Day 15 Fashion Fashion and Fashion Oh My!!

Just to set the record straight, my intention is to win the bally bag!! What a fantastic and wonderful day today was - work was spent over looking the opera house and harbour bridge, followed by an amazing night of celebrating the beauty, creativity and wonder of fashion. Tonight I was invited to Bally's store event which allowed me the privilege of meeting Ruby Rose and Kate Ritchie, not to mention a bunch of really cool and amazing people who were out simply to enjoy a night of music, laughs and excitement.

As I allowed tonight to wash over me, all I could do was appreciate how important it is to spend time in environments that are beautiful and where people are passionate about celebrating life in what ever way they do. The level of creativity and gratitude that welled up in me was fantastic all because I was in the right environment. In a few short hours I got to experience emotions such as love, inspiration, abundance, joy and connection with others, simply because the energy of everyone else was so positive and happy.

Today's lesson has been to place value and importance on beauty, luxury and the non necessary. At the risk of being totally misunderstood, I would say that it's a vital key to living a passionate life to find places that allow your soul to sing - whether that be a beach, a rain forest or in the heart of a busy and thriving shopping mall enjoying a delicious chocolate Gold mini cake.  Its the old saying - make sure you take time to 'smell the roses', and allow a little bit of magic to find it's way into your everyday.  There is so much value to be had with such a simple act!

So with that I would like to end tonight's post with a massive thank you to Vogue's Fashion Night Out - thank you for awakening in me a love of life and of people. Thank you to the fashion industry for making such beautiful and amazing things and Thank you to Ruby Rose for being such a cool chic!!

XOXO
Passion Project
PS There are two photos for tonight - one of the amazing and gorgeous mini cupcakes that Bally had as well as the beautiful DJ that was playing some amazing beats!! Until next year!!
PPS The other exciting experience I had tonight was that I got asked by a promoter if I was a fashion blogger - I should have told her about the Passion Project!!

Day 14 - Change it or Accept it - no matter what celebrate it

Today's blog is going to be a little backwards and I ask that you go with it - I'm going to practice first what I am about to preach. I am so excited and want to share with you the successes that I have achieved in these last ten days. Firstly I got a promotion, how cool is that? with a pretty good pay rise, which I have to say I am very grateful for. Secondly I completed my advance prac in styling and got to enjoy the beauty of Melbourne and its amazing culture. The biggest compliment though was being asked if I would be interested in running a webinar for the school as well as being complimented about the positive energy I am exuding at the moment (yay for me I love being happy and positive) and finally I have been honoring and loving myself deeply.

As some of you know I am testing out the law of attraction and the ability to love and live in this space of surrendering and trusting and although I have the green lights and car spaces down pat, I am now starting to create some really cool things, such as I wanted to see my ex's family and who should I bump into at Coles 2 nights ago - his family. It was wonderful seeing them. So what does this have to do with anything? why am I telling you all this stuff?  There is one very good reason - success is all about celebrating the wins along the way as well as achieving, enjoying and celebrating the end goal.

Tonight I was in the good fortune of having a mentoring session with a successful business owner who is doing some amazing things, both in the industry in which his business operates as well as the way in which he leads his team. This man has an amazing ability to take action and achieve whatever he puts his mind to. As I listened to him there were a number of things that became very apparent in his approach to life, firstly although he is a high achiever he isn't afraid to make mistakes, secondly he definitely knows how to celebrate the wins along the path to achieving his success and finally he has a great way of accepting the things he cannot change and changing the things he can, one bite at a time.

As he spoke he really got me thinking about my own strategy for success, not only at work, but in life in general. All this time I have been thinking that I was lacking passion, when it actual fact I have lost the ability to believe that I can actually achieve the life that I desire, that I can pull off running a successful business, having a healthy, fit lean vibrant body or being really happy and loving in my marriage - All these years of constant criticism, which I had eloquently masked as 'seeking feedback' have taken it's toll and my now depleted soul is over working hard with little or no encouragement.

So although I am not able to change the past, I can definitely learn from it and the main lesson today is to be kind to yourself, go and celebrate the wins in life no matter what size they are and keep having fun in what you are doing. There is a saying after all, that success breeds success and if that is the case I am going to sing it from roof top

So in saying that I have shared my successes with you and I am now off to indulge in a funny show and rub moo goo all over my body (mmmmmmmm love moo goo) as a reward for what I have already achieved.

Much Love
The Passion Project

PS Today's photo is of the Yum Cha Cafe in Melbourne which I would have to say has the happiest staff I have ever met. They even have little smiley faces on their uniforms. The lady who served us was lots of fun!!

Success Principles No 3: want want want - what is it that you want

Success Principal Number 3: know exactly what you want

So we've decided why we are here, what we are living for - now is the time to decide exactly what you want. This at first may seem like an easy question to answer, but if you get beyond the Mercedes Benz, house on the water and 1 Billion dollars (which are all worthy things to want) it may start to get a little challenging to list what else you may want in life that will enable you to feel even more fulfilled, alive and happy. The other area is believing that  you can have all of what you want. Unfortunately over time our ability to ask for what we want has become nothing more than a pipe dream, a list of wishful thinking, or even worse something we are no longer in touch with - well my friend its time to get your dream and wishing hat back on.

Have you ever had the opportunity to watch a baby, they are beautiful examples as to how life was intended to be. When they want food, they want it and wont stop until it is theirs, they scream until they are safely nurtured in their mothers loving arms. We too, were once like that, we knew what we wanted and  were happy to ask for it but as we began to grow our ability to ask for what we wanted slowly got diminished by well meaning and protective No's from our parents, peer pressure from our friends who wanted us to do what they wanted and  the constant barrage of media messages instilling how life is 'meant' to be regardless if that suited you or not - until one day you find yourself fat, bored and sitting in front of a computer screen, doing work that pays the bills thinking there has to be more to life than this - AND THERE IS!!

Now is the time to figure out exactly what it is that you want! Ask yourself what do you want to be do or have? what is it that you want to experience from this wonderful adventure called life?

" Hell on earth would be meeting the person you could have been if you had the courage to take the necessary action to live the life of your dreams - to follow your destiny"

In each of us lies a seed, the you 'you' were meant to be. Failing to be that you is nothing short of a tragedy. Often in the name of being sensible we end up becoming numb to our own desires. Under a blanket of "shoulds", "musts" and "ought tos" we lose sight of what it is we really want. If this is you and you have had enough, then I challenge you to reclaim yourself and start living a life that you want rather than a life of mediocrity based on the instructions of others.

Step 1: Stop selling out on yourself
Start small by honouring your preferences at all times, delete phrases such as 'i dont mind', ' I dont care', 'I don't know' and 'what ever you like" from your vocab. Always have an opinion about your preference and if you dont, then ask yourself what it would be if you minded, cared, knew, or wanted. This little step will allow you to develop a sense of what you really want in life as well as build your 'asking for what you want' muscle.

Step 2: Time to visit the North Pole
Make an 'I want list' - this should be fun, bold and beyond your wildest dreams. Make a list of
* 30 things that you want
* 30 things that you want to do
* 30 things that you want to be

If you want to take this a step further, then grab a trusted friend and for 20 minutes on each area (e.g. want, do, be) get them in rapid fire to ask you what you want and list your answers as they are revealed. Keep going as fast as you can for the 20 minutes. You may find at first your list isn't very profound but as you continue your unconscious mind will provide you with what your soul really desires. This is not to suggest that the first words you list are not important, they are - I challenge you to keep asking yourself what is it that you want. As you perform the exercise do not limit yourself in anyway and make sure that the only words from your friends lips are what do you want? what do you really want?

Step 3: love love love, love is all you need
Write down all the things that you love to do - what is it that you could do for the rest of life. This is important as what you love gives you clues as to what your purpose and passions are. Make a list of 100 things you love to do and then by each of the items you've listed write down ways you could make money doing these things. have fun and come up with as many ways as possible. Now I know there will be a few of you saying I cant make money doing what I love to do - I love talking to people - well Oprah Winfrey did a pretty good job at making money talking to people.  Now is not the time to be judgmental, now is the time to be creative and list as many ways as your possibly can. Allow yourself to expand, dream and believe

"Decide what you would like to do and the how will reveal itself"

Step 4: clarify your vision - after all people without a vision will perish
We have done some work on creating your ideal day, well what about your ideal week, month and year. If you were to imagine its New years Eve 2012 what are the things you would like to have achieved, the places you have seen, the business you have built, the relationships you have enjoyed, the fun things you have bought (hello Chanel handbag). Allow your vision to include finances, relationships, work and career, Free time, health and wellbeing, personal goals, what you have contributed to society and your connection with God (or what-ever spiritual connection you believe in)

What would have made 2012 the most delicious and wonderful year? Paint a vivid picture with all the sounds, details and feelings you would want to experience.

'Create your future from you future, not from your past '

Step 5: The art of meditation
Take a note pad and find a really comfortable and beautiful space that you can spend some time and not be disturbed. You may want to light a candle, play some beautiful music and have a glass of water handy. Start the meditation with 5 slow, long and deep breaths and set the intention that you are open to hearing and honouring your wants.

Close your eyes and allow yourself to become fully present - as you do ask you unconscious mind to reveal to you what your ideal life would be in the area of <insert important area here> . Allow the answers to come in whatever format you want it to whether that be images, feelings or words. Write anything down and keep asking. Give yourself time - ask yourself questions in all areas of life e.g. finance, health and well-being, relationships etc....

Once you have completed all areas, go and find a good friend and share your vision who you know will give you support and be positive. As you keep sharing allow your wants to become clearer.

Finally once you have worked out what you want - take some action in having it. I would love to hear what you have come up with

Until next week PP
Today's photo is from an amazing organic place at Bondi Beach. Its the place I love to go when boosting my motivation for healthy living 

Success Principles No 2: Why bother? because Why!!

What makes one person rise up for what is right, when others drop their head and pretend not to notice? What makes a person keep going when everyone else has quit? Why is it that one person seems to always get the breaks, the opportunities and meets all the right people? it all comes down to knowing their WHY! Why they are here, what they have to give and what their purpose is.

Successful people know exactly why they are here, they know precisely what they want and they go for it 100% with passion and enthusiasm. I once dated a pilot who ever since being a small child knew  exactly what his purpose was. He was obsessed with flying, his passion and commitment to it was infectious and no matter what others said he kept logging his hours, mastering his craft and doing whatever it would take for him to one day fly jets like his father and grandfather had. Everything he did was linked to being a pilot. He lived the lifestyle of a pilot, he dressed like a pilot, he even went as far as using the letters on the number plates on every car to make up affirming sentences as to why he was meant to be a pilot. To some it may seem obsessive, but to him he was in his flow, living his purpose. Now today he is flying for a prestigious airline and doing what he loves. He knew exactly what he was put on this planet for and he went for it, no apologies about it. 

Just like with the pilot, everyone is born with a life purpose. The key is to identify your purpose,  acknowledge it and finally honor it by going after it 100% with passion and enthusiasm. If you haven't identified your why, then its important to take the time and understand exactly why God put you on this planet. There is however a warning here - so many people I meet use the excuse of "not knowing their purpose" to prevent them from taking the necessary action and calculated risks to go after what they want. If you know your purpose, then its time to acknowledge and honor it by working out how you can inject passion and determination into every activity you take that leads you to manifesting your purpose in the material.

If you are thinking that finding your purpose is a litte woo woo and doesn't really matter, then have a look at the results your achieving in your life. Have you ever set goals and then thought, oh my god I hate this, why am I doing this? trust me - if your why is not big enough you will abandon all activity as quickly as your 80's tribute fishnet stone washed denim jacket. As old texts say, without a vision, the people perish and in today's society signs and symptoms of perishing are showcased through depression, obesity, broken marriages, dis-ease, constantly drifting, feeling dissatisfied and never really achieving anything of value.

" being on purpose is loving what you do, doing what you are good at 

and accomplishing whats important to you"

  

Anthony Robbins, has outlined his purpose as being " to humbly serve the lord by being a loving, playful, powerful and passionate example of the absolute joy that is available to us the moment we rejoice in Gods gifts and sincerely love and serve all his creations". It is this very purpose that took him from being a broke janitor to one of the worlds finest personal development leaders with wealth that most would only dream about. I remember him once saying that 'living is giving' and look at what he has 'given' to the world. He is truly a blessing.

Brian Tracey, suggests that finding your purpose is as simple as  trusting yourself. He recommends to 'decide upon your major definitive purpose in your life then organise all your activities around it until you achieve it'. Everything you do should be an expression of your purpose. If any activity doesn't fit that formula, drop it immediately and do something that does! fullstop!!

So how can you find your purpose, your why? 

Step 1: Experience Joy: 

In his book, Jack Canefield suggests paying attention to your 'Joy O Metre'. According to Jack, who lives his passion daily, we are all born with an inner guidance system that gives us immediate signs as to when we are on purpose and when we are not. Jack suggests that you spend a few moments listing all the activities that bring you tremendous joy and see what they have in common. I challenge you to go one step further by suggesting that over the next month you list all the items you do in a day and rate them 0 - 10 (0 being no joy and 10 being singing with the angels). After the month is complete, have a look and see what your 'Joy O Metre' has to say. Really get clear about what brings you joy as its a major insight to your purpose

Step 2: the powerful question: (pretty cool considering I have been talking about asking powerful questions)

Get in a space of total relaxation, the way I love to do this is to light a beautiful natural soy wax candle, take a couple of deep, alkalizing breaths and then allow your focus to settle on the flame. As you watch the flame dance, ask yourself "what is my purpose? why am I here? and allow yourself to simply come up with the answer, its important to trust yourself as you do know your answer, its embedded in your DNA and its waiting to be revealed.

Write down any answer that comes up and try not judge your first responses. Sometimes the answer may come up in the flash of an image, feeling or single word.

Once you have completed the candle exercise, then answer the following

1. list 2 unique personal qualities you have e.g. passion and enthusiasm

2. list 2 ways you enjoy expressing these qualities when interacting with others e.g. teaching and inspiring

3. if you had a magic wand and the world was exactly as you would love it to be what would it be like? how would people be interacting with one another? e.g. everyone is living their best life through disciplines of excellence and are vibrantly healthy and energised. 

4. combine the three prior answers to form a purpose statement e.g. 

My purpose is to use my passion and enthusiasm to teach and inspire others to live their best life through disciplines of excellence and vibrant health and energy

Now that you know your purpose - its important to stay on track. An easy way to do this is to emerse yourself so that it becomes a part of your soul, to the point where you unconciously take action towards achieving it. Every morning before getting up, read and visualise your purpose so you know why you are here and what you are living for!

Here's to living with a big enough Y or in Jim Carey's words P.A.R.T -WHY? because I got to!!

Love the Passion Project

PS today's photo was taken at the Star Light Foundation express room, which creates a fun and happy space for sick kids (and their families) to play and have fun. The people who work there are such purposeful people and they know exactly how important their role is in the health and wellbeing of children recovering from major illness. Check them out as they are always looking for support and volunteers.

Day 4 I ask you this.....?

Anthony Robbins states that asking empowering questions can lead your unconcious and ultimately yourself to greater levels of success. If you are getting poor results, have a look at the questions you are asking yourself? do you find yourself ever asking Why is this happening to me all the time? why am I so stupid? so fat? so poor? so <insert the thing you dont want> What if you were to ask yourself questions that would empower you and provide you with even better answers? answers that you could use to get you the results you wanted and that by default would get you taking action to being 100% responsible.

In my shower I have a series of laminated questions that Anthony Robbins suggested in his book awaken the giant within. Every morning and evening I ask them out loud and declare the answers. I have also included some of my own and thought you may life these. Let me know what you think?

Morning Questions

What am I most happy about in my life right now?

What about this makes me happy? How does that make me feel?

What am I excited about in my life right now?

What about this makes me excited? How does this make me feel?

What am I proud about in my life right now?

What about this makes me proud? How does this make me feel?

What am I grateful for in my life right now?

What about this makes me grateful? How does this make me feel?

What am I enjoying most in my life right now?

What about this do I enjoy? How does this make me feel?

What am I committed to in my life right now?

What about this makes me committed? How does this make me feel?

Who do I love and who loves me?

What about this makes me loving? How does this make me feel?

What do I love about myself?

What about this makes me love me? How does that make me feel?

 

Evening Questions

What have I given today? In what ways have I been a giver?

What did I learn today to be even more successful? How will I use this?

How has today added to the quality of my life?

How can I use today as an investment in my future?

What successes do I want to celebrate today? And what State do I want in-joy today?

Until tomorrow
The Passion Project
PS Todays photo was before going for a great walk along Bondi beach. I love this place for the fresh organic coconut water they have. Its so good for you and taste super yummy xoxo (living the dream)

Day 3 - vibrational alignment is 100% responsible

Doreen Virtue once suggested that we should  remember to breath throughout the day and choose peace, no matter what was happening around us. That we have the power, whenever we desire to retreat to that quiet still place simply by closing our eyes and taking a deep and loving alkalising breath. Its interesting isnt it that so much stress, angst and even dis-ease comes as a result of being so attached to an outcome and its response strategy that we fail to see we can actually have the emotions and dreams of our vision right in the very moment. 

 These past few days of taking 100% responsibility have stirred up some really interesting thoughts and beliefs around the way I approach the idea of success. It was only this morning when I was analysing my dreams that it struck me how much importance I put on perfection, getting everything right and the amount of energy that is wasted on fear, criticism and striving. The belief was unless I can get it right 100% then it means that I am not destined for this. Crazy hey? and definitely explains why I get capped at a certain level of success. What I have realised is that being 100% responsible, doesnt mean getting it right 100% of the time - what it does mean is actively learning and evolving, improving and growing from the day and taking ownership of the approach no matter what, even if that is taking responsibility for not originally taking responsibility, if that makes sense.

It dawned on me that what if the end goal wasnt really what was important, what if the process of success was so enjoyable, fun and playful that the actual manifestation of the end goal was like the iceing on the cake. What if the process of falling down 5 times and getting up 6 was actually the training ground for becoming vibrationally aligned to that which I was seeking? The concept of vibrational alignment has become an area of interest lately and achieving alignment occurs on so many different levels e.g. identity, values, beliefs & actions, Behaviours, skills & rituals, emotions & feelings and environment. What if we were to take 100% responsibility of all these key areas in becoming vibrationally aligned, do you think then transformation would occur? 

When I first took on the challenge of being 100% responsible I guess I only focussed on my beliefs and my behaviours - now I am seeing that being 100% responsible is so much more than that,  it looks at the identity in which I hold of myself, the values that are important to me, the beliefs and actions that I take, the beaviours, rituals and skills I follow regularly, the feelings, emotions  and meanings I experience and the environment in which I place myself. What if we were to pick an area based on our ideal day and take responsibility for all those areas? 

 Anthony Robbins says one of the many key's to success is to start by asking yourself the right questions. I have decided that in the process of planning my day I am going to consider all aspects of vibrational alignment as outlined above and to do so answer the following questions. Please keep in mind these questions are ones that resonated with me and its important that you create ones that will work for and with you.

1. what is the area of focus (make sure its linked to your ideal day)

2. what Identity would I have to hold of myself to achieve this and be this today?...... and even more than that? (answer starting with I am <insert statement here> and ensure it is in the positive tense)

3 what would I have to value to live this even more easily and effortlessly? - if you dont know what you values are, ask yourself what is most important in your life? and see where you can link your area of focus to your value

4.  what beliefs and attitudes do I have that will empower me even further in creating my goal today? (you can turn these into incantations to embed them at the unconscious level)

5. what behaviours and rituals if I performed on a consistent basis would propel me towards my goal?

6. what is the first top 3 actions I can take right now to commit to this (keep asking yourself this question as you complete them) and how can i celebrate their successful completion?

7. what skills and resources do I need to achieve my goal (and how could I make it even more enjoyable and fun?)

8. what emotional state could I use to empower me so that the experience is one of joy, happiness and love (you can insert what ever feelings inspire you - really feel them as you get into the state)

9. what environment could  I put myself in that would inspire even greater creativity, motivation and commitment in achieving my goal today (be broad in your approach to environment and allow it to include who you hang out with, what you listen to, the places you go to, the tv shows you watch, the clothes you wear etc.... for me beauty and luxuary is very important so walking around gorgeous shops inspires my creative side)

10. How am I going to celebrate my success (be creative with this and it doesnt have to be a material reward or cost a fortune, even though they can be excellent rewards, it could be as simple as giving yourself some time to relax in a bath with a beautiful candle, or going for a walk or simply by doing a happy dance singing 'i am so great, I am so great', its what ever will make you feel like you have been rewarded - remember success breeds succcess)

I would love to know what some of the questions you have that propel you towards being even more responsible for your life and the results that you are achieving already!

Remember results show you if you are on track or not

Cheers The Passion Project

PS today's photo is of a tiffany box waiting for me as a reward when I complete a week of early morning beach walking xoxo (ill show you the open box when I achieve it - results baby results xoxo)

Day 2 - Girlfriends and Fashion and a funny film

Hello fellow Passion Projectors, Its day 2 and I have to be super quick as the movie is about to start and I am ready for some laughs. Today has been absolutely outstanding, not only did I get to experience the most amazing fashion show, spend time with a great friend, play dress ups in Sass and Bides latest collection and finish with a tantalizing vanilla salmon  at the Hilton.... I am so happy and grateful to have this day to feed my passion and invigorate my creativity and now its time to have a laugh and enjoy Arthur. 

Day 1.1 of the 100 Days Season 1 Passion Project Challenge

Ok, so as you know in the quest of taking 100% responsibility for my life, I have set a challenge to live 100 days in alignment to my best life today. The purpose of this is to be 100% responsible (I figure if I say it enough times it will sink in), invigorate my passions, nurture my creativity and allow me to master the 64 weeks of success principals. I was so blessed tonight to be on a webinar with Lauren from the Australian Style Institute who shared the importance of tapping into the power of creativity and the beauty associated with it. I realised from the call that taking responsibility doesn't have to be serious or 100% accurate, its more about being true to self and living at a higher and more beautiful standard - well that's what it meant for me

Day 1 is all about understanding the ideal day, setting any intentions and goals and committing to a number of daily rituals that will take you towards your magnificence.  A very gorgeous girl who loves to always 'step it up' asked me a few questions about the 'ideal day' process and it got me thinking, was it that I wanted to live my ideal day every single day like a pre-written movie script where I was the leading lady? or was it more that I wanted to find new and creative ways to experience the feelings and emotions associated with that ideal day? I have decided it's a combination of both, I figure since I can experience the emotions and feelings instantaneously I would action that (see, taking responsibility of my emotions) while I created and manifested the material of that ideal day, namely trips to Paris and New York as well as a beach front home and thriving coaching business (this may take a little longer that 100 days)

Since I find writing in beautiful journals very therapeutic, I spent the afternoon writing out in long hand my ideal day, waking up with an attitude of gratitude and connecting with God, whilst watching the waves crashing on the beach from my bedroom window,  followed by an invigorating run doing my Anthony Robbins Hour of Power, coming home to a husband cooking a healthy alkaline breaky and the house filled with love and laughter, having a wardrobe filled with beautiful fashion, going to my office and working with amazing clients, attending Helen Tardents Pilates class, coming home to snuggle and spend time with loved ones and family, breaking bread and then packing for my trip to Paris and New York.... ahhh the bliss. Although I have only shared with you a very condensed version of my ideal day, what I found in doing the experience was that the following are very important to me
* connecting with God and living in-spirit (inspired) as well as being grateful
* health, wellbeing and exercise 
* spending time in nature at the beach
* the ritual of dressing beautifully and spending time in beautiful luxurious environments
* helping people and being a masterful leader
* having time to nurture self
* family and friends
* beauty and fun

The three top feelings this invokes in me are
* love
* abundance
* gratitude

And it is from this my intentions for the next 100 days are:
* to live in love, abundance and gratitude
* nurture, nourish and restore myself 
* to capture an image that symbolises my ideal day

My rituals are to 
* eat healthy, clean alkalizing foods and liquids 90% of the time
* go walking along the beach 5 mornings a week
* do 20 minutes pilates a day
* spend 60 minutes everyday doing my hour of power

My goals that I wish to manifest for the next 100 days are 
* I am fit lean and vibrantly healthy at 58kgs with glowing radiant skin
* I am blogging daily about my 100 days sharing value adding content and have 10 people following my blog, living their own best life
* I have interviewed 5 amazing women who are living a passion filled life

Also if you are deciding to do your own 100 day challenge, then I ask you to post a photo a day tagging both the passion project and yourself with a statement of what the image means to you, this way we can inspire each other. I would love to know what your ideal day is? what your intentions, rituals and goals are as well as any insights and ideas

With much love, sloppy kisses and big hugs (yes I feel deliciously beauti-FULL at the moment)

The Passion Project
xoxo

PS the image of today is of a walk just outside my apartment - seeing the ocean always inspires me. I am so grateful to be living so close.

PPS Im off to plan my day and write my intentions up on every mirror as a friendly reminder xoxo

Day 1 - Part 2.... Its still technically Day 1 ~ the Answer

Why is it that inspired thoughts seem to come like a lightening bolt in the wee hours of the morning. Sadly my bolt of inspiration extended way beyond myself and woke up my darling husband who needs to be up in 3 hours to do an early morning webinar (oops - I love you my darling hunni, thanks for always being so supportive and loving, even when you cant fully understand my semi formulated sentences). Now if you haven't read my last blog then this is probably going to be very random so Ill quickly post what I last wrote

"So in the quest of taking 100% responsibility, the question of the day became, how do I do it internally, where in a micro second my brain seems to have lit up the very well grooved neural pathway to blame, story and excuse take 100% responsibility for my life. The other day I read a post on facebook that said, whenever you are in search of an answer to a challenge, simply ask it and sit in silence until an answer arrives and to take immediate action on that answer. So in saying this I am off to meditate and see what genius is revealed"

As you can see I had left asking myself, what was it that I could do that would truely allow me to take 100% responsibility of my life and make it even more outstanding then what it is today and the answer is.... (drum roll)

To complete the Juicy Life 100 day challenge ala Passion Project Style. For 100 days I am going to 100% commit to living my ideal life the best way I can which will, by default result in me taking 100% responsibility for my life today. That's right, its all about the 100 and to keep me accountable I have to post evidence of this everyday, whether it be in the form of a photo, a video or some other thing I have yet to consider. So the process is as follows

1. write down a detailed account of what my perfect ideal day is, using all submodalities (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, auditory digital)
2. Set intentions and goals for the next 100 days based on living my perfect ideal day
3. Select practices and rituals (which I have to say I already do) that I will commit to everyday that nuture love and restore my soul
4. Write a plan each night before bed as to what I am going to create the next day and attach rewards for every successful completion
5. Share my journey posting evidence of all the amazing success that I am achieving by being 100% responsible
6. Share the journey with other people and inspire them to live their own passion filled 100 days

This will also include maintaining my original goal of sharing 64 success principals over 64 weeks!

and to do this in a space of 100% love - Ok I am being called in for cuddles and I really do need to get some sleep

xoxo

The Passion Project

PS I thought I would also share a link that I found truly inspiring and that got me thinking about 100% responsibility and the 100 day challenge - Megan Castran thank you what you have created is amazing xoxo

Day 1 100% responsibility, or maybe it was 25%

So part of the blog is to not only share great principals, but its also to act as a testament of my progress. Last night as I floated into bed, I felt powerful, strong and responsible, I felt inspired and I have to say a little bit smug as I thought this part would be easy. After all I am pretty good at being responsible and I am also an advocate of positive speaking, but oh no not so fast...


what I found really interesting from my experience today was the amount of disempowering internal dialogue that goes on. Although externally I am very good as masking 'the complainer', 'the blamer' aswell as disguising my excuses as well founded and supported facts, internally it is a completely different story. Internally I am all about the poor is me, how I cant do x, y or z or  how this person did this and how that person made me do blah blah blah.... seriously its not worth the energy writing. I found myself not only internally abusing myself, but also giving my power of decision and choice over to more bossy and dominant individuals and sources such as the media. Even today I found myself agreeing with a person (keeping in mind I was a little bored in the conversation) about a topic that I strongly object to. Hello where is being responsible?


The biggest learning from today was understanding why I often feel so tired and exhausted at the end of the day, with the constant analysing and disecting of my day, my words, other people I wonder how I find the energy (or time for that matter) to achieve anything remotely in line with that which I love

So in the quest of taking 100% responsibility, the question of the day became, how do I do it internally, where in a micro second my brain seems to have lit up the very well grooved neural pathway to blame, story and excuse take 100% responsibility. The other day I read a post on facebook that said, whenever you are in search of an answer to a challenge, simply ask it and sit in silence until an answer arrives and to take immediate action on that answer. So in saying this I am off to meditate and see what genius is revealed

I would love to hear how you have got on?

The Passion Project

its all YOU!

Ok so where should we start? well I think there is no better place then to start with ourselves. That's right, after all there is only one person responsible for the quality of the life you live and that person is you!

Success Principal 1: 

Take 100% responsibility for your life no matter what 

When I first read this, part of me was yeah yeah I already do this, in actual fact I am really good at blaming myself for my failures, for how I have created what I have, but the more time I spent meditating upon this sentence, the more I got that sinking feeling that maybe I wasnt actually taking responsibility for my life, rather I was creating a number of reason (although very good reasons) as to why I just couldnt seem to make 'it' happen. Surprisingly next came the rational arguments as to why this principal could not be right, how was it my fault that the economy took a turn for the worst, or that the grouchy person I work with was always in a continual bad and unhelpful mood, surely it wasnt me who created that? right?

However as I read more about the principal I soon learn't that taking responsibility was more than just looking at the outcome achieved, rather it was looking at the experience I took from the outcome and what I did with that experience that would lead me to my ultimate success.

So here begins the journey, what actually is taking 100% for my life and how can I do this on a continual basis?

Firstly it begins with giving up excuses, which can often be sneakily camouflaged as reasons. According to George Washington Carver 99% of all failures come from people who have a habit of making excuses. Its time to give up the vicitm stories, reasons, excuses, lies etc... its all about playing above the line and being at cause rather than effect. its about knowing that I have the power (can you hear the bad 80s music playing) to make it different, to get it right and more importantly produce the results that I desire.

No matter what is happening, there is no room for excuses and only room for learning and taking responsibility and its as easy as asking a few simple, but effective questions.
1. How did I create this?
2. What was I believing about myself (what was my identity)
3. What values were I holding as a priority
4. What beliefs and attitudes was I exhibiting
5. What was I focusing on
6. What action was I taking
7. What skills do I need to pick up
8. What can I learn from this, which will empower me towards achieving that which I desire.

See how by asking some questions that we get an entirely new perspective? Jack Canfield believes there is a formula for taking 100% responsibility

E + R = O

The basic idea is that every Outcome (O) whether it is good or bad, success or failure, wealth or poverty is a result of our Response (R) to an earlier Event (E). If we for a moment were to release all judgment on the outcome and replace it with a spirit of ferocious curiosity and work out how we have created the outcome, then we have the opportunity to replicate it (desired outcome) or change it (undesired outcome)  simply by looking at the Events and Responses associated with the Outcome.

For example if I were to use the fact that currently my favorite skinny jeans are feeling way to snug for comfort, and reverse engineer it I would see that my response of eating chocolate every night and not exercising to the event of coming home late from work is actually creating for me the outcome of snug jeans with a muffin top, but if I were to change even 1 part of the equation such as R by eating healthy and exercising daily then my outcome is bound to change e.g. hello super skinnies. I understand that this is a basic example, but hopefully you get the idea.

At the end of the day, there are always going to be external factors that will allow us to choose to be limited, just as there are going to be people, just like you and I who are going to show us how they over came these limitations and 'got the prize' and it all starts with taking responsibility 100% by giving up all excuses.

My challenge to you - next time you hear yourself begin uttering anything that sounds like an excuse, stop and ask yourself the 8 questions and see what happens next.

Secondly, Give up all Blame, have you ever seen a person who only blames others, not only is it annoying, but it's also really dis-empowering for all involved. No one made you do it, no one twisted your arm, made you think the thoughts you thought, created the feelings you felt, nor held you by gun point to take the action you did. It was you and you had a choice. Now I can hear the screams already as to how your mother wasn't loving or your dad was never around... well sunshine its time to get over it and start 'for giving'. I say this with love and Im sure there are alot of you out there that have some valid reasons to blame another person for where you are, but since we have already committed to giving up reasons, we may as well include blame as well.

My challenge to you: everytime you want to blame another stop and 'for give' them. This is done by looking at the circumstance and completing the following sentence as many times as it takes for you to be free and back on track at taking 100% responsibility
Thank you for giving me...........
For instance, when my last relationship broke up, I was able to stop blaming him for my unhappiness simply by focusing on what the breakup and he had given me e.g. thank you for giving me the reason to love and take better care of myself, thank you for giving me a window as to what constitutes a wonderful relationship, thank you for giving me a mirror to myself where I now am able to be a better person and so on... Trust yourself, there is always something good to be found

Thirdly Give up Complaining:
If we are to look at what complaining means then it can actually be a great tool in helping us clarify what it is we really want. If you think about it, being able to complain, means you believe there is something better than what you are currently experiencing. If you complain about being poor, then its because you have a reference point that great wealth exists. So rather than complain about it and forsake your power, why not get excited and see what opportunities you have in getting even clearer about what it is you wish to achieve and then request exactly that.

Complaining also never gets you the desired results you want, however if you approach it from the perspective of knowing what it is you want, then you are in a position to either request it, take action to achieve it or come up with something in between

My challenge to you: Listen to your complaints from the perspective of what it is you want and then ask for it (and only ask for it from someone who can actually give you what you want). The first person you should always ask is yourself... How can I achieve <insert that which you desire>, What is it that I would need to do more of? What is it that I would need to believe? What is it I would need to do less of?

My Fourth Tip is to Trust yourself. Life is wonderful, it always provides warnings, whether that be comments from other people, gut instincts, recurring dreams - the important thing is to pay attention to what you are thinking and feeling about and to trust yourself. Being 100% responsible is just as much about what we do on the inside as we do on the outside. If you get an inspired idea, take action on it, if something isnt feeling right - listen to it... You have all the answers within and what you dont have you will learn, provided you trust and listen to yourself

My challenge for you:  At the end of everyday, go through your day and look at all the areas you trusted yourself and celebrate them, regardless of the outcome. The fact that you can identify where you have trusted yourself demonstrates where you are already taking responsibility for your own life. Remember it is you that creates the world you live in

And finally the fifth point: Seek Feedback: this can be scarey and also liberating - ask for feedback from trusted sources about how you are going, what you are doing well, what you need to improve on and listen to their responses taking on that which sits well and empowers you. As Budha says 'believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said, even if I have said it unless it agrees with your own reason and common sense

My challenge to you (which I have already done tonight) Find 5 people you respect and ask them to give you feedback and then take steps of action to implement the learning.

The great thing is, you will soon know if what you are doing is working or not simply by the results you are creating.

So my accountability buddy, I look forward to hearing how you have taken 100% responsibility for your life starting from now and Im sure we will learn alot from one another

Forever yours

The Passion Project.

You cant pay someone to do your pushups and get the result.

Im sure most of you at some stage have been involved with personal development, whether that be from taking a course, reading a book or watching Oprah (I kid). Regardless of what level of involvement, over the years of study I have found one common factor that has propelled these people to high levels of success - they decided what they wanted, believed they could have it, read bucket loads of material (some claiming in excess of 1000 books per year on a given field) and then took massive action towards their clearly defined goal, always monitoring and improving until they reached their desired outcome.

I have decided that if it works for the greats, then it can work for me as well, after all 'the principals always work, provided you work the principals'. I have decided to dedicate myself to the mastery of success principals in achieving the life of my dreams - a truly passionate and fulfilled life.

The plan is to research a number of leaders in the field of success, those that teach and those that implement. With each principal I learn I will implement, share and report back on. Some will be just what the Dr ordered, others may be less than desirable, regardless I will come up with a list of daily habits that will help me to live the magnificence within. 

In order to do this, I want to share it with you - my reader. I will share the highs, the lows the plain crazy as well as the breakthroughs, pay rises, increase health results etc... I hope you enjoy the journey of this process and even get involved and take part. Who knows you and I may even spur each other on, share our dreams and eventually celebrate our successes together.

Best wishes,

The Passion Project

Before we even start 0.5 Bonus Lesson: Success starts with setting yourself up with a team of champion accountability partners. Who will yours be? I hope you will be mine?

3 and a Half ways to cultivate a mindset of excellence

Are you ready for a big statement? Living a life of excellence is the ultimate goal of man kind, how that looks may vary from person to person, but all of us strive to grow, learn and do our best in whatever area we choose. The question is however, what sets apart a person from good achievements to great achievements? How is it that one person can defeat all odds and rise from the ashes, while another simply decides to give up? This is my quest in today's blog, to begin to understand the principles of excellence that ultimately leads to a magnificent life. Lately I have been fascinated by the different paradigms of personal development, from the scientific and more conservative models all the way through to the out there woo woo types and trust me there is some out of this world kind of thinking.  The one are that has stood out the most from this research is the idea of cultivating a positive mindset. Ok Ok, so this isn't mind blowing stuff...  be positive and you get positive results right? but what is worth exploring is the idea of cultivation.

Have you ever had a day where you knew it was going to go wrong, right from when the alarm started to buzz? you know those kind of days, where you sleep past the snooze, trip over the cat and spill coffee on your dress? As a young child I use to think that success was all down to talent, you either had it or you didn't, that there was no changing it (what 'it' was I still cannot tell you, but 'it' was big). I also believed that if I didn't get it perfect the first time then that meant I didn't have the talent. Looking back on that belief now I am amazed at how I ever committed to or achieved anything. As you can imagine growing up with this belief firmly in place allowed a lot of negative and self defeating beliefs, attitudes and behaviour to develop.  What was most impressive was not only the power and self fulfilling properties this belief had but the way in which is was formed. They say ever cloud has a silver lining and the lessons I have received about how I cultivated this belief  are worth more than their weight in gold and now when applied to a more positive idea or belief are helping me to achieve excellence in my own life.

Cultivation Step number 1: plant the seed and worry the crap out of it. Notice that I said plant a seed as step number 1, not plant a fully grown tree. As with most areas, cultivation of mindset starts with a small seed, an idea, or a notion. It doesn't yet have to be a belief, but if nourished correctly can grow not only into a belief, but a truth, propelling you to take inspired action towards manifesting that which is already true for you. Notice that I also said to worry the crap out of it, its amazing how if we are worried about something how obsessed we can get over it, finding all the ways that support the the thing we are most worried about, we meditate upon it, go into states and feelings that further support it, talk about it at every opportunity and even take action in alignment to it, so why not do exactly those things but this time about a belief we want to achieve and experience. Try this if you would, take two pieces of paper, on one piece write the word 'empowering' on another write the word 'dis-empowering'. Next select an area in your life that you wish to master, it could be your health, your finances, a relationship or baking the most incredible family treat for Friday night dinner. Now ask yourself what would I have to believe to be true in order for this to manifest in my life today? and write down all the empowering beliefs (your seeds) you can think of - keep pushing yourself to come up with new ideas and thoughts until you have filled the 'empowering' page, notice also what, if any dis-empowering words spring up and write them down on the dis-empowering page

Now you have a list of seeds in which to plant as well as a list of weeds that need to be uprooted and burned.


Cultivation Step number 2: Release the emotional charge. How we feel about an area in our life impacts the level of excellence we demonstrate in that area. When we feel confident about our abilities to undertake an activity and it makes us feel good we are more likely to repeat it. Take the dis-empowering list from before and I want you to pick an old belieft that has the most energetic charge to it (the one that makes you feel the worst, most angry etc...) Now I want you to pretend that belief was a person and 'forgive' the belief. Now I can hear you say huh??? how can I forgive a belief? simply start the exercise by saying <insert the belief here> I thank you 'for - giving' me the lesson of <insert lesson here> and I now release you". Repeat this process on the same belief until you feel wonderfully inspired. For instance if you were wanting to master the area of health and you had a belief that "I am lazy" you would say "lazy belief, I thank you for giving me the lesson of knowing when to stop relax and enjoy my time and for providing the wisdom of taking re-charge moments and I now release you". Keep going until you have gone through the entire list.

Now with the empowering beliefs ask yourself 'what feelings will this belief give me that will motivate and inspire me to take action?" and list them out, one after the other. While you list them, it is really important to feel them, allow their intensity to grow and to inspire you. As you do this, I want you to develop a mantra that you can 'worry' about.

Cultivation tip number 3: take massive inspired action. People of excellence are prepared to do the things that losers are not. As you sit in the state of inspired energy, now is the time to act and cement in the learning's you've received and to make your new positive mindset a reality. Quickly do three action items right now. They could be call a friend and schedule a walk, do 100 jumping jacks, go throw out all the junk food in the house - what ever it is take action that will get you a step closer to your goals and further enforce the new neurological pathways you are making.

And finally - Cultivation tip number 3.5: Go and celebrate. From reading about Olympians, successful business men and other people of excellence, one thing is certain, these people know how to celebrate their successes. Find a way to go and celebrate the successes in you life, such as reading this blog!! after all success breeds success as does being a person of excellence!!

it all starts with intention

Living a life of passion, all starts with intention. It was only recently that I saw a really good You Tube clip where it outlined how to set intentions. Rather than using words, it focused more on the state in which you would be when that which you wanted to achieve was realised. It even went a little further by going 15 minutes beyond successful completion and soaking in the feeling of successful completion.

Although this process was wonderful and something I have added to my own process. I believe there is more to setting intentions then just feeling the end state, I believe it first starts with getting in a state of pure love, from our heart our deepest desires can be found, followed by identifying and seeking clarity on that which you want to manifest and finally is completed by jumping into the end state and experiencing it as though it already exists and for good measure is completed with words of blessing such as thank you.

As I sit here in pure love tonight, I am so happy and grateful now that I am living a passion filled life, where every morning my 57kg body wakes up feeling refreshed, energised and excited by the morning to come. My beautiful ocean front home is filled with love, luxuary and laughter and I bound out of bed, kiss my husband, dress quickly and head to the beach for a healthy run and exercise session. My work is work that allows me to travel the world, earn millions of dollars, inspires other women and is based on beauty, worthy and passion. I am an excellent speaker and enjoy every moment of work. My family life is filled with laughter and joy and all is well in my beautiful world. Thank you!!

Ok so this is a short version of the life that I imagine, but you get the picture, what was most important as I wrote this I could see, feel and hear the life already created. I am so grateful and trust that all this and better will be provided. As I look at my life currently I have a few gaps to cross in order to receive this even more wonderful life and the intention of this blog is to find the way and to take daily action on enjoying a passionate life, to record all the exercises, feelings and inspirations along the way and I invite you as the reader to take a chance and create your own passion filled life, simply by joining me and starting with setting your own intention.

so what is your intention for life going to be? I would love to cheer you on and celebrate your journey with you!! I look forward to hearing what you have to share and what you are committing to

With much love

The Passion Project