French Leave

We are chilling in France in our house at present and it's wonderful. It's also a much needed break as we have all been going flat out since the start of September, Ellie included. She has so many commitments to school clubs and other activities that Sunday is the only day with nothing happening. That has meant the discipline of homework being done dilligently every weekend or else trying to cram it into the week - not pleasant.

What a change here - the half term homework was carried out while walking along the fields and lanes around the village and the data collected was then written up this morning.

Yesterday was beautiful and reminded me yet again as to why this is my favourite time of the year in Burgundy. The colours are stunning at the moment as the leaves turn and in our local town of Clamecy, the autumnal fruits such as squashes and pumpkins have been used in the floral arrangements round the streets. The shop windows are all decorated for Halloween with cobwebs and witches and the supermarkets are full of Halloween sweet displays.

The sun is shining too, making the days warm and mellow although it gets very cold at night when the sun drops in the skies and is frosty when we awake. I do like it like this though and a wander to the recycling area yesterday morning turned into an hours walk as it was basically too good to miss.

Before I knew it I was striding off along the lanes and across the fields. All over the village were apple trees laden with fruit and the ditches too were full of the fruit that had got too heavy for the trees and had dropped to the ground. It was sad to think that all of this was just going to lie there so on my return to the house I headed down to our "wild garden" to pick apples from our own trees. These are now stewing and filling the kitchen with wonderful aromas.

It's colder today as the sun has not shown itself and we are staying in warmed by the blazing logs in the Godin. Some friends are joining us for dinner tonight and tomorrow - who knows? How good not to have to plan.

Have a look at http://www.frenchhideaways.com/ and see where we are.

Intuition

We were given intuition for a reason so pay attention to it. It's that 'inner voice', that 'gut feeling', that churning in your stomach and it's never wrong.

It's there to guide you and how often have you said after something - 'I knew I should have done that'.

Learn to trust it. I am pretty good at relying on my intuition now but today I paid the price for not listening. Something happened in July and I responded offering as much help as I could in the time available. I was able to help but there were other issues and I should have passed on it a few months later but I didn't and since then alarm bells have been ringing. Softly at first and then louder and even then I thought I knew better.

A few days ago, I took that action I should have taken months ago and immediately was at peace.

Listen to your intuition, practice and practice and always go with what it says.

I have learnt a harsh lesson but I know that this is often how I learn best. I won't be doing that again.

Chocolate

Do you like chocolate?

Did you know that it was Chocolate Week? Lasting from 15th - 21st October it is indeed a week of indulgent chocolate celebration throughout the UK. This is being celebrated through talks, tastings and demonstrations so have a look at http://www.chocolate-week.co.uk/ and see if there is anything near you that you can tap into.

I love chocolate but have been weaning myself off the milk chocolate variety as when I have some, I have been known to scoff the entire bar or even box if in the right mood. It's that wonderful sensation when it melts on your tongue and that velvet touch - mmmmm......

I am now into dark chocolate as I can have all the same sensations but I find a couple of squares satisfies my chocolate need. To make the enjoyment process as easy as possible I break up the chocolate bar into 2 square chunks, store it in a container and keep it in the fridge. Then when the nibbles come, I always have some to hand.

What are your chocolate tips? Any you'd like to share?

I love all the different types of dark chocolate you can get now especially Green and Blacks and all the chocolate shops etc that are setting up such as Hotel Chocolate where I spent many happy hours last Easter choosing a wonderful dark chocolate egg for my husband.

Alan manages to keep chocolate for ages so I would tempt him with a really good glass of deep red wine to we could enjoy the mix of it and good dark chocolate - together they are a great romantic treat.

Where have the weeks gone?

Does this happen to you too?

If you remember I'd decided not to beat myself up if I didn't blog every day. Well that was OK but it has now been nearly 2 weeks and every day I think, I've gotta blog today. I'll do it when I get this piece of work done but then that leads to something else and before you know.......

I bet a lot of you out there are agreeing with me.

I know I fill each day too full. Sometimes it all goes to plan and is great, but other days, it goes very astray and I have had a few of those recently. I am learning to ease off on the packing the day but I now have a back log and for my sanity I need to clear it.

So today and tomorrow are office based days and I am lazering through things and feeling better moment by moment. However, How do I ensure that I do not let this happen again. How do you do it? What is the learning here for me?

Will keep you posted but hey, it's good to have got this out on paper.

You can join in too...

I think it must be infectious this de-cluttering. So many people are now doing it and even more are asking for tips etc.

Yes, I am doing it but am no expert so I was very grateful to Rachel who came to my rescue with her Top Tips. No excuse at all now......

1. Set your intention... if you know clearly what you want your room or home to look like it's so much easier to let go of stuff that isn't going to fit your wonderful new look.

2. Draw up a timetable ... if you're contemplating doing the whole house work out a timetable, but do at least one room per week. If the task feels really daunting start with either the easiest or the room you currently hate the most. Getting either one of these sorted will give you a real energy boost and motivate you to get the rest of the house done.

3. No spare room... don't have a 'spare room' in the house, these automatically become dumping grounds, every room should have a purpose and be available for that purpose immediately, i.e. guests could arrive unannounced for the week and all you need to do is get the spare towels out!

4. Limit the boxes... have a limited number of boxes for storage and do not allow yourself to exceed the limit.

5. Six months or so... items you're not sure about letting go of yet but you're not using currently should go in a box with the date on. If you haven't opened the box in 6 months to a year (absolute maximum.) then get rid of it.

If you tend to keep things for emotional reasons or out of obligation, e.g. my auntie gave it to me10 years ago, then remember the gift was in her love and attention, not the actual item.

You can find out more about Rachel and what she does by visiting her website - http://www.spacerenovation.org.uk

Concise and simple, yet very powerful.

As a result of all the de-cluttering, I am now working may way through various piles of things. There is the 'to do' as soon as possible pile; the 'write up' pile, the 'sort through' pile and of course the 'reading' pile.

In this last pile I found an article about Rachel Elnaugh in which she stated three tips for business women and entrepreneurs. They were as follows:

1. Innovate
2. Be determined. Never say die, never give up, be relentless and try different ways
3. Have a strong brand, values and culture and really know what you stand for.

Simplicity in itself and with only three key points it makes this process much easier to remember. In those three tips you can sink or swim as every one is key to your business success.

Are you willing to follow them diligently and put in the work required to get your focus and clarity?
If so,congratulations.
If not, perhaps you should ask why you are in business

Visit Rachel’s website http://www.rachelelnaugh.com where you can take Rachel’s free profiling test to see what kind of an entrepreneur you are and can also access her Top Tips for Business Start Up Success.

The process continues with ever increasing positive results.

What a pleasure it was to walk into my office this morning. It seemed to have doubled in size or was that trebbled? Whatever, it has all happened as a result of my de-cluttering and taking it a stage further and moving things round.

For ages we have struggled with the lack of possibility to move furniture around. All seemed to be so essential. However, my creative husband spotted the opportunity of getting rid of a small area of work surface and that made it all happen. Bookcases that recently sat out into the floor are now all back against the wall and we even have room for an easy chair. In honour of that I bought the chair a bright red cushion!!

I love the space, I love the light it now seems to let in, or was that me cleaning all the windows? It feels fresh, vibrant and efficient.

Yes, there are still some piles of papers around to be sorted and a few files to go through. We don't really need all those books so Alan and I are going to work our way through those but it all seems so easy now and we really want to do it. That makes all the difference.

This morning I received an email from a colleague who is also going through a major de-clutter and she too is experiencing a growth in energy and clarity. She says "it feels like emerging from a chrysalis, very very slowly - but as we work through each cupboard, room, shed etc I feel the shift happening inside me, on so many levels. As I shift the clutter outside, so the stuff I have hung onto and has brought me down, down, down, is shifting inside."

Powerful stuff. If you feel inspired to join in, please do. I'd love to hear how you get on.

Buzzy times!!

Life is buzzing at the moment with loads happening.

Yesterday, I went to my first networking session since the holidays and what an energetic group it was. Lots of great women, many of whom I have either agreed to meet up with already or I will be in touch with and it was so nice to see Anne de Suisa there who I know from my days at Women in Docklands.

The networking was an Athena Event run by the lovely Rachel Daniel. Athena are spreading their wings with lots of new groups starting up. Visit http://www.theathenanetwork.com/. to find out your nearest group.

Then last night I was involved in two great teleclasses both full of ideas and inspirational advice. Trying to find time now to put it all into practice.

Today I have been re-launching my Tales from the Pavilion newsletter and getting to grips with new systems, what fun. It's swimming tonight so a chance to unwind. Hope you're having fun too.

Set up for the week ahead.

Did you have a good weekend? Mine was lovely.

On Saturday Ellie had a friend round to play after yoga so I had the time to really get even more into the office cleaning. So much better to do it at the weekend as there were no calls and I coule be in my oldest clothes. Not finished yet but the difference already is great and my energy levels are higher too.

On Sunday, Ellie and I had to go and buy a few more things for school and although neither of us really wanted to tramp round the shops, it was a good trip. The rest of the day I spent relaxing and then sharing a bottle or two of fizz with some really close friends.

A good weekend always sets you up nicely for the week ahead so there was no problem in hopping out of bed this morning and into my walking gear. Now that is my favourite start to the day and as usual I can back with lots of ideas. The problem is now finding the time and space to make them happen.

I can sense a great week ahead.

An unplanned and unexpected therapy session.

In 2000 I trained to be a coach and realised that I had been coaching for years as a manager, acquaintance and friend. I resigned from my job and set up my own business and a very good friend who I had met through work got herself on email.

For some reason I kept all our emails for the next 5 years. I was never sure why, it just seemed the right thing to do.

Today, in the middle of mega de-cluttering, I took time out to go through those emails. The experience was powerful.

I left my job, one I had been very happy in for most of my 10 years, because of bullying. At the time I did not realise that this was what was happening so as well as building my business, I was rebuilding my life.

Tineke, my friend in Holland , was also thinking of becoming a coach and was doing an NLP course and through our emails it was clear that we were providing great support to one another and she was providing great challenges to me through her questioning.

I was clearly on a journey to self-discovery and by revisiting this time in my life I was able to see the process through which I worked. Some of the questions I have re-answered today and they have been just as useful. I am also feeling proud of myself for how I coped and what I achieved. It has all spurred me on and as I work within the evolution of Walkers' Coach I feel more positive and confident about its future than ever before.

Thanks so much Tineke for all you have done and now I know why keeping the emails was so important.

Today, I have been able to throw out the emails, recycle the paper and move on.

Those summer intentions.

You may recall me setting a number of intentions for what I wanted to achieve this summer, well, I figured this was the time to review these and come clean on how I had got on.

This is what I set and in red is how I got on:
1. To have a fun and loving family holiday in the States - we really had a great time and saw and did so much. I have to be honest and say that on a couple of occasions I craved my own space. Being together, all three of us, for 23 days and virtually 24 hours a day does take its toll.
2. To see and experience at least three new things and three new places on holiday - no problem here. The three new things were riding on 'Soaring Over California' at the California Adventure park in Disney; Matanza Creek Wines at their wonderful winery just outside Sonoma; seeing a black bear in the wild when it walked out in front of our car in Yosemite. The three places were Yosemite - what an amazing place; San Diego - we had 5 days here with friends and packed in so much and the Inn at Playa del Rey - I want to go right back there, it is the most wonderful place I have ever stayed at.
3. To hike a little of the John Muir trail - a very little as I thought it might be due to extreme heat, touching 100 degrees and only having two days in Yosemite park with so much to see.
4. With my birthday money to buy a fabulous designer handbag - I bought a designer bracelet instead from a wonderful guy called Ramon who both designed and made it. Why not the bag, well my deal friend Carolyn in San Diego very generously gave me a designer coach bag that she had never really used. It is gorgeous and she was so delighted to find the right person to give it to. I love it.
5. To finish my 365 ways book - I have got it out, I have added a few more tips to it but I have not completed it yet. It is sitting here though and is scheduled in my work planner now.
6. To tidy the office and get everything off the floor - I have done much better here than I thought. Everything is off the floor, no more piles to trip over. I have been really ruthless and really enjoyed making space and of course the space is in my head now too. I have not finished yet (where did I get so much stuff?) but I am not giving up now until it is complete.
7. To lose another 5 lbs weight - as you might imagine I put some weight on in the states, all those breakfasts that I love but since I came home I have shed that weight and am back on track for losing more.

Looking back at all of this I am really quite delighted at the results. The whole reason for doing it was because so many of us at the end of a period like the summer wonder just what we did with the time. I know if I had not set these intentions, I would not have done as much and thought I did not complete 100% I feel I achieved a lot and will definitely try this again.

Seize the moment

For those of us living in the UK, hasn't it been an awful summer? Not at all what we had hoped for and in many cases so much rain that great flooding and subsequent damage was caused. August was better than July but for some that was little consolation.

Now there are some people who do not like the sun but I'm not one of those. I love the warmth on my skin, the opportunity to eat, work and play outdoors. It makes me feel good, increases my energy and is a favourite tonic.

In London we have had some sun over the last few days but somehow when I was ready to go out and enjoy it, the clouds had covered it up again. Well not yesterday.

I had been busy at the keyboard all day and also had a large

pile of reading to get through. The sun was shining so carefully checking the cloud cover I spent the next hour swinging in the hammock chair, cup of tea on the ground beside me and a huge pile of journals etc on the table. It was blissful.

You can see me in the photo oblivious to the world around me and do you know, it was so easy to get through the reading in such a lovely location.

It was about 5 when I finished and blue skies still reigned above. A glass of wine at 5.00p.m. on the Pavilion veranda is often reserved for a Friday but I found myself thinking "what guarantee is there that on Friday there will be sunshine and blue skies?"

The result was inevitable and I had to twist no arms at all to get my husband to stop what he was doing and join me.

You can see below that we look very relaxed and happy people.

It was definitely a moment or 60 worth savouring and yes, my blog did not get written yesterday but I'm sure you will forgive me. The bonus of that time in the sun just cannot be measured and I urge you to seize the moment too on a regular basis.

What's in the planning now?

It's that back to school time and even if you do not have children everyone notices the differences it makes.

There seem to be more cars on the road especially at the beginning of the school and at the end too but that doesn't coincide with as many people; public transport is busier as people come back to routine - I always notice it on the tube; people are easier to get in touch with again and newsletters and other information starts to flow more freely.

I get that new start feeling again, do you? I have never been able to shake off the school term/school term feeling. It's the chance to take that new canvas and start again.

Think of what you want to achieve. What would you like to do between now and Christmas? It can be as small or as large as you like but I'm sure there's something. Let us know what you pick.

I'm getting back into my walking with the East End Girls and no doubt planning some challenges. I'll keep you posted on what they are. I can feel the excitement building.......

Walking rocks!

Catching up on my reading today, I came across a recent poll by the American Council on Exercise who asked fitness experts which was the most important exercise in a workout.

I was delighted to see that walking was in top six. The others were squats; running; ab work; lunges and push ups. Many of the above go hand in hand with walking. I use lunges and squats and after I walk and also some ab work especially as it is so good for strengthening your back and it was trouble with my back that got me into walking in the first place.

Review your workout and see just how well you are doing.

The end of the summer...

Well that's how it feels.

The weather has been cloudy and overcast and the house seems to need the lights on so much earlier. Still it has been a good one and a long one for us too.

In our house we are getting geared up for back to school on Wednesday, all activities which start this week too - yoga started this morning and my diary has loads of appointments in it for next week. Alarms - I am not too keen on those.

If you live in the northern hemisphere, I guess many of you are in the same situation. How are you going to make it a great autumn?

I am not going to give you many ideas, well not now but one strong is to get into the walking. While Ellie was at yoga, I went exploring and found some great new places to walk. IT was fun and as it was hilly, a good workout too!!

Long live long summers and lack of routine.

Although the weather is currently cold, grey and wet in London, I was just thinking today about how much I love the flexibility that running my own business gives me.

During term time, I am in much more of a routine tending to work from 7.00 a.m. if I have early clients through to 5.00p.m. Sometimes I am in the office, other times I am at networking events, meting up with clients or colleagues or training but I try to keep evenings free for the family and I do not, as a rule, work weekends.

It has taken me a while to get to this point and it is only when something urgent needs delivered or a deadline looms that I work late or am away from home. I work hard but it also means that I can be there for school events and if we have guests I can take some time off and catch up on other occasions.

Actually without realising it, I do more work outside my hours that I realise because I am often reading - either books on my own personal development or business building or I am researching walks and catching up on events etc that I feel we should be part of.

In holiday time it is different and I am well aware that the long summers will draw to an end as my daughter gets older and does not need, or want, as much of my time. That makes it all even more precious.

Since she has been at school we have tried to take the summer off. However, it is not completely off, it is more about knowing that there are a few things I want to do and then doing them when the time is free. Hence the reason I am blogging now. I worked in the office this morning planning for September and then we had friends and their children for lunch. On Monday, I took Ellie to meet up with other friends and we visited the British Museum and planned to climb the Monument but sadly it is closed. Yesterday Alan took Ellie to the cinema and we have entertained other friends, organised sleep overs, gone swimming etc. We have had some great family time and of course had over three weeks in the States too.

There is no alarm to wake us up, breakfasts are leisurely and long and it's doing us all so much good. Tonight my mum arrives so I will be entertaining her too. I know, however, that the conversations will spawn thoughts relevant to work, we will try out some new walks and I'll use the down time to catch up on my emails, blog and read as the flow suggests.

Get ahead

I came across a new website today which those of you looking for new jobs or careers might be interested in.

One of the things that I often stress to my career devleopment clients is the need to invest time and effort in their job and carer searches so that they are ahead of the rest. This is also what www.targetchances.co.uk suggests and offers you the chance to do so by attending one of their events. Have a browse at the site and see for yourself.

They offer you "an expenses-paid taste of working life that give an opportunity to meet recruiters and talk to representatives from the industry."

Sounds good to me.

The Importance of good friends.

We had a dinner party last night with 5 really good friends and their children.

When planned, we had hoped that we would be able to enjoy a balmy summer evening on the patio while the kids, especially the boys could run off their excess energy on the lawn. Instead it was grey and wet and the children took over the house apart from the dining room and kitchen.

Alan cooked a fantastic 4 course meal with the theme of lemons running through; conversation and laughter, like the wine, flowed freely and as we climbed into bed about 2.30 this morning, we considered ourselves very blessed to have such great friends whose company we value over and above many other things in life. People who help us out in a crisis and vice versa, people whose company is so easy and comfortable and people who we can debate and discuss all issues with and still raise a glass together.

Travelling light?

Have you had your holiday yet? Is it on the horizon? Are you planning the next one?

One issue re holidays is the amount of luggage you take with you. I always have this plan to travel light and I recall sitting in the sun on holidays last year , making a list of what I would take this year. I was taking on board that once again I had packed too much. Of course when this year's packing came around, could I find my list? Of course not and of course I packed too much.

My justification was the fact that I was travelling around and wasn't sure how much chance I would get to wash things out but I did get the chance and I also bought new things as it was all so cheap. Wherever you go anyhow, it is nearly possible to buy a new t-shirt or toiletries.

It also depends how long you are away for. I do recall travelling very lightly once on a long weekend and I felt so smug only having hand luggage and being so co-ordinated that it all worked.

Vicky White looks at the whole packing light issue as a metaphor for life. She says "Travel lightly through life, and you'll be more present, more passionate, more on purpose, and open to your inner journey in a whole new way."

Now this puts a whole new perspective on it and it's one that I like. That needs to be kept somewhere safe for my next trip no matter how long it is for.

Happy travelling.

Job satisfaction - what gives you yours

There have been a number of surveys regarding job satisfaction recently and I would just like to mention two.

The first brought to my attention was one carried out by Office Angels here in the UK. They asked office workers what they wanted and what came out over and above money was: - a one hour lunch break; the return of the tea trolly; an annual outing and subsidised canteen. We know that a break helps to recharge batteries, clear your head and therefore make it easier to bring creativity and energy to the fore in what can be a draining 'after lunch slump'. As you know, I am a great advocate of getting out there for a walk at lunch time. Why not try it and see for yourself? Make yourself your own guinea pig for a month and see what happens. Why a month? Well all research says that it takes 28 days to change a habit. Are you up for the challenge? If I can help, let me know. I can send you tips or have a chat with you.

The other things people want, well I would say it is down to feeling cared for and valued. Again they all encourage people to take a break and to socialise. Your thoughts are very welcome.

The other survey was featured in the Atlanta Journal Constitution last weekend. I found out about this through Vicky White's excellent newsletter - Design Your Life. You can sign up to it on her site http://www.lifedesignstrategies.com/.

The newspaper quoted a job satisfaction survey conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. As a result, the most satisfying jobs were among professions that involve caring for, protecting or teaching others as well as creative pursuits.

27,500 random workers in 198 occupations were questioned between 1988 and 2006 and those most satisfied were members of clergy, followed by physical therapists and fire fighters then other occupations in the top 10 were education administrators, painters/sculptors, teachers, authors, psychologists, special education teachers and operating engineers.

The people questioned defined job satisfaction as doing work that really mattered to them, being creative, helping others and providing an opportunity for life long learning.

Food for thought indeed. Are you satisfied with your job? How could it be more satisfying to you? What would you need to change? Perhaps you know that you are not doing what you want, what then would you do? Don't you owe it to yourself to have that satisfaction.