Aaaah...the relief!

Ok, so without going into details - it was less painful and less embarrassing than I expected. It was also successful in that my digestive system is healthy and happy (if somewhat noisy this afternoon!). Phew. The boiled sweets are in the bin, the last of the jelly has been chucked too, and the choice of food I can now have is bewildering!

Having said that, it's wierd, I don't want much now. I had a sausage and egg sandwich this morning, and a bit of chocolate, but I haven't been my usual snack-aholic self. Have I broken my habit of snacking for the sake of it? Unlikely, but it has been interesting to contemplate that because I am so aware of the choice that I have, I am being quite reserved (instead of the expected opposite that I would eat my way through everything in the house then move on to the next door neighbours fridge!).

I noticed this when I went travelling too - once it wasn't possible to buy lots of tat on a regular basis, even when I could, I didn't want to because I could see I didn't need to. So, how does this relate to purpose, passion and joy? Well, I believe that we aneasthetise ourselves with food, drink, drugs, shopping and a hundred other things. Take a look at what you do on a day to day basis - do you do it out of passion, to give you joy?

Or do you do it from habit, boredom and to take away the pain of a life without passion? No judgement, no blame - the world has spent years creating these anaesthetics, no wonder we partake of them. But when you 'wake up' will you be happy with how you spent the last year? Or will you think 'another year of drudgery gone'. If its' the latter, start bringing passion, purpose and joy into your life, a little bit at a time.

I gotta tell ya, aaaaaaaaah....the relief of a life of purpose, passion and joy.

Love

Donna.x

Thoughts of a hungry girl

I am on a diet of jelly and boiled sweets today. I am going to hospital tomorrow for, let's just say, an investigation of my digestive system. So I can't eat. Up until lunchtime I wasn't too bothered, but now, coming up to tea-time, I am starting to obsess about food. Before this turns into an 'it's a shame for me' fest, let me just say now how much I take food for granted normally, and how much I am appreciating how lucky I am.

Firstly, I am hugely grateful that this 'mini-fast' is a choice, and when I get the all-clear tomorrow, I will not have to do it again for a long, long time. I am immensely grateful that I will be able to open the fridge or cupboard tomorrow and partake of a wide range of foodstuffs. There are many in this world that are not so lucky. There are people out there for whom hunger is a way of life.

I am also grateful for the fact that I can have fizzy pop - I am loaded up with E numbers right now! And trust me, every single mouthful of breakfast, lunch, tea, supper and the various snacks I can have will be appreciated more than it was last week. Far more. In fact, I have never been so excited about the choice of foodstuffs that are available to me! (yesterday I could have things off a list...the choices weren't extensive)

So, here's the message to you - (and it's really driving home the point about giving thanks from last week!) be grateful for the things you take for granted - the food, the heat, the friendships, the money, the job, the masses of 'stuff'. Appreciate just what you have, because when you cannot eat and watch other people with food, you cannot believe just how blase they are about their abundance!

And on a final note, I really don't like boiled sweets!

Love

Donna.x

Everyone Benefits from your self care

Do you need a rest? More sleep? Some time off? It seems like everyone I speak to at the moment has a cold, or is tired and emotional. I've had several versions of the theme 'I haven't got time to rest' spoken to me of late. Here's another perspective...you haven't got time not to. If you keep up this persistent over-working of your body, it will rebel and make you really ill.

Never mind that Sally at the next desk got over the asian flu in 4 1/2 hours, you know your own body and it needs more time, rest, relaxation, tlc. Take it. And if you think the world will fall apart because you are not there, think about this - everyone in your life will benefit from you being fully fit and well - from your family to your friends, from your colleagues to your boss (seriously, imagine if the first person with that virus had stayed home...how much more productive would the rest of the office be?!).

I know that some bosses aren't as enlightened as me, so if you work for one of them, do the best you can - early nights, pampering, tender loving care - honor the cycles of nature - winter is a time for rest and rejuvenation...just because we CAN live 24/7 these days doesn't mean we have to.

Love

Donna.x

Giving Thanks

American Thanksgiving day - what a wonderful idea to dedicate a day to being thankful (and to eating huge quantities of food, I understand). When I am in 'it's a shame for me' mode, nothing cheers me up more than to consider how much I have to be grateful for - from the roof over my head, to the clients who make my work life such a joy, from the love of my family to the freedom to choose what I do with my one and only life.

There are so many things to be grateful for that we so often take for granted. Today, give thanks for all that you have (whether you believe you have a lot or not, be grateful for what you have) and watch the world become a sunnier place.

Love

Donna.x

Indecisively Yours

Do you ever get days where your answer to everything is 'I dunno'? I have struggled to decide today what to do with myself - what to do, what to write, what to eat. What is interesting is that for the first time, I am not 'making myself' do anything - even this blog, I have let go of having to write something magnificent and am just exploring what's here right now.

Indecision. It reminds me of a great decision making tool - if it isn't an absolute YES, its a no.

Where are you forcing yourself to 'do' something when actually you don't know what you want to do? What if you just allowed yourself to not know what to do with yourself for a while? What if you let it be ok to be indecisive and rubbish? What if you stopped demanding perfection from yourself and accepted that you have 'off' days?

ohmigod, I'm not perfect! Qu'elle surprise. I'm off to be indecisive about my dinner now...

Love

Donna.x

Notes from the universe

If you don't get the daily 'note from the universe' from TUT.com, go now and sign up. Right now. Today's thought contained this:

"Self Improvement for Trees"
It's not very wordy, they like to conserve paper, but its one and only line goes like this, "No matter what else you do with your amazing life and no matter how challenging it may at times seem, never stop 'stretching' yourself as you reach towards the stars."

Beautiful.

Love

Donna.x

Taking the pressure off

Over the next few days I will be very busy, so it is with heavy heart that I decided I will not try to 'make time' to blog - for all you who are awaiting the next instalment with baited breath...unlucky! I am taking the pressure off myself and taking a blogging-holiday!

If you were going to give yourself a 'mini-holiday' from something this weekend, what would it be? Why don't you try it?

Muse this evening...SO EXCITED! Despite the palaver of finding someone to drag along with me - don't you DARE say you would've loved to come. Thanks to my wonderful mate Mand, who is coming under sufference, even though she doesn't like Muse, to see what all the fuss is about. Matt, blow her socks off!

Until next week...live with purpose, passion and joy!

Love

Donna.x

Let the road reveal itself to you

The world is being taken over by planners! You must have a goal, and 200 action steps to get to that goal. Plan, plan, plan. Pah, where's the fun in that?! Yes, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a step, and you need to take each step in the right direction and all that blah, but frankly it takes away all spontaneity and joy from the process for me.

Yes, you can liken your goals to a journey that you must plan or you will never reach your destination, but that ignores the immense growth and enjoyment you can get from being lost! It completely negates the wonder and bliss that comes from following your heart and following your intuition to get to where you want to go.

Had I planned every single action step for my business, I would have missed out on loads of really cool stuff that has come up 'unexpectedly' and I would be working on 'achieving goals' (not an unworthy career!) rather than 'living with purpose, passion and joy'. I know which I prefer - and it's all because I am prepared to let the road reveal itself to me, to take roads less travelled and allow my 'goals' to be 'dreams' and 'desires' and fun!

Love

Donna.x

Basking In the Love

Yesterday I went to the christening of my cousin's little girl. Family time for me is often difficult because I do not do a 'standard' job and it can be a trial to try to explain what I do and why I am not 'lazy', I just like sleeping, have chronic fatigue and actually work my jacksie off! This was a flying visit though and there was little time for me to feel awkward, shy and out of place.

But what I did feel was how these people loved me. We are very different people, but I adore them too - and I came home feeling fantastic because they loved me, unconditionally unreservedly and it was a beautiful thing. So thankyou to my family in London for showing and sharing the love...I love you lot too!

Love

Donna.x

Sing when you wanna be swearing

Guess what happened to me on the way to my dance class this morning? I got stuck in traffic...grrr. I was briefly even more cross than last night because the delay was taking time off my class instead of just delaying me getting home...and then I decided to think a better thought QUICKLY this time instead of swearing...

So, i cranked up the stereo and belted out Muse tracks (have I mentioned I am going to see them in 5 days?) - and I gotta tell ya, it's far better for you to make the decision to cheer up quickly (yes, I am back in irritatingly positive mode today). It could have 'ruined my day' if I'd had my drama Queen hat on, but actually it was far more enjoyable to sing loudly than swear loudly.

Love

Donna.x

Think a better thought...or swear your way through

I fully believe that in any moment you can choose to think a better thought - a thought that doesn't make you feel like a moron...or whatever your thoughts are causing you to think. There are times however, when an explosion of bad language is really the only way to bring you to a point when you can think a better thought.

Take this evening, I got stuck in traffic - and I DETEST being stuck in traffic. I don't mind as long as I am moving, but stationary traffic turns me into a monster...especially when it's my own stupid fault for taking a different route which turns out to be the worst decision since Britney and K-Fed. Grrr. I talked to myself gently - think a better thought, and tried to coax myself into better humour.

However, this was one of those times when only f'ing, blinding and generally screaming every swear word I could think of would do. I must say, after my 30 minute tirade of bad language and abuse to myself and anyone else I could see (except the bus driver who let me out in traffic - I love him, very much) I felt MUCH better. And could think many better thoughts.

I wonder if there's a market for a personal development book called 'f*!$ off out of my way, you w£$%^&'?

Love

Donna.x

Own your magnificence

How many times do you look in the mirror and say to yourself 'I am f'ing amazing, me!' How many times a day do you get excited that you get to be you in this whole lifetime? How often do you appreciate just how bloody wonderful you are? How much do you allow that fire of magnificence inside you to burn brightly?

Whatever your answers, I'm pretty sure it's not enough. I mean, look at you! You are amazing! What a superb collection of attributes and qualities. And totally unique - you are the only one of you there is. (I know I have a doppelganger somewhere, but she is not as funny as me ;-) Take a moment now just to appreciate who you are, to wallow in your magnificence, to revel in your marvelousness.

And if this feels like a stretch to you, find someone to work with who will call that forth from you and support you in becoming the most magnificent you that you can be - the world needs 'real' people who fully own how brilliant they are. (not the arrogant, inwardly terrified folks who exclude and terrorise to make themselves look better, the inclusive accepting beautiful folks that we all really are).

Love

Donna.x

Trust

If you trusted, really trusted, that things would work out perfectly for you, what would change in your life?

Now this is not a matter of sticking your head in the sand and pretending nothing's happening. This is a matter of trusting that things will work out for the best for all.

I have enormous fun with this one - when business is 'slow', I find it easy to trust that it will get better, and trust that the inspired actions I take will take me forward more than any 'shoulds' and 'busy-work'. When business is good, I find myself really wanting to worry and stress and 'do more' (which I know full well is counter productive because I get so busy I can't hear the voice of inspiration!). Interesting eh?

So, if I trusted that things would work out perfectly for me, I would finish today despite not having done '101 marketing actions' and feel good about it! How about you?

Love

Donna.x

Answer this question

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" ~ Mary Oliver

What is your answer to this question?

Mine is - have lots of fun, live with passion and help a million people to awaken their purpose, passion and joy and make their world an extraordinary place.

Love

Donna.x

It's all about attitude!

Today, I was sent this link to a news program from the US - it's about 3 minutes long, go watch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gykxoreKRl8

First of all, it is a delight to see some inspiring news for a change, but I am not going to get started on that one today! Secondly, something his mom said hit me like a truck "There's nothing you can do I can't do better" - what a fantastic attitude! I love this woman. What if you tried on this attitude for a week or so - instead of thinking 'I can't do that', know that anything they can do, you can do better!

Love

Donna.x
PS this is not about arrogance, this is about confidence. I didn't see that woman as arrogant, i saw her as smart, funny and inspirational - and she's brought up her son to be the same.

A Cold Shock

Wierd isn't it? November 1st, and out come the hats, scarves, gloves and big coats. Personally, I'd be happy to wait a little longer for the cold...perhaps 12 years? I do love the gorgeous blue skies and starry nights, but honestly, I'd rather also be warm!

So I notice that I am whinging about the winter (again!) so I am going to twist around and say what I am grateful for in winter - long nights in front of a roaring fire, pretty frosty mornings, clear skies, bonfire night, christmas, my birthday (10th December - all gifts warmly appreciated!), snuggling under a warm duvet on a cold morning, hibernation, and the stunning shapes the naked trees make.

So, winter ain't so bad, eh?! Now for you - what are you whinging about and what can you be grateful for in that situation?

Love

Donna.x

Be a Great person today

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." Mark Twain

Which are you? The sort who poo-pooh's others dreams and ideas, or the sort who gets excited on their behalf? Which would you like to be? Which would you like to hear your ambitions, dreams and ideas? Being the sort of person who is encouraging, enthusiastic and positive brings more of the same back on you - and you get to hear some really inspiring stuff!

Love

Donna.x