Archive for Self-Care
Loving This Planet
Did you know that Earth Hour has come around again?
It’s this Saturday night, from 8.30pm, wherever you are in the world.
I have my candles at the ready, and will convince my husband to join me in a board game called Planet Earth.
What about you? What are your plans for this Earth Hour? Perhaps you’ll just scoot off to bed early?
I LOVE the whole concept of Earth Hour (and I’m so proud of the fact that it began only a few years ago, in Australia).
What better reminder to ourselves that we are here to care for the earth?
WISH Mist!
You know how I was telling you about the fabulous WISH Summit that’s on at the moment? The one where you get to listen to and learn from 40 phenomenal luminaries in the personal development realm, over the course of 40 days? For free?
Well, you can keep the WISH spirit with you everywhere you go when you wear the exclusively blended WISH Mist perfume!
I actually treated myself to a bottle of this perfume a little while ago, and it arrived on my doorstop this week – only 10 days in the post, all the way from Canada (or the US?). I didn’t expect it to arrive so quickly, given that mail between us (in Australia) and the US or Canada can take SO long… so it was a lovely surprise!
I love that it’s made by the team at Living Libations, and is completely natural. The fragrances used are jasmine sambac, lemon, lime, vanilla, seabuckthorn berries (mmm, can you just imagine it?), and it’s all in a spring water base. It comes in a cute glass bottle, and you shake the oil and water combo before spritzing it on. I wore this out to an event the day that it arrived, and I’m just in LOVE with it!
You know how I go on about living naturally – because this increases your vibration and helps you attract ‘the good stuff’ of life – well, wearing a luscious perfume like this (without all those toxic fragrances associated with traditional perfumes) is one way that you can boost your vibration. It’s natural, so your body loves it, and it lifts your mood into the stratosphere.
If you’d love to give yourself a treat, and carry with you an aromatic reminder of the fact that you really can create a life and a world that you love, then grab yourself a bottle’o'love.
Head here to order (just click on the ‘Shop’ button on this page – and if you haven’t already signed up for the free WISH summit, make sure you do!).
It’s (Nearly) Time to Clean Up!
How’s your week panning out? Are you on top of things, or are things getting on top of you?
Sometimes clutter has a way of getting on top of us, of weighing us down with its dead energy. It feels so *blah* to look at clutter in our physical environment, doesn’t it?
But when we declutter, we release that negative energy and let in fresh, clear, prosperous energy – and you KNOW how good it feels when you accomplish a really good declutter!
So, if you need to declutter your physical environment, get excited.
Very soon, I’ll be releasing a home-study version of a course called The Living Rich Declutter program. In that program, I take the ‘overwhelm’ out of decluttering, and show you how to declutter for prosperity.
If you’d like to be one of the first to know about this sensational course, simply leave your details here:
I’ll let you have access to this course before its official release!
Have a fabulous rest of week, won’t you? (Keep smiling, and be kind to everyone, including yourself!)
Sugar, What is It Good For?
Guess what I’ve been reading lately? My latest bedside reading is this bold book – Sweet Poison, by Australian David Gillespie. It’s been out since 2008, but I heard about it on my recent summer holidays, through some friends who live in Queensland.
It’s been a riveting read. The author lost 40 kilos simply by cutting sugar (well, the fructose type of sugar) out of his diet.
In the world of ‘law of attraction’, it’s often said that if you believe something will or won’t harm you, then your belief will play itself out. So, if you don’t believe that sugar will make you fat, then you won’t get fat.
However, I beg to differ with this view. I believe that certain chemical reactions take place in the human body when we imbibe or ingest certain drinks or foods. Individual reactions will vary based upon a person’s biochemistry, but there are prevailing trends. We’re all human, after all, and are bound to react in similar ways to an oversupply of a certain toxin.
And so, with sugar, we now know that an oversupply of sugar does harm to the human body. You know it, and I know it!
This book, written by a layperson (ie, someone not in the medical or nutrition fields), explains WHY sugar is so bad for us, looking at trends in health over the past few hundred years (and with detail about the last 100 years).
David explains concepts in a clear and humorous way, although it may still take a bit of brainpower to get your head around some of the terminology.
If you know of someone who is carrying extra body weight, then tell them about this book. I’ve loved reading it because it reinforces much of what I believe about health, but I’ve also learned a few things! While my diet is pretty good, I know there are still a few areas for improvement.
Life can be all the sweeter when we look after ourselves!
PS Yep, fruit contains fructose, but its high fibre content prevents most people from overindulging in it. Soft drinks, however…
Hitting the Highway for our Summer Break
I’ve taken an awfully long break from connecting with you on the blog, so I thought you might like to see what I got up to during my time away.
Well, just after Christmas, we packed up and headed north to Queensland. We wanted a really good, long summer holiday, spent with family and friends. After a very busy 2011, we couldn’t wait to unwind completely.
We drove up the Newell Highway (of course), and I just loved the changing roadside scenes, including dramatic cloud/storm formations, grasses blowing in the wind, and avenues of beautiful bushy trees. I’m telling you, if you haven’t been to Australia yet, you MUST come see this breathtaking country!
We used to drive this road once or twice a year when I was a child, but I don’t remember it being this beautiful. Or perhaps I just didn’t truly appreciate it, back then.
Not long after we arrived at my mum and dad’s, I planted myself on their back patio and gazed out at their dam. I don’t know if it’s something in the air there, but it was SO easy to relax. We indulged in a few goodies, nattered, watched movies, hugged each other, and laughed and laughed and laughed.
The girls enjoyed an outing to our hometown’s local museum, which hosted a ‘Creative Capers’ craft session for little ‘uns. It must have been 35 degrees in the shade, but they loved it anyway!
After our time with family, we cruised on down to the beautiful Gold Coast to stay with close friends. The beach at Surfers Paradise was, as usual, stunning. Just look at those white-capped waves. This really is the lucky country.
Not long after a beach outing, we headed to Build-a-Bear – our friends had given Evie and Bella vouchers for Christmas, so they came with us to be part of the creation experience. Honestly, the girls adore their new bears.
On our drive back home to Victoria, we encountered Cunningham’s Gap, which I’ve never before driven through – spectacular! And just look at those cloud formations. I loved soaking up such gorgeous vistas.
One of our final stops on the way home was at the Parkes’ Observatory in, of all places, the town of Parkes. Does that satellite dish look familiar? It featured in the movie The Dish. Fascinating history (one we didn’t get to stop and appreciate on all my childhood trips – my Dad was always keen to keep going and get to Melbourne in record time. He did allow the odd toilet break, which was nice…).
And now, we’re home. After what I believe to be our ‘best summer ever’ (as a family), we’re ready to launch back into life, all refreshed and reinvigorated. If you subscribe to Rich Radiant Real in the box on the upper right, and I’ll keep you posted on all the goodies I’ll be bringing you this year!
Here’s to a fabulous year of prosperity, health and happiness. Mwuh!
Goodbye for Now – See You in 2012!
Well, it’s Christmas Eve. (Actually, we’ve taken to calling it Christmas Evie at my house, given that one of my daughters is called Evie.)
It’s time to slow down, savour time with loved ones, feast on rare treats and reflect on the year that was.
I’ll be doing exactly that over the next few weeks, and will be taking a wee break from blogging. I’ll help you start your New Year with an inspirational article (pop back here for that, or sign up for my ezine in the top right corner), but otherwise, things will be quiet here at Rich Radiant Real, while we deeply relax and then return completely rejuvenated!
Thank you for joining me here on the blog this year, and I really look forward to inspiring you in 2012, and beyond!
All the very, very best over this beautiful season, and I’ll see you soon!
How to Bring Back Your ‘Bubbly’!
You know, sometimes life can seem pretty darn hard.
Everything can be going along swimmingly, and then you realise you feel completely overwhelmed. Or you have a few disappointments, and you start spiralling down into a real slump, finding it hugely difficult to summon the energy and enthusiasm to get back on track.
So, how can you bring back your ‘bubbly’? Your sparkle, your fizz, your joie de vivre?
Just wait it out and hope things will get better? Or summon up the strength to start taking positive action?
Well, you can bet that I’d recommend taking action! Yep, waiting has its virtues, but taking action will make things happen waaay faster.
Here are three powerful ideas to help you ‘course correct’, and start an upward spiral that puts you back on track. These have helped me, and I hope they help you, too.
1. Start with your health.
Often, we get stuck in a rut because we’re exhausted and overwhelmed (this has happened for me more times than I care to remember). All we really need is more sleep, more water, fewer junk foods and a bit of a breather from the number of activities or obligations we’ve taken on. So, let’s do that!
To avoid feeling that implementing healthier, empowering habits is going to add to your overwhelm, try a ‘just for seven days’ commitment – do one small, positive ‘thing’ for your health for just seven days. Believe me, you’ll notice the difference, and you may well be ‘on a roll’ and want to continue with this fabulous, healthy new habit.
2. Become all ‘Scarlett O’Hara’ and think of tomorrow as a brand new day. (Because it is.)
You don’t need to live a ‘groundhog day’ type of existence. Every day has the potential to be fantastic, even if, from where you are now, you can’t even imagine that.
Tomorrow, as soon as you open your eyes, smile and think to yourself: ‘today is going to be a good day, and I’m going to look for evidence of that!’.
Oh, a word of warning. When you do this, you may well notice that your usual ‘programming’ pops up to sabotage you. After all, your subconscious mind wants to keep you safe, and if you’re trying to implement change (even if it’s positive), it may be fiercely resistant. Just thank your subconscious for protecting you, but swallow hard and keep acting as though you absolutely expect positive results.
3. Gain a fresh perspective.
This is so effective. I even find that this technique works when I’m struggling to go to sleep (I’m a ‘night owl’ by nature, so if I haven’t done sufficient winding down before bedtime, I find it difficult to get to sleep). I sometimes notice that I’m lying on one side of my body, going over and over the things I want to remember, analysing situations… it’s exhausting, and keeps my mind spinning!
So, when that happens, I remind myself that I can change perspective and break the loop. I roll over onto my other side, jot down notes that I want to remember, and let myself recognise that I’ve chosen to break the cycle. Lying on this new side, I can start afresh and choose to start relaxing my body and mind.
When it comes to getting back your ‘bubbly’ and feeling positive about life, what if you went for a drive in the country? What if you lay down on the floor (or sat on a hill, surveying what’s below you) and thought about your life from that perspective? What if you did your grocery shopping in a different store? Or started your day with a slightly different routine?
My friend, it’s going to take a bit of a ‘push’ to get over a hump. Be gentle with yourself, but very firm. Your happiness depends on it!
If you’ve been stuck in a slump, I hope that just one of these ideas propels you back along the track to ‘bubbly’!
Note: if you try all of the above and still can’t bring yourself to a state of positivity, you might well need the help of a counsellor or psychologist. Or if you’re utterly, physically exhausted and can’t seem to regain your energy, take yourself off for a health check – see a doctor, or a natural health practitioner (such as Dr Ritamarie Loscalzo, at www.drritamarie.com).
You Wear It Well!
Although, if you currently DON’T wear it well, you might want to join me this Thursday, when I interview Briony Croft (that’s Briony, in the pic above), personal stylist and owner of Alla Moda Styling.
Briony will be spilling the beans on how to ‘dress well’ – because when you feel good in your clothes, you beam out a powerful, supremely confident vibration.
Our interview is called ‘Looking Good, Feeling Good: Dressing to Boost Your Vibration & Attract Success’ (sounds amazing, doesn’t it?!).
Keeping Yourself Inspired & Informed
The people we listen to, hang out with and learn from make a huge difference in our lives.
I mean, it makes sense, really.
If you hang out with whiners, complainers and do-nothing-muchers, it’s natural that you’ll take on some of their energy. But do you want that in your life? I don’t!
So, for many years now, I’ve made a point of gravitating towards positive people, and to learning from ‘the masters’ who have accomplished what I want to do. (And now I’m also being that ‘master’ for other people!)
One of the mentors I’ve followed for a number of years is Jack Canfield. Jack is a teacher in the best-selling DVD The Secret (Extended Edition)
He’s quite ‘linear’ in his approach (being a guy), but he just talks such practical common sense, and he lives his life with integrity, living by the principles he espouses.
For the past four years or so, he’s been holding monthly ‘Ask Jack’ calls, for free, whereby people can send him a question and he’ll answer it on the call. He dispenses heaps of sage advice, and stories from his own experience and that of people he knows, all to help you break through your blocks and get to ‘where you want to be’.
Anyone can listen to the live calls for free, but this year, Jack created the ‘Inner Circle’ club. As a member of the club, you get to download the MP3 audio recording of the call, so that you can listen to it anytime, anywhere. (I LOVE that!) You also get a monthly video workshop from Jack, and a recording of a private interview with featured guests (this month it will be Tim Ferris, of The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich
I’m a long way along my own personal development path, but I make it a point to keep learning, and to keep being inspired. As an old colleague of mine used to say, ‘every day’s a day at school!’.
If you’d like to join me (and Jack), head here to have a look. At only US$19.95 per month, membership is a steal!
It’s SO important to keep soaking up positive information and inspiration. Many of us grew up in a culture (and perhaps a family) that had limited beliefs that just don’t serve us, so ‘reprogramming’ yourself with wisdom from people like Jack (and, ahem, moi) is crucial. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that – if you’re struggling to create a life you love – your happiness depends on it!
Pop over to the information page, and check it out. I think you’re going to love it.
Decluttering & You!
Would you like an opportunity to have coaching with me at the fraction of the cost of my usual one-on-one coaching fees?
Would you like to finally clear your home of clutter, feel a huge sense of relief, and allow fresh, prosperous energy to flow through your home? Bringing with it wonderful opportunities?
Then I’d love for you to join me on The Living Rich Declutter group-coaching program – but you’ll need to hurry, because registrations close in just a few hours.
Maybe this is the spring/autumn cleanout you’ve been itching to do?
Head here to discover more about this unique program.
Come on! Let’s do this together!
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