Flowers and a Book

I am so grateful for the amazing family and friends that I have been blessed with.

Firstly, Steve, my husband, my love bug, my best friend and soul mate. This morning I woke feeling bloated, crampy and generally blah. So after taking the kids to school, he makes he breakfast and tells me to go back to bed. A few hours later, I get a knock on the door - he has sent me some gorgeous flowers and a note making me feel extra special.

That event in itself is enough to make my day. Yet the passage from the book I was reading at the time was talking about flowers. (One of those Synchrodestiny moments!!)

It goes like this:
We are all Flowers. What makes life so interesting is our variety. Think about your favorite flower and why it is your favorite. When you have finished listing its qualities, you will find you are talking about yourself.
I believe it is through nature that we come to see our beauty and finer qualities. Spending time in nature also helps us to find the answers to some of life's difficulties.
Once when I was wondering how to continue helping people without traveling, since I was tired of leaving home, I asked nature what to do. A flower showed me the answer. It told me, "I do not leave the place of my origin. I spread my seeds and let others help by carrying them to distant places."
So through this book, my words, an email, or a lecture, I am planting seeds of healing. Now I assign you to become like your favorite flower and spread your seeds of hope, faith and love.
(365 Prescriptions for the Soul, Dr Bernie S Siegel, p79)

I was then checking through my emails and had received one from a very dear and respected friend. I have created another blog (Leadership, Love and Life) with the intent on getting a positive and inspirational message out there to those that are looking for it and could use some positive messages in their lives. Anyway I asked some friends for feedback, knowing that they would give it to me straight.

Bottom line is that Lea, the friend I first heard back from asked me why is it only available on the net. Why haven't I shared my obvious talents and gifts with the world? She was actually a tad blunter than that but that was the gist of the note!! (Thanks Lea :) Love You!!)

So I decided that I am going to use the images I love taking, the quotes I have collected and add some of the wisdom I have gleamed through attending seminars, reading books and living my life and compile it into a book.

The thought of doing it both scares and excites me. I know that I will have to take a huge leap out of my comfort zone to achieve this, though the growth that I will gain will be more than worth it.

Flowers and a Book

Benefits of Books

"Want to be interesting? Read.
Want to know the best thoughts of the greatest people? Read.
Want to know the greatest events in the countries of the world? Read
And with all your reading follow the advice of the wise Abbe Diment who said
We mustn't be content with reading good books, life is too short;
We must read only the best."

Marba C Josephson

Benefits of Books

Well it's like this...

I managed to get here by experiencing a number of failures. But like Edison and his lightbulb, I looked at them as learning experiences. I am grateful for all the mistakes and challenges as they made me grow

Well it's like this...

WOW!! What a Week

Last week I had the utmost privilege of being invited for the first to be a Senior Leader at Tony Robbins' Date with Destiny seminar. It was an awesome experience that I will never forget. I have done the program as a participant and got a lot out of it. As a leader it was a whole different experience as I focused on others rather than myself. We had nearly 70 people in our Team, and seeing them transform their lives, to be part of their metamorphose from individuals who were looking for direction, hope or that missing something to beautiful shining stars who had found their true selves that had been hiding behind masks or suffering under a heap of pain. To be in the presence of that much trust and love is something really special and I was able to learn so much about that myself.

I made a number of distinctions and decisions during the week including:

* When you put your judgment aside and look instead at a situation with love, the answers just arrive with so much clarity.

* When you have belief in yourself, the star qualities that others can see are able to really shine.

*You only grow when you step out of your comfort zone

* There comes a time when I have to stop trying to learn everything before I start using it.

* That everything I need is within ME now

* To accept a compliment allows someone else to give the gift of appreciation and should not be belittled.

*When I am passionate about something, speaking to a group is easy and actually a pleasure to share

*When done with the right intent, you can correct someone to help them grow. To minimise their faults will not allow them to grow

* If you don't like an aspect of your life, don't blame anyone (including yourself) just take responsibility for it and make moves to change it.

* Forgiveness is a gift that is liberating and makes you free

* Sometimes you have to challenge others to get them to step up and be their best

* It is an act of selfishness not to share your gifts with the world

WOW!! What a Week

Blossoms

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy;

They are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom

Over the weekend, thanks to some much needed rain, I was able to tick off one of the "must take" images - roses with raindrops. These gorgeous blooms are the work of my in-laws and just happen to be in one of my favourite colours.

Blossoms

First rule of relationships: Trust

Trust
Without this everything else is just too hard

First rule of relationships: Trust

Must Do List

Have decided to create a MUST DO List - Things or experiences that I want to have done while I'm part of this world. Some have already been ticked off, but would do again if the opportunity arose.

- Go dog sledding
- Helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon
- Abseil
- Walk Overlander Trail in Tasmania
- Climb the Eiffel Tower
- Swim in the Medditarean
- Visit every continent
- Drive across Australia
- Stand on the Great Wall of China
- Sponsor a Guide Dog
- Grow a fruit tree from scratch
- Take Salsa dancing lessons
- Sleep in a European castle
- Drive a sports car in the French Riveria
- Publish a coffee table book of my photography and quotes
- Complete a marathon
- Enter a sand sculpting contest
- See gorillas in the world
- Have a second wedding to Steve on a Fijian beach
- Teach English overseas
- Visit the Machu Picchu ruins
- Attend a Venetian masked ball
- Take my kids to Disneyland
- Swim with wild dolphins
- Bake a sponge cake from scratch
- Play tennis at Wimbleton
- Go to soccer World Cup
- Parasail
- Climb a coconut tree
- Swim under a waterfall
- Write a thank you note to special teachers
- Live in house overlooking water
- Own a rocking chair
- Go on a cycle tour for at least a week
- Cable cars in San Francisco
- Swim in every ocean
- Sell art in 20 countries
- Toboggan down sand dunes
- Organise youth leadership camp
- Attend International Youth Leadership Summit
- African safari
- Paint a mural
- Go to the Olympics
- Have a lily pad pond
- Cuddle a tiger
- Create a teddy bear
- Visit Santa in Lapland
- Stand in Time Square
- Jet boat
- Zorbing
- Drive a paddle steamer up the Murray River
- Play soccer with elephants in Thialand
- Hand feed a baby chimp
- Take a cooking class in Tuscany
- Be in the presence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
- Go on a wellness retreat
- Establish a photography studio

This is an ongoing list and I will hopefully be crossing some off in the coming months as well as adding new ones. I'll keep you updated.

Must Do List

The Gift of Friendship

This is my best childhood friend, Donna. We met in Third class and have remained friends through thick and thin. I have just returned home from spending three days together. It seems like everything and nothing has changed. We have grown up and both have wonderful husbands and children, we have our our homes and responsibilities. Yet we still can confide our dreams and secrets without judgment. There was much laughter and tears. Even though we don't see each other enough, it seemed as if it was just yesterday we were together. I am so grateful for her friendship, her support and her love. Donna has always shared her family and her home with me as children and teenagers, and now as adults.





Unsurprisingly, our two daughters were extremely similar and after a brief period where they were sussing each other out, they were insepararable and for two very strong willed, spirited little girls (much like their mothers) there was next to no disputes. They laughed and played, their imagination soared and limits were tested.It was endearing and was like turning back time to see them together. I can only pray that they find a friendship that is as strong and enduring as mine has been with Donna, as it is the true meaning of friendship that all other friendships are measured from. Even though I know that all my friends are all so different and I love them all, often because of these differences, but there is nothing like your first best friend, especially when it survives 30 years and beyond.

Our Beautiful Girls

The Gift of Friendship

Old Friends

Tomorrow I am going away for a few days with my daughter, and will be catching up with one of my dearest friends. We first met in Year 3 in primary school and supported each other and celebrated numerous adventures growing up. First loves to first children, Donna has been in my life through it all. Her family treated me like one of their own in times when I truly needed acceptance, love and friends. Something I have always treasured and will be eternally grateful for. It is hard to believe that 30 years has passed. I am very excited about having a few days to catch up, remember good times and create new memories. We now live in different states and time together the last little while has been preciously few. I know however that regardless of how often or rarely we see each other, I am still part of her life and we will be friends no matter what. I love her for her lack of judgment and total acceptance and support of all that I do - even if others think I'm being rash and foolish, plus there is no "I told you so's" I know that I can be myself with no pretense - I can't get away with anything less as she knows me too well. Now our own daughters get a chance to become friends and considering how alike they are, even though they have never yet met, this next few days could be the start of a lifetime friendship for them. While we have grown up, and gone in separate directions with our lives, our hearts are still joined. I could only wish that everyone experience this type of true friendship at least once in their lives, as it is absolutely something to cherish. There have been times when we go too long without chatting, sometimes because life gets too routine, other times because there is stuff going on for which the telephone or internet is not sufficient. Would be nice to plan for regular get togethers. We will both be 40 before we know it and I would like to plan for a girls weekend (or week away) somewhere special, or maybe a family weekend and the rest of the time for friends. Something to look back on with fondness when we are sharing a verandah and rocking chairs.

Image by Art4Inspiration

Old Friends