Never Say Never

I recently attended a women’s retreat run by a friend of mine. The weekend was about grounding yourself in the Earth’s energy and acknowledging the divine power within. We did some wonderful yoga, meditation, dance and art sessions. It was a lovely weekend of learning and sharing with a great group of women.

While the retreat was wonderful, it was something else about the retreat that impacted me greatly. My friend who organised and led the retreat has not had an easy life. She experienced Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for four years in addition to significant personal and spiritual challenges. She knows about the grittiness of life. However, she has worked hard and soulfully to find healing and peace in her life. 

What struck me on the weekend was her amazing transformation. When she was sick and literally crawling on her hands and knees to get up the stairs in her home, if someone had said to her that she would be organising and leading her own retreat she would have seen it as unfathomable, impossible and laughable.

By living one day and one step at a time, by honouring herself in that process and by doing things that she loved, she has been able to achieve and experience some wonderful things in her life that once appeared inconceivable. The retreat was not only a wonderful success but was such a tangible example of how far she has come in her life.

I have found great optimism and hope in my friend’s journey. Just like everybody, I have desires in my life that currently seem implausible. I can’t see how I will get to where I want to be in my life and it causes me anxiety, frustration and sadness. What I learnt over the weekend, however, was never consider something to be impossible. Never say never.

The lesson is if you live well, stay grounded, and live in the moment anything is possible. If you can trust in the process of life and your own transformation you will find yourself with a life that you had only dreamed about- a life of joy, love, happiness and peace.

Make The World Move

I am excited to be contributing to a wonderful new website that has been pioneered by Clint Salter, called Make The World Move. Clint writes that, 'Make The World Move celebrates all aspects of life and inspires people from across the globe to lead extraordinary lives.'

It's a pleasure to be part of the website, providing inspiration to all those who would like to live their best life. I am also looking forward to being challenged and inspired as I read the articles that other contributors have posted. 

Check out my monthly articles at Make The World Move;

Embracing Your Limitations
http://www.maketheworldmove.com/embracing-your-limitations/

Taking It Slower
http://www.maketheworldmove.com/taking-it-slower/

2013- A Great Year

Maybe you have long since given up the notion of setting new year’s resolutions, but setting new year’s intentions can be highly effective and a great way to approach the year.

For some writing a list of things they would like to get out of the year, be it achievements or a particular mindset can be helpful, while others might like to create a vision board by cutting out pictures or words from magazines or other media that represent what their year would ideally look or feel like.

While these activities don’t guarantee changes in your life, they do help to see more clearly what you want in your life and that in turn affects the opportunities you look for and the decisions you make.

A few years ago I did my first vision board and when I found it at the end of last year I was amazed at how many of the things that made up my board had happened in my life. While I hadn’t deliberately gone out to achieve them, they had become my life’s intentions operating in the back of my mind and influencing my everyday decisions that came together in a way that reflected what I wanted for my life.  

It seems like the weeks, months and years pass so quickly that it can be easy to lose track of what you want to get out of each year and out of your life. Setting time aside to think about your life’s purpose and the things that give you joy can help to redirect you and set up 2013 to be a fabulous year.

Living in the Here and Now

With Christmas fast approaching, the stress that people are carrying has become evident in their faces, the impatience in car parks and the conversations overheard in shopping centres. At this time of year, more than any other, we must remind ourselves to breathe.

Engaging in mindfulness meditation, yoga, and breathe exercises can help to realign energy flow, bring awareness back into the moment and introduce calm. 

It is important to remember that Christmas is a time to celebrate the wonderful people in your life and all the blessings that have come your way during the year. Try not to get too caught up in the commercialisation of Christmas, but remember to find time to sit back and acknowledge all the wonderful aspects of your life and to tell those near and dear to you how much they mean to you.