Everyone is experiencing the coronavirus differently. 

I have seen a wide spectrum of responses: some people in full panic-mode, and some people who are almost in denial that it is happening. 

Most people I know are not on either extreme, but fall somewhere in the middle. 

I am not here to tell you which perspective is right, because I don’t think there is such a thing as a right perspective.

But I want to offer a loving suggestion for when you have conversations about what’s going on:

Leave a little room for people having a different experience from yours. 

I did NOT follow this suggestion last night; I tried to push my perspective of the coronavirus situation onto a dear friend. My comments came from a place of good intentions, but if I’m being honest, also from a forceful place of wanting to fix the situation.

This dear friend is a new dad and I was somehow oblivious to how much more difficult the news of this outbreak would be for him. I didn’t hold enough space for him to share his views on the matter, and only really saw things through my own lens: a healthy, 37-year-old man with no children. 

I felt really shitty afterwards and apologized to my friend. I messed up, but I am really glad we talked. It snapped me out of my self-oriented perspective and opened my heart to more empathy for others. 

We are currently going through a really complicated and challenging situation. I am not sure what’s in store, but I am going to do my best to send love and hold space for people—even if I don’t share their view.

Also, I am going to pay special attention to notice when the experiences of others crosses a boundary or creates harm for me. When this happens I am going to do my best to lovingly step away from that energy, without judging or making that person out to be wrong. 

I have no need to fix, judge or take on other people’s experiences or energy.

This is going to be really challenging for me, but I think it will also be a great opportunity to put into practice so many of the mindfulness and self-love practices I have been working on for the past few years. 

Much love,
D

One of the reasons Jenn and I are in Costa Rica right now is to see if we could work remotely for a few weeks during the winter. And right now, I’m having a hard time finding balance.

There’s so much I love about being here: the weather, the people, the food, the beach and the community of conscious humans—just to name a few. And a part of me is pissed that I have decided to work while in this tropical paradise.

It feels like I am a kid and my parents are trying to make me do homework while I am on vacation.

But on the flip side, if I don’t do any work then Adult Darius starts to get anxious. So before I get ahead of myself, I need to determine if running a business from here is even possible. 

I love this place and want to see if Jenn and I can make it here for a few weeks at a time and find a balance between play and work.

And at this point, it’s too early to tell.

I know there are a bunch of you who have figured out a way to make this type of balance work. If any of you have practical tips on this topic to offer us, Jenn and I are all ears.

Almost everyone who books a HEARTshots shoot with me is at a point where they are ready to share more of their magic with the world. It’s one of my favourite things about my job.

So I was incredibly honoured to take a front row seat and witness my friend Susheela step deeper into her power.

She is a coach, but her approach and the tools she uses are quite unique—and according to many of her clients, very effective. 

You see, Susheela is also a medium. So when you work with her, it’s actually a group of coaches or guides that you gain access to. 

I am not sure how it works being a medium, but I do know Susheela has a gift that is very rare and that she is committed to using this gift in service to others. 

For this and many other reasons, I’m pleased to share that Susheela is our Coach of the Week. 

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8 QUESTIONS WITH SUSHEELA RAMACHANDRAN

1. Describe your coaching approach in 2-3 sentences.

   I am an intuitive medium, energy healer and coach who uses her abilities to channel and heal her clients’ subconscious limiting belief systems from this life and past lives so they can live their true calling and have relationships that light them up.

2. Who is your favourite type of person to coach?

   Big-hearted, spiritual business owners who have thriving businesses but feel limited in their ability to manifest and live their life’s true calling.

3. What's 1 training program that you highly recommend to coaches looking to level up?

   Any of David Neagle's courses

4. What's one thing about you that would surprise people if they knew?

   I have helped 7+ couples conceive children without knowing about it.

5. Share the name of one coach or mentor that has impacted your life:

   Jonny Dupre

6. When you were 10 years old, what did you want to be?

   Pediatrician

7. Name one book that changed your life:

   A New Earth

8. Name one of your favourite podcasts:

   David Neagle's Successful Mind podcast

HOW TO CONNECT WITH SUSHEELA

Website: www.susheela.co

Instagram: @susheelaramachandran

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It’s easy to make videos alone in my studio back home when I have total control of the content creation process.

But when I’m travelling and I can hear and see people having fun in the sun, I don’t want to draw attention to myself creating content. It doesn’t take long before the combination of feeling self-conscious and the fear of missing out on the fun makes me want to give up before I start.

Before I know it, I am home from my travels and I have no content created. Yes, there are some personal photos of me and my loved ones enjoying ourselves, but it’s not the same. I know there was more I could have expressed and created.

Sometimes it’s super important to put your phone away and fully immerse yourself in your time away from work. But sometimes it’s good to let these exotic destinations activate our creativity. 

Personally I always get BIG downloads from the Universe whenever I travel. Yes, I can write them down in my journal, but I also want to express and share my experiences with my community.

So with today’s post, I’m sharing 6 Tips To Help You Take Better Photos + Videos On Vacation. 

Got any tips for me while I’m away? Share them below and I’ll try them out this week.

A crazy idea dropped into my meditation today: what if I held weekly open hours and I committed to doing 2 FREE photoshoots every week?

It’s ambitious, but here’s how I see it:

• I want more people to love what they look like in photos.

• I want to push and challenge my photography skills.

• I want to engage my social media community with something that has REAL FREAKIN VALUE.

These would be super short photoshoots (30 mins max) and very different from my normal 4-hour HEARTshots process. But it would be all the same professional gear, the same amazing studio space and of course the same photographer. 

Here’s what you’d get:

• 15 mins of shooting with me

• 15 mins to review and select the photos together (I can help you)

• 3 final photos (Full HD)

I am still figuring out how to select the 2 people every week. In the meantime, if you’re interested in this little experiment, comment below with the words “pick me” or tag someone you think needs awesome new photos.

Last week I started a secret photography project.

A private instagram page for an audience of one...

Myself.

I rarely write or take photos just for me.

Every day I posted a selfie and I wrote a love note dedicated to “my human”—that’s what I call my physical body. 

I did my best to imagine my human as an entirely separate person. Someone I loved and cherished. Someone infinitely important to my life. I am so good at supporting and believing in others, I wanted to do the same for him.

Because I knew no one would read these posts, I was able to say things that I normally wouldn’t be brave enough to share. 

• Some days it was easy to say kind and loving things to my human. Other days I felt silly, vain and fake. 

• Some days I would speak from my heart about a specific body part that was in the photo and tell my human how beautiful he was. 

• Some days I would apologize for being shitty to him in the past. 

• Some days I would tell him the impact he has had on my life. 

• Some posts were just a few words — that’s why I call them love notes and not love letters.

By reminding myself that these love notes are just for me, it sparked my creativity and helped me reconnect with my heart on a deeper, more intimate level.

My only considerations were:

 → Do I love the photo? 
→ Do I feel expressed? 
→ Am I proud of it? 
→ Do I feel seen? 

If the answer to these questions were yes, then I walked away feeling connected to my human, to my heart and to the Universe. It is such a liberating feeling to make content for an audience of one; myself. 

Here are a few examples of photos I took last week. Don’t worry; I checked in with my human first to see if he was okay with me sharing them. He said yes. :)

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We all go through hard times in life. Moments where our resolve is challenged. Moments where it feels like everything we hold true is somehow in doubt.

How we respond to these moments can define our lives. It’s where we experience the greatest potential for growth. I believe this is a major part of why we are here on Earth: to step into these challenges and to get the fullest human experience possible. 

A few years back Cheryl went through a really challenging time in her life when a loved one got very sick. She dutifully gave all she had to looking after this family member, but in doing so found herself isolated from the rest of the world.

Sometimes when you fall out of flow it can feel really hard to get back into the swing of things. I experienced this in January after the recent passing of my aunt and grandmother. 

It took courage for Cheryl to say yes to doing a shoot with me.

It took courage for her to step back into the spotlight, but based on how things are going with her business, I’d say it was a very wise decision.

I for one am thrilled she is sharing her magic with the world. 

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5 QUESTIONS WITH CHERYL KEATES

1. Describe your coaching approach in 2-3 sentences.

   I take a holistic approach to coaching. That means coaching the whole person instead of just one area of their life, since all areas of life affect one another. I truly believe that the more balanced and fulfilled we are, the better we perform in all areas of life.

2. Who is your favourite type of person to coach?

   I love working with driven professionals and entrepreneurs with BIG DREAMS. They are so eager to learn and grow and are courageous enough to step into the forum of self-discovery to deepen their awareness in order to make a bigger impact.

3. Share the name of one coach or mentor that has impacted your life:

   Susie Vicencio. She taught me the power of tapping into my most resourced self.

4. Where are you most at peace?

   Walking in nature with my dogs. I just love witnessing the joy on their faces when being free to explore.

5. Name one thing that you are super excited about:

   I am building a platform to make coaching more accessible to people and I get so excited at the thought of being able to help impact many more lives on a greater scale.

HOW TO CONNECT WITH CHERYL

Website: www.cherylkeates.com

Instagram: @cherylkeates

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As human beings we’re constantly changing, and sometimes it’s nice to look back at photos and remember how far we have come.

For today’s #TipTuesday I want to share one super simple tip to help you better light your next selfie (or even your next Instagram or Facebook video). If it has been a long time since you took a photo of yourself, remember to be gentle and patient with the process.

Bad lighting will: 

1. distract your audience

2. make you look tired

3. discourage you from wanting to take photos or videos of yourself in the future

Good lighting will help you: 

1. look more professional

2. look more attractive

3. feel better about yourself

And when you feel better you are more willing to take up space and let your light shine. 

You don’t need fancy equipment; I made today’s video with my phone. And let’s be honest—most of the new smart phones have incredible cameras.

Just remember that while photos are a great way to grow your business and your brand, they can also be a deeply personal experience. You can do it just for yourself, to document your life.

So have fun, create beautiful things and celebrate yourself as often as possible.

Love, Light + Laughter, 

D

PS: I am curious… how many photos of yourself (aka Selfies) did you take in 2019? How many do you want to take in 2020?

“The abyss can swallow you up whole.

So stretch my darling,

and swallow the abyss instead.”

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Your morning coffee
Your yoga mat
Your text message
Your prayer
Your outfit
Your stride
Your email
Your breath
The neck of your lover
The insides of your lover

Everything is a canvas