That awesome 5th day?!

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!

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!!

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!!

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?????

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

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!

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! »

WORKING mums – why does that combination of words even exist??

Growing up in Denmark, I was very fortunate to never think of myself as a girl a such, or what girls could or should do. Denmark is so egalitarian (seen from the other side of the globe), both men and women drop off and pick up kids, they all work, they all cook, do the washing, become prime ministers or nurses. And kids grow up as kids, not as “girls” or “boys”. It had gone so far, that I started feeling sorry for the Danish men, having no turf left to be just men, having become so understanding of their women’s needs and thoughts, not taking space to be REAL men (what is that anyway?). But at the same time I admire them highly – for within generations to have morphed into a new species of understanding humans – not just understanding women, but understanding life and what’s important. I felt SO offended when moving to Australia and learning combinations of words I had hoped to never know: Class mum, Working mum, Soccer mum… And I nearly complained to the head master when we at Mother’s Day got a pre-printed Thank you card from our daughter from school, where she … More WORKING mums – why does that combination of words even exist?? »

Washing clothes – is it that time of YEAR again?

We do 2-4 loads of washing on the weekend. That’s it. You may think we wear dirty clothes. Well no, we just dig deeper in the drawers and the kids wear the smaller size uniform they don’t really like wearing until the next sunny day. We’re also smart using layers, so you only change the small tops underneath and re-use the outer layers. And some weekends we don’t wash at all – by choice (see my prior blog!) You will also survive not having clean linen on the beds every week/month/quarter (insert your current benchmark). Believe me. And you can live a healthy life with some dirt and spots in your life. As for sports clothes: some can be worn twice (yes!), and if it’s the kids’ sports clothes piling up: teach them to put a load on themselves. Much better. Four years back or so, when colleagues on a Monday were discussing which amazing cafes or outings they had been on for Mother’s Day, I (proudly!) proclaimed that I had made it the BEST Mother’s Day ever – by getting the kids to do all the washing. They had tried it before, but this Sunday I sat on my … More Washing clothes – is it that time of YEAR again? »

Just STAY HOME one weekend – just one!

How come some people think it’s OK to say yes to an invite – and then comes the day, they drop out? I’ve seen this happen quite a lot here, and my Danish heart goes: that’s not ON! When you say yes, it’s a yes, no excuses. Even better: say NO. It’s OK – you probably know you won’t have time/energy/feel like it, so be honest up front and decline. Do you know what’s much better? PLAN for a weekend with nothing on now and then. And driving kids to this and that doesn’t count – teach them to take the bike/bus/walk or ask another parent to car pool and take turns. You don’t NEED to be at the sideline every weekend. Really. You don’t. And I’m not mean here – I enjoy watching my kids’ activities, being there to support and see how they’re doing. But don’t ever use it as an excuse. It’s your choice – and it’s OK to plan for a weekend without you there. You may have guessed my kids now have started having 2 digits in their age. But still with small kids, you would be amazed how they would enjoy watching and joining … More Just STAY HOME one weekend – just one! »