Farting Around

“I tell you, we are here on earth to fart around, and don’t let anybody tell you different.” Kurt Vonnegut

I found this quote yesterday on a card, and I’m adopting it as my favourite piece of wisdom of 2009! It always amuses me that people who enjoy their lives (or fart around) are seen as somehow ‘less than’ people who work hard, do the sensible things, are grown up, and largely miserable. What if we as a society have got it completely wrong, and life is not about the accumulation of stuff, how hard you can work, how grown up you can be? What if it is just about farting around?

Well, if this is so, I am ahead in this new world order! To farting around – hazah!

Love

Donna.x

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Start Where You Are

“Don’t let life discourage you; everyone who got where he is had to start where he was.” Lao-Tzu

Love

Donna.x

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Video: Save Me From My Tax Return

So I had this rather random idea – I have a few days ‘spare’ next week as I’d booked them out to do a project which I’ve actually done – why not have a ‘ridiculous’ special offer? BETTER than half-price coaching session with 1 month e-mail follow up…

This coaching session will cost £30 (normal price £65) but you need to take it on 27th, 28th or 29th July. Places will be limited, so if you’re interested, e-mail me now at donna@donnaonthebeach.com.

And spread the word – tell your friends! Look forward to talking to you. xx

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The Basil Fawlty School of Response

Just as I was wondering what fascinating topic to address today, I noticed that my internet connection keeps dropping. I am trying to load a video to YouTube (which if I manage it, I will share with you tomorrow!) and the blasted connection keeps dropping. Now there are several ways I could react to this little irritation:

1. The Basil Fawlty school of response – fly into a rage and start hitting my broadband router with the nearest blunt object.
2. Get progressively more irritated as the day wears on, try to find someone to complain to, change all settings and finally finish messing with it at 11pm, having not achieved a thing.
3. Exercise my patience. It’s a background task, and although it’s irritating, it’s not the worst thing to have happened to me. Every time the connection drops I am reminded to breathe, and smile, and press the ‘retry’ button. C’est la vie, n’est ce pas?
4. Actively use some really random metaphysical and woo woo techniques to see if they work on it! For example, I see love flowing through every fibre of my router’s being, i see the connection being strong and continuous for at least 15 minutes.

So far, we’ve had 4 disconnects in a matter of 20 minutes. I can’t tell you if I will stay with response number 4 or if I will descend into Basil Fawlty-esque rage…but if the video is not here tomorrow, you will be able to guess!

Love

Donna.x

PS Just as I pressed the button to publish this blog post, the connection dropped…I went outside, took some very deep breaths, and picked up a stout branch, ready for Basil-esque rage to take over!

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Trust That You Know What You’re Doing

Video: Instead of telling yourself what youre doing wrong, try working from the assumption that you know what youre doing, that you’re doing your best. Trust yourself to know what’s best for you – it might not be the way you think you should be doing things, but there is likely to be a very good reason why you’re doing things the way you are. Trust yourself!

http://www.youtube.com/donnaonthebeach

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Staying Out of The Drama

There are hundreds of little things that happen every day that can pull us into a drama, from thoughtless drivers to stolen purses, from being rained on to disputes with your service providers. We are so used to participating in the little dramas of our lives that we don’t even question that we’ve spent 10 hours moaning to friends about this company or that person. In many cases, most people would agree that we have cause to be livid.

But here’s the interesting thing: getting pulled into the drama is never helpful. And it often makes a situation 10 times worse before it gets better. This morning I had a situation that for an hour, pulled me into the drama. I stressed, I told a friend the whole convoluted story, I worried and I was ‘in the drama’. Then I realised that I was busy ruining my day over something that is an irritation, but nothing more.

I set my intention around this (that it will be sorted out to the satisfaction of all involved), felt gratitude that it is sorted, and let it go. I don’t know how it will be sorted, but I know it will be sorted. And in the meantime, I’m not going to worry. In fact, to distract myself from feeling bad, I went on Youtube and found some more Top Gear clips (including a really random one on caravan conkers that I never saw before!)

There is absolutely no benefit in being pulled into the drama of life. No benefit at all. Not only does it not help to change a situation for the better (of course, more drama can make it worse!), but it also ruins your day. Try this the next time you notice you are ‘in the drama’: state how you want this situation to work out (always being open to a better solution!), be grateful that it’s sorted (even if you can’t see how), let it go and go enjoy your life DESPITE whatever is going ‘wrong’.

None of these petty annoyances that you won’t care about in a years’ time are worth even a moment of stress, sadness, or anger on your part.

Love

Donna.x

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Playing the Game

The Game of Life.

How are you playing? Are you fighting over ever throw of the dice, taking it all personally, giving up after a few throws, deciding that you will never win so why play, getting pissed off with other players for getting the wins that you wanted, sulking, taking it very seriously or being enormously competitive?

In other words, are you forgetting that it’s a game? Life (in my humble opinion) is FUN! We get to do some really cool stuff on this planet – dancing, laughing, horizontal exercise , bouncing, loving, being with friends, watching crap tv, seeing the sunrise and set, watching the seasons turn and the kids grow.

When you remember that its a game to be played and enjoyed, you can change your experience of it. Instead of it being hard and stressful, it becomes easy and fun…and you get to learn to play better rather than making the same mistakes over again. And the best thing about this game? There are no losers. You can only win the game of life.

Love

Donna.x

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Friday Fun – The Emu

An Aussie truckie walks into an outback cafe’ with a full-grown emu behind him. The waitress asks them for their orders.

The truckie says, ‘A hamburger, chips and a coke,’ and turns to the emu, ‘What’s yours?’ ‘I’ll have the same,’ says the emu.

A short time later the waitress returns with the order ‘That will be $9.40 please,’ and he reaches into his pocket and pulls out the exact change for payment.

The next day, the man and the emu come again and he says, ‘A hamburger, chips and a coke.’ The emu says, ‘I’ll have the same.’

Again the truckie reaches into his pocket and pays with exact change.

This becomes routine until the two enter again. ‘The usual?’ asks the waitress.

‘No, it’s Friday night, so I’ll have a steak, baked potato and a salad,’ says the man.. ‘Same,’ says the emu.

Shortly the waitress brings the order and says, ‘That will be $32.62.’

Once again the man pulls the exact change out of his pocket and places it on the table.

The waitress cannot hold back her curiosity any longer. ‘Excuse me, mate, how do you manage to always come up with the exact change in your pocket every time?’

‘Well, love’ says the truckie, ‘a few years ago, I was cleaning out the back shed, and found an old lamp. When I rubbed it, a Genie appeared and offered me two wishes. My first wish was that if I ever had to pay for anything, I would just put my hand in my pocket and the right amount of money would always be there.’

‘That’s brilliant!’ says the waitress. ‘Most people would ask for a million dollars or something, but you’ll always be as rich as you want for as long as you live!’

‘That’s right. Whether it’s a gallon of milk or a Rolls Royce, the exact money is always there,’ says the man.
The waitress asks, ‘What’s with the bloody emu?’
The truckie sighs, pauses, and answers, ‘My second wish was for a tall chick with a big arse and long legs, who agrees with everything I say.’

Happy Friday!

Love

Donna.x

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A Visit to Childhood

So last week I was asking what would happen if you put your magical child energy in charge of your life. What did happen? Did you put magical child in charge or did you read it, smile gently and get back to being a sensible grown up?

To be honest with you, I asked the question, went for the snooze my magical child suggested and then forgot about it…until Tuesday night. Tuesday was a funny old day weather-wise – one minute it would be sunny and nice, the next it would be pissing it down with rain…and then 2 minutes later, sunshine again. This went on all day, and eventually I was watching the latest downpour thinking ‘I’m going to go and dance in the rain’…

Sadly my sensible adult self talked me out of it, and 2 minutes later the torrential rain was gone and the sun was back. I went outside with the dog and realised there was a HUGE puddle outside my house. This time sensible grown up Donna had no chance and I jumped right in the middle of that puddle about 5 times! I couldn’t even tell you WHY that was such fun, but it was! Then yesterday my friend and I went to the local playing fields and just had a go on the swings for 5 minutes.

And today I just had a brainwave – I was wondering if YouTube had any clips of the Magic Roundabout, or Pob, or Dastardly and Mutley…and they do! Ok, perhaps sensible grown up Donna will say I need to do some work…but I’ll just check out some cartoon fun for 10 minutes first. And tomorrow…I’m thinking glitter and glue…what do you think?

Love

Donna.x

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Two Heads are Better Than One

From the book of doing things the hard way:
Rule number 3: Do everything alone. Get no support. Get no help. Carry the entire project on your shoulders.

BUT if you wanted to make life easier, why not enlist friends? Colleagues? Peers? I have been really lucky this week that the people I have spoken to have supported me unasked, have challenged me unasked, and have inspired me unasked. We just got together for a chat, and I got more out of those chats than I can possibly ever artiulate. It reminded me that 2 heads are better than 1, 5 heads are better than 2…

Whatever you are working on right now, in your private or business life, get support, get a community, get other people to help you. And you never know, there might be someone out there right now who needs your support. Win/win.

Love

Donna.x
PS the first person to contact me with the name of the film I got the 5 heads bit from wins a free 30 minute coaching session – might be just the support you need!

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