Are you just going through the motions?

I was thinking today about life, my goals & the reasons why I decided to get into the profession of helping others. From as young as 11 yrs of age I can recall thinking 'I want to be in a job that helps ple or animals'. For a while I thought that my love of animals would lead me to veterinary work - then I realised I wouldn't have the heart to put animals down when their 'time' came. Then I thought I wanted to be a teacher working with children or a child therapist because I love kids so much. However, I soon realised I was too sensitive to cope with the emotional trauma of childhood and would end up wanting to take every suffering child home!!!

Finally, I found my niche working with adults who want to improve their lives. Now, with this in mind, I am constantly brainstorming new ways my clients and members achieve their dreams. These ideas come fast and furiously, so I'm often running from project to project without stopping to think about what I'm doing and REALLY enjoying the process. The shame of working like this is that I can neglect to stop and enjoy my passion. I end up running on a treadmill without giving myself time to relish in the joy of my ideas and in the creative process. I'm reminded of my passion every time I finish sessions with a clients and I see the change in their level of hope, happiness and self confidence. That leaves me on a high too. However, it's important to remember this joy during all my daily tasks.

This issue of reminding myself to stop and enjoy the moments in life - relates to all areas of my life. I'm just about finished my next book to help mums with the emotional side of motherhood. The major topic I was writing about last night was all the 'hats' we have to wear as mothers. As a result, it's no wonder we are constantly thinking about the next thing we have to do, instead of simply enjoying the present task and then gradually moving on to the next one. Without changing our mindset to enjoy these moments, life can pass by very quickly.

So, I'm now reminding myself during every day tasks as well to enjoy the process. I put my daughter to bed tonight and simply enjoyed the moment, rather than daydreaming half way through the (often long) bed routine process, to list in my mind all the tasks I had to do before going to bed myself. Being a Mum is one of my greatest joys in life, so I also need to remind myself to enjoy the moments before she grows up and doesn't need or want me to tuck her into bed any more. It's time to stop going through the motions & start enjoying & relishing all the precious moments & motions of life.

Valuing your Friendships

Friends come from many different mediums: online, face to face & over the phone friends. Often we assume all our friends should be as close as best friends. We place expectations on our friendship and feel disappointed when friends let us down. However, it's important to be realistic with your expectations. For instance, is it appropriate to expect the same from an acquaintance you chat to online as it from a friend you see socially on the weekends? 

Much of our disappointment with friends stems from what we expect from them and from our own values. Often we think "I'd never treat a friend like that", but should all your friends have exactly the same values as you? Is it possible that everyone has a million and 1 things going on in their lives, so you will find times when they have loads of time for you & times when they are simply caught up in their own lives.

The message here is as long as you are being treated with respect, you can relax and allow your friends to be who they are, rather than be a clone of you. Enjoy friendships for what they are and try not to place demands, ultimatums or infect them with unnecessary neediness.

The power of self-belief

It's far too easy to give up on your dreams when you doubt yourself. Often these doubts are the result of your own insecurities, or from taking on the opinions and beliefs of others and making them your own. The modern world is designed to make you believe you can have anything you want. This is relatively true, however, the missing ingredient is often self belief that you can achieve something you have never experienced for yourself.

When you stop and think about life, why should it be more plausible for one person to achieve a desire than it is for someone else. Often we see the end result of a person's success, without fully appreciating or understanding the work that it has taken to reach this success. We assume it was easy for them and thus much too hard for us to achieve. This is why autobiographies are so important to read. They often give us an insight into the planning and dedication that has led to success. Actors are a great example of this. Naomi Watts was struggling for years, working in cafe's etc. Despite having incredible contacts in the industry, it took dedication and self belief to trust that eventually she would get her lucky break. If she had thrown in the towel a few years earlier, who knows where she would have ended up in her career. There are countless stories like this.

The keys to achieving your desires are:

• Believing 100% that you have the ability and right to achieve anything you put your mind to
• Setting out a plan to make it happen
• Working through your plan - unwaveringly
• Reassessing your plan and tweaking it along the way to find what's working and what's not
• Taking opportunities as they arise

If you simply trust that as humans we can achieve the most incredible things, then you have no reason NOT to trust that you too can achieve the greatness you desire and aspire to achieve.

www.happylife.net.au

Finding joy in the fortune of others

Often we find it difficult to be happy for ple who have things we really want ($, love, family, success) because it reminds us of what we want but don't have. However, what others have has no impact on your ability to have it too. By focussing on being happy for others and then trusting that you can have it too, you relax and enjoy their success.

You may want children and feel upset every time you see a pregnant woman because it reminds you of what you're missing. However, if you trust the law of attraction (Abrahram - Jerry & Ester Hicks), you'll see if you can find happiness in the joy each pregnant woman feels, you bring yourself closer to the vibration of being pregnant yourself. One thing you know for sure, focussing on jealousy and anger does not bring you closer to having the things you really desire. Find more inspiration at www.happylife.net.au

Focus on your strengths

Focus on your strengths. When you find your passion, make it your mission to become the expert in this passion. When you become an expert, your skills are more valuable and others will seek your expertise. Think about the areas in which you excel and from which you find enjoyment and fulfillment.This is where you need to concentrate. For instance, say "yes" to taking on more of these tasks at work and delegate or spend less time on the areas that you struggle in. Why try to be an expert at something you don't enjoy and are not really that good at? It only detracts you from the areas your ARE good at. Take the pressure off yourself to have to try to be the best at EVERYTHING. Outsource where possible (and viable) too, in order to allow your mind to be clear and to focus on what you do well. The specialist is paid more, is respected more for that skill and is sought after for that skill too. It doesn't matter what it is, people will search for and pay for the best in a chosen field. Find more inspiration at http://www.happylife.net.au/

The power of visualisation

When you visualize your goals and desires on a daily basis, there comes a point when you notice a shift in the visualisation. At that point it moves from seeing your goal in front of you, to experiencing your goal as though you are living it. I had this experience recently when I was doing my regular visualising. All of a sudden the vision moved from somewhere in front of me to engulfing me. I felt like I was there, actually undertaking all the things I was visualising. This is when the feeling changed from being something in the future to feeling as though I was experiencing it now. I could see then what all the gurus of the law of attraction are talking about. It takes time and persistence to do these visualisations every single day, but these shifts give you a taste of the power of the mind to change your life and create the future you desire. Find more inspiration at http://www.happylife.net.au/

Accept your life and move on

We compare ourselves to others all the time. Sometimes you might find yourself thinking its not fair that things seem so easy for others and start to get angry/frustrated/down because certain things seem harder for you than they appear for others. Besides appreciating that everyone had their issues, it's important to reach a state of acceptance of the life you have been given. Then to pick yourself up and declare that you have a choice to change things. It might be tougher in that one area you want to change, but you can do it and it's so... Worth the effort. www.happylife.net.au