Have you ever stopped to consider that the world you think you are living in is not actually what is going on? Let me explain. I wrote an email to a potential client the other day asking permission to gatecrash an event they were holding. It was a bold thing to do, but someone I trust had suggested I get in contact with them as they thought I might be able to add some value to the service they were offering in the future. I sent the mail and got on with my life.A week later and I was looking at my diary to discover that I had this event still pencilled in and another client pushing for the slot. I sent another email to the new client to see whether it was still appropriate for me to go. Nothing.With the event the following day and close of business fast approaching I managed to dig out a mobile number for the client using some deft googling skills. I wrote an SMS to her explaining my circumstances and hit send.I then had a flash of panic. I kind of 'Oh my, I think I overstepped the mar...

[Read entire post...]

This book landed on my lap for some reason, so I read it and absorbed the learnings. So now it is about putting into practice. If something falls on your lap, learn to stop and get the learnings and not just brush it off. As I have learnt through the years, often these are the moments to stop, assess what is going on and do something different. So enjoy my review on this new take on willpower.  It is told in an interesting easy to follow story line main characters are Billy and Beth and their quest to attain inspiring goals, they resemble many couples in today’s society (minus the skinny nature!) as they go through the mental and physical challenges. As I have personally discovered obstacles are there because you are moving forward, to the sooner they come the quicker you can be on your way.   In essence you will learn the following 15 lessons:   1. Be sure you are totally committed. 2. Prepare yourself for a difficult journey. 3. Prepare for your challenge ...

[Read entire post...]

“I’m calling a time out on you and it’s for your own good.” We need to have regular time outs in our life. I suggest that you make it a priority! Time out allows us to rest, relax, heal, gain perspective, clear our thoughts, discover answers to our problems, release stress etc. Now you can see why it is so important. So why do many people neglect to do it? I think that society has conditioned us to think that ‘busy’ is good. People have become proud of being busy and view it as a measure of success. It is as if the busier we are the more successful we apparently are. This type of conditioning has fooled us in to believing that being productive is all about doing things. Well I believe that taking time out is extremely productive. As Billy Joel said “There are times when we need to let the field lie fallow.” Taking some time out for ourselves allows us to rejuvenate and harvest better results for our future. We become more productive and effective thanks to the rest and ...

[Read entire post...]

As we grow and stretch ourselves we look for validation, so we know we are on the right track. This validation can come from other people who tell us that we are heading down the right path or perhaps intuitively we know that this is right as it feels so good. This is when we trust our own decision making and feelings. It can be a challenge when there is so much choice around. There are so many factors to consider and weighing up options. Take changing careers as an example. We want to pursue a different path, we know what we like and what we are good at, so we head down this road. Some people close to us will have an opinion (or we seek it as part of the decision making). This will give us encouragement or perhaps a reality check. Then you also have to consider your prospects and career growth. Too many choices may even paralyze you and once overwhelmed you do not make a decision, as this gets just ‘too hard’. This is when you just have to trust yourself and go with the flow, make a ...

[Read entire post...]

  In order to live a fulfilling and happy life you need to be sure that you are focusing on the right things. As a Life Management & Success Coach I find that the cause of unhappiness and many of the challenges that people experience is influenced largely by where their focus lies. If you are not achieving what you want to experience in your life the following are areas that may require you to shift your focus. The Present – Focus on what you need to do in the present and what you want in the future rather than dwell on the past. If you are focusing on the past you are taking power away from the present and your future. Don’t stay stuck in the past. The main purpose of our past is to provide us with the learning that is necessary for our progress in life. Focusing on past hurts, mistakes, failures etc. can paralyse us and stop us from experiencing what we truly want in our lives. Let go of the past. Place all of your energy and focus on taking action now to create the futu...

[Read entire post...]

Success is a very personal subject as everyone has different goals, aspirations and targets. Success is what keeps us happy at all times and should be lasting. I often wonder what success is and hear mostly that you are successful once you have a great career which earns you lots of money. However, I don't believe that is necessarily success. Most of you would agree that money doesn't always make us happy, hence it is not 'success' for all of us. Let's look at some of the things I have achieved in my life so far: I started a new life by moving from the Netherlands to Australia with two suitcases in my hand and the rest of my 'life' on a ship on its way to Sydney. It was all very daunting and scary but exciting and fun at the same time. A whole new city and country to explore and to love. Now, 13 years later, I have a wonderful family, a very close circle of friends and my own business! To me, that is success!! A few years ago I discovered I have Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia ('CML'). Th...

[Read entire post...]

What if there was more to life than just existing? What if there was a bigger plan? What if when we were souls, awaiting our birth into the human experience, we formed a plan? What if we decided that in order for our souls to grow, evolve and learn, we needed to explore and participate in certain experiences during our human existence? What if, in order to experience this growth, evolution and learning we deliberately chose those who would journey with us and assist us in accomplishing our task? What if we imagined our life here to be like a theatre production? What if we all had our specific roles, our specific wardrobe, our specific dialogue within this story that, when delivered as it should be, ended in a grand finale? What if all the people in your life, friend or foe, were in fact just playing their role in your own growth, evolution and learning process? What if they were part of your life for a reason, and whether your experience with them was positive or negative, what ...

[Read entire post...]

  We know how great it feels to receive a gift from someone. I believe however that the greatest satisfaction comes from giving to others and knowing that you have made someone feel happier or made a positive contribution in some way to their life. Think of the times when you have given to others. It may have been when you helped someone resolve a problem. You may have volunteered and given up some of your time to help out at your children’s school. You may have helped someone with directions to where they needed to go. The question I ask to you is how did you feel? I’d imagine you felt very pleased with yourself and happy inside. There is something very nourishing to our soul when we give and help others. It provides us with an intrinsic reward that far outweighs what we give. It also helps to take our mind of our own worries and challenges. When you are focused on how you can give to others you are less likely to consume your whole focus on your own concerns and challenges. ...

[Read entire post...]

A recruiter told me the other day about a young girl (degree qualified) who had been at her job for three weeks, was asked to make tea for the boss, got the cranks, and quit! Sounds ridiculous, and just a little extreme, but would this occur at your work? If the answer is yes, then pay attention: Its reasonable to say that Generation Y in the workplace can be just a little cocky, impatient and often have short attention spans. Anyone who manages or leads these young people may find themselves struggling to keep up with their pace (ie having to constantly find work for them to do) and may also become frustrated at having someone constantly questioning your decisions. Yet at the same time, Generation Y can be very passionate about a cause, adapt easily to change and are willing to embrace new technologies. Gen Y are prepared to go out on a limb and take risks and more importantly, they believe in themselves to achieve results. So what do you do to make the most of your talent? ...

[Read entire post...]

“You can’t have what you want”. I heard this on a spirituality program I was watching last night and it puzzled me. Why would they be saying that? Then it occurred to me, it was all in the language. The sentence was presupposing that if you are ‘wanting’ something, then it is something you believe you do not have or possess in this very moment. If we want something, it means we don’t believe we already have it, or it isn’t something that we already own or possess. What is it that you want? Love, health, success? Do you believe these things have to come from someone or something else? Anything that we desire is part of us already. It has to be. Why? Because I believe that we are all connected energetically – and ultimately we are all connected to a higher power, God, universal energy, whatever you wish to call it. And surely if this higher power has it, and we are connected to this higher power, then doesn’t it mean we have access? Absolutely. However, the key is to be open to acces...

[Read entire post...]