Don't Worry Be Happy

New Year, New Theme song?

2012-01-01T20:11:00.000+10:00

For those of you who have spent time with me or seen some posts from me on Facebook, you will know I don't mind a bit of music. If you have been in my car or house, you will know I like it loud mostly. It inspires me to do many things; cleaning (ugh!), jogging, gym, cooking, driving, coaching, working, being present etc. So as I was driving home from watching some amazing fireworks last night I proudly announced to my 11 year old son (who is currently OVER my current music obsession of electro swing) that this year I was going to have a theme song.

So whilst lying in bed this morning, I picked up my ipod and within the first 10 songs on my ipod I found my theme song: "Always a Winner" by Pete Murray. I imagine that when I walk through doors this year, that song will play (well maybe in my head...) just prior to me walking in the door/room, etc. When I messaged my friend to let her know, she said it inspired her to get a collection together as a soundtrack. I thought "What a great idea!" so I set about creating a playlist on my ipod called 2012. Some tracks I picked because the music is upbeat and inspires me, others I chose because the words are positive and motivating.

Without further ado, here is my 2012 playlist:

1. Always a Winner by Pete Murray
2. Baby, I'm Gettin' Better by Gyroscope
3. Back To Life by Soul 11 Soul
4. Barbara Streisand by xxxx
5. Beautiful People by Chris Brown
6. Big Fun by Inner City
7. Break My Stride by Matthew Wilder
8. Dynamite by Taio Cruz
9. Eye of the Tiger (of course!!) by Survivor
10. Feeling Good by Nina Simone
11. Firework by Chris Sligh (this one is off the Soul Surfer movie)
12. Good Feeling by Flo Rida
13. Good Life by Inner City
14. I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor
15. It's Your Life by Francesca Battistelli (again from the Soul Surfer movie)
16. Keep on Movin' by Soul 11 Soul
17. T'aint What You Do by Mildred Bailey
18. Joe Palooka by Phillipa Alexander

What's your theme song this year? Is 2012 the year you create your very own playlist of inspiring favourites?

A Huge Realisation

2011-08-24T18:12:00.001+10:00

At the start of this year, I made a Bliss-O-Rama(similar to a vision board) with how I wanted my year to unfold. I look at it mostly every day. I was just sitting here staring at it and I have realised something amazing. Yesterday, I was in a shop trying on clothes. The shop assistant asked me what size I was. I replied that I was unsure as I had just lost 11 kilos.
Just now, I notice one of the quotes on my Bliss-O-Rama is that! It says "I've lost 11 kilos" and I have actually cut it out of a magazine! Visualisation at it's best I say!

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Out With The Old

2011-08-11T06:35:00.001+10:00

Well the weight loss has slowed, which I know is a good thing. I lost only .3 kg this week. I was awake early this morning and so I have taken the opportunity to clear out all the clothes in my wardrobe I know don't fit me or that I used to used to hide under. I know the summer clothes will be ready to hit the racks soon (if they haven't already) and I wanted to be in a position to enjoy shopping for my new summer wardrobe. It's a great feeling!

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I Have Arrived!

2011-08-04T07:26:00.001+10:00

As you know, thursday is weigh in day! And today is especially exciting. I knew I was close to goal and when I hopped on the scales this morning, it was to my delight that I saw I had well & truly passed my goal. This week I lost another 1.5 kg (which I would have thought at this stage would seem a lot more challenging to do). Now the challenge will probably be to stop the weight loss as now it's become a way of life. Not eating, I mean! Lol

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Week 10-So Close

2011-07-28T20:33:00.001+10:00

Firstly, allow me to apologise for not posting last week. I had a surprise visitor early on Thursday (my weigh in day) which threw me into action other than weighing in. So I got up Friday to weigh in and after tackling morning commitments, I headed out for a glorious day & posting didn't happen. The results of that week were .2 kg. I was probably hoping for more so I used that as motivation 2 eat healthy & exercise this week. As far as motivation goes, it must have been compelling as this morning when I got on the scales, I had dropped another .9 kg. So I am .4 kg from my goal now. I am excited by that. It means that either next Thursday or the Thursday after I will be at my goal and ready for the rest of my life complete with a new outlook about food! When I set out on this journey, if u had of told me 10 or 12 weeks would go quickly, I would have laughed. But yet it has! It's flown! It seems like only yesterday I was feeling like I looked like a chicken & craving red meat!

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Week 8-Awesome Week!

2011-07-14T07:27:00.001+10:00

Guess what? I cracked it! Hang on, let me back up 2 the start of the year. Last night I got my journal out & revisited the goals I wrote down at the start of the year. I ticked off a whole list of them that I have achieved (like eliminating refined sugar from my diet & eating 80% of the good stuff & 20% meats & carbs) and there were 5 I hadn't been able to tick off. Some I was on my way but I hadn't completed yet. One of those goals was to get under 60kg. I gotta say I felt very close last night but I knew on the scales I hadn't actually reached it. Low and behold when I got up for weigh in day today, I have cracked the 60kg mark. All up for the 8 weeks I have lost 8.2 kg so I'm staring down the barrel of my last 1.5 kg. I am so excited, I almost can't contain myself. Today, look out world! I am dangerous!

Week 7-Still Chipping Away

2011-07-07T09:50:00.000+10:00

Good Morning! It's weigh in day for me today. It was a little chilly this morning and I was tempted to weigh in with my pj's on. Instead I braved the cold and got down to my smalls (love that expression!). More weight loss this week-another .6kg bringing the overall weight loss to 6.5 kg. I'm pretty happy with that considering I have really struggled to drink water again this week. I just forget. And as it's school holidays I've been out most days enjoying the beautiful sunshine-too challenging to always carry water bottles. I find the thought of sugary desserts now also turns my stomach. I probably never thought I would believe that food is fuel and that really is my current view of food. I only eat now when my stomach is telling me it's really hungry, instead of sitting at my desk or wherever I am dreaming of what sugary or fatty treat I am craving. I am finding I achieve a lot more both physically and mentally and am loving this new healthy life.

Week 6

2011-06-30T17:44:00.001+10:00

Another successful week of weight loss-1.1kg this week bringing the total to 5.8kg. My clothes all fit me heaps better although I'm not sure for how much longer. It has been a fantastic week overall, making some wonderful new connections and picking up some old connections. Been out & about more this week and eating out more so planning ahead a little. Something I have discovered is that the smell of junk food is now turning my stomach. That's gotta be a good thing. I am just over half way of my weight loss journey although I may revise that goal as the time goes on. Have already planned a reward for when I achieve my goal.

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Big Week-Week 5

2011-06-23T07:20:00.001+10:00

Well a very pleasing week, weight loss wise for me. I have been very busy so if I haven't had a healthy option for lunch, I've chosen to wait until I've got home to eat. Yesterday I moved from the second phase to the third phase of my diet. It allowed me the flexibility to have sushi for lunch yesterday. Total weight loss so far has been 4.7kg. Mentally, I would like to lose another 5 kilos to be at what I think is my ideal weight. Realistically, that would possibly mean a whole new wardrobe and I'm not sure the bank balance could cope after I have just restocked for winter. Maybe I'll save the new wardrobe for summer-all I'll need is a new bikini! LOL! I'm excited and motivated by my weight loss journey so far.

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Weekly Update

2011-06-16T21:43:00.001+10:00

Usually today I post my weight loss for the previous week. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on which way you look at it) I got up in the dark and went to gym this morning. So when I got home I had already eaten a piece of fruit and consumed about 1/3 of a litre of water. No gym in the morning so I'll stay in bed til it's light enough to see the scales!

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Gone From My Thoughts

2011-06-09T21:53:00.001+10:00

You know the other great thing for me in regards to this diet is I'm not constantly thinking about food. Ordinarily I think about food from when I get up to when I go to bed. If I'm not thinking about what I'm going to be preparing and cooking at the next meal sitting I'm thinking about what my son needs to eat for morning or afternoon tea or what groceries, fruit and veggies I have on hand or need to buy. It's all gone. Almost to the point where I forget to plan anything. It is actually very liberating! Sometimes, I forget to eat everything I should be eating (bit of a change from the first 17 days!). Now where's that yoghurt?

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Week 3: Excitement!

2011-06-09T07:11:00.001+10:00

Well, what a great week. I have now lost 3.1 kg. It's been a long time (probably 12 years) since I was this weight. That is exciting for me.

This week has included a weekend away with the girls. It's great to know that I can still do those things and achieve healthy eating and weight loss. On Sunday, I started the second phase of the 17 day diet. This phase is about alternating a Phase 1 day with the alternate day including some red meats and natural starchy carbs. Hello red meat! Hello carbs! This phase has been much easier on my mind and my body and I have felt less hungry; some days I haven't even eaten everything I was supposed to. I am still struggling to get through 2 litres of water a day. There just simply are times in my busy life when it is too difficult to carry around a water bottle.

I wonder if getting my hair cut had any affect on my weight loss?

Week 2: Disappointment

2011-06-02T07:06:00.001+10:00

I woke up this morning excited to get on the scales. I'm feeling like, food wise, I've done it tough this week. So I get on the scales and I couldn't believe it; I have put on 300 g. So I started to look at what challenges I faced this week. Firstly, last Friday, I could feel a cold coming on. My first instinct when I get this feeling is to have a green smoothie for breakfast. That's a break from this 17 day diet as green smoothies incorporate bananas which are not on the low sugar list for fruit. I had 1 of these a day on top of the other food I was meant to eat for 4 days. Secondly, I went to a party on Saturday night. While I was there I got extremely hungry; like you wouldn't believe. If I was at home, I would have been in bed asleep so I would have been using less energy. So at the party I had to try to find food that I could eat. At first, nothing. So I had about 10 BBQ chips, then I found some red grapes however fruit shouldn't be eaten after 2 pm. What the heck! I was famished. After a handful of red grapes, I made myself a green tea and eventually convinced hubby it was time to go. Thirdly, I didn't exercise this week until yesterday as I have been less than healthy and at least 17 minutes a day is required for 6 days.
I change over to the next 17 day period on Sunday. It will be interesting to see what happens this coming week. Gee, I'm hanging out for some red meat! I've got a roast lamb planned for Sunday night! Wish me luck.

Week 1 Results

2011-05-26T08:17:00.001+10:00

Ok, last week I began a weight loss journey called "The 17 Day Diet, written by Dr Mike Moreno. Let me just say I am a bit of a fussy eater so because I don't eat fish (unless is crumbed and deep fried) it really left me with eggs and chicken or turkey mince as protein. Chicken of course being my least favourite meat also. Would much prefer a slab of lamb or steak but perhaps that's what got me here in the first place. So it was eggs for breakfast, chicken and salad for lunch and chicken and steamed veggies for dinner (with some variations of course). I've really enjoyed the yoghurt and fruit and I've also enjoyed feeling hungry again. So, drum roll please.............in my first week I have lost 1.5 kg! I haven't lost that much in one week since I first went to Weight Watchers about 15 years ago. I'm more than happy with this week's outcome and look forward to the challenges the weekend will bring with a grown up's party to attend without child and no doubt my family's request for takeaway. Looks like an alcohol free, hangover free, strong willed weekend for me!

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Diet is Die With a Capital "T"

2011-05-17T16:54:00.000+10:00

I know you should always live a healthy life by eating the right foods and doing exercise. I know what the 'right' foods are and when I am being very focused, most of the time I can eat right. Exercise is easy for me. I do exercise I enjoy and therefore I don't notice I'm exercising. It's the eating right that is the most challenging for me. Over the last 5 years I have managed to put on an extra 7-8 kilos and I find as I get older, it is more difficult for me to shift. I am very addicted to sugar and get huge cravings for sugar. I have tried to eat loads of healthy food and very little of the unhealthy, processed foods however it hasn't been long lasting.
I wouldn't say I am normally a 'fad diet' person either. The only time I have really gone on a 'diet' is I usually do a detox once a year and years ago I lost weight through Weight Watchers which I wouldn't call a diet, I would call it eating healthy. So, last night on a current affairs program on television (can't remember which one I was watching) they talked about a book/program called "The 17 Day Diet". I went to the book shop this morning and spent a considerable amount of time reading, looking at the menu and weighing up whether or not to buy it. I did in the end buy the book and have started reading. My plan is that I am going to read the book and when I feel knowledgeable enough (and I have purchased the items I need to kick it off) I will start "The 17 Day Diet". I hope you don't mind listening to my journey. I'm planning to give you a regular update on what it's like, whether I'm being successful or not and how I feel, etc. So stay tuned and I'll keep you posted.

Cancer Management

2011-04-12T21:55:00.000+10:00

I know this is an unusual topic. I was reading a magazine today I picked up at Mrs Flannery's titled "Everyday Health", the summer edition and I was reading the articles in there about staying healthy. One particular article prompted me to write this post as I thought how similar it was to what I bang on about here. The article is called Natural Alternatives in Cancer Management by Fiona Chin N.D. The solutions it gives to prevent and treat people with cancer are:
1. Remove external stress, as much as possible and allow your body to focus on healing.
2. Laugh! 5 nights a week you should be watchin movies or doing something that makes you laugh out loud.
3. Get out into nature. Gettin outside for 45 mins a day is a great way to reduce your stress levels.
4. Surround yourself with loved ones, whether this is family, friends or your pets, surround yourself with positive, loving people.
I thought, as I was reading it, how much it sounded like a perfect way to try to live life when you are healthy!

Trust Your Body

2011-04-11T22:41:00.000+10:00

Today I was watching this little girl running. She was probably aged about 3, you know that age when they are finding their feet but a trip when running is only seconds away. And just as I was watching thinking "Don't run, you'll trip!", she started to trip forward. She didn't actually hit the cement (thank goodness-I wouldn't be able to bear it) but as she tripped, in the blink of an eye, her hands automatically went forward in the position you would need them just before you bit the dust. I was amazed at the involuntary action of such a young child. And what that simple action did was right her balance and she ran on with a big smile on her face.
We were probably all like that once. Instinctively recovering our balance without thinking about it. If this happened to me and I actually consciously stopped to think about what I should do, I would be flat on my face in a very undignified position and no doubt blood, sweat and tears before I could make the first thought! Our bodies hold wisdoms that we can only imagine. As we get older, we learn to override them with our minds. Stress and other mental influences also prevent us listening to our body's wisdom. So the benefits of living in the now also applies to learning to trust our bodies natural reactions as well.

Making Incorrect Assumptions

2011-03-30T21:53:00.000+10:00

I have been 'waiting' (of sorts) to hear from someone for some weeks now. Occasionally, I have bandied about the idea in my head that perhaps I have done something to upset that person, or when I said or did 'X' that person may have taken offense to that. That's how our mind works, isn't it? You think about stuff that, in reality, may or may not have happened but your mind tries to put the worst ever spin on things sometimes. This has happened so many times to me and then I will eventually here from that person and they will say they have been extremely busy, or something happened in their life and they just weren't able to talk about it to anyone because it helped not to talk about it or for whatever reason they didn't get in touch, it was all innocent.
It's funny how with little or no 'evidence' our mind can create such an imaginative story from our underlying fears. The truth usually isn't anywhere near as sinister as our mind makes it out to be.
Some things that I try in situations like this when I am waiting to be in contact with someone:
1. Take some deep breaths. Yes I know, it seems like it's my answer to everything. It really does help.
2. Try to be in the present and try to be focusing on the people, places and events I am in contact with now and enjoy them.
3. If that is the case and someone has taken offence or become upset and haven't taken the time to discuss it with me, there really isn't a lot I can do about it anyway. Let it go. I know I have absolutely no control over other people, I only have control over myself and what I do (and I say this to myself over and over to try to reassure myself when I start thinking about not communicating with this other person).
4. Try to stay busy instead of sitting around idle. When I'm busy, I live more in the present.
5. Write a letter or write some notes in a journal. Not to send it or give it to that person, more like a cleansing process for my mind and heart.

Unique Experiences

2011-03-23T22:05:00.001+10:00

Sometimes really important or really amazing events happen in our lives only once. What can happen as we are living those experiences is that we are so focused in our mind on something else: stress, other plans, what's missing, what I should be doing, etc. that the event is over before we get to enjoy it. If we are fully present in our lives, it can make the one off experiences far more enjoyable.
So how do you switch off your mind during these experiences?
1. Take deep breaths, focusing only on your breathing for 3-5 breaths.
2. Notice everything that is happening around you, even to the point of speaking about it to yourself.
3.Observe what everyone is doing & what is happening without thinking it's good or bad.
4. Use your senses; what can you smell, what can you hear, what can you see, what can you feel, what can you taste.
5. Think about what you would see as the things you can see, hear, feel, smell, taste that you are most grateful for.
Is tomorrow an event that happens only once in your life?

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Listen to your Intuition

2011-03-22T09:40:00.000+10:00

Can you hear your intuition? I know when I am very stressed and not living in the present, I find it difficult to hear my intuition. Take last year for example. My son was ill. I took him to the doctor on about day 2. The doctor wasn't helpful at all and in fact made insinuations about his health that I found insulting to him and to me. I found another doctor, etc. Eventually, after 3 months, the medical world said they had done all they could and they had no explanations as to what was happening. Out of sheer desperation I started going to naturopaths. The first one I saw who apparently specialised in helping stomach disorders in children obviously had her own beliefs and was not the solution. Then I found "Achieving Health". I even love the name. They were very supportive and were a solution right from our first visit.
Now, when I went to the first doctor and she was no help, I did have a little voice in my head say 'take him to a naturopath' however I didn't listen to it. I was very stressed about what it might be and didn't want to mess around with something that might not fix him. I'm wondering if I was living in the present, might I have listened to that little voice. It would have saved me a lot of time, money and heartache!
And I know hindsight is a wonderful thing, however I really do believe that when you are more present in your life, you are able to hear your intuition more clearly. I guess that's just one of the reasons why finding 5 or 10 mins a day to be in the now is very important.
Some things I use to help me be present are:
1. Close my eyes and focus on my breathing.
2. Create something; baking, scrapbooking, photography are my things to help me be present.
3. If I can go somewhere that is beautiful to look at; the beach, a hill to look at the skyline of Surfers, the park. They all instantly bring me into the now as they eye candy and I can't help not be there soaking up their beauty.
4. Do something with my full attention. Like now, writing this blog, I am totally obsorbed in writing. I am not thinking of something else (it's impossible for me to write and think of something else anyway!).
5. I spend 5 or so minutes focused on one thing. It could be flower in the garden, my bliss-o-rama board, a photo. I try to absorb as much about that one thing as I can.

So what will you do today to bring yourself into the present and allow your intuition to come through?

Grantham Need Your Help

2011-03-20T07:31:00.000+10:00

When the inland tsunami hit Grantham on 10 January 2011, they had little warning of it's arrival. It tore a small, close knit community into tiny pieces and spat it out the other end. The loss and devastation in Grantham has been unfathomable for most of us. No matter how hard we try, we cannot understand what they have been through and are still continuing to live with.
To compound matters, when everyone else affected by the flooding received Australia wide assistance from volunteers, for the most part, Grantham was isolated; declared 'a crime scene' so the army and emergency personnel could perform the grim task of making the area safe and searching for victims.
Then we all went back to our lives. Here we are over two months on and going about our daily routine. Yet the people of Grantham are still in need of our assistance; whatever we can provide.
Do you have a few hours or a day to help out Grantham? Or maybe you have no time to help but a few gold coins in a money box at home?
If you live on the Gold Coast, there are two ways you can help out. Firstly, if you have a day you can spare, PCYC Monaco Street, are organising a bus to take volunteers to Grantham on Sunday, 27 March (this coming Sunday). If you can spare a few hours, but not on Sunday, I have volunteered to supply the volunteers with morning and afternoon teas so you may be able to bake something. If you have a few spare gold coins and no time, water and poppers would also be gladly received by the volunteers on the day.
Please, if you can help in any way, contact me by phone on 0428 391 890 or by email (go to 'view my complete profile on the right hand side of this blog then click on 'email me' link) so I can provide you with more details.
Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Habits

2011-03-16T19:53:00.001+10:00

A lot of us have them. Some help us, some hinder us. Some are just habits and do neither. Some habits can be so firmly ingrained in us, we cannot kick it no matter how hard we try. For me, smoking was that habit. For others it can be a love interest gone bad, another vice like alcohol or drugs, etc.
For me to become a non smoker, I actually replaced the habit with something a little healthier. Whenever I felt like a cigarette, I would have a Tic Tac (never did like smoking after eating a mint). After a few months the habit was kicked to the kerb, and I had minty fresh breath! Now I need to replace an eating habit with an exercise perhaps!

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5 Love Languages

2011-03-13T21:59:00.001+10:00

I am re-reading (by audio) a great book by Dr Gary Chapman called "The 5 Love Languages". I love it when I learn something, even better if it enhances my life. And I always love it when I walk away from a book or a learning and I'm using what I learned to enhance my life and hopefully others immediately.
This book talks about how we all "fill up our love tank" differently. Some people need their partners to give them affirmations, some need quality time from their partners, etc.(Can't tell them all, it will spoil the book for you). What I found interesting was that some people have the same language however are still not happy because they haven't communicated what their needs are. Interesting!

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Declutter

2011-01-07T13:10:00.001+10:00

I'm not sure if anyone else feels like a good old fashioned clean up session but I certainly do at the moment. I'm not doing things on a GRAND scale. Just bits and pieces here and there so I can still have fun with my family while they are on holidays. Yesterday and today I tackled recipes and warranties/instruction booklets. Here's how it went:
1. I have decided this year I want to downsize slightly; basically get rid of what I haven't used in the last 12 months. You see, I am a collector by nature. I try really hard to have a simplistic household-it just doesn't happen. It runs in the family as well.....
2. One of my 'collections' is recipes. I used to collect cookbooks and in the last couple of years I have reduced my cookbooks to one third of a shelf on my bookcase. Even that is probably too much as I rarely use them. So instead of collecting cookbooks (not consciously of course) I changed and took up collecting recipes from magazines and printing them off of the internet. So now, if I buy a cooking magazine or print a recipe off the net, when I have finished with it, I then go and put all the recipes I think I might use again in binders like these: http://www.officeworks.com.au/retail/products/Office-Supplies/Document-Filing-Storage-and-Presentation/Document-Presentation/Display-Books
3. I read a handy hint about filing warranties and instruction booklets in ring binders and was going to go straight out to buy new ring binders when I thought about recycling and re-using and thought about all the display books I had upstairs with recipes in them I had never used. So I spent probably 4-5 hours yesterday throwing out all the recipes I have never cooked. I also tried to keep only healthy recipes (except for in the dessert & cakes folders) that had plenty of vegetables as that is how our family now eats.
4. I did the last of the folders this morning. It was a ring binder and had plenty of loose leaf refills in it. By the time I was done, it was empty along with about 8 other display books. I then got out the bag I keep all the warranties and instruction booklets in and went through them. I tossed out the ones for old appliances (that had gone to appliance heaven!) and refiled the keepers into the pockets; a pocket for each appliance, gadget, toy, etc. I now have one display book for toy warranties/instructions, one for kitchen warranties/instructions and a ring binder that holds all other instruction books and warranties neatly and so if I am required to look for something it will save me a lot of time!
I'm not sure what you store your warranties and instruction books in; a drawer, a bag, all over the place. I hope this simple and cost effective idea helps to get some of your house sorted in 2011.

Fire in Your Belly

2010-12-30T11:38:00.000+10:00

Oh I was just reading on a little further in my diary and came across the source where I read about the fire in your belly. Actually, what it says is that both Chinese and Japanese traditions of healing indentify with an inner power that is said to be located three finger-widths below and two finger-widths behind the navel. Apparently, creative endeavour comes from this point of potency and when embarking on a personal project we should make a conscious effort to breathe into this area, known as "fire in your belly" and experience the flow of energy which gives life to your project.

A Journey of Discovery

2010-12-30T11:25:00.000+10:00

Sounds a bit cliche really...and I'm almost loathed to say this out loud. Last year, I mapped out what I thought were great goals, one being to commit to making healthier food and exercise choices. They say what you focus on you get and I ended up doing 12 months learning about healthy food choices for my family just so as my son could recover from being unwell. So it doesn't always come in the way you might originally plan but will certainly manifest as it has to.
For 2011, I am looking more at a little self discovery. The process of what I experienced this year had me questioning my ability to teach others about peace and calm when given a very tricky and extremely uncontrollable situation, I really struggled with peace and calm. I know that I wouldn't be human if I totally sailed through the situation in a state of peace and calm and who knows what it would have been like if I didn't know and practice what I did. The fact that I questioned my ability was enough to bring my goals back more to me.
And it seems the universe is helping me out. The idea I have for my Lifescrap365 is focused on me (I'm not really sure where it came from actually!) and I sat down this morning to finish looking 'completely' at some of my Christmas gifts and started to look through the beautiful diary my sister sent to me. It's called "Mind, Body & Spirit Book of Days" and the first page in January starts with "Follow Your Passion". It talks about tossing out the "New Year, New You" makeover plan, which I do always go into the new year thinking about how this year is going to be different. As it says, everything you need for a year of passionate self-discovery is coiled up inside. It gives an affirmation and it also gives something to practice (The Passion Quiz) and a Project (Assemble a Bliss-o-rama). As I sit here typing, I'm thinking that my plan for the year is unfolding. I might just walk you through my year, here, of uncoiling my inner self. I'm feeling very brave; nervous even...thinking about what if.... Well, I guess I need to clear out those thoughts as those are the ones that lead me to my food journey this year. Well with that little burst, I'm keen to continue breathing deeply into somewhere below my belly button in the pit of my stomach (I read yesterday that is where the fire of passion is) and map out some more. **big deep breath** "I'm uncovering the talents and desires that will help make 2011 my most memorable year." (Affirmation from Book of Days)

Real Simple

2010-11-25T16:09:00.000+10:00

Gotta love this post from Real Simple blog http://bit.ly/g2sB4p It might help you to stay peaceful, calm and happy this silly season.

Happiness Is..

2010-11-23T21:56:00.001+10:00

I have just returned from a scrapbooking retreat with http://scrapbookingwarehouse.com.au/ and had a marvellous time. I received my "Happiness Is.." circle journal back completed. There are some fabulous things to share in there so I thought I would. Basically, a circle journal (for those of you who haven't heard of it) consists of a group of people, each one with their own theme, create journals then send them on with the relevant instructions to the all the other people in the circle. What you get back is a piece of art created with a great story attached. For my first journal, I chose Happiness Is... and here are some of the wonderful responses that were in my book.
Happiness Is:
Barrel Racing (Michelle Sorrell), Spending time with the kids (Heather Sorrell), The Freedom of the outdoors (Carmel Allen), a peaceful acceptance of yourself and where you are in life(Sue Marsh), The photo that reminds you why you take so many photos, hugs from my six year old (Michelle Wills) and Something to do, something to love and something to hope for(Virginia Ollett). Thank you to all the contributors. I love it and have already looked at it a trillion times and I'm sure I will look at it a trillion more. Thanks for giving me some new perspectives on Happiness.

Love My Family's Sense of Humour

2010-11-01T20:23:00.000+10:00

This is the birthday card my family purchased for my birthday yesterday. I had to share it in case your sense of humour is similar to mine. On the inside it said "It's your birthday-time to kick back and relax". Ha ha ha

Dance Like ...

2010-10-28T22:36:00.000+10:00

My husband has borrowed a kind of "boom box" for his father's 70th party. It's a 70's for 70 party and this "boom box" has got a USB connection etc and let's just say my son has more knowledge about ipod connection than my husband and I put together. As my son's ipod is filled with applications, it was sounding like my MP3 player was sounding like a good fall back position for the party in case the "planned music" doesn't come to fruition. So we thought we would try to connect my MP3 to the "boom box". When I plugged it in, I discovered a whole load of songs I had forgotten I had loaded onto it. An album called "Housework Songs", 101 80's hits, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Michael Buble' and many many more. Of course we cranked it up to test how loud it went, and then I trolled through the songs reminiscing. My son and I were out by the pool listening and dancing away, laughing loudly and singing along.
It has been a long time since I have danced like no-one was watching. And how exhilirating it was. I could have danced all night! It definitely increased my happiness levels. So put your favourite tunes on your ipod or your stereo or your cassette player (LOL) and bop til you drop. You might even attend some dance classes or boogie while you are doing your housework. Whatever way you choose to put a little boogie in your day/night, let yourself be with the rythm of life called music. (It's a great way to exercise to boot!)

Happiness from Within

2010-10-22T06:49:00.000+10:00

For me, this week has been a great example of why it is so important to be happy from within wherever possible. Lots of challenges this year as you will know if you read this blog, blah, blah, blah...then this week blows me out of the water. First off, sleeping patterns have been very erratic and late nights and stress causing very early mornings has left me feeling exhausted and nothing was looking any better on the horizon with the slide into Christmas. I had been eating out of takeaway cartons and bags (of frozen vegetables), except for dinners at the Commercial Hotel(http://publocation.com.au/pubs/qld/tara/commercial-hotel) which were stacked with fresh salad and had the most amazing tasting T-Bone. So, I thought, a detox is on the cards. Started Monday. Feel fantastic and it's only day 5. Sleeping soundly; I wouldn't say like a baby because I know what they sleep like-poorly at times. Lots of energy throughout the day. No need for a Nanna nap in the arvo any more and I have been taking the time to look after my body and do some relaxation and turning the computer off early to spend some quality time with my husband as well. To me, detox always seems a bit scary like it will be a week of pain (and in the past it really had been very challenging when I had undertaken a detox). This week has been a week of pleasure....yet I know the detox will end on Sunday night.
Then, for months now, I have been looking to buy a new car. Finally I made my decision and on Wednesday I signed on the bottom line and now awaiting pick up. Yet I know when I get my car, that whole exciting experience of the purchase will be gone.
So what is left after that? I can't detox forever. And the bank balance won't allow for purchasing a new car every week. When I was having some thoughts earlier this morning, it came back to me why it really is important to be grateful for what I have and to look within for happiness. Well on that note I'm off to take some photos of my existing car. I'm grateful to have had it and want to remember it for all the good times we had together. Then I'll go kiss my son on his forehead and rouse him from his slumber and be grateful for the arguments that will happen (as they do with most 10 year olds, I'm sure) and get about my day, trying to remember to be grateful for every minute. Have a fab day!

2010-10-06T14:34:00.000+10:00

I have been very busy over the last few months, dealing with some issues that have been lingering in my life for almost 10 years. You see, 10 years ago, I lost both my parents within a very short space of time. My son was 8 months old at the time. Initially, my sister was here to help me and we dealt with the immediate things like clearing out their toiletries, medicines and clothing. For some time, I was able to keep the property as a weekender and so kept the furniture and linen and we enjoyed our weekends and holidays at what was my parents home. There came a time where it was too expensive for me to continue to keep it without an income for it so I put it up for rent. The furniture and linen and 2 lifetimes of hoarding (my parents had kept most of my grandparents things as well from when they passed away over 30 years ago) went into storage. It was difficult emotionally for me to even begin to think about clearing out things. Then of course, having a tenant at the property made it even more difficult to attempt the mammoth task as I knew it was going to mean about a weeks worth of tireless hours of sorting and preparing for a garage sale.

Well, I did it. I sorted and cleared out everything. I have some furniture left which I plan to collect and bring back to my home for a more easier sale, as the property is four hours drive from my home and 3 hours from a major city. It feels pretty good to have it all done.
I have watched Peter Walsh on Oprah and mentally took note of what he recommended about decluttering. It was still very emotionally challenging. I did it on my own as well which made me feel very alone I guess. Never knowing if I had made the right choice of what to keep and what to let go. And now of course I have one regret of something that I sold but wished I had kept. And I know that is just my mind telling me I will miss it. It is something I had when I was a child. I haven't 'used' it for probably 35 years. I haven't seen it in probably 4 years (other than the day I sold it of course). Still it hurts. I know that with time the thoughts about it will come less and eventually it will hurt no more. It's tough.

And of course, what doesn't help is, when I get home, then I have to go through everything I kept and find a place in my own home for it or pack it away and at the same time clear out some of my 'stuff' to make space for the 'stuff' I brought back. It's happening. Yesterday I couldn't see daylight over my scrapping desk. Today it's clear. Other than my scrapping stuff. As soon as the table was cleared, I felt the flow come back for my Lifescrap365(http://lifescrap365.blogspot.com/) and I was able to finish off August and September. I feel flow returning for other areas of my life as well as I plod away at clearing the clutter. I am interested to see long term now how the 'decluttering of my life' plays out in the future, or not. **sigh**

So what advice would I impart for someone having to undertake a similar challenge?
1. Break it down into zones or rooms. For me, it was all in one room and I found it very hard to work out where to start. I chose to start with the linen as I knew it was in many bags and sets were not together. Once I got started with that, I was on a roll.
2. Do it alone or with someone else just as dedicated. Often people want to come and see what you are doing and have a chat. If it is a 'big' job, the less distractions, the better.
3. Have healthy meals planned. This is a time when energy, both mental and physical is paramount. Eat healthy meals and snacks.
4. Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water. Try to reduce the intake of caffeinated drinks to assist with no. 5.
5. Try to get as much good quality sleep as possible. Often sleep at these times is restless and I lay awake for hours at night thinking about things I needed to do the next day. Try lavender essential oils or some relaxation techniques to assist with getting to sleep or returning to sleep.
6. Stay focused and on task. Sometimes I would start going through something, go to put something somewhere else, then get tied up there doing something, instead of returning to the original task.
7. Take short breaks. A good opportunity for short breaks is meal times. It helped me enjoy my food and refresh my focus.
8. Be well prepared. As I had plenty of time to plan (10 years!) I thought about all the things I was going to need. Markers, tarps, newspaper, packing boxes, rubbish bags and contact with a local charity who can take away goods that will be recycled after the garage sale. Before the garage sale, contact the charity and arrange a time for them to come so there is not temptation to keep anything that doesn't get sold. Many of them will distribute the goods to other towns and distribution centres if required.
9. Research decluttering information to work out a plan on how to make a decision on what to keep and what to clear out. It is challenging enough to do without having to think logically during the declutter process.
10. Set yourself a time limit (1 day, 3 days, a week, whatever it might be) and at the end of time limit, reward yourself for what you have achieved. If the job isn't finished, diary time straight away tocomplete the job and so on, until the job is complete.

Another healthy idea

2010-07-01T12:37:00.000+10:00

I have been definitely feeling the cold the last few days. In winter, I am always trying to stay as healthy as possible. You may remember my post this time last year about green smoothies.

Our latest family health tip involves a food processor and some fresh baby spinach and carrot. As winter is the time to make soups and casseroles and mince dishes, we have been putting carrots or baby spinach (we usually do two different vegies on top of the tomatoes etc we use for the dish) in the food processor and then add them to the dishes as they are cooking. I usually do the carrots first. I peel them and cut them up into one inch chunks then wiz them then add them to the cooking dish. Then I do the baby spinach. A huge amount in the food processor and again wiz and add to the cooking dish near the end. Kids don't even know they are in there. You should have seen the look on Jacob's face when he heard me telling the naturopath that this is what I did. Priceless.

You could do it with practically any vegie:
* Carrots
* Baby spinach
* Cauliflower
* Broccoli
* Celery
* Beans
* Sweet Potato
* Tomatoes(although my son would say they are a fruit cos they have seeds!)

The list is only really restricted by your imagination and your green grocery. I'd love to hear any of your vegie blend stories! Stay healthy!

On Looking Back

2010-06-11T23:15:00.000+10:00

If you read my blog at all, you will know that I tend to bang on about ways to achieve an inner peace. Last year, I had a relatively uneventful year. When I say uneventful, I mean everything ran smoothly. My family was healthy, I enjoyed supporting my friends through their challenges, my son's education was going great and my business was growing. I had many personal wins with making contact with a few family members who had alienated themselves and in some other areas.

This year has been completely different so far. As you may know, again if you read my blog, that my son has had an ongoing (although almost completely resolved now) health issue and I myself have also had a little health scare. I have learned heaps of life lessons so far this year. Here's just a few to mention: 1) A life long dedication to fulfilling commitments come hell or high water is of absolutely no help when you have an unwell child for more than a week. 2) Sometimes many professionals have the ability to convince you that they have the answer for you when you are 'desperate' for an answer. 3) Stress and worry aren't something that only happens later in life. It can also happen in children. 4) No matter how much you research inner peace and practice it in your everyday life under calm unchallenging circumstances, when it comes to challenging times, it's a different matter.

I have been writing my newsletter from a book I'm reading called 'The Power of Now' by Eckhart Tolle. As far as reading goes, I find it challenging to read. I've been reading the book for a couple of years now and I think I am still in the first half of the book. It has a great message, there is no doubt about that. I guess I'm looking for more. I guess I'm looking for tips on creating more inner peace in challenging times.

Now I know that what Eckhart says can be used in challenging times. It's just that it's extremely difficult in challenging times as that is when the mind is the most powerful and your ability to achieve inner peace is at it's weakest. Does that make sense?

So I picked up a book called The Happiness Trap by Dr Russ Harris (I'm not sure if you do that....read a couple of books at once. I don't do it with novels. I do tend to do it with self-help books though) and over the coming year, amongst the other things I am hoping to complete this year, I'm looking forward to reading more about The Happiness Trap. I'll keep you posted. If you would like to receive a copy of my newsletter, please email me at sjjbrown@optusnet.com.au

Curiosity

2010-06-10T10:07:00.000+10:00

"Curiosity is a sign of mental and imaginative engagement with life." (Babara Ann Kipfer-1001 Ways to Live in the Moment)
Some people are not curious in their life. Some people think their life is the only way to live and want to show everyone how they live their life so those other people can live their life the same way. They usually aren't interested about anyone else's life and what they are doing in their life. Quite often these people judge other's success, worth and appropriateness against their own way of life which can bring about a belief that if you aren't doing things the same as them, then there is something wrong with you or your way of life.
Being curious about others keeps you learning and creative and can also decrease your judgement of others. When was the last time you had a conversation with your friend or spouse and completely listened to what they were saying? Instead of thinking about whether what they have done is right or wrong, focus on their words. Be curious about what they are saying and seek to hear more of their story. When you are curious about others, you get to find out a lot more about them and being curious and inquisitive also helps to build stronger bonds with people.

Synchronicity

2010-05-27T18:19:00.000+10:00

Does this ever happen to you. You are thinking of an old friend and then they call. Or you think about something happening to someone and the next time you speak with them, they tell you, without knowing about your thoughts, that that incident actually happened to them.
I had this happen yesterday. In the middle of the day I had a thought about a client and then dismissed this thought. When I spoke with that client last night, I mentioned to her what thought had come to me and at what time. She confirmed that approximately at the time, exactly what I had thought about actually took place.
Carl Jung, known as the founder of analytical psychology, calls this 'synchronicity' and says that these coincidences relate to the collective unconscious and that we may be more connected than we know or think. It's almost a little spooky, isn't it?

Every Day Challenges

2010-05-11T13:59:00.000+10:00

Every person has their challenges in life. Different people have different levels of challenges but to each and every person they are a challenge nonetheless.
I find to help balance the 'everyday challenges' it's beneficial to have something to look forward to. Something you can use almost as an escape when the challenge is taking over your mind.
When I worked full time for someone else, I planned my holidays for the year. When I returned from one holiday, I would book dates for the next holiday. Sometimes the dates would already be booked. And I would only have to change my focus from the past holiday to what action I can take to work toward the next holiday.
Sometimes in our lives we can get really caught up in our 'challenges' and we can forget to give ourselves something to look forward to. I have heard of people who get to work hours before their start time and leave well after their finish time and have years worth of holidays accrued.
What are you looking forward to? What do you need to do to give yourself something to look forward to? What keeps you moving through the daily challenges?

Routine tasks

2010-05-04T17:22:00.001+10:00

Most people I speak with say it is when they are performing routine tasks that their mind goes to auto pilot. If that's the case for you, mix it up a little; use a new tool or product, perform the task at a different time, try a different technique, add some music, burn some incense or oils, or practice being aware of the sensations you are feeling. Or think of things that help you stay in the present and incorporate them into your routine tasks.

Silence is Golden

2010-04-25T14:14:00.000+10:00

Firstly, please allow me to apologise for not posting as often as I would like to. I went on a holiday away from my computer over Easter and what has come of that has been a recognition that right now, with the family health situation, the computer is not helping me to be happy. Therefore I have been putting my energies into other more 'happy' provoking tasks.
As I sit here today though in a beautiful quiet moment, I find happiness and want to share. My husband is off watching the ANZAC Day footy game (Collingwood vs Essendon) at a mates place and Jacob is feeling well enough to visit his friend down the street. I'm not sure how long it has been since you have sat in silence. It is something truly fantastic. So when you can, find a nice quiet place to sit and listen. See what gentle sounds drift through the silence. For me, I love camping close to the ocean(I said close-not too close-it sounds like jet engine!) for this simple reason. In particular, when you go to bed at night, you can listen to the silence then the gentle sounds of the ocean become apparent..........and it washes away the stress with it's waves. Another great example of this is fire. I like to be last to bed so I can sit and be mesmerised by the flames. Where do you find golden silence? What washes away your stresses?

Repairs Needed?

2010-04-14T17:27:00.000+10:00

Are you constantly thinking or worrying about the things you need to do at home? Here's a suggestion of how you can take action. Allocate some time to have a thorough look around your home. When you do, try to look at it with the eyes of a stranger. Take notice of the chores or tasks required and make a note of them. Prioritise them with a A, B, C system (A being high priority, B being medium priority and C being low priority). Then formulate a plan that fits in with your lifestyle to undertake theses tasks. Your plan might be that on the weekend you complete one A ranked action, one B ranked actions and if there is time one C ranked action. And you might plan to get 3 A actions done per month, 3 B actions done per month and 3 C actions done per month. Make sure your goal is realistic. Knowing you have this plan (as long as you stick to it and take action when you can) can go a long way in helping to stop the constant thinking about what's not right with your home and can increase your mindfulness. You may also want to make a list of the things you are grateful for around your home. Remember to tick off the actions on your action plain (or 'to do' list) as you do them for an increased sense of satisfaction.

Stop the Stress-Breathe in Life

2010-03-29T15:19:00.000+10:00

Here I was, just before, at my desk, writing my newsletter and still having a bit of inner turmoil about the fact that we have a huge water leak and it's going to be a bit of a task to fix it. Anyway, I realised, we have taken all the action we can, at this point in time to rectify the situation. I sat there, looked out my window at my beautiful garden and took three deep breaths; I listened to the sounds of the birds and cars, I looked at the leaves on my frangipani tree and rubbed my barefeet on the carpet. Life is good!
In our day, too many of us (me inclusive) forget to breathe and we breathe too shallow. Stop for a moment during your day (aim for a minimum of 3 times) and remind yourself of deep breathing and how good it feels. Take at least 3 three deep breaths each time you stop for that moment. Please share if you try this as to what results, if any, you get.

A Perfect Example

2010-03-27T16:59:00.000+10:00

The drama queen in me wants to start off by saying "I almost got killed on my way home just now" and let's just say it wouldn't be too far from the truth. You may have experienced something similar. It's a perfect example of someone who isn't living in the present and how it could affect other's lives.
I was waiting at a set of traffic lights, waiting for them to turn green. When they turned green, as I was fully present, I just took my time to get going. I wasn't in a hurry to go anywhere so slowly took off in first gear. And lucky I was slow about. I had to jam on the brakes and come to an immediate stop. Someone had come through the red light coming up on my right. I checked out their face (I always expect those people to look angry and 'in a rush'). This person was a Mum (children in the back) and looked as though she had absolutely no idea she had just run a red light. Her mind has obviously taken over so much, she really isn't noticing much in her surrounds, even safety measures like stop lights.
If I had of taken off as soon as the lights turned green, I would have been badly injured right now or worse. Please live in the present more; if not for your own safety then for someone else's safety, before it's too late.

Kids Worry Too

2010-03-21T21:30:00.000+10:00

In light of being in hospital with my son last week and from watching him and listening to his thoughts and questions while he has been unwell over the past 8 weeks, I have become much more aware of how much kids worry.
My son asked me questions like "Mum, what is cancer?" (he doesn't have it but obviously has heard a little about it) and "Will I ever be better?". He also had loads of tears from fear of the what he may have to experience and fear of many things that he had never experienced before. Most of the things he experienced over the last 8 weeks or more were new to him.
My son is also very sensitive for a 10 year old so at times when my words of reassurance weren't matching my body language of uncertainty, I'm sure he was able to identify my incongruence with his intuition.
I was very aware that we were all in unchartered territory and also very aware of my son's worry. I thought I would share the things I tried with my son to ease his worry.
1. We already have a daily bedtime routine that includes a type of recap of the day. We talk about what the best thing about our day was, what was the worse thing about our day (a great time for your child to share something that is worrying or bothering them if they aren't the sort who just blurts it out) and we always have a random question like what's the best smell we smelt that day. We always end the chat on a positive note.
2.Going for a slow stroll to the park or just getting out of the house to wander around the garden (we were fortunate enough to have some sunflower plants burst into flower during this time) is a great way to live in the present. Getting out into the fresh air and being distracted by nature along with a little vitamin D does wonders for adults and children alike.
3. I invited his friends over for a light play. As he wasn't infectious, this was also a way of distracting him and helping him live in the present.
4. I gave my son back massages with lavender oil and as he had tummy pain, I also gently massaged his stomach. The power of touch is brilliant for easing worry, especially coupled with relaxing essential oils.
5. I ran him warm baths at whatever time of the day he felt like them. Besides the comfort of the warm water on his tummy, relaxing in the bath is also great for easing stress and worry.
6. I encouraged him to swim. Again the water relieved his tummy pain and the fun and exercise took his mind off the worry(helped him to live in the present as kids do this extremely well in play).
7. I showed him patience, understanding and respect for privacy so that he felt he had a soft place to fall if he needed it (even if at times I myself really wanted to run and hide).
8. We played Monopoly and Uno as a family. This was not only fun but it also took away the worry and helped time to go quickly and bonded the family unit.
9. I told the truth. At times when I didn't have the answers or didn't know if this treatment was going to be the answer, I said so. That way my body language and my words were congruent and he could tell I was being honest with him. This helped him to trust me and trust that we were going to get through this together, no matter what it took and that I was on his side.
So next time something out of the ordinary is happening in your home, remember that your children are probably feeling it just as much, if not more than you. What ideas can you share with them to arm them with the ability to ease the worry? Maybe make a list of things they like to do that distracts them and that they enjoy (more than likely they will be able to be more present doing these things). Ask them what they would like to do and help them to do it. There are lots of solutions to reducing kids worry. Please comment if you have some solutions that I have left out or want to share any experiences of your own.

Practice What I Preach

2010-03-14T22:51:00.000+10:00

Well this week is certainly going to be a great time for me to really practice what I have been writing and reading about for the last couple of years. My son is going into hospital (fingers crossed) on Tuesday for a procedure to help to heal him. We will be in there for two days and two nights. I am thinking I will need to stay in the moment for strength and also to be calm and also to wait until the results pan out rather than pre-empting them.
The old me would have already made up some fairly elaborate, scarey stories in my mind by now and the old me would be revisiting that visualization often in the build up to going off to the hospital. I would most certainly be sick in the stomach with nerves and anxiety by now.
My son certainly did this at first when he heard what his options were and he was dead against having this procedure. He built a visualization based on fear of the unknown and fear(False Evidence Appearing Real) itself. When we got all the information, his visualization of what was going to happen changed; it was an informed one and he actually chose this solution which goes a long way when you think about what it could have been like taking him to hospital on Tuesday.
So now when and if I think about what is going to happen, a lot of the emotion has been removed (certainly the fear side of it anyway). We are thinking of it in an excited way. Knowing that it will bring relief to his pain and that he can be a normal kid again. We are also thinking it's a little bit like going on a holiday. You still prepare in similar ways; pack your clothes and toiletries, pack your favourite toys (mine are in don't worry!), let your family know where you can be reached etc. The only difference is on this adventure it will just be the two of us instead of the whole family. That in itself also has it's positives too.
I will keep you posted(well in a week or so), when he is back on the right track, of how the procedure went and how well I put into practice my knowledge and experience of living in the moment.

9 Things You Can Achieve Every Day

2010-03-10T23:23:00.000+10:00

Gretchin Rubin recently wrote an article about a list she has of nine things she achieves every day. See it here: http://bit.ly/deed20. The idea of this list is when you have an extremely busy day and fall into bed tired and exhausted wondering if you actually got anything accomplished that day, at least you have nine things that you can say you did, each and every day without fail. I thought I would make a list of the things I achieve every day and share that with you:
1. Have a healthy low calorie breakfast
2. Drink at least one bottle of water
3. Undertake some kind of exercise
4. Stay within the speed limits
5. Clean something in the house
6. Eat at least 1 piece of fruit and 3 serves of vegetables
7. Brush my teeth
8. Check and reply to emails, social networking messages, etc.
9. Do at least one thing 'just for fun'

10. Go to bed at or before 10.30. This is my bonus for the day. Guess I didn't make that today. If you were to list your 9 things that you achieve every day, what would they be?

Work Life Balance

2010-03-08T10:41:00.000+10:00

Here is a link to some great ideas about creating a better work life balance. Worth a look.
http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/news/newsstories/1020550/the-age-of-happiness

Simple and Peaceful Life

2010-03-05T12:07:00.000+10:00

A tweep (twitter person) of mine shared this article on Twitter today. http://ow.ly/1eqJp It gives 13 ideas and some tips on how to live a simple and peaceful life. It mentions the following:
* Identifying what is important; 4-5 things in 3 key areas of life to focus on
* Look at what you have committed to and if they don't align with the above, maybe look at changing that commitment
* Decrease the size of your to do list so you can actually take your time and enjoy each thing on your list rather than rushing through everything
* When making time commitments, leave plenty of room either side so you can arrive calm and with plenty of time
* Prioritise your to do list. What is essential or what aligns with the 4-5 things you identified in the 3 key areas as important? Take everything else off the list.
* Do only one thing at a time. This includes thinking whilst you are 'doing'. Even that is multi tasking and will detract from your simple and peaceful life.
* Find out what you allow to cause you the most stress. How can you eliminate that or minimise it?
* Make some time just for you, whatever that looks like. A walk or some other 'alone' exercise, a massage, reading, the list is endless.
* Are you ready for this one.....do nothing. Can you believe that was actually suggested? On a more serious note, sometimes you need to do nothing.......n-o-t-h-i-n-g. I give you permission.
* Take some hints and tips from my blog, practice being in the present (for more hints and tips sign up for my e-newsletter via the blog).
* Practice gratitude right now and live in the moment. Focus on what's good in your life instead of what you don't have.
Anyway, go to the article http://ow.ly/1eqJp and have a read. There are also some more links there and some other tips.
Enjoy.

The Universe

2010-03-03T14:27:00.000+10:00

It's actually quite amazing what is coming my way from other blogs. If you have read my post from http://inspiremotivatecreatachieve.blogspot.com/ yesterday you will know I spoke about receiving an inspirational blog post from Zen Habits about inspiration (bit of a play on words there!). Today I have read an inspirational blog post from The Gratidudes. Not sure if you have heard about The Gratidudes. Check them out here: http://www.thegratidudes.com/blog/snap-out-of-the-worry.php. This latest update to their blog is about, wait for it......................worry and how it affects your life, financially, health wise, etc. It is exactly what I needed to read a week ago. Maybe I wasn't attracting it last week. I clearly was thinking the wrong things and attracting the wrong things last week (and the week before and the week before that). It's almost like The Gratidudes read my post from yesterday on Inspire, Motivate, Create, Achieve and then answered it! Giving me advice on how to handle my situation and how not to worry. Even when your focus is living a peaceful and calm life and you get thrown a curve ball beyond your control, it seems the universe always answers when you are most receptive. Yesterday, for me, it felt like the challenging issue I had been worrying about had started to sort itself out and I am feeling much more positive about the situation. And then I start to get the answers and motivation I need. Thank you, universe and thank you, me!

Happy Chef

2010-03-02T22:41:00.000+10:00

Cooking for friends and loved ones can be a very rewarding experience. It doesn't have to be silver service or a la carte cuisine. Stay in your passion and skill set range. Invite some friends for a BBQ or do drinks and some finger food. Make your family some fun muffins (like the Cherry Ripe Muffins I posted on one of my other blogs; http://inspiremotivatecreateachieve.blogspot.com/). What about a morning or afternoon tea, a healthy lunch or breakfast. If there are a few of you who like cooking different things, organise a progressive dinner (remember those-where you have different courses at different people's homes enlisting the help of a designated driver of course if you are having a few drinks as well). Or there is the reverse dinner, where you start off with after dinner mints, coffee and a cheese platter, then dessert, then main meal and finishing off with an entree or nibblies. You can have as many courses as people who are participating or you can do it all in one home. Cooking is another creative solution to help you focus in the present. So relax and enjoy the actual process the next time you decide to be the Happy Chef.

Create and Heal

2010-02-27T07:39:00.000+10:00

Today, while I was waiting for my computer to start up, I was sitting here (in a bit of a daze mind you as I have not long woken up) loosely planning my day. I was thinking mostly about my free time this afternoon. Through the week I purchased the ingredients to make Choc Cherry Ripe Muffins so I'm going to make some of them as a treat for my family. Then I will have a couple of hours to myself, after dinner so I plan to create and scrap. Anyway, in my dreamy, just out of bed kind of way, I looked at my Louise Hay Desk Calendar which still had yesterday's date page and affirmation on it and I leaned over to rip it off to see what today's affirmation is. The universe is a funny old thing really, isn't it? Today's affirmation is: I am peaceful when I am creative. I let creative juices flow through me as a healing force. Beauty just naturally manifests itself. It still amazes me every time life and the universe line up like this. It exhilirates me and leaves me knowing that at times like this I have definitely found the path that was meant for me.

Anyway, by now your mouth is probably watering for the Choc Cherry Ripe Muffins so I thought I would include the recipe. I haven't yet made these but they sound easy and divine. Enjoy!
1 1/2 cups of SR Flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup castor sugar
2 eggs lightly beaten
90g butter, melted
1 cup milk
1/2 cup white choc bits
2 x 55g(there are actually 53g now I believe) Cherry Ripe Bars finely chopped
Melted chocolate and extra chopped Cherry Ripe bars to decorate
Method:
Preheat oven to 190 C. Line 16 holes of 2 12 hole muffin pans with paper cases (1/3 cup capacity). Combine sifted flour and cocoa with sugr in a large bowl. Stir in egg, butter, milk, Choc Bits and Cherry Ripe until just combined. Spoon 1/4 cup of mixture into each paper case. Cook for 20 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer in the middle. Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack. To decorate muffins, spread some melted chocolate in the centre of the muffin (when cooled completely) and then top with a piece of chopped Cherry Ripe.
I would like to give credit to someone for this recipe however I'm not too sure where this recipe is from as it is one I have collected over the years. I tend to cut them out of magazines. It looks like it could be from a New Idea magazine (as it's titled New Food) and there is a lady by the name of Barbara Northwood featured throughout the article.

Work Life Balance

2010-02-25T15:27:00.000+10:00

How are you feeling right now? Are you feeling like your life is perfectly balanced and everything runs smoothly with you having plenty of time left over to rejuvenate the body and soul? No? Well, I'd say, join the club. You are probably feeling more like you are run ragged with an overwhelming feeling that you have so much to do and very little time to do it. Would that be more like it? And also feeling like everyone wants a piece of you and there is nothing left at the end of the day and so you fall, exhausted, into bed or onto the nearest piece of horizontal furniture and collapse/become comatosed at double figure times of the day. I got it. I totally understand. Oh, and then perhaps to awaken at 2 am lying in the darkness, running through all the things that aren't being done whilst you are wasting your time trying to go back to sleep. Is that really how life is(or close to it)?

Today when I was looking through posts by my fellow social networkers, I came upon a blog which I thought might be of help to you. It's called "Dumb Little Man Tips on Life". Here is the link: http://bit.ly/Lglh5.

Now I know that you may or may not be able to do everything that is mentioned in this post. I get that. It's a list of suggestions of things that you could do to make that balance easier; so that perhaps you've got time to have a five minute shower before you pass out on the bed at midnight. What are the flexible tasks in your busy day? How can you use this list of tips to re-balance your life and those flexible tasks? Like I said, even if it gives you and extra 5 mins at the end of your day(there's alwasy the five minute holiday!).

One of my friends recently decided to go back to study. We used to exercise twice a week together. She was unable to exercise for two weeks and when I rang her she was inundated. She said she just didn't have one minute to spend on anything else. Not only had the children's extra curricular activities resumed after holidays, so had her husband's exercise and music lessons and not only did she have to fit in study lessons to twice a week on her already busy schedule, she also had to study at home some amazing amount of hours each week with assignments due weekly. She said she felt like she hadn't got to spend any quality time with her family let alone do anything for herself. So I sent her my time management schecule and asked her to work out, and diary in, what time she wanted to allocate to all the things she needed and wanted to do and at the end of the process she would have a plan to work towards for the coming weeks. I also recommended she do it with her family so they all had a schedule and manage their time together so it was a priority for all of them and happening at the same time. We are going exercising tonight(it's back on the schedule) and I am really looking forward to it.

So you see, all it takes if you are feeling overwhelmed and out of favours for others is a few minutes to reasses your life and a few ideas of how to change. Once you take the first step, it's easy after that. Enlist the help of a friend to listen and share with or a coach to keep the momentum going and you will find the change effortless and smooth.

An Amazing Being

2010-02-16T07:13:00.000+10:00

You are an amazing being. Despite the fact that you probably have a long list of negative self talk that repeatedly tells you otherwise. Think about if you met someone at a party or if you were talking with one of your friends. What would they think you had done in your life that was brave, smart, funny, creative, loving(I'm sure you can think of many more adjectives)? Make a list in your gratitude journal or on some paper so you can easily remind yourself of how fantastic you really are. Review it regulary too, so as to rid yourself of negative self talk. There will be lots of other people who will criticize you throughout your life, why should you take their side? You need to stand up for you and remember all the great things about you.

Valentine's Day

2010-02-12T14:41:00.000+10:00

I came across these fabulous love cards today on the website of Gary Chapman who wrote The Five Love Languages. http://www.fivelovecards.com/ I think they are a fabulous idea, and they are free. What a great idea for Valentine's Day (or any day of the year really). I'm sure you could think up your own ideas to add to the lists for each of the love languages too. If you haven't read the book yet (I am listening to it at the moment on cd) I'm sure it won't matter. You might already know which of the cards best suit your spouse or partner. Otherwise, you can go to the the Five Love Languages website and profile them(or yourself) by doing a quiz. http://www.5lovelanguages.com/assessments/ Happy Valentine's Day.

Life in Harmony

2010-02-11T06:24:00.001+10:00

I remember working for a large corporation and being 'told' (along with everyone else in the corporation) to smile. The 'Powers To Be' wanted our customers to think we were happy (and let's face it, who wants to be greeted by an unhappy customer service person). I guess what I'm getting at is that they wanted us to create a delusion, of sorts. I remember being in some offices of this corporation and being in the area out of customer sight and there were signs near the door where you walk out to the customer area saying "Smile, you are back on stage".
The idea of having everyone smile or being happy is a great idea. It would have sent a lot stronger customer service focus message, however, if the staff actually WERE happy the corporation would have seriously been a force to be reckoned with. If our actions were in harmony with our lives, we would have actually BEEN happy and would have smiled anyway.

What do you need to change to put your actions and your life into harmony? What do you need to be, do or have to actually BE happy? Instead of putting a smile on your face when you are back on stage?

Just to Make You Smile (or laugh even!)

2010-02-04T16:00:00.002+10:00

One of the people on my Facebook page posted this link today. I thought it very funny and wanted to share it with you.
http://riverviewfunniesopedpage.blogspot.com/2010/02/and-then-fight-started.html

Happy Smells

2010-02-04T14:33:00.000+10:00

A way to improve our happiness levels is to smell happy smells. Smells that are uplifting for us. This is different for everyone. Here are a list of smells that might make it onto your 'Happy Smells' list:
Burning scented candles or incense
Having a fresh bunch of sweet smelling flowers nearby
Bake a cake; carrot cakes are good or any other spicy scented cakes(let's face it, any baking smells good, whether it's a cake, biscuits or dinner)
Cook a curry (continuing along on the spicy smell theme)
Your favourite perfume (or aftershave for the guys)
Plant your favourite sweet smelling bush (gardenia, honeysuckle, jasmine, frangipani) near a window where you spend a great deal of your time
Take a bath with your favourite bubble bath or essential oil
Burn some essential oils in an oil burner
Mow the grass (yes, some people feel happy when they smell the smell of freshly cut grass)
What are Happy Smells for you? What can you do right now to smell a happy smell? When I put my son to bed at night, we often discuss the best smell we smelt that day. It's fun.

Here's a word from one of my clients....

2010-01-31T09:05:00.000+10:00

I received an email from one of my clients yesterday. He experienced coaching with me throughout last year. As a coach, it is fantastic to know that I have been able to supply him the tools to maintain his own momentum and put into play some things that he has wanted to get back into for a very long time. If you are missing something or want to change something about your life, maybe you are just plain unhappy, why not call me and see if coaching can help you to make your life happier or better.

My client says:
I’ve finally pushed in the clutch and engaged first gear! And rolling along!!
Back into the camping which is great and have decided to go camping/boating at least once a fortnight.
I get out there and now realize what the hell i’ve been missing out on, what an idiot!

Thanks again for your help in getting me moving, i thought i was going to have to come back end of last year,
but i’ve managed to get moving again , thank god! or should i say you!

I’m finding some of the people working for me are still draining me a bit, one in particular,
so i’ve started switching off from him, his negative energy just radiates from him like a lightbulb,
he doesn’t even have to open his mouth, it just pours out of him!

I’ve started listening to mike losier again in the car, sometimes i just play it over and over.
It’s just nice positive simple to understand stuff that makes sense.

If you know of anymore stuff like losier please let me know, i love it!

Journal Your Gratitude

2010-01-25T08:41:00.000+10:00

If you have tendencies to always look for the worst in others, that is all you will see and in turn thinking about the Law of Attraction, that is what you will get more of. In my own personal opionion, this is how most relationships break down. We are always looking for the bad in others as that is how we have been conditioned over our life. And then we spend so much time looking for the bad in someone, we start to think that is all they are made of.
We are all made up of so much more than good or bad. Try to practice looking for things you are grateful for in others. You will be more in the present for starters(as you are trying to catch them doing things you are grateful for) and you will start to see people's positive points and therefore you will get more of that from the people around you.
Why not take it a step further? Keep a record of all that you are grateful for in a 'Gratitude Journal'. You can keep track of people you are grateful for, nature events, people's words, your own thoughts or actions, the list is endless.
Now, when will you write in your gratitude journal?

Keeping Motivated

2010-01-21T16:24:00.000+10:00

What keeps people motivated are new ideas and activities, tiny bite size achievable goals, praise for the right actions and activities and a fun and enthusiastic approach. When you are next working towards a bigger goal, take these points into account when drawing up your action plan. Brainstorm your ideas and keep them handy, set yourself small bite sized goals, reward and praise yourself for the right behaviour and remember HAVE FUN!

I recently wrote this piece whilst I was camping, not knowing what was to follow. Then along came this brilliant idea, sparked off by a conversation with a dear friend and what has unfolded is this: http://inspiremotivatecreateachieve.blogspot.com/

It's one of my new blogs and if you haven't already checked it out, please do so and let me know what you think.

Grateful for our relationships

2010-01-14T19:46:00.000+10:00

I read this quote by one of my friends on Facebook the other day. It is by Rhondalyn Korolak and she says "We don't fall in love with someone else.....we fall in love with the way we feel about ourselves when that person is around."
It made me stop and think. To me, that is absolutely true. For all relationships. It is about how you feel when you are with that person. You know, we talk about being around like minded people because you feel good when you are. It also kind of contradicts the 'living in the present' thing as well. If you are totally present it shouldn't matter how someone else is as it is only of consequence at the moment it is happening. So I have to confess. I'm a little confused.
What I do know is you can enhance relationships by focusing on the good things about someone (or about the situation) or by simply living in the present instead of overthinking or thinking prolongingly about something someone has done or said. And this is what I choose to do.
I am very grateful for all my relationships, even the ones where I have the most learnings......how grateful are you for your relationships? When you are lying in bed, preparing for sleep, think of someone who is very special to you. Think about what you are most grateful for in regards to that person and mentally, say thank you to them. If it were your family (husband, partner, children, parents etc) what would you mentally say thank you to them for? What are you most grateful for in regards to that person? You may, as previously suggested, feel motivated enough to send them a small note or some communication telling them how you appreciate them Give it a go tonight, before sleep. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic or how you feel after trying this tip. Look forward to your comments.

2010-01-04T19:04:00.002+10:00

"You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist."
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), Germany

Celebrate Similarities

2010-01-04T17:32:00.000+10:00

At this time of year, some of us have probably spent more time than usual attending group celebrations with a diverse range of people; family groups, groups of friends, acquaintenances, workmates, etc. When you are mixing in a group, you can easily become aware of many differences within that group; points of view, likes and dislikes, temperaments and dispositions, routines, personalities, etc. At times, your immediate, impulsive reaction to this is to judge, gossip and berate. To accept that others are different to you and to rejoice that variety is a challenging yet satisfying place to be. It also allows you to celebrate when you find similarities.

How was your festive season? Were you accepting of others? Did you relax and let it all go over your head?

I hope you had a fantastic New Year beginning. Are you starting to focus on your goals for the new year/decade? I am thinking of blogging some ideas for setting goals and creating focus so you can achieve your goals more readily. Would you be interested? Let me know some questions you would like some suggestions for and I will attempt to answer them or find the answers.

Christmas Wishes

2009-12-24T17:01:00.000+10:00

I trust that at this time of the day, the presents are almost all wrapped, the groceries are in the fridge/pantry and the drinks are being chilled. If you have managed to put any of my tips into practice, this year, I hope it has culminated in a calm, peaceful lead up to Christmas. If not, aim for that tomorrow.

Christmas is the time of year many worry and stress. Does it really matter? If you don’t have it or you haven’t made it, how much difference is it going to make to the overall day? If you are focusing on the moment and enjoying each minute as they pass tomorrow, the only thing that will matter is that minute, and what’s happening in that minute.

So relax, enjoy, and take the time tomorrow to absorb the children’s faces as they unwrap their presents, be totally present when your partner wishes you Merry Christmas and gives you a big hug and as many families only get together on this special day, enjoy being present in your families company for such a short time.

I also want to wish you a very merry and safe Christmas from myself and my family. And have a Happy New Year. It’s the start of the new decade and as my Dad used to say, whatever you are doing on New Year’s Day you will be doing for the rest of the year so make it a good one! (I know that’s not exactly true. I do like to hold that thought for a while on New Year’s Day though!)

Tips for making tomorrow peaceful and calm:

What do you want your Christmas Day to look like? What do you want it to feel like? What would you like to be doing? What do you want to smell? What do you want to taste?

To help you achieve the type of day you desire tomorrow, try visualizing it before you go to bed tonight. What action will you need to take to make that happen? Do you need to write yourself some notes about what has to happen tomorrow? Do you need to let anyone else know what your plans are or maybe what they can do to help? If there is something you don’t have, what can you use in place of that? Is it best left out altogether. What do you have that you are grateful for?

Remember, peace and calm is the key to happiness today, tomorrow and each day after that. Take action now to ensure a peaceful and calm tomorrow.

No New Posts?

2009-12-16T10:33:00.000+10:00

Just thought I would quickly pop in to let you know I am on holidays in Western Australia. I have absolutely had many challenging situations with living in the now. I am enjoying the challenge. It's also been fun to consciously revisit the past. I am staying with my sister and we have had many fun times in the past and some of these have come flooding in during our many wonderful conversations.
One of the most magical totally present moments have been watching as a Facebook friend, Rae Threnoworth from Blue Element Photography and Rae Marie Photography, took photos of my sister, her daughter (my niece) and her grandaughter at sunset. I snapped some photos also, of course, of the sunset and my sister and her family on the beach. To watch the sunset over the water is truly magical for someone who lives where the sun rises over the water. Here is a link to Rae's website: http://www.blueelement.com.au/index2.php and here is a link to the first of the photos on flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/raenbow/4187355762/ . Rae definitely has a gift at capturing natural beauty.

Expressing Gratitude

2009-12-03T15:38:00.000+10:00

At this time of the year, it is very easy to get caught up in the preparation and excitement of Christmas and to forget about the things and people we are most grateful for all year through. When was the last time you verbally expressed to someone your appreciation or gratitude? When was the last time you showed your gratitude or appreciation with a note or card to someone special(and Christmas cards don't count!). Who would be the first five special people you would like to verbally express your gratitude to? What's stopping you? There's no time like the present.

Are you a multi tasker?

2009-11-27T05:26:00.001+10:00

Well, it's getting to be a busy time of the year. With many tasks requiring completion, sometimes it feels almost as if they all need to be done at once. And so you step up the skill of multi tasking.
BEWARE! Do you get to the end of another multi tasking day, collapse in a heap on the sofa or your bed exhausted? Multi tasking not only can decrease the results of the task, it also zaps your energy. Not to mention the fact that the quality of your time spent doing these tasks will also be reduced (you won't enjoy any of the things you do) because you will be having difficulty staying in the present. You will be focusing on all the things you are doing at once rather than that one thing, kind of like a juggling act. I understand the feeling of being overwhelmed as I have felt it many times before and was starting to feel that this week, then I brought myself back into the present, stopped focusing on EVERYTHING I had to do and focused on one task and that feeling went away. So how can you reduce your tasks or change your situation so you can enjoy everything you do and have a peaceful and calm life, even at one of the most busiest times of the year? Here are some key questions that might help you to make some changes:
Could you set some personal policies around times that are only for your family or tasks or work? Could you trust your gut instincts and say 'no' to those invitations your really not passionate about? Could you block out days for Christmas shopping or regular tasks and say 'no' to anything else that comes along on those days? Could you pass some of the tasks to other people? Could you just simply stop thinking about those things and focus on the present and manage events in your diary?
If all else fails, give me a call. I'm happy to help you gain some peace and joy over the festive season (and any time of the year really!). So remember, living in the present is the key!
Remember this quote from Joan Rivers:
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is God's gift, that's why we call it 'the present'.

International Men's Day

2009-11-19T13:46:00.000+10:00

Today is International Men's Day. What can you do to to say thank you to that special man in your life; be it husband, partner, father, brother, son, Father-in-Law, Grandfather, friend, boss, employee, workmate, etc. Let them know how grateful you are to have them in your life today.

Here is some special info about International Men's Day and a link to the website.

International Men's Day began on November 19th 1999 in Trinidad and Tobago and was supported by the United Nations. The event received wide support from men's groups in USA, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. Speaking on behalf of UNESCO, Ms. Ingeborg Breines, Director of Women and Culture of Peace said, “This is an excellent idea and would give some gender balance.” She added that her organisation was looking forward to cooperating with organisers of IMD.

Objectives of International Men's Day include a focus on men's and boy's health, improving gender relations, promoting gender equality, and highlighting positive male role models. It is an occasion for men to highlight discrimination against them and to celebrate their achievements and contributions, in particular for their contributions to community, family, marriage, and child care. The November IMD is a significant date as it interfaces the popular 'Movember' charity event and also with Universal Children's Day on Nov 20 with which IMD forms a 48 hour celebration of men and children respectively, and of the special relationships they share.

The ability to sacrifice your needs on behalf of others is fundamental to manhood as is honour. Manhood rites of passage the world over recognise the importance of sacrifice in the development of Manhood. Men make sacrifices everyday in their place of work, in their role as husbands and fathers, for their families, for their friends, for their communities and for their nation. International Men’s Day is an opportunity for people everywhere of goodwill to appreciate and celebrate the men in their lives and the contribution they make to society for the greater good of all.

During the past ten years methods of commemorating International Men's Day have included public seminars, classroom activities at schools, radio and television programs, Church observances, and peaceful displays and marches. The manner of observing this annual day is optional; any organizations are welcome to host their own events and any appropriate forums can be used. Early pioneers of IMD reminded that the day is not intended to compete against International Woman's Day, but is for the purpose of highlighting men's experiences. Each year a different theme is highlighted, such as peace in 2002, men’s health in 2003, sacrifice in 2008, and positive male role models in 2009. In consultation with organizers from other nations the following broad objectives of IMD are observed:

• Celebrate manhood and the wonderful positive and valuable contributions our men, young men, and boys make to our communities and to our societies

• Promote and Support gender equality, encouraging men to address responsibly and positively the challenges facing them in society

• Demonstrate strength of character and courage in meeting the challenges that men face in society and in contributing to building stronger and better communities, where people can be safe and grow to reach their full potential.

• Highlighting positive male role models, not just movie stars and sports men but everyday, working class men who are living decent, honest lives.

International Men's Day is celebrated in Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Australia, India, Italy, United States, New Zealand, Moldova, Haiti, Singapore, Malta, South Africa, Ghana, Hungary, Canada, China, and the United Kingdom. Join us on November 19 in celebrating the contribution men make to those around them, to their family and friends, their work place and the community, the nations and the world.

Dads4Kids is honoured to host the Men's Day website and we invite you to join the global celebrations. Please feel free to roam and read the IMD history sections or to contribute to our world forums or planning blogs as we launch toward the 2009 events. Anyone is welcome to quote material from this website (attribution to this website is required), as well as free and open use of our logo and access to IMD promotional kits.
Check out info on International Men's Day here:
http://www.internationalmensday.com/

Better Relationships

2009-11-18T05:49:00.000+10:00

What do you focus on when having a conversiong with your family, your friends or your colleagues? What about acquaintances and prospective clients? I used to focus on what my feelings or experiences were. For example; if someone was telling me about what they did on the weekend, instead of listening to their words and what they were saying, I was constantly thinking of other stuff. So not only did I remember less about that person and their life, I also had reduced, self centred relationships.
Today in your relationships, whatever sort they are, try focusing on the person who you are speaking with and their words. Try providing them and your conversation together, with your undivided attention. Then when it is appropriate to share, you will be able to share the right thing, idea or the right feeling as it will be present just simply from listening. Notice what happens with the energy between you and that person.
I would love to hear your comments about what you noticed and how you felt, and if at all it changed anything for you. Have a fun day!

Black & White?

2009-11-10T20:36:00.001+10:00

Some people believe there are two types of people when it comes to change. One type love change and thrive on it. They do all they can to bring about change whenever and wherever possible. The other group, of course, are the opposite. Change scares them. In fact, they do all they can to avoid change, sometimes at all costs.
There is, however, another group. The grey area, you might say. This group of people strive to change things they can and should change and they also have the ability to recognise things they shouldn't change. They let these things roll along. Trusting their intuition, enjoying the ride. Which group are you in? Is this the group you would like to be in? If not, what could you do to be that person? Do you need help to become that 'type' of person in regards to change?

The Art of Saying No

2009-11-05T19:38:00.001+10:00

An interesting thing just happened. Earlier I spoke with a friend on the phone. Her life is extremely busy at the moment and things are quite overwhelming for her. She is taking some steps to change this and she told me that one of the steps is to say no to things; events, requests etc that she doesn't get an immediate positive feeling or positive 'gut reaction' from. I likened this to actually listening to her intuition.
When I had finished the call, I wanted to start my latest blog post and was looking for inspiration for the post in that new book I wrote about previously called "1001 Ways to Live in the Moment"by Barbara Ann Kipfer. I thought I would write about whatever page I opened up at. Low and behold if the page I opened up on wasn't about the art of saying no!
What Barbara says about the art of saying no is that there are two sides of living in the now. One is to look for and take the best opportunities that come your way. The other is to say no to anything that comes your way that works against what you stand for or goes against your values or gives you that negative 'gut reaction'.
Something I have been working on with my clients is setting yourself some personal policies around trusting this feeling and living in the now so you can actually notice what this gut reaction is and then make a decision.
We talk about manifesting the life we want. Quite often we are living too much in the past or the future to be able to see the opportunities happening for us now that will help us manifest what we want in our lives. Example: You are stressed and constantly worrying about what you haven't achieved. You are sick of being stressed but don't know how to change it. The kids(insert partner, family, friends here) are always nagging you to go and have some fun with them. Can't they see you are really stressed and busy.......
If you just stopped all the thoughts running through your mind and lived in the present, you would see the opportunity to change your life to what you want (more fun) is right there in front of you. What's stopping you now? If it's just a matter of taking that first step, find someone who can help you and motivate you to take that first step. The steps after the first one will become easier and you will have fun! Trust me!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2009-10-31T23:59:00.003+10:00

Fact or fiction?

2009-10-29T14:17:00.000+10:00

I wanted to share a tip which was just given to me by the lovely Leiza. It is in regards to when your mind is making 'stuff' up. What does that mean? Well, you know when your friend says they will call you back and they don't. Then, you start thinking they didn't ring me because........(they don't like me, I've done something to uspset them, they are sick, etc).
Leiza asks herself this question; Is it fact or is it fiction? That is a great question, isn't it? Do you have proof? Usually the answer is know. Go with the facts. They haven't rung you back because they haven't rung you back. It's as simple as that. Thanks for sharing, Leiza.
What do you think about this question? Leave me a comment or contact me direct. You might have another great one to share.

Working in the 'Now'

2009-10-28T14:12:00.000+10:00

I had a bit of a revelation yesterday. Most of my blogs are about how, as a person, you can utilise living in the present to create a peaceful and calm life. In my coaching business, I coach individuals (who, incidentally are usually owners of small businesses) to bring peace, calm and fun into their lives. After hearing someone's story today, I have realised the importance of linking the two; living in the present and getting more from you work.
I, personally, discovered living in the present as a fantastic tool to increase the success of my coaching. I have a practice I use before my coaching sessions to ensure when I coach, I am totally present and fully focused on each and every client and their own agenda (not mine or whatever is happening in my life at the time). I never made the connection before though, of how this could benefit others in businesses other than coaching.
So, I hear you ask, what was this story I heard? I heard about a guy who owns his own business and used to constantly take his work home; constantly thinking about work no matter where he was. To avoid thinking about work other than at work, he created a practice of writing a 'to do' list of things he has to do the next day, before leaving work and then he does a sort of 5 minute "meditation" if you like, where he just focuses on his breathing and nothing else. Then he goes home to his family and feels life is much more fun as work stays at work. It removes the constant stress from his life and he feels much more relaxed.
That is when I realised the practice of being present at work for everyone could have loads of benefits. What would being present at work mean for you? Would it mean closing more deals? Would it mean making less mistakes and thus increasing productivity? Would it mean you might actually enjoy work? I would love to hear what this could mean for you. Please email me or comment on this blog.

1001 Ways to Live in the Moment

2009-10-16T06:13:00.000+10:00

by Barbara Ann Kipfer. It's the title of a new book I have found. I thought I would love to share bits and pieces as I get to them. In the introduction it talks about what living in the now is (and isn't). I love the description it gives; "Living in the now, for a mature being, is about appreciating the passing moment as a fundamental of existence, accepting whatever comes our way, whatever we cannot change-including our own aging."
It also goes on to say it's not about our possessions, people, habits or past times. The writer also says that it's about being positive, not about living in the past (or being overwhelmed by nostalgia or regrets is how it is put in this book) or having delusional hopes or anxieties.
It also talks about 'Clock Time'. If you have read 'The Power of Now' you will be familiar with this phrase. Clock time , Barbara says, is an artificial order which we have put on the organic flow of experience. As we all know, 'Clock Time' can rule our lives, if we allow it. In coaching, something people often seek is 'Time Management' skills. Some find Time Management is important however sometimes with strict time management, we lose our freedom. The freedom to 'be' ourselves. Isn't that what being totally present is all about. Just being?
Take some time out for yourself today to just 'be'. Rest not rust! How can you change your busy schedule today to fit in 5 or 10 minutes of 'being'? If you are out and about in the car today, stop off at a park or the beach or some other place you love and just 'be'. If you are working in retail or in an office, maybe it might be on the way home from work this afternoon or during your lunch break. Kids at home today? Maybe they could practice 'being' with you. They are sometimes experts at 'being'. Maybe tonight when you get home you can go outside and lie down in your backyard and look up at the stars and just 'be'. There are lots of simple ways to 'be'. Grab yourself 5 or 10 minutes and love what you get from that time. In a busy world, often it's the simple things that make our day peaceful and calm.

Can exercise help to stop stress and worry?

2009-10-07T21:24:00.000+10:00

In a survey by the University of Sydney, they say absolutely! There are many benefits. The first is probably the most obvious; being physically fit and healthy which in turn increases self-esteem. Exercise also releases endorphins which are kind of like a happy drug for the body, making you feel calm and exercise also burns up the stress hormone call 'cortisol'. Muscle tension and headaches can also be relieved by exercise, especially if that includes stretching. And what happens when you exercise, you usually get a more restful sleep. It increases your metabolism, makes you concentrate (or live in the present) whilst you are doing that task and therefore you have an almost forced break from stress and worry.
So what can you do? Well, if you haven't exercised for a while, you won't want to run a marathon. Start with light exercise, something that you feel is within your capabilities. Perhaps a light walk. Of course this isn't going to make you feel like Mr or Mrs Universe today, but you will notice a change. Now that it is coming into summer, it might be a great time to go for a swim or do some water aerobics. If a gym is more your cup of tea, many gyms are offering specials now coming into summer. They will also advise the best program for your ability. Get your pushbike out and go for a ride, bring the kids or partner if that makes it easier to fit it in or maybe more fun. Or maybe ask a friend to join you. All these things will get you moving at your own pace and help you move toward a more fun, relaxed, calm life. Remember, if you have any health issues or are unsure, get yourself checked out by a medical professional before you start.
If motivation or dedication is the struggle for you, that's where I can help. That's what I do. I help people to free themselves from stress, worry and guilt so if it's motivation you need or direction or perhaps persistence, call me.

Get Happy!

2009-10-04T23:29:00.000+10:00

When you have a spare 8 mins, have a listen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umxO5YK5NSU&feature=related

Is your mind running the show?

2009-10-02T21:23:00.000+10:00

Many of us who are completely identified with our mind, feel incomplete. Our unhappiness is driven by our mind telling us over and over again just how incomplete we are.
I will be successful if I have a mansion on the hill. I will be happy when my kids do what I want them to do. I’ll be satisfied when my husband/wife/partner says ‘sorry’ or buys me a particular gift. I will feel fulfilled when I get my next promotion. I’ll be better when this is all over/life is back to normal. Have you heard your mind saying any of these things?
Perhaps some of those things have even happened for you and you experienced feeling success, happiness, fulfilment or better but only briefly. Then it was gone and you were back to being unhappy again. Perhaps the feeling seemed bottomless.
Whilst you allow your mind to feed you these negative random thoughts, this pattern will continue. It’s basically similar to a craving for something. The mind has cravings mostly with external things, possessions and status; things like the assets you have or want, your career, your social life, what you know, how you look, what you can do, your relationships, your history, the list goes on.
None of these things ‘are’ you. They are ‘things’ that your mind identifies with.
By living in the present and switching the mind off when not required for action, you can be happy right now. You have everything you need. You are everything you need; physically and mentally speaking.
For this concept and others relating to living in the present, please refer to ‘The Power of Now’ by Eckhart Tolle.
This is from my my recent newsletter. To sign up for my newsletter, please go to my profile and send me an email.

Top 25 Positive Philosophy Songs

2009-09-28T19:44:00.000+10:00

I came across this list on the net of the top 25 positive philosophy songs(at Rhapsody Music http://www.rhapsody.com/home.html). Thought I would share them with you. I downloaded them and made myself a cd-happy philosophy music that goes anywhere with me really!

Three Little Birds By Bob Marley
What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong(of course!)
All You Need is Love by The Beatles
Ac-cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive by Ella Fitzgerald
Put a Little Love in Your Heart by The Isley Brothers
Love Train by The O'Jays (OK?)
Heart of Gold by Neil Young
What's Going On? by Marvin Gaye
A Beautiful Morning by The Rascals
Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves (try putting that on your headphones and walking slowly-impossible!)
Simple Man by Lynryrd Skynyrd
I Can See Clearly Now by Johny Nash
The 59th Street Bridge Song by Simon and Garfunkel
Peace Train by Cat Stevens
Isn't She Lovely by Stevie Wonder
Beautiful Day by U2
Don't Worry, Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin (of course, that's why it's the name of this blog and my ring tone and on my business cards etc)
Thank You For Being a Friend by Andrew Gold
Lovely Day by Bill Withers
Top of the World by The Carpenters
Dancing in the Streets by Martha and the Vandellas
Everyday People by Sly and the Family Stone
Hold on Tight by Electric Light Orchestra
Don't Stop Me Now by Queen
Definitely some 'oldies but goldies' on there. Let me know if you can think of anymore, maybe even some current ones. I'm thinking of 'Like it Like That' by Guy Sebastian and 'I Gotta Feeling' by Black Eyed Peas.
Got any more?

Another passion of mine

2009-09-27T11:57:00.000+10:00

Yesterday, a friend of my husband's asked if I could be the 'official' photographer at his 50th birthday celebrations. I was extremely happy to do this as I love being behind the camera and taking photos of things is my way of recording the memories. It helps living in the now as you have photos and dvd's to remind you and you don't have to store the memory in your mind (where over time the image and memory changes anyway).
Taking photos for me is also a fantastic way to observe people. You actually have a reason to do it. I enjoy taking photos of people when they aren't watching you so they are at their most natural and relaxed. Well I took over 250 photos just in one afternoon (the beauty of digital, hey!). And I have now downloaded them onto my laptop, cropped and corrected exposure where necessary and made them into a movie by also adding music and created a dvd. It's the guy's birthday tomorrow so I would love for him to have the dvd for tomorrow so he can watch it with the people who will be celebrating his actual birthday with him.
Thanks for the opportunity to be your official photographer, Fong. I loved it!

There's nothing like a change!

2009-09-26T21:45:00.000+10:00

A big thanks to Lady Di for referring me to Cutest Blog on the Block where I got this fantastic background. Certainly has changed the look of things!

World Peace Day

2009-09-21T08:34:00.000+10:00

Well, I've had it marked on my calendar for some time now. I read about it last year on about the 22 of September, I think. I have been waiting all year to enjoy it. There are lots of things happening in Australia to promote World Peace Day. What can you do to share in the celebrations of this day? Here is the link to the world peace website:

http://worldpeace.org.au/world_peace_day.asp

I have decided to email some world leaders and, well I am messaging and blogging many people to let them know. What will you do? I would love it if you commented on my blog or emailed me to let me know.

Have a very peace full day!

It's what you think!

2009-09-15T19:46:00.000+10:00

You know, I'm not a doctor or a mental professional. I'm a coach. I coach people to lighten up in their lives and to take the little things in their life a little less seriously. I coach people to release the need to control everyone and everything in their lives and to see where it takes them. I coach people to achieve goals and to complete study. I coach people to create and build small businesses. You want to know what the single most common thing they all talk about? They all talk about what they don't want in their lives. They all spend mountains of time focusing on, talking about, dreaming of and repairing all the things they don't want in their life. People speak to me about their overwhelming position and are at their wit's end with their situation, whatever that is. It never fails to amaze me that the one most single reason why people are unhappy, is that they think unhappy thoughts; about the things they don't want in their life.
When was the last time you looked in the mirror and thought to yourself, "You know, you're a bit of spunk!". When was the last time you said to yourself "you know, today was a job well done." When was the last time you celebrated anything you have done in your life? I don't mean celebrate as it drink alcohol or overeat, I just simply mean celebrate. It could be as simple as having a bath at the end of a really busy day and saying to yourself, "you worked really hard today and you deserve a nice long hot bath" or it might be having a beer and revisiting all the great things you achieved that day. If you were to think of 3 things you did well today, what would they be? How could you celebrate those things? Try doing this every day this week and see if you notice anything change in your life. You might even need to do this for much longer than just one week to notice any changes, I guess it depends how entrenched you are in the negative thought patterns.
If you want good things in your life, think good thoughts. Think about all the good things you do and have in your life. If you are having trouble moving from living in the past and being anxious about the future, focus on the positive. If you find yourself thinking about the things that have happened to you that you didn't want to happen, start asking yourself "So what do I want?". Put some action around these ideas. Make some changes toward getting what you want in your life instead of dwelling on what you don't want. It is amazing how quickly life changes. And if you are finding it challenging to stay motivated, look me up, give me a call and let's chat.

See what you can do

2009-09-07T16:15:00.000+10:00

I wanted to share with you a testimonial I received today from a friend of mine who is living in the UK. I love hearing news and comments like this. As a coach and as a person, I love hearing how amazing people do things to make the changes in their life they want to make. And I love sharing their excitement at what their life now holds for them. So thanks for sharing this with me, Alicia.

Hello jillbrown...just read your latest blog, always enjoy reading what you have to say, you put a link to jack canfield in a short time ago and i listened to it about 3 weeks ago and signed up for his monthly newsletter anyway to cut to the chase, THANKYOU !!! went on a holiday a week in tenerife, needed some heat, dont get any here in the uk, had a fab time, lots of time to think, i have enrolled in an access to nursing degree course....thought i had to stay in england forever cause now have nothing to come back to aus for, got home from holiday to a phone call from jacks coaching team, had a one hour session, bought the book Success Principles working through it and WOW.... it all makes sense and the sessions i had with you....now i get what you were saying, do i accept 100% responsibility for where i am ... so to move on i will be back to australia to do my bachelor of nursing, by this time next year and hopefully to have some coaching from you, lots of love xxx Alicia

A coach isn't for everyone

2009-09-01T12:19:00.000+10:00

As most of you may (or may not) know, I like to interact with social media sites so I'm sure it comes as no surprise when I tell you this blog was inspired by reading tweets on twitter. The tweet I am speaking of is a quote and comes from a person by the name of Gary Keller. I tried to do my own research of this person but came up with nothing. I guess really it's irrelevant to what I am about to say anyway. The quote however is very relevant. It is 'A coach isn't for everyone-you must RESOLVE to be pushed'.
It ties in with something that a friend of mine has recently said to me. She said 'I didn't see what you did as important. I just thought if you had a problem you worked it out.' What has now happened unfortunately is things in her life have become overwhelming and we have been working through some things together to help her see the little ray of light at the end of the tunnel. It's a step by step process. I keep going back to the old saying 'How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.' And that is exactly how a coach helps their clients get things in order. One step at a time. And is a coach for everyone? Well as Gary Keller says, only if you are ready to move forward. My friend could stay in the past and focus on the hurt or what is now missing or what she used to have, but she is going be brought into the future no matter what. She can either go kicking and screaming and getting dragged there or she can start thinking about what that future might hold for her and start a little bit of dreaming about what she wants it to look like.
I have worked with clients before who I had done pro-bono work with (complimentary sessions, basically). Most of these clients were grateful for those sessions and used them to the make the changes they felt were necessary. I have found though that clients who are paying clients are much more ready to be pushed and ready to move ahead in their lives. You really need to have absolutely had enough of what you have been having, to get to this point though. And truly want something different in your life. Are you sick of lying in bed at night worrying and missing out on sleep? Are you sick of that constant running feeling inside? Do you wish your life was more organised? Do you wish you could lose weight? What is stopping you from just 'working it out'?(quoting my friend). If you want to change something because you know it's just not right or just not working, I would love for you to call. That's what I do! Are you ready to be pushed?

Green Smoothies-What the?

2009-08-23T14:06:00.001+10:00

Recently, an acquaintance of mine, told me she had decided to eat only raw foods and as part of that diet, she said she had got a hold of some 'green smoothie' recipes. She told me what was in them. I said 'yuk, that sounds horrible'. She assured me they tasted just like fruit. Last week, I felt sick and I thought to myself 'I reckon I need to dose up on green vegies to help me get a health boost'. What I usually do is eat baby spinach in a huge salad for lunch but as I was unwell, I really couldn't be bothered to get up off the couch and do that, so I was trying to think of easy ways to consume lots of baby spinach.
Then I remembered the conversation I had had with my friend and contacted her to get the 'recipe'. I began straight away on the Wednesday (day two of feeling unwell). I had two green smoothies that day (quick to make-about 5 mins total I would say) and the next day when I woke up, I cancelled all my appointments for the day, made myself a huge green smoothie and hit the couch. Slept most of the day, mind you! In between sips of green smoothie of course. And what do you know. I woke up Friday, with only a hint of what I had had. I was feeling so much better in fact, that I was able to get up and about and do the chores etc that I had had to reschedule from the previous day plus what I had on the agenda for Friday. Mind you, I was driven by the fact that I have a scrapbooking retreat coming up and plenty to do in preparation for that and need to be as healthy as ever.
This morning I was woken up by my son sneezing at 5 am with all the symptoms, and as I had to be gone by 7.30, I got up and made him and myself a green smoothie. My friend had promised me that her children really enjoyed the green smoothies so I put it in a cup (with a lid because it looks horrible) and asked him just to sip it. Three sips were enough for him. He had had enough. He didn't like it all. I guess you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him enjoy it!
So what is a green smoothie? Well basically, it's roughly 2 cups of fruit (any fruit really or any combination) with all the yucky bits removed (core, tips, stalks, seeds, whatever), in a blender with a large handful of greens (I only used baby spinach as it is what I had in the fridge and I believe it is the green with the most nutrients). Wizz it in a food processor or blender until it all sticks to the sides then gradually add 2 cups of water (or enough at least to make the mix resemble a smoothie consistency). I put mine into a 'Thermos' cup (with the lid on as I mentioned before because it doesn't look that appetising-it's green for goodness sake) and then I sip it. I have been having them for breakfast and am back to feeling great. I might even continue having them to keep up my 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegies per day. As it's blended and not juiced, you also get all the fibre as well.
These are the fruit mixes: I have had green apple, strawberry & banana, berries(that was a bit bitter), also recommended are pear & parsley, apples & lemon juice, peaches, mangoes, grapes & mango, orange & mango, mango & pineapple. I was thinking you could do watermelon as well with summer coming up(or is it already here? It feels like it today).
So you see, as far as fruit goes you can use whatever is in the fridge. Well, if you are feeling a little under the weather anytime soon, get the blender/food processor out and grab some baby spinach and some fruit and wizz to your heart's content. A quick easy nutritious meal when you are feeling poorly, if nothing else!
You can check out more here: www.GreenSmoothieRevolution.com/blog

2009-08-13T13:29:00.000+10:00

When I was driving home today, I heard on the radio that today is national marriage day. The announcer on the radio was saying something along the lines of you better give your hubby or wife an extra kiss today because it's national marriage day. It got me to thinking about marriage and in particular my own.

There are two pieces of information that I wanted to share here which I have found to be very helpful in keeping my marriage feeling like it's national marriage day everyday(well almost!). One comes from the Guru, Dr Phil. He says a lot of people wake up in the morning and from the moment they open their eyes they are thinking or looking for things in their partner to be improved. I know I've been there. He recommends turning that around to think what can I do to help my partner today? (or what can I do to make my partner's life happier today?). I'm not talking about necessarily 'doing' more, it could be something as simple as a smile when you first see him (instead of the usual growl!).

The other piece of information comes from a dear friend who once told me in her marriage, her and her husband have agreed to never speak badly about the other to people outside the marriage. They have an agreement to always communicate the issues between them in the hope to get the issues resolved. Obviously this wouldn't apply if you were seeking professional coaching or advice. I'm talking about the issues you sometimes share about your partner to your girlfriends or mates where you and your partner didn't agree and you feel the need to 'bitch'.

So Happy National Marriage Day!

The Good Doctor

2009-08-11T23:15:00.000+10:00

I was very proud of myself. I took advantage of a special offer and purchased heavily discounted tickets to go see one of my all time favourites, Dr Phil when he was in town on Friday night. Firstly, I have to tell you, I purchased the last Dr Phil T-Shirt in Australia and think I'm pretty lucky. My son tells me it's far too big for me and it makes me look fat. Care factor-nil. It's not like I'll be wearing my Dr Phil T-Shirt to the disco!
Now love him or hate him(and from what I know about people, they only fall into two categories when it comes to Dr Phil), he has some clear messages on all things from kids and families to taking care of your partner and having a successful life.
For me, Dr Phil reiterated lots of things I already knew about. Things like, How's that working for you? You know if you keep doing the same thing you will always get the same results. Why would you do the same thing and expect different results and he likened it to someone continuing to bang their head up against a brick wall (haven't we all felt like that at one time or another) and instead of stopping it and doing something else, just continuing to do it and expecting the pain to go away.
He also talked about Personal Truth which I will talk more on at another time along with 7 laws to success and other things. Again, it's probably all things that you have heard before, but by heck it's great to be reminded. And you know what? I actually found Dr Phil to be as funny as a comedian. Probably the raw truth in what he was saying. When I left my belly and my jaws ached from laughing. So that in itself are the tell tale signs of great night. Thank you Dr Phil for a great night out!

Journey into Gratitude Retreat

2009-07-28T16:16:00.000+10:00

On the weekend I attended a retreat completely different to anything I had ever experienced before. For starters I was on the committee and we had been organising it since January. I have organised girls weekends away before but never to the point of organising activities etc. From the outset, we were determined that we wanted a retreat to satisfy all the participants. We created a vision that encompassed everything each four committee members thought were important. With that in mind, we began planning speakers, activities, gifts and many other minute details. We put loads of energy and action into achieving this event.

It was to begin on Friday at 5 pm. As you can imagine, there almost wasn't enough time in the day on Friday. However, when 5 pm came along, we were in position and relaxed to welcome guests. We hosted some fantastic presenters; we had yoga, tai chi, speed manifesting, NLP, self gratitude, painting and Indian healing. We even had time to wedge in a 'Christmas in July' thanksgiving dinner. Well after all the Saturday night was the 25th.

All along the journey of organising this retreat, the four of us on the committee maintained that if we kept focused on what we wanted to achieve it would happen. And quite simply, that is what we did. We were clear on what outcomes we wanted and we stayed focused on that. If one of us lost focus, someone else was there to restore our faith and positive thinking.

We had hiccups, definitely. Our art therapy lady cancelled her presentation a week or so out from the retreat and on the day before the retreat, we had another presenter cancel. We stayed calm and focused and it all turned out perfectly.

I guess why I am sharing this with you is not only to reinforce that if you set your goals, take action toward them and stay focused then you can achieve whatever you want or turn things around to make them whatever you want them to be but also to reinforce that sometimes you come up against things that do trigger doubt or disbelief in your ability and with assistance from a coach, you can bounce back to where you want to be in next to no time.

So remember, if you are stuck in doubt or disbelief, call me.

3 great questions

2009-07-14T09:35:00.000+10:00

Recently I read 3 great questions to start your children's day off in the right direction. It's using the Law of Attraction. I read them and thought they were great questions to start the day off for anybody. From time to time we all come across challenges in our life, most of us have more than one challenge every day. If we haven't learned to master the art of switching off the negative self talk yet, this may just be a way to help us live a better life. It certainly helps us to visualise our day and focus on what we want to have in our life. So, what are the questions?

What kind of day do you want to have today?
What kind of things do you want to have happen today?
How do you want to feel in your day today?

Simple? Easy? I have these questions on a nice piece of paper on my napkin holder on the breakfast table. That certainly reminds me to focus on what I want in my day. My son however is 9 and reading something on the napkin holder would only really happen if it had nintendo at the top! Today being his first day back at school after holidays, he kept saying he wanted to stay at home again. Obviously the holidays at our house are too much fun. I'll have to do something to change that next holidays so he wants to go back to school when the holidays are over, maybe even before!

On our drive to school I asked him the above questions. I just simply used them in our conversation. I can't wait to hear about his day today. I'm not sure if it will have an obvious instant affect. I hope so. Even if there is no obvious tangible change, it really is a nice conversation to have with yourself, your husband and your children at the beginning of the day.

So what kind of day do you want to have today?

These trying times?

2009-07-09T18:14:00.000+10:00

Each day, I hear more and more how people are 'struggling' and how 'business is slow'. Today on the news I heard our acting Prime Minister talking doom and gloom and economic crisis. Even people I know who are usually very positive are beginning to feel the negative pull into this kind of mentality. I appreciate that perhaps people aren't spending the way they used. I feel what we should be focusing on is what is good. If things are slow, are we doing everything we can to promote our business to others? Are we focused on growing our business or are we content with saying that business is slow and quiet. Let's not focus on what we don't want. If we have less jobs on than before, what do we want to have?

Here's some simple steps to get you focused in a positive way. Write a list of all the things we don't want to happen. Let's face it. It's easy to identify the things in our life we don't want. Now write a new list. Ask yourself (for each of those items on our 'what we don't want' list) so what do I want? Put that list up in a place where you will see it regularly. Do you need one for work and one for home? Focus on getting those things. Do you need to think about how you are going to go about getting those things? Perhaps an action plan or maybe even enlist the help of a friend, a partner or a coach to get those things happening in your life. Think about what you do want and get it!

An example:

I don't have many clients "So what do I want" I want more clients= What can I do to get more clients?

What you think you get!

2009-06-22T11:03:00.000+10:00

I was sitting in my office, listening to a fabulous MP3 download by Jack Canfield (you know, the guy who wrote the 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' books) and I thought there is loads of great tips and ideas in there, maybe others want to listen. So here's the link: http://www.canfieldtrainings.com/free/listen.php

I downloaded it with the idea that I would listen to it when I had more time, started to listen to check that it had downloaded properly and then got captivated by it. Hope you enjoy it. It doesn't take long to download but it takes about an hour to listen. You could always save it for a rainy day-oh that's today!
Have a fantastic week!

What is a great holiday?

2009-06-15T09:19:00.001+10:00

On the Queen's birthday long weekend, my family joined another family for a fabulous camping holiday. We left Saturday morning (very early......up at 4 am, on the barge by 6.30). We went camping at North Stradbroke Island for four days, returning home lunch time Tuesday. Fantastic weather, great company and campfires.....what more could you ask for.

While I was there, I was thinking about how relaxing it was and how I have always found camping relaxing even when I was a Bank Manager. I was thinking about how I used to find that the best holidays (best=the ones where I relaxed the most) were camping holidays. I didn't know then what I know now of course. I used to tell people that when I went camping I would relax straight away, whereas if I went to a unit or resort, I would just start to relax and it would be time to go.

Now, I would say, that in a completely different environment such as camping, nothing is routine. You are totally present even when you are washing up! You are more aware of your surrounds as there is nothing 'routine' about them. Even still now, I am completely relaxed when camping as soon as I get in the car to go there. Of course, I have learned skills to bring living in the present into my everyday life and so can feel equally 'un-stressed' at home in hectic times or at a resort.

But it is fantastic to have a short break, get in touch with nature and RELAX!

My Most Challenging Hour

2009-06-02T06:27:00.000+10:00

Look out! I've worked out how to change my font colour!
I realised this morning, my most challenging hours of switching off my mind is in the middle of the night. For some reason, I was woken very early this morning (3 am) and paid a visit to the bathroom (too much information, I know). I went back to bed with full intentions of returning to slumber (isn't that what's on your mind at 3 am). No, it wasn't to be so. My mind was 'out of control' I guess you could say. It was having a tantrum, perhaps. It was going to be heard and no matter what I tried I could not return to slumber. One of the things my mind was involuntarily thinking about was my newsletter. And the other thing my mind was thinking about was the Gratitude Retreat for which I am on the committee. So I asked myself, 'Can I take action on either of these two things?'. Unfortunately, the answer I came up with was 'Yes' and here I am at 6.30 am. Been up since 4 am! It has been a very productive two hours, however. Did you receive my newsletter? And now you are reading my blog (and in blue font at that). Have you yet heard about my coaching special for the month of June(see below)? I bet the girls on the committee can't wait to see what I have cooked up for the Gratitude Retreat! And I have a wonderfully calm morning ahead of me with plenty of time to share with my family and be TOTALLY PRESENT! So maybe getting up at 4 am has many rewards. I'll let you know at 7 pm tonight! (or maybe I'll have a Power Nap for 10 mins sometime this arvo!) Well, as always, I hope you have a fantastic day. I know I will!
JUNE SPECIAL: If you start your coaching journey in the month of June, your investment will be half of what it normally is. If your journey starts with four hours, you will save yourself $130. I expect places will fill fast, so act now! If you have any questions please contact me, I'm happy to answer.

Creative space

2009-05-22T16:23:00.001+10:00

I went away on a fabulous retreat last weekend. It was a scrapbooking retreat run by the lovely Ke-Ane at Direct Scrapbooking Warehouse. There is nothing better than creating for taking you to that place where you can just enjoy the present. To be creative, your mind really needs to be at the task to hand. You are easily able to stop your mind thinking about your worries and stresses and just relax and think only of your creation. It was very refreshing and inspiring and I came home very invigorated even though I had had little sleep. Thanks Ke-Ane and for my friend Sandra who suggested I go.

Trying it out

2009-05-15T09:46:00.000+10:00

Well this week, I found myself attending an interview for the first time in about 20 years. There were 18 positions for which there were over 200 applicants. I was really determined to put my latest skills to the test. In the past I would have been extremely nervous coming up to the interview. From about 3 days before, really. You know, fequent toileting (too much information I know), not eating too much because of a queasy stomach, all the rest that goes with that type of anxiousness. So I stayed in the present. The only time I put any time into thinking about the interview was in the morning when I was preparing for it. I chose my plan of action, reread my application and then got ready. There was a tendancy every now and then to pre-empt what was going to happen (if only I had a crystal ball) but who knows. I thought about the positive outcome I wanted and then re-focused on what was happening right at that moment (good thing I did especially driving there!). Even throughout the interview, I stayed with the moment. Remaining calm, I found it much easier to actually focus and think more clearly than if I had of allowed myself to be nervous. I even went as far to remember about using body language to help build rapport. I walked out feeling great, not only about how the interview went but also about how much better I felt staying in the present. Who knows if I'll be the right person for the position, all I know is I gave it my best shot. Enjoy your weekend. I will! I'm off to create at a scrapbooking retreat.

In the end!

2009-05-09T17:09:00.000+10:00

A wise person said to me this week, "you know you never hear anyone on their death bed saying Gee I wish I had of worked more!" How true is that? What people are usually saying is I wish I had spent more time with my ............(family, loved ones, friends, animals etc) or I wish I had of spent more time .............(camping, fishing, playing golf, talking with the kids, with the grandkids etc). These days more and more people are realising that it's not about how much you work or how hard you work, it's about how smart you work and what you do with your time when you are not at work. I'm sure we all know someone who, even if they aren't at work, they are still worrying or stressing about work or feeling guilty because they aren't at work. Or someone who started their own business so they could enjoy the things they wanted to enjoy, only to end working 20 hours a day and worrying the other four! Choose your thoughts. Don't worry, Be happy!

Peace & Calm

2009-05-06T20:00:00.000+10:00

I was thinking today in the car about my next blog and I thought maybe I should expand on the headline 'Living a relaxed, calm life without changing a thing!'

When I speak with prospective clients, they sometimes say they would need to change their whole world. When mapping out with a client, what it is they want from their life and what they want to achieve in our coaching journey, most clients say they want to live a peaceful, calm life or they want to enjoy their family/life more. 'That's all I want', they say. They talk about the stresses in their life which mostly they are unable to change(e.g. their mortgage, how busy their business/career is, their hectic family life, etc) or wish not to change as it has it's rewards. The stress doesn't come from the mortgage, the business etc, it comes from what our minds create around that. And this is what I mean when I say you can live a calm and relaxed life without changing a thing (except your thoughts).

If you think about that in relation to the Law of Attraction belief that what you think about and focus on is what you attract, worry and stress just mean that you will get more of whatever you are worrying about and stressing about in your life. Great! Just what you need! Wouldn't you like to 'unworry' (to steal a phrase) and unstress-or putting it positively be relaxed and calm?

New to this!

2009-05-01T16:31:00.000+10:00

I have started a blog as I am hoping to give tips and ideas about staying happy and enjoying life even in these tough times, or should I say especially in these tough times. Most of our life is spent worrying about things that have happened that we no longer can take action to prevent or change or worrying about things that may or may not happen in the future of which at this time we can take no action. What's the point of all this worry? It zaps our energy, it stops us from being truly happy and it churns us up. Wouldn't your life be much more enjoyable if, when you were playing with the kids you could actually BE playing with the kids instead of worrying or feeling guilty?
My quality of life has certainly become much more enjoyable and I could actually say I am now LIVING my life since my own personal coaching journey has taken me down the path of worrying and stressing less and enjoying each moment more. So stay tuned, or posted or whatever it is here.
Oh, remember to save my blog address in your favourites or become a follower so you can get regular updates, tips, etc.