Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions. - Dalai Lama

As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live - Garth Henrichs

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life - Berthold Auerbach. The sweet sound of music! http://ow.ly/4I83o

Taking Time Out For you

If like me you decided to have some down time over the Easter weekend I'd be interested to know how much you enjoyed it.

Did you spend time with your family and friends? 
Did you switch off from work?
Were you able to relax?
Did you purposely set aside some time for you to reflect on where you are and where you are heading?

I have to say I am a bit of a workaholic within my business but that is because I love what I do. So when it comes to the holiday breaks I do have to be strict with myself and set aside time away from work. Good Friday was spent with family and we had a great day! I didn't miss work, i just relaxed and enjoyed the good company. Saturday was a half and half day; some work and some more play. By Sunday I wanted to get some planning in place for the week ahead but I still managed to sit out in the garden and enjoy the sunshine. Today, Monday, I have used for reflection.

Reflection time is 'my time'. It's when I assess how I feel, how my relationships are flowing (family, friends and partner) and where my business is in relation to my goals. It is the time I take to recognise fully how thankful I am for the life I have and the one I am creating (although I do strive to give thanks daily!) It's me time...

Is it essential? Absolutely! It's all too easy to go through each day mindlessly, getting things done but not assessing the impact on your life or that of others. And you get to check if you're on course or if you need to be doing something differently or totally new...

Taking time out means different things for different people; it might be reading a book, sitting silently and just listening to inner dialogue, being with the people you love or maybe travelling. It might be something that takes 5 minutes or 5 days (like a yoga retreat). The most important thing is that you have some.

So when was the last time you took time out for you? Make it a habit, create time for it no matter how hectic your schedule. Chances are it will provide you with a return on the time invested and moreover... you deserve it!


Live Blissfully!
YvonneB

"Two men look out through the same bars: One sees the mud, and one sees the stars."
Frederick Langbridge

Dealing with Adversity

I read a great Ebook last week discussing the topic of adversity. It came at a perfect moment as one of my client's was dealing with some very adverse conditions and the main points it covered were spot on.

Adversity has a way of freezing people into inaction and yet it is the very opposite of what is required. Here are some of the main points I took away as tips for getting through adversity:

• Avoid visualising the worse scenario. Far too often people get caught up in the worst outcomes and that of course deflates confidence and self belief.
• Deal with the true threats. In adversity there are certain things that are fact; pile of bills unpaid, a handful of unhappy clients, etc. These should not be ignored (head in the sand), you need to look for ways to correct them, manage them & deal with them. Leading to point 3...
• Become solution focused. Start looking for ways to rectify the situation instead of dwelling on what has gone wrong. To resist a thought is to think about the very thing you are resisting!
• Avoid analysis paralysis - Thought without action = worry!
• Avoid letting adversity creep in to all areas of your life. Look after your well being, you'll need your physical, mental and emotional strength to press forward and you'll need the people you can count on to be supportive (so don't keep them at arm's length).
• Don't quit! When the going gets tough, get tougher! Quitting is not an option. Every time you think about quitting think 'This might be the corner I need to get around for everything to fall into place, it might be the last hurdle in a series of them to get over'. And wouldn't you just hate to find out that if you had pressed on just one more time you would have got the results you wanted?

And throughout this process remain confident. Big smile from the heart, stand tall, move with purpose and own your space! Believe in you, your skills & your abilities. Be an action taker and get the help you need to get to where you want to. Adversity, like most things, will pass...

YvonneB

What Choices Are You Making?

If it is true that a positive, happy disposition can increase the length of our lives, why aren’t we embracing that attitude all the time?

It is a fact that we are the owners of our feelings, our behaviours and our words. We choose in every moment how we are going to respond to situations and interactions with people… yes, we are responsible for ‘shouting & screaming’ for ‘name calling’ and ‘loss of temper’. Unfortunately the preference seems to be to externalise the responsibility and blame others,  the day or the environment for the way we feel.

We know that some days are just smoother than others, that is a fact, and we should enjoy those all the more knowing that there will be challenging days to come! But when the days of challenges do arrive, what choices are we making?

• Sticking our head in the sand?
• Fretting and not telling anyone?
• Taking frustration out on someone else?
• Telling ourselves life is over? 
• Asking what's the point?

Or are we getting solution focused?

 

The choices we make in the most difficult of situations are the ones we tend to learn the biggest lessons from. And in taking responsibility of our feelings and reactions we become more adept at being solution focused as well as remaining in the positive... even though the circumstances may be emotionally challenging.

I certainly believe that facing each day in a positive state of mind helps me deal with the twists and turns that come my way. It helps me to focus on what action I need to take to resolve the issue or look at how I can resolve the issue instead of thinking ‘I can’t cope’ or ‘It’s not fair’… or worse still ‘it’s someone else’s fault’.

What’s your take? What choices do you make? Are you choosing to live in the positive...?

YvonneB

Confidence Is... http://on.fb.me/hkETCj What's Your Take?

Stage Fright!

Friday 1st April 2011, The O2 Arena, Peter Kay & Sister Snog... what a night! Peter Kay was magnificent (one of the few stand-up comics I love) and Sister Snog, the best female only private members club ever, hosted the event fantastically...

Interesting to see Peter Kay on stage... here is a guy clearly comfortable in his skin (well he certainly seems that way). His confidence in his ability to make people laugh with the most every day of topics is astounding. 

I sat laughing my head off and wondering whether he ever felt fearful... whether his confidence ever waivered... Unfortunately I didn't get to ask him so I'm currently none the wiser!

How would you feel being centre stage to thousand's of people? Could you hold your own in your field/expertise? Could you 'act' confidently even if stage fright was the overriding feeling?

I'd like to give it a go! Worse case scenario? I'd die trying!!

YvonneB