I hope you had an amazing time spent with family and all the people you love this Christmas. This year I celebrated my Christmas in Spain with my wonderful man cooking too much yummy food and overloading on super tasty cakes from a local bakery. As an early Christmas present we have moved into a beautiful new apartment with an amazing view just a few days before Christmas day.
We had very sunny and warm weather here in Andalucia and I was counting my blessings. It was very beautiful Christmas.
We didn’t do any Christmas presents this year because we are still on our “around the world tour” and each little thing we get has to have very specific purpose to claim a spot in our suitcases. Collecting stuff is a no-no right now and it actually feels great. It’s nice to not be weighed down by too much stuff that requires energy and time to look after.
Instead we planned a one day Paris trip that will be one of the best Christmas presents ever. I will post pictures and share the excitement with you when we get there, which will be in about 3 weeks. Paris in winter. I think it will be amazing way to start 2014!
Starting 2014 with being grateful for the gifts of 2013
Before we all get excited about the next year, it’s important to that we pay attention to what did the past year taught us about who we are, what we are capable of and what lessons are still to be learned maybe.
So 2013. What a year that was!
A lot of people I know have been going through some major changes and transformation last year, including myself.
2013 was the Year of Snake – good year to begin important detail work. It was the year to research and explore your options in different areas of your life, and “sneak” new ideas in. A new-found ambitions were supported to inspire you to be all you can be, and provide you with the follow through to actually achieve your goals.
The Snake likes protection, needs to feel safe and secure to utilize its special analytical skills so this was not the year to make rush decisions but instead practice patience – the hardest thing to practice in the world today. 2013 was the year to make headway in slow and methodical ways.
So what do you think. Did you approach your 2013 from the right angle?
2013 was year of new-found ambitions and exploring
I have to say that 2013 definitely felt like an adventure to me. In March I left Vancouver, Canada to take on a fun journey around the world with my boyfriend to find the best spot on this beautiful planet for us to put down some roots, build a home and start a family of our own.
We spend 3 months in Australia, then stopped in Singapore, next we were off to Turkey and ended up spending 3 summer months in Eastern Europe – mostly Slovakia (my home country).
Australian beaches are just breathtaking and absolutely loved the friendly and easy going Australian people.
If you are in Singapore, you have to check out the Sky on 57 Restaurant. It has the most amazing views of Singapore being on the 57th floor of the most impressive building I have ever seen – it’s the building that looks like a boat sitting on top of 3 other buildings ( that you can see on my pics).
Istanbul is just fun. Such a great city with lots of amazing food, great little restaurants to enjoy the turkish tea and treats of all kinds, and it has so much culture it’s mindblowing.
Slovakia was all about feeling the love, spending time with family and friends and we also managed to do 2 weddings while we we were there that were waaaay to much fun to be at. East European big weddings. You can just imagine what was that like.
After visiting with family and friends we were off to Spain and spent a month camping along Spanish coastline and exploring some exciting little spanish towns and beaches while making a little stop in Portugal. Eventually we settled into Andalucia in very south of Spain and made one of their beautiful pueblos de blancos – white villages our home.
We have been living in Conil de la Frontera – little charming fishing town with a great surfing community for 4 months now. And we are loving it.
My Power Moments and Power Lessons of 2013
I have so much to be grateful for in past 12 months.
And it was definitely the year focused on well thought through transformation that unfolded slowly. Things needed to be digested with care and slowly while paying attention to all little details to make sure I would not miss important lessons and insights from the universe to help me shift in the right direction.
Here are the lessons of 2013 – some learned, some still to be mastered.
1. Personal freedom is the gateway to happiness.
Seeing the world with the person I love so much while still growing my Coaching business was quite a ride – exciting, at times stressful but also empowering, and a great way to get to know myself better while deciding what values and principles I want to build my life and my career around these days.
All of the traveling and fun I had in 2013 was possible because both me and Mike are on-line entrepreneurs with so much personal and professional freedom that we can set up anywhere in the world ( that has good internet connection 🙂 )and still do what we love and get paid. I am very grateful for that experience.
If that inspired you, ask yourself where would you like to experience more freedom in your life and how can you create it?
We live in a world of opportunities and a whole new approach to life. Take advantage of that and think out of the box.
To hit the target, you will need to have some guidelines. Figure out what freedom means to you and what are the specifics of the freedom that you want experience more of in your life? Write it down. Really think about it and think big. Grow some wings in your mind and you will be able to create an escape from the world that restricts you.
My Coach advise to create more personal freedom in your life:
Find people that are already have what you want to add to your life. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. There are plenty of people out there already doing what you need to do that can serve you as How To… templates. Look for these people and get in touch.
Talk to them or even better get a mentor that will guide you through the process and help you to hit your target faster and with much more ease. That is the most powerful advice I can give you.
Mentoring will rock your world in ways you had no idea about. It’s so empowering and productive way to success in any area of your life hands down.
You can find a mentor you work with in person (a professional Coach) but you can also find people on-line that share their experiences and tools for success on their blog like Marie Forleo, Ali Brown, or Denise Duffield-Thomas.
The 3 ladies I just named have been some of my mentors for the last few years and it’s been amazing.
It’s also what inspired me to offer Mentoring services my self to women like me that have the same dreams I had 5 years ago ( that are a reality now and the life I love that I share with others here on my blog).
So if you are someone with a dream of having an on-line Coaching business and have no idea where to start, get in touch with me. I am always excited to empower another Goddess out there ready to step into her purpose to shine and thrive.
2. No matter what, stay grounded in your body.
Making changes will likely “rock your boat of comfort and safety” and maybe everyone else’s for that matter. That can throw you out of balance and distract you from what’s really important and the original purpose of what you are doing – creating the life that feels better to you.
Change should be challenging (so you could see how strong and resourceful you are as a person), and at time quite uncomfortable (that is given and feels refreshing actually) but it should never be destructive and damaging to your life, your relationship or your health. If that is happening, you know that something has gone wrong and it’s time to course correct.
In one of my previous newsletters I shared that I have been dealing with a skin condition that I have developed in the last 2 years called Melasma – patchy brown discolouration on the face other looking like you have a dirty mustache and large sunspots on the cheeks and forehead area.
While I was traveling the world like a mad woman with my surfer boyfriend and savvy on-line entrepreneur himself, and Coaching my clients from places like Vancouver, Costa Rica, Florida, Eastern Europe, Australia…focused on helping others to heal their life, I have neglected my own health and it was something I had to pay attention too.
As happy and excited I was to launch my dream career, I think I exhausted my self a little (which is easy to do if you are a perfectionist like me) and my body gave in.
Growing my on-line business in any way I could was empowering and fun but it was also pretty stressful time of my life. But that’s what a person signs up for when you decide to start your own business and you become the one woman machine doing everything and anything that your business requires.
Long story short I needed a wake-up call to regain my health and frankly my sanity. And that’s what my Melasma was – my body screaming that I need to course correct and get back to balance. So I took a few months off and got grounded in my own body again – making sure I got enough rest, exercise and diet that my body needed.
In all of that I realized how important routines and daily little habits of Balance and self awareness are. Those are the moments during the day when we can get grounded in what’s really important to us and what keeps us truly happy and protects our well-being.
In the next few weeks I will be posting some articles with step by step process I used to battle my Melasma and how I got things under control again. It’s still work in progress but I feel I am back on track to doing things the right way.
My Coach advise to stay grounded in your body to maintain balance and true happiness:
I find that creating simple routines at different times of the day is like vitamins for your soul and your body. To my surprise, most people don’t have these outside of hitting the gym for an hour which counts but it’s not enough.
I am one of those people you would call health-nuts. I eat very healthy and I have a life and career that I really love but I still crossed some lines and my body could not take it.
I needed to get back to basics.
Here are some of my Balance routines and Power habits that keep me sane and productive while I put my health first:
Morning Routines.Do you have some?
If you don’t have one, and shower and breakfast – especially if it’s just a cup of coffee don’t count, I highly recommend that you give this some thought. Each morning create a space to honor your body, clean up your energy and focus before you enter the day. It will prevent you from being distracted with other people’s agendas and neglecting yourself and your own happiness.
Your day will turn into whole new experience if you approach it with the right mindset build around self respect and self love. If you will take the time to build these habits you will start manifesting miracles, I promise you.
Here is an examples of my morning routines:
- Before you jump out of bed, take 2-5 minutes to just breathe. Take long, deep breaths and let your lungs fill up. The 3 things your body need to function well is oxygen, enough water ( as dehydration is one of the biggest stresses your body can go through) and exercise. Give your brain and your body enough oxygen to wake up with feeling clear minded and self aware.
- Before you head out to hit the shower, stand up and ask yourself : What are the 3 most important things I need to do today ( that contribute to your own personal happiness) ? Write these down and build your day around these.
- Have a glass of water before you have your breakfast – it will help to flush out the toxins in your body collected during the detoxing process your body goes through over night. It’s one of my best habits. I also always have a few glasses of water or mint tea ( I am a mint tea addict) before going to bed. This is also an amazing way to maintain a healthy weight and a great way to slim down if you feel that’s a good idea.
- Stretch. I know, sounds so boring and simple but it’s soooooo beneficial to your overall health and vitality. Pretend that you are a cat for a few minutes and stretch those sleepy muscles, get some blood going and notice what needs extra attention. What your body needs today? And then do it.
- One of my power habits is to listen to motivational/self help oriented videos on Youtube while I get dressed and do my makeup. “Coincidentally” 😉 I always find what I needed to hear that morning. I am fired up and ready to have a great day. Try it. It’s better than a cup of coffee.
- Always eat in peace, in a place you can relax and truly digest the food that delivers energy and nutrients you need to function well. Say no to gossiping co-worker that want’s you to put a word in while she tells you what’s wrong with the world. You might as well put some poison in your food before you eat it. It has the same effect.
There is more but those are a few ideas to implement and start creating your morning ” balance and clarity zone”. It’s worth putting in the effort.
Did you experience any wake-up calls in the past 12 months that are calling for some adjustments in your habits and lifestyle?
If yes, what were they?
Write them down and brainstorm to find out what needs to be adjusted and paid attention to.
3. Whenever you have the chance to say the right thing or the kind thing, always choose the kind thing.
This 3rd power lessons is very short but may be the most important one.
One of my favourite quotes from Anthony Robbins is: “Quality of our lives depends on quality of our relationships”.
At the end of the day, we need to remember that goal in all we do is not to become perfect but to become perfectly happy, accepting and appreciating of who you are in the moment and also do that for others. The truth is that we all do our best (whether it looks that way or not) and we can always work at it as we go.
This especially applies to relationships with family and our spouses. They are not responsible for our happiness. We are. Once we’ll fully claim that responsibility, we can stop putting pressure on people that love us but can turn away when we become self-centred and selfish.
They say, never go to bed angry. I try to remember that every day and learned to turn fights into lessons of compassion and self awareness. It’s the secret to being as happy as I am in my relationship with my man now. And I am happy to leave my ego laying on the ground defeated while I cuddle on the couch with the man I love.
Where is your relationships can you apply this simple rule more?
Start practicing and you will see your relationships transform in a ways that you have never imagined.
What were Your Power Moments and Power Lessons of 2013?
It’s really important to recap, organize your thoughts, close the loops before moving onto the next chapter. I hope I helped you do that in this article. If yes, share your power moments and power lessons in the comment section below. I will be excited to hear from you and even happy to help with some advice and guidance for more balanced 2014.
What have you learned about yourself?
Where did you grow stronger, wiser and more sure of your self?
Where do you still have some work to do to carry over to 2014?
I am so happy I could share all of those beautiful, fun 2013 moments with you. I hope you enjoyed this post and I wish you Happy New Year 2014! May it be the best yet, full of wonderful surprises and opportunities to see how strong, kind and capable of amazing things you are!
With Love,
