Me: Let me tell you about Claude Monet.
You: Rachel, why the hell would I want to hear about Claude Monet on this here lazy-ass Sunday morning?
Me: Because I am about to blow your mind with the secret behind Claude Monet’s success and this secret, once you know it (and apply it, you lazy bama!), will bring you all the riches and glory that you seek.
You: Carry on.
[vimeo width=”800″ height=”600″]https://vimeo.com/185175212[/vimeo]
Claude Monet was a motherf***ing genius!
Claude Monet was on a train when he passed by a small village called Giverny. Seeing the small village from the train, he decided that this is where he would live with his family. Though money was tight due to poor sales in his last exhibition, in 1883, he managed to move himself, his two sons, his companion, Alice, and her six children to a small peasant house with a garden in Giverny.
Monet set up a light-filled studio for himself there, where he could work uninterrupted (the living room, dining room, kitchen and all of the children’s rooms were on the other side of the house). He also tended to the garden, carefully choosing which plants and flowers would be planted there. He was partial to yellows and blues and this garden was filled with an array of flowers in yellow and blue hues.
Slowly but surely, Monet began to invest in the development of the property at Giverny. At first it was just a modest rental but as his success grew and more successful exhibitions took place, he was able to finally purchase the property in 1890. Three years later, he purchased an additional plot of land where he created the second phase of his gardens and a massive pond for water lilies. This is where the Japanese bridge in his gardens was located as well as a bamboo forest.
During MADE: IN FRANCE, I took my retreaters to Giverny to see the beautiful gardens that inspired so many of Monet’s famous paintings.
I was absolutely blown away by both his home and the gardens. And as soon as I saw it, I understood why he did it. It was the secret to his success.
Monet intentionally created a space that would inspire his work for the next 20 years. He knew what he wanted to paint. The colors he wanted to see. The kind of light that would motivate him. And, he trusted in his ability to create something magical enough to know that doing this work was worth the money, time and effort.
So he created a space that would enable his greatest work to come pouring out of him.
How freaking brilliant is that?
As an entrepreneur, inspiration is an essential ingredient of your life’s work. Like Monet, you must purposefully put yourself in a position to be inspired. This is how your greatest ideas will come to you, and how you will be able to execute them. Your ideas deserve an inspiring space in which to materialize.
And it’s rather practical, isn’t it?
Why wait for The Muse to come and visit you when you can manufacture a permanent source of inspiration into your life so that she’s always there.
Keep your marketing, your business, your personal growth and your skills and talents fresh, exciting and attractive to your ideal client by ensuring you are regularly being inspired.
So how can you do this in a practical sense? Well you don’t have to buy a plot of land and dig a pond like Monet did. But you can create an inspiring dedicated work space for yourself in your home or outside the home. You can travel. You can spend time with other entrepreneurs who inspire you. You can go outside and see nature. You can simply people watch at a cafe or go for a horseback ride. It will require some amount of effort but it will be so worth it.
Inspiration is essential to your growth, success, fame and fortune, so put effort into making it happen in your life, preferably on a daily basis.
xo,
R
PS: Looking for a source of inspiration for your Next Big Thing? The next MADE: IN FRANCE is launching soon. Come spend a week with me in the French countryside to build a product that will change lives and generate significant amounts of revenue for your business. You will be pampered, you will be inspired and you will get shit done. Put your name on the waiting list for MADE: IN FRANCE 2017 here. There are only 7 spots available (one spot was already snatched up and we haven’t even launched it yet!). xo
