BOOST HAS ARRIVED!

Hello – and a Happy New Year

AS THE SONG SAYS – let’s make it a good one!

I’ve been very quiet of late, but I have been busy tapping away on my computer! Finally, I am delighted to announce the release of my new book “BOOST: Lift Your Energy, Lose Your Stress, and Love Your Life!”

BOOST is all about energy—what it is and how to get more of it. Let’s face it, who doesn’t want more energy at a time when most of us are looking for better ways to live through the unsettling times Covid has brought to us – worldwide?

It’s been a tough past year for everyone, and now it’s time to explore better ways to live in the future. BOOST can show you how to lift your energy, lose your stress, and love your life despite the fear and restrictions of COVID. 

To celebrate the book launch, BOOST is available on Amazon Kindle at a limited time discount of US$0.99 until January 9, so go ahead, click on the link below and download your copy. You can also order the paperback if that’s your preference.

The success of a book is heavily influenced by the number of orders and reviews so I would be so grateful if you would leave a short review on Amazon when you’ve read BOOST.

Order on Amazon.com.au: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B08QDXCRBQ/

Order at Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QDXCRBQ/

Happy reading,

THE CHANGE WE NEVER SAW COMING!

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THE CHANGE WE NEVER SAW COMING!

Covid-19 burst into our world and turned it upside down! Who could have thought this would happen, ever, let alone in our lifetime?

Yet, within the heartache and the loss, (and yes, the fear), we are seeing little bursts of goodness. There are miles to go, yet wisdom and tolerance spring from these new pathways we tread. Learning to live and cope in a new world expunges old habits and comforts, affording opportunities for change.

Since our world is in urgent need of change, let’s make the transformation positive!

Will families learn to live more simply, becoming closer and demanding less? Can we decide to reduce our emphasis on possessions in favour of the heartfelt rewards that come from experiences shared with those we love – a family walk, a board game, making cookies together? I hope so. There are opportunities here for us, and our children, to appreciate the smaller jewels of life, rather than constantly seeking the fanfare outward distractions we have come to rely on to tickle our happy spot.

Covid-19 is a horrendous and hard-hitting reminder that our world must change. Politicians must stop denying climate change, and we must stop allowing them that denial. In short, we must own it for ourselves, each one of us, and ask, what can we do? The isolation process has offered us opportunities that may prove breeding grounds for better, healthier lifestyles. Since we can’t and shouldn’t want to go back, we must find positive ways forward to inspire and allow healing and contribution, if we are to heal our global home.

This world pandemic is, to a point, a gift, but a dire warning also as we ask ourselves “what next, what needs to change so this never happens again?

What is the message we need to get?”

Let’s leave out the fear! Instead, let’s look meaningfully at what is placed before us, and take the positives from the enforced stoppage. Resilience, utter selflessness and sacrifice walk hand in hand with creativity, kindness and generosity on this journey. Yes, there are elements of self-centredness and blatant disregard for others afoot here also, yet let us all hold that time spent in this capsule of change might serve to awaken the laggards to the reality facing us all – the reality that

unless there is change, the hurt will not go away!

Stay well, stay inspired and generous, and spend time when you can in Nature – it is the greatest healer of all, and available 24/7! Regard this isolation time as an opportunity to re-invent, regenerate and rethink how we want our world to be, post Covid-19.

The Best Gift Is You!

Hello everyone,

It’s been quite a while since I touched down on my blog page. I’ve missed you but I promise you – I’ve been busy writing! I’m looking forward to getting back on track with you.

“You CAN Have It All” –

Lift Your Energy, Lose Your Stress and Love Your Life!

The title (above) took some time to come up with but surprisingly, the moment I signed off on the manuscript the words tumbled into my head – amazing how the Universe supports us! Right now, it is in the beginning stages of being published. I’m waiting for the first samples of book cover design and the first edit run for perusal. Can’t get much more exciting than that, can it!

“You CAN Have It All” is designed to be an easy and enlightening read for those who want more from their lives than being tired all the time. There are so many people these days who carry the despairing weight of feeling that they will never see their dreams come true. The fast pace of life in the 21^st century, where technology can tend to take over our life and drive so much of every day is causing angst, depression and illness, worldwide. I wanted to create a guide that could assist people to enjoy technology without the accompanying negative outcomes that can arise from a surfeit of a good thing! My book is about finding balance, decreasing stress and lifting energy levels. It is about making the most of every day versus slamming the alarm off and pulling the covers over your head, wanting only to disappear.

I’m hugely grateful for all the angels, (and yes, you do know who you are), who assisted, guided and encouraged me in large and small ways, ad infinitum. I will never forget your generosity! You helped with suggestions, copy reading, re-reading, editing, re-reading again, and helpful criticisms. I wasn’t too good at receiving criticisms at first, but let me tell you, practise does make perfect!! Let me also acknowledge the coffee, occasional wine, and all-important laughter that fuelled me whenever my tank threatened to run dry!

Which brings me to the topic of this post.

 “Cause, you got to have friends!”

(Thanks Bette Midler)

Now what would we do without that “Yoo Hoo – anyone home”? What would we do without the phone call that promises, “I’ll only be a minute”, and an hour later we’re still talking?

Friends fill up the empty spaces in our lives. They are the padding, the cushioning, the balance, and the sounding board for all our queries and inquietudes. They will accept the sometimes fanciful, or downright incorrect thoughts and opinions that germinate in our fertile minds and in the most honest way possible will give us the lowdown on what they really think, versus what we’d like them to say!

 Good friends return our laughter and love tenfold. Our bruised hearts are safe with them, soothed with soft words of kindness until we can bear to venture out and tilt at the world again. In equal measure, a true friend will kick our butt with true honesty, challenging us out from under the weight of our sorrow, loss, our abject inadequacy, disappointment and even our anger. That friend will give us courage to move forward once more, even as we are convincing ourselves we will never move nor trust, again.

Think of the friends you have. How long have they been in your life? It seems some come in, and quickly go, yet others seem so much a part of the fabric of your every day that a life without them is unimaginable.

I do believe friends come in and stay with us for as long as we need them and they need us – and most importantly, for as long as there is an exchange of energy. It is sometimes difficult to lose them, but have you noticed that we never really lose our friends. I guess we can be very grateful for technology. No-one is ever very far away anymore, unless they choose to be!

With some, there is a strong connection that keeps us joined, no matter where we are. I’m blessed to have several friends like that – friends who will start to talk almost where they left off two, or three or even 10 years ago, and the quality of the connection to each other never diminishes through distance or time. I treasure those friendships.

So, let’s always value our friends, new or old, as precious gifts! They are the glue that holds our world together, the fabric on which we chart our journey, the trusted sounding board that allows us freedom to vent our feelings, as well as announce our wins, and the constant thread of loving acceptance that sweetens our lives. It is too easy to get caught up in the tangle of life and take for granted those who walk beside us.

Again, I thank you all for your support this past year.

AS THEY SAY – “I couldn’t have done it without you!”

The Dreams We Leave Behind!

From the moment we can imagine, we dream.

We dream because we want to believe that the fulfillment of our dreams (and yes, there are always many dreams) will make life better, even perfect. We dream big and we dream small and we can all probably agree that there is always at least one dream floating around in our mind that we would like to see come true.

Many of our dreams are fantasies, things that catch our attention – wow, wouldn’t it be awesome to have that, do that, be that. We believe that if only this, or that, could happen, life would be so much better, yet as fantasies they can live only in the ether. Without our energy to bring them alive, to harness them, they quickly die or are put in the “one day” box to wither away as other dreams take their place.

Sometimes, when an idea begs to be taken further, we will feel an adrenaline rush. The thought of it excites us and we burn hot with the anticipation of starting something new as we set out to “make our dream come true”. It could be a project we’ve always wanted to get into, or to study, do, make, or create something. Perhaps it is that “trip of a lifetime” we have dreamed of for so long. We might want to paint like Picasso, give Hemingway a run for his money, sky-dive, read palms – or maybe just delve deeper into our own soul.

Yet how many of our dreams float away and are forgotten, buried beneath the layers of our busy lives?

Our dreams can be likened to a frog jumping across a pond, from lily pad to lily pad. The frog stays long enough to enjoy a croak, reach out and snare an insect, or just to see what the world looks like from that particular lily pad, before he moves on.

Some of us are like the Frog, we can enjoy each dream for what it is, moving on when the glow fades. Some of us put all our expectations and hope into the dream – and when it doesn’t return what we expect of it, we hurt, and beat ourselves up.

Often, when we start a new project – yes, that thing we always wanted to try, it isn’t as exciting as we had expected it to be. It’s okay, but where is the WOW factor? We expected more than this and we begin to turn to other things to distract us, to fulfil that part of us that continues to want something more from life.

Sound familiar! Who hasn’t got course books, webinars saved on their computers for the new directions that looked so enticing, boxes of materials bought for the hobbies we were going to get into, (woodwork, sewing, French cooking, jewellery, painting, cactus growing – the list could get very long here), but ran out of steam before the finish line was anywhere in sight? Yes, we all have those skeletons in the closet and each one of them can be an occasion for regret – for not finishing the project, for not going further, for even starting it in the first place (what was I thinking?)

But they shouldn’t be a regret – it is good to try things. How else do we develop skills – or at least discover what is right for us? Neither a dream nor a hobby has to last forever. They are milestones in our lives that we can take on and develop as a major expression of ourselves or let go in the name of experience.

One of my earlier wannados was to trek across Annapurna in India. It was a big dream, and I toyed with it for years, but I never got there. As I got older the thought of the cold and the discomfort of staying in a hut along the way, sleeping in a lumpy sleeping bag and having no privacy diluted the dream and it faded away. I have no regrets.

I used to think I had let myself down by not trekking Annapurna but I’m wiser now and I do see things quite differently. My life followed a direction that brought me here, onto this page, and into this present time.

Annapurna was a dream. It was something for me to activate, or not, to bring to life, or not and I believe if it had been right, it would have happened. In the end there was obviously a part of me that knew it should remain a dream, in the ether, not real. I believe not accomplishing that dream was ultimately a wise decision. I’ll never know what life may have been like had I gone down that road. I may have taken a different track entirely based on that experience, but I know, deep within me, how right it is for me to be here with you, in this life, in this time.

I think life is like that, isn’t it! It’s like being on a racetrack where we have to be able to deal with what’s coming at us. We have to learn everything about our vehicle and know how to tweak the things that aren’t operating at full capacity so when hazards come towards us, we are in charge.

Too often we see the non-fulfilment of our dreams as failures, rather than wise, innate decisions to follow the better path. We give power to the negatives, churning them around and around in our minds, making them stronger and stronger. We judge ourselves for what we haven’t done, accomplished or completed instead of focussing on the positives.

When we find ourselves going down the same track over and over, dwelling on one negative point that constantly bugs us, that is a warning signal. Giving energy to one small part of our life that we have judged, often unfairly, will blow it up to where it starts to run the show – and that is definitely not a good track to be on!

So, here’s a challenge for each one of us. Let’s spread this among our friends, our loved ones, and the most important ones of all – our children!

The next time one of those negative thoughts decides to jump out in front of any one of us let’s make a conscious decision to swerve, alter course and keep going. We’ll recognise it as a self-judgement thought by the way it makes us feel – annoyed, embarrassed, weak, useless – a failure.

Let ‘s not allow that negative feeling to stop any one of us from moving forward, and let’s not get caught up in the self-judgement, the disappointment or the frustration it tries to throw at us. We know we can master it, overtake it and hold to our positive track.

When we leave the negative emotions behind us to burn out, the freedom we feel from that one brave and positive act will always boost us to the finish line – and guess what?

Right there on the podium is where the champagne flows!

PS: If you feel you have an experience you’d like to share, please do – so often stories from our lives can help others understand how to handle their own journey. We aren’t here to do it alone, or do it tough. We are all connected and when even one person steps up to help another our collective energy can lift higher, and we all benefit.

Cats – the Energy Experts!

Have you ever noticed how cats are drawn to certain energies –

how they seem very particular about the places they inhabit?

Have you ever wondered why it is that a cat will sit happily on one person’s lap

and purr loudly, yet absolutely refuse to go near another?

Why is that, you ask? Well, cats understand how energy works, and they know how to use it to their best advantage. Who hasn’t been stared down by the family cat when you’ve disturbed their sleep, (the look that could sink a thousand ships) or been meowed into submission when they want some of the salmon you’ve been so looking forward to for lunch (yes, well, I won’t let up so you might as well stop wasting my time and give it to me now).

Our neighbours have a very handsome cat who includes our old garden as part of his territory. He has a perfectly lovely new garden at his own house, one that is maturing into a showplace with the meticulous attention of its owners. So why then, does he feel he should include our place as part of his domain? What is he looking to add to his life that we can supply?

Energy – all cats love it and will actively seek it out.

Cats are naturally drawn to the permanence and personality of a garden that’s evolved and grown over many years. They have their own territorial rules and don’t adhere to our human boundaries. Claiming their own territory means many property lines may be traversed, but our boundaries don’t concern them and they certainly don’t believe they need OUR permission to enter.

 So, it is impossible to deny him entrance to our old rambling collection of bushes, shrubs, trees, and all that goes to make up an outdoor paradise for cats – and dogs. Oh, and yes, children too. To be honest, we feel it an honour that he chooses to visit us, and we smile at the majestic sway of his tail as he sashays regally through “his” estate.

They say good things take time. Older gardens can draw us in to their quiet hush. We tend to relax in these places, wooed by the peace and the power we feel from older trees, trees that have seen lifetimes pass beneath them. Who hasn’t spent time wandering a park, a forest or an older garden where the trees stand as monuments to time, gently waving in the breeze as they stand guard over everything beneath them. It can be somewhat like a time capsule, can’t it, where the atmosphere surrounds you gently, but with strength, and you feel your body begin to let go it’s tightness. Drawing energy from the earth below, the trees and everything beneath them radiate it outwards, and this is what felines everywhere will actively and knowingly seek out to top up their energy tanks.

Cats, you could say, are energy junkies.

Often, especially on a warm summery day, we will spy our handsome neighbour sitting atop our fence or purposefully striding along a path as he surveys his domain, sneering at our dog who wishes his legs could have been much longer than those God chose to give him. If he thinks we mere humans have spotted him, the cat will sidle past the doorways and gates and slink off into the bushes with a “pretend you can’t see me” air.

He doesn’t want

our friendship,

and he’s certainly not interested in

our attention.

Oh no, all he wants is our garden!

Over time our shrubs have grown taller and bushed out, creating little caves of space where animals and birds can burrow, their seeds and flowers providing food. Birds nest in the wisteria and the olive trees, rabbits dine on a multitude of fruits, vegetables and “greens” and our resident blue tongue lizard polishes off any tomatoes he can reach to go with his daily salad. Our dog sleeps in his basket and our handsome feline neighbour?

Why, he sleeps wherever he feels the energy is to his liking!

Cats will always seek out the best place, the warmest lap, the person whose energy they most like. When they disapprove of something, such as the titbit you mistakenly thought they might enjoy, they let you know you’ve not met their expectations with crushing aloofness and disdain. If you are the proud owner of a bossy bundle of fur, you know how it works.

And no matter how much you may want a cat to sit on your lap or come to you, it will make its own decision – choosing whoever has the energy it feels most comfortable with. Let’s face it, what we want is mostly immaterial to these amazing, mysterious and beautiful creatures.

Frustrating? Yes, but then we could all learn from our feline friends when it comes to choosing to fill our lives with the highest energies possible! They don’t settle for less – and nor should we!

Look around you and ask yourself if you’re doing the very best to make your own life and lifestyle all it could be. What changes could you make – how would you like each day to be and how would you like to change your surroundings, so they reflect back to you the best energy possible.

Think of something in your life, no matter how small, that you could change, each day, to make you feel happier, more fulfilled, positive and hopeful, and start to make those changes. It may be something as simple as getting up 15 minutes earlier each day, so you don’t run out the door stressed because you’re late, or tidying up before you go to bed so you don’t wake up to a minefield of last night’s energy!

Remember, size doesn’t matter – intention does!

You’re worth it!

PS: If you’d like to share any of your experiences with cats and their antics, we’d love to read them. Pets can be hilarious, frustrating, rewarding and sometimes downright ornery – but most of us wouldn’t be without one or two, would we?

TIME FLIES!

TIME FLIES!

Yes, time flies! We think we have a whole year to look forward to but no, 2019 is well on its way. Christmas and New Year are almost a distant memory as we look forward to what is ahead.

Before we know it, February will be sliding out the door! At New Year I’m guessing we all made promises to change this or that, do better at things, get up earlier, work smarter.

I know some of us would have made promises to lose that extra kilo or two by February, or maybe March, put a little more money away so we could have a real holiday, upgrade the car, eat healthier. Did any of us vow to be kinder to ourselves, take time out for that wonderful being who lives inside of us, and learn to take our foot off the stress pedal more often? Have we, this year, given ourselves permission to enjoy life, to forgive ourselves when we mess up, and move on.

There are many things we’d all like to achieve this year – things we’d like to do, have, learn, experience, accomplish. How much will we manage to get done, and how much will we let slide through no time, too much to do, too stressed to manage – all those things that seem to hold us back from our fabulously, well-meant intentions? Yes, you know what I mean!

So where to now, from here?

So often we start out well on our brand-new track but then our good intentions begin slowing down a little and those unhelpful but “well lived in” old habits, those ones we swore we would give up, are waiting to trip us! How easy it is to fall back into old habits, old ways of doing things – after all, they’re so comfortable, aren’t they?

Oh, you ask! And how are MY promises holding up?

Well, I’ll tell you one of my major vows to myself! I’ve lately begun to realise that sugar in any form after dinner seems to be the main cause of my far too frequent, too long, sleepless nights so I made a promise to myself – no sugar of any kind after dinner. Would you like to guess how well that is going for me – mmmmm, old habits creep in and trip me up way too often, but even so, I’m getting much better at my new no sugar habit – and sooooo much better at sleeping through the night! Yes, no sugar late in the day or evening works for me, and if you have trouble sleeping, you might like to try it. Let me know if it helps you also.

It IS possible to change our habits and the parts of ourselves we aren’t happy with. It rarely happens all at once and may take many tries but anything, with practise, can get better and better. From little things big things grow and as one step leads to another, so one small change practised regularly leads to greater changes.

It’s important to love ourselves, no matter how many times we fall off the wagon – if we won’t love ourselves, why should others?

So, I will work at no sugar after dinner and walking my 4 or 5 kms every day, no matter what, so both my dog and I can be fit. I will strive be more diligent, structured and productive with my time, love myself no matter what and be grateful, so very grateful, for both the joys and the learnings the Universe constantly sends me in bountiful measures!

I sincerely hope your day is happy,

PS: I’d love to hear how 2019 is working for you so far. If you’d like to, please leave a comment below, and don’t hesitate to pass this on. Sometimes just a few words can be the right words to help someone change a habit they haven’t been able to kick – or at least give them courage to keep trying!!

Dreams Can Come True!

We can spend an awful lot of time and energy wishing for things, all sorts of things – but how do we attract them?

I was brought up to believe that you have to work for what you want, and that sounds sensible, but is it the answer?

Perhaps not!

If all that was needed to create everything we want is to work for it, then all the hard workers should be smiling like Cheshire cats, but are they? Some maybe, but probably not too many of the world’s hard workers would feel they had attained everything they had dreamed of having in their lifetime.

Of course, some may tell themselves they are happy with what they have accumulated and experienced, but what of those who feel a gap, a gap which nags and gnaws away at them, undermining their attempts to feel satisfaction and contentment?

Working hard can be one way to walk the path to riches but there is no guarantee at the end of our working life that we will live in a mansion, drive a dream car and travel the world. How many people do you know who have retired after a life of hard work, yet still have not fulfilled their dreams?

When we spend our energy wishing or dreaming about what we want we are a long way from having our desires fulfilled. Why? Well, wishes and dreams are just that – mercurial things that live in our imaginations and emotional “wants” and more importantly, they live in the future! We are placing those things we so desperately want into the future, and that is where they will stay unless we adjust our thinking.

To achieve what we are wanting we need to bring it into the present – it may not have physical form but unless we hold what we desire in the present it will always be “later on”. In a future time frame we are unable to give it our energy – only our thoughts! It will sit in the future, unable to take form, thus causing us to feel frustrated, even a failure, for never having achieved our dreams.

It takes willpower and imagination to hold our dreams in the present – to tell ourselves that we are driving a fabulous car, that we are living in the house we always wanted and that we are financially independent, healthy, loved and successful – but that is what we must do!

Only when we hold what we desire in the present time will it have a chance to take form in our present world. This does not mean we will wake up tomorrow in our dream home and drive our dream car to our dream job, but at least we are placing our desire into the present moment where it has a chance to take form.

Try it! Begin placing yourself inside your dreams, imagining you are already there. It will feel strange and maybe a little ridiculous at first but after a while you may find yourself viewing life just a little differently, more solidly, and that change in your energy may start to create change on a physical level for you. Change most often comes so subtly that we do not even notice it until one day when we notice things are different, life is a little better and we are a little happier.

We all have dreams, but strangely enough, when we believe in our dreams

they very often come true!

Life can be anything we want it to be. I guess it is all about believing we can create what we want. It is simply up to us to believe in ourselves!

Happy creating!

BRING ON THE COFFEE!!

Who hasn’t woken up and thought “Oh no, I’m so tired, I can’t go to work today. I just need to sleep for a week!!”

At the very last possible minute you drag yourself out of bed, already late as usual because first you snoozed, then you couldn’t prise your eyes open, and now your body feels like it’s weighed down with lead as you pad to the bathroom and gaze into red-rimmed eyes. Stranger’s eyes! NO! That can’t possibly be you in the mirror! OMG! You need a facial, a massage, a week off – no, a year off!

          BRING ON THE COFFEE !!

Yep, who hasn’t had those days –and some of us have too many of them. Let’s face it – some of us coast through life only half awake, working, having a social life, managing a home and family, but is that what we really want our life to be? A half-life, dreaming and wishing for more? Isn’t there more you want to shoot for?

Do you envy those mums at school drop off who look sizzling, alive, busy and glowing with – what? Something indefinable – something you wouldn’t mind a bit of!

And some of your workmates – what about them? They work as hard as you do but they always seem to be happy – and you just can’t figure out those crazy ones who actually go for a run at lunch time – where do they get their energy from? Lunch time is when you crash with a sandwich, a ton of chocolate and a coffee and try to recover enough to make it to the end of the afternoon!

So, yes, you need more energy, but where do you find it? Well, it’s out there, all around you and you’re capable of tapping into it, you just need to know how.

Today, when you’re ready to hang out with your coffee, try carrying it outside. Sit on a balcony, terrace, veranda, garden seat, park bench, patch of grass – anywhere that is NOT inside! Just that small break with coffee, fresh air and a little nature around you, will work wonders for your energy.

Make a habit of taking your coffee outside, whenever you can. When you get used to the change you will find yourself looking forward to that small break, with nature all around you. It will be a habit you look forward to, for the small moment of stillness it allows you, a moment when you can just breathe deeply, and relax, before you move on to the next thing on your agenda.

It is through simple steps like this that you will begin to find more energy, more push to get you through the day. Changing old habits can eventually change the way you live your life!

Enjoy!

Finding Balance in Our Modern World

We live in an enriching time of growth and change upon a planet that is in itself extraordinary! How hugely fortunate are we to be here at this moment in time!

It is awesome to have access to all that technology brings to our table. We experience life in ways our forefathers could not even have imagined, yet there is much we could be doing to ensure we continue to gain the most we can from our modern lifestyles.

The growth of technology is happening at lightning speed and as a result of these fast changes our bodies are beginning to struggle to keep up. We are developing major symptoms of stress, exhaustion, ill health and discontent, worldwide. Striving to maintain lifestyles that are influenced and driven hugely by technology, we are losing our connection to the natural source of our own energy. Many of us live unbalanced lives by making technology the master, the driving force and not allowing time for the needs of our own bodies, minds and emotions.

Too often we are tired because, just like a motor vehicle, our tank is not being topped up by the fuel we are designed to function on, and we are so often running on empty.

We are a part of nature – every one of us! When we immerse ourselves solely in technology we remove ourselves from nature’s energy. With no regular connection to our own natural source of energy, we find our power, our inner knowing and strength, begins to drop lower and lower, until we start to feel exhausted, stressed and unable to cope with what is thrown at us, every day.

Think of a plant in the ground, blooming, healthy, drawing energy and sustenance from the earth until one day it is pulled out of the ground, the connection to its source severed. In no time it wilts and dies without earth’s energy pumping through it. As natural beings, each one of us is a part of nature. When we compromise our own daily connections to it we also struggle, and wilt, and whilst technology can prop us up with a false sense of excitement, no amount of technology will fix the problem. For all of us, finding balance in our modern world is incredibly important if we are to enjoy our time on the planet!

My aim is to assist you to see just how easy it can be to achieve a balance that can make you feel alive, and energetic, with clear thinking that supports you to live well, every day and get the most out of all that technology has to offer. I am looking forward to showing you ways to make the small changes of habit and thought needed to begin to live a balanced life – a life that allows you to laugh more, love more and find yourself more in tune with who and how you want to be!

To get you started I am offering you a free download of my mini ebook “Feeling Tired, Worn Out and Wasted?” This ebook is designed to give you tips on how to lift your energy quickly, when you really need that lift. Use these tips as bandaids for when you are feeling exhausted. They are not a long-term fix and they will not give you long-term energy, but they may get you out of a tough spot and give you a breather along the way.

Enjoy!

PS: If you know someone who could benefit from this blog, please be a good friend and share it with them! You never know when the right word can hit the right spot – and make a difference!

DANCE

How Dancing Energizes Us!

For most of us, when music gets into our soul it’s an itch that needs to be scratched and the best way to do that is to DANCE!

Now why would it be that dance has survived wars, pestilence, famine, strife yet hardly missed a beat in the life of our planet?

What is it that we and the thousands of generations before us get from moving, gyrating, bouncing, leaping, rolling and shaking our bodies to the sound of music. What is the benefit?

Well, we know that dance lifts our energy and inspires and allows us to express our feelings, of course we feel that, but wait – there is more! As our toes start to tap and our body feels that urge to let go, without any thought of restraint, there is something else happening. Something truly, wonderfully, magically helpful to the spirit, the joy and the happiness that lies quietly within us, waiting for a chance to express!

What? What’s that? Well, here’s the thing! Life can become so mundane when we stay in the same lane, every day – yesterday, tonight, tomorrow, next week. Nothing changes, and we become bored almost to death but still we hang on to our habits!

Why! Well let’s face it, those habits are comfortable and take no effort. We don’t have to think about what we’re doing, make changes, or be at all outgoing when we’re in our snug little burrows. We like our comfy habits, don’t we – and we’re happy with who we have become within them. Although we are possibly only half the person we’d secretly like to be, we are so super safe and secure where we are. Yes, life is a little stale, but why would we change when it feels so homey, so easy?

And this is when we stop dancing through life!

Every day, all day, we create and attract invisible, awful and damaging negativity into our physical bodies – it’s a part of life and it happens to all of us. That build-up of negativity, that we can’t see but can certainly feel, is what causes us to be stressed, angry, resentful, worried or just plain too tired to do anything more than want to snooze on the couch.

It’s an easy trap to fall into. We come home after work, tired, feeling worn out, and sink down with a big sigh of satisfaction and relief into that soft little hollow in the cushions we’ve created over time, and look forward to doing nothing – except eating, watching TV and making an occasional comment to our partner/family about the show we’re watching, as we veg out!

And do we perhaps see this as our reward for the day?

Mmmm….. but there are other things, wonderful things, to fill our evening and make us feel alive! There are so many things we can do to assist us to drop off a lot of the angst and nervous energy we’ve picked up through the day, and to get our body feeling amazing and our mind clear enough to make us wonder why we wouldn’t do them more often?

So, I won’t give you a list – you and your family/friends/partner could make up a list of all sorts of things to do in the evening or find some great suggestions in my ebook “Need More Energy?” (see in “BOOKS”), available on this website. TV is great – but a steady dose of it every night can sap our energy!

SO – TONIGHT! YES, tonight, is a night to be brave, be kind to kids, partners, family and any lucky friends that have happened to drop in. Turn the TV OFF! Yes – OFF! – and have a dance night. The kids will have a ball and so will you – so let’s break out of that cocoon and have some fun!

The easiest way is to simply tune your phone into your sound system and scroll through all the fast paced old and new gems that you’ve loved – and crank up the sound! Listening to music favourites that remind us of good times, makes us want to sing and dance. We feel it in our bodies, it gets into our bones! We sing, and get the words wrong, and laugh – and release our energy. At our house we don’t necessarily listen to the whole song but keep changing to next, next and next and we’ll range from the sixties to the present. Let’s face it, there are some great songs hiding away out there.

To really let go and dance, dance, dance as we sing, sing, sing frees our bodies from the tightness that comes from inactivity and treading the path of comfortable sameness every day. Here is where we discover muscles that have tightened up, and parts of us that have lost their wide range of motion (not much action required when we’re only reaching out to the coffee table).

We’ve all seen how a dog will furiously shake its body from side to side every now and then. They know exactly, instinctively, what they’re doing, and why! Dogs simply know how to jettison negativity – they do it all the time.  It’s their way of clearing tension and stress from the body.  They don’t think about it, they just do it, and it’s such an efficient way of dealing with unwanted energy! We can’t shake the way dogs can but we sure can dance and it can have the same effect!

For humans, a night of dancing, laughing, singing and letting go is one of the best ways I know to clear the body of stress, negativity, staleness and all the emotions and thoughts that will hold us back from living the life we deserve, that the Universe wants us to have, and that is right there in front of us. A fun night of crazy physical expression, a good glass or three of wine and lots of best-loved music is a stellar recipe for relaxation.

Dancing isn’t an every night sort of thing, but it is there as something that somehow just seems to happen when the time is right. Consciously turning the TV off can spark many results such as night walks, games, etc., but dancing in this way is a huge favourite for me! Clearing out the negativity in our body, mind and emotions works magic and I can tell you from experience – YOU WILL ENJOY EVERY MOMENT!

Happy dancing!