It's supposed to be super hot out there today so I hope you're staying cool, and hydrated. I considered a trip to the beach but I'm pretty sure I'm gonna stay in the AC and catch up on all things Lazy Wellness. I'm feeling a bit of a pivot-point in the biz these days, not changing but adding on more services and offerings while beefing up the ones I've already got.

Something that's become really clear to me over the years is that there are some things (like organizing and spreadsheets and gathering people together) that I love doing/am really good at, that not everyone is as obsessed with - hard to believe not everyone wants to stay up late playing in Excel, I know. I think it's so easy for ALL of us to take our own gifts and interests for granted, thinking we don't really have much to offer because something comes so naturally to us, we figure anybody else could do that for themselves, or there's a million other people doing the "same" thing.

But in this age of entrepreneurship and social media and everyone being their own brand, it's also easy to get caught up in - how do I get some for me? How do I make money, get clients, get likes and followers... one common denominator I’ve seen in successful entrepreneurs or even social media accounts, is that those people asked themselves: how can I be helpful? And then they offered their help.

Something as simple as sharing your story with one person can be hugely helpful to that one person. Sometimes a little healthy eating tip or recipe that seems obvious to you because you've been doing it for years and you assumed everyone knew, is going to be groundbreaking information to another. We get caught up in trainings and certifications and feelings of not-enough-ness or I'm-nothing-special-ness and forget that we each have had our own experiences and perspectives and literally nobody else has exactly what we have to offer. Nobody.

Yesterday I was one of the last to leave my Spanish class and waited for the elevator with the one other straggler, a guy named Mike. I asked him if he's a doctor, because something he said as we were practicing speaking in class indicated he had patients. Nurse, he said. You're a yoga teacher? Yeah. Is that hard? He asked. I laughed and said yeah, only to then realize he didn't mean "is it hard to be a yoga teacher in NYC," but instead he meant is yoga hard. Oh. Haha. No, I said, and then spent the rest of the elevator ride telling him how to find a beginner's class, what words to look for and what to expect in class and even ended up doing a mini-demo for him out on the sidewalk so he could see what I meant.

Hi face LIT UP. He enthusiastically told me he was going to look for a class in his neighborhood, and I told him to come to Spanish next week with any questions he had about what he found. I walked away with a real bounce in my step thinking: that guy was pumped! And that one little conversation we just had could open him up to this whole world, which for many people is a life-changing practice.

Knowing what words like "foundations" and "vinyasa" and "hatha" mean is second nature to me; I legit forget that not all people understand the world of yoga, but I know how intimidating it can be at the same time. While it's fun to lead practiced yogis who can flow fast and understand my cues the first time I say them, there's nothing quite like introducing someone to it for the very first time - taking that air of mystery out of it and making it seem accessible to them.

It reminds me of another convo I had, this one was over two years ago in St Kitt's. I sat on the beach with a guest, a woman about my age who was involved in local politics in Connecticut. She grew up interested, reading the newspaper with her Dad. Literally the last thing I would have wanted to do as a child! While I waxed poetic about life and wellness and living on purpose and my favorite Will Smith quotes, she listened in awe, which made me feel really good. In contrast, she thought she was so boring, had nothing to offer. But I told her - that's how I felt compared to her! The stuff she's into completely baffles me, but the fact that she's SO passionate about it, and doing the work that needs to be done, that's IMPORTANT and special and definitely not something anyone could do.

Also while I was in St Kitt's, my friend Nancy sent me her first email. Nancy has been a Lazy Wellness reader for a long time now, and we've exchanged emails consistently these last few years. In her first email, and in a few since then, Nancy outlined recent blog posts and how they impacted her, some quotes she highlighted or even put up in her office space. To me, they are rambles. They are thoughts I have that I feel lucky anyone humors me by reading them at all. But to her, they land. They shift something, they inspire, they relate. And for that, I am so grateful. For that, I'll keep writing. For that, I'll keep asking: how can I help??

We all have something to offer. We all have innate skills and passions and interests and ideas and they easily go unnoticed when they're second nature, and especially when we're surrounded by others who have studied the same stuff or live a similar lifestyle. But what you know or can do or offer people, is exactly what some people need but can't provide for themselves. So if you're out there wanting to start your own biz, or blog, or boost something you've already got going, ask how can I help? Stop thinking about YOU and think about PEOPLE. Give away as much as you can. Don't be stingy. Start writing or speaking or singing or creating - whatever. Make it yours, don't copy what other people are doing - that's already out there! What's not already out there, is you.

I for one, would love to see what you create. And if you feel like replying to this email, telling me ANY WAY I might be able to help you, please do. I'm all ears.

xo,
m.

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