Explore Your Enthusiasm, With Tara Swiger | Craft | Art | Business

How do you know it's time to quit? Should you keep plugging away when it’s not working? Should you just try harder? Or is it better to quit? This week I’m going to tell you when it’s time to definitely quit. When do you know it’s time to quit? When should you just give up on the thing you’re working on? I was asked this question a few months ago and I have thought about it a lot, because this is a BIG question. I have two competing answers when individual people ask me this question. First, I am a huge fan of quitting. Just stop! It’ll give you the energy to work on something you DO want to do. I stop books, I stop business ideas, I stop launches. I stop all the time and I think it’s fantastic. As a culture we can sometimes romanticize the FINISHING of something…but if the thing isn’t worth finishing, and you’re not going to be glad it’s done, that time is better spent elsewhere. There’s the Sunk Cost Fallacy, which is when your brain thinks “I’ve already spent X time or money on this, I need to spend more to

I LOVE podcasts. They are the absolute perfect way to learn or be entertained while you do boring or mundane stuff. I listen to quite a few podcasts and I'm always recommending specific episodes to friends. Today I want to share my favorite with you!  I'll cover my favorite podcasts for your business, for parenting (especially fostering and adopting), and just general fun stuff. This week I'm sharing some of my favorite podcasts. I have been listening to podcasts since 2006! My husband bought me an ipod shuffle (no screen!) for Valentine's Day in 2006 because I was listening to podcasts on my computer (we only had a desktop, no laptop, and obviously we only had flip phones. FLIP PHONES!). Those first podcasts I loved (you can still go back and listen!) - KnitCast, which may have been the first podcast about knitting, CastOn with Brenda Dayne, which inspired the direction of my yarn company, and CraftyPod with Diane Gilleland, who I stalked on Twitter until we became real-life friends and collaborators. (I too

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here. (The usual disclaimer applies.) What I'm reading: Heart Berries by Marie Terese Mailhot Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks Princess Jellyfish by Akiko Higahsimura The Whole Brain Child by Daniel Siegel Links: Read Harder Challenge Starter Manga   Listen in at TaraSwiger.com/podcast247

Do you find yourself distracted with how you could have done something better? Or sidetracked thinking about the mistakes you made? Are you just too hard on yourself? Guess what? Me too! Today I’m going to share how I’ve been working on NOT being so hard on myself so I can move forward! Today we’re going to talk about something I’ve gotten so much feedback on: Being hard on yourself. Now, most of us want to be better, right? We want to streamline, optimize, and improve all the time. That’s great and useful...but not when it comes with a dose of beating yourself over everything that needs to be improved and optimized. Not if you’re getting so bogged down in what’s “wrong” that you can’t shift into action. This is on my mind because a  few days ago I posted on Instagram Stories, that I noticed that I am really hard on myself when it comes to basically every parenting interaction. I'm always thinking: Oh, I could have done that better...I should have reacted differently...Ugh, I wish I had stayed calmer. (What s

What if you are just not getting things done? What if you just can NOT get things done? Before you start beating yourself up, ask yourself: is this just a season of my life? Today we're going to talk about how to identify the season you're in, and what to do about, to be both as productive and GENTLE as possible. My aim is to guide you to living an enthusiasm-filled life...which includes doing work you love, spending time with people you love, and feeling GOOD while doing it. I was recently asked the question on Instagram: I feel like I'm in a season of my life when I can't get a lot done. Am I alone? Can you talk about this? First, let me preface today's episode with some background: two months ago I didn't have any kids. We became foster parents last September and on December 17th a two year old girl came to live with us, for an undetermined amount of time. And let me tell you - one of the first thoughts I had about my business, when my head came above water, several weeks later was: I can't believe I ever

What do you after you set your goal? What if you know what to do but you aren't getting anything done? Today I'm going to answer those questions and talk about how I use a planner. I know it's February, and most people think about planning and planners and overhauling their habits at the first of the year, but I'll be honest with you: this year I didn't start even THINKING about my new year until January 20th. Between the logistics of a new 2 year old foster placement in my life and the learning curve of toddler parenting, I had no brainspace to spend thinking or planning. And once I started talking about my planning on Instagram (@taraswiger), I started getting questions that I wanted to answer here on the podcast. And hey, these are the questions I'm dealing with right now, as my whole work life is different now that I’m a new mom. So the real question, for most of us when it comes to productivity is "how do I get done what I want to get done?" In my experience getting things done comes down to three differ

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here. (The usual disclaimer applies.) What I'm reading: The Deepest Well, by Nadine Burke-Harris Why I think everyone should read this book, especially parents Children of Blood and Bone, by Tomi Adeyemi House of Dreams, the life of L.M. Montgomery, by Liz Rosenberg Educated by Tara Westover Influencer: Building your personal brand in the age of social media, by  Brittany Hennessy Nine Perfect Strangers, by Liane Moriarity Far From the Tree, by Robin Benway   Listen in at TaraSwiger.com/podcast243

Celebration is SO important for the health of your business. In today's episode I cover the big reasons WHY you need to stop and celebrate and also HOW to celebrate (no, it doesn't need to cost money.) If you look back at 2018 and can't remember what went well or how your business did, tune in to make 2019 a better year. Why Celebration? The answer is science: Our brains are wired to have a negativity bias. We notice the negative (bad sales day, unmet goals, cranky customers) MORE than the positive. We give negative feedback more mental weight than positive feedback. Which is why it's easy to look at your business and remember what went wrong, but harder to remember what went right. Making a BIG DEAL and celebrating your successes gives some weight to the positive - it helps you make a memory of the good. Because here's the thing - one day you are going to feel run-down or overwhelmed or just cranky about your business and when you look back and wonder "should I keep going?"...if you don't have any positive m

Having a hard day? Me too! When I’m having a not-optimal mental health day my best tool is simple- a checklist! Today I’m sharing my own checklist & helping you make yours. ALL THE MENTAL HEALTH THINGS: Feeling hopeless? Get help! Now! https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ https://www.nami.org/Find-Support Feeling awful? Before you give up, go through this checklist. This list is meant to give you ideas, not replace professional help. Anxiety and depression and my own story here:: https://youtu.be/WoVDD1bDyvI HOW I DEALT WITH ANXIETY ONE YEAR LATER: https://youtu.be/40PxTeleO24 BASICS:  Wake up same time  Sunlight in your eyeballs  Vitamins! (I take Lifelong Vitality – here’s why: https://youtu.be/zLaoVKvAfGw)  Mindfulness Start with Headspace! https://hdsp.co/e/Mg2Lbx4BqS  Log your mood: http://moodnotes.thriveport.com/ HOW EMOTIONS ARE MADE: https://youtu.be/7EWgw7mI80c PODCASTS FOR WHEN I CANT FOCUS: The Hilarious World of Depression Dear Hank and John By The Book Nerdette Jen Gotch is OK…Sometim

Are you an introvert? Not sure? Think being an introvert is the same thing as being shy? We have a lot to talk about! Hi, I’m Stacey. I’m an introvert. I’m also tremendously talkative, self-confident and not the tiniest bit shy. Sound like a contradiction? Not really. In this episode, I’m going to talk about what an introvert really is, plus dispel some misconceptions. I’ll fill you in on the strengths of an introvert, as well as some strategies to cope with challenging situations. What is an introvert? An introvert is someone who needs alone time to truly thrive. Interacting with people is often draining. Although being 100% introverted is rare, we all fall along the introvert-extrovert continuum. People with more than 50% introverted tendencies are usually considered introverts. Introverts often: Think best on their own Find ‘small talk’ draining Notice subtle cues Have a strong internal monologue Are thorough Are independent & work well on their own Excel in 1-on-1 interactions and deep conversations

How can you plan to have the best year? Not just get everything done, but have a year you actually enjoy? It is both important to reach the goals you have set, and enjoy your time. What’s the point in building a business if you aren’t enjoying yourself? You’re never going to feel like you’re done in business. You’ll always be changing, growing, setting goals. THAT is what building a business is. So be sure that you enjoy the process of moving towards the goal, as much as you think you’ll enjoy actually reaching the goal. A couple tips as you sit down to do your New Year Planning: 1. How do you want to feel? How do you want to feel as you work on your goal? How do you want to feel when you reach your goal? (Check out the Desire Map for more on feelings + goals). You can bring these feelings into your planning - how can you feel this feeling RIGHT NOW? It can be hard to plan, if you feel scared or compressed. So before you plan, get in a great mood. 2. Make a list of the things that make you feel how you want t

Are you feeling a little overwhelmed? With holiday fun, holiday obligations and, uh, you're whole business to run? If so, you are not alone. This week we're going to talk about keeping your sanity and having as much fun as possible, while keeping your business going. We, as a community,  have been talking about staying sane during the holiday season since 2010, when I created the first version of the Holiday Sanity Guide. This comes up every year, because, guys, this season can be HARD. You've got more family responsibilities, more business responsibilities, and on top of all that, EXPECTATIONS of how it should all go. So I wanna talk about that today, how to handle your own expectations while still meeting your responsibilities. And if you're new here, or you're just really feeling the holiday stress, check out alllll the past posts and episodes in a Definitive Holiday Sanity Guide at the bottom of this post. First, you gotta acknowledge what is making the season hard: responsibilities and expectations. Some

You told me you'd like to meet other makers and here about their business, so by popular demand I bring you our new semi-regular series: In Conversation! In today's conversation, Joeli Kelly, teacher and coach, will be talking to Mary Roth, the mad scientist and dyer behind Elemental Fiberworks, where you can find science-inspired yarn and fiber to geek out over. Both women have created amazing businesses and both have been Starship Captains! (The Starship is open right now, if you'd like to join them!) In this conversation they discuss the milestones in their business, the goals they've reached, and how the Starship helped them.   Listen in at TaraSwiger.com/podcast237

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here. (The usual disclaimer applies.) What I read this month: Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in Silicone Valley Startup, by John Carreyou All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenting by Jennifer Senior Time to Parent, organizing your life to bring out the best in your child and you by Julie Morgenstern Circe by Madeleine Miller The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough (I got this from the Book of The Month Club! Sign up here!)   Listen in at TaraSwiger.com/podcast236

Trust yourself about what direction to go. Trust yourself about who you want to work with. Trust yourself about what product to make, to launch, to go all in on. A key element to building a business you actually LOVE and that fulfills you, is to TRUST YOURSELF. But how can you trust yourself through all the imposter syndrome, self-doubt and perfectionism? That's what we'll talk about today. Trusting yourself and relying on your own intuition and sense of what to do is vital in creating a business you actually enjoy being in, so today we're going to talk about how to trust yourself. Before we dive in, you should know that I actually have a whole book planned about this topic, so we can't cover everything in one episode, but my goal is to help you start to trust yourself more, TODAY, even a little. By the way, that book I mentioned, I'm thinking about actually writing it, IF it's something you, the person I create for, really want. So if you want a book about learning to trust yourself, go tell me at TaraSwiger

Are you traveling or working for hours in the kitchen or just trying to escape family this week, for American Thanksgiving? Me too, so I thought this week we could take a look at the best of the past episodes. If you'd like me to keep you company during your holiday prep, you'd have plenty to listen to. These episodes will come in handy as you're wrapping up 2018 and planning for 2019. They are the most-downloaded, the most-shared, and the episodes more people tell me totally changed their business or their perspective. Today I'm going to recap my biggest and best episodes, so those of you who have just found the show know which ones to go listen to, or those of you who have been around for a while can listen again and get reinspired. If you missed these, I really recommend you listen to them, as together they form a foundation of business and life transformation.   These six episodes are both the most-downloaded (each has over 2000 unique downloads) and the ones I truly love the most, which just reaffirmed f

What if I’m not good enough? What if they call me a fraud? What if everyone figures out I don’t know what I’m doing? Hello, this is Imposter Syndrome and girl, we all deal with this all the time. So in this week’s episode we’re going to look at what it is, what it means, and how the heck to move past it. Guess what? I’m 233 episodes and 4 years into this podcast and I still worry I’m not good enough. I got a bad review earlier in the week I’m recording this, my first ever, and I thought: Yes, they’re right, I’m not good enough. Thankfully I thought through how I’d talk to a client about this and I realized, “Wait, hold up! This is imposter syndrome.” I hopped on Instagram and sure enough, you all feel this all the time. In fact, I did a little question pop-up on my Stories and got more responses to this than anything else I’ve ever asked. You guys told me you wanted to know: What the heck is it? Does it mean anything? And above all: What can we do to get over it? I think Wikipedia actually explains this reall

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here. (The usual disclaimer applies.) What I read this month: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, by Hank Green Head On, by John Scalzi In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough The Witch Elm by Tana French Amateur Hour: Motherhood in Essays and Swear Words, by Kimberley Harrington Body Positive Power: How to stop dieting, make peace with your body and live, by Meghan Jayne Crabbe You can hear more about Body Positive Power on Take Care of Yourself, my book + self-care conversation podcast with Joeli!  What I was reading in November in 2016, in 2015, in 2014 and 2013!   Listen in at TaraSwiger.com/podcast232

Do you always seem to be coming down with some cold or bug? Do you feel exhausted all the time? When you sit down to work, do you find it difficult to focus and get distracted by Facebook and social media? Do you find yourself struggling to get motivated to send your newsletter or record that video? Well, stay tuned, because today we are going to talk about the one factor that might be the reason for all of those things. I'm Joeli Kelly, and I'm filling in for Tara for this episode Today I want to touch on something I've been severely affected by and see affecting my friends on a pretty much daily basis: stress. Firstly, let's define what stress is: Stress is an extra physiological demand on your body. It can be physical, environmental, or emotional and it can be painful or pleasurable. Basically, stress is anything that disrupts our current state of being. Next, we need to talk about our nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system maintains normal functions when we are not under stress. It keeps the h

Are you getting distracted by what other people are doing? By what you *should* be doing? Today let's go beyond the Comparison Trap and instead look even deeper at how to play your OWN game. I think we all know a lot about how easy it is to fall into comparison, but I wanna challenge you today to go deeper. The question isn't just "am I comparing myself to others?" but "am I even playing the game I want to play? A while back I was talking to Jay about our future comic book shop and he said, “{The other shop in town}, they are really good at X. Maybe my shop should get better at X.” And I said, “But is that the game you want to play? Do you want to get good at selling X, or do you want to do something completely different? When you talk about what you love about the shop, you talk about making it inclusive, having the friendliest customer service, making it a place to spend time and feel like you belong no matter who you are. That's just a totally different game than what the other shop is doing.” “Oh, you're