Listening to my inner voice!

Well there I was ready to roll with a blog EVERY week, then arrives a cough and cold, this was accompanied by a headache which basically wiped out my energy as well as any inspiration I had! As a result not only did the blog not happen but nor did the newsletters, the social media posts nor in fact any little work....

But I am back, having listened to my inner voice telling me to rest and relax I can now catch up on all the writing that has been waiting in the wings. It is often the case that we do not listen to that voice inside, the voice that knows what is best for us, I have though learnt that recovery comes along faster if we do take heed at the first signs.

As I sit at my desk today it is a delight to see the sunshine outside, I am in fact able to dry some washing on the line, now that hasn't happened for a long time. I hope that you are enjoying the sunshine in whatever corner of the world you are reading this in.

Since I decided to share my poems and quotes via my blog it has become evident what a task that is, I have so many to chose from that it is difficult to know where to start.  I have written so many and I really hope that over time you will enjoy reading them...

Todays poem was written in October 2001 following my move to Ireland, as it talks about my inner voice I thought it apt... reading it brings back some great memories but in it's words also lies the howI feel about my life today...

Smiles

Life is full of smiles these days,
Carefree, happy smiles.
I was at a crossroads and I choose the road for me,
The road where dreams come true....

I saw my life clearly in front of me
and inspiration came from within

It drove me along that road
to where I am today.

I thank my intution for showing me the way!

I give in!

As another vision became reality in 2012 and I became a published author, as a result many can't understand why I don't blog on a regular basis.

The answer is I have no idea....I write daily posts on the 'Awaken Life Coaching' facebook page through which I receive great feedback, I send out an inspirational quote every Monday to those who have signed up to my monthly newsletter, I send out regular newsletters to my database, I send cards and letters, I guest blog for others, I write / publish Ebooks and I write articles... so you tell me why I don't blog!!

Anyway today following another 'Awaken' workshop I have been persuaded again to start to blog my poetry, it is this at present that has no platform.  I have bags of poetry that I have written over the years, when it sees light and people read it I gain positive feedback along with a wonderment of why it has never been shared.

If you have read my book 'Made it Thru the Rain' you will know that in 2009 I crashed out of the corporate world and travelled a journey through the dark days of depression. In this book each chapter of my book does in fact start with a poem, so it seemed a natural course to share this genre of my writing with you.

As I read a number of my old poems now I can sometimes see sadness in the lines, a lot of them were written at the times I suffered a bruised heart, it was my dad that told me a heart gets bruised but it never breaks! I will share many of these poems with you as well as the happier ones and the ones I wrote for my family.

I may even share some of my dear nans poetry, she sadly passed away when I was only twelve but I know she would be chuffed to see that a number of her works were now being shared publically.

Today I will share a poem that was written when I was re-entering the world of relationships, having had my heart bruised it was with trepidation...

Insecurity

Hold me
Not too tight
But just for a moment.....before you leave
This time it's for real
I can feel it
But I need the security of your touch
You run your fingers through my hair
Your lips touch mine......like a breeze on a warm summers day
You let go
You walk away
You turn as you open the door

You smile
'See you tonight'- you call
I laugh at my own
Insecurity!

Vision to Reality!

How many people daydream? I reckon most people do at some point in their life.  As I have got older I have come to the conclusion that while I was younger I was told, 'you are such a daydreamer' it has in fact served me well.

Today when I look back on my life I have found that many of the things I day dreamt about did in fact become my reality, I now realise that in fact I was using visualisation to bring my thoughts to reality without even knowing it.

In the last couple of weeks I have again manifested situations in my life that at the beginning of the year I had placed on my vision board with intent.  As I look at that board now I realise that I am indeed a master in manifestation.  People I have wanted to work with are now in my circle, situations I have only dreamt about are now happening.

I encourage you that if you are a daydreamer - start to believe that what you dream about can indeed become your reality it just takes focus, determination and belief.  Live the dream as if is it yours, touch it's reality, imagine what it will be like when it is yours... because by doing this you can be sure one day it will be!

Well as I fast approach my first two years in business I look back and wonder how I made it all happen!
There is so much to learn to at times there appears to be nobody that can tell you where to find the answers, there are plenty of business coaches, plenty of books, plenty of those who apparently can get you loads more clients and raise your cashflow almost overnight... but if you are in business then you will know then while this is great to hear the road often is not that easy.
Following thirty years in corporate I was fortunate to understand a number of the basics and that I found out was literally all I knew.
Boy did I have a steep learning curve, they say a lot of businesses give up in the first two years and it is easy to understand why!
As a coach I soon understood that selling service is harder when you don't have a product so to this end I have over my time in business been building a number of products, including a book through which I can assist, inspire and help others.
My first download product is launching on August 2nd and its title says it all

'The Secret's Out' -

This product will quite literally take you through many aspects of setting up a business, it will explain in honest, simple to understand terms what the difference is between advertising and marketing along with why if you get these the wrong way round you will pay a dear price! It will walk you through networking and why social media is so important to your business, this is just the start... this is a 50 page coaching programme based on the fundamentals of starting and running a small business, it has videos and worksheets for you to complete along with some audio coaching.

This  product you will ensure you will be eligible to join 'The Sunflower Business Forum' where you can ask fellow members questions about your business, I will sit in on this forum once a week along with a computer expert and we will find you the answers you require.  Once a week I will coach one member through a Power Breakthrough Session to assist you with ideas to grow.

If you would like to know more and how you can spend time in front of one of my mentors who is indeed one of UK's finest Self-Made Millionaires and Author please join me for this 'FREE' webinar on Thursday July 26th at
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3177717590687723008

To not join us at these 'Free' event could indeed be costly to your business....

Where does time go?

Well it has been so long since I have written a blog that the site has changed and I have no idea where to start!

As I have spent the largest proportion of week writing I thought, hey why not carry on and write a blog post, I could not believe it when I logged on to find my last blog was in February 2012, five months ago!

It is unbelievable and I apologise to the followers that are still with me on my absence. Today I vow to do better and blog once a week.. if not more.

Writing has become a huge part of my business story now with my book 'Made it Thru the Rain' being published in September and my first Coaching Workbook Programme available in August 2012, this has truly provide the need to write more, so watch this space.

My business 'Awaken' has grown so much in the last two years and it is about to take on a further growth spurt this autumn, as a result I have found great joy in coaching small business to attain the goals they set for themselves.

There have so many lessons which experience has yet again taught me, if you have been reading my previous blogs you will know how I pull on my memories and experiences as I coach clients today.

Take time out to look back and review some of your life experiences and memories, what have they taught you and how can you share the message and learning's on..

Blogging and a simple idea!!

With the growth of my business and the launch of my book in the summer of 2012 I do not always have the time to write a full blog as I intenb.  As I was discussing this with my website designer,  Andrew from Eberlin Web Design, last week he pointed out the obvious, 'If you don't have time to always write a blog why don't you share some of your writing and poetry?' he asked....

So over time I will do all three, write a full blog, share some of my newsletter and general writing plus at times my poetry.  I hope all readers continue to enjoy this format and if so please share with others!

Today's memory  therefore comes in a different format, I am fortunate today to have an amazing life and part of that amazing life is a relationship which has traveled through time.  In 1980 I encountered my first relationship but it only lasted 3 months.... This is a poem I wrote way back then..

Its the words you say...

If darkness fell upon the earth
my life would still be light
as long as I have dreams of you
I'll never dread the night

Then if you say you love me
my heart would skip a beat
my life would be so wonderful
No ground would touch my feet

So please don't take away the light
By uttering goodbye
please stay a little longer
as I don't like to cry!

---------------------------
I am immensely happy and proud that 31 years on in Jan 2011 this relationship was re-kindled and we are now back together.  As its Valentines day I thought I would share that little bit of romance with you and I guess now I need to write a new poem!

I hope you are all having a fab Valentines day and that you are surrounded by love wherever you may be!

Have a great week and join me next week for another memory which again will lead me to share with you the part it has played on my journey to the positive life I live today.

Listen to your Heart - Follow your Intuition

Today's memory comes from just one of the times in my life when I didn't know what to do, I felt stuck in a place where I had no idea what I wanted to do as a career and my first boyfriend had ended our relationship, I was just  heartbroken.  There I was at 17 years of age in turmoil, I was half way through a hairdressing course and trust me really not enjoying it and to me all alone in this mad crazy world, or so it felt back then.


It is quite bizarre how when we are in the middle of a situation there appears to be no way out, no light at the end of the tunnel.  I have many times over the years since then felt the same way, but you know I have come to realize that the toughest time is when you are in the middle of it, once you have sat, stopped and listened to your heart then your instincts and intuition tell you your next move. I wish at the age of 17 somebody had told me this, it all seemed so useless back then, I was persuaded to carry on with the hairdressing course but I knew way down deep in my heart I could never make it work as a career.  I qualified and left the college heavy hearted, worked for a hairdressers for three weeks and then resigned, I left their employment with a spring in my step! That was the first major breakthrough in following my intuition, the weekend I left that job I was offered my first management job at a local newsagents and that was the start of my 30 year management career.


Today as I coach others I ask them, 'What is in your heart? What is your intuition telling you? Its amazing how eyes light up as soon as the heart is allowed to talk. It is so important when the going gets tough to take time out, get off that treadmill, stop running to nowhere.  I have evidence in my life that listening to what others believe you should do leads to turmoil in one's life, In saying that there are times when I should of allowed other peoples voices to 'awaken' what my heart was trying to say and got out of situations before I got in too deep, but in all those cases I now know that the truth of what I should of done lay within me.


Over time I will share other stories about my life where, if I had just stopped and listened I would of had an easier time, thankfully from my experiences has come the lesson.  Just let go, let it be, stop and then listen to your heart, it is at this time that the message in the form of the answers come along, usually when you least expect them and sometimes in the most unlikely way. 


This memory of my 17 old self leads me to share how it relates to my life today. If you have read previous blogs you will have noted how I  have recently written a book 'Made it Thru the Rain', I completed the writing of this manuscript in October 2011 and spent Nov/Dec getting it ready for self-publication. I was convinced it was the only way to go except that my intuition kept saying, 'No, this is the wrong route, you will find a publisher', I struggled with what needed to be done, I contemplated the hit on my finances to get it to publication and felt I was up against a brick wall.


Over the Christmas period forced out of action by a bad back I had to stop all the worrying as my health took priority.  It was during this time that I remembered a conversation with a friend who had suggested the name and website of her publisher, so I logged on and followed their instructions towards the first stage of working with them as my publisher. Was I surprised when within the 48 hour lead time they came back and moved me to stage 2 of their process? No I wasn't nor was I surprised when I got the offer contract through this week for them to publish my book.  I was in awe, I was a little shocked but deep down in my heart a little voice was saying 'I told you so!' 


So during January as we head into the New Year and throughout 2012,  I would suggest to you that at times it is important to just take some time out to stop, look and listen to your heart... all you need to do is then act on it! I understand this is sometimes scary but remember as I read once, 'when fear knocked on the door, faith answered' - be prepared for the answer and go with it.


Have a great start to the year and join me for my next blog when I will again share with you another memory which again will lead me to share with you the part it has played on my journey to the positive life I live today.