Episode 6: 8 Questions for Laura and Eike
A few words: I am not sure yet what the best format is to make our (German) podcast accessible to everyone. This rough summary is the first attempt. It might change with time or when I find another way of sharing episodes with you.
This is a very special episode because we share personal things with you! In this episode, Eike and I talk about whether we have a morning routine or not, how we deal with the pandemic, if we have already found our life's purpose (a surprising answer here!), and what we've learned about business and life since we launched this podcast.
Eike and I had so much fun recording this episode - and I hope you have fun reading through our answers too!
Do we have a morning routine?
Eike
For many years I have had morning rituals and they have changed over time. At the moment I start in a very relaxed way into my day - sleeping until 8, reading in bed, having breakfast, sometimes social media, sometimes I move my body. Usually, I start working at 10 which feels like a big change because in my previous jobs I used to start working really early. Through my 90-day experiment that I did earlier this year, I know how important sleep is for me and started to allow this new rhythm for my days. It took a while to not feel guilty about it, but now I really enjoy the freedom I have now since I am fully self-employed.
Laura
I have a similar rhythm and wake up at around 8 in the morning too and allow roughly two hours for a relaxed start of my day. I usually meditate or simply let my thoughts wander, often I journal and I like to move my body. I used to have a very strict morning routine: waking up at 5:30 every day and then the same meditation journaling, and sports routine every day. When I missed one of these things I felt bad for the rest of my day.
Now I enjoy having the flexibility of being self-employed and being able to create this space for myself in the morning. This too is something I need to practice, but following my natural flow in the morning feels just really good!
What do you say more often: yes or no?
Laura
When I look back I think that saying NO was my standard repertoire. This has changed a lot and I now say yes way more often. For me, saying yes has a lot to do with courage. Committing to something even if I don't feel entirely ready, jumping into an adventure even if my heart is beating really fast, this all too is something I connect to saying yes. And I am getting better at that every day.
Eike
I think I too had a rather pessimistic view of the world and used to say no a lot. This has changed a lot and now I am saying yes to life and all the things life offers me on a regular basis. I also say no more often, particularly when it comes to setting boundaries. Generally, I would say that I am using YES and NO way more intentionally than I used to.
What were your most important turning points in life so far?
Eike
For me, this was my time in India. I spent a year in India to live and work there and this was a really important year for me in many ways - I still learn from this experience.
I am still very connected to India, particularly now because the covid situation is hitting the country so hard. To provide specific help, I started a fundraising campaign for Surendra, one of my friends from that time. He and his family are hit hard by Covid and struggling to survive - financially, but also physically because some family members are dealing with severe illnesses. In case any of our audience wants to donate some money, they can do it here: https://gofund.me/6df1fddb Every euro goes directly to Surendra and his family and makes a real difference! This would mean the world to me.
Laura
My first biggest turning point was when I quit my first corporate job. It was very well paid, prestigious, looked good on my CV, but I knew that this was just not right for me anymore. When I quit this job I realized that quitting is ok, that changing a job or career is an option. This was important for me to experience.
My second big turning point was working as a dive instructor in Indonesia. In total, I almost spent 2 years in South-East Asia and Indonesia and this phase of my life showed me that if I follow my heart, all doors will open.
How do we deal with the pandemic? What helps us?
Laura
Generally, I am doing quite well in this pandemic. I am quite introverted so I don´t mind working from home and not socializing so much anymore. But of course, sensing this collective uncertainty and heaviness is difficult, and I too, become more and more impatient and want a “normal” life back.
What helps me to move through this is to consciously create as many moments of joy as possible, be it moving my body, working with my clients, doing this podcast with you. Everything that is a contrast to this chaos around really helps me.
If I could share one message about this pandemic it would be to carefully pay attention to your needs. Some want to be in action, move forward - and that is good and totally ok, and others need more rest and quietness to deal with this all which is equally valid and ok. So whatever you need to feel good, give it to you.
Eike
At the beginning of the pandemic, I came up with a strategy to remove stress wherever possible. I know the effects of stress so I wanted to make sure to reduce it. I focused on the basics and shrank my world so that I had the energy to support myself and my inner network. This really helped me to move through this year. But now, 12 months later I feel that I am exhausted too. It feels like we are so close with the vaccines and slowly moving out of the lock-down and I think it will be interesting to see what this will do to us - also in regards to being exposed to so many people again, something that feels quite overwhelming for me right now.
If I could share one message about the last year it would be to acknowledge how different everyone is perceiving the situation. I, for example, was in my old job still during the majority of the pandemic and had a stable network around me. My partner is in the entertainment industry and has been without a job for a year - there are two very different angles on the same situation and I think it is important to have empathy and understanding that this situation affects us all on a very individual level.
Are we yearning for life before social media?
Eike
Sometimes I do and crave for the simplicity we had before social media. During the pandemic I deactivated all my social media accounts to see what it would do to me. This experience was great and way less scary than I thought it would be. Now, I am on social media again and enjoy it. I see the good sides of it, how powerful social media can be, for example in regards to my fundraising campaign.
So I think I have a love-hate relationship with social media but am currently enjoying the benefits it offers.
Laura
Yes and no. I am grateful to have known a life without social media as a kid and teenager but do also think that it is a very powerful tool, particularly to stay in contact with people and connect with others. I think we as a society still have to learn how to use social media intentionally and purposefully. So in short: I am grateful for the opportunities social media offers but am also careful that it does not take over my life.
Have we already found our purpose in life?
Laura
Great question, also because it is so closely connected to the work I do as a coach.
So I generally prefer to talk about “finding your path in life” instead of “your life's purpose” because life's purpose carries quite some intensity and is emotionally charged. So for me personally, I know my direction in life, I know my values and how to live in line with them, which are the basis for everything, I know how I want to live my life, how I want to feel. And if I consciously live by that every day, I am living my purpose. Life's purpose is not so much connected to a specific job for me, but how I live my life day by day. I generally think that our life´s purpose is to be happy and whatever makes you happy is your life´s purpose. That does not mean that once you are on your path there are no more fears, doubts, challenges - but you will feel pulled in your direction!
Eike
Yes, let's remove the heaviness and search for the ONE answer in regards to life´s purpose!
I feel connected to my life´s purpose, it is something that feels really tangible. But I also see it as a daily practice to live my purpose every day. It's not that there is this one revelation that I had and now I know every day what to do, but a conscious effort every day to ask myself what I need, what steps I have to take. Something I realized through taking those steps too is that living your purpose also means honoring everything that is already there. Being grateful for the small things, Instead of going for the next goal.
What are our favorite coaching tools?
Eike
One of the topics I work a lot with at the moment is energy levels and levels of consciousness. Am I in a resourceful state or not. That was also a centerpiece of my 90-day coaching program that I offer. The basis for this is to get clear on what gives me energy, what drains my energy and what I can do to move to a resourceful, energy-giving state. This helps to understand what supports my clients to build the life I want to live and what they need to get there.
Laura
For me, one of the most powerful tools in my coaching practice is to help my clients transform their relationship with fear. To understand and learn that fear is not an enemy or an obstacle, but can be an extremely powerful ally. Yes, fear might not vanish entirely, but can turn into a good friend who supports you. This is where I see the biggest transformation in my client's lives - and that was what shifted my life too!
What is our biggest learning since we launched this podcast
Laura
One of the biggest things for me goes back to the mantra of our first episode: playground. This podcast encourages me so much to approach things from a playful angle, to explore more, to try things out, without striving for perfection all the time. This lightness reflects in my business and other projects that I am working on. Working with you on this podcast also gave me the opportunity to learn more about you, but also myself, it teaches me to stay open to the process, learn from others, create something together.
Eike
I am learning how fast and how much easier it is to create a project together and how much support is actually out there. I do lots of projects on my own in my business and have realized that working on something together creates something that is bigger than the sum of its parts. Also, learning how to connect to our audience in a new way is a great thing to learn too. To find this deeper level of connection with our audience is also one of the reasons why we do this podcast, and that is one aspect I really love about this project.
Do you want to support Surendra?
If you want to learn more about Eike´s fundraising campaign go to GoFundMe or join her Facebook group. Every euro makes a difference! Thank you!
Who is chatting here?
Laura is a Life Coach and NLP Master Practitioner and helps purpose-seekers, free-spirits & change-makers to find clarity and start trusting themselves so they can break free from the beaten career path and start living a life of possibilities. This is my online home - say hi!
Eike is a coach and creative based in Hamburg, Germany. She is helping her clients to easily overcome the obstacles on the way to their desired life. Hop over and visit her here