Day 8: "30 Day Gratitude Challenge"

Day 8: Today I'm grateful for being appreciated. 

Often, we might go about our day, without stopping to think what we might have to offer to the world, our community or our friends and family or even our work colleagues. We just go about our day 'same old, same old' and with no awareness how we might have an effect on others.

Today, I felt appreciated by the talent and it felt really good! Sure, I feel confident in what I do, but it's such a compliment when you find out from the talent themselves that they were so glad to see me on this job as it gave them the confidence in themselves too :)

Do you have an awareness of how important you are? How important you might be to someone else or of part of a team?

We are all important in one way or other for whatever reason. It's another reason why I consistently like to check-in and create more awareness of myself, my well BEING, my state of mind, my health and my mindset. For I know that when I am the best person I can be, I'm an even better version of myself to/for someone else.

How about you?

Personal Responsibility

I absolutely LOVE this!

Oprah is definitely one of my many inspirations :)  and she couldn't have said it better.  

How often might you be putting the blame on someone else?  (saying it's not your fault?). Perhaps you're not being responsible for your own feelings?  Do you complain or make excuses for something unpleasant happening?  or have excuses why something hasn't  happened yet?  Perhaps you play the victim... ALOT!? "bad things always happen to me....".  If ANY of these things sound familiar - then you're definitely not taking any personal responsibility!

I'm not perfect.  I will admit to the fact that I too am not always BEING PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE for my actions, reactions and outcomes - but when I don't, where do you think does that leave me? Downright unhappy! I feel out of control and powerless.

Just the other day, my husband pointed out to me how I wasn't being personally responsible for my response (I was blaming someone here...) - I just loved that he did that, because it made me step up in that moment, reassess what I had just said and gave me another opportunity to change - for the better :)  Take action and make the decision to BE personally responsible.

It sure does take practice - but a little bit of mindfulness will help along the way ;) Go on! Take some responsibility! Be personally responsible for YOUR actions, what you do in your life, your intentions, the way you react in a situation, respond in a conversation, the outcomes and what you attract.  

By practising being responsible for ourselves, we also have to remember, we are not responsible for others. How someone reacts or acts, is their decision, if someone gets upset by something you said (so long as you said it with good intentions), you are not responsible for their feelings.  They CHOOSE to feel that way. If you try to be responsible for someone else, you actually allowing them not to be personally responsible for themselves!  Think about that.... you allow them to play the victim again and again and you begin to burden yourselves with other people's problems - and where would that leave you?

When you learn to take some personal responsibility, you'll soon realise you have so many more choices - after all YOU are responsible for your own HAPPINESS!  

We become more accepting and we begin to forgive ourselves and others, thus creating more love around us. We learn to let go of things we can't control and everything becomes EEEEASY!!! :)

Would love to hear your personal stories on how you're taking some personal responsibility, so please feel free to comment below!

It's All About Perspective

Holidays are a great way to relax and unwind from ones busy normal everyday life. But another thing holidays are good for, especially when visiting a new culture, is to put things into PERSPECTIVE. 

Seeing and experiencing different cultures around the world allows me to put my life in perspective. To make me realise I have it good! In fact, I have it GREAT! 

I do what I feel I need to do in order to live a great life - we're all responsible for the outcome and HAPPINESS of our own BEING and life.

Comparing yourself to others can make you feel less empowered and miserable, just makes you unhappy. Especially if you're comparing yourself to what you're not or what you don't have.

What if, you compared yourself to others in a way that would have you create more appreciation of your own life instead? Wouldn't that make you change perspective and realise that your world is probably a whole lot better than you thought it was?

The moment you find yourself feeling upset, unhappy, cranky etc because you have compared yourself to another or others. Stop. Think about all you have instead - that you have food on the table, a roof over your head, or maybe you live near the beach or the fact you can afford to go on that beach holiday - change your perspective! 

One thing I've also learnt is that if your parent, partner, friend or whoever else is comparing you to others - you don't need to worry what they think, that's their perspective. You have your own. What you think of yourself is all that TRUELY MATTERS!  :)

Find Your Inner Energy

This is such a great quote!!

Recently I've been feeling a bit flat and a bit less motivated than usual. Now I know, that when I'm that little bit more irritable (ok, I accept, there are the pregnancy hormones at play here but let's not use them as an excuse!) - then I know I've not been giving enough to myself. 

It's really important to look after No.1 - yes, that's right - YOU! and I don't mean this in a selfish way. Wayne W. Dyer says it well - by giving to yourself first, showing yourself some self-love, self-respect, self-compassion, then you're more able to give to others. You are definitely a better person and did I mention happier too?!? :)

Once we've fulfilled our needs of nourishing ourselves, then we're much better at coping with everything else that comes our way.  I know I'm a much more giving, understanding, energetic, patient and LOVING human BEING which allows me to do what I love to do and give back and be there for others. Whether that be to have the energy to uplift my husband after he's had a tiring hard day at work or be it that I can be a good listener to a friend who needs to offload her problems for a different perspective.

What you choose to give to yourself will be different for everyone. My suggestion would be to find something small that you can do regularly or daily that gives you more energy.  

It could be creating a habit for daily meditation, treating yourself to wholesome food and making sure you're eating well for the week - fuelling your body with nutritious food like green smoothies, or walking regularly after work to clear your head and to breathe in fresh air.  It could be a commitment to increasing your yoga sessions to more than once a week or start that gratitude journal you've been meaning to and commit to writing in it everyday. Some might treat themselves to a massage, a mani & pedi or a weekend away.

What ever it is, you do it because it's for you.  No one else.  Just for you!

Call these "self-loving" moments :)

If you're feeling uncomfortable about giving to yourself, perhaps try this exercise:

1. Look at yourself in the mirror
2. Now say "I LOVE YOU" to yourself - feel what comes up for you, does it feel good? uncomfortable?
3. Repeat steps 1 & 2
4. Repeat step 3 - keep repeating it until you're comfortable with saying it to yourself
5. Try it again the next day