I have had the small success now of having stuck with one of my goals for this year – to get fitter! (Well actually, its more like a ‘pre-wedding’ resolution that started back in December, but I’m still going strong). I’m up everyone morning with my weights and new running shoes – and I must admit, I’ve never felt better. I bring this up, not to remind you of how you’re going with any new year’s resolutions specifically, rather ‘how are you going with what you don’t like’? You see, I’m not a runner – never have been. Actually I hate it - much prefer to walk. Yet since I’ve been out every morning with my personal trainer (who thankfully I live with anyway … spoilt I know), I’ve actually found myself enjoying the exercise. Yesterday I even went for two runs – on my own! And I know what you’re thinking – oh she’s just doing this until the wedding and then she’ll let herself go! Well who knows? I can’t predict what will happen then, but what I do know is that I have three more months to ...

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Are you having trouble balancing your life? This is a common challenge that most people encounter and find difficult to resolve. I hope that this article assists you in taking some steps to improve the balance in your life. The 3 important questions that I ask my clients when they want a solution to creating more balance in their life are: 1. Do you value your time? 2. Can you be disciplined? 3. Are you willing to change habits? What are some causes for us getting out of balance?   Dealing with the urgent and not the important. Being disorganised. Procrastination. Too much time spent on the phone or computer. Watching too much television. Changes in family roles. Belief systems. Deterioration of boundaries between work and home. Disease to please. Can’t say “NO”. Inabil...

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It is interesting to see that many people are just waiting, waiting for their lives to begin, to feel complete, to be happy, they are in a queue and their number isn’t up yet. Do you get this feeling sometimes? It is like those who buy a lotto ticket, thinking that they deserve to win, and yet week after week they are still at the mercy of the lotto draw. With waiting comes the anticipation that once they have ‘it’ then life can truly begin, I often hear, ‘when I have a new career I will feel happier about my direction’ or ‘when I have my soul mate I will feel complete’. What are these people waiting for? An opportunity, an external power to come into their lives to make it better, a fix, a solution. They wait and expectations get higher as the time keeps on ticking. If you haven’t achieved those goals in 2007, well then begin afresh in 2008. Also explore the reasons why you haven’t achieved them, are they always the same goals? Do you find yourself indulging in sabotage behaviours ...

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I heard the other day in my yoga class about how we hold onto emotions and they are stored in our bodies, in particular our hips. Made me think about my tight hips and what is going on for me. A whole range of emotions poured out as I had been layering them in, one at a time, thus my hips got tighter and less mobile. On the outside I look healthy and I can still dance salsa, however on the inside I knew my hips were crying to just ‘let go’ of all the residual punishment I had subjected them too, my emotional rollercoaster. Going through the IVF program is like climbing a mountain, or running a marathon, never ending and full of surprises and disappointments. Your life evolves around the calendar, dates, blood tests and ultra sounds. You place everything else on hold and you prioritize your life. I have been on the journey for two years and yes it is emotional. Combine this with my Latin blood and it is almost a deadly combination! I am glad that now I laugh about it, distant from my ...

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Its that time of year again (yes, Christmas already) when we get to look back on the last 12 months and reflect on what was good … and what was not-so-good. So get that crumpled piece of paper out from the back of your drawer with your New Year’s Resolutions neatly laid out for the year ahead (the year that now was). How did you go? Can you find the list? Did you even write one? If you’ve found your list and are rejoicing over how many of your resolutions you can tick off – then step up and give yourself a pat on the back. Then get out there and celebrate – because you’re out there achieving your goals and living your dreams – congratulations. If you’re looking at your list in disappointment (or scratching your head working out what you might have written down) then you may want to ask yourself the following questions: What got in your way? Did you fall back into old habits? Did you lose focus? Was it all too hard? Has something happened to completely change the direction of your l...

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You hear people often say ‘be in the now’ and ‘live in the moment’. They are all talking about being really there in that precise moment and connecting with that thought/event. I just read an excerpt from a book ‘My Steve’ by Terri Irwin, she spoke about her late husband, Steve Irwin alias the ‘crocodile hunter’. It was evident that he saw life as an adventure to be lived every minute. He was on a mission to do as much as possible everyday, he didn’t sleep that much as his batteries recharged quickly and once they were he was on a trail to explore, learn, teach people about what he loved most, the wildlife kingdom. His sense of curiosity was never satisfied, thus his thirst for living was never quenched. The energy he radiated was magnetic, he lived in the NOW, truly and for him time was of essence. He needed to do as much as possible in the time he had left on this earth, he took risks, and that provided the thrills, and excitement. What a wonderful example of a person on a mission,...

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Many people find it extremely difficult to say ‘No’ to people’s requests and demands. I personally struggled with this for most of my life.   Why do so many of us find it so difficult to say ‘No’? From analysing my own experiences and talking to other people I have found the following to be some of the causes.     1. Habit   2. Underestimating a task   3. Desire to rescue, serve and please others   4. Fear of rejection   5. Guilt   6. Poor self-esteem and self-confidence   7. Not knowing how to be assertive   8. Avoids confrontation   It is important to understand that always saying ‘YES’ can lead to overload and feelings of frustration, resentment, stress and can also steel you away from important activities in your life. I classify important activities in your life as activities that make you happy and healthy and that contribute ...

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Isn't if funny how when someone points out a particular car, celebrity or place that you hadn't really noticed before all of a sudden seems to appear everywhere, on TV, in a magazine, in conversation... Coaching also brings to surface many things we may not have noticed before about ourselves, our relationships, our attitudes, our fears, our strengths. With this newfound knowledge what you may have seen as a flaw is now an attribute or what may have been scary is now exciting. Some people want to conquer the world, others want peace of mind, others still want to become more creative. A life coach is what you want them to be: a support, a sound board, a facilitator, a motivator, for accountability, an objective pair of ears. If something is missing then change is in order. Even small changes can make the world of difference. It's all about understanding where you are at and where you'd like to be. You might be surprised to find you're just where you want to be, or close. Only you hadn...

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Don’t think of a red apple, no I said don’t think of a red apple! He he... What did you just think of? Give me a clap if you just thought of a red apple. Yipeeeee, thank you! No, I’m not a mind reader, however what I do know is this....... you can’t think about, what you don’t want to think about, without thinking about it. Think about that! Yep, I’ll say it again and I bet you’re saying it in your head slowly, right now..........you can’t think about, what you don’t want to think about, without thinking about it. Think about that! So........What’s this all about then? Why is it some people might say “I hope I don’t put on weight like I did last time I went on a diet? What are they really focused on telling themselves? Of course,.....putting on weight. What are they just as likely to do in the long run? Put on weight, right? Because that’s the image they have created in their mind. Think about it for a second, what happens when a person who wants to create a great relationship is...

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  We all go through challenges in life, some have physical challenges of conquering Mount Everest, others have a marriage breakdown and their whole world crumbles. Some have health challenges that no matter what they do they are in the same situation as last year! Challenges are there for us to grow, adapt, get stronger, learn, accept and move on. In a state of crisis we need to act, we become motivated to get to a safe place, as in a crisis our bodies are in a state of shock and movement is required, sometimes stress can mount to propelling us to do something! Not the ideal way to act, in reaction to something, but if you are in a crisis, like a car accident, your child is not safe, or we see no way out of our current dilemma, then your body takes over. Often times we see no solution because we are in an unresourceful state, we dwell in the negatives, and catastrophize the end result and feel overwhelmed. We over analysise all the possible angles and then don’t do anything as ...

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