Do your goals and BIG dreams scare you??

Dream BIG!  Dream big, SCARY goals....  Close your eyes and picture that goal that's been side-lined for too long - how much does it scare you?  A lot?  Good, now we're getting somewhere.


Don't you find that old comfort zone familiar but just more than a little.... how can I put it?.... beige??  Yes edging out of it is scary but basked in technicolour.  So, what are you doing about it??


I'm trying to practise what I'm preaching and I know it's tough.  On a recent workshop I shared a few of my big, scary goals with someone and just the simplest act of saying them out loud spurred me into action (and her encouraging emails to check how I'm doing are the momentum!!).  So I want to be that catalyst for you.


Dream BIG
Say your dream out loud to someone
Do a little something every day to step away from the beige and into the sparkle!


Image: One

Full disclosure: more truths about my disappearance...

As well as nurturing a growing tummy, I've also been exercising the old grey matter over the past 6 weeks and I'm now fully certified as an NLP practitioner and Creating Your Future coach.  You want that in plain English?  I'm now fully-qualified and have the skills to achieve that goal I talked about here and here - I can help people to "discover their unique sparkle and live their best life".


And so now what?  It's time to take a leap and put it into practice.  I'm busy planning and designing my own personal take on what I've learned and how I can use it to help people to live their potential.  For now, all I'll share is it's pretty personal to me - I shared with you all my low point and I'm using it as my inspiration.  Watch this space...

Image: pinterest

{Go Girl Tuesday Tips} Go out on a limb...

The story of a very windy, wintry night, a long day and a 6-hour round trip .... oh and a whole bag of nerves.

It's my story.  Yesterday's story.  When I saw that the gorgeous Lauren of Aspiring Kennedy and lovely Helena of A Diary of Lovely were hosting a bloggers meet-up, something inside me wanted to RSVP a big, fat yes.  But then, I live about 200 miles from where this little shindig was being held on a cold Monday evening in December and I had work commitments that are non-negotiable.  Oh and the small matter of a fear of social situations where I know no-one.  In short, there was every reason to venture home after a hard day's work to a hot dinner, bath and pyjamas!  And, normally this is the path of least resistance I'd have taken.

The story turns out a little differently.  I put my nerves to one side, stumped up the train fare and made the journey to the capital.  And, boy, am I glad I did.  My panic over having to make small talk was unfounded - I met such a lovely group of like-minded, creative people that topics of conversation flowed like the delicious elderflower juice at the venue.  What on earth had I been worrying about?

What I thought would be too scary, too much effort and too late a night (it was and I LOVE my sleep!) was well worth it.  How many times have I taken the easy route?  Too many.  On this night, I was fuelled by my love of writing and by a little tickle in my tummy that told me three words - go for it!

Q&A Inspiration with... Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge

Christmas has come early for me as I have one of my biggest inspirations, Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge, here to share for our Q&A Inspiration this week.  A former freelance journalist and contributing editor for House & Garden, New York Home and In Style, Grace started the design blog in 2004.  It now has, she says in her first book Design*Sponge at Home, a daily readership that would fill New York's Madison Square Garden.  While I'm smitten with her enthusiastic, 'have-a-go' attitude that comes across in her writing, I'm in even more admiration of her encouraging, altrusitic spirit.  She's keen to share the platform - Grace has established D*S Biz Ladies, a series of national meet-ups to support budding design enthusiasts, and founded the Design*Sponge Scholarship to assist art and design students in pursuit of their creative endeavours - their best life! 


Tell me a little about you and your blog...

Both my blog and my life (which are pretty intertwined these days) are about trying to live the most fulfilled, creative life possible.

What is your vision of your best life?

A balance between personal and professional- and enjoying both so much that you occasionally lose yourself in either.

Can you tell us about some of the challenges/obstacles/fears you've faced and how you've tackled them?
My biggest challenge is knowing when to take a break. I struggle with it a lot and find the best cure is to surround yourself with people you trust who remind you (and force you) to stop every now and then to appreciate what you have and what you do.

Have you ever thought you had everything planned, only for life to show you an alternative?
Yes, never more so than in 2011. It's been a difficult year for me, but it's been an exercise in embracing life's ups and downs and really, truly remembering it's a journey and not something you have "figured out" right away.

Has there been a 'defining moment' that has changed your life/your view of life?  What has been the nudge in the right direction for you?
My defining moments are usually negatives that turn into positives- moments where I regret a decision I made or see something happen that I never want to have happen for me. I find I best define myself and my life by knowing what I DON'T want more than what I do.


If you were to look back and offer advice to yourself, what 3 pearls of wisdom would you share?
Take a break. One day your optometrist will tell you that you have the eyes of a 60 year old. You can still stop that.

Time is more valuable than money. Don't worry about paying bills- worry about enjoying what you have around you now.
Invest in your friends. They are your family away from home and worth every second of time, energy and love you have.

What book, piece of music, blog, quote or person inspires you the most?
I go back and forth between inspirations, but this quote has been special for me lately (it was originally written to me in a middle school note):


"Barn's burnt down- Now I can see the moon." -Masahide.


It's a good reminder to me that sometimes things that seem terrible can reveal something even better or more beautiful.

Image: One