I loved interviewing Karen Young this month. Listen to how she stumbled onto the power of support and how having the support of others helped her achieve her weight-loss goals. It will get you thinking about how support might help you achieve your diverse goals…
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I hiked through the bush yesterday to a beach full of little black pebble stones. The sun was basking down and had heated up the thousands of little pebbles surrounding me. They beckoned me. I pulled off my hiking boots and started walking around on the warm pebbles. My feet ooohed and aaaahhed in joy. Immediately the rest of body wanted some of the warmth and texture too and before long I was stretched out under the sun. AHHH. My whole body instantly relaxed.
As I lay there I thought about how many times I have tried to relax, tried to make my body let go of tension and how hard it can often be. Yet here in one moment the little pebbles had pulled all tension out of me instantly and calmly.
Nature renews us. Looking at nature helps but we need to get closer than looking. We need to connect to it. When we touch nature the magic really begins. It connects us, it grounds us.
When was the last time you let your body feel the earth beneath you and let it ground you and breath new life into every cell? Try it. Today touch nature in some small way. Let your hands brush across a lavender bush. Feel the bark on a tree. Whenever you can take your shoes off and let your feet touch the ground… run through a paddock of long grass, run on a long sandy beach,or down a dry river bank in the desert. Notice how your body lets go without even trying.
On holidays we often get opportunities to do this – that’s why we all love lying on a sandy beach. But we we need this connection with nature more than once a year on an annual holiday – we need the calming power of nature in our everyday lives too.
I have just had the most interesting interview with designer and on-line magazine founder and editor Sian Macpherson. Some people give their ideas every chance to thrive and Sian is one of those people. What stands out most about Sian is her “give it a go attitude”. Listen to this short interview for some inspiration to follow your dream pursuit whatever it may be.
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Have you ever tried to change someone else?
Just about all of us have, at one time or another. We know instinctively it doesn’t work, but we seem to keep trying to do it. It’s our approach that is the biggest problem. We tend to blurt it out and lecture them. We tackle it head on, telling them what they should do. Change is not something you can tell someone to do.
Change requires motivation; their motivation, not ours. They have to want to change and have to see the benefits in changing. Telling does not motivate others to change. All it does is make them feel attacked or judged. Read more
MAKE YOUR APOLOGY HEARD
Apologising to another person is a skill. When we owe someone an apology and we don’t apologise, over time we erode our relationship with them. None of us are perfect. Taking responsibility for our actions, not perfection, is what nourishes our relationships with the people around us.
It can take courage to say “I’m Sorry” to others. We don’t know how they will take it, nor if they will believe us. But if you care about the quality of relationship you have with that person, then taking responsibility for errors goes a long way in nurturing long term trust. Read more
Some wonderful inspiration from Patricia Kirkland to encourage us to stop worrying and do what your heart tells you to do. Its five minutes of inspiration that will get you thinking about what you have been putting off doing.
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What gets you into action? Most people don’t know what motivates them into action. Yet it is worth discovering – as it can help you make your dreams come true.
We are not all motivated in the same way. Some of us are MOVE TOWARD people. We make a change because we want something and moving towards it, gets us into action.
Others of us are MOVE AWAY FROM people. We make a change because we are sick of how things are. We don’t want to have “what we have” anymore and are motivated by the idea of moving away from our current situation or current path. Read more
Have you ever had a flat car battery? You know the scenario, you left the lights on all night and the next morning your car doesn’t start. Your car battery has been overly drained without replenishment.
No matter what you do with the key your car won’t start; you can turn it faster, at different angles or repeatedly over and over. Zip. The battery won’t recharge. You could try and leave your car for a week, give it a rest. But one week later it still won’t start. Stopping and giving the battery a break will not change the battery. No matter how long you leave it, the battery won’t charge on its own.
Stopping does not recharge a flat battery and stopping does not recharge you. You think if you stop and go on that amazing holiday thinking it will change your life. Its nurturing and it takes care of your body and mind, but don’t expect your life to change. You feel recharged for awhile, but a month later the holiday is a distant memory. You bring you back from your holiday with you; with all the same habits, thinking and behaviours.
Stopping is not enough. To recharge our lives we have to reflect on what we are doing and change on a core level.
A friend who works for the airlines once said to me “How people handle losing their luggage tells you a lot about them”.
It’s an interesting situation to be in and I must say I have arrived a few times in foreign countries only to find my bags did not arrive with me!
There is a moment of choice each of us goes through before leaving the terminal without our luggage. To accept that it did not come off the carousel or not accept it. Read more
Creative pursuits can be a wonderful source of self expression. When we are creative we become present, aligned with what we are doing and tap into our intuition. Starting a creative pursuit can teach us a lot too.To experiment. To let go of judgement. To keep going. To take things step by step. To do things for the joy of doing and not just the end result. What creative pursuit have you longed to try?