THANK YOU – say it and MEAN it!!

Posted on Categories Health, Inspiration, Life skills, Power of Language, work-life balance, Working mum

We say thank you a lot. At the supermarket as we get our bags. When someone hands us something. We’ve been brought up to do it. It’s the right thing to do. But when is the last time you said THANK YOU with power in your voice, feeling it all through your bones? Because you REALLY meant it???? Have a go. Say it to yourself. Right now. For something you’re really glad about, about yourself. Come on, try. Say it again, and mean it even more this time. Now say it out really loud! “Thank you for being so xxxx”. Now again – and add a big smile. Notice what happens in your body. We have this beautiful gift we can give: saying thank you. To ourselves and to others. Noticing the beautiful aspects of ourselves and others, of life, everyday life. Of those people we share most of our time with. A gratitude journal or app will make it easy – commit yourself to starting TODAY, and continue for the next 22 days, which will take you safely into 2016. Write 10 things in your notebook every morning that you are really thankful for – in yourself, in others, … More THANK YOU – say it and MEAN it!! »

Don’t think of a pink elephant. I said DON’T think of a pink elephant.

Posted on Categories Inspiration, Life skills, Power of Language, work-life balance, Working mum

Did you know… that our brain doesn’t pick up NOT and DON’Ts? So when you say (out loud or just inside your head, to yourself) “I don’t want to be tired”, the only thing registered is “I want to be tired”. Pick a few typical examples from your arsenal of self-talk – come on, I know you have a few standard ones??! Let’s make an experiment: “Don’t think of a pink elephant”. “Don’t think of a pink elephant”. Which image immediately flicked through your head? Your brain needs to create the image of the pink elephant before it can add the don’t. Do you see the trouble that’s creating? You may have heard that what you focus on is what you get. It’s the law of attraction. The more you think and talk about something, the more it comes to mind, the more attention you give it, the more of it you get. So the more you talk and think about how tired you are, guess what? You feel even more tired! So while exactly that will be mentioned a lot in a mothers’ group, and when one says it, the others need to trump it with stories of how … More Don’t think of a pink elephant. I said DON’T think of a pink elephant. »

We need both sand and silk

Posted on Categories Inspiration, Life skills, work-life balance, Working mum

Some people are more sand than silk. They scrub you, take your edges off, teach you. So while it may be easier to be around silky people and smooth sailing, the speed bumps and rough edges can actually give you the opportunity to learn and explore other sides of yourself – and grow as a person. A good friend in sales shared with me once, how he – when he had had a really shitty customer – had come to learn to say Thank You (inside himself, self-talk – not to the perpetrator!!!). For giving him this opportunity to learn even more patience and forbearing. Learn from him: treasure the smooth rides – and appreciate the rough edges and the “sand people”, who are little litmus tests of how well you are managing your own reactions, thoughts and emotions in times of adversity – we can all be calm when it’s easy-going, right?! The more challenge and uncertainty you can handle (and still stay calm!), proves how far you have come! So celebrate silk and sand, we need them both.

That awesome 5th day?!

Posted on Categories Inspiration, Life skills, work-life balance, Working mum

You clever ones out there working 4 days a week. Can you do one for the team (that’s the rest of us, still working 5 days a week, or you poor ones out there working more!!)? Spend the 5th day intentionally on all the things that will create the future YOU. The things you need to learn more about, practice or push your comfort zone on (no, vacuuming does not count!). So, to become the person you really want to become, you MUST spend your day off preparing 100% for that, as if it was life or death! Ready? 3 rules apply: Rule #1: You have to do the vacuuming and washing during the 4 days you work, as if you were full time! When you really know what you want to change in you and your life, how wasted would it be after a month to have vacuumed your house 4 times? Versus having read, watched you tube videos or networked with people that already role model who you want to become – imagine the difference in you! Rule #2: Start today and do at least 4 weeks of thinking differently, pushing your comfort zone, going to a relevant … More That awesome 5th day?! »

Be MINDFUL in traffic – pretend it’s your darling AUNT ahead!

Posted on Categories Inspiration, Life skills, work-life balance

Be present. When in traffic, don’t get upset, create flow – think friendly thoughts, as if the idiot in the car in front was your best friend or your mum. Try to understand other stupid things in their life and day have made them stressed, give them a bit of your positive energy, hopefully the rest of their day will turn out for the better. Have you thought about how much better you feel when you have let someone in in front of you? When you used your energy to read the traffic and create some positive reactions and flow – instead of swearing, shouting and telling others off? And that’s only YOUR inner state, imagine the difference it makes to your family in the car. My husband’s grandma used to say: a gap will always appear. So when you wait to get out into a busy road, and cars just keep coming and coming, and you start listing all the things you’ll get late for and how you’ll never get out. STOP your thoughts right there. A gap will always appear. Have you ever heard about someone who NEVER got out onto that other road? Big news headline: man … More Be MINDFUL in traffic – pretend it’s your darling AUNT ahead! »

Try on the happy tail!!

Posted on Categories Health, Inspiration, Life skills

Have you heard about Cesar Millan? The dog trainer that “rehabilitates dogs and trains humans”. It became a favourite of ours for a while: our family loved watching his show, getting nasty dogs to change behaviour because of his ways – and then him teaching the humans how to be and do. Anyway, I vividly remember one episode with a literal UNDERdog, afraid, weary. Do you know what he did to get change happening? He tied up the dog’s tail! So it HAD to have a happy tail all day, and after a while it worked! Imagine us handing out back & head stretch gears to every person entering our house or workplace with looming, sulking shoulders and eyes stuck to the ground. And why not add a bit of duct tape to secure a permanent smile on their face as well? All fun and games – but they would feel happier after a while (if it wasn’t for the embarrassment of walking around with a stick tied to your back… hrm… I need to come up with an invisble invention..). But you get the point? The great news is, our mind can do this for us. Don’t need sticks … More Try on the happy tail!! »

Feel happy – NOW!!

Posted on Categories Inspiration, Life skills

When at Uni, we were setting up a big show, and had hired a famous “Theatresports” actor to come and train us. We were walking around in a circle, him shouting out commands: “Sad”! And then you immediately felt sad, feeling the drooping around your eyes, your mouth sagging, heavy, empty eyes. “Happy” he shouts, and your eyes light up, a big smile fills your face, your shoulders go back and your steps suddenly have a bounce. Then the next command was fired at us: “Angry”! Nothing. No reaction in my body. No memory jumping out from any drawers in my brain. At 23 – I just didn’t recognise that feeling. I of course faked something, but it made me silently thank my parents for having brought up my brother and I in a nearly Buddhistic way (my exaggerated take, reality: we were a totally average suburban, middle class family, dressed normally, eating normally – salt and pepper being exotic spices. Side track!!). Anyway, thanking them for always having talked nicely and respectfully. Anyway, had the command been “Frustrated” or “Annoyed”, boy, would my body and mind have remembered that instantly, but anger didn’t turn up. Stay assured: through the … More Feel happy – NOW!! »

I LOVE my morning jog – you what?????

Posted on Categories Health, Inspiration, Life skills

Yep, getting up half an hour earlier than needed. Getting into the half smelly gear from yesterday morning. Jogging through the surrounding streets and then doing 10 minutes of stretching in the street when I get back. Highly recommended!! Do you need me to start listing the advantages? Having ½ hr to yourself, at the beginning of the day, no one asking you questions. Aaaaaah. Then it’s actually healthy, you get your body to wake up – it could even just be a 5 minute walk up and down the street. Some of your great thoughts and solutions to stuff will appear out of the blue – literally. And then you actually get to know all your neighbours – the wave, the hello while you stretch that leg on a street pole more or less graciously. Ha-ha.. at least you give them a smile and something to laugh at to start their day! Weekends I jog into the bush. No phone. Just my space. So peaceful and good for the soul. And then I’ve actually come to explore a few native plants and animals as a free combo. Even talking to the wallabies now and then (kids, sorry – did … More I LOVE my morning jog – you what????? »

Snorers wanted! I mean it… seriously

Posted on Categories Inspiration, Life skills

Snorers wanted!! Female snorers, that is. Well that’s a first. Normally you only hear about snoring men, as their wives complain about them at dinner parties. Well we are quite a few females who snore as well, why don’t we ever hear about that?? A few suggestions: it’s not feminine, it’s embarrassing, it blows your perfect self-image to pieces, it would make you sound like a man, keep going – more suggestions? Anyway, a parent night at someone’s house, meeting really great people – talking about all sorts of things, not just chit-chat – the subject came up, and quite a number of us confessed!! How liberating! And it didn’t really bother me, I was never fazed by sharing room with whoever at conferences, pretty relaxed about the whole body image and sharing thing. But then, one excruciating day a year later, my friend at choir said she didn’t want to share a room on our upcoming trip, because of my snoring. What?!!! Snoring, me??? To the extent that you refuse sharing??? I did know that I had a discrete, heavy breathing. But this was BAM, in my face. Rejection right there. For your peace of mind: we are still … More Snorers wanted! I mean it… seriously »

Young GIRLS out there – listen to that inner voice!

Posted on Categories Inspiration, Life skills

Listen to your inner voice. When things go wrong for you, when you get a dent in your car, drop things or hurt your finger: it’s a gentle nod to you that you’re not listening to that inner voice. That you have been caught up in thoughts or actions that are draining you more than giving you energy, that it’s time to stop and listen. Do something good for yourself, something that grounds you. Go for a walk in nature, be silent (NO – Facebook friends do NOT need to know, this one is for YOU), just be open to what messages your inner voice is trying to get through – you have powered through not listening, so it needs to “trip you up” in bigger and bigger ways and shout to you, as long as you’re still not listening. Meditation sounds like such a Hare Krishna thing, I know. I only tried it out last year – and it’s not that dangerous!! It’s really just forcing you to be absolutely still. What is that inner voice telling you? Are you chasing fame and others’ approval, where really you could be doing all the same things you are doing, but … More Young GIRLS out there – listen to that inner voice! »