Magnificent Marvelous Women

Hi magnificent folks!!!

I wanted to share something really exciting that I have planned!! It’s a vision board party that I am hosting, and it’s going to be just so full of fun and energy!!

I wanted to encourage you to do the same, wherever you are in the world. A “vision board” party is something whereby a group of you get together with magazines, books, anything visual, and you cut out pictures that represent how you envision your life in the future. This whole process helps your subconscious mind start to turn the visions into reality.

The concept of vision boards has been around for years, and they are certainly not a new idea.  There are many sites on the web now, that talk about creating online vision boards. I haven’t tried these yet, I am sure they could work. I tend to think however that the act of getting together with a group of enthusiastic people to physically make the vision board creates a “good feeling” type of energy that you maybe wouldn’t get if you were sat at home trying to do it in front of a pc.

At my “vision board” party I am going to firstly talk about the whole process of creative visualisation, and then we will create our own mini boards.  Of course we are going to have wine and nachos too!!

More than anything else I think it’s going to be a fun, positive  contrast to some of the things I have been witnessing people going through with the job market right now. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Stay magnificent!

“Yes is a world and in this world of yes are all worlds” E.E. Cummings

I saw this quote yesterday and I instantly thought, this HAS to be a blog post!

(Above – Pic of me saying YES to life!!!!)

Yes really IS a world that we choose to enter into. Once we start saying yes to life, a whole other world with so many miracles opens up for us.

So – How do YOU say yes to life?

Me? Well YES for me is showing up in life. It’s living authentically and with purpose. It is about doing every day things just with pure love and awareness, not out of obligation or auto reaction.

I say yes to the people I choose to be around, and the way I choose to spend my precious time on this planet.

I am not just talking about big things here either, even going to the grocery store can be act of saying yes to life. You have the ability to consciously choose foods that are good for you, the planet, and foods that raise your vibration. You have the abillity to be loving and kind towards shop assistants. To be present whilst carrying out what could otherwise be thought of as a mundane, routine necessity is saying YES to life!

Of course saying no to things can also be an act of saying yes to life.  Choosing not to spend time doing something that won’t be of benefit to you or those around you, is an act of cherishing and celebrating yourself.

Saying yes to life is an act of recognising the abundance of power and choices you have available to you. Saying “no” can be so so liberating, (I wrote alot about this in my previous post).

Say yes to life in whichever way serves you, it could be a totally a different experience for you. For me it’s about observing the flow and cycles of life and being a fully integrated player in this amazing thing called life!!

How will YOU say yes to life more? Your comments are welcome!!

The most gigantic life lesson I think I have learnt since I have been here is dealing with the fact that sometimes I am going to be unpopular. Sometimes I just won’t be able to play the superwoman role and find a win win situation for everybody.

Sometimes I really am going to piss people off,  I am going to have to speak my truth and do what’s best for me, and then put my steel cap on and ride the consequent storm.

I have known all along that part of being a magnificent woman is not about pleasing people all of the time. It’s about speaking your truth and staying open and loving,whilst preserving your energy. I also know that, whilst many of us are aware of the value of recognising we don’t have to be perfect. I also know from experience that this ingrained drive to please and not rock the boat with the people around us can creep up on us in life without knowing.

I’ll talk more about this later. For now though I want to offer some advice for staying centred and connected to yourself, and keeping your own priorities in mind:

• Keep a journal, write in whatever format you feel lead. If you are new to keeping a journal just notice how you feel when you start putting pen to paper, and the words flow out of you. Journalling is great for developing your inner guidance, as well and staying grounded, solutions to challenges you are mulling over often come to you once you start writing.
• Go for walks and get out of your head, have alone time, make sure you  are in tune with how you are living your life. Ask yourself if you are living a purpose driven life on your terms, or if you are slipping into responding to other peoples needs due to a people pleasing drive.
• Do things that make YOU feel good – I know all of this sounds so simple but how often do we end up doing things that don’t make us feel good as an automatic reaction to feeling the need to help someone else, or because of those lingering “shoulds” in our heads. Forget perceived obligations and tke time out to do things you enjoy!
• Be aware – say to yourself at least a few times a day “I am aware”. This will open your eyes up to things around you and how you react to them. Being more aware will enable you to nip any people pleasing behaviour in the bud.

Have fun and remember to stay true to that authentic you!

I was talking with a friend last night about the condition some people find themselves in nowadays. I think there should be a new name for it, and it involves making constant excuses as to why they are not happy.

Our ego seems to have a habit of making us create situations that involve moaning and complaining and generally distracting us from the beauty of life around us.

The ego can be powerful and it catches up with me on occasion. The trick to not letting our complaining, pessimistic ego get to us, or overtake us, is awareness. I think when I started working on my coaching model I realised that the main tool an individual can develop is pure awareness. Awareness that their mind may be overstretched and they need to take time out and look at the bigger picture. Awareness of your body, of the effect different types of people around you are having on your spirit, and your general energy levels.

Pure awareness is the key to being able to change what you don’t like in your life, it’s the key to being able to respond, rather than make a trigger like reaction to a situation. It’s the key to being able to really really enjoy your surroundings and to just being present.

Awareness is the key to facing your fears, to knowing whether your fears are driving you, or whether you have them under control. Need I go on?

Talking through things with a coach and taking the time to reflect on life both increase self awareness.

Think about how self aware you are on a scale on 1 -10, and maybe think about what you can do to increase that?

Have a magnificent day and i’ll be back with more thoughts very soon.

So beauties it’s been a while since my last post. I am happy to say though that things are going swimmingly. I am even happier to say that I am starting to coach again. There are many plans and projects in the pipeline which I am so excited about I sometimes don’t want to sleep.  Although I think I read somewhere that sleep is a life necessity so I do try and fit it in along the way.

The most exciting thing for me is that I am not doing all this on my own anymore, I am creating an awesome team to work with.

I plan on stepping up the blog posts, sorry about my slackness lately, but forgive me also as I have just moved halfway across the globe.

I hope I can continue to produce energetic, inspiring material here for you guys. Keep smiling and noticing ALL the miracles.

Sophs

I would like to introduce  you to another guest blogger, as part of my new “What makes me magnificent” series, welcome Stan.

I am grateful to him for opening up and sharing his personal insights with the world, and adding yet another quality post to my site. Thank you for your authenticity Stan!

So Stan, the stage is now all yours…..

I am a “Marvelous, magnificent man!”  By Stan

I am a marvelous, magnificent man!…. Sounds kind of odd saying it to myself, because you don’t go around saying things like that all the time.
So when I sat down to write this post, I honestly thought it was going to be a snap. Then I started to think, what makes me a marvelous, magnificent man? And when you have to justify your affirmations, it tends to be a little harder than you think, I wanted to ask my roommates to tell me their opinions and choices but thought that no, it needs to come from me.
So what makes me a Marvelous, Magnificent Man? I honestly think the majority of it comes from my parents. without their knowledge, and ways of bringing me up, I don’t think I would have become who I am, I learned all the while growing up that we care for other people, we treat others as equals, and not insubordinate’s.
I carried these teachings all through my growing up years, and chose to follow them as I entered adulthood. I feel I have become a stronger person for following the teachings of my parents, I learned that if you respect others you get respect in return.

I have opened myself up to countless people in my life, only to be struck down and then have to rebuild again, so strength is another aspect. Another ingredient in this stew would be setting dreams & goals. I was told as a child to never stop dreaming your dreams and setting your goals in life, if you do that then you have no direction and you get lost in life. I also learned along my path that stress is never a friendly companion and it should never be brought along for the ride. so my ability to eliminate stress from my life is another aspect of what I feel makes me a marvelous magnificent man.

"I was told as a child to never stop dreaming your dreams and setting your goals in life, if you do that then you have no direction and you get lost in life."

I have loved in my lifetime and been loved as well, I am at a point in my life now where I am as happy as I could ever be, I am happy with my job, with my companion, and where I live, and wouldn’t trade any of it for anything ever. I have friends that care for me, trust me, and we make each other happy. I have been told by people that I am caring, loyal, trusting, even entertaining at times. I am in great health, and I start each day with a deep breath, treating each new day as an new adventure in my life.
I feel I have strong control over my life, and I don’t let life control me in any way shape or form. I take on new challenges head on, if I am defeated then I get up, wipe of the dirt and bounce back for another round. I feel it is all of these words and thoughts combined that make me a marvelous magnificent man, and after all of this, I can honestly say that phrase now without feeling strange.

Stan is from the Midwest, and strives to  enjoy life to the fullest extent.  When not maintaining his work’s website, you can find Stan enjoying the outdoors, advancing his photographic skills. Stan has recently returned to school to further his education, and is currently studying Spanish.
you can find Stan on twitter, and you can follow him at  http://twitter.com/Stan_64

So here begins the first in a series of guest blog posts. These are people I hand picked to write for my site because I consider them all to be magnificent and marvelous in their own way.

I asked them to dispel their fears and celebrate their own uniqueness right here on this blog. The aim is to encourage my visitors to celebrate their own individuality and carry that through into their lives. It’s important to remember that there is no one else like us, we are all unique in our own way, so why not magnify our qualities?

So i’ll now say a big heartfelt thank you to Michelle Ward for starting the series off with this quality post, and the spotlight is now hers……..

“On Becoming a Magnificent, Marvelous Woman” by Michelle Ward

I’m a magnificent, marvelous woman. There, I said it. It was tough, because really, who says that about themselves? Stuck up egomaniacs, that’s who. And me. (And you should too!)

When Sophie asked me to write a guest post for her blog, I was immediately touched and honored. When she asked me to write about how I became a magnificent, marvelous woman, I was even more touched, but with a splash of fear and, well, horror.

What makes me a magnificent, marvelous woman? What makes anyone a magnificent, marvelous woman? It was easier to think of those that I consider magnificent, marvelous women, so that’s what I did. I thought of my close girlfriends, my family members, my Mom, and came up with so many different reasons as to why they were each magnificent and marvelous in their own way. I then looked outside of my close-knit circle and thought of new friends or acquaintances of mine, and was able to find the characteristics that make them magnificent and marvelous fairly easily, too.

I took a deep breath and reflected inward, but cheated a bit by looking at How Others Find Me Inspiring, which was based on a project (started by Sophie!) in which you ask your friends & family to, uh, tell you how they find you inspiring. It was scarier than it looked, but so worthwhile at the end of the day for a multitude of reasons – one of them being I ended up with a laundry list of why I’m, essentially, magnificent and marvelous.

I think the gist of all that was written by those I love was that I’m a unique, one-of-a-kind, inspiring, colorful gal. I’m the type of person that spreads sunshine all over the place (as one of my favorite musicals said), and I enthuse others with the ability to see the best in themselves. My humility is having a tough time typing these words of praise, but I know what I went through to get there: “failure” to make it as an actress/letting go of a lifelong dream, a terrible break-up with a long-time live-in boyfriend, the divorce of my parents when I was 19…..I’ve had a wonderful life but not necessarily a charmed one. But now I see where I come out on the bright, optimistic, (magnificent, marvelous) side: I’m married to my soul mate, who is a kind, generous, smart, funny, super awesome man who I wouldn’t trade in for anyone else ever, and I found a new career to be passionate about. As a certified life coach and creative career coach, I’ve incorporated so many of my skills and interests and passions, and it fills me up with the same satisfaction that a sold-out theater filled with applause used to give me. I’m a magnificent, marvelous woman because I took the challenges of my life, punched them in the face, and found the bigger and the better to latch on to.

Yes, I am both a magnificent and a marvelous woman, and I can now say that minus fear or horror. I say it with pride. I say it with joy. I say it with a straight spine and a big smile. I say it because I love alliteration. I say it because it’s true.

Michelle Ward received her BFA in musical theater from New York University/Tisch School of the Arts, and subsequently performed on TV, at sea, in short films, regionally, and in New York City. After 8 years of pounding (her head against) the pavement, she admitted that she loathed the business of show more than she enjoyed her performing opportunities. Michelle has since been certified by the International Coach Academy, and as a Creative Career Coach, she’s able to help others discover how they can stop pounding (their heads against) the pavement and find a new path that’s all their own. You can find her at http://whenigrowupcoach.com.

One of the greatest feelings in life is the conviction that you have lived the life you wanted to live – with the rough and the smooth, the good and the bad – but yours, shaped by your own choices, and not someone else’s - Michael Ignatieff

I write this post at the risk of sounding like a broken record. But I can’t stress enough how much it makes a person come alive when they start to live life shaped by their own choices. I think this is what makes people achieve great things, like the guy who painted this house blue. As a person living your own life you just create amazing things effortlessly.

But you can’t possibly do this if you are working at a job, or living on a certain way because Aunt Marge told you it would be what you are good at. You won’t feel aligned, passionate, authentic in your life.

I put this quote on my website because it’s thought provoking. I think it does make people stop and wonder whether they are living for themselves or other people/standards.

If you choose to live life through your own choices, the way I see it, it doesn’t matter if you make mistakes, because are least they are your “own” mistakes.

I’ll leave you with this to think about. I hope the quote is as thought provoking for you as it was for me when I first read it!

 Ok so Michelle is asking people to be interviewed, here are the questions she came up with for me, and my reponses below. Hope you enjoy!

* What is it about female friendships that are so powerful?

Well, after spending a week in New York with a wonderful friend, I feel I am in a really good position to answer this question right now. In fact, I was able to meet my new friend Michelle, and my old friend, and consequently realised that there are special aspects to all friendships no matter how long you have known each other.

I honestly don’t know if I would be where I am today if I didn’t have some of the women in my life who I cherish so much. I think female friendships are powerful for me because of the shared empathy we use with each other. Sometimes as a woman you don’t need someone to fix things for you, you just want to be heard. Sometimes also you don’t want to talk about things, you just want to have a laugh. The best friendships are the ones where both people sense what is needed right there and then.

The right friendship should be supportive and inspiring, and I always tell clients that if a friend is consistently draining your energy, it’s time to move on. I really believe in creating a powerful network of positive people around you and sometimes you have to be honest about who in your life is really supporting you.

* What’s your definition of “marvelous”?

My “own” definition of marvelous is just to be a bigger, magnified you! It’s about taking who you really are, your core elements and really living that. Its not about comparing yourself to anyone else. It’s about looking at your strengths and using them to create amazing things in the world. Its about realising that everything you do makes a difference, and that you have a gift somewhere within you that will help you come alive.  I have actually learnt to spot marvelous women everywhere I go, it’s like a sixth sense, and I try to befriend them as much as possible.

* If you had to do something that terrifies you, what would it be?

Errrmmm, move to Sydney. Australia where I only know one person, oh, hang on that’s what I am doing, shit!! No, actually this doesn’t terrify me. I have  moved to places before where I didn’t know a single person and now I think I am so used to it that it doesn’t scare me. I really don’t know, to be honest, right now I can’t think of anything that terrifies me, I didn’t used to be like this, but I have become so used to “feeling the fear and doing it anyway” that I think much of the fear that can hold power over you has dissolved in my life. I honestly think that when you start living life for yourself, and not because of someone else’s expectations, your fear dissipates.  This isn’t me blowing my own trumpet, it’s just that I am thinking about it and right now I cannot think of anything that terrifies me.

What sacrifice do you know you should be making right now, but aren’t? I think it would be sacrificing certain things such as my social time, in order to do more writing. Also, sacrificing money, learning to live on less, with less maybe? Mmm, not sure this is hard for me.  Maybe I have misunderstood the question, but they are my initial thoughts.

* If you were an animal, which one would you be?

I would definitely be a horse, I grew up with racehorses and they are so elegant, and have such personalities. When my father was being nasty to me (which was often) I used to go and talk to my pony, “holly”, ok, she never talked back but she was there for me. So I have high respect for horses, I think they have a high intuition like cats do.

My friend once described me as being akin to a “thoroughbred” horse. Not fully sure why, something to do with needing the right food and lots of downtime and good stuff to stay grounded I think. I think actually it was another way of saying I am a fussy, high maintenance bugger!

I can’t even think of a title………….

I had planned to write a post today, but I feel overcome with sadness about the Buffalo plane crash. Somehow I feel I need to leave space here to honour the people who have lost their lives suddenly.

I can’t really express how I feel about this, it hit me like a ton of bricks when I woke up this morning.

All I can think about is the woman on the plane who lost her husband in 9/11, and that she is now with him in heaven.

I can’ t comprehend it right now, maybe when I process it i’ll share it on this blog, but in another way I don’t feel as though I have the right to “write” about  something that is so comprehensible.  I write about life, but I can’t explain or begin to write about this amount of people losing their lives, nor should I pretend that I can.

So I think I need to process it myself , alone, and give this event the time and space it deserves.

Love and hugs to all of you!

Sophie