Day 193

Bucket Lists. That is how this blog started out..waay back 6 months ago! With a wish and desire to do something, and from there stemmed this amazing outlet, where I have found I have impacted many lives - and helped myself heal and grow! 

What is on your bucket list? We often get sooo caught up in day-to-day hum drum that we forget to dream - we forget that anything we think is achievable. Yet what gets in the way? Or more to the point what do YOU let get in the way? For me it is financial. But in saying that I have never put myself in a position to earn enough to do the things I want - why is that?? I certainly am motivated and have drive and am well educated…? 

I read an interesting article about 'self limiting beliefs' it basically said that thoughts determine our actions and how we perceive the world. That thoughts affect feelings, feelings affect behaviour and behaviour produces results or lack of results. This struck home to me when I read it for I am a very strong "feeler". I have been told that I am an empath - which basically means I can pick up on other peoples feelings and allow them to alter my own actions. Silly I know. 

So what can I and you if you fall into this category do to help limit this? Firstly, its identifying which thoughts are causing these actions or lack there of. I know of a few that I have - particularly in regards to work, and most of them stem from a unconscious fear of authority figures. (So perhaps that is why I am struggling to become one…??) Food for thought anyway! 

Then you can start acknowledging your thoughts and changing their direction and outcome of your actions…

Easy said. Harder to do! Then you practice! At any opportunity!! :) 

…Until Tomorrow xox

Day 192

Are you a 'gonna' or are you a 'doer'?

You know those people you meet that are 'gonna do this or that' but never seem to get around to doing it? And then there's the people who don't say anything and all of a sudden are doing something amazing…

We have all been both types of people at some stage in our lives - or even in certain aspects of our life. What I have tended to notice is the 'gonna' mindset, basically means that you have the best intentions of giving something a go, but not the huge motivation or drive to do it. Like I was 'gonna' vacuum today, but playing with Buddy was more important…

This is something, having a business, that it's so important to identify your 'gonna' mindset. Have you ever had a to-do list and had all intentions to do it, but at the end of the day have done none of it? It is so easy to procrastinate or find things "more important" to do through the day. So remind yourself why you are doing something - why do it? Why does it make you feel good? What is the reason it is on your to do list? 

And if something you are doing is really challenging and you find yourself saying I'm "gonna" do this, and you don't do it. Question why? Is the timeframe to big? (Do you not have to have it done for 2 weeks or 2 years) Is it important enough for you to do? Have you forgotten? Why have you forgotten? 

Try not to be hard on yourself, but also be realistic. Know what your abilities are and what you can realistically do in a day - i.e. do you need to research something before doing something else? And most importantly when you meet 'gonna' people, you cannot "MAKE" them into a doer, you can offer support or different options, but they need the internal motivation to get things done. The more you get frustrated at them not doing, the more of your personal energy you are giving away to someone's behaviour that ultimately does not affect you. 

Make yourself a doer by:

Setting short time frames

Writing reminders in your diary

Prioritise your to do list

Set your time for the day (i.e. 1 hour block for paperwork where you are not checking your phone)

Allow yourself to digest the day

Give yourself a day off or half a day of for NOTHING, except what you love

…Until Tomorrow xox

Day 191

What do you do when you reach a crossroads in your life? When you feel like you need to start pursuing what you find fulfils your life - or your lifelong dreams? Do you jump into something brand new and fresh using the skills you have learnt along the way? Do you keep going with what you do well with fresh eyes? 

Unfortunately no-one can answer these questions but yourself. And the beauty of life, is that there are no wrong answers. But the question you need to ask yourself is…life is so short and precious…what do you want to do with it? 

It is ridiculously easy to get caught up in the day-to-day stresses and overwhelmed with the to-do lists daily. But really what is important? I am asking myself this at the moment. As I have fallen into old habits. March is the month that I will work my bum off to get a bit of money behind me…and then…start on my new adventures. What they will be I am yet to decide. I may just throw caution into the wind and see where life leads me… 

I realised tonight as I sat down to write this, that it has been so super long since I have felt alive…exhilarated…excited…by doing something thrilling that gets your butterflies going in your tummy!! So I am going to find that thing that makes me wants to jump out of bed with that excited feeling… not the resigned "I have to get out of bed to do work…"

Have you found that exciting thing that gets you out of bed with excitement? Are you living the life that you love?? If not, what is stopping you?

…Until Tomorrow xox

Day 190

Today I am so grateful that I have people that support and love me in my life. I had one of those days where I was scattered, overwhelmed and wondering 'where do I want to be?' / 'where do I want to go?' It was so lovely to actually sit down and have a conversation with my partner about this. To which he replied: 

'you can't be amazing at something if you are doing everything'. 

Which is very true. But how do you decide where you want to put your focus? Do you continue trying new things until you find something that you want to throw yourself into? It's very easy for someone on the outside to say "don't do that" or "cut that from your life" but its very different when it affects you. At some point thought, something has to give, doesn't it? 

So at the moment I am finding myself in a similar situation to where I was before my accident - split between 4 jobs and working every day. Why?? What is the purpose? (I do have lots of bills to pay…) I have forgotten to enjoy life! To do the things I love! My exercise has taken a backseat - more because my knee has been too sore to do anything. But mostly because I am still not back to 'normal' my exhaustion levels creep up much earlier. 

I vow to have at least one day off from any work a week and to do some form of exercise daily. Oh and to start singing again! It's amazing how much stress is relieved by singing!!!

What area of your life are you neglecting? 

…Until Tomorrow xox

Day 189

Positivity. Excitement. Passion. Love. Determination. Go-Power. Happiness. Success.

Are all aspects we work on achieving daily. And cannot be achieved without…

Reflection. Time away. Failures. Troubles. Heartbreak. Disappointment.

And most of all Change. Without it nothing we want will happen. Change occurs each minute of everyday. The decisions, even the little ones that we don't actively think about, cause a butterfly effect with our outcomes. Change is so important to adapt. Yet majority of us fight it. Why? Because it is different to what we know, and most probably we are scared of the unknown. 

Embracing change and all of the 'not-so-positive' times or experience in our lives is easier said than done. So what can we do to be nicer to ourselves? Help ourselves during those times? What I have found works is:

1. Accepting little changes daily. Go a different route to work.

2. Actively make decisions for change, this helps you feel more in control. So when change takes you by surprise it becomes easier to deal with. 

3. Your success rate at getting through difficult times is sitting at 100%

4. Breathe. 

5. Take time away from everything to reflect on what is happening. 

6. Think about what can or is going right with this change - not what could go wrong. 

7. Mantras. Develop something that will make you feel ok with the situation. 

8. Music. Listen to music that reflects how you are feeling - it also helps to belt it out with a hairbrush…

9. Talk about it. To someone neutral. Everyone in your life - colleagues, friends, family or acquaintances will all have an opinion. Go and talk to someone that doesn't. Where you can let it all out and not be judged. Often they will not provide any answers, but you will feel so much better because you have said it out loud. 

10. Exercise. Walk it off. Go to the beach. Regroup with nature. 

11. Remember why you are here. Were you meant to be stressed? Nope!

12. Without change we would not have evolved into where we are today. 

13. Smile. Even if it is forced (your brain does not know this) - it releases the feel good hormones!

14. Better yet LAUGH! A good belly laugh. 

15. Perspective. Place whatever is changing into perspective. 

16. Time. I like to think, will I remember this in 5 years time? 

17. Breathe

18. Immerse yourself in something you love. Movies? TV? People watching. Dog watching. People and dog watching (my favourite)

19. Write. Write about anything. Start a blog. Write a book. Stream of consciousness (this is interesting…write whatever pops into your head as you are writing - even if you haven't finished the sentence (harder still!)

20. Meditate. If you don't know how, look up guided meditation. 

Good Luck! Remember that without change, of difference, or troubles, we cannot lead a happy, successful life we want. 

…Until Tomorrow xox

Day 188

Todays musings…

1. I was following a car today that did not appear to have a driver…mental note if I am too short to be seen, must take of the head rest!

2. Sheep are individual..watched 2 Rams facing off…their audience of sheep was so funny…there was the one that was standing there egging them on, one that couldn't care less, one that was trying to get in between it… I had my own show!!

3. You will always have an impact on someone…make sure you are leaving the impression you want…do you leave someone better than before they saw you?

4. Never judge your situation with someone that is in a similar situation…everyone has their own story.

5. The perception of yourself that others see is often quite different to how you perceive yourself…stop being so hard on yourself. 

6. Speak positively to yourself everyday - you end up listening to EVERYTHING you say.

7. Dogs, like children, go through a stage of hating their hair brushed! 

8. Having a debrief about your day is very important. 

9. Make sure you change your passwords regularly - you never know who will hack into your…computer…eep!

10. Playing words with Friends does not constitute as a 'mental' activity - scrabble does! 

11. 2L of water a day is a must. 

12. Get outside! Even 10minutes of fresh air makes everything so much more bare able. 

13. Be the best YOU every day. 

14. When you decide to do something, do it with all your heart and you will be rewarded. Put out what you want to attract :)

…Until Tomorrow xox

Day 187

I talk a lot when I'm dog training about thresholds. About reading your dog and knowing when they are reaching the top end of their threshold. So to explain it simply, everyone has a baseline. This baseline can be slightly higher or lower than 'average'. So by getting to know your dog, you know when they are sitting at their 'normal'. And by reading their subtle body language cues we can remove them from the situation as they are heightening, before they get to breaking point. It's easier to stop a behaviour before it happens then to control it once it has happened. 

Today I realised, what I am so good at in my job, I'm not so good at for myself! I had gone over the breaking point today, and forgot to watch my signs to remind me I needed a break. For me it's often not until I reach this point that I am reminded to have a break. My warning signs tend to be - lack of sleep, short temper and the need to do everything RIGHT now! Plus a few others. I am working on reading these signs before I reach the snappy point (I say snappy because I definitely get snappy!!) 

The big thing in dog training and in your own life, is if you do tip over just say "whoops, I'll be better at reading the signs next time". Not "I did it again, I'm such a bad person etc". You can sit with the little negative gremlin for a little bit, then tell him to go away and start to build yourself up - Fill your cup. When you give more than you recharge, you will be left at breaking point. Regular 'me' / recharge / quiet time is needed. 

What are your signs leading up to your had enough point? Can you recognise and recharge before you reach breaking point? Its a good and difficult skill to master!

…Until Tomorrow xox