Like many people I know, I’ve got a TODO list about 25 miles long (40 km), tangled up in knots in my head, stacked on my desk, on shelves in various places, waiting patiently in my inbox.. Plus all the things I should be doing, (like this newsletter) but haven’t, for an untold number of reasons.

The main excuse for not writing my newsletter these days is that I should be working on my “real” work. I haven’t yet replaced my “real” work with my heart-centered work, so my real work gets in the way.

I’ve been carrying this real work with me for years and years, like a heavy rock that weighs me down.

Just today I heard an idea from Miki, one of my friends who I’d also like to call one of my mentors as well. This came from one of her ancestors, so with respect to Miki’s ancestor, I will share with you:

"What you let go of becomes your path."

By releasing things that take mental / physical / financial space in life, we can release ourselves to move forward. Instead of carrying these things like old rocks, we can put them down so they become paving stones for our path forward.

Have you been carrying something that has outlived its service in your life? Does putting it down make sense, but cause anxiety for you when you think about it?

Let’s talk, in a deep coaching conversation. We’ll explore your situation deeply, giving you ample time and space to get clarity on how to move forward.

Love and Blessings

• Rob

Originally published https://tinyletter.com/barefootrob/letters/getting-myself-out-there

"Done is better than perfect."
- Mark Wild

Japan has finally begun to take this COVID thing seriously. There has been some physical distancing as people move social connection online. I have used my newfound time to offer more workshops than I originally planned at the beginning of the year. I have not added all of them on Meetup, but most of my events are nestled in my friend Oren’s Quarantine Activity Guide.

In my most recent newsletter, I wrote the following:

A huge part of this business is "getting myself out there" which I
hate with a passion.  I just want to stay holed up ... not facing
anyone who might say "no" in any sort of way.

Maybe this counts as my big "thing to learn" this year.

To help me “get myself out there,” I have hired Freya after doing a first session with her in March. Since then I have struggled, having great resistance to doing the simple steps she has outlined, steps which I have heard many times on how to get a business started. (I’ve been at this for a while!)

I finally finished the first step yesterday morning, and then agonized over the next step. Ask people for help.

So following the wisdom of my dear friend Mark Wild, “done is better than perfect,” I have woken up in the middle of the night, realizing I can start by sending the following to you, my favorite peeps.

drumroll Now presenting….

my first Market Research Survey questions, designed to help me understand how to best support my clients!

1. How would you describe your current work situation?
2. How is the atmosphere or energy at your workplace?
3. How satisfied are you with your current job?
4. What is your favorite aspect of your current job?
5. If you could change anything in your workplace or job situation, what would it be?
6. What comes up for you when you think about making this change?
7. How might your life be different if you could make this change?
8. What keeps you from making this change?
9. If you could get any help making this change, what would it be?

(Edit to add: I have hired a business coach as an accountability buddy and one of the first tasks is to create a Market Research Survey and send to people who I think are in my niche of potential clients.

I will keep the raw data to myself, and I hope to use the answers in aggregate to help plan my business promotion.  I personally will search the answers for recurring themes and refer to those themes (that I can address) in ad copy for my business.

For example, if most people use the word boonfarkle in their description, I may use that word in my ad copy.  “Are you working in a boonfarkle?”   But I won’t say or share “N% of people are working in a boonfarkle” (for any value of N).

end edit)

Tada! If you send me your answers to the above questions, I will happily offer a one hour session to help you find your inner strength to make this change in your life!

As we are in a midst of pandemic-powered global change, let’s bring your authentic self to the world! Register for a discovery session on Calendly. https://calendly.com/robnugen

 love and light
 - Rob!

"... The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,
whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives
valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because
there is no effort without error and shortcoming ..."

Theodore Roosevelt, 1910

Review of my first sold-out + interpreted eye gazing workshop:

I learned a lot during my first workshop which was both sold-out beforehand, and interpreted during the workshop itself. It was an eye gazing workshop with the point being that “eyes are the window to the soul.”

What I learned: many of the attendees wanted to eye gaze with me.

I was surprised by this because one main point of the workshop is that we are all equal and equally beautiful inside. Gazing into another person’s eyes can be like a mirror for what is inside of the person doing the gazing.

"So why do people want to sit with me?"

Rob Nugen, 2020

As workshop time started winding down, people started speaking up, wanting to sit with me. Upon realizing how important this was to the participants, I ended up feeling an overall sense of shame by the end of the workshop, apparently having “let down” some/any of the participants.

Oh, and I just realized I forgot to have anyone take pictures of the workshop for social media.

Speaking of social media

In the past month, I have hired a business development duo and plan to start leading new series of circles in Tokyo as part of The Bold Life Brotherhood™. I have not set any dates yet, but I will be leading some practice playshops/games for Bold Life Brotherhood Tokyo once I get the content sorted.

A huge part of this business is “getting myself out there” which I hate with a passion. I just want to stay holed up in my little space to make my marble track and draw art, not facing anyone who might say “no” in any sort of way.

Maybe this counts as my big “thing to learn” this year. (As if learning from leading 36 workshops isn’t enough haha)

Upcoming workshops

• March 7th (土) Walking meditation in Shinjuku Park
• March 15th (日) Your Art Matters (show and tell for artists)

My friend Jacob asked me if I have a reason to send out these newsletters. “What’s the big picture plan?”

Basically these newsletters intend to follow the ups-and-downs of my leading 36 workshops this year. These newsletters also offer me a safe way to begin putting myself “out there.”

If anything, I write this newsletter with hopes to inspire people to take tangible consistent steps toward their highest goals, to encourage anyone feeling fear+excitement about something: Go for it!

I’d love to hear about your exciting project or what scares you about getting started.

Love and light
Rob!

One of my main concerns when advertising has been to not annoy people. Part of me says I should not mention the events I post because advertising is annoying. If I annoy people, they will leave me and I will be alone. Likewise, if someone says they will attend a workshop, I don’t want to bug them with a reminder.

How do you see event promotion and repeated reminders? How often is optimal?

Great experiences in the past week-ish:

1. Jan 10th: I canceled a day of computering and went to a local park and tie-dye studio where they do indigo dyeing. The studio had just closed for the day, but I met Chiaki and Ryosuke who were friendly and funny. We went to a nearby art museum together!

2. Jan 11th: After enjoying walking barefoot with Masa, Mark, and Shinobu, we drank tea in a cute cafe called Butter.

3. Shinobu and I are planning a monthly show and tell for artists in an intimate setting. She came up with a great name:

Your Art Matters

The first event will be on February 8th. https://www.meetup.com/Tokyo-Sol-barefoot-more/events/267844657/

4. Jan 13th: Ma and Madeleine joined me at the Folkhouse museum near Mukogaoka Yuen.

Ma and I enjoyed tie-dyeing handkerchiefs at the indigo dyeing studio. I told the guides/instructors I would come back many hundreds of times.

We visited the nearby art museum as well.

5. Jan 13th: Great Past Lives Memories workshop with three participants.

6. Jan 25th: Yuna and I will be hosting a coffee + chat meetup on January 25th. Already 4 people have said they will attend! https://www.meetup.com/English-coffee-more/events/267921145/

In other news, for the past few days, my productive streak seems to have waned; I have not been doing my morning routine to start the day. I felt shame and sadness at my inability to speak Japanese well enough at a meeting on Saturday.

Fortunately, I got to reset my brain and emotional state yesterday at SOGO’s weekly workout in Yoyogi, then reconnected with Lin on Sunday afternoon.

How do you reset your brain? Email me at rob α𝐭 robnugen.com or send a comment

Thank you for your love and support.

Rob!

New Year + New Decade, leading 24 workshops in 2020

My goal for 2020 is to lead at least 24 workshops. Two per month should be doable, right?

I currently have 4 different workshops available. Three are very clearly in the same genre, though they may not seem that way from the outside.

1. Barefoot Walkshops. This is where it all started, when my student Yuna took off her shoes during our walk before my first eye gazing workshop. The idea is simple: take off your shoes and walk around outside! This allows the nerves in the feet to get some much needed stimuli, especially if they have been cooped up in shoes all the time!

2. Eye Gazing. Perhaps this is where it all started, when my friend, life coach Rin, asked me what workshop would be most exciting for me to lead. It took a while to come up with the answer, but when it came, it was like BINGO this is it! The idea is simple: sit with a partner and look into their eyes. Just breathe. No need to say something witty. Just be present with what comes up for you.

3. Shadow Work® practice. In October 2019, I took the 8 day Basic Facilitator Training for Shadow Work® in Sugar Land, Texas. From their website, https://shadowwork.com/

   Shadow Work® is a way of transforming parts of your character that you’d like to change with compassion and understanding, and offers an effective technology for balancing these diverse parts.

Along with facilitator Mark Wild, I led one Shadow Work® practice workshop in December 2019, and plan to do more.

The above three workshops are all designed to bring awareness to the participants. Physical awareness of the body starting with the feet, mental and emotional awareness through the eyes, and inner awareness of our inner voices.

4. Past Life Memories workshops allow participants to experience a grander world that they may find familiar. I lead participants on a guided meditation which reconnects them to a familiar place. I keep the wording loose enough to have exploration, and clear enough to provide guidance. Participants have a chance to reflect and write about what they noticed during the meditations.

Coming up in January, I plan to lead a barefoot walkshop on January 11th, and a past life memories workshop on January 13th. I will likely lead a coffee and chat workshop with Yuna on January 25th. In February, I have planned an eye gazing workshop for February 23rd.

Currently I am using Facebook and Meetup for my events:

• https://www.facebook.com/barefootrob/events
• https://www.meetup.com/Tokyo-S%C5%8Dl-barefoot-more/events/

Also planned for, let’s say, the first quarter of 2020: a more comprehensive website, featuring a schedule of events! https://www.robnugen.com/ currently has my blog and my journal. I want to add pages for Schedule, Contact, About, and maybe other pages.

Love and Light - Rob!

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