Blog

Sue Ko / Blog

--- Remember in our teenage years when our parents were a drag? Spoiling our fun. Suffocating our freedom. And often putting a damper on our dreams of uninhibited youthful adventure with friends. In our 20s, our parents were our Plan B. Like when we hadn’t done our groceries and needed a home cooked meal. Maybe we needed help moving house for the 10th time. Or when our Friday night plans went to poop and visiting our folks was exactly what we needed to feel loved again. We had a taste of adulting...

----- Imagine you’re on a boat adrift on the ocean, taken out to sea by the current. You have no control over your speed or direction. Then you drop anchor. Even though the current keeps the water moving around you, you’re now grounded. You’re now connected and in control of your position. When life gets busy, you’re like the boat — taken by the current of tasks, projects, people and commitments. By integrating gentle anchoring practices into your daily routine, you can ground yourself instead of feeling like you're adrift, pulled by the...

It was new year's day 2017, and after our big breakfast with our little family, my husband and I got talking about our hopes and dreams for the year. This was THE conversation that inspired me to turn my love for brush lettering into custom art prints. Within days I'd set up a new Instagram account to share my work. What I hadn't expected was the anxiety that became my daily companion. I felt inadequate and insecure about myself and my artwork, and spent more time comparing myself to others, than I...

I use my planner in a somewhat unconventional way. Instead of recording my task list (ie. a to-do list), I update it at the end of the day with my "done" list. It's actually very satisfying doing it this way. For my working task list, I've been using my A4 weekly planner. On Sunday nights, I sit down to prioritise tasks for the week and add to as needed daily. Of course birthdays, appointments, events and reminders all go in my planner as well. It must be the life documenter in me because I...

I've not chosen a word for the year, so this feisty little question is my 2021 sidekick. Do you put off doing things because: You think you don't know enough. You think you need more experience. You don't feel confident. You think you need to find more clarity. So my challenge to you (and myself!) is next time you have one of these thoughts, try asking yourself, what are you REALLY waiting for? Then decide on your next step, no matter how small it seems. Questions to ask yourself to help move you towards...

--- Letting go can be exciting because it allows you to breathe again. It lets you invite into your life what you've not had the time, energy or mental/emotional capacity for. Do any of these sound familiar? 1. personal/professional relationships that gives you anxiety by day, and insomnia by night 2. physical clutter that fills you with dread each time you walk past it 3. to-do list items you keep pushing to the next day/week/month/year (me!) 4. a growing list of podcasts/online courses/books you must listen/watch/read (also kinda me..) 5. the expectation you put on yourself to do...

This time of year always stirs so many emotions for me. I look back on the year and reflect on how I could’ve done better. What I could’ve done more off. Differently. Nothing to do with sales, business goals or dream clients. And everything to do with family. Questions to ask yourself as the year draws to a close: Did I make time to truly listen to their stories? Did I look them in the eyes when they spoke to me? Did I tell them how much I appreciate their kind gestures and...

So, I remember this one afternoon I sat with my Grandfather at my Aunty's kitchen table with the retro yellow vinyl swivel chairs she's had since forever. I had picked up his favourite pineapple buns from the Chinese bakery for the occasion.That day, I "interviewed" my Grandfather about his childhood...

Being caught up in the distractions of my to-do lists, errands and chores has been the quickest way to miss those "golden moments". I have started to make a point of observing them more. To really see them. Taking in all the details....

“Prioritising myself is selfish." I hear this way too often. Especially from mothers, and it saddens me because we are potentially teaching our children this way of thinking. A common belief is: prioritising ourselves = putting ourselves first = selfish. It can be helpful to reframe this. If "prioritising" yourself stirs up guilt, try think of it as giving yourself the love and care you deserve. Make decisions that are kinder to yourself. Sometimes, looking at things from our children’s perspective can put things in a new light. For example, imagine your teen has been studying into the...