“I think that's the best gift you can give yourself . . . scare the crap out of yourself.” (Interview)
Elizabeth Zuluaga on Saying Yes, How to Make Manifestation Work for You, Getting Curious About What You Want, and Doing What Scares You
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I think I met Elizabeth — or Liz — Zuluaga back in 2011 . . . maybe 2012? Either way, it was awhile ago now, and she remains one of my favorite humans on the planet.
Liz is a commercial editorial and branding photographer based in Seattle, but originally from (and forever missing!) Los Angeles like myself. She tells stories through captivating photojournalistic portraiture and communicates art into emotion. Even her Instagram captions somehow encapsulate some of my favorite storytelling!
Liz was also one of the first friends I made who was pursuing her creative work full time (so inspiring!) — and she was the first guest on Brave Enough to Be back in 2020 (a dream!). She is just the most warm, wise, beautiful human being, and it was a gift to revisit our conversation from that podcast episode for today’s post.
In the episode, we talked about Liz's entrepreneurial journey, how and why she moved to a new city and state without having ever set foot in her new home, how she met and married her dream man, and her manifesting advice for the “woo-woo” and non “woo-woo” listeners among us.
I’ve shared just some of Liz’s brilliance below, but you can hear more from her in our full conversation on Brave Enough to Be. And if you want to learn more about what Liz is up to lately, you can follow her wisdom and her work on her website, on Instagram, and on her own podcast, The Secret Life Of.
And now, on to Liz . . .
Why Doing What Scares You is the Best Gift You Can Give Yourself
Oh, looking back, it was — it's like, of course, [moving to a new city on my own] was terrifying . . . But looking back, the lessons that I've learned from moving here are just priceless. Like, I could not have asked for a better life experience.
And I feel like such a different person from when I first moved here in the best ways. And when I look back at how scary that was, it's like, it's supposed to be scary. That's why you are growing so much — and so quickly. It's uncomfortable. It's unfamiliar.
And what's so funny about all that was, that's exactly what I was asking for. I'm like, “I wanna have these crazy, amazing experiences — but I would like to be coddled and held the whole way through.” And I think that's the best gift you can give yourself is like, scare the crap out of yourself. Because you get this one life, you might as well do all those things [that you want to do].
On Saying Yes to Every Opportunity
I just kept saying yes to everything, any opportunity that would come my way. And I really believe that it was as simple as that . . . I did all the things that make me happy. I really just kind of embraced going for it. I always held myself back in the past, and I was always afraid of everything. And then I moved here and gave myself permission to just let go and do all the things that make me happy.
The Real Meaning of Manifestation — and How to Make It Work for You
I truly believe in manifesting your life, and all the things that come [from that]. I think people who are kind of on the fence and like, “That's so woo woo” or whatever, it's like, “Well, it sure does sound woo woo if you're sitting here and just staring up at the sky and being like, ‘I want this to happen!’” And it's like, no, you have to imagine it.
I used to have this chalkboard in my kitchen for years and every day, I would write down what I'm looking for, what I hope for the day — which you know, by the way, a lot of that was sent to me. My dream man, hello! Thanks, universe. [But] I started off with, “I want to book 15 weddings this year”, and I would write that down every day. And every morning, I'd erase it and write it again . . . but like, it wasn't just writing it down. It was being proactive . . . What are things I can do in order to really create that manifestation? And a lot of that was really helpful.
I mean, to this day, I'm still manifesting things all the time. I don't have that chalkboard anymore, but I'm constantly writing them down. I'm really big on saying [what I want] out loud all the time. And I have a friend who's like, “Yeah, you can say it, but that doesn't mean you actually believe it.” And I'm like, well, that's the issue — if you don't keep saying it, you'll never believe it.
[I] gave myself permission to just let go and do all the things that make me happy.
On Getting Curious About What You Want & How You Can Make It Happen
I'm such a naturally curious person, and it's helped me really bring all the best things into my life. I mean, I came here for love. I came here for friendship. I came here to grow my business and to just like, really crack myself open and have all these new experiences that I never gave myself in the past. And all of it didn't just happen. It's all a product of telling the universe what I wanted, and doing all the things I could think of to help make it happen.
On Being an Active Participant in Your Own Life
I just want to remind everybody — girls, guys, all the people — as long as you're being proactive, doing all the things you can to be the best version of yourself, all the things you want and need in your life are going to come your way. You just have to be an active participant in [life]; that is being brave . . .
Let yourself figure it out. Give yourself permission to figure it out. It's not just gonna come to you. You’re not just gonna wake up one day and just know everything. So yeah, allowing yourself to go on that journey is really important. And we get one life to do it — so like, let's fuckin do it.
You just have to be an active participant in [life]; that is being brave.
Takeaways from My Interview with Liz
The best things come from doing what's best for your soul. That's when you create your best work, and that's when people resonate with you the most.
Following your soul's calling isn't always romantic and easy. It can be terrifying and it's supposed to be. If you're making big change in your life, you're going to shake shit up — but you'll grow so much and the lessons you learn are priceless.
The minute you let go of what's keeping you stuck — that relationship, that job — everything can and will change, often almost immediately, for the better.
The way to get through hard situations is to ask yourself, “How can I be proactive?” Take action always.
You have to imagine the life you want. Write it down, say it out loud, and then be proactive to make that manifestation a reality.
You don't have to monetize everything you love. If you want to be a creative entrepreneur, get clear on the avenue you want to take.
When life and love is really hard, remember that you're getting ready to have the life and love that you want.
As long as you're doing everything you can to be the best version of yourself, everything you want to be and do in life will come your way. You just have to be an active participant in it.
It's hard to get off your ass and do the work, but it's hard to be unhappy too.
Give yourself permission and time to figure it out. It's not just gonna come to you; allow yourself to go on the journey.
Listen to the full interview with Liz on Brave Enough to Be HERE.