I had an eye-opening conversation with my life coach this morning (and yes, even coaches have a coach! Just quietly – one of the best things I ever did)
She asked me if I considered myself a successful woman?
I had to pause.
beneath the surface
I hit the pool yesterday. After a few laps plodding along in my lane, my breath started to even out, my body relaxed, the thoughts quietened, and the feeling of freedom I get from being in water started to wash over me.
Swimming along, I was taken by the feeling of being on the brink of two worlds – one above the water and one below.
living a life, not a lifestyle
Having a fulfilling life, not just an impressive lifestyle has been cropping up a lot lately. The whole notion of living on purpose. Being conscious about the choices we make, the way we lead our life and the type of lifestyle we get to create.
Do you know that YOU get to create your life?
authentic purpose
Why am I here?
I have done a lot of thinking, refining, meditating, and brainstorming on this question over the years. All of which has led me here, to Love Your Life. Your life purpose is not generally something that can be worked out quickly – or is it?
If you cant figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For your passion will lead you straight to your purpose.
– T.D.Jakes
the pursuit of happiness?
When I ask most clients what they want in their life, the answer is unanimous – ‘to be happy’.
I too used to say the same thing when asked this question, but now I don’t believe this is a good enough measure. It’s the first worlds dream isn’t it – ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’. But is our relentless pursuit of pleasure causing us to be miserable? [Read more…]
become selfish
‘Become selfish’. To most people this statement sounds exactly what it states – selfish. An instruction to become a naval-gasing, egotistical and self centred human being.
Selfish. A little word that comes with a WHOLE load of luggage. I’m sure we’ve all been accused of being selfish at some point in our lives, it doesn’t feel very nice does it?
my vision
I had some great me-time last week. I took my old life vision, pulled it apart and fleshed it out. I got clear on the details. It felt so real, I could almost taste it. It was so refreshing!
I get so much inspiration from doing this. It gives me clarity, excitement and a sense of drive that I’ve chosen that life, I get to create it.
urban warrior
There’s been much in the movies about female warriors. Women with bows, arrows and bravery. And thank god, it’s a refreshing change from the typical damsel in distress characters we usually see.
But what about off the silver screen in our everyday lives? How do we show courage and bravery in a world filled with such anxiety, fear and worry? We are human beings terrified of each other – what will they think? what will they say? We are so scared of people that we can barely look a stranger in the eye as we walk down the street. [Read more…]
the power of LOVE
With Valentines Day on our doorstep, I couldn’t resist writing a little bit about the best four letter word there is – L O V E.
Love is the single one word that has been written about and spoken about in the world for centuries. It is the source of pleasure, pain, comfort and sorrow. It has been the source of creative inspiration for art, poetry, film and literature. Love, I believe, is the reason we are all here. [Read more…]
what do you want?
What do you want?
A better question, first of all.
Sometimes this question can be too vague to produce a meaningful and actionable answer. To take the confusion and guesswork out of it, we need to rephrase the question, to get specific about what we want in our life.
Most people focus on the things they don’t want in life, and it comes in the form of complaint – about jobs, relationships or health/appearance. But when you ask people what they do want often all we receive is a blank stare or a vague response. We have become so used to thinking about all the things we don’t want, that it’s clouding our ability to envision what we do want.
“Life pretty much gives you what you ask from it. Most people want to feel better, have more energy or live with greater satisfaction. Yet, when you ask them to tell you precisely what it is they want, they have no answer. You change your life the moment you set your goals and start to seek out your Dharma.” – Robin Sharma
If you aren’t clear on what you want, how do you know where to start, or when you have achieved it? Without setting the goal posts, scoring is near impossible.
Focus on where you want to go in life and success will follow.
One of my favourite teachers is Susanne Conrad. She created an exercise based on the law of attraction, and it’s designed to get you clear on what you want in your life. It has been a valuable exercise for me personally, and one that I continue to use in my coaching.
It’s a great starting point before beginning to create your Vision and Goals. A way to get you clear on whats authentically important to you. I want to share it with you here so you can complete it in the comfort of your own home.
So put the kettle on, grab a notebook and get comfy. Let’s get started on creating your dream life!
The Power Of Knowing What You Want
Prep:
- Put away all distractions.
- Sit comfortably, close your eyes and take a couple of slow deep breaths down into your belly.
- I want you to think ahead to the future.
- Anything is possible.
- There are no constraints of time, money or knowledge.
- You can be, do and have anything your heart desires.
Try that for me. Really try to free your mind from the restraints of past experiences, failures, judgement. Clear any self-limiting beliefs you are holding onto. Let your imagination grow with the power of possibility. . .
Method:
- Draw a big circle on a blank page
- Inside the circle write the word ‘WANT’, outside the circle write the words ‘DON’T WANT’
- Inside the circle write everything you want in your life, and outside the circle you write everything you don’t want.
- They can be tangible things like – ‘a house in the mountains’ or ‘CEO of a company’, but also things that are intrinsic such as – how you want to feel, your character, your peace of mind. They can be big things such as ‘to cure cancer’, or as small as ‘to have my own veggie patch’. Include all of the things you want, leave nothing out.
- Brainstorm as many words as you can, just let them flow out onto the page.
- *Note – be weary of writing the word ‘happy’. We all want to be happy, but what brings you happiness? Focus on the specific activities, people, actions etc that are the cause of your happiness.
“Anyone who wishes to improve the quality of their inner as well as their outer worlds would do well to take out a piece of paper and start writing out their life aims. At the very moment that this is done, natural forces will come into play that start to transform these dreams into reality.” – Robin Sharma
- Acknowledge the words outside of the circle, and then let them slowly melt away. Feel their grip over you lessen. Feel the weight lifted and freedom created by letting go of your fears and worries.
- Now focus all your attention inside the circle.
- These are the things, feelings, activities and relationships you need to focus on now.
Keep your bubble of goodness somewhere you can see daily.
Look at it first thing when you wake up to remind yourself of what you’re committed to.
What can you do today to bring something inside your bubble to life?
“By writing out your desires and goals on a pice of paper, you send a red flag to your subconscious mind that these thoughts are far more important than the remaining 59,999 other ones. Your mind will then start to seek out all opportunities to realise your destiny like a guided missile. It is really a very scientific process. Most of us are simply not aware of it.” – Robin Sharma