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If your thinking this is a strange question, it may be, however it has been the theme this month as I have been in Sydney attending the “Happiness and its Causes Conference”. We had the privilege of being in the presence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama as he opened the conference sharing his wisdom on love, compassion and ethics. With leading minds in psychology, science and business, exploring tools and techniques for a happier life and enhancing our human potential. Do you really want to know the secret to happiness? We are all eagerly wanting to know that magic formula - the eme

Did you know yesterday was International Day of Happiness? This day is celebrated around the world each year on March 20th for everyone to focus on their connections with others and bring more happiness to each other and the world. Many people I talk to say they would like to be happier (and what happiness looks like is different for each one of us.) But what gets in the way of our happiness is the rules we put into place to be happy. How many times have you heard yourself or a friend say "I'll be happy when... I lose weight or when I have more money, when I find a better job, or wh

As 2014 is coming to an end, it is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the past 12 months and celebrate your successes and review what you have learnt and consider what improvements you would like to make as you plan for a positive and successful 2015. It is very easy to get caught up in the busyness of life and race into the new year and just continue doing what you’ve always done; this is fine if you are feeling happy and satisfied however if you are feeling frustrated, stressed or just not sure where you are going then this is a great opportunity to stop, relax and check in where you

It seems to be that so many people are feeling pressured and under the pump and just a little stressed out…maybe it’s the build up to the “end of year rush” before the Christmas break. When we are feeling that way it’s important to ask ourselves what could we do differently that would give us a more positive and happy result. With that in mind I came across a wonderful poster that read “you will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” Its our daily habits that bring us success and happin

Have you ever wondered what it would take to make the changes in your life that would bring you more peace and happiness? For me it was on April 16th2014 - I set out on a journey that would change my life forever – I didn’t realize this until I arrived home 2 months later. I arrived in St Jean Pied de Port in France, crossed the Pyrenees and walked the 800km Camino de Santiago pilgrimage across northern Spain in 38 days. And you may ask“what is a pilgrimage” - A pilgrimage is a ritual journey with a purpose. The pilgrim knows that life giving challenges will emerge. A pilgrimage is

As I am about to embark on an adventure and a test of my own mental and physical resilience, I am feeling a mixture of great excitement and a little reluctance – a bit like pre wedding jitters – knowing its going to be an amazing event mixed in with a fear of the unknown. In preparation for the Camino it was suggested that you engage in training on 3 levels – train the body to prepare for the physical endurance, prepare mentally –to let go of the busyness of everyday life and prepare spiritually to allow the mind to be quiet and accepting as we will have at least 6 hours each da

One evening an old Cherokee Indian told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all." With a look of wisdom in his eyes the grandfather said; “I feel like wolves are fighting in my heart. One is full of anger and hatred, jealousy and resentment and the other is full of love, forgiveness, joy,  humility and peace.” The boy looked intently into his grandfather’s eyes and asked, “which one will win?” The grandfather smiled and quietly said,  “The one I feed.” This simple story highlights the powe

This is my favourite time of year as we step into a brand new year and have the opportunity to ask ourselves: • This year who do I want to be? • What do I want to do and • What do I want to create? With each New Year we can recreate ourselves, learn from our past mistakes and challenges and plan to do things differently and create a vision and goals that satisfies and excites us. Having said that, as I was reading the newspapers and articles over the Christmas and New Year period I was surprised to find myself becoming disillusioned and frustrated with the same old messages we

Having just returned from a wonderful 6 week holiday hiking through the Swiss Alps and Rocky Mountains in Canada, I was reminded how easily our stress can sneak up on us with the constant demands of our busy life, and how rewarding it is to take time out to relax and rejuvenate and recharge the batteries and do something you really love to do. For us that is getting out into the great outdoors and exploring beautiful places as we travel. It is wonderful to reward ourselves with a special holiday however what’s more important is what we do on a daily and weekly basis to ensure we sched

On to our ext adventure - we left Lake Como and took a train into Switzerland across the top of snow capped alps and through the most stunning countryside. We stayed in Guarda, a quaint village high on the side of a mountain with an energetic and fun couple, Martin & Helena. Our 3 days in Guarda we spent enjoying day hikes through the mountains. On our last day we left Guarda and hiked across beautiful green fields covered with small white flowers, high on the mountain side and walked through a tiny medieval village, Bos Cha and then headed off higher into the mountains along a " goat trac

I woke this morning to the sound of birds and the tranquility and peacefulness of Bellagio.I watched the sunrise over the snow capped mountains high above Lake Como. The lifestyle in Italy reminded me of the beauty of living in the moment and enjoying the simple yet important things in life - taking time out for family, friends, and enjoying good food and coffee. We have enjoyed living life in the slow lane, in awe of the beauty around us and living like an Italian. We have had amazing adventures hiking through the mountains, relaxing in the piazza sipping coffee and feeling very grateful to

The key to creating your personal and business success is to understand yourself and work towards personal mastery - being aware of exactly who we are reflects in every aspect of our personal life, relationships and our business life. One of my favourite quotes is: "No man is free who is not a master of himself." (Epictetus) Part of my mission in life is to always be working towards being the best I can be in all areas of my life, as well as being an inspiring role model for my family, friends and clients. This is not always easy on those days when life throws a curve ball at you, or you have

The journey begins - we are full of excitement and anticipation - the suitcase is packed with our hiking gear and walking poles and we are ready to set off for 6 weeks to discover the great outdoors of 8 countries. The highlights will be the beauty of the Swiss & Austrian Alps and onto Canada to hike around the stunning lakes and Canadian Rocky Mountains. Over the next 6 weeks I will be sharing the wisdoms from the cultures and people on our travels and some special photos. I will be starting the journey in a few days when we arrive in Lake Como, Italy...see you then...Arrivederci! Julie

I constantly hear people around me saying, “I’m just too busy”, “I don’t have time to do it all”, “there’s not enough hours in a day”. Does that sound familiar to you? To live a fulfilling, balanced life we need to be more in conscious control of our habits and lifestyle.  Effective personal management creates freedom. Having spent 15 years of the first part of my career in professional health care and nursing, I spent a good deal of time with people who were faced with a terminal illness or potentially fatal diagnosis. The common thread with these people was the realisat

It's hard to believe the first month or the year is over! I don't know about you but I had a great Christmas and holiday break and also overindulged in all the festive goodies, and along with that all my usual routines and rituals went out the window. So in January as I was getting focused and clarifying my goals for the year I noticed how sluggish I felt and my motivation was lagging a little. I knew exactly what to do to get back on track and I am now feeling energised and motivated again. Firstly I started my daily rituals - meditation, exercise, affirmations, gratitude and planning for

As we are coming to the end of 2012, one of my end of year rituals is to reflect on what were the highlights of my year, note the things I would like to improve on in the coming year and to remember what I am grateful for in my life. Our life is what we choose to make it so now that 2012 is coming to a close what are you planning to create in 2013? My end of year gift to you is to share the heartfelt wisdom of Maya Angelou that you can take into the Holiday Season...download here. Have a wonderful Christmas and may this holiday season bring you the music of laughter, the warmth of friendshi

Such a simple way to create a beautiful life. Have a beautiful day... Smiles Julie  

I had had a hectic few months of life and business and was just getting over a week of feeling terrible with a head cold. I really felt like I needed to recharge my batteries and take some time away from the day-to-day hustle and bustle, so I decide to take the day off work and go visit a friend in the country. As I was driving out of the busyness of the city and enjoying the hours journey south in the countryside, I was reminded of the importance of taking time out and to just have some peace and quiet, time to just wind down and reflect. I had a lovely visit with my friend and by the end of

A great time for no excuses… September is here and we are all coming out of hibernation, shedding our boots, fleece-lined coats and scarves for something a little lighter, creating a ‘spring in our step’ (well that does depend on the weather as it has been rather changeable lately). In the light of this new found energy comes a sense of new beginnings, a time to address the old thoughts and beliefs about yourself and your life that you need to let go in order to move forward – an emotional spring-clean if you like. This season is about making the decision to put yourself first…. S

There are only a few key principles to success at anything in life, and one of those is commitment. A true leader commits to their family, their organization and themselves...to be the very best they can be in all areas of their life. Words of wisdom from the great genius Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~ writer, artist, athlete, politician and visionary. "Until one is committed their is hesitancy, a chance to draw back...There is one elementary truth - ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans. This is, that the moment one definitely commits to oneself, then Providence moves to

Work life balance - why is it that it always seems to elude us? As you might have discovered, finding and maintaining the balance that suits you best is not always that straightforward. For me this past month has been a particularly busy one, and a little out of balance at times, with a very full work schedule, preparing my 18-year-old son to go overseas for several months as well as my own preparation to travel to Europe next month. Creating a sense of balance in your life requires constant attention and is definitely worth the effort because when we get out of balance we find stress begin

Work life balance - why is it that it always seems to elude us? As you might have discovered, finding and maintaining the balance that suits you best is not always that straightforward. For me this past month has been a particularly busy one, and a little out of balance at times, with a very full work schedule, preparing my 18-year-old son to go overseas for several months as well as my own preparation to travel to Europe next month. Creating a sense of balance in your life requires constant attention and is definitely worth the effort because when we get out of balance we find stress begin

As we begin a new year it is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the past 12 months and celebrate our successes and consider what improvements we would like to make as we plan for a positive and successful 2011. It has been a full and exciting year for me and here are some of my learnings. Every day we choose our attitudes and therefore our outcomes so make a choice to make every day the best it possibly can be (even when we are feeling challenged). Be clear on what's important to you. Know what your priorities are and what's most important in your life so you can plan activities and hav

Legendary coach John Wooden said, "Don't mistake activity for achievement". You may be busy from the moment your alarm goes off in the morning until the time your head hits the pillow at night, but are you accomplishing anything meaningful toward the fulfillment of your goals? Are you making forward progress, or are you just running in one place? Last month we looked at creating new strategies for more effective time management. What I have found is that our lack of time and busyness is not always a reflection of the commitments we have in our life but can also be attributed to not having a

If you have been feeling “life is so busy, and there is never enough time in a day”, its time to look at how you are prioritizing your days. Remembering that “attitude is everything” , so if we feel busy in our head that will be reflected in our outer life. Sometimes we forget that we receive–every day–a gift that holds the potential of a million-dollar impact on our life. That gift is 24 hours of time that you can spend however you choose for profit or for pleasure. Effective time organisation provides no additional time, but it produces multiple benefits by helping you bec

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Have you ever noticed when two people in identical, high-stress situations, that one of them gets stressed out and the other one handles the situation with ease and grace? It's because of the different ways they internalize what's going on.  Stress doesn't exist in the outside world; it just exists inside your head.  It's up to you which way you choose to perceive it. Stress is an internal phenomenon. And remember - stress is not good or bad.  It just IS.  We need a certain amount of stress to motivate us but we need to understand ourselves to know when "too much" is having an adverse

Hi Here is a quick tip to keep stress levels down and feeling energized everyday. Have a great week! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuoFClYaR1s]

Having just returned from our Bali Women’s Retreat, I was reminded how easily our stress can sneak up on us with the constant demands of our busy life, and how rewarding it is to take time out to relax and rejuvenate and recharge the batteries. We all experience stress from time to time. However when stress gets to be too much, it can take its toll on our and health and happiness, so having effective strategies to reduce stress levels are essential in restoring our inner peace, health and wellbeing. Start today to create daily healthy habits and notice how more relaxed you feel. Here’s

This video on Earth Hour is quite inspiring - what will you be doing when the lights go off?[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FclcMfzjwug&feature=featured&playnext_from=TL&videos=4qJ9T3RRDvw&playnext=1]

My purpose here is to inspire and motivate you to live a life on purpose and with conscious choice. I will also be sharing tips on leading a life in balance and give you some tools and strategies to create personal mastery and success in your life. To get started, have you thought about what you want to create this year - do you want it to be different from last year, what else would you like to create...?  If you haven't thought about this, written it down and are very clear on what you do want to create, there is a good chance you will just get a repeat of last year. As an individual, whe

My purpose here is to inspire and motivate you to live a life on purpose and with conscious choice and also to share tips on leading a life in balance and give you some tools and strategies to create personal mastery and success in your life. To get started, have you thought about what you want to create this year - do you want it to be different from last year, what else would you like to create...?  if you haven't thought about this, written it down and are very clear on what you do want to create, there is a good chance you will just get a repeat of last year. As an individual, when was