Archive for Life purpose
Letters to Mothers
That special day is coming up very soon.
The day in which we honour mothers around the world! (I’m looking forward to my special breakfast in bed, and lots of cuddles and handmade-with-love gifts and cards.)
If you’re a mum (or mom), or you have a mum, or you know a mum, you’ll want to check out a very, very special book called Mother Letters: Sharing the Mess and Glory.
It’s a compilation of letters from mothers, to other mothers.
I’m one of the contributors, so if you’re curious to see what I’ve written, you’ll need to grab yourself a copy! It’s an ebook, so you can instantly download it and start reading… and laughing, and crying.
And the story behind the book is also beautiful – check out ’Our Story’ over at the information page.
This book truly is a work of art, as is motherhood. Just look at this beautiful trailer:
So, if you know someone who would love this ebook, why not gift it as a gift this Mother’s Day? I know I will be. You can also download a gift card to add to a copy of a confirmation email. (And for a limited time, this amazing book is only US$6.99!)
Where Do I Start?
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, or are a subscriber to my ezine, it’s quite likely that you’re an advancing person. That is, you’re always moving towards ‘more life’ in everything you do.
You want to live the richest, fullest, happiest, most deeply satisfying life you can imagine.
You have beautiful, life-expanding dreams for yourself, and you want those dreams to come true.
But it’s also possible that you’re feeling SO overwhelmed by everything that you want to do. In fact, you’re not even sure where to start… so you don’t. (Start, that is.)
So, would you like a little coaching advice about where to start?
Well, my first piece of advice is to listen to your intuition. Give yourself a good half-hour to clear your mind, and then sit and think, and FEEL. Consider your preferences and then listen to what your ‘gut’ tells you. Having a pencil and large notepad with you is a very good idea.
But if you’re overworked, stressed, tired and foggy headed (or feel as though you’re going around the bend from ‘overthinking’), it could be that even doing the above seems too difficult.
In which case, I’d recommend carving out some PROPER time in your diary – like a whole day, at the least – to devote fully to getting crystal clear on what you want, to brainstorm ideas, to prioritise, and to create an action plan.
You can do this yourself, but doing it with the help of a trusted friend or a coach can give you much-needed perspective and encouragement. I’ll soon be making myself available for VIP Days, where I’ll help you get clear on what it is that you really want, start eliminating limiting beliefs, and create a very do-able, exciting action plan to start bringing those dreams of yours into the real world.
(To be one of the first to know about these amazing VIP Days, head here and leave your details. And, listen – I know goal-setting can be a big turn-off for some people because the process can feel forced and very ‘masculine’, but in our day together it’s all about YOU and what YOU want out of life, not what society or your peers or family say you should want. You’ll have time to think, and breeeaaathe, and dream, and create a plan that’s perfect for you…)
Then, you can start going through a conscious creation process, starting with visualisation – if you’d love help with this, check out the beautiful Your House of Abundance process.
However, if you’re feeling too exhausted (and perhaps even sick) to contemplate lofty or even not-so-lofty dreams, then I advise that your first focus be your health.
Fabulous health is at the core of a great life. It underpins everything. And we often don’t realise how valuable our health is until we become unwell or injured.
So if that’s you – make your health an absolute priority. You’ll then be able to think clearly, and will have the energy to take action on your other dreams.
By the way, sometimes people get ‘put off’ the idea of becoming healthier, because they think it takes a lot of money to do so. If you’re switching from eating cheap processed food to buying organic fruits and veggies, and supplements, then, yes, it can cost a bit more than you’re now paying for food. And if you join a gym then there are fees, and personal health coaching can be a substantial investment.
But if money is tight for you right now, and you know getting healthy is a top priority so that you can start heading for your dreams, you can make free or low-cost health changes now.
These include:
- going for walks (even if just around your back garden, or briskly around your house);
- planting a few organic vegetable seeds;
- purchasing (and using!) a book such as Raw Foods on a Budget;
- generally cutting back on unhealthy foods (even if they’re cheap); and
- asking an ‘advancing’ friend to be your ‘accountability buddy’ when it comes to simple health goals you set for yourself.
Once your health starts to improve, you’ll have more energy to create the money you want, which means you can then invest more in organics and superfoods, personal trainers or coaches, if that feels right for you.
So you now have some guidance as to ‘where to start’. But you know deep in your soul what’s needed. I just hope my advice has helped clear some of the fog, and has helped put you on the road towards creating and living a life you truly, truly love.
The Search for Sanity in a Crazy World
This month’s article has been written by success strategist Dr Philip Humbert. I’ve been following Philip’s emailed TIPS newsletter for, like, FOREVER, and I love receiving his weekly dose of wisdom and wit. When I read this article in his newsletter a couple of weeks ago, I just knew that I wanted to share it with you (thanks for allowing me to do so, Philip!). To subscribe to the TIPS newsletter, head here.
“This week, I’ve worried about violence in Syria, inflation, deflation, unemployment, President Obama’s actions, my credit score, and an earthquake in some country I don’t recall. And that’s only a few of the worries that come to mind at the moment!
Perhaps I’ve been watching too much “news.”
But if I turn off the news, then I have to monitor my Smart Phone, run a half-dozen apps per day, listen to my iPod, take care of 150 emails and deal with an average of 17 phone calls. Not to mention pay bills, fix dinner, and run a few errands. It’s all too much!
Or, I could sit on my deck with a good book and a good cigar, listen to the birds and watch the clouds float past.
And to me, that sounds more like the “good life” than anxiously monitoring the stock market all day long.
How did life get this way? Wasn’t technology supposed to help us? Wasn’t a small world with instant communication going to make us more efficient, more productive and less stressed?
Or, maybe I’m confused about that.
When I look around, I see folks with wires hanging from their ears. I see folks staring at tiny computer screens in their hands. I see folks scurrying about, but I don’t see much eye contact. I don’t see too many smiles. I don’t even see many handshakes or hear much laughter!
My point is that maybe we are slowly going crazy.
Are we living as well as we could? Are we making the most of our lives? Are we doing smart things in intelligent ways? Do we maximize our joy, and our quality of life?
My fear is that many of us are doing what we “should do” and aren’t very happy about it. I suspect we’re “majoring in minor things.” We’re “caught in the thick of thin things.”
Some of us remind me of Sisyphus, the character from Greek mythology who was condemned to push a rock up-hill, only to have it roll back down, over and over, forever. We’re always running, but never catching up.
The dilemma, of course, is that we dare not fall behind. We want to be in contact, to be involved, to be “connected.” We want to text our friends, monitor their Facebook pages, and make money. We want the benefits and rarely stop to count the cost.
We are the richest, most sophisticated and most productive people in history. This is good!
But I also remember that my Grandparents had time for dinner. They had a garden, they actually went to church to worship, talk with friends, and enjoy their community. They had the gift of time! (What a concept!)
I’m pleading for that elusive thing called “Balance.” Money is good! I want all I can get, but not at the cost of peace of mind, a loving family, and time to rest. I want new toys, new technology and a nice car, but not at the cost of frustration and high blood pressure. I want the benefits of modern life, but sometimes the cost is too high.
In the end, it’s about CHOICE. We are blessed in that we can have virtually any type of life we choose. We can live anywhere we choose. We can work as hard as we want. We can become famous or rich or powerful. We can have friends all over the world. And, we can play chess, read to our kids, or enjoy a long walk on a sunny winter day. But we cannot do all of it, at least not all at once.
We must choose. The Good Life and Success are about defining the life you want and consistently behaving in ways that are most likely to achieve it. I fear too many of us are neglecting the hard work of thinking about our priorities, then making the choices and enforcing the boundaries to achieve them.
In the end, we have a few years of 24-hour days and what we do with them is the most profound choice we will ever face.
To me, one of the great tragedies of modern life is to find, at the end of life, that we failed to live the life we intended. Don’t do that!
Think carefully about your values. Choose priorities that are consistent with your values. And live accordingly.”
Copyright (c) Dr Philip Humbert, 2012, all rights reserved.
U.S. Library of Congress ISSN: 1529-059X
Dr Philip Humbert is a success strategist, author and popular speaker, and he writes an awesome weekly newsletter called TIPS. I’d highly encourage you to check out Philip’s work, and his newsletter, at http://www.philiphumbert.com/ (or you can email him at Coach@philiphumbert.com). Many thanks again to Philip for sharing this article!
A Beautiful Tribute to a Beautiful Person
I just wanted to share this moving tribute with you – given such short notice, Jennifer Hudson did an amazing job with this song.
When someone moves into the next realm it’s always sad for those of us left behind, but when someone leaves as amazing a legacy as did Whitney Houston – affecting millions with the power of her beautiful voice – the sadness around the world is palpable.
Thank you for using and sharing your gifts, Whitney. And thank you, Jennifer, for yours. Both of you remind us to do the same with our own gifts, to make this world an even better place.
Do You Love What You Do?
Love is in the air this month because of that special, somewhat schmaltzy, celebration known as Valentine’s Day.
I LOVE that there’s a day dedicated just to love. Do you, too?
Here’s a thought! Why don’t we use the Valentine month as a reminder? Not just about the importance of loving people, but of loving what we do in this world?
Do YOU love what you do? Really?
Do you love your work? The food you eat? The places you go? The sports you play? The hobbies you have?
Or are you just going through the motions, doing activities that you may once have loved, but now leave you feeling a little flat?
I probably don’t need to tell you that the universe responds to our vibration, and when our vibration is high (that is, we’re doing what we love and we therefore feel great), we receive experiences that match that vibration.
Maybe you could use this beautiful month of love to check in with yourself? To question how you feel about the activities that make up your days?
How do you feel about your job, for instance? Is it still fun? (Or was it ever fun?) Do you feel that you’re using your talents, and the skills that come easily to you?
I had an office job in my early 20s, and after the initial fun of starting something new, I began to feel as though I was dying on the inside. I was drifting, having deferred a university journalism degree. I thought that this job, which was in the finance industry, might be interesting and secure (and well paid).
Boy, was I wrong. I tried all sorts of things to gain a promotion (well, not EVERYTHING), but it just never happened. My colleagues were heaps of fun, but the work itself was sapping the life out of me.
I’d been planning to take a year off to go overseas with my then-boyfriend (now husband) Darren, and to come back to that job when we returned. But I remember the day when I decided that, instead, I’d go back to university after our trip. I remember sitting at my desk and feeling absolutely elated, and with such a sense of purpose, clarity and certainty. I knew I was back on the right path, and that I’d be studying something that I loved.
Thank goodness I didn’t ever receive a promotion in that office job, because otherwise I might never have taken the time to think about what I LOVED. Now I get to do work that I love, every day!
I still keep letting myself be pulled towards things that I love. I believe that our intuition – that ‘knowing feeling’ – guides us beautifully. If we listen to it.
Look, it’s OK to outgrow something. You don’t need to love the same job, food or places your entire life. Don’t hang on to an activity just because you’ve ‘always done it’.
Letting go leaves room for the things you really want to do.
So, on 14 February, why not instigate a new Valentine’s ritual, and do a ruthless ‘love review’ of your life’s activities?
This could just be a Valentine’s you’ll never forget…
PS I’d love for you to tell me what you’d love to do! Leave a comment below, or email me at joanne@richradiantreal.com. Just putting it ‘out there’ will show the universe you’re serious about doing what you love.
The Best Thing That Ever Happened…
You know how sometimes you look back at something disappointing – or potentially devastating – that happened in your life, and you now think ‘that was the best thing that ever happened to me’? (Ya gotta love hindsight!)
Today I’d like to share the words of Dr Wayne Dyer with you, in this brief clip – Wayne reassures us that if something unexpected or unwanted happens, just know that it’s the Universe’s way of helping take you to a better place.
Has something like this happened to you? If you’d like to share a story about this with us, I’d love for you to leave a comment below.
Big hugs to you!
Becoming the Powerful Pilot of Your Life
Last week, I watched a fascinating documentary on the ABC TV channel here in Australia.
It was called The Young Ones – it’s a BBC TV documentary. I think we were watching the final episode?
Anyway, I found it absolutely fascinating. It looked at ageing, and how we can stop ourselves falling into the usual patterns of behaviour that often come with it.
It showed that our attitude and belief in ourselves plays a HUGE part in what we can actually do!
‘Yeah, yeah,’ I hear you saying, ‘we all know that’. Well, yes, we do know it intellectually, but do we really apply it?
There were heaps of fascinating studies in this documentary, but one interesting test that really stood out for me was when they took a group of people and gave them an eye test (without telling them why they were testing them). Then, they dressed them as pilots and told them that they were now pilots – and then each ‘piloted’ a plane via a flight simulator.
The participants were given the eye tests again, and in nearly all cases, they recorded markedly better results in the second eye test. The researchers concluded that the participants ‘saw’ themselves differently when they were pilots; that is, they had more belief in themselves because they’d taken on the persona of a pilot and had succeeded in ‘being’ a pilot.
That reaffirmed for me just how important self-belief really is. If we think we can do something, we stand a fantastic chance of really doing it! If we think we can’t , then, of course, we can’t.
Has this caused a mindshift or ‘a-ha’ moment for you? What would happen if you saw yourself as absolutely able to do something that you’re a bit (or a lot) afraid of doing? Has there been something you’ve been thinking about doing, but keep putting off because, deep down, you don’t think you could pull it off?
This documentary has opened the door for me, revealing a few areas in which I now realise I’ve been holding myself back (and here I was thinking I had everything ‘handled’). What a gift to have seen this show!
The power of our beliefs is truly incredible – they create the vibration that we emit, and they start the creation process in the universal field.
So why not decide that you really are capable, despite any past evidence to the contrary? Do you feel that swell of courage, conviction and exhilaration rising in your chest?
The sky (and your self-belief) really is the limit, my friend. Are you ready to take the controls, to fly your own life’s plane?
Wahooooooo!
Un-Cooking Up a Storm
Part of living the life of my dreams is spending time hanging out with my daughters on school holidays. My girls love being showered with attention, and I love taking time out to enjoy their company and to marvel at how fast they’re growing up!
Today, with Ballarat being cold, wet and blustery, we decided to stay in and do some ‘un-cooking’. The girls love reading through Ani Phyo’s Ani’s Raw Food Desserts: 85 Easy, Delectable Sweets and Treats
We’re having neighbours of ours over for lunch on Saturday (they’re a lovely retired couple, originally from Melbourne), and we thought we’d try this recipe to see if it would be worthy of presenting as dessert for our guests. Presenting a healthy yet delicious home-made dessert is such a lovely way to look after people who are visiting our home.
The verdict: yes, it’s fabulous! Even my raw-shy hubby Darren couldn’t get over how good this fudge cake really is!
Evie and Bella did most of the preparation, with a little help. Yup, they really are growing up.
Here’s the end result:
The fudge ’frosting’ is a little like my Cat’s Meow Chocolate Pudding recipe (from Monkey Mike’s Raw Food Kitchen: An Un-Cookbook for Kids!), given that it contains avocado, cacao powder and agave nectar. Simply scrumptious.
At Easter we tried the strawberry ‘cheese’-cake recipe from Ani’s book, and it was fantastic, too! No doubt the girls will soon find another recipe they want to try from this book…
All in all, I totally recommend this book. And I totally recommend connecting with your loved ones in the kitchen, and sharing that love with friends.
How to Attract Golden Opportunities
This is going to sound a little too easy, but if you really want to attract opportunities to help create the life of your dreams, you need to notice, take and make opportunities.
Err, hang on. What does that mean? Read on, dear friend.
OK, so you’ve decided you want your life to change, to get better. Right?
You’ve also defined, even if in a vague way, what ‘change’ means to you (what life will look like once it’s better).
Great – now what?
Well, here’s the fab part. The good old law of attraction now comes into play, and starts lining up opportunities left, right and centre – opportunities that will lead you, even if in a roundabout sort of way, to the better life of which you dream.
Thing is, you need to notice these opportunities, and then ACT on them. I know, not many people like the thought of having to take action – but it’s critical. How else will the universe be able to test you with your life lessons, and then give you the rewards for being courageous?
If it doesn’t seem as though opportunities are coming, then start to make opportunities. Make that phone call. Tell other people what you want. Start planning the steps to get you where you want to go. It’s part of the ‘taking action’ requirement, and you’ll soon be given guidance as to whether you’re on the right track.
To make this real for you, let me tell you about Australian TV host Chrissie Swan. A few years ago, Chrissie was working as a successful advertising copywriter, but she knew she wanted more, to do something different.
She saw an ad for the TV show Big Brother and thought it looked like fun, so she applied for an audition – and landed a spot on the show! Being on that show led to other opportunities (which she took), such as hosting popular breakfast radio programs, and now being a co-host on an Australian national TV talk show called The Circle.
What an amazing ride! All because Chrissie listened to her intuition, and then noticed and took opportunities that came her way.
Her first step was to listen to the call of her soul, to the discontent she felt. She then let herself notice potential opportunities. Then, because it felt right, she grabbed an opportunity when it was offered– even though she didn’t know where it would take her. That’s called stepping out in faith. Yup, it takes courage, but did you really come here for a safe life?
As for myself, I took the opportunity of becoming an author when I was asked by The Five Mile Press to write a recipe book for children – and when I couldn’t find a raw-food recipe book for my children, I took up an opportunity offered by Tera Warner of The Raw Divas to write and co-publish such a book. This led to the publication of a third book (an organic gardening-recipe book for families). Who’d have thought?
I also had the inspired idea to create a blog to bring joy to the world, so I made that happen and now have even more fantastic opportunities landing in my lap. I love living in a universe of abundant creation, where unexpected opportunities continue to delight and amaze.
So let me assure you – opportunities really will keep appearing in your life, for the rest of your life. All you need to do is notice them, check your intuition to see if they ‘feel right’ (even they don’t seem to take you on a direct path to your dreams) and then have the courage to take them up, to just DO IT!
My coaching dare to you for the next 30 days is to keep an eye out for opportunities that come your way. Why not tell the universe you’re open to attracting and noticing fabulous opportunities, and then have the courage to ‘take a deep breath and jump’?
The rewards are just waiting for you.
Creating Gifts of Love
We seem to be on a bit of a crafty/home-made theme at the moment on the Rich Radiant Real blog – I think it’s because things that are made by hand carry a special energy, transferring love from the creator to the recipient.
I always love receiving home-made gifts, because (from my few attempts at sewing and knitting over the years) I know how much work can go into them!
My stepmum Brenda, who lives with my dad in Devon, England, has always been the crafty sort. As a wedding gift, she made us the most gorgeous patchwork quilt, and when our girls were younger they received all sorts of special, heirloom-type treasures such as handmade teddies, Christmas stockings and advent calendars. We could feel the love!
After injuring her ankle last year and becoming house-bound during her recovery, Brenda was able to spend even more time on her passion. She’s always had a craft project on the go (in fact, she sells at many craft fairs in the UK), but this unexpected ‘extra time’ after her injury meant she could go full throttle! Funny how adversity can actually create opportunity, isn’t it?
Brenda decided to start her own website, selling her adorable hand-made children’s accessories, shoes, clothes, teddies and pramsets. (The overalls in the pic above are from her range.) I bought a little pair of Brenda’s red booties for my newborn baby niece last year (she’s called Scarlett, so I thought red shoes would be appropriate), and they were just lovely. It was so great knowing they’d been created with love and care, for precious little tootsies.
If you’d like to check out Brenda’s new website, just head here. Don’t worry if you don’t live in the UK, because she sends her work all over the world.
I hope you’re inspired by Brenda’s story – if a setback occurs, look for the blessing, and if you love doing something, do more of it! Simply follow your bliss…
PS Bren, thank you for being such a beautiful stepmum, and for sharing your love with us.
Joanne's coaching was exactly what I needed to help me focus my precious time and money on finding work and making money! What I like most about Joanne’s coaching is that it's gentle, supportive and empathetic, rather than pushy and 'ra-ra-ra'”
...if there’s something that you’ve been putting off doing, because it’s so big and overwhelming, then by coaching with Joanne you'll definitely find a way to do it, to finally reach your goal.”
Radiant