The Smart Twenties Podcast

Being indecisive is costing you more than you realise. It’s not just stopping you from creating your dream life - it’s also draining you of precious mental energy!   In this episode, I’m sharing why we stay in confusion (even though it’s so frustrating) and giving you a practical exercise you can use to create massive amounts of mental clarity today. It’s time to start creating the life you deserve.   In This Episode You’ll Learn: What creates indecision fatigue Why indecision and confusion keep us safe Why you can never make the ‘wrong’ decision How to use personal rules to reduce indecision fatigue Helpful frameworks for decision making (beyond the pros vs cons list) A simple exercise you can do today to escape decision fatigue   Featured In The Episode: Get Out Of Your Own Way - join the waitlist here Figure Your Life Out - join the waitlist here 1:1 Coaching Services Episode 97: How To Upgrade Your Habits Using Personal Rules The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson

I always help my 1:1 coaching clients to uplevel their morning and nighttime routine. How you start and end each day matters, and there’s always room for improvement. Even for me! In a couple of days, I’m taking a group of ambitious women under my wing and teaching them what I teach my 1:1 coaching clients about routines. If you’re interested in joining me for Perfect Your Morning & Nighttime Routine, there’s less than 48 hours to sign up. If you do, you’ll learn how to bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Click here to join me and dozens of ambitious women for Perfect Your Morning & Nighttime Routine.   In This Episode You’ll Learn: How a morning and nighttime routine reduces exhaustion, stress and self-pity Why I help me 1:1 coaching clients uplevel their routines The surprising way that routines allow you to create self-confidence and self-trust Why a consistent morning and nighttime routine will help you bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be How m

At the beginning of my personal development journey I had some serious resistance around rest. I’ve always wanted to feel busy. And because of that, I’ve been experimenting with it for just as long (see this blog post from 2014).   I feel like I’m now in quite a healthy place with rest - i.e. I actually allow myself to do it, without the guilt! I recently had two weeks completely off my business and was able to do so without even a twinge of regret. And my business continued to grow while I was away!   Not only has forced downtime allowed me to create an identity for myself outside of my business but I’ve become WAY more productive and successful. When I have less time to get shit done I can’t be as sloppy with it!   In this episode, I’m sharing why perfectionists hate to rest, how to skyrocket your productivity levels and my own journey with guilt-free downtime.   In This Episode You’ll Learn: Why you believe that unproductive moment is a moment wasted What ‘productive procrastination’ is and why perfection

Perfectionism is created by the belief that if you can do everything perfectly, and look perfect, you won’t have to experience the pain of judgement, blame and shame. Perfectionists aren’t perfect people, they’re people who feel ashamed that they’re not perfect. The beliefs that create the perfectionist mindset run deep, which is why catchy reminders like “done is better than perfect” don’t tend to change behaviour at a fundamental level. Our human need to avoid the painful emotion of shame can override even our deepest desires and causes us to get in our own way. Growing out of perfectionism requires a willingness to feel vulnerable. Alongside that, I’ve found that one of the most effective ways to evolve out of perfectionism is to focus on creating a growth mindset. In this episode, I’m going to be sharing exactly what that is, how to create it and the biggest mistakes that perfectionists make when it comes to creating a growth mindset. I hope you find it helpful!   In This Episode You’ll Learn: What the g

March 2019 was an interesting and exciting month for me. The first half was filled with lessons and the second half filled with wonder (and even more lessons). I learned A LOT and am so excited to share the best of it with you in this episode. This month I relaunched my perfectionism course Get Out Of Your Own Way, spent a week in Bali on the Manifestation Babe Retreat and finally gave myself permission to take a break from my business - even if it was only for a few days! Plus there was plenty of other stuff going on too. Tune in to find out what I got up to, the mistakes I made and what I learned. In This Episode You’ll Learn: What I thought of the Manifestation Babe Retreat in Bali + whether I’d recommend it My biggest takeaways from the MB Retreat An important lesson I learned while relaunching Get Out Of Your Own Way Why I gave myself permission to have a week off my business + the impact it had The consequence of neglecting my daily journaling practice (feeling stressed) How my goal to read 4 books per

When you have a perfectionist mindset, the temptation is always to only do things you’ll be good at or pursue opportunities that might succeed (so that you don’t waste effort). While that may sound logical, it’s a very limiting way to live life and will only end in dissatisfaction. In this episode,  I’m sharing how you can use creativity to get yourself into a growth mindset (i.e. a mindset that will have you achieving more). Even if you don’t view yourself as a creative person, I recommend tuning in! In This Episode You’ll Learn: How to use daily creativity to get yourself into a growth mindset The things I personally do just for the sake of creativity 3 benefits of daily creativity (beyond what you’d typically think) Why you should do something for yourself before you do something for your boss How to begin a daily creativity practice What I’ve learned so far from writing every day in 2019 Featured In The Episode: Mindset by Dr Carol Dweck The Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes Episode 79: The Final Update On

Creating new habits can be challenging, but it doesn’t always have to be that with! And the best news is that the answer isn’t trying harder - you just need to change the way you’re thinking about it.   In this episode, I’m sharing the mindset trick I’ve used to pull myself out of habits that have eluded me for years. The simple strategy I share will have you creating success habits with ease. I’m so grateful to be able to share it with you! In This Episode You’ll Learn: The power of personal rules / creating a minimum baseline How to create a personal rule for yourself Why personal rules are more effective than willpower The personal rules I have in my life that keep me organised and make me successful When to use a personal rule and how to choose one to get started with Featured In The Episode: Episode 26: The Power of Self-Image Episode 96: 5 Simple Ways To Feel Better Tom Bilyeu talking about bright lines

If you’ve been telling yourself that happiness will meet you further down the road (when you get X or achieve Y or marry Z), it will always be further down the road - no matter what your circumstances are. If you’re not grateful for what you have, you won’t be grateful for what you get. So in this episode, I’m sharing 5 simple gratitude practices that you can experiment with. Some of these I’ve learned from others and some I’ve improvised myself. Regardless, I’m sure you’ll find one that resonates with you!   In This Episode You’ll Learn: Why practicing gratitude is one of the most powerful ways to feel better The simple gratitude practice I’ve been using everyday for 4+ years Uncommon ways to increase gratitude How your gratitude practice can deepen your relationships, even if the other person doesn’t reciprocate A powerful gratitude practice you can use when you’re feeling overwhelmed How I turn a stressful week around Featured In The Episode: The Five Minute Journal Esther Hicks / Abraham Hicks My blog

Waking up early is a powerful routine, but not for the reason you might think! Honouring a commitment to yourself is such an incredible way to start the day - regardless of whether that commitment is to wake up on your alarm at 5 am or 11 am!   Over the years, I’ve heard a lot of advice on how to wake up early. But in my opinion, most of that advice fails to mention the mindset advice that matters! In this episode, I’m sharing how I get myself to consistently wake up early, even though I rarely feel like it. I hope you find it helpful.   In This Episode You’ll Learn: What being a morning person really means How to wake up early when you don’t feel like it The true point of waking up early (it’s not what you’d think) What ‘responsible alarm setting’ is and how to get started Why you find it easy to wake up early on some days but not on others How to create real motivation to wake up early Practical tips that you can start experimenting with today Featured In The Episode: Dream Habit: My habit course for per

I’ve definitely been guilty of procrasti-learning - that thing we do when we want to feel productive but don’t want to risk the disappointment that might come if we actually get started. Researching and over-analysing are two things perfectionists are more than familiar with, so I thought I’d dedicate a podcast episode to them. And here we are!   In This Episode You’ll Learn: Whether you’re suffering from the curse of knowledge When to get out of passive action and get into massive action The balance between learning enough and learning too much How to tell when you’re procrasti-learning What a low information diet is and how to experiment with it Why I haven’t watched the news in years   Featured In The Episode: Episode 39: The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss: Lessons + Takeaways Episode 81: How To Make The Most of Self-Help Books Manifestation Babe Podcast The Life Coach School Podcast

In school, we’re praised for being full of potential. But in the real world, potential doesn’t matter - it’s what you do that counts. In this episode, I’m shining a light on a seemingly positive belief that is holding SO many perfectionists back - and what to do about it! If you see yourself as someone who’s full of potential but you’re scared to attempt anything that might fail, this episode is for you. If you’d like to take your personal development journey to the next level, I invite you to join me in my course Get Out Of Your Own Way. It’s only open for enrollment this week so make sure you join if you want me to teach you how stop procrastinating, overcome your fears and become your best self. You can find out more at samlaurabrown.com/course. Registration is closing strictly at midnight (EST) on Sunday, 10 March 2019. In This Episode You’ll Learn: Why believing you have potential is causing you to self-sabotage What to believe instead Practical goal setting advice that will reduce your fear of disappoi

In this episode, I’m sharing a behind the scenes look at my personal development journey (and business) to inspire you to work on yourself every day. For me, February was a really powerful month in so many ways. Tune in to hear some of the most important things I learned as I set about my February goals. It wasn’t already easy! If you’d like to take your personal development journey to the next level, I invite you to join me in my course Get Out Of Your Own Way. It’s only open for enrollment this week so make sure you join if you want me to teach you how to stop procrastinating, overcome your fears and become your best self. You can find out more at samlaurabrown.com/course. In This Episode You’ll Learn: What to do when you fail at reaching a goal When to change a goal and when to persist What I’m learning from my goal to read 4 books every month The 4 books I’m reading this month and whether I’d recommend them Why I don’t finish every book I read The constructive feedback I got this month about being interv

A student in one of my classes asked me how to tell when you truly believe a new thought. I thought it was such a great question that I wanted to dedicate a podcast episode to answering it! In this episode, I’m sharing how to tell whether you believe in yourself or not and practical things you can do to increase your self-belief (which will help move you into action). If you want my help to stop procrastination, overcome your fears and become your best self then make sure you sign up for my FREE 5-day perfectionism challenge - it’s not too late! Click here to register. In This Episode You’ll Learn: How it is that you can believe in yourself and NOT believe in yourself at the same time The real reason you’re scared of what other people think Practical ways to use neuroscience and your brain to your advantage Why it’s important to create a new belief before you can see the evidence to support it A simple thing you can do to make it easier to believe in yourself What cognitive dissonance is and how to get past

Perfectionists LOVE feeling productive. And that’s because we believe that if we do more, we’ll be more. On my own personal development journey, I’ve had to untangle my worthiness from my productivity levels and learn how to get more done with ease. And in this episode, I’m sharing the practical things I’m currently doing to skyrocket my productivity levels. If you want to learn how to feel more accomplished, get more done and have more time for the things that truly matter - this episode is for you. If you want my help to stop procrastination, overcome your fears and become your best self then make sure you sign up for my FREE 5-day perfectionism challenge that starts on Monday, 25 February 2019. Click here to register. In This Episode You’ll Learn: How to be more productive in less time The real reason that distractions stop you from doing deep work A tip to help you determine the most important tasks on your to-do list Why I’ve completely changed the way I structure my work day How to create a schedule th

Goal-setting is a powerful personal development tool. It’s what allows you to put your hands back on the steering wheel of life and direct it to where you want to go. If you don’t take that big, inspiring goal and break it down into achievable daily steps, it’s so hard to get anywhere! So in this episode, I’m sharing the simple 7-step process that will help you take your dream and turn it into a reality. I hope you enjoy it! If you want my help to stop procrastination, overcome your fears and become your best self then make sure you sign up for my FREE 5-day perfectionism challenge that starts on Monday, 25 February 2019. Click here to register. In This Episode You’ll Learn: Why it’s important to consider your ideal day before setting a goal Whether it’s important that your goal is realistic A journaling exercise that’ll help you be more creative and productive How to change your beliefs about who you are so your goal is easier to achieve The planning tactic I use to get more done each day and achieve my goa

If you’re so smart why can’t you stop procrastinating? That’s what I’m answering in this podcast episode! Most procrastination advice teaches you how to manage your desire to procrastinate - but what if you didn’t have that desire at all? In this episode, I’m sharing 3 surprising causes of procrastination so that you can increase your self-awareness and really begin to understand why you can’t stop the habit that is causing you so much pain. I’m also sharing resources and practical advice to help you get out of procrastination for good - without all the resistance and struggle! If you want my help to stop procrastination, overcome your fears and become your best self then make sure you sign up for my FREE 5-day perfectionism challenge that starts on Monday, 25 February 2019. Click here to register. In This Episode You’ll Learn: Why most procrastination advice doesn’t create permanent change The real reasons you can’t stop procrastinating, even though you *really* want to A 3-step journaling exercise that wil

Anxious thoughts are something that a lot of perfectionists experience. Even though I’m by no means an expert on this topic, I thought it might be helpful to share some of my experience, the way I look at anxious thoughts and the practical things I do to manage those thoughts. Anxiety can be a very serious and challenging experience for many, but in this episode, I want to help you reframe the way you look at your anxious thoughts. I’m also sharing plenty of incredible resources that can help you with this - I hope you find them helpful! In this episode you’ll learn: How I personally manage my anxious thoughts Practical ways to feel better in moments of anxiety How anxiety protects us from vulnerability and life feeling ‘too good’ Why it’s important not to identify as an anxious person How to reframe anxiety so you can still live your best life Featured in the episode: Brene Brown discussion with Oprah about foreboding joy Daring Greatly by Brené Brown Episode 59 - Daring Greatly by Brené Brown: Lessons +

Principles by Ray Dalio was my business book for January 2019 (I’m reading one business book per month) and I absolutely LOVED it. Ray Dalio is referred to as the Steve Jobs of investing thanks to the innovations he’s made in the finance industry, but this book was about so much more than the numbers. Not only were there so many incredible business lessons in it, but Ray epitomises the growth mindset and his approach to love is one that’s focused around meaningful work and meaningful relationships at its core. And that’s something I truly admire (and aspire to). This episode is not a review of the book, but rather the lessons I learned from it. Imagine that we’re sitting down over a chai latte and you said - ‘Weren’t you reading that book by Ray Dalio? How was it?’. This episode is my answer. Featured In The Episode: Episode 31 - How To Read More Books Episode 81 - How To Make The Most of Self-Help Books Principles by Ray Dalio Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss Shoe Dog by Phil Knight Tom Bilyeu’s boo

Another year, another set of lessons. Although 2019 is still young, I’ve learned a lot already! In this episode, I’m sharing a behind the scenes look at my personal development journey and my business in the hope to inspire you and also manage your expectations (because sometimes, progress can be SLOW). Featured In The Episode: Get Out Of Your Own Way - join the waitlist here Figure Your Life Out - join the waitlist here Erin May Henry Self-Coaching Scholars Tapping for abandonment/rejection - EFT with Brad Yates Principles by Ray Dalio Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss Unstoppable by Maria Sharapova Still Me by Jojo Moyes

I recently coached a client on escaping the self-pity cycle and wanted to bring this topic to the podcast as I know it’s something that most (if not all) perfectionists struggle with. What’s the self-pity cycle? It looks something like this - snooze your alarm, feel guilty for snoozing your alarm, rush to job you resent, feel sorry for yourself because you feel like a mess, go home and comfort yourself with Netflix and food, feel sorry for yourself because you’re too exhausted to wake up early the next day, repeat. I’ve found myself in this cycle before - both when I was working at my full-time job and also once I’d left. Even though you might be believing that you need to change your circumstances to be able to love your life, that’s not true at all. All you need to do is change your mindset. In this episode, I’m sharing a simple 3 step process that will ease you into a new way of life. Featured In The Episode Dream Habit 1:1 Coaching Services Episode 49 - What To Do If You Hate Your Job