Day 163

New Years Eve. 

Where everyone feels they can let their hair down and becomes someone else for the night. A night where new years resolutions are promised and a to do list for the following year begins to form. Most people will reflect on the NEGATIVES of the year - what went wrong? What didn't I do? What did I do wrong? What could I do better? 

Last year, my best friend and I and a few other friends, sat around the table and said 10 things we were grateful for that had occurred that year. It was the most powerful, positive and happy experience. This year I urge you all to do the same. What are 10 things that you are proud of, loved doing, made you feel energised? And focus on them tonight as you all sit and drink and natter and reflect upon the year. 

My suggestion for your resolutions? Make one thing for sure: Have a box on top of your fridge, that you scribble down notes and place them in throughout the year. Notes about funny things that were said, amazing achievements you have done, gratefuls, or just silly things. Then pull out this box and read it on new years eve next year. You will be pleasantly surprised how quickly it gets filled up and how many things you forget over the course of the year! 

Another thing about resolutions is: Only YOU can make them come true. So make ones that are achievable and are something you are willing to do! i.e. don't say I want to run a marathon if you never even go for a walk and have bad knees. You might instead say, accomplish a 10km walk. And then tie a feeling to it - when I accomplish this…I will feel…

My question to you tonight is what is different about a new years resolution, compared with any other life changes? Remember that any day can be a day to start something - or a 'Monday' so to speak. Don't let the date of the 31st December fool you into believing otherwise. 

Other than that, go and surround yourselves with people you love. Reflect on the year gone - but don't focus on ONLY the bad things, and challenge yourself to try something different! 

…Until Tomorrow xox

Day 162

I met someone awhile ago that said to me "I used to do that…and was really quite good at it…but I moved on". At the time I thought to myself…Why? Why would you move on or change to something else if what you were good at came so easily? Simple. Sometimes what we are good at or what comes naturally to us, is not what we are passionate about. 

Sounds SO simple? Yet so often we get caught up in what we "SHOULD" do, because we are a natural at it, or we make it look so easy. But for those of you who are doing something because you FEEL that society tells you that you should do it, you know that there will always feel like there is something missing. Something lacking from our lives and fulfilment in 'work'. That's because we haven't found the one thing that fires us up. Lights us up from the inside whenever we talk about it. 

Unfortuantely in our society, we feel pressure - generally exerted on us from ourselves - to work to earn money…to buy the things that are relevant to our age bracket…cars, houses, boats, land, baby items…etc. What if I were to tell you that there is more to life? That you can have it all? Most of you would scoff and pfft me - I know I would of before I had my car accident. But it's true. Yes we need employment that gives us income to live - pay the bills, buy the things we want etc. 

You may be lucky enough to find enjoyment, fulfilment and happiness in your job…or like most you might find the "daily grind" of going to work. If this is the case. Go to work. Get paid. Pay the bills. EXPLORE the world! Do something that makes you FEEL…write a list, get out the butchers paper…and don't stop until you have found that! Even if you try many things and are still looking when you're old…you are LIVING! 

…Until Tomorrow xox

Day 161

Today I was at the hospital with my boyfriend, which despite the initial wait they were all very prompt and helpful. We were at a different hospital to the one that I went to, but it still brought back memories to right after my accident. Although they handled everything very much differently to my experience. 

The efficiency was very good. It wasn’t until my boyfriend was being discharged that we realized there were no after care instructions given…did he have to follow up with a doctor? Did it need to remain dry? Etc? When we left, we asked and were given the information. The information that was assumed that we would know.

The other thing about it all was that as my partner was getting more and more frustrated at waiting (we had to wait for the results of the xray) and we noticed that we were starting to get in the negative frame of mind. And commenting on peoples inabilities..etc. It is so much easier to comment when someone is doing something wrong rather than to be patient and point out their positives. But we did, we had a change of outlook and focussed on the positives instead.

One thing we realized was that our culture…I’m undecided as to whether that is Australian, or culture around the world…is that we are generally negative. We are quite willing to bring people down, find their faults, talk about people behind their backs, and whinge or complain – not constructively, than we are to say something nice or positive. The thing that I find quite sad, is that when a compliment is received, it is either quickly dismissed or brushed over. We all dwell on the negative things people say as well. 

This reminded me of one of the reasons I started my blog - to compliment a strange everyday. One small act of kindness a day, by everyone will add up and can start the snowball of change. Who did you compliment today? Be aware of your words as they are powerful. 

…Until Tomorrow xox

Day 160

I just finished watching a movie called "Wish I was here". A simple movie, which I felt had a strong message. Which was so lovely. (I even watched it start to finish with no interruptions, which is different for me!)

It was about a man with a wife and children who reaches a point in life where things become difficult. He wants to remain on a path to achieve his dream but life is making that nearly impossible. What was so lovely about the movie though, is he didn't change his mind or his dream, he adapted it. Life became difficult for awhile, so he focussed on his family for awhile, then things started to fall into place. 

He may not of "achieved" the exact dream that he wanted, but he achieved something better - fulfilment in other areas of his life and something close to what he wanted. I found it so powerful. At a time in my life where I am figuring out which road I want to travel - re-evaluating so to speak. 

Life is meant to be challenging, and yes you can achieve anything you want if you want it badly enough. Really what that means is that you can achieve anything if you work hard enough and are dedicated despite any hurdles that come your way. If the hurdles stop you, then maybe your dream wasn't as strong as you thought - and you are destined for something different. 

We are all destined to be great. Greatness is defined for those who are happy with who they are and what they are doing in their life. This does not mean you have to be a superstar, a top musician, a leading scientist or a captain in the fire brigade. Everything one person does is having an impact on the world. What we need to ask ourselves is if the impact we are leaving is a positive one, and one that sits well with our morals and beliefs??

Dreams can change. But anything is achievable. What do you want out of life? Are you happy and content with where you are? 

…Until Tomorrow xox

Day 159

'Twas the night before Christmas…and all  through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse'… If my house was anything to go by, not many houses are quiet on Christmas Eve! I love Christmas Eve, almost as much as Christmas Day! 

We have a tradition of watching the Melbourne Christmas carols, singing along with a glass of champagne and being fashion critiques - commenting on the performers dresses! What I love about it though, is the whole night is dedicated to just family - no mobile phone calls, no work, no interruptions..unless a few too many champagnes were to be had! 

It's such a happy, feel-good time! Where all of my family (and the additions to my family - friends) let down their guard, say their thanks and appreciation for the previous year. It's so lovely to be able to get together with your family and friends and show them how much they mean to you. 

Christmas time brings out your inner child!! I know I love the countdown, the excitement, the inability to sleep on Christmas Eve, the dressing up and best of all the giving of presents!! 

Only one more sleep!! 

…Until Tomorrow xox

Day 158

I went along to my psychologist today and had a session which I mainly discussed my life at the moment. I was talking about how I felt like I had fallen back into old habits with work, work and more work…and no play. We discussed the importance of play - and how to get that. Some people get enjoyment from work others work for enough money to do what they enjoy outside of work. 

This I found really interesting because I have always felt that you 'should' have a career and LOVE your job. I am still trying to nut this concept out, but essentially you can work enough so you have the money to enjoy what you want to do. i.e. work as a checkout chick so that on weekends you can compete in triathlons around the world, knowing that your work in the supermarket will sustain you enough to do the training and travel that you need. 

The other thing that we discussed that I'll continue to explore more, is that you CAN do everything you want - just not all at once. One suggestion was to make a 5 year plan, block out every 6 months and add something new to it. First you need to brainstorm and work out all of the things you want to do, then put them in a hat and draw them out and allocate them. This will stop that overwhelming feeling of never having time to do what you want. 

What do you want to do? Learn a language? Sing in a band? Go rock climbing? …??? Allocate them and then you can have the peace of mind that you will do it - you will get to them. I am going to start a scrap book. Everything that I want to do will get two pages. Then whatever I am not doing I can gather information and put it in there for later. I'm excited about this, because rather than feeling overwhelmed and like I am not doing anything I can continue to have fun and keep trying new things! 

Hmm…time to get the butchers paper out…!!! :)

…Until Tomorrow xox

Day 157

Sometimes it's not about what we DON'T do, but rather what we DO do. When you are going through a tough time, we seem to make it even harder on ourselves by trying to do more, then feeling worse about ourselves by not being able to accomplish it. 

I was talking with my psychologist the other day, who informed me despite the feeling that I 'should' be back to normal - I am still healing on many different levels and need to be careful of the expectations that I put on myself. For all those reading that are go-getters you understand how hard this is! So she told me to write down everything I expect myself to do in a day - right down to the little things like getting out of bed, making the bed etc. Then look at it objectively…is anyone capable of completely all of that in a day? 

Especially at this time of the year we get so caught up in all of the things that we NEED to do, that we forget that there is still the same amount of hours in the day and we can only fit in so much. Something will always give…and as I've mentioned before this generally is self care or actually doing the things you want to - because they feel self-indulgent…they 'should' come last after all of the practical to do's. Rubbish. If we don't look after ourselves, we aren't much good to anyone! 

So what DO you accomplish in a day? Rather than feel guilty about what you didn't do, look at what you did. Feel proud of yourself for the little things - playing with the dog, sitting still long enough to have a cuppa, calling your family or even just getting out of bed if it's a bad day. And remind yourself regularly that you are only one person. 

Ensure self-care and family time is number one all the time - particularly when things get frantic.

…Until Tomorrow xox

Day 156

I went along to the local Christmas Carols tonight, then came home and watched more carols! I love singing! It was so much fun! 

I was having a discussion with a friend the other day, and then with Mum tonight about whether children and younger generations understand what Christmas is? Or if it has turned into a time where you can just reap the rewards for the day. The commercialised "what do you want to get for Christmas?" 

Which got me onto thinking about religion and stories around beliefs. I am a spiritual person, yet I wouldn't say I'm 'religious' or follow one religion. However if I have children at some point, I would want them to understand the concepts behind Christmas and Easter and also have enough information to make their own informed decisions about religion. It's unfortunate that a lot of people feel that they need to be an 'extreme' believer to be classified as 'religious'. This is not true. 

There isn't one way or another that you "should" be. You can seek your own answers and understanding around religion or spirituality. In regards to Christmas, I find it interesting that there are people that "don't believe in Jesus" yet are quite happy to accept Christmas as a public holiday, and give/receive presents and have a big meal. Is this a day that has become too commercialised that we forget the true meaning of the day? Or is it a day where we are able to get together with loved ones and celebrate another year together? Or does it matter why we celebrate the day as long as we are together? 

I think I might attend church - which we all did as children growing up - again this Christmas as I would like to remind myself about the concepts of Christmas. I love the carols, I love the aspect of giving, I love the food, the decorations and spending time with my loved ones.  I love Christmas time. What I find unfortunate is most people get so caught up in 'having to get presents' they forget that it is the simple things that make this day special - being with loved ones, having a lovely meal on the table and celebrating the year…not about what present you can get.

…Until Tomorrow xox

Day 155

This afternoon I had my dog training break up. It was scheduled for a bbq at 6pm. We had fun talking and the dogs got to say hello to each other. Just as the sausages were cooked, it started to rain. Then the most amazing storm hit us – thunder and lightening and torrential rain! It was beautiful…not so much when we were in it and the poor dogs were too..!

What was the best thing about it though, was how everyone was laughing and we all bonded over the storm. There’s something about having a storm or something major happen that causes people to drop down their guards and get back to the sheer joy of being. There were no pretenses…no worry about hair or makeup or being worried about social hierarchy.

What about being “adult” means that we can’t / shouldn’t / don’t have time for the simple enjoyment of the little things. How many of us that were there tonight, if not out in the storm, would not have watched the storm? Most probably would have been at home with the TV on or on the computer. It was so refreshing to get back to basics and have sheer wonderment over nature and all it can provide.

Stop and smell the roses…or stop and watch the storm. Remember to live..watch nature at its best…get in touch with that inner amazement! And laugh!

…Until Tomorrow xox

Day 154

What about this time of year (December) makes us frantic to fit in more than we normally do?? And then when we can't do it all we feel guilty?? I wonder why it is this time of year that we all have work "break ups"? I know we generally have 1-3weeks off around this time of year, but why do we all do catch up at this time of year?? We shouldn't need an excuse to have a work break up! And perhaps one mid-year might increase our stamina!

I was having a lovely chat to a lady at Melbourne Central the other day and she is working 14-16hour days all the way up to Christmas, she has Christmas day off and then the work continues. She is an engraver. The rest of the year she works a 6-day week of 8 hours. She was so tired. What made it interesting for me was when asked what else she did, her answer was 'sleep'! What sort of life is that? Which made me think - how many of us are like that? Work and sleep? Where is the "PLAY" in life??

I was thinking about this the other night, I need more play back in my life. I have been focussing lately on the ability to get back to work - then all of a sudden I am working a ridiculous amount and forget about all of the things I learnt after my accident. So tonight I came home (after working for 9 hours and driving for 3.5…) and played with the new little addition (temporarily) "Loki" the lorikeet and then tinker bell and Buddy - cooked dinner and am now writing my blog. So still some play in there!! That's the important thing!! :) 

So what's most important to you this Christmas time? And is it at the top or toward the bottom of the to do list? Make sure you are doing the important things - including play! 

…Until Tomorrow xox

Day 153

Reminding yourself of all the amazing things that you have in your life - as often as you can, is the MOST important thing you can do in the day. Today I was so overwhelmed and anxious, when it got down to the crux of it all - I put way too much pressure on myself to be / do more.

Today was a reminder as well how important it is to surround yourself with positive people who can help to bring you back down to 'earth'. Help you realise what is important and remind you why you are doing what you are doing! 

Sometimes the hardest thing you can do is not do anything at all. Tonight I realised that to make a decision to be idle - to do absolutely nothing, is so difficult. 

I realised, regardless of how anxious I was about whatever I was anxious about - generally work..is irrelevant when you have so much to be grateful for..

I am grateful for:

- Having family and friends who love and support me

- A beautiful supportive boyfriend 

- Having a happy and loving dog to come home to

- A roof over my head and food in the fridge

- Being able to celebrate my 30th birthday next year!

- Continuing to juggle 3 jobs (2 businesses)

- Having some fitness 

- Good health

And many more…but listing even just a few already makes you feel much better. What are the things you are grateful for today? :)

…Until Tomorrow xox

Day 152

Last week was a "busy" week. One where I have almost fully returned to work or "normality" and hence I have been much more tired. It's been challenging because I feel like I 'should' be back to full energy and full capacity. But I'm still not there yet - no matter how much I try to trick myself into it, or pretend that I am. 

This makes it hard when I cancel or say no to doing things with people. As at the moment I am working hard to return back to full working capacity so unfortunately there are some things that have to be missed. It's not an easy thing either - obviously it's not something that I WANT to do. And when I hear people joke about me not doing something or 'always' pulling out at the last minute, it's hard to stomach. I also don't feel like explaining myself - as it probably wouldn't be understood or get anywhere. 

I understand to a point because I am starting to look normal - I'm walking normally, have more of my 'excited' happy mentality. That it would be right to assume I am back to being Megs…Not quite right … yet!!

Something I have learnt hugely this week, is that when you are going through something life changing, sometimes you will be focussing more on certain areas such as rehab, work or self care and that it is ok not to do everything, and others will understand..if they don't..well what can you do to change that? And the other thing is you will fall back into old patterns. You can identify and change them more quickly though. 

One of the hardest things sort of being back to normal, sort of not, is the frustration at not being able to do things they way you once could. Like running, or working a 12 hour day, or ticking everything off your to-do list. But one of the positive things that it has shown me is patience. It is ok for things to take their time to come back. "All good things come to those that wait"…!

…Until Tomorrow xox

Day 151

Today was interesting…well most days are aren't they? I have had one of those tremendously full days with an ever growing to-do list and not much getting ticked off! What struck me the most today, was how many different facets there are to people. 

I was at my disability job this afternoon, I had a Nutrimetics party afterwards, and then was on the phone to a dog training client, and then spoke with some friends and my boyfriend, and then cooked dinner, played with Buddy and got stuck into some other bits of work. What is really interesting to me is when things cross over and people from one facet of your life, get to see you in another light. 

Often we can be so quick to judge how someone is in one setting, we forget that where we are seeing them is only one snippet of their whole. What I mean by that is…if someone is short tempered or grumpy, does not necessarily mean they are grumpy with you or that particular situation - more often than not it is something that is going on in a different area of their life. On another level, if someone is happy and cheerful most days - does not always mean they are resilient and strong.

When you start to judge someone, stop and re-evaluate. Very rarely do you know each area of someone's life to form an education assessment of their behaviour. Generally 'judging' occurs when we are REACTING with emotion to something that has happened. When we take a deep breath and step back to look at the bigger picture, we find we have something different to say. 

The age old adage "If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all". Works along these lines.

…Until Tomorrow. 

Day 150

It is so important to spend time with the people you love. Yesterday I had a whirlwind trip to Melbourne I was able to spend time with 2 close friends. A bit of retail therapy (a huge pair of heels!) and a cuddle with one of my close friends new baby girl. Then I got to spend the evening with my boyfriend and met his friends and had a lovely night. 

This morning I travelled all the way back to the country for a day of work on both my businesses. A well rounded weekend I think! What I realised today with all my travel was that there was one thing that was missing! My own self-care! I realised the writing of my blog, meditation and just general well being. 

Sometimes a conscious decision needs to be made in order to do the things that are good for you. It's not always easy, but you definitely feel better for doing them. So a conscious decision was made for me today, to go back to doing the things that made my initial recovery so much easier…where my mental clarity and ability to make decisions for me were coming from a much better place. It's not quite a 'new years' resolution, but more of a reminder to look after yourself. 

Because at the end of the day if you don't look after yourself, you cannot look after and help anyone else. 

…Until Tomorrow xox

Day 149

Tomorrow marks the start of the '10 days in another world' - something I have volunteered on for many years. Due to my accident I am not able attend this year. Everytime I think about it my heart breaks a little more. It's difficult because most people have the response of 'let it go' or 'there's always next year''. 

What it is to me however is another example of what I have had to give up as a result of my accident. The difficulty of this, is that the "choice" was based on my physical wellness, not as a tangible choice. So yes I chose not to attend technically, but it was due to my accident and my injuries as a result of it. 

When I am faced with another thing (like the 10days) that I cannot do as a direct result of the accident, I am reminded again at the severity of my accident. And start to process and relive it all over again. It's funny how when you start to immerse yourself back into society and where things like "It could of been worse" or "at least you can walk" or "You'll be right" are said so frequently…You begin to believe them yourself. 

I give myself a reality check often and whilst I agree that I could be "worse off", I remind myself that each person experiences things differently and it is ok to feel however you are feeling. And the most important thing to remember about these comments is most people feel awkward or scared and are not sure what to say, so they say something they think is appropriate. THEY ARE JUST WORDS. 

The big thing about this, is sometimes no matter how many times you try to let go or move forward and are reminded about everything yet again, we have the right (for ourselves) to feel however we need to. Be careful not to let other people's behaviour or passive aggressive comments affect the way you think, feel or act. Keep ahold of your power. 

…Until Tomorrow xoxox

Day 148

I was driving today and decided to go a different route to the way that I normally go. I was stuck in roadworks for over 20 minutes!! I initially got a bit grumpy, but then I stopped and realised the similarities with any decision you make in life. 

Sometimes when we choose a road to travel, or a decision in life, it doesn't work. It does not mean it's the wrong road / decision or that you were wrong to try it - but may mean that it's not the right one for you. It's interesting when you make a decision in life - whether it's a 'minor' one like travelling a different way to work - or a 'major' one like moving interstate - you think that the decision is in concrete. It's not. Most decisions you make in life have the capacity to be altered. Most things are not set in concrete. And you can change your path whenever you choose to. (I could of made a U-turn and travelled back to go my 'normal way..or you can move back to where you originally were). 

Today I realised that sometimes the 'routine' or path that you most travel is perhaps the best one for you AT THAT TIME. And there is probably a reason that it works so well for you. You need to trust in your own judgement and feelings, for most decisions made from your own 'gut' feeling tend to be the best ones for you. The decisions you make for other people, or because other people are doing certain things, are not necessarily going to work for you. 

Be different. Be brave. Trust yourself. Don't be a sheep and follow.

…Until Tomorrow xox