"Living a life takes longer than reading a biography."
- Rob Nugen

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Welcome to May!

My timeline of workshops has certainly accelerated with the new schedule offered by the Covid Powered Pause. My goal was to lead 24 36 workshops in 2020, easily achievable at 3 per month:

• First Saturdays: barefoot walkshop
• Third Saturdays: Your Art Matters (co-lead with Shinobu)
• ???? : eye gazing or past life memories

Now, as of May, nine+ per month!

• Every Monday: Bold Life Brotherhood
• Every Friday: Life Changing Life Adventures (co-lead with Rin)
• mid-month: Your Art Matters (co-lead with Shinobu)

I used the quote at the top to remind myself: even as things seem to be accelerated, day to day things seem to be slow, and “normal”. I still eat too much, waste time mindlessly online, haven’t been walking each day, don’t meditate or even study Japanese each day. And that’s okay.

I am distracted by N+1 things even as I write this newsletter, which (in early April) I hoped to write by May 5th so I could include the pun “Go Go!”

On April 30th, I enjoyed having a chance to safely release some anger in my men’s circle. In the process, I dented my wooden desk.

Afterward, I wrote in ink around the dent, “My body and I fucking matter!” and “GO OUTSIDE!!” to act as both an affirmation and a reminder to take care of myself. I need not be cooped up in my room all the time.

And so, to the point, if I can find my way forward, I think you can too. Just keep being as mindful as you can, as courageous as you like, and take care of yourself first before others.

Love and Light

• Rob

ps: I am pretty sure this newsletter is way shorter than the previous ones and I am having some anxiety about that but I’m gonna send it anyway.

Originally published https://tinyletter.com/barefootrob/letters/getting-myself-out-there

"Done is better than perfect."
- Mark Wild

Japan has finally begun to take this COVID thing seriously. There has been some physical distancing as people move social connection online. I have used my newfound time to offer more workshops than I originally planned at the beginning of the year. I have not added all of them on Meetup, but most of my events are nestled in my friend Oren’s Quarantine Activity Guide.

In my most recent newsletter, I wrote the following:

A huge part of this business is "getting myself out there" which I
hate with a passion.  I just want to stay holed up ... not facing
anyone who might say "no" in any sort of way.

Maybe this counts as my big "thing to learn" this year.

To help me “get myself out there,” I have hired Freya after doing a first session with her in March. Since then I have struggled, having great resistance to doing the simple steps she has outlined, steps which I have heard many times on how to get a business started. (I’ve been at this for a while!)

I finally finished the first step yesterday morning, and then agonized over the next step. Ask people for help.

So following the wisdom of my dear friend Mark Wild, “done is better than perfect,” I have woken up in the middle of the night, realizing I can start by sending the following to you, my favorite peeps.

drumroll Now presenting….

my first Market Research Survey questions, designed to help me understand how to best support my clients!

1. How would you describe your current work situation?
2. How is the atmosphere or energy at your workplace?
3. How satisfied are you with your current job?
4. What is your favorite aspect of your current job?
5. If you could change anything in your workplace or job situation, what would it be?
6. What comes up for you when you think about making this change?
7. How might your life be different if you could make this change?
8. What keeps you from making this change?
9. If you could get any help making this change, what would it be?

(Edit to add: I have hired a business coach as an accountability buddy and one of the first tasks is to create a Market Research Survey and send to people who I think are in my niche of potential clients.

I will keep the raw data to myself, and I hope to use the answers in aggregate to help plan my business promotion.  I personally will search the answers for recurring themes and refer to those themes (that I can address) in ad copy for my business.

For example, if most people use the word boonfarkle in their description, I may use that word in my ad copy.  “Are you working in a boonfarkle?”   But I won’t say or share “N% of people are working in a boonfarkle” (for any value of N).

end edit)

Tada! If you send me your answers to the above questions, I will happily offer a one hour session to help you find your inner strength to make this change in your life!

As we are in a midst of pandemic-powered global change, let’s bring your authentic self to the world! Register for a discovery session on Calendly. https://calendly.com/robnugen

 love and light
 - Rob!