Celebrate 2011

Are you feeling festive yet? I am finding myself getting less and less inclined to do any work…which is a problem, because I’ve got a lot of exciting stuff happening in 2012…and I’ve got a LOT of work to do to get it all ready! So, I’m trying to honour my self-care, get into the festive spirit and still get a lot done, without putting any pressure on myself. Because pressure ain’t gonna help…and ultimately everything will get done somehow. I hope.

For one of the new projects I am launching in the New Year, I need your help. I will be doing a video series to help you move your dreams into reality, and what I want to know is: What question would you like me answer about moving your dreams into reality? Do you struggle getting clear about what you want? Have you hit an obstacle that is stopping you? Are you not sure what to do to make it happen? What would really help you to move your dream into reality? Please e-mail me now and I will answer your question in the New Year. Thank you!

- Celebrate 2011 -

If I were to ask you what you have accomplished in 2011, what would you say? Would you proudly list all your achievements, large and small? Would you need to think for a moment, then give a few big things that you have accomplished. Or would you instantly say ‘nothing’? Many people will say ‘nothing’. They think they have achieved ‘nothing’ all year. Now firstly, this is impossible. You cannot get through an entire year without accomplishing something. Ok, you may not have become CEO or President or earned your first billion or become a best-selling author or taken over from Simon Cowell on the X Factor. But there are many achievements that you have probably breezed past.

Most people do this, they save their celebrations for ‘big’ occasions and achievements only (if at all) and miss out on the opportunity for daily celebration. Last year I was coached by Sandy Grason and celebration is a big part of her coaching program – and I loved it so much, I make it a big part of my coaching program now too. I am consistently amazed at how difficult people find it to celebrate themselves and their achievements. We are so stingy with our praise of ourselves. With our friends and family, we will be able to see all the things that we could raise a glass to them for – their courage, their dedication, that they have worked hard, because they are a great friend/parent, but ourselves, well somehow we’re ‘not good enough’ and don’t deserive to be celebrated.

We’re just not used to celebrating our lives, our small achievements, sometimes even our big achievements. Earlier this year one of my clients reached a major goal. When I asked what they’d be doing to celebrate, they answered in all seriousness “Working toward the next goal”. Hmm. Well, there is always another mountain to climb, another goal to reach for, another problem to sort out. And the bad news? There always will be! Life will never be ‘perfect’ because we will always want ‘more’ – there will be something new and shiny to reach for because that’s what we do, that’s life. The good news is that this means you might as well celebrate every small (and big) achievement – then you get to celebrate a lot, have a lot of fun and enjoy each of your accomplishments.

As the year draws to a close, look back over the past year and look at what you have achieved – small stuff as well as ‘big’ stuff. Maybe you completed a big project at work, maybe you made a new friend, wrote a blog, paid off a debt, did a course, learnt a new skill, treated yourself to something you’ve always wanted to do (yes, you get to celebrate treating yourself too – it’s a double whammy!), helped a friend, overcame a difficulty, made progress on a goal…there are hundreds of ‘small’ achievements that just go by completely unremarked upon, and dozens of ‘big’ achievements that we mean to celebrate, but forget because the next task/goal/stage is calling. So take the time to celebrate your life. And if you really cannot think of anything you ‘achieved’ this year, then just celebrate another year of being you – beautiful, unique, fabulous, wonderful YOU. Well worth a celebration!

- Something to Play With -

What are you going to do to celebrate 2011 before the end of the year? what are you going to celebrate yourself for? Want to share your thoughts on this article? Leave me a comment below.

Love

Donna.x

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Stop Looking At What You Ain’t Got

I had a vague thought in the back of my mind to write something about thankfulness and gratitude today, as it’s Thanksgiving in the States. Even though we don’t have that celebration here, I feel like I do…because I read lots of newsletters and blogs from folks in the states! So I’m absorbing Thanksgiving by osmosis. I also think it’s a cool idea for a day – “eat loads of food and say thank you for stuff” as one of my American friends describes it. Sounds like my kind of day!

Anyway, on the radio today T.I featuring Rhianna “Live your Life” has been playing, which starts “Stop looking at what you ain’t got and start being thankful for what you do got.” Which gives me the perfect message really doesn’t it? Especially in tough times, it’s a really great practice to stop complaining about what we don’t have, and be thankful for what we do have. It reminds me of a Lenny Henry sketch in which he talks about a tribe who greet one another with ‘how are you? And your wife and family? And your goat?’ – and that’s it because that’s all they have.

Imagine if someone were to greet you with ‘How are you? And your husband and family? And your car? And your wardrobe full of clothes? And your 25 pairs of shoes? And your widescreen television? And your electric power shower? And your tinted moisturiser? And your laptop? And your 200 CD’s? And your fridge with it’s own ice-maker? And your 43 saucepans? And…’ You’d be there for HOURS! Days, even.

So for today, even if you’re not in a place that celebrates Thanksgiving, give thanks anyway for all that you have – not just the material possessions, but the love and friendship and joy that surrounds you. And I want to thank you for reading, and for giving me an audience to play to!

Love

Donna.x

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OnTheBeach – Celebrate Good Times

How much do you celebrate your life? Do you wait for birthdays, weddings and christenings to come around or do you celebrate more often? Do you celebrate when you reach a milestone, like paying off a debt? Do you celebrate the little things in life, the everyday joys and achievements? Most of you, sadly, do not celebrate on a daily basis.

Most people don’t, they save their celebrations for ‘big’ occasions only and miss out on the opportunity for daily celebration. Last year I was coached by Sandy Grason and celebration is a big part of her coaching program – and I loved it so much, I make it a big part of my coaching program now too. And it never ceases to amaze me that it is something that most of my clients find ‘difficult’ to remember.

We’re just not used to celebrating our lives, our small achievements, sometimes even our big achievements. One of my clients recently reached a major goal. When I asked what they’d be doing to celebrate, they answered in all seriousness “Working toward the next goal”. Hmm. Well, there is always another mountain to climb, another goal to reach for, another problem to sort out.

And the bad news? There always will be! Life will never be ‘perfect’ because the purpose of life is to grow…and why grow if life is perfect? There will always be something new and shiny to reach for because that’s what we do, that’s life. The good news is that this means you might as well celebrate every small (and big) achievement – then you get to celebrate a lot, have a lot of fun and enjoy each of your accomplishments.

Whether it is completing a blog post, paying off a debt, getting a promotion, finishing the housework, doing the exercise you said you’d do, celebrate everything. Find reasons to celebrate you. Frankly, I think you could celebrate you just for your smile, or your loving heart, or your unique wonderful-ness, but I’m guessing most of you won’t. So find something to celebrate this week – maybe something you’ve done this year and never did celebrate – and big or small, celebrate.

The reason this was on my mind today is that I paid off my credit card debt, finally! Woohoo!!!! I am now officially debt free. All my money is my own, I don’t have to give a big chunk of it to my credit card company. Hap hap HAZAH! You can tell I’m happy, right?! Anyway, to celebrate, I am going to the theatre to see the Jungle Book in a couple of weeks. I can’t wait! I hope your celebration is as much fun. Oh, and your celebration can be a chocolate biscuit, an episode of your favourite tv program or a bubble bath and a magazine…it doesn’t have to be lavish and expensive, it just has to be a celebration.

Something to play with

Find something to celebrate this week and find a way to celebrate it. Once you’ve done one celebration, find something else to celebrate and celebrate that! And don’t forget to leave me a comment to tell me what you’re going to celebrate.

Love

Donna.x

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A Mission Statement to Love

In Amanda Alexander‘s “Inspire” newsletter today, she shared the principles underpinning the mission statement of her son’s school, and I just LOVE this!

“If something works we do more of it. If it doesn’t, we do something different

We create opportunities for “magic moments”

We celebrate today and are excited by our future

We work as a T.E.A.M to enhance change (T.E.A.M stands for Together Everyone Achieves More)”

Now this is something I could live by – do more of what works, have magic moments, celebrate today and get excited, and work with others to achieve more. Can you think how you can incorporate this in your life?

Love

Donna.x
PS Speaking of working together, thank you to those of you who have completed my survey! I really appreciate this. if you have not done so yet, you still can, but only for a couple more days…Click here to take survey

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Celebrating What’s Right With the World

DJ of inflow services shared this video with me earlier this week – on my first day back at work after the holidays, and it literally MADE my day! This is such a wonderful way to look at the world, and it’s a great reminder at the time of year when it’s cold, and dark and you’re skint and have given up everything you enjoy doing (unless you read my wednesday blog and stopped that insanity!) to celebrate life.

Now I hope you are as inspired as I was by this, and I have a challenge for you: what’s right with your world? It’s all too easy to say what we haven’t got, what’s missing, what’s wrong, but it’s much more fun and inspiring to look at what is right and celebrate it! I would love to hear about what’s right in your world if you’re inspired to share.

Lots of love

Donna.x
PS Don’t forget – 20% off ALL coaching this month only…get in touch if you want get your life ship-shape.

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