Pet Diaries – one for Dog or Cat owners
September 30, 2011 by Donnaonthebeach
Filed under Blog posts, Fun
This never fails to amuse me!
Excerpts from a Dog’s Diary
* 8:00 am – Dog food! My favourite thing!
* 9:30 am – A car ride! My favourite thing!
* 9:40 am – A walk in the park! My favourite thing!
* 10:30 am – Got stroked and petted! My favourite thing!
* 12:00 pm – Lunch! My favourite thing!
* 1:00 pm – Played in the garden! My favourite thing!
* 3:00 pm – Wagged my tail! My favourite thing!
* 5:00 pm – Chewed on a bone! My favourite thing!
* 7:00 pm – Got to play fetch! My favourite thing!
* 8:00 pm – Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favourite thing!
* 11:00 pm – Sleeping on the bed! My favourite thing!
Excerpts from a Cat’s Diary
Day 983 of my captivity.
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.
Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped it’s headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a “good little hunter” I am.
Bastards!
There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of “allergies.” I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow, but at the top of the stairs.
I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released – and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded. The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now…
Happy Friday!
Love
Donna. x
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OnTheBeach – A Few of My Favourite Things
September 29, 2011 by Donnaonthebeach
Filed under Articles, Blog posts
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens…a few of Maria’s favourite things. Do you remember this song from the Sound of Music? “I simply remember my favourite things, and then I don’t feel so bad” – is not just a lyric from a song, it’s great advice. Your favourite things put a little spark of joy in your heart. They make you feel better when the dog bites, when the bee stings, when you are feeling sad.
Over on facebook (and sometimes twitter if it’s in less than 140 characters), I often share one of my favourite things – a shopping trolley without a wobbly wheel, music turned up loud, an empty road to drive on, sunsets, sunshine, a novel to read, a movie, being snuggled up in bed while the wind howls, laughing, blowing bubbles, the sea, stars, my dog Mollie, being with friends, paprika pringles, orange matchmakers, drumstick lollies…the list goes on.
Why do I share these things? And why do I ask what your favourite things are? Because it FEELS GOOD! Remember the September Daily Practice: Feeling Good? It feels good to think about your favourite things. It feels good to talk about your favourite things. I have a book by Cecilia Ahern called ‘If You Could See Me Now’ (one of my favourite books!) which has an imaginary friend in it who often says ‘ooh, that’s my favourite’…about pretty much everything! Do you remember being that in touch with the things you loved to do?
Most kids have this connection – most kids (and dogs) have a hundred ‘favourite’ things. And most adults, sadly, lose the ability to recognise their favourite things and to take the time to enjoy them, wallow in them, get excited about them, talk about them, be enthusiastic about them. Have you lost your ‘favourite thing mojo’? Well, if you have it is time to get it back! It’s time to dust off your favourite things – identify them, do them, enjoy them and SHARE THEM! Leave me a comment and tell me some of your favourite things! Go on, it feels good!
Love
Donna.x
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You Say “You’re a Flake” Like it’s a Bad Thing
September 26, 2011 by Donnaonthebeach
Filed under Blog posts, Donna's Life
One of my friends was telling me recently that I am ‘such a flake’ – it wasn’t meant as a compliment apparently! Is that anything like you? You get really super enthused about an idea, follow it a little, then get bored/find out it’s not for you/lose interest. Ten minutes later you have another marvelous idea which follows the same pattern. Another hare-brained scheme. Another uncompleted idea. Another “failure”.
And this is a problem why? If it was not for creative, entreprenurial, mercurial, tenacious, stubborn, flighty, flaky people, we would all still be sitting in the dark on a stone floor with no entertainment. Yes, yes, the ability to follow an idea through to completion is good, and if you are one of those lucky folk who knows from the age of 15 what you wish to do with the next 80 years of your life, good for you.
But for the rest of us, being flaky is no bad thing. It is fun. It means that we become very courageous – always trying new things. It builds our confidence. It leads us down paths that many people who stay on the signposted path fail to find. It brings us joy. It makes us interesting. It opens our minds. It broadens our horizons. It potentially brings us to our ‘one path’ (not that I believe in that, but that’s another blog for another day!).
Most great inventors will have had friends and family who poo-poo’d their ideas, told them they were wasting their time and should get ‘a proper job’ and stop trying to invent nuts-o things like light bulbs and tv and blogs. Thankfully they didn’t listen. And nor shall I! My friend, I love you and I really don’t care that you think I’m a flake – I just want you to realise that it is a GOOD thing!
Love
Donna.x
PS this week is your last chance to take advantage of the September Special Offer
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Guest Post: Becoming a More Confident Traveller
September 23, 2011 by Donnaonthebeach
Filed under Blog posts
Here’s another blog post I spotted recently that I just loved, and had to write immediately to Jamie Ridler to ask for permission to share it with you. Enjoy!
Just over a year ago, I set myself the goal of becoming a more confident traveller and boy, did that start a great adventure! Since then I’ve been to the Kripalu Center in the Berkshires of Massachussets, to Portsmouth, to San Francisco, to Portland and to Halifax and the surrounding area. Every step along the way has invited a little more stretching and I’ve gained a little more experience and a lot more confidence. I’ve gathered amazing tips and strategies from so many of you, ranging from how to deal with my fear of flying to where to stay in Paris.
Yes, Paris!
After years of dreaming – and several appearances on my dreamboards and my vision cards – we are going to France. Justin and I are celebrating our 10-year wedding anniversary with this trip. And though we were married in February, we’ve decided to travel in the spring, heading first to Paris and then to Avignon to explore Provence and then down to Nice to experience the French Riviera!!
This is an amazing next step in my Become a More Confident Traveller adventure! It’s the first time I’ve managed multiple destinations and a different language too, so I’m right at my growing edge. In fact, the trip has already brought up some perfect little lessons for me. For example, booking hotels in France checked just about all of my least favourite stretch boxes. For one thing I’m pretty shy and get nervous about calling people on the phone (which is kinda hilarious since I’m a coach that works with people over the phone) and I’m really sensitive about flubbing things up in front of other people (perhaps you’ve heard my ‘learning to skate story’ on Creative Living with Jamie!) Well, I recently reached the point of having to put my credit card down to secure hotel reservations. Up until then, things had been handled cleanly, simply and oh, so easily through email. But I just didn’t feel secure sending all my credit card details that way. I knew I had to call.
But I just couldn’t do it. I completely froze. I even had a big conversation with Justin about how I’m sure our credit information would be just fine in an email. I’m sure people do that all the time. Justin even offered to call and the only thing he can say in French is “poulet rouge”! I was pretty sure “red chicken” wasn’t going to get us our room. Finally, we decided we’d risk email because at least that would get the job done.
As soon as the pressure was off, I found it a bit easier. I tried to figure out what would make it easier still. I wrote out a little script of what I would say in French. I used freetranslation.com whenever I was really stuck. And then I wrote out a little script out in English, so that if it turned out English was fine, I’d also be secure.
I picked up the phone. A friendly voice on the other end said, “Bonsoir” and the name of the hotel. I came back with.. “Bonsoir… um… oh, um… Est-ce que nous pouvons parlez en Anglais?” And the proprietor’s lovely voice, full of smiles, said, “Of course.” I breathed a great sigh, confirmed all of our dates and felt so very proud of myself. When Patrice emailed me our confirmation, I told him how excited we were and that I’ll be working on my French. He very sweetly replied that we could practice together.
At the next hotel, I used the same strategy, with a similar, friendly result. It was clear that making an effort, even a clumsy one, was appreciated. And stretching myself, even with just that one sentence, grew my confidence. In fact, when I had to make a bit of an awkward phone call the other day, the kind I would normally shy away from, I found myself thinking, “Well, at least we both speak English!” and dialing the phone.
In all areas of our life, whether we’re newbies or seasoned, we always have a growing edge. We’ll always have that place that makes us uncomfortable or that stirs up our fear, that place where we are painfully aware of our own incompetence, that place that calls us to step in and stretch.
I follow a yoga podcast called Yogamazing. The other day Chaz, the instructor, said that no matter where we are on the yoga journey, all of us are in the same place when we’re at that growing edge. That made me feel so much better, to know that even if I can’t touch my toes and the yogini beside me has her nose to her knees, at our stretching edge we are the same. The journey is the same. How beautiful is that?”
Bio: Jamie Ridler is a creative living coach and the founder of Jamie Ridler Studios. From coaching to workshops, from podcasting to blogging, Jamie’s work helps women find the confidence and courage to discover and express their creative selves so they can be the star they are.
Links:
Website: Jamie Ridler Studios
Twitter: @starshyne
Facebook: Jamie Ridler Studios Page
Podcast: Creative Living with Jamie
Not only do I love how Jamie is sharing her vulnerability (and thus allowing others to be vulnerable too), but that idea that wherever we are we’re at the growing edge is just wonderful! Oh, and I’ve added to my intentions list for this year “Become a more confident traveller”! Be sure to go check out Jamie, she’s fab!
Love
Donna.x
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OnTheBeach – Earth Angel
September 22, 2011 by Donnaonthebeach
Filed under Blog posts
Hope you are healthy, happy and living with purpose, passion and joy (if not, the special offer is still on…see below!). Every week in my OnTheBeach weekly newsletter, I choose a ‘Beach Card’ for the readers. Over the past few weeks, I have been amused by how often the ‘Beach Card’ I’ve picked has been very relevant to the article of the week, so this week I decided to change the order, and pick the beach card before I chose or wrote the article. And as soon as I saw the card, I knew exactly which article to use! I love that – I feel like this article has been divinely picked for you this week. I hope you enjoy it!
Don’t forget the September Special offer – 20% off multiple coaching sessions. Click here for more information and to book.
- Earth Angels -
A few years ago I had 2 cars written off within 6 months, and both times I had an earth angel come to my rescue. First time round was my best friend who lent me her car so I would have transport (bless her!) – after nearly 6 months, we decided I’d buy it from her…and it got written off a few days later! Bah. Then it was the turn of the father of a friend of my mom’s to come to my rescue. This guy didn’t know me from a bar of soap – he not only sold me a car, he also loaned me a car for a week so that I wouldn’t be without. What a star! A similar thing happened 2 years ago when my last car was written off (2 out of these 3 occasions were not my fault by the way!) – the guy I bought my current car from loaned it to me for a week so I could see if I liked it before I bought it!
I was (and in fact, still am, all these years later!) so grateful to these people, I can barely articulate it. And I have decided that they were earth angels coming to help me out. Have you ever had that? People who just help you out of a hole with nothing in it for them. People can be so generous and kind, and when you are in a ‘bad place’, this really does feel like angelic assistance. When you are in a bad place, any small act of kindness can really lift you up – never mind a huge act like loaning you a car! What I realised is that a lot of these things happen on a daily basis…and I take it a little bit for granted.
No, people don’t give me their cars on a daily basis – that one is a special circumstance favour (that has now happened 3 times, how blessed am I?!)! What I mean is that people help me out on a daily basis – they share their knowledge, send me things that will be useful to me, are friendly and kind, make me smile and laugh. Help me with my business and my life, bring me chocolate, are generous to me in a hundred different ways. And the more I think about this, the more I realise that I am the luckiest woman on earth! Well, pretty darn lucky anyway. I think I’m going to need a bigger gratitude journal… So, to all earth angels – keep flexing your wings…and if you happen to have a Jaguar XK8 you would care to lend me… Ahem. 
What about you? Do you have Earth Angels in your life? Not just doing huge things for you when you’re having a bad time, but also doing small things – sending you funny e-mails when you need a laugh, smiling at you, bringing you coffee. Maybe you are the Earth Angel for someone else…and you probably don’t even realise how much you mean to your friends, colleagues, even the lady in the shop who was having such a terrible day before you came along and smiled as you helped her. You never know how much that small act of kindness that you did so easily could mean to someone else – so for every act of kindness you have done in the last month, thank you. Sincerely, and from the bottom of my heart. Thank you.
- Something to Play With -
Who are your earth angels? Stop for a minute right now and appreciate what they have done for you. Do they know how much you appreciate their help? Why not tell them? And now, what can you do this week to flex your angel wings? This doesn’t have to be big – get me a bag of drumstick lollies and you’ll be my earth angel!! 
Want to share your thoughts on this article? Leave me a comment below
- Beach Card of the week -
“Friends who really ‘get’ where you’re going, are positive, believe in you and champion you are an absolute gift. Nurture these friendships, spend time with these people and remember to tell them how important they are to you. (Be this friend for your friends!)” Come over to my facebook page for a daily ‘Beach Card’.
Love
Donna.x
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What Do You Wish to Immerse Yourself In?
September 21, 2011 by Donnaonthebeach
Filed under Blog posts, Featured
It’s Wishcasting Wednesday. There is power in wishing – putting your wishes out there sets mighty forces into action…
What Do You Wish to Immerse Yourself In?
Get involved on Jamie’s blog, or leave a comment here. As you wish for yourself, I wish for you also.
Love
Donna.x
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Guest Post: Waking Up Full of Awesome!
September 19, 2011 by Donnaonthebeach
Filed under Blog posts
A friend on Facebook directed me to this post over the weekend and I loved it so much I e-mailed Melissa of pigtail girls.com to ask if I could feature it on this blog. I know you guys will love it too!
“There was a time when you were five years old,
and you woke up full of awesome.
You knew you were awesome.
You loved yourself.
You thought you were beautiful,
even with missing teeth and messy hair and mismatched socks inside your grubby sneakers.
You loved your body, and the things it could do.
You thought you were strong.
You knew you were smart.
Do you still have it?
The awesome.
Did someone take it from you?
Did you let them?
Did you hand it over, because someone told you weren’t beautiful enough, thin enough, smart enough, good enough?
Why the hell would you listen to them?
Did you consider they might be full of shit?
Wouldn’t that be nuts, to tell my little girl below that in another five or ten years she might hate herself because she doesn’t look like a starving and Photoshopped fashion model?
Or even more bizarre, that she should be sexy over smart, beautiful over bold?
Are you freaking kidding me?
Look at her. She is full of awesome.
You were, once. Maybe you still are. Maybe you are in the process of getting it back.
All I know is that if you aren’t waking up feeling like this about yourself, you are really missing out.
Amelia says Good Morning.”
Isn’t that…well, AWESOME?! Hope you woke up full of awesome this morning, and please go check out pigtail pals “- Redefine Girly wants to change the way people think about girls. A product line and advocacy group created by a mom who wants better for our daughters. Girls are smart, daring, & adventurous!” Hear hear!
Love
Donna.x
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What One Person Can Do: The Penguin Lady
September 16, 2011 by Donnaonthebeach
Filed under Blog posts, video
In case you, like Dyan deNapolis, have ever wondered “what difference can one person make?”…
Love
Donna.x
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Call On Your Inner Actor
September 13, 2011 by Donnaonthebeach
Filed under Blog posts
Last night I went to see Macbeth at the Royal Shakespeare theatre in Stratford. As ever, the actors are incredibly convincing – you can feel their joy, their pain, and their madness. This morning I woke up a little tired, and as so often when tired, I fell into the well worn groove of the character in me that is impatient, wants life to happen faster, better, bigger, sooner, NOW! I play this character well because of how often I have played that part. And then it struck me. Just as the Shakespearian actor can ‘get into character’, so can we.
What characters do you easily slip into when you are tired and depleted? It could be the irritable mom, the thunder-faced boss, the negative pessimistic person, the victim (the whole world is conspiring against you), the whiner (‘it’s a bloody shame for me!’), the short-tempered person or many more. Are they characters you enjoy being? Are they characters who are helping you live with purpose, passion and joy? Are they characters who will take you all the way to fabulous? Or are they characters who are no fun to play, or to be around, and no help to your wonderful life at all?
Call on your inner actor, the thespian lurking within you and get into a different character – a feel good character, an optimisic, positive, encouraging, vibrant, joyful, fun, easy-going, relaxed, laid-back, supportive character who dances her way through life with a big smile and a cheeky wink! Instead of channeling your inner Lady Macbeth, channel your inner Tigger!
Leave me a comment to let me know what character you don’t want to play and which one you will step into instead.
Love
Donna.x
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What Path Do I Wish to Follow?
September 10, 2011 by Donnaonthebeach
Filed under Blog posts, Featured
It’s Wishcasting Wednesday (better late than never, huh?!). There is power in wishing – putting your wishes out there sets mighty forces into action…
What Path Do I Wish To Follow?
I wish to follow the path that will contribute most to the world and allow my gifts and joyous nature to shine through. And that path is the path my soul is always calling me to…I wish to see clearly the next steps on that path so I can follow it faithfully.
Get involved on Jamie’s blog, or leave a comment here. As you wish for yourself, I wish for you also.
Love
Donna.x
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