Glow of Contentment

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What is it about aqueducts that move me so much? I get so inspired in their presence. Which is one of the reasons I love traveling in general and Italy in particular. I get inspired and reinvigorated by the beauty all around me, the variety of human culture I get to witness, the out-of-the-norm experiences.

I believe that we as solo-business owners NEED that kind of inspiration on a regular basis — not just once a year for a week or two (or less). We need to fuel that part of us that creates.
And that’s what I’ve been doing in Italy: refueling. I can’t wait to introduce you to what I’m creating!

Castle in Italy

I think I’m in heaven – a very foggy, drizzly one today, but heaven nonetheless! Staying in an 11th century castle near Fidenza, Italy, with a hot springs grotto, spa and awesome restaurant. And, of course, every castle must have peacocks and a one-eyed cat!

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Tango anyone?

OK, I made it through my Italian tango class! Listening to really fast Italian is like the first 10 minutes of a Shakespeare play: you just have to let go of your normal hearing processing. And getting back into tango was fun! Especially the move where you have to draw your foot up the outside of the man’s leg before doing a cute little kick and then crossing in front of him. Ooo la la!

Here’s the unassuming entrance to this hothouse of dance. And my magical shoes!

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One tip I love to give fellow travelin’ entrepreneurs is to check out local classes. Why not take a tango, pottery, art, or jewelry-making class? You never know what you may learn – and what experiences you can draw from for your newsletter, business programs or engagement with clients. If nothing else, you’ll have a fun little story to share in your next blog post.

I’d love to hear some of your stories!

Rock ‘n Roll

So freakin’ excited! For the last two years, my favorite music group has been this Italian rock(ish) band named Negramaro. And tonight I GET TO SEE THEM IN CONCERT in Rome!!! At this place…

 

 

Ciao from Italy…and facing fear.

When I came to live in Italy a couple of years ago, I had the choice of swapping homes in Viterbo, a small medieval town near Tuscany, or in Rome. At the time, I was certain Rome would be too big, too chaotic, TOO MUCH, so I chose Viterbo. But I ended up coming to Rome numerous times and totally fell in LOVE with it.

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So I chose to start my journey this time here in this city I adore. As my plane came in for a landing, I really felt like I was coming home! And while having my first cup of oh-so-delicious Italian coffee, my eyes filled with tears of gratitude for this opportunity to live my love affair with Italy.

I’m staying in a flat near Piazza Navona…in a 15th century building. WHICH MEANS…no elevator. You should have seen me getting my luggage up four flights of stairs!

And there was no time to waste when I got in: I had to figure out my phone situation quickly so that I could conduct the first training call for my last offering of the 6-Figure Newsletter Secrets Virtual Intensive later the same evening I arrived!

I knew there was a landline here, but I also knew there was no international long distance. I was pretty sure I could figure it out by “game time,” but I said little prayer for ease and speed as I set off in search of a phone card. Luckily, I found a tobacco shop just a short few minutes down the cobblestoned street. Yes, that’s where you get phone cards!

All set? You bet!

I have so much more to share with you, but it’ll have to wait. I gotta go get some pizza!

Oh wait…one more thing. Even though I have a lot of awesome experiences when traveling and living abroad with my business, I have to face fear every day. Little fears (they’ll laugh at my bad Italian) and bigger fears (what if something bad happens to me while I’m here on my own). It’s normal. AND I think it’s actually good for me.

What fears do you face while traveling and living abroad with your business?

My book is here!

Have you ever had a sudden moment of knowing that something is in your future?

That’s happened a few times for me: when I knew I’d be doing live performance art; when I got the first hit of moving to Northern California; when I first dreamt of living in Italy.

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For some reason, my travel lust has not yet taken me to South America. But yesterday, I just got a whiff that I will probably be in Ecuador within the next 6-8 months. I was THIS close to booking a spontaneous flight for Thursday! Soon, soon… I had to restrain myself!

Guess what? IT’S HERE! My new book, The 6-Figure Newsletter: A Step-by-Step Guide for Business Owners Who Want to Make Money — and Make a Difference — with Their Newsletters, is finally here for just $20.00!

This is something I want everyone who runs their own business to get their hands on! If you’d like to get YOUR hands on a copy you can email support@clairecommunications.com.

“Find a way.”

Diana Nyad is my new hero. I mean, really.

Swimming from Cuba to Florida, with no shark cage, swimming for 55 hours straight.

At age 64!

Her mantra was “Find a way.”

But she’s not my only hero these days. OK, I’m outing myself here as a “So You Think You Can Dance” super-geek. I LOVE this show!

The final four contestants this week have learned 25+ dances in the last 9 weeks — and performed them beautifully, professionally, in front of millions of viewers.

In both cases — Nyad and the SYTYCD dancers — it’s the drive for their dream that is so amazing and impressive. The commitment to doing what it takes. The belief that it’s possible. The dedication and persistence in the face of failure.

They all started somewhere…with small steps that led to the big stuff. I hope you enjoy the feature article in today’s newsletter on exactly that: the baby steps that you can do right now that can lead you to your dream life, dream business.

LAST but not least! If you have a dream of running your business abroad while you travel to your heart’s content, don’t forget to apply for a complimentary “Business Abroad Planning Session” with me. That’s you and me, one-on-one.

Click here to request an application; it’ll take no more than 5 minutes to complete.

How can I support your dreams?