How many of us can say openly and honestly that we live our truth every day? If you are someone who does, I take my hat off to you and ask you whole heartedly to share those musings with us mere mortals.
So many times I find myself feeling fake: smiling when I want to cry, saying yes when I mean no, burying my anger with clenched fists, eating fruit when all I want is cake. Why do we torture ourselves by being so untrue to who we are, how we feel and what we want? It seems so archaic. Our society breeds free will and liberalism, and yet we still find ourselves feeling trapped by what other people think.
We don't shout when we are angry as we may upset someone, so instead we bury the anger, only to find that it erupts in more destructive ways such as manipulation and belittling, or even worse, a full on screaming match.
We don't cry for fear of being laughed at, so instead we bottle up all our tears and swallow them down with alcohol until one day the tears become so crippling that we need to seek 'professional' advice.
We say yes to things we think we 'should' be doing in an atempt to please others, however we don't realise that our lack of personality is actually more detrimental to our reputation than if we had just turned down the offer and admitted that we were too tired and needed some time out.
I don't want to feel fake anymore - I am on a mission to speak and live my truth and I know that those who really love and understand me will support this. I encourage you to set yourself free too - say what you need to say, be honest with yourself and with others and let your true self shine through.
And for goodness sake, eat that damn piece of cake!! We only live once, is it really imperative to look like a supermodel?
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
The Little Things
Waking in a sombre mood this morning, it was difficult to pull myself out of bed and make my usual visit to the gym. I had a turbulent weekend to say the least and was feeling sad, demotivated and confused - just perfect for a busy Monday and even better for Valentine's Day - UGH!
Despite my pessimism, I managed to surface and made my way to the trusty Virgin Active. On arrival, I still felt morbid and forlorn but as I walked into my class, my spirits lifted as I saw Ron. Over four weeks ago, I met this incredible man, but had not seen him since that first meeting.
That day, he told me that his reason for visiting the gym was to improve his fitness for a trek through the Himalayas that he was doing in the next few months. I stared at him in awe as this 70-something man glowed with pride at his future endeavours. He explained to me that the reason for the trek was to honour himself and his belated wife who had died just months earlier. That was the day I learnt about true inspiration.
Today was no different. Just as he had done weeks ago, Ron managed to change my mood in an instant. My soul felt as though it was going to burst with pride - my heart danced and my eyes glistened with tears of happiness as he told me about the preparations for his brave adventure. Not once did he ever stop smiling and his infectious energy seemed to fill up the whole room.
I lifted a brow of thanks for bringing this light of a human being into my life for the second time. I felt lighter, more invigorated and thankful to be alive. Those little things - it makes every day worth while.
Despite my pessimism, I managed to surface and made my way to the trusty Virgin Active. On arrival, I still felt morbid and forlorn but as I walked into my class, my spirits lifted as I saw Ron. Over four weeks ago, I met this incredible man, but had not seen him since that first meeting.
That day, he told me that his reason for visiting the gym was to improve his fitness for a trek through the Himalayas that he was doing in the next few months. I stared at him in awe as this 70-something man glowed with pride at his future endeavours. He explained to me that the reason for the trek was to honour himself and his belated wife who had died just months earlier. That was the day I learnt about true inspiration.
Today was no different. Just as he had done weeks ago, Ron managed to change my mood in an instant. My soul felt as though it was going to burst with pride - my heart danced and my eyes glistened with tears of happiness as he told me about the preparations for his brave adventure. Not once did he ever stop smiling and his infectious energy seemed to fill up the whole room.
I lifted a brow of thanks for bringing this light of a human being into my life for the second time. I felt lighter, more invigorated and thankful to be alive. Those little things - it makes every day worth while.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Cultivate Creativity
It is true that creativity frees us. It is not true that we are either born with it or not.
Everyone has a creative essence to them - without it, we would not be able to tell that little white lie when we are late for work due to a heavy night, nor would we be able to write birthday cards, choose outfits, cook a meal or read a book. You see all of these things that are part of our daily lives make use of our creativity. Which means that you are, in fact, A CREATIVE! Time to celebrate...
It has been proved by many scientists, psychotherapists, psychologists, psycho-whatevers that when we are creating, it is one of the only times we feel truly free. We become so engrossed in creating something that our mind becomes centred, our emotions become balanced as we express them through our creative work and our bodies relax as we allow our hands to actually feel alive. We are combining all 3 elements of what makes up our anatomy and allowing it, for once, to be at peace.
So, when you are feeling off-balance, as though your mind is everywhere but here and your emotions are like a rollercoaster, take some time out to be creative. Here are some easy ways to get you started:
Creativity a day, keeps the doctors (and psychologists and therapists and medication) away!
Everyone has a creative essence to them - without it, we would not be able to tell that little white lie when we are late for work due to a heavy night, nor would we be able to write birthday cards, choose outfits, cook a meal or read a book. You see all of these things that are part of our daily lives make use of our creativity. Which means that you are, in fact, A CREATIVE! Time to celebrate...
It has been proved by many scientists, psychotherapists, psychologists, psycho-whatevers that when we are creating, it is one of the only times we feel truly free. We become so engrossed in creating something that our mind becomes centred, our emotions become balanced as we express them through our creative work and our bodies relax as we allow our hands to actually feel alive. We are combining all 3 elements of what makes up our anatomy and allowing it, for once, to be at peace.
So, when you are feeling off-balance, as though your mind is everywhere but here and your emotions are like a rollercoaster, take some time out to be creative. Here are some easy ways to get you started:
- Cook something new
- Write in a journal
- Cut out your favourite pictures from a magazine and stick them on your cupboard
- Go shopping for a new outfit
- Scribble down some shapes
- Take photos
- Re-arrange your clothes in your cupboard in colour order
- Write a letter to a friend overseas
- Make a birthday card for someone special
- Paint your nails in different colours
- Read a book
- Dye your hair
- Make some beaded jewellery
- Start a scrapbook
- Write a dream journal - fill it with pictures and words that describe your 'dream' life
- Cut your jeans to make shorts and then BEDAZZLE them (oh yes!)
- Go to a seminar on something that interests you
- Join a writing class
- Paint a picture or paint your walls!!
Creativity a day, keeps the doctors (and psychologists and therapists and medication) away!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Books to Blow Your Mind
The truth is I have a problem. I am completely and utterly addicted. I cannot give up.
Books - they make my heart leap and my head spin. I could sit for hours and hours in bookshops paging through one diamond after the next. 'Diamonds are a girl's best friend' - PLUGH I say to that! There is no gemstone that could replace my shelves of books and the feeling I get from finishing something that shifts my consciousness ever so slightly.
Buying new books - now that is enough to make my brain explode! Before I can even walk out of Exclusive Books, I have the first page open and am trying to stuff as many lyrical sentences down my throat as possible. In the car, the book sits eagerly on my lap and at every red robot, my hands cannot move fast enough to pick up my little love and gobble down some more facts and fiction.
Bed is just a whole different world when I have a new book. It is no longer the place I go to sleep, but rather my own mystical haven of enchantment and wonder. I spend hours on it: late at night, just before lunch, just after lunch and my favourite time to read - first thing in the morning before the sun smiles and the birds laugh. Me and my book - spooning has never felt so magnificent!
Today I hope to inspire more of you to join me in my world of splendour by listing a few that have made feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
WARNING: To those of you who don't know me - I am a self-confessed self-helpaholic, so most of these are 'those' type of reads:
Books - they make my heart leap and my head spin. I could sit for hours and hours in bookshops paging through one diamond after the next. 'Diamonds are a girl's best friend' - PLUGH I say to that! There is no gemstone that could replace my shelves of books and the feeling I get from finishing something that shifts my consciousness ever so slightly.
Buying new books - now that is enough to make my brain explode! Before I can even walk out of Exclusive Books, I have the first page open and am trying to stuff as many lyrical sentences down my throat as possible. In the car, the book sits eagerly on my lap and at every red robot, my hands cannot move fast enough to pick up my little love and gobble down some more facts and fiction.
Bed is just a whole different world when I have a new book. It is no longer the place I go to sleep, but rather my own mystical haven of enchantment and wonder. I spend hours on it: late at night, just before lunch, just after lunch and my favourite time to read - first thing in the morning before the sun smiles and the birds laugh. Me and my book - spooning has never felt so magnificent!
Today I hope to inspire more of you to join me in my world of splendour by listing a few that have made feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
WARNING: To those of you who don't know me - I am a self-confessed self-helpaholic, so most of these are 'those' type of reads:
- The Journey - Brandon Bays
- The Power of Inner Peace - Diana Cooper
- The Game of Life and How to Play It - Florence Scovell Shinn
- The Power of One - Bryce Courtenay
- The Book of Secrets - Deepak Chopra
- Steering by Starlight - Martha Beck
- 29 Gifts - Cami Walker
- Wired for Joy - Laurel Mellin
- Blink - Malcolm Gladwell
- Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
- The 4 Agreements - Don Miguel Ruiz
- The Emotional Healing Strategy - Geal Lindenfeld
- Natural Highs - Patrick Holford
- Women Who Love Too Much - Robin Norwood
- In the Meantime - Iyanla Vanzant
- Bounce - Gill Hasson and Sue Hadfield
- Opening Your Heart - Anne Jones
- Healing Negative Energies - Anne Jones
- Making a Difference by Being Yourself - Gregory Huscczo
- Count Your Blessings - John Demartini
- The Power of Intention - Wayne Dyer
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
What Women Want
To all the women out there - I understand.
All we really want is to feel desired, loved and good enough. We want to know that there is someone out there who loves us despite our flaws, who understands that we will have days when we feel awful and will have no idea why, that we always need a hug, that we appreciate the little things in life much more than grandiosity, that a note saying 'I love you' left under our pillow will make us smile all day.
Women love to feel loved and we love to be heard. Instead of talking about what happened at work, we would rather talk about how we FELT during the day - what made us FEEL good and what made us FEEL bad. And when we talk about this kind of thing, all we ask is that someone listens and cares enough to ask about us and that someone will remember what we say.
We want to feel good enough - for our men, for our parents, for our children. We want to know we are doing a good job and we would like someone to say so. We would never expect thanks, but getting it makes everything we do feel that much more worth while. We are soft, gentle and emotional people who strive to make those around us feel good, even to the detriment of ourselves. We are selfless and open hearted.
As women, we want very little and are willing to give so much, so to all the women out there - well done, you are too perfect and wonderful.
And to all the men out there - thank you for being there for us, thank you for the hugs and the flowers, thank you for taking time out to listen - you make us want to be better people.
All we really want is to feel desired, loved and good enough. We want to know that there is someone out there who loves us despite our flaws, who understands that we will have days when we feel awful and will have no idea why, that we always need a hug, that we appreciate the little things in life much more than grandiosity, that a note saying 'I love you' left under our pillow will make us smile all day.
Women love to feel loved and we love to be heard. Instead of talking about what happened at work, we would rather talk about how we FELT during the day - what made us FEEL good and what made us FEEL bad. And when we talk about this kind of thing, all we ask is that someone listens and cares enough to ask about us and that someone will remember what we say.
We want to feel good enough - for our men, for our parents, for our children. We want to know we are doing a good job and we would like someone to say so. We would never expect thanks, but getting it makes everything we do feel that much more worth while. We are soft, gentle and emotional people who strive to make those around us feel good, even to the detriment of ourselves. We are selfless and open hearted.
As women, we want very little and are willing to give so much, so to all the women out there - well done, you are too perfect and wonderful.
And to all the men out there - thank you for being there for us, thank you for the hugs and the flowers, thank you for taking time out to listen - you make us want to be better people.
Monday, January 31, 2011
How To Deal With 'A Bad Day'
We all have those days when we feel like vanishing off the face of the planet - those days when you wonder what your purpose is, when you feel as though life is just somewhere you go to pass the time and you honestly contemplate quitting everything and moving to the South Pole. Believe it or not, those days are the ones we need to be grateful for - those are the days that signal an end to something old and the beginning of something new. If we didn't have those days, we would never have grand epiphanes that change our lives.
I have learnt the hard way that days like those should be embraced, not neglected. Instead of waking up negative, feeling grumpy all day and going to bed feeling utterly miserable, embrace the fact that you feel a little otherwise and then keep an eye out for possibility - a previously blocked door might suddenly swing open and offer you the solution you have been looking for.
The universe works in mysterious ways and it is up to us to listen to what it has to say. A bad day is not the end of the world, it is a loudly ringing siren that signals a personal discontentment that needs work. When you have a bad day, take 5 minutes to contemplate the following:
Once you have done that, think about this:
Carefully consider if these expectations are reasonable. If they are, feel them, write them down and find a way to express those expectations to the relavant people. If they suddenly seem a little unreasonable, thank yourself for being so honest and move them out of your head.
Now, think about the following:
There should be at least one of these questions that resonates with you - allow it to sink in and create words and phrases in your mind. That is the answer. That is the reason for your bad day and if you listen to the solution and if that solution comes from your heart, you will know what needs to be done to make your days great from now on!
- I feel angry because.....
- I feel sad because.....
- I feel frustrated because.....
- I feel guilty because....
- What expectations do I have at the moment?
- What do I want to change in my life?
- What have I been thinking about doing for ages, but haven't yet done?
- How are my emotions affecting my relationships and my job?
- What would I love to do more of?
- What would make me feel fantastic right now?
There should be at least one of these questions that resonates with you - allow it to sink in and create words and phrases in your mind. That is the answer. That is the reason for your bad day and if you listen to the solution and if that solution comes from your heart, you will know what needs to be done to make your days great from now on!
Friday, January 28, 2011
How To Read Your Own Personality
Colour Psychology has been around for years as a mirror to our own personality traits. In the 1940's, Dr Max Luscher realised how important colour was in our daily lives and how various colours affected our moods, emotions, physical being and mental state.
Colours are the key to determining what lies beneath the surface - who we really are and what makes us different from other people. For many years, colours have been used to indicate how we feel about various things - 'green with envy' or 'feeling blue'.
The colour we are most attracted to is our identity colour, which is in harmony with our inner being. In order to find your identity colour, simply ask yourself what your favourite colour is. The very first colour that pops into your mind is yours.
RED: You are full of energy and vitality and have a strong creative force. You are physical and active and have a fast metobolism so tend to be thin or muscular. You are gregarious, outgoing and love life. You may be headstrong and impatient and like to get things done quickly. Sometimes you have a temper that gets heated easily.
ORANGE: You are very practically orientated but cheerful and joyous. People are drawn to you as you are open to others and like to listen. You are also very active and have an attractive physique. You may need to watch your energy levels as you tend to do too much and consequently your immune system suffers.
YELLOW: Yellow people are bright and lively. You are interested in everything around you and love learning. As a result you tend to take on many projects at once and sometimes the burden becomes too much for you. You are a good communicator and are capable of clear, logical thinking. You may need to exercise more frequently to balance your mind with your body.
GREEN: You strive to find balance and harmony in your life. You like to watch the world around you and find out ways to make things right. You are close to nature and love being outdoors, especially with children and animals. You have a strong identity with a tendency towards healing and community work. Sometimes your emotions rule you as green is the colour of the heart chakra.
BLUE: You are soft, gentle and peaceful by nature. You like to be surrounded by a harmonious atmosphere and people feel comfortable around you. You have a highly developed intellect and are a good judge of character. You sometimes struggle to communicate and may experience problems in the throat area as a result.
PURPLE: You are extremely sensitive and very creative in the arts - you may have a flair for music, writing or art. You hurt easily and need to ensure you surround yourself with sympathetic people.Purple is the most intuitive of colours, so you may already feel very spiritually connected or feel the need to explore this further. You are generally called to serve others through healing or psychic measures.
I hope my colour ray shed some light on you and maybe even made you think a little about yourself! Feel free to ask me any questions if you would like to.
Yours in I,
Soph
Colours are the key to determining what lies beneath the surface - who we really are and what makes us different from other people. For many years, colours have been used to indicate how we feel about various things - 'green with envy' or 'feeling blue'.
The colour we are most attracted to is our identity colour, which is in harmony with our inner being. In order to find your identity colour, simply ask yourself what your favourite colour is. The very first colour that pops into your mind is yours.
RED: You are full of energy and vitality and have a strong creative force. You are physical and active and have a fast metobolism so tend to be thin or muscular. You are gregarious, outgoing and love life. You may be headstrong and impatient and like to get things done quickly. Sometimes you have a temper that gets heated easily.
ORANGE: You are very practically orientated but cheerful and joyous. People are drawn to you as you are open to others and like to listen. You are also very active and have an attractive physique. You may need to watch your energy levels as you tend to do too much and consequently your immune system suffers.
YELLOW: Yellow people are bright and lively. You are interested in everything around you and love learning. As a result you tend to take on many projects at once and sometimes the burden becomes too much for you. You are a good communicator and are capable of clear, logical thinking. You may need to exercise more frequently to balance your mind with your body.
GREEN: You strive to find balance and harmony in your life. You like to watch the world around you and find out ways to make things right. You are close to nature and love being outdoors, especially with children and animals. You have a strong identity with a tendency towards healing and community work. Sometimes your emotions rule you as green is the colour of the heart chakra.
BLUE: You are soft, gentle and peaceful by nature. You like to be surrounded by a harmonious atmosphere and people feel comfortable around you. You have a highly developed intellect and are a good judge of character. You sometimes struggle to communicate and may experience problems in the throat area as a result.
PURPLE: You are extremely sensitive and very creative in the arts - you may have a flair for music, writing or art. You hurt easily and need to ensure you surround yourself with sympathetic people.Purple is the most intuitive of colours, so you may already feel very spiritually connected or feel the need to explore this further. You are generally called to serve others through healing or psychic measures.
I hope my colour ray shed some light on you and maybe even made you think a little about yourself! Feel free to ask me any questions if you would like to.
Yours in I,
Soph
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