanted to put both of them together into that book. I literally channeled that book in two months and it was just effortless and flawless.
 
I'm blown away by this level of customer service. They've inspired me to level up for my own company, because we just felt so important and so special. As we were coming home, we asked him lots of questions. The other question we asked him was why do you want to be an entrepreneur? And he said, “I want time”. And I can relate to him because that's what I want.
 
Every entrepreneur literally has a different answer to that. This week I joined an online community of other language learning schools around the world. We come together once a month and we talk about what's going on in our life. And it's raw, authentic, and supportive. We all have online language schools, but we're not we're there to support one another. Encourage uplift. That’s so precious to me because I don't believe in a competition. We spoke a lot about collaboration and that's my reality.
 
This one woman who, who founded the group. She's young, vibrant and loves projects. She's impressive. She impresses me and she's been with her company for 20 years and has so much passion and I've been with mine for 10 and I'm just like, I'm trying to work less and she's like working 10-hour days and she loves projects and she has big goals. And I was kind of feeling bad about myself like oh, I don't want that. I could have that. But I don't want that. I want to live a really relaxed life right now. Slow down. Backpack. Be free. With a few bags. Let's say that. They do backpacking live with a few bags and slip or fly and be free and have time. They reminded met that we all have different goals. And as an entrepreneur, it's important to know like, what business lifestyle do you want? And I love that term. What business lifestyle. This other woman in the group was offered with a really prestigious university full time contract work. And it's very comfortable position. And she's knew, that is not me, I cannot do it. And she declined. And most people don't decline. She added, “I want to be on this bumpy road of entrepreneurship”. And I just love that. Yeah, it's a bumpy road. And it can be fun, and it's free and you're able to create the lifestyle you want.
 
With this other woman who's been in business for 20 years, I asked her how she has passion like that after 20 years? It's like a new company for her? She said because she’s always working on new projects. This year, I'm expanding to another country and this year I've created a new program and she keeps it fresh and alive. And that’s amazing.
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I love entrepreneurship. But I'm just curious, why do you want to be an entrepreneur? Why do you not want to be an entrepreneur? I talk about it like the most magical thing in the world but it was years of anxiety and stress to get to be able to create this reality now but that's my journey. Some people in the first year they're successful, but it was a very slow process for me. I think that's another quality you need to being an entrepreneur is patience, things I want to happen super fast and it doesn't always happen as fast as I want. It's patience. Slowly growing every year. You know, receiving every client is so important. Getting those good reviews. It's just it's a process. It's a slow process.
 
I want time because I can never get time back yeah, he said it could never get time back. You can always make more money especially online now. I think you can make more money can make more money easier now than ever. You know, I've perceived the world like we're just we're global citizens. We're all connected. Global citizens. I don't need to work eight hours a day. I'm trying to change the habit patterns of my mind because it's society also saying that you need to work so much. No, I don't. I can. I can also run a company without working eight hours. And it can still grow without me. Because all I want is time.
 
Again, I’m so curious what you want as entrepreneurs?

My topic today about entrepreneurship is the word delegation. Just this morning I went to a online networking events and I love that now more than ever, we can connect to globally. It’s actually faster for me to connect with someone around the world than it would be to drive to meet someone even in my hometown.  They were all really jealous that I was managing my company from a nice tropical destination that a lot of people want to live in. This didn’t just happen though.  I did a lot of delegation in the last couple of years, but especially before I left. I hired key staff that are able to take calls and teachers that are on site. That gives me the freedom to and the peace of mind to manage my company remotely.
 
This one woman who really successful said, “Wow, I really wish that I could be able to delegate like you and create the lifestyle that you have”. And I realized, yeah, if I didn't learn how to delegate, I would not be living this lifestyle today. So, I'm more grateful than ever that I was able to let go a little bit and by letting go I was able to create a lot more space, time and freedom in my life. My company with my baby. I know you're not supposed to say that, but it was it was I started it from zero from nothing, and it took me years to have enough confidence to give that up to someone else. Of course, it was challenging for me, but my secret was that I hand picked teachers, marketing coordinators, administrative assistants who are better than me. This helps to have peace of mind.
 
Even though I have a gift of teaching and people like the way I teach by making things fun, laughing and I having authentic connections with my clients, I found teachers that I wish I had when I was learning French. I have so much confidence to delegate since I know my clients will have just as just as amazing service as I could give them. At the beginning it was it was scary, and I had a lot of anxiety. One woman who coached me for that summer during that transition, reminded me that it's okay, it's normal, to have anxiety to lose some sort of control in your company not lose control.  I felt like I was I was losing all sense of control. For me, I want things to be done really well and I and this is my reputation that's super important to me. Now, I get to work on my leadership and my management style instead.
 
There’s a lot of people who maybe want part time work and or freelancers and they want to create their dream lifestyle as well and by you delegating, you're supporting other people. You know you're as a business owner, my goal is to grow my company so I can hire more and employ other people and share this wealth. It's nice that I'm able to do this is I have nothing but amazing things to say once I started delegating in my company, so I hope you will feel inspired to do the same thing. Until next time.

​The big lesson for me this week was mindfulness. It was such a nice reminder to be in this country. The importance of mindfulness back at home is my ultimate goal to live in mindfulness. Even though I work from home I have created a really laid-back lifestyle, I'm still busy sometimes that I don't even make dinner for myself or my partner. Here, you don't have a choice but to be mindful. For example, in Costa Rica, I think there's like 22 venomous snakes. I believe. Don't quote me on it. For me, that means that every step, you actually have to be mindful. We were walking home from a nice dinner last night and in a dark road and, one, we have to be mindful of the really fast cars speeding past us so we can't be in the middle of the road. But then, we also can't be walking in the ditch where there could be a snake. So, it's all very interesting to me to be mindful of every step is mindful. I love that. I love that daily practice. Also, we're very mindful of the ants. There’re so many little ants here. They're little I want to call them fire ants, because they’re so little and they have so much punch. We put our yoga mat down and if we put it on their home the yoga experiences can be very different. That's fun to just be conscious of making sure we aren’t bitten by ants. We also need to be very mindful to keep everything clean, really clean because if we don't clean the honey enough or the counter and I attract all of the ants and that's not our goal.
 
The minute be mindful with my energy. Yesterday I actually stopped and was like, do I have the energy to walk one hour and like 30 some degree, and so humid to get to the river. I just needed some time to reenergize and that's okay. Being mindful of the amount of energy I have. But also this week I'd be very mindful of the amount of time we have. At home we don't even notice a month went by or another full moon, one other new moon. We're planning on relocating and we only have a limited amount of time in our present place. So, what is we really want to do? We don't come back here. What is that we really want to do? And I just think like we should live our life every day like that. Going. Okay, if I never come back and this is my last week, what do I really want to do? And then it puts everything in perspective. These are my non negotiables or I could wait so I could take the chance to come back later. So really being mindful. Being mindful with eating, that's a whole other thing. At home I would throw food into the microwave, and now there's like in the mornings, I call it the ceremony of smoothies. It's something so special to one, walk in the heat for 30 minutes, pick all of the fresh fruit from the market, talk to the locals, exchange money, put everything back in our bags, walk back. Make sure that the fruit doesn't go bad, be super mindful to use the fruit and when to use the fruit. At home I would just buy orange juice like a big orange juice here. No bag of oranges, but here we juice the oranges and limes, cut all the fruit mindfully.
I can take this back home I can live like this and have ceremony with all of the meals I make. I normally don't like cooking, but I am enjoying like that's our highlight our day. 

​We live right in front of this amazing volcano that I'm so in love with. It's cloudy today and we can't see it, but I'm not on vacation I'm here to live my life so I don't mind there's rain every day. I don't mind that I can't see this like majestic volcano in this moment because this is my life. It will be a surprise when I'm going to be able to see it again next and so my whole perception has changed. It's not like we need to do all these crazy fun activities. It's simply living my life and learning. The highlights of our day are meeting locals, listening to the roosters and not these touristy things that I used to always do. It's just our life.
 
One quote that I spoke about in my business networking meeting today was one of my favorite quotes by Nelson Mandela. He says, if you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language that goes to his heart.  I can confirm how often I see that every day. When I live in Quebec and I speak French, people seem to open up so much more easily when I speak to them in their first language. Currently being in Costa Rica and saying the few sentences I know in Spanish, we already have friends because of that. It changes the whole experience.
 
I just love being able to manage my company wherever I am. My whole team is there even though my company is 100% online now and it doesn't change anything. I chose to do that in Costa Rica. I just love being an entrepreneur and I worked so hard to be an entrepreneur to create this lifestyle. It's taken me many years to get here and now I'm here.  I'm living a simplified life, since we moved into a much smaller home. This all we need.  Even though it's a rainy day, we're going to enjoy the day by going to some really popular hot springs. Simply work in the mornings and enjoy our day in the afternoon. And that is our life.