Passion is such a buzzword right now, so many times I have people come and say to me, if I only knew what my passion was I could change my life and be happy.  It is like they are some big secret, something that is hidden from them that if they could only see everything would be great. Having specifically worked with passions for a while now I have to reveal a secret – your passions are not something that are hidden away from you, something to be discovered that you haven’t previously allowed yourself to see.  One person I was talking with said that when she wrote down her passions nothing new came to mind.  How could it?  We can only be passionate about what we know, or we think we know, we want.  You can’t be passionate about something you don’t know.  But you can, and many people are, not be focused on your passions or even dismiss them because they are so obvious. When I work with clients who want to make changes in their life one of the first things ...

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This article is for all the mums out there who on most occasions put themselves last in the family hierarchy of needs. First comes the children or husband, then the duties that must be done during the day and then you take care of your own needs. Even if it means going without you do, as other people take priority. No wonder they call this the hardest job of all, but I know how rewarding it can all be. When you have 5 minutes to yourself to reflect that is! As mothers’ day is fast approaching think about what you really do and how the family copes because you do. Amazing isn’t it? This is the time to prioritize some ‘’me” time and celebrate being you. We are geared to nurture and to allow others to shine, yet in today’s modern thinking this also refers to you and that you need to set the example for others to follow. If you make yourself shrink into the wallpaper and continue to put others first then how will your children learn that you need to be Numero Uno? They learn by example no...

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Just reading the news about this volcano causing such an impact on multiple levels makes me realize that sometimes you have No control over some plans you made so long ago. Who can anticipate the eruption of a volcano high north of the European continent would impact people as far as Australia? Well it does, people wanting to fly to Europe, all flights suspended. Not since WW2 has there been such a standstill of international flights. This puts many plans into jeopardy, which prompts the need to think about contingency and your plan B. Perhaps when you plan something think about the alternative just in case, yet again this is not really practical as you then need to think about when things go wrong. And if you have done any personal development and the law of attraction this is not a good idea as you are entertaining the thought of disaster and your plans falling through. We want to be in a positive state and feel that it will come to fruition  that is what we need to feel and ...

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I admit I’m a compulsive responder and acknowledger when it comes to emails. I send thank you notes, got it notes, get back to you soon notes, confirmation notes, and so on.  Unfortunately people don’t always send them to me so I’m often concerned that my email might have got lost in cyberspace or is lying trapped and helpless in a spam filter.  Or I reluctantly decide that the person I’ve communicated with is either inefficient, ignorant or just downright rude. “But I don’t have time to reply to everything”, I hear you say.  Or “I pride myself on only answering what I absolutely have to” or “but I didn’t have anything to tell you yet”. Good on you for your time saving diligence, but what you are saving in time, you could well be losing in good business relationships. As a coach I’d like to point out a couple of distinctions that might make you think again about the benefit of email acknowledgement. I am not talking about responding to unsolicited promos or mail....

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For a child most things are like a jigsaw puzzle, they try to figure out how it feels, how it works, how it fits and how it can be used for other things. Just today my soon to be 16 month old took some utensils from the kitchen cabinet and started making music (it would be noise to other people!) she was very entertained and then used them as pretend telephones. As she is used to seeing her parents on the phone she too wanted to get into the act. This made me realize that in life we have one big jigsaw to unravel and what piece we use next is just based on past experiences and habit. If it doesn’t fit we force it somehow wanting it to be magic remedy. Unfortunately this strategy seldom works as with the jigsaw the piece cannot be forced. So why keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result? This is why having a different perspective and tackling it from a different angle can be beneficial. And how do we do that? We look at it with fresh eyes, look at the jigsaw puzzle fro...

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As Easter is just around the corner, I am reminded about all the surplus junk that keeps on growing in the garage and this is the perfect time to clean out the mess and de-clutter. Interesting we are not alone according to a report by the Australian Institute entitled Stuff Happens: Unused Things Cluttering Up our Homes, 88 per cent of Australian homes has at least one room full of trash-slash-treasure. And also interesting is that four out of ten Australians find themselves feeling anxious, guilty or depressed about the amount of disorder in their homes sometimes going to extraordinary lengths to deal with it. Like moving house, adding rooms, even purchasing more stuff like storage containers to accommodate the things that were brought and never used. People who horde stuff everywhere in their home and in some chronic cases they have surrounded themselves with stuff that they only see the passage to the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. Amazing to even phantom such a state! It is not ju...

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When you go through any challenge, you are tested, and to learn and grow we need to be challenged, it is that simple. Just last week I thought I was on a clear path, the indicators told me so, so when that wasn't so my head and heart were in conflict. It was like one of those surreal moments you are disassociated from the experience and see yourself in it. Well that was me, shocked and in disbelief. That was last week and today I am in a better place. Time does heal that is for sure. As they say one door closes and another one opens, I believe things happen for a reason, and so I have justified it and filed the moment somewhere in my learnings. I decide how I feel about things and my experiences; sure there is sadness and disappointment. However I choose to be grateful and feel loved, adored and wanted. That is a better place to resonate from. And that is what I choose. Feeling overwhelmed with emotions and stuck in the moment does not help me move on; in fact it does the complete o...

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When we keep things inside that bother us, we tend to ruminate about the finer details and how it makes us feel. This can lead to feeling inadequate, unsupported, misunderstood, unloved and if you find yourself maintaining a straight face that shows to the world that you are ‘ fine’ and ‘ok’ then this article is for you! You see if you do not air your issues, you just keep burying them into the depth of your being you will generate dis-ease in your body. Especially if this is your way of coping with the knocks of life and being in relationships. Not one relationship is smooth sailing, (unless one is in full control and the other is compliant). Better I make myself clear: No one healthy relationship is smooth sailing. They all require work, love, attention, communication, trust and respect. So if you are just keeping it bottled in then you will eventually have to explode to let the air out! If you come to this explosive end, you may likely completely loose it and then suffer the c...

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For many of us asking for help is a difficult thing to do. We would rather stay stuck in our challenges or settle for outcomes that we are not happy with than go to someone who could offer us some assistance. So why is asking for help difficult for people?  The following are some reasons that I believe contribute to people’s inability to ask for help: Perception that asking for help is a sign of weakness; Fear of looking foolish or being embarrassed in front of others; Pride; Reflects an inability to manage areas of our life; and Having to pay someone for their assistance. Our thoughts and beliefs around asking for help have been influenced by the messages that we have been exposed to from our environments (e.g. home, social, work, school etc.). For example, you may have been exposed to environments that suggested that you should solve your own problems or that you cannot trust others to help you. If you had been exposed to these types of messages yo...

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Setting goals on December 31 is a wonderful tradition. There you are, full of bonhomie (or maybe just pretty full). All things seem possible. Goals for the year ahead just roll of your tongue. Now its February, holidays are well and truly over, and the pressure is on to stop talking, get into action and produce some results. Trouble is those New Year goals may now not be looking quite so sparkly and easy. Another challenge is that, for some of us, switching off and taking a mental break is really hard to do. But once weve finally slowed down and are enjoying the holiday pace, switching on again and getting back into the groove towards our goals is even harder. Here are eight strategies to ease you back into the groove and get focused again - when part of may still be hankering for the beach and a good novel. Clear the space ready for easier action. Complete some of those tasks you have had on your list but never make a priority. Handle those little things that annoy, like fix...

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