Have these holidays added years to your life or taken them away? Lol! No, seriously, the holidays are a melting pot of emotions and balancing acts and are definitely not all rainbows and butterflies! Basically, like life in general, you take the good with the bad. And, like life in general, there are lessons to be learnt! So, what lessons have you taken from your holiday with the kids? Here are mine:
When we find just the right balance it’s like experiencing a zen moment. But, be even slightly off balance and things just don’t seem to work. I have always believed that life is about balance. Without it you fall (and fail). Taking a look at where our lives are out of balance is the first step in working out the kinks that are causing us to be out of alignment.
You need balance in every area of your life. In your diet, your self-care, your work life etc. Balance is really the foundation for your life. Any area that is off balance has a negative effect on the rest of your life.
For me, at the moment, it would be Health. Not that I’m unhealthy, just that the balance is off. I eat healthy, but not quite enough. I exercise, but not quite enough. And when I don’t manage to keep these areas balanced it affects me in so many ways. I can feel something is out of whack, something is missing. The result is grumpiness! And, that’s totally understandable when you’re out of balance!
What area of your life is out of balance? Don’t say none, because we all need to work on balance, every single day. We are literally balancing on a tightrope, and that will never change. Life is multi-faceted! It’s meant to be that way, but it means finding your equilibrium in order to find your sweet spot. You have to keep yourself in check, keep pulling yourself back in line.
This isn’t going to be your usual ‘Make a New Years Resolution List’ blog. I don’t believe in them! This is about seeing the New Year as new beginnings, a clean slate. A new opportunity? Yes, absolutely! But, let’s scrap the pressure and the expectations!
This world has become like a water-logged towel that we are trying to squeeze the last little drop out of. We are all suffering from overwhelm, stress and the pressure to be ‘who knows what, to who knows who’. We are living our lives under a cloud.
I’d like to think that a simple shift in our way of thinking can move us towards a better way of living. Focusing on what brings us joy instead of focusing on achieving some goal or other. Surely, finding happiness is the prize? And, happiness can never be an end goal. Happiness is a process, a journey, a way of being. By all means, set a New Years Resolution to ‘Be Happy’, but understand that it is not finite, it is your framework for your life. Being happy is a choice and a way of living.
When we create New Years Resolutions they become like the infamous ‘diet’ that hangs like a noose around our necks. This is like walking in the opposite direction of happiness. The weight of the expectation becomes too much for us to bear and we inevitably give up on reaching our goal. My advice? Don’t do it to yourself! Be kind to yourself. Find a motivation that brings you closer to joy. Set a goal to play more guitar, spend more time outdoors or sign up for a pottery class. Don’t hold a knife to your throat that you MUST loose weight or quit smoking (these are usually the big ones, aren’t they?).
This year has been a year of dedicated personal growth for me. It’s kind of like making taffy (and I’m the taffy!). I’ve been stretched and twisted, molded and shaped. I’ve also had some sweet goodness added in to the mix, just to make it all worthwhile. Personal growth is an ongoing process of reaching for more. For more understanding, for more skills and insights and for more joy in the process of life. It is that realization that every day has a new lesson, that you never ‘know it all’. I love that! To me, the constant growth is part of the beauty of it. I’d like to share some of the quotes that have inspired me in this crazy year if 2020.
These quotes have reached out and spoken to me, giving me inspiration to share ideas with you. This is what this blog is all about, finding inspiration in life, and sharing it with you. It is my way of contributing to the energy that is put out into this world every day. These quotes are food for thought, always in a positive way. Let’s take a look!
I’ve got those butterflies again! It’s that time of year. Christmas holidays, road trips, new horizons and new adventures! But, besides just having a good time, do you believe that travel is important for personal growth?
Many of us do a stint overseas after school. We head off to experience how the ‘rest of the world’ lives. As we soak up the differences in language and culture we learn that there are different ways to see the world. We open our minds, and our hearts, by diving headfirst into these experiences. They make us richer, more well-rounded, and happier! We feel more connected to this life experience because we have found a commonality! And, we also learn to understand our differences better because we have exposed ourselves to the way others live.
We enjoy all these experiences, but I don’t think we often realize that travel is actually important for our personal development. Instead we’re kind of just going along for the ride.
For me Summer is all about family, the great outdoors, relaxation and, because I’m in the Southern Hemisphere, Christmas! Down here we strangely dress Santa in swimming trunks, stick sunglasses on him and then still have him climbing down chimneys in a velvet suit! Lol! Some traditions are so endearing you will hold on to them for all you’re worth!
Summer is also about sharing, friendship, sunlight and sunburn! It is a great big melting pot of deliciously enjoyable moments, AND deliciously enjoyable foods! From picnics on the beach to roasts on the Christmas table, this is a season of indulgence.
We all go through our internal struggles with ourselves. Our self-doubt. Questioning everything that we do. Whether we are good enough, pretty enough, brave enough. We are in a constant state of ‘talking ourselves down from a ledge’. Trying, from a place of concern for our own best interest, to keep ourselves ‘safe’. But, we are using the wrong approach altogether. We are using fear tactics instead of positive self talk. For this reason it has become so important that we ask ourselves the question ‘What is Self Talk?’. And, am I using it to empower myself?
With just over 6wks to Christmas I thought that’s a good amount of time to spread that love! Our hearts are full at Christmas time! Full of love and the spirit of giving. Why not share the love and kindness just that little bit further? Let’s find ways to bring joy to those beyond our fold. Let’s spread the love and kindness this festive season! Together we can come up with some fun and inspiring ways to share the joy. I have included some ideas in this blog, you will find some fun ideas to print out and stick up around your neighbourhood or school. Share them with your community! Then take action. Let’s make this a Christmas to remember!
There are many people that contribute towards our daily lives. There are people behind the scenes that go unnoticed but, without them our lives would not run as smoothly. Like the bus driver that gets your kids to school safely, and on time, each day. Or the person responsible for taking away your rubbish every week. There are people that teach our children. There are people that feed our hungry. So often these people are not recognized for their efforts. What can we do to make a difference?
How about we start with a list of people that we can make that extra bit of effort to show our appreciation for. If you want to add anyone in a particular industry, please add them in the comments! We want to include all of these amazing people!
I mean ALL THE TIME! But, what are your dreams really? And what significance do you place on them? When I was a little girl I wanted to write. I mean, I loved anything to do with words. You could often find me walking around holding a book out in front of my face so that my peripheral vision would ensure I didn’t walk into walls. I read, I wrote, I loved poems and plays and English class. And then, reality struck like a bolt of hard-core lightning and I gave up on my dream.
That awful thing called ‘growing up’ started to happen to my perfectly innocent and fairytale-induced life. No, seriously, I am a major romantic! I think at one point I genuinely believed in fairies. Why wouldn’t you? When you are young you want to believe in the beauty of life. You want to believe that love conquers all, that there is gold at the bottom of the rainbow and that unicorns exist.
