A lesson about having no fear from a 3 year old

Dream Big, Dreaming  //  10th January 2013

Hello from somewhere in between Phoenix and Dallas… where they say there is absolutely nothing! But I definitely woke up to a pretty view and I was kind of pumped about it! ;) Talk to me in about 8 hours when the scenery has not changed although we have been moving the whole time and I might feel differently! ;) But for right now, I am so excited and kind of like a little kid who is looking at airplanes in the sky! ;)

Anyway… we are now 2 stops into the What’s Next Tour and we are feeling so inspired by all of the AMAZING people we are meeting along the way! Seriously, the What’s Next Tour attendees are coming in ready to do the hard work and make their dreams a reality! And THAT makes us smile! We are so humbled by all of our new friends we are meeting that we thought we would share a few of their stories with you! Believe me, their stories will leave a special place in your hearts!

We totally wish we could share everyone’s story, but we will start with one at a time and see where we get! ;) lol. However, be sure to follow along on Instagram because we are definitely sharing stories from each stop there!

Today we are going to begin with our friend Chris from LA… and actually her daughter, Ada, whose story rocks my world! Chris is a photographer who IS giving herself permission this year to get back to her passion and create art that speaks to her heart. She is going to explode in her business while creating priceless images that will leave a lasting impact on the hearts of her clients and everyone who views her work! Chris had so many light bulb moments at The What’s Next Tour stop in LA that I have no doubt she is going to live her life with passion and a purpose and with no more fear!

I am most confident in that “no more fear” thing because Chris has this AMAZING example in her life. Her name is Ada and she is 3 1/2 years old. ;) Ada is actually Chris’s daughter who decided one day after over hearing a story about the relief efforts in Haiti on NPR, she wanted to help. A few weeks later, Ada brought her piggy bank to Chris, dumped out her $17 and some change and said she wanted to send it to Haiti. After further discussion and a brainstorm (with a 3 1/2 year old, can you imagine?!? ;) ) Ada decided she wanted to make drawings and bake cookies to sell and raise funds to add to her $17+.  Why not right? She set a goal of $500 and $705 later… Ada has created art, sold it, and made a HUGE donation to Partners In Health to make a difference in the lives of others. No fear and no questions asked… she made it happen!

That, my friends, is an inspiration! If you want to help Ada and her efforts to touch the lives of others and make change in Haiti, visit her fundraising website at: http://act.pih.org/page/outreach/view/personal/Ada4Haiti

And for our new friend Chris, check out her website too and send her a little love! She is not only an amazing artist, but she is one AMAZING momma!

There is no wrong way to live your life | J&M What’s Next Tour L.A.

Dream Big, Dreaming, Uncategorized  //  9th January 2013

We sat on comfy couches in a small circle.  If only we could have gotten the fireplace to work…

Yesterday was the first tour stop for Justin & Mary’s What’s Next Tour.  During a portion of Mary’s talk the AMAZING attendees were asked what their Big Next was and then to break out into smaller focus groups.  Liz and I had the honor to lead a group on rebranding.  Having just recently rebranded the discussion was right up our alley! :)

When we originally started our business the brand we created was focused on what we saw everyone else doing.  We named it Elizabeth Ryan Photography because Ryan Elizabeth didn’t sound as prestigious to us.  We created a website whose main colors where black, gray, and white (in those orders) because all the other photography sites we say were those colors.  Our brand quickly became what we thought it should be based on what everyone else was doing.  It didn’t take us long to realize that we had made a mistake.  By the time everyone started thinking Liz’s last name was actually Ryan instead of Bower we knew it was time to rebrand.

We shared this story with our group and chatted further about creating a brand that builds up the business you want to run and the life you want to live.

One of the first things we are often asked is to think about what our ideal client looks like.  But we are not often asked to think about what our ideal brand and business looks like.  If you are in the process of creating a business, or even at a crossroads of life, stop for a moment and think about what you want it to look like, not what everyone else wants it to be.  What do you love? What is your style? What is your Big Next?

As we chatted with our group the following thought popped into my mind. Just like the Reese’s commercials – “There is no wrong way to eat a Reese’s,” there is also no wrong way to run a business.  And for that matter, there is no wrong way to live your life.

Make it what you want it to be!  Make it yours!

Thanks to the AMAZING new friends we made last night in LA.  We wish you all much luck and success in the rebranding process.  And if you are still looking for a little extra help, be sure to check out the fabulous ladies at Making Brands Happen!

Make 2013 AMAZING | A Note to Self

Dream Big, Dreaming, Our Dreams  //  2nd January 2013

With our papers in hand and journals by our sides, we sat in our favorite places and hunkered down to do the “hard work!” Ryan was at Starbucks surrounded by the music and energy of the coffee shop while I was on our couch cozy under a blanket sipping my tea in silence! We have learned that these are our spots that we go to when we really need to crank it out! We set out to complete the same set of papers… a Year-End worksheet we found through our fav, Chris Guillebeau! The 25 page worksheet put together by Susannah Conway (thank you Susannah!) was a little daunting at first glance, but we knew it was everything that we needed to let our hearts wander and see where we end up.

It is amazing what can happen when you take just a few hours in “your spot” to reflect, dream, and explore! The “hard work” quickly became an incredibly enjoyable experience. The answers flowed from our hearts onto the worksheet. At one point the worksheet said:

“Imagine you are sitting in that cafe again [for me, on my cozy couch! ;) ]. Across the table from you- looking utterly fabulous- is your future self from December 2015. She has three years’ worth of wisdom to share with you- what does she say? What does she tell you to let go of? What does she tell you to pay attention to… to believe in… to trust?”

I started (as instructed) with Dear Liz: and everything else just flowed from my heart. At one point while writing, I remember thinking “gees, that is everything that I needed to hear. Thank you God for giving me the chance -in advance- to hear your words through my future self. ;) I am going to share my letter with you, because it might just be God’s way of making sure everyone hears what they need to.

Dear Liz:

You are right where you are supposed to be. God has led you and Ryan down this path because He believes in you and has given you the talents you need to make a difference in the lives of others.

Although you may not feel like your audiance is large enough or you are not reaching as many people as you hoped- you should know that every single person you meet/touch has been impacted by you. Your audiance will grow organically- especially if you have patience. Trust that God will take care of you.

Focus on you and Ryan and don’t let what other people are doing distract you. Stay true to who you are and go where your heart may guide you. Embrace your love that you and Ryan share and know that God is using your relationship as a model/example for others- to give them faith and fill their hearts with love and joy.

Let go if the things that are not important. If it causes stress, it is probably not worth your time and energy. Let someone else take that off your hands. Trust in God and lead with your serving heart.

With love.

<3 You

As you begin this new year, we hope you are taking some time to reflect, dream, and explore! Find your spot and hunker down for some “hard work” that will definitely leave your hearts smiling!

Here are a few of our favorite Year-End guidelines to get you started:

Susannah Conway’s Workbook

Chris Guillebeau’s Annual Review Guidelines

Lara Casey’s Goal Setting Part 1 and Part 2

Emily Ley’s Financial Worksheet

 

Make 2013 your most AMAZING year yet! | Embrace Change

Amazing Life Manifesto, Dream Big, Dreaming  //  31st December 2012

Wahooo! We are so excited to be kicking off our 2013 a little early with a new AMAZING Life Manifesto Video! We are chatting all about Embracing Change in order to make 2013 your most AMAZING year yet! It is the beginning of a new year and is the perfect opportunity to let go of everything in the past and charge ahead! Seek out what you want to make happen and DO IT! ;)

We have SUPER FUN news to share with you all! We will be going on tour with Justin and Mary and their What’s Next Tour in January. That’s right, on a bus we go for 3 weeks to come to a city near you! We will be making 10 stops (sorry we messed that number up in the video!) within the United States beginning in LA on January 8th! Yes, we are super pumped to be out and about with our AMAZING friends Justin and Mary, Jeremy and Ashley, and our friends from Showit… but what we are honestly the most excited about is seeing the change that takes place in people’s heart as a result of going to this workshop! Mary is by far the BEST speaker we have ever heard speak. EVER! And she does not hold back. She will be the push you need to kickstart your 2013 and make it the most AMAZING year of your life! And for all of our photographer friends, Justin will be teaching a lighting portion of the workshop that will rock your world! He is so incredibly talented and we could probably say has taught us 99.9% of what we know about lighting! He is AMAZING!

Ok- so hopefully we have now talked you into joining us on one of the stops across the country! It keeps getting better…. not only do we have big hugs to share with you when we see you at one of the stops, we have a discount code just for you to help you get there!!!  Go to http://thewhatsnexttour.com/#/tickets and use the code: lizandryan to get $50.00 off your full day seat!  Seriously friends, do everything you can to make it to a stop of the What’s Next Tour. We are so excited for you to kick your 2013 off right!

Let go of 2012 and embrace the new beginning! Embrace Change!!

 

Create a Spa At Home for your AMAZING Life Annual Review

Dream Big, Dreaming  //  27th December 2012

Yesterday we wrote about hosting our 2012 Annual Review.  In previous years we would book a hotel room on the Eastern Shore for a few days and host our Liz and Ryan Annual Review.  We figured that if other businesses can host their own retreat offsite, why couldn’t we?

This year we did things a little differently.  Instead of spending over $500 on a hotel room for a few nights we decided to host our annual retreat at our own personal spa.  The only thing is, we didn’t actually have our own personal spa. :)  However, we didn’t let that small little detail stop us.

We came up with the idea while we were in New York City visiting Santa at Macy’s for our AMAZING Life Holiday Advent Calendar.  While we were there, we walked into a shop near Rockefeller center called Rain Africa.  The store had all sorts of AMAZING smelling bath salts, scrubs, candles, and anything else you could possibly want at your own personal spa.

When we got home, we immediately began creating our plan to turn our guest bedroom and bathroom into our own personal spa retreat.  Below are a few ideas you can use to create a spa at home.

Step 1: Write out a list of all the things you would typically find at the perfect spa.

Our list included:

• White Plush Bath Robes
• Slippers
• A Cozy Blanket
• Bath Salts/Bath Bombs
• Bubble Bath
• Body Lotion/Cream
• Massage oil
• Hot tea or coffee
• Chocolate
• Candles
• Soothing Music
• Fancy Bottled Water
• Air Fresheners
• Manicure/Pedicure Supplies

Step 2: Pick up the supplies listed above online.

We ordered Bath Salts and Body Cream from Rain Africa, robes from Pottery Barn, fancy bottled water, air fresheners, and ther-a-Pe candles from Home Goods, and we used our iPhone with Spotify for music.  We were able to pick up everything for our own personal spa retreat for less than $300.  And the best thing is we get to keep the robes and still have a bunch of leftover items to host many more of our own spa retreats.

Step 3: Check into your guest room.

We have learned how important it is to escape from our everyday routines during our annual review.  We still wanted the experience to be an escape, so we took all of our spa retreat supplies and checked into our guest bedroom.  Fortunately for us, housekeeping had our room ready when we arrived. :)

The best thing about creating your own personal spa is that you can make it as extravagant or simple as you wish.  For some, a candle and soothing music may be all you need to turn your guest room into a relaxing retreat.

Now that you know a few of the things we included in our own personal spa, what one thing will you be including in yours?