Silly Season

How stressful has Christmas become?! Since November I have heard people everywhere saying ‘oh god, it’s nearly Christmas…are you ready? I’m not ready, I haven’t even started. Aaaaaaaargh!’ Now Christmas really is nearly hear, the stress is reaching a crescendo…just look at the joyful (not!) faces in the shops.

Magazines and newspapers are full of articles on ‘surviving’ Christmas – like it’s some kind of disastrous event! What happened to ’tis the season to be jolly’?! Don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate that Christmas can be stressful – there’s the financial strain, the consequences of getting the ‘wrong’ present, the enforced family time, the cooking, the endless parties…

However, it’s a national HOLIDAY! A time to enjoy yourself. And get pressies. This year, why not give yourself the best pressie of all and design your Christmas so you look forward to it, enjoy it and ‘survive’ with effortless ease?! I am very lucky, because my Christmas is always the same – mass, breakfast, pub, dinner, pressies, tv, sleep. Hoorah!

A few of my favourite things in one day. So, you’ve got 2 weeks (stop panicking!) – what can you do to minimise the things you hate, and maximise the things you love this year? Tip: if you join in with the December Daily Practice of Self-care, this will help immensely!

- Something to Play With -

A. What do you love about Christmas? B. What do you hate about Christmas? C. How can you make sure you get more of A and less of B in this festive season?

Love

Donna.x

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

OnTheBeach – Time to Make a Difference

I find this time of year really interesting when it comes to people’s goals/intentions/plans for their lives. Oh, it’s December, no point starting a healthy eating plan now. Oh, it’s nearly Christmas, I can’t give up smoking now. I’ll start 2012 with a resolution to drink less/save more/find a new job/date more/connect with my intuition/design my life/start a business/take up a new hobby/have some more fun.

Erm. Can I just point out that there are still 45 days in 2011?! Why wait? Why put it off until January – or maybe February because January’s miserable enough without doing something difficult…or March because February’s a short month…or even April because March is busy…and the excuses go on until another year has passed, it’s next November and you’re thinking ‘hey, no point starting now, I’ll start 2013 with a resolution to drink less/save more/find a new job/date more/connect with my intuition/design my life/start a business/take up a new hobby/have some more fun.

You think I am exagerating? Can you think of a goal/intention/plan that you’ve been meaning to get into for YEARS? That’s now getting put off AGAIN until next year? Thought so. I actually find that this is a GREAT time of year to take some real action on my goals. One year I packed my job in at the end of November, the year before I gave up smoking on the 11th December, the previous year I paid off my debts in December. And the wonderful thing about it is that you can start the New Year with a spring in your step, already proud that you’ve made a start. And let’s face it, if you can make progress to make your life FABULOUS around Christmas, with all its distractions and busy-ness, you can do it ANYTIME!

I know what you’re thinking…I’m trying to ruin the festive season for you by making you go on a diet of water and celery or work yourself into the ground and miss out on Christmas parties. No. Your action does not have to be something massive and time-consuming to be impactful. For example, I am on a weight-loss programme, and my goal for December is to lose 2 pounds despite Christmas – if I do this, I will be at my goal weight at the beginning of January! And it should be relatively easy – I shall still eat, drink and be merry, but I will also have ‘good days’ and keep up the exercise (so I’ll probably keep up the daily practice of dancing which will not exactly be a hardship!)

The trick is to make your action EASY – just make progress on your most important goals and desires. Imagine if you took just a small step towards what you want EVERY DAY until the end of the year. How much progress do you think you could make? How would it feel to start next year knowing that you are already well on the way to achieving one of your dreams? Imagine if you worked on the novel you’ve always write for half an hour every day, by the end of the year, you’d have done 22 and a half hours of writing. A lot of progress can be made in ‘just’ 45 days of action…so how are you going to end the year? With a whimper? Or with time to make a difference to your life?

And if you want help to end the year with a flourish, see this week’s special offer!

- Something to Play With -

Use this exercise to help you end the year on a high note of action and achievement:
- Pick the one goal/intention/plan that will make the most difference to your life.
- What can you do every day to make progress on this goal?
- Tell someone what you’re planning to do – if you’re feeling really brave, e-mail me, I’ll put your action plan in next week’s newsletter and we’ll all encourage you!
- DO IT – make a difference to 2012.
Want to share your thoughts on this article? Please leave a comment below.

- Beach Card of the week -

“Connection to the source – keep your connection to the creative energy of all there is, and use it as rocket fuel! You know you’re connected when you feel joyous, giggly-happy, full of vibrant energy and life – what makes you feel this way? And make sure you do it often to get your connection to the source energy flowing.” For a daily ‘beach card’, join us on Facebook.

Love

Donna.x

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

7 Weeks To Christmas!

I’m sorry, I mentioned the C word…but it really is only 7 weeks away…how did that happen? I am normally one of these people who ignores the fact that Christmas is coming until about the 11th December (just after my birthday!), but this year I have been a little bit more organised and started getting pressies as early as September.

And I have been super organised in coming up with some fabulous special offers to lead us up to Christmas too. I’m calling it ‘the 6 weeks of Christmas’ and it starts next Monday. This is your early warning – starting on Monday 14th December there will be a special offer every week up to Christmas (and here’s a top tip – the biggest savings are in the first two weeks!). So if you have been considering getting help to move your dreams into reality and live with purpose, passion and joy…this could be a really great time to go for it and finish off this year with a flourish!

Love

Donna.x

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Christmas Cake Recipe

You’ll need the following:

1 cup of water
1 cup of sugar
4 large brown eggs
2 cups of dried fruit
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of brown sugar
Lemon juice
Nuts
1 bottle of whisky

Sample the whisky to check for quality. Take a large bowl. Check the whisky again. To be sure it’s the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer, beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar and beat again. Make sure the whisky is still OK.

Cry another tup. Tune up the mixerer. Beat two leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit. Mix on the turner. If the fired druit gets stuck in the beaterers, pry it goose with a drewscriver. Sample the whisky to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something. Who cares?

Check the whisky. Now sift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Spoon the sugar or something. Whatever you can find. Grease the oven. Turn the cake tin to 350 degrees. Don’t forget to beat off the turner. Throw the bowl out of the window. Check the whisky again and go to bed.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Give Yourself a Christmas Gift

Last year I had a brilliant idea to ask a client to write a list of all the things they have done this year to be proud of, all the fun moments they’ve had, all the moments of joy they can remember, their highlights of the year. Then seal this list in an envelope and open it on christmas day. I did it myself too, and it turned out to be one of my favourite presents!

What a lovely present to yourself, to remind yourself of just how wonderful life is, and has been all year, and how great you are! (Instead of how much you suck and all the rubbish things that happened this year!) So, this weekend, if you’ve got a few minutes to spare, dash off a list of joyful moments, things you’re proud of and have achieved, and give yourself a Christmas gift you will love on Christmas morning!

Love

Donna.x
PS i suggest 100 things, but 20 will work too! Go…do, I’m off to do mine…

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

A Letter to Father Christmas

When was the last time you wrote a letter to Father Christmas? 10, 20, 30, too many years! I know that when we’re about 8 we discover that Father Christmas isn’t real…and then the magic gradually seeps out of Christmas. Reconnect with the magic of the season and join the kids in sending a letter to Father Christmas.

And just think,WHAT IF all the grown-ups were wrong, and there really is a Santa?! Dear Father Christmas…

Love

Donna.x

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Put Yourself First For Christmas

The silly season is upon us. Everywhere I look I see stressed out people with too much on their minds. Shopping, money, parties, work, and trying to fit in a life amid the business of having a perfect Christmas. But the funny thing is that if you stop and think about it, the best Christmases aren’t about the pressies, the decs, the perfect meal, cramming in as many parties and mince pies as possible.

The best Christmases are about having a laugh, enjoying yourself, having the time to spend with the people who matter to you, and the energy to enjoy their company. And that last one is the key – if you wear yourself out in the run up to Christmas, you will miss out…and your friends and family will miss out on you. (which, believe it or not, would be worse than a forgotten mince pie, tinsel decoration or present)

Think for a moment about taking care of yourself for Christmas – you can say no to things you don’t have time or energy for, you can leave the decorations at ‘well enough’ instead of perfect, and you can enjoy the festive season…if you put at the top of your Christmas to do list “Put myself first.” It might sound ‘selfish’, but personally think it’s more selfish if you run around like a headless chicken, ignoring those around you and falling ill so they have to look after you on Christmas Day!

Trust me, your friends and family will love it if you are full of festive fun. They’d much rather see that than see you stressed out and sick!

Love

Donna.x

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

MERRY CHRISTMAS one and all!

I hope you are having a lovely day, that you got everything you asked Santa for, that you are having lots of fun, love and laughter. Remember today to appreciate all that you have – all of the presents, all of the love, all of the quality television (Doctor Who and Strictly Come Dancing – GET IN!) Gratitude is one of the most beautiful things, and the more you can appreciate what’s already in your life, the more you will enjoy all that you have.

Wishing you all the joy you can stand!

Love

Donna.x

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

OnTheBeach – Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

“Let your heart be light. From now on, our troubles will be out of sight.” So sang Judy Garland in 1944. 64 years later, can you imagine a Merry Little Christmas? Can you imagine your troubles being miles away? Or is Christmas going to be just another stressor on a long list of stressors? Many people I have spoken to in the last few days are at breaking point –enormously stressed out. The cold weather, the economy, the money worries, having so much to do and so little time has brought many of us to the point of screaming.

I must admit that losing a friend, losing a car, and trying to pack in 5 weeks work into 3 while Christmas shopping, car shopping and so on has made me slightly fraught too. My shoulders are up around my ears, I am even more short tempered than usual, and I’m not sleeping (which regular readers will know is a recipe for disaster). Thinking back on Christmas’s past, this stress usually lasts until Christmas Eve, at the point when I can do no more…and when the old movies come on the telly.

White Christmas, It’s a Wonderful Life, Meet me in St Louis. Sigh. Even thinking about them makes my entire body sigh into a sofa-ready position. I love a feel-good film, it helps me to relax and enjoy my Christmas. I love the cheesiness of Christmas films, the light-heartedness that comes out of the telly and into me. I love that sense that Christmas is a little break for everyone. I love the hush that comes over the world on Christmas night, when everywhere is closed and most of us leave the freneticism of our normal lives behind just for a few hours.

Often that break is so desperately needed that we only let the relaxation in unconsciously. This year, why not decide to let your heart be light, and just for a few days, let your troubles go. You can pick them back up again in 2009 – it’s only a few days away now. We’ve all been waiting so long for Christmas (in the UK it’s been building up since August – insanely), why not decide right now to make damn sure you enjoy it as much as possible.

Once the decision is made to let go and enjoy your Christmas, make sure you back up your decision. Take a deep breath and say to yourself “I am going to have a Merry Little Christmas, my heart will be light and my troubles will be out of sight…and out of mind!” If your troubles come back to mind, tell them you will look at them again in the New Year, and that they should have a Merry Little Christmas too. You never know, you might even get used to having a light heart and decide to keep it into 2009.

Something to play with
If you were going to have a Merry Little Christmas, what would need to change this week? What can you do to ensure that your Christmas is Merry and your heart is light? Go, do it.

Want to share your thoughts on this article? Leave me a comment below.

A note from Donna
Wishing each and every one of you a Very Merry Christmas, and all the luck, love and laughter you deserve in 2009! Thank you for being with me in 2008, and I look forward to continuing to entertain, inspire and provoke thought for you in 2009. This is the last OnTheBeach for this year, but do check into my blog if you get a chance over the festive period – there you will find little festive snippets, ideas on seeing out the old year and welcoming in a faaabulous New Year. See you next year!

Can I help you to make your life even more amazing in 2009? I have a very special festive offering for you, 20% off all coaching packages – to get more details, or to apply, go to Festive Offers. If the idea of getting some coaching appeals, don’t wait, places will be limited and the offer will expire in the New Year.

To receive the OnTheBeach newsletters directly into your inbox every week, go to the sign up page.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.