Here comes the sun!!!

This song has been going round in my head for the last few days, because after a long, cold, wet Spring the sun has finally arrived!! Yee hah!! I encourage you all to listen to the song as you read the post and feel your spirits rise. 

I remember Summers that seemed to last forever when I was child. Our 6 week holidays seemed to have no end in sight, even a 2 week holiday in the sun seemed to go on forever. Now the weeks seem to zip by and before you know it Autumn has arrived and the shorts and t-shirts are replaced by jumpers and jeans.

So how can we focus on and enjoy the Summer now that we are grown ups and get a limited time off work?

Here are a few of my suggestions that bring back childhood memories and good feelings...

Be more childlike, remember all those things you did as a kid but no longer do? 

Go roller skating, get a push along scooter, try cycling again - and this time it's not because your Mum wants to tire you out before bedtime but because you enjoy it AND you can feel yourself getting a workout at the same time!

If you're not lucky enough to have a swimming pool in your back garden find an outdoor pool. Swimming your lengths with the sun on your back gives you an instant holiday feel! 

Is there an outdoor gym near by - it's the slightly more grown up version to climbing trees, though there's nothing to stop you climbing a tree if you want too!

This was one of my favourites when I lived in London - I used to go to the coast for the day, or even just for the evening. Again and instant holiday feeling and about an hour or so travelling. And while you're there, why not have a sandcastle competition with your friends.

Here in France I am more landlocked, however there are lakes and rivers nearby with safe swimming areas.

Be a rebel and have a BBQ on a school night. Why wait for the weekend, invite a few friends round now.  Maybe have it earlier in the evening, and go easy on the drinks, but it will definitely extend the weekend feeling. 

Invest in a hammock (another holiday staple) and enjoy reading a book in garden.

Spend hours searching for a 4 leafed clover.

Make ice lollies from fresh fruit juice, a lovely way to cool down after a hot day at work.

How about following Mary Poppins' advice and go fly a kite?

Have a picnic in your local park, and don't forget to lie back and see what shapes you can see in the clouds as they drift past. 

Camp out in the back garden! (You can't complain about the state of the shower blocks!)

As the sun goes down toast marshmallows and bananas over a fire! 

It is so easy to let the Summer slip past, when it is such a fantastic opportunity to enjoy nature at it's best and when we're enjoying ourselves, our vibrations rise and we are naturally in a place of feeling good. 

Please feel free to add any suggestions in the comments section of your summer highlights and what activities make you feel childlike again. 

Thank you!

I would like to take this opportunity to say a big THANK YOU to all of you who have been reading, commenting on and sharing my blog.

When I started writing back in January, I wasn't really sure what it would be like, whether I would be able to write interesting stuff, what direction it would take, and if anyone would read it.
I have found that I enjoy thinking about what I will write and what to say.
It can be the smallest thing, comment or observation that sets off a lightbulb in my head saying 'That would be a good blog post'. Often I forget what I thought about and find myself going 'Now what was that thing that I thought about again?'
I often think about what to write when I'm swimming, though sometimes when it comes to the sitting down and writing bit, a post may well develop in a completely different way than I had planned, or not work out at all.

Then comes the spell check (it's American English on blogger.com, and being dyslexic doesn't help with that either!!) finding a great photo and hoping the computer will let me upload it. Over the months I have worked out how do do links and other whizzy things so that hopefully I can progress soon from my preschool level of technology.

Everytime I post a post I am amazed that anyone reads it and appreciate any comments that people are generous enough to give. It is lovely to know how people are reading and interpreting my ramblings. I can see my stats page and it shows stuff like what mediums it is being read on, how it is being shared and most interestingly (to me, as I am a visual learner) has a map of the world showing which countries I am reaching. The States, Canada, Europe and, most intriguingly, Russia (I'd love to know who you are!) I get a little thrill each time a new country pops up.

Being a new coach, I was struggling to find where my passion and my niche lay. Despite having plenty of years of experience in childcare, it did not feel right taking up a niche in parenting skills and it also did not feel right leaving it completely - each time I thought about another direction, it felt as if the childcare was still holding onto my heels and not letting go.
I had thought about Sleep Coaching, as I had been an insomniac since childhood and have done a lot to improve my sleep, and though this area felt good and exciting, I found myself stalling and not ready to commit to it. Recently all the pieces have come together and it now feels the right direction to go. The major 'Aha' moment was the realization that I can not only work with adults who have sleep difficulties but also with parents who have young children with sleep problems. I now understand why I couldn't walk away from the childcare aspect completely!

So I will continue to write this blog but am also setting up another one based on sleep and hope you will find time to read that too and pass on the information to those who may need it.

In the meantime, thanks again for reading!

What are you looking at?

The gym I go to is doing some refurbishment and this week us women got to see our new look changing rooms, and quite swish they are too. New flooring, panelling on the walls, new shower cubicles, all in shades of brown and creams etc.
Whilst using them after the class this morning, one of the instructors asked us what we thought of the new look. Generally positive comments came back though one woman said she didn't like the new pictures - Zen type ones with pebbles, beaches and driftwood.
"Well, don't look at them then!" was the cheerful response from the instructor, who then went on to say that she liked the new mirrors.
I chuckled to myself at the bluntness of this reply but also though it was a great piece of advice.
How often do we focus on things that annoy us or bother us and in giving them energy, transform them into something huge? So huge that then all we can do is focus on them and this can lead us into a downward spiral of negativity.

When I first moved into my flat, I was not in a good place emotionally (and, let's be honest, physically) and hated the fact it was half way up a steep hill, a hill so steep that there are often stairs instead of streets. Every time I went anywhere it would involve either walking up hill to get there, or be uphill on the way back. I was forever moaning and grumbling to myself about it. At the time I was learning about the Law of Attraction and realised what I was doing to myself emotionally in terms of lowering my feelings and so began to look for things that I could appreciate and be grateful for.
Gradually my perspective changed, I noticed I was able to walk uphill without getting puffed and could see the benefit it was doing to my health and was grateful for that. Now when I walk around Les Pentes, as the area is called, I see and enjoy so many things such as the amazing renaissance and medievil architecture, and I regularly walk past a Roman amphitheatre on my way to work - how cool is that? I can walk through a couple of parks that keep me in touch with the seasons and nature. One even has these amazing long slides that are set into the hillside as seen in these pictures and yes, I have been on them! There are places you can stop and get amazing views of the city and, on a good day, the Alps and Mont Blanc. All in all Les Pentes are a great place to live!

So, what are you looking at?
The things your partner does that annoy you or things that they do that are great?
What are the worst bits about work or the best bits?

Once a friend of mine, who is a fantastic salsa dancer, fulfilled the ambitions of a life time and went to Cuba on holiday. When he came back all he could talk about were the things that had gone wrong or were a disappointment - being hassled in the clubs, the faults in the accommodation, the list went on and just listening to it brought my energy down and made me feel frustrated. I had to ask him what he had enjoyed about the holiday and he looked really surprised at my question.

So this week I encourage you to look at all the great things about a situation you don't like, give thanks for them and see what happens.

Moan, moan, moan

So, what's wrong with a good moan?
A bit of a grumble about life in particular?
Let's put the world to rights over a glass of wine (or two).
It helps us feel better, right?

Wrong!!

Yes, it does help us feel better for a short while but in the long term it keeps us in a negative, low vibrational energy and that does not help at all.

I was reminded of the power of moaning from an article I read this morning about giving up things to be happy. Point No 6 struck a chord with me as I am aware that I complain. I have got a lot better in this area but do still complain.
I used to complain a lot at work, there always was someone to moan about, be it a colleague or parent, and someone who would want to join in with the moan. Moving to France helped a lot as I could not always join in with the complaining, but now that my French is improving....
In fact the group moaning sessions are the worst, just in the same way that being among a group of positive, happy people, raises everyone's vibration, being in a group of Moaning Myrtles is going to lower everyone's energy and make them feel worse.

We all know someone who complains all the time about everything - not enough sleep, the queue in the shop, their boss is awful, the weather's too hot, they have a headache, their partner doesn't help them, the weather's too cold, no one listens to them....
Do you really want to be that person?
Yes, sometimes complaining will bring you sympathy and support, but again, this can keep you stuck in a lower vibration and keep you there longer.
Is that what you want? Because I don't!

So, who wants to join me in looking for the positive? Catching ourselves when we're about to complain and deciding to change the thoughts. There is a simple process called 'pivoting' where you literally turn your thoughts to the opposite...
If it is about someone's behaviour - think about and praise what they do well instead.
If it is about the weather - remember the sunny days, or be thankful that the drought is over and there is an abundant supply of water.
If it over bills and the cost of living - give thanks for the warm and comfortable home you have.
Get creative about about the things that you can be thankful for.

If you find yourself in a situation where you feel that there is nothing to be positive about, then try thinking about something else completely different instead and use that to lift your thoughts and so your vibration. How about an upcoming holiday, party, trip to visit friends, anything to take you away from complaining and negative feelings.
I will really be working on this area week and will let you know how it goes!

Give it a go and see what happens!