Haircuts 09/07/2009
I just got back from a haircut! Sometimes it's the BEST thing a girl can do for herself... By cutting your hair, you are getting rid of old energy... I have grown my hair for over a year and in the last two days I suddenly felt it was time to take it all off. It looks great, I feel great and I feel lighter... :) Smiling... 08/31/2009
HAPPY SPRING!! Yay, yay, yay! I don’t know about you, but I am gatvol of winter now. I miss my tan. I miss being barefoot. And I miss having sea sand in my car!! I miss seeing gorgeous people in shorts and vests. I think most of us go through a bit of a glum period towards the end of Winter, and unfortunately I think it shows on our faces. Everyone just looks a little less perky. When we’re cold, we tend to frown more, hunch up more, clench our jaws, close our bodies up with our arms crossed trying to keep warm and so on…. We’ve been deprived of Vitamin D for so long… So it’s probably safe to say there’s less smiling at this time of year than in say, January. SO…. Since today is the first day of Spring it seems the perfect day to kick-start HAPPY SEASON, exercise a few different face muscles and bring a little sunshine into the world by simply… smiling more. J See? Even a smiley face on screen somehow brings a nice feeling. So just for today, (or the week if you can remember or keep it up)… SMILE MORE AT YOUR FELLOW PEOPLE! A smile can be incredibly powerful! It could for instance make someone who once thought you were a cold biatch suddenly like you. ;) It could make someone’s day. It will improve your mood. SMILING IS EASY If someone cuts you off in traffic, genuinely smile at them! Why the hell not? They’re probably having a crap day already and need that smile. You will see the power a smile has when you keep smiling at strangers… See how many people you can cause to smile just by smiling at them. Breathe in and think: love Breathe out and smile SMILING IS SEXY When you’re not smiling, try to be more mindful of the expression on your face. Smiling is by far more attractive than frowning! Try this in the mirror: Face the mirror, then close your eyes and try to let your face sort of go into the “normal” expression you wear when you’re driving, or in a meeting or working. When you feel you’ve got it in your usual expression, open your eyes and without changing your expression, just have a look. Do you look happy? Then close your eyes again and try the same thing, but put a smile in your mind. Feel content… Then open your eyes again and see if there’s a difference… Pretty J Friendship 08/31/2009
I think it’s important every now and then to stop and consider your friendships: establish who your real friends are, which new friendships you should pursue and which friendships are sapping too much of your energy. What better time to do that than right now, before the social season starts? Consider it a sort of Friendship Spring-cleaning. So how do you go about this? STEP 1 UNDERSTAND YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT FRIENDSHIP Let’s first establish what friendship means to you. I’ve made my own little list of what I think friends are. See if you agree and then add your own criteria to the list. Don’t necessarily think about YOUR friends – just think about what you think friendship is or should be. I think good friends are people who: • Bring you chocolate when they know you’re not feeling great • Take the time to ask you how you feel • Listen to what you say • Invite you to spend time with them • Hug you for no reason • Tell you they love you • Take a real interest in your life • Appreciate your mind • Loan you money when they’re broke themselves • Know instinctively when you’re down • Trust you with their secrets • Laugh with you (and sometimes at you, but with no malice) • Are truthful with you • Are open to you • Enjoy similar things to you And most importantly, a good friend is someone who makes you feel good about yourself! You’re not constantly feeling guilty or misunderstood or in competition or feeling like you have to watch her around your man (or woman). You don’t feel judged or put down in any way. You can be yourself. Step 1 is really about knowing how you feel about friendship – how you would define it. You could go so far as to write your thoughts and feelings down… Writing this stuff down help to clarify things and keep it top of mind. (Think of the difference between going shopping with a list or without.) STEP 2 MAKE A LIST OF ALL YOUR FRIENDS Now think about your friends. Who are they? (Other than the 357 friends you have on facebook…) Feel free to include family members if you are also friends. Start by listing the people you spend the most time with (outside of work). Now think about who your favourite favourite people are – even if they live far away or you don’t see them that much… Do the two lists match? Are you spending the most time with your favourite friends? STEP 3 ESTABLISH THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY Now that you have a list of who your friends are, think about how these people fulfil your idea of what friendship is from step 1. Who are the people who tick most of the boxes and especially, who makes you feel good about yourself and comfortable to be yourself? Which of these friends do you love? Which do you trust? Who do you feel the safest with? Who can you really be yourself with? Who loves you? Who do you have unresolved issues with? Any new friendships you should try to strengthen? Really think about what each friend gives you. What it is you enjoy about each one and where do you feel you are not enjoying the friendship truthfully? Analyse each friendship in terms of the amount of joy it brings you and how “safe” you feel really being yourself. You might find the list gets considerably shorter as you go through your criteria. STEP 4 THINK ABOUT WHAT KIND OF FRIEND YOU ARE I remember reading somewhere (probably a Famous Five or Secret Seven book) that in order to have good friends you have to be a good friend. It’s always stuck with me – or rather resurfaced whenever I felt lacking in the friend department or let go of a friendship for whatever reason… You’ve looked at how you think your friends fair. How do you match up? Look at your list of criteria again. Are there areas where you fall short? Are there friendships where you give too little? Or too much? For instance, do you know as much about your friends as they know about you? Do you remember their birthdays and their kids’ birthdays? Do you appreciate them for the people they are? Do you give as much as you receive? Do you ask them how they are and listen to the answer? Do you gossip about your friends? Do you wish them well or are you envious of their success? Are YOU honest and supportive and compassionate and fun to be around? STEP 5 TAKE ACTION! So now you have a good feeling for who the most special people in your life are. And you’ve thought about the kind of friend you are… What steps do you need to take to springclean your friendships? Maybe you need to email your long distance friends more and grow the friendships despite the distance? Perhaps you’ve realised you have a friend or two who just don’t make you feel good about yourself or who you don’t have that much in common with after all? Do you need to reach our more to the people you care about? Do you have friends who are going through “stuff” who could use a bit more support? Is there a friendship you need to get “back on track” by getting something off your chest? Are there any on your list who you can honestly say bring you NO JOY? Anyone on your list who would be delighted to receive a small surprise gift or even a phone call from you – just because you love them? Any new friends you really want to make an effort to get to know better? Work out your own action plan and then take real steps – STARTING TODAY - towards ensuring all your friendships are real, true and mutually joyful! You know that there is nothing better than feeling like you are loved and appreciated by great people… So do whatever it takes to be the friend you want to have! Join the Facebook Group 08/25/2009
How happy are you really? 08/20/2009
Take this quick 10-question quiz designed to give you an indication of your general state of mind… Grab a pen and paper to jot down your scores as you go… and BE HONEST!!
Now add up all your points and read your results! UNDER 22 You need to start working hard make a few changes. What are you waiting for? Analyse the areas of your life that make you unhappy and start taking deliberate steps towards happiness. Be honest with yourself when you do this. If you don’t know what’s lacking or wrong – write about your feelings until you uncover the truth about what holds you back from true happiness and what you want from the future. 23 – 34 Let’s face it, you’re ok. But who wants to be just ok? Not you! What are you good at? What makes you smile? What makes you proud? What makes you excited? Start finding simple ways to invite abundance and light into your life. Trust your instincts, listen for the signs and then take a big step or two. Who knows what you could do if you really put your mind to it. It’s like you’re on the brink of happiness, but can’t move the invisible wall in your way. Figure out what the wall is, then break it down and live the life you want! 35 – 44 You’re creating your own future and mostly loving it. Time to step it up a notch though if you know there are areas of your life that still need some tweaking, nurturing or trimming… Spend time with people who lift you up and believe in you. Visualise exactly what you want from your life and take action. You can almost taste the life you want to lead… now reach out and take a bite! 44 + Wow, you’ve really got it sussed. While you’re in an upswing you should take advantage of all the positive energy around you to invite more of the same! Look at areas of your life that could fall behind. For instance, you might have found financial success and a dream home – maybe it’s time to focus on love? Or, you might have wonderful relationship, but you’re not doing anything to enrich yourself spiritually. Let your light be an inspiration to others – make more people smile, every day! Feel-good favourites! 08/17/2009
There are few movies that move me tears, and even fewer that really crack me up. But the rarest of all movies are those which make me feel genuinely happy after the credits have rolled. In no particular order, 5 movies that make my feel-good list!
One of my favourite things... 08/15/2009
One of my very very favourite things in this world is that moment when I light a fire....beer in hand, and a small group of close friends tucking into some chip 'n dip! I can't explain it, but there are few things that make me happier than that moment.. and the lovely chatting, eating, laughing, braaing that follows of course! When are you in your element, at your happiest? Is it when you cuddle up to your special someone at night? Is it when you walk into a cocktail party looking super hot? Or when you're climbing the mountain with your dogs? Think about which actions or activities make you feel at peace with yourself and the world... AND THEN DO THEM MORE!! POWER SONGS! 08/11/2009
Every now and then when I’m feeling a little “flat” or just not 100% full of the joys of Spring (or Autumn), I put on a “power song” and dance my ass off in my kitchen. It’s a simple trick that NEVER fails to lift me! My current power songs are HIT OR MISS by ODETTA, PIECE OF MY HEART by JANIS JOPLIN and this song by SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM that a friend put on compilation disc for me – I don’t know the name but the chorus goes “I saw a UFO and nobody believes me!” and you just can’t help but get down ‘n dirty when it blasts… Depending on my mood, power songs can come from anyone… from LinkinPark to PINK to Edith Piaf…. The point is just to find the right song for the right moment and then let yourself go and then shake it baby, shake it! Find your own power songs – either songs that come on the radio – do the research, buy the CD– or try to remember songs that got you revved up in the past… Go through old CDs – especially the dodgy looking blank ones that have no writing on… A girl should ALWAYS have at least one power song that she can consciously use to lift her mood J Ad astra per alia porci! 08/11/2009
MEANING: To the stars on the wings of a pig. This was a favourite saying of John Steinbeck… A professor told him he would be an author when pigs flew. He then printed every book he wrote with this insignia! We go through our lives listening to people’s opinions – our parents, family members, teachers, professors, lovers, friends, bosses – giving their opinions on the work we do, the way we live our lives. And opinions, my friends, are like assholes. Everybody’s got one. Your critics and their opinions mean nothing – it is only YOU who can make decisions and take steps to be successful or not. An opinion cannot change anything other than your perception. If you listen to negative remarks and believe them, that is YOUR CHOICE. You can also choose to believe your own heart and follow your own instincts and go for it. Even if you get there on the wings of a pig, you’ll get there! My knees are falling down! 08/06/2009
I was looking at my legs after gym yesterday and something has happened without me knowing… My knees have fallen down. There’s this extra skin that flops over that shouldn’t be there. It wasn’t there before! Definitely not when I was in high school. Certainly not when I was 25 and spent my every free moment on the beach. And I could’ve sworn they weren’t like that the last time I was naked in front of another person. I can tell too, that no amount of gym is going to lift these suckers up again. It’s gravity. It’s 35. It’s ok. | ArchivesCategoriesAll |
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