Fishy Friday

Today's Quote: "The water is your friend.....you don't have to fight with the water, just share the same spirit as the water and it will help you move." ~ Alexander Popov

Today's Question: What are you fighting against in your life and what is going swimmingly?

A Bit About Me:

There are many things that I used to fight against but these days I find myself in a much more allowing phase. I allow things to be rather than use more of my energy fighting!

When we let go and surrender (which can be a scary word for some people) it actually frees us. We allow our attachments to things go and feel way more empowered- I have seen this happen too often not to believe it.

Why live life the hard way when we can allow it to go swimmingly?

I hope you enjoy the video above as much as I did!

Daily Affirmations

Today's Quote was something I read in a great book that really resonated with me. The book was written by Cheryl Richardson and Louise Hay and you can see it over there ☛ :

When talking about affirmations and new thinking "These thoughts, words and actions produce feelings; and our feelings become the currency with which we purchase our life experiences."

Today's Question: Which thoughts, words and actions are producing great feelings in your life? Which are leaving you feeling flat?

A Bit About Me:

I would say I have (most of my life) been an optimist. I aim to see the good and perfection in everything. Sometimes I struggle with this one. There are days where I fail to see it but I still look and I think that is what I am getting at.

Every thought you have leads to an action and sometimes it can be like Jessica above where you leap out of bed and have a swell day and other times you simply want to pull the covers over your head and stay in bed.

I have started doing more and more affirmations and for me they really do work. They produce feelings I want more of. Life experiences become richer when we look at it with a happy slant!

Startling

Quote inspired by Dustin Hughes video below. Please support

Creative Commons photo above by Jim Barker

Today's Quote: "To live life so startling it leaves little time for anything else." ~ Emily Dickinson

Today's question: What is startling about your life?

A Bit About Me:

When I googles 'startling' it said Very surprising, astonishing or remarkable. I think that is a great way to live life...don't you?

So as I look over my own life right now I ask myself the same question taking the definition into consideration.

So here is the answer- I surprise myself recently with my comfort with going out and networking. I see it working and so am not so afraid of it anymore. I actually love getting out of the office now and am doing it more and more.

My life is astonishing as many many things keep falling into my lap when I ask for them (I know now, never to question that) it just simply works and now I just have to say I am going to win the lottery (what better way to help my fellow earth dwellers?).

Remarkable- well it is remarkable that when faced with challenges that used to scare me off now have me raring to go! It is remarkable also that I have so far stuck to my 90-day fitness

challenge and am actually loving it....✓

How can you make your life a startling story??

Uninspiring Habits

Creative Commons- Sebastian Ziebell

Today's Quote: "Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken."~ Warren Buffett

Today's Question: What uninspiring habit would you like to change?

A Bit About Me:

The one habit I can't seem to shake is drinking Coca-Cola Zero. Try as I might I really enjoy a glass or two during the day, especially with some salty snack. Now don't get me wrong I have worked out almost every day since January the first this year and I eat a really balanced Vegetarian diet. The coca-cola thing is so not in line with anything I value so why do it? Well I actually enjoy the feeling of the fizz in my mouth (my insides don't and they can little tolerate the carbonation) I enjoy the taste and I even enjoy the smell.

So I would say that this habit is one worth keeping as it is kind of inspiring to me.

However, if I were berating myself every time I drank a glass, if I was disgusted with myself and really really wanted to give it up then how would I go about that?

I went to a really interesting talk the other night by Jennifer McDonald on Using Neuroscience to overcome 'Bad Habits'. Now as my background is in Nursing I know some cool stuff about the brain but this talk described how our brains are involved in habit formation and in breaking a habit. It's not as simple as stating that we want something to change. Many areas of the brain are used to give up bad habits.

The one I liked the best and is closest to what I take my clients through was Gollwitzer's If-Then model and I'll briefly outline it for you to try at home.

(If situation Y is encountered, then I will initiate behaviour Z in order to reach my goal X!)

I'll use the example Jennifer gave on the night as it is a very common one. So say my goal is to lose 5kg's I must be very specific with the actions such as "If I go to morning tea and someone has brought lovely treats into the office, then I will (put in specific action you will take) in order to reach my goal of losing 5kg's".

This trigger should then interrupt the behaviour. Always have a different choice available to you.

Try it for yourself!!

21st Sep World Peace Day

Today's Quote: "It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr

Today's Question: How will you promote peace today?

A Bit About Me:

Peace is one of my highest values and I strive to promote it every day. From the littlest way to the hugest way, I bring it into being. Peace with myself starts off my day by the simple act of meditation. This allows me to carry it on into my day by giving my husband a hug with his morning smile, the words I choose to speak, the actions I choose to take, the thoughts I choose to think.

If everyone brought more peace into their day like they will this day, amazing things can be achieved. I encourage you to make your way over here and get involved in promoting peace today!

Happens in a blink

Today's Quote: "I refuse to allow life's challenges to fuel my excuses, I will instead embrace my adversity, adapt to my circumstances and use this moment as the catalyst for making the lives of others around me better. I will never stop fighting forward." ~ Dustin Hughes

Today's Question: Which of life's challenges are you using to fuel your excuses?

A Bit About Me:

I am writing today's blog post from my bed. I woke up with a really dodgy stomach (something I must have eaten...), In the same vein as Friday's post, this video link was on a newsletter written by one of my favourite authors and coaches and I had to share. Just look at all those quotes!!! I am going to be using some of these in upcoming posts.

Life can challenge us and we have a choice. I choose to embrace my gift and the love junkie in me and even though standing up and talking in front of people was never high up on my list, it is what I will embrace to get the message of conscious communication out there to the world.

Life does happen in a blink but you can impact those around you so that blink is the best it can be!!

Dancing through

Today's Quote: "If I had not seen how quickly one's life can end, I probably wouldn't have taken the steps to change my life." ~ Ney Melo

Today's Question: Are you dancing through life or are you struggling through?

A Bit About Me:

I guess I am lucky in many ways. Having a blend of nursing, coaching, adult training and business, I have seen many sides to life. I have mentioned before how I have seen people teetering on the brink of death and the words which come out of their mouths isn't "did I work well at my job, was I the best employee" or "didn't I make so much money." No, all they talk about and think about is if they loved well and were loved. Did they do the best by these people, spend enough time in life loving what they did.

So I get to ask you now- are you dancing through life or are you struggling through?

Please think about this question with openness and honesty. 9/11, the Christchurch earthquakes, Japan, illness caused by accumulated stress and recessions brings up change for many people. We seem to struggle with a lot of things and let's now think of the benefits of letting some of those go. Dance through life instead ♡

Spaces Between

Today's Quote: "Music is the silence between the notes." ~ Claude Debussy

Today's Question: Are you listening to the spaces in your own life?

A Bit About Me:

I do a lot to increase my own self-awareness so I am therefore aware of the spaces in my life. I gain great insight when I am listening to the silences between my thoughts (of which we have 60-80,000 a day). The next time you are getting caught up in your own life and taking everything way to seriously, try remembering this post or right now go and write down on a post-it "Am I listening to the spaces." Place it somewhere you will see it as a reminder to listen every now and then to the silence between your thoughts and find freedom within that space. Give yourself the gift of this practice and watch yourself transform ✿

You're Right

Today's Quote: “If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right.”~ Henry Ford

Today's Question: Have you been observing where your thinking is going? Do you have a can do attitude?

A Bit About Me:

Recently I have been struggling with this. I know a person can do anything they can dream, as long as it is based in realistic terms. Obviously if you dream of being president or prime minister but are in your 50's with absolutely no political experience- things may be rather tough but I am talking about a realistic dream that is in line with your core values.

I know I have the knowledge and smarts to run my own business yet sometimes my thinking can get in the way. It can trip me up and when I think such thoughts as "Nobody will buy my services," then will I stop myself from going out to sell??? Of course I will!!!

Therefore I am right, nobody will buy from me as they won't even know about me!

If I think with a can do attitude and say "I believe in what I have and I am going to tell people about it." It will lead to me being confident to speak about my services and may lead to a sale. I say may because as we all know, we don't get everything we want in life but we can at least go for it and reach towards our dreams and look back and say "At least I gave it my best shot."

Reach out and touch the world with your magic✳

Just Live it

Today's Quote: "Life is too deep for words. so don’t try to describe it - just live it."~ Unknown

Today's Question: Are you too busy aiming to describe that life is passing you by?

A Bit About Me:

I have been in describing mode for a few weeks now, trying to figure out how I got to be in a place that I wasn't even sure of being in. Trying to describe to my family and friends how I am feeling slightly disconnected from source lately. Slightly unsettled and shaken, like I am an ice cube in a cocktail mixer that is being shaken up and down and round and round and cannot ground myself. I have been doing all the things I usually do to aim to settle but as I am almost finding myself being still it starts again.

Life is indeed too deep for words so why do I feel like I have to explain it to myself these days? I don't have the answer but I do know that just living it even through the shakiness and unsettledness and being present to the mixture of emotions is enough for now- I am living it and I know this too shall pass......this too is spiritual.....

Congestion

Today's Quote: "Congestion, in terms of overcrowding or overfilling, clutters our life and makes a mess. Life would be simpler without it." ~ Yvonne Anderson

Today's Question: Where do you see congestion in your life?

A Bit About Me:

What I see as congestion is a cluttered desk, home, mind, garden, office. Like a traffic jam with cars nose to tip slows the speed of the traffic stream, congestion in other areas of our life does the same, slows us down.

The piece of paper you need and can't find amid the piles of paper, the room in your house nobody wishes to go in as it is chock full of stuff, the many bits of information piling up in your head and the garden which has seen better days and is overgrown with weeds.

When I get in order and assist my clients to get in order, the changes that can happen are amazingly brilliant. When we get rid of the congestion, we can move on smoothly and only work with the tools we need and get rid of the clutter and the piles which we no longer need.

I am inviting you to take me up on this CONGESTION SUGGESTION!!

1. Make a list of everything in your life that you feel is congested (garage clean out, clearing out a closet)

2. Divide this list into tasks you can do over the next few weeks (take old stuff to charity shop, have a garage sale).

3. Start doing one thing a day, even if it is only a spare 5 minutes) and do one task on your list.

4. Enjoy the easier more calmer breathing as YOUR congestion diminishes.....

As your life becomes less congested please write and tell me what new opened up for you. When we clear out the old, we make way for the new and in my experience this has happened too many times to me and my clients for it to be a fluke!!

Enjoy :)

Understand yourself

Today's Question: What are you doing to understand yourself?

A Bit About Me:

If I am in awareness, then I am able to understand myself and why I do the things I do. What kind of person I am and who I want to be. I do this by meditating, talking, thinking, connecting, journaling and processing deep inside. Sometimes I fail, sometimes I don't understand myself at all and yes in that moment life can be difficult yet I keep coming back to awareness and it is like a life raft on a rocky sea, it keeps me afloat. How can you better understand yourself?