OnTheBeach – A Few of My Favourite Things

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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September Practice: Feeling Good!

I heard from a friend this weekend who said she was feeling great…because she had spent 2 weeks making ‘feeling good’ her main priority. She made a real effort to make sure she was in a ‘giggly happy’ mood as much as she possibly could. I immediately decided that this was a brilliant idea and adopted it as my daily practice for September – FEELING GOOD! Do you fancy joining me?

What to do: commit to yourself that you will make it a priority to ‘feel good’ this month. For example, every day you can ask yourself: What would make this day/task more fun? What would I love to do today? What would make me feel good/better right now? Look around for something that will make you feel great. Do things you enjoy doing. Laugh a lot. Have some fun…just for one month (less than that as it’s already the 5th) make feeling good your main priority! Join me for a daily check in on facebook.

Here’s the theme tune for this month’s practice:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmwRQqJsegw

Love

Donna.x

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It Doesn’t Matter

OH MY GOD! I’m not feeling 100%…it doesn’t matter.
I didn’t do all the housework today…it doesn’t matter.
I didn’t do everything I wanted to do workwise today…it doesn’t matter.
I didn’t go to the gym today…it doesn’t matter.
I haven’t taken over the world today…it doesn’t matter.

Why doesn’t it matter? Because none of this is life shattering! It is only my expectations that I ‘should’ have perfect health all the time (insane!), have a sparkling house (never gonna happen!), finish every work ‘thing’ I ever thought of (yeah, right! I would need about 200 years to take action on every idea I have), go to the gym every day (unrealistic…and I don’t want to do that), take over the world (like I’d want that responsibility?!). So what does matter?

Only that you feel good. Life is here to enjoy – most of the stuff we get stressed about DOESN’T MATTER! Feeling good, now that’s important! So forget the rest of your to do list today and put right at the top ‘Enjoy life’.

Love

Donna.x

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Do Something Amazing

Well, I am feeling quite sad and disappointed today. I found out that while I am under the care of my neurologist, I can’t give blood. If you don’t donate blood, you might believe that is a good thing – but if you do donate, you will understand why I’m upset. I have to admit, before I started donating, I didn’t understand why anyone would want to. Needles? Uck. Blood? Ick. Biscuits as a ‘reward’? You’re kidding me! But once I’d been just a few times I got it. You are spending half an hour of your time (the taking blood bit takes less than 10 minutes) to potentially save a life. I started donating because a colleague’s son had a motorbike accident where he lost a leg…and he needed lots of blood to keep him alive. So she talked me into going.

I’ve now given 17 times. I intended to give 100 times (I only needed another 20 years or so to do it! Lol). But I have been cut short in my prime. Although, you know me – I haven’t given up. My diagnosis may change, the rules may change, I may move to a place with less strict rules! And if I can, I’ll give again. For now, I am reduced to badgering other people to give! So why should you give blood? Because the life you save could be your child’s, your spouse, your best friend, your parent, your sibling. Donating your blood could save a life. That’s it. That’s the reason. And it’s so easy. So please, if you can give, do it. In the UK, go to www.blood.co.uk to find your local donation session. In the US, I believe it’s the Red Cross. And if you’re like me and you can’t give, please spread this message and ask your friends and family to give. The life THEY save could be yours.

- Do Something Amazing -

Ok, giving blood might not be for you (although I hope you will try it before deciding it’s not for you!), but there is another point to be made here – giving feels amazing! Everyone I know who gives or has given blood regularly wouldn’t think of missing a session unless they had to. Everyone I know who has ever volunteered got as much out of it as the people they were helping. If not more. Jack Canfield tells the story of a client who called him in despair, not able to see a way forward. Jack asked him if there was anything he could think of that he could do for someone else, and stayed on the line while his client went off and did his good deed. When he came back, the dark cloud was lifted.

Sometimes life gets on top of us so much that we forget how to give – our time, our money, our love, our friendship, our expertise. We are too busy moving from day to day, getting what we can from others and from life itself. And we forget to serve, to make the world a better place just by being in it. The irony of this is that when you are able to help someone else, you are helped too. When you give with a generous and open heart, it comes back to you. And it just plain feels good to give! The biscuit you are rewarded with in the UK for giving blood is not your reward for doing so – it’s actually just to get your blood sugar level back up – your reward is that you’ve done something amazing.

Now there is a huge difference between doing something amazing, and being a martyr! Note that I said “when you give with a generous and open heart it comes back to you”. Not when you give from a place of ‘having to’, feeling like you ‘should’ or out of obligation. Giving with a generous and open heart (or vein!) is wonderful. Giving to gain is not. Being taken from is not. Giving because you want to do something good (and therefore feel good) and giving from a place of service is one of my favourite things! Yes, I know that pretty much everything I enjoy is my favourite thing. Lol.

That is why I am so upset to have been stopped from giving blood. I don’t get to save lives that often! And now the one way I did (maybe) is (hopefully temporarily) closed. But of course there are other ways I can serve – giving away content on my website, facebook, twitter is one way I can serve. Helping people who need help is another. Badgering friends, family and everyone I’m connected to on Facebook to give blood is another! And perhaps encouraging you to look around and see what you can give with an open and generous heart is another?

- Something to Play With -

What can you give? Who can you help today? It could be a charity, a friend, a neighbour, a total stranger who needs blood (sorry, I’m relentless!), you could give time, money, expertise, friendship, mentoring, laughter. Remember to give with an open heart and notice how much fun it is to give (don’t be attached to a ‘thank you’ though – get the good feeling from doing the good deed, not being acknowledged for it. Acknowledgement is nice but it’s not the point). Please let me know what you do, especially if you decide to give blood – it will make me feel lots better! Leave me a comment here or pop over to the facebook page and leave a comment there.

Love

Donna.x

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Feeling Good as the Mark of Life

If feeling good is the only mark of life, what would you do now? Right now. Your only measurement of success is how you feel, so what would you do right now to feel good? Enjoy!

Love

Donna.x
With many thanks to Dr Alexandra Gayek of Science of Being Well for this GREAT question

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Nothing is More Important Than That You Feel Good

When you are physically fit, mentally clear, emotionally stable, connected to your source and guidance, EVERYONE around you benefits. There is nothing more important. If you havent got it already, download my FREE ebook to help you give yourself the care you deserve. (You’ll find it to the right of this post)

Love

Donna.x

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Video: Who Is Your Best Self?

When you are being completely fabulous, feeling good, on top form, who are you being? What qualities does your best self have? What does it mean to you to be your best self? Are you being that person? Could you be that person more? Find a way this week to exercise an aspect of your best self, and let me know how it goes!

Check out my youtube channel for more videos. Happy weekend!

Love

Donna.x

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Your Friday Mission…

…Should you choose to accept it:

Each day of this weekend, remove one thing from your life that brings you down and add one thing that brings you up.

It’s the simplest of missions – and actually, what a joyful, happy life would be all about if we paid attention. Instead we are so busy with our careers, amassing piles of cash, trying to keep up with all our friends and family in an already busy life, filling every spare hour with stuff to do. And we stop being aware of one simple question: Does this make me feel better or worse? Does this feel good when I do it, see it, spend time with it? Does this enhance my life?

Now, you may look around your life and think that ALL of it has to be thrown out – the job, the home, the relationship, the friendships…but let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater here. Start with small things. Is there a piece of clutter that has been bugging you for a while? Is there a tv programme that always depresses you when you watch it? Is there a food you eat that you no longer like? Get rid of that small thing.

Now add one small thing – maybe you like to look at the stars, or watch the sunset. Do it today (cloud cover permitting!). Maybe you haven’t had a soak in the bath for months – do it today. Maybe you love burning essential oils, or listening to a certain type of music, or you have been saving the silk undies for ‘a special occasion’. Today bring something into your life that makes you feel good.

You may want to carry on past this weekend – every day just dropping one item, idea, habit, process, even person that no longer serves you; and picking up just one item, idea, habit, process, even person that makes you feel good. If you did this for a couple of months, just imagine how good life could be?

Let me know how you get on. Joy be with you.

Love

Donna.x

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Feeling Good

If you knew that nothing was more important than that you felt good, what would change today in your life? Can you make that change, because nothing is more important than that you feel good. This isn’t selfishness – imagine the impact on your husband, children, colleagues and friends if you are feeling good, full of life and fun. They’re going to love it!

Love

Donna.x

PS Only 2 more days to take advantage of the *FESTIVE* special offer – get in touch before Friday if you want to get coached at 20% OFF my normal fees!

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OnTheBeach – Start As You Mean To Go On

Start As You Mean to Go On

I woke up this year optimistic, feeling that life is brimming with possibilities, looking forward to the future and bubbling with ideas. I am looking forward to 2009. Louise Hay (see this month’s recommendation) says that we should make the decision every year that THIS year will be the best year of our lives. And for the last 10 years, I have been working up to that decision. Before that, I would look at the year gone by and weakly hope that this next year would somehow magically improve.

Bizarrely enough, until I actually started to make some changes and make decisions about what I wanted from life, life didn’t magically change. It took a decision that I wouldn’t live that way any more, that I would ‘do something’ to make life different. So I threw out the old ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ and started to plan my life, set intentions for my life, let myself dream about how life could be.

I’ve often had to work at feeling optimistic as I’d spent at least 15 years turning myself into a dyed in the wool pessimist, but this year the optimism bubbled through with the dawning of a New Year. I had started how I fully intend to continue the year. Did your year start as you would like it to continue? Or do you want to make a decision now to make this the best year of your life so far, and take action today to start as you mean to go on in 2009?

On New Year’s Day, I put a poem on the blog – I Promise Myself by Christian D Larsen – go and read it if you haven’t already. Copy and paste the text, print it out and put it up on your wall. I have. It says everything about how I want to spend this year. For today, I will just pull out the one line “To look at the sunny side of everything and make my optimism come true.” As my optimism was there waiting for me on the 1^st, I think I owe it to do my best to make it come true.

You may not be feeling the joys of a New Year, after all it’s cold, it’s dark (in my hemisphere anyway), you may be broke after Christmas. But you do have a whole New Year stretching out ahead of you, where you can either weakly hope that someone will wave a magic wand over your life, or you can grab hold of that wand and cast a spell over your own life. Start 2009 as you mean to continue it – and I wish you all the love, luck and laughter you deserve this year.

Something to play with

Every moment is a chance to begin something new – if you were to start this year as you mean to go on, what will you do today to make your life amazing?

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

A note from Donna

I hope you guys had a lovely holiday, and are feeling refreshed and ready for a New Year. I have, of course, had far too much to eat, watched far too much TV and although my brain is raring to go, my body is still in hibernation mode. Maybe I’ll fool it this time next year with a trip to Sydney for the New Year fireworks? Anyway, I wish you all the joy you can pack into this year, and I’m looking forward to hearing what you’re up to in the coming months and sharing what I am up to.

One thing I have decided is that the Christmas 20% off offer will continue until the end of this week, so if you have been thinking about getting coaching with me, now’s the time! Go to http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/index.php/2008/12/18/festive-coaching-offer/ for more details.

And lastly, you can now follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/donnaonthebeach – I am trying to get my head around tweeting, so fellow Tweeters come and find me and show me round. Thanks a million!

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