Business Success Lives in Your Heart and Mind

When you run a business or even a blog that you would love more readers for, your mindset to that undertaking plays a huge part in its success.  When I say huge…I mean it.  Huge.

You can have a chic brand or header, beautiful imagery, incredible products and a kick ass business plan but if you don’t believe in what you are doing and back that up with your actions – you will fold.

Harsh?  No.  Just a truth delivery designed to get you not only thinking about, but knowing, that your mindset and attitude is the cornerstone and foundation to your success.

And the links between your positive, negative, fearful, flying or anything in between mindset translate directly into what you do or don’t do in your business.  When you fully back your business or blog you back yourself.  You carry it with you everywhere because you know that your next client, customer or reader could be just around the corner, just waiting for you and what you can do for them.

Women in business who truly believe in what they do have an outstandingly positive mindset and belief which can be seen in actions like the following…

They carry their business cards with them everywhere knowing that the one time they don’t have them will be the one time someone needs that card – and them.  

They speak openly and with passion whenever anyone asks what they do or what on earth blogging is.

They take every opportunity they can to talk to people about their enterprise knowing that what they do and have is absolutely something that many, many people may want or need.

They focus on doing what needs to be done to make their business the best it can be for them and not spend too much time consumed with what their competition is doing.

They aren’t afraid of selling or self promotion and they do it in a way that is righteously respectful.  They know if they don’t sell and self promote they won’t sell anything.  No sales or self promotion = bye bye.

So beautiful you….if you are truly wanting to take your blog and/or business to the next level or wondering why things may not be moving in the direction you hoped for; it’s time to get really honest with yourself.  Are you actually afraid of success?  What’s holding you back from promoting your products?  What’s the real reason all your family and friends don’t know about your business dream?  Are you being your own best business friend?

Take the time to truly reflect and spend some loving time with yourself.  The issue or barrier you are facing may not be that you need a fancy new logo.  It may be something much closer to home.  And that’s a good thing beautiful.  A very good thing.  Because all the power and control is in your hands to positively change it.  And you totally can.

Tagged as: Attitude, Blog, Blogging, Business, Clients, Customers, Entrepreneurship, Positivity, Self Belief, True Work

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You Are Lovable at Any Size

This post is inspired by the latest promotional ads for the 2012 Biggest Loser which are trying to sell you, me and the world the concept that for any person to be deserving of love – ‘ready for love’ – they must lose weight and be thin.  They’re wrong.  You can love yourself and be loved at any size.  Any.

 Image: The Examiner

Listen Up Beautiful You 

I’ve got something to say.

It’s important and I need you to read it, hear it and let it morph into your soul.  Really, really, morph.

You are beautiful and divine just as you are.

You do not need to take up less space in this world.  Your fat, curvaceous, tall, big, broad, voluptuous, curvy, adipose, magnificent self can take up all the space you deem you so require.

What shape or size you are has nothing to do with how lovable you are.

To be ready for any form of love you want or need you do not need to diet or whittle yourself away.

The love you are and the love you are attracting or not attracting in your life is not related to your shape or size.  It’s all what’s happening in the space between your ears.  Truth.  Own it and work on it if you need to.  Do it for you.  Beautiful You.

Don’t let anyone or anything attempt to convince you that you will never meet the man or woman of your dreams unless you meet a strict media driven requirement of being thin, perky, shiny and thin.

Get ready to move on if you think for one moment that there are not people out there having mind blowing, outrageously good and hot physical intimacy and sex.  They are.  They really, really are.

Untangle yourself from any notion, noggin, thought or entire belief system that the reason you aren’t lovable or beautiful or attractive or sexy or desirable is because of your shape or size.  I don’t need to see you to know this.

Move on gorgeous one.  Move on from any thought or any belief that you have to be smaller, thinner, less than you are right now to feel and know and have the love you deserve.  Give that love to yourself and watch others illuminate from your example.

Give that love to yourself and see a world of love open up to you.

Tagged as: Diet, Fat Acceptance, Intimacy, Love, Media, Romantic Love, Self Love, Sex, Shape, Size, The Biggest Loser, Thin, Thin Ideal, Weight

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Beautiful You Book Review: Amongst Sisters by Amanda Foxon-Hill

I’m delighted to present a book review and interview with Amanda Foxon-Hill today about her inspirational book ‘Amongst Sisters.’   This beautiful book is a true treasure and has been the perfect summer holiday reading for me throughout the festive season.  ’Amongst Sisters’ is a celebration of the female form and women’s lives.  Themes of beauty, confidence, love and acceptance abound in it’s colourful pages with gorgeous photographs by Lucia De Giovanni.  Amanda kindly agreed to tell us a little more…

What inspired you to write ‘Amongst Sisters?‘  After working in the beauty industry (as a   chemist) for the past 13 years, I have been increasingly worried about our desire to deny and wipe out anything that is unique and interesting about us, such as the odd wrinkle, scar, birthmark, the shape of eyes or nose and our skin texture.  I’m also concerned that as free women with many choices and opportunities we now seem to be focusing almost totally on our looks and specifically young doll-like looks.  I don’t believe that this is healthy for our self-esteem or personal growth and see it as a consequence of our fix-it, need-it-now, ‘teenager-like’ society that prefers to scoot across the surface rather than dig deep and find real treasures.  I didn’t want to remain part of the problem, but still loved my job, so I wanted to write in a way that got women thinking more deeply about themselves and their identity.  We should be able to feel proud of our journey and wear the marks and badges of a long and fruitful life with pride.

What are the messages you are most hoping women will take away from ‘Amongst Sisters?’

That we are all the same in as much as we all have a right to kindness and compassion and should be accepted and loved  

That we need to carve out time to really talk and start meaningful conversations Amongst Sisters  

That it is a sign of strength and maturity rather than weakness when we share thoughts about our deepest feelings, fears and problems  

That we deserve to be healthy and that means living our lives with our eyes and minds wide open  

That we should seek happiness and play  That our sensuality should be owned and used wisely 

Thank you Amanda.  I think those take away messages are about as good as anyone could hope for when reading a book targeted  directly at women.  ’Amongst Sisters’ is a wonderful hard cover coffee table book that would make a truly beautiful gift for your sister, Mother or friend.  It’s vibrant and positive messages from over fifty contributors are the perfect antidote for the airbrushed and glossy magazines we are bombarded with constantly, and a reminder that there are ‘reads’ out there that can become a part of our library forever and be something we pass on to younger girls in our lives we love.  ’Amongst Sisters’ is available for purchase here.

Tagged as: Acceptance, Amanda Foxon-Hill, Amongst Sisters Book, Beauty, Beauty Industry, Book Review, Compassion, Confidence, Kindess, Love, Lucia De Giovanni, Reading, Real Beauty, Self Esteem, Women

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Your Real Beauty – Your True Work – Your Beautiful Life

Your real beauty – Your true work – Your beautiful life

This is the new mantra of beautiful you. 

I was reflecting for a number of months last year about the core meaning of my work and what I wanted it to mean not just for me but for you.  When you are a multi-passionate person like I am you will know what I mean when I say sometimes it can be hard to encapsulate everything you want to say – everything you want to mean – everything that is important to you – and everything about everything you do.  That’s a lot of everythings! 

But real beauty, true work and a beautiful life is where the heart is in what I do.  More?  Ok!

Real Beauty

My passion for promoting positive body image is as strong as it was when I first began working in this field (ahem….) many years ago.  I still fervently believe that beautiful and healthy people come in all different shapes and sizes and that it is possible to feel amazing about your body, your appearance and yourself no matter what the colour of your skin, the shape of your tummy or the number on the tag inside your jeans.  I cannot ever imagine a day when I will not rally against demeaning advertising, dangerous diets, outrageous photoshopping or any media form or person that tries to push people into a generic beauty norm.  

As both a counsellor and a coach I have always loved working with people who are wanting to develop a more positive and purposeful relationship with their body and food.  Sometimes this can be about wanting to find ways to boost your self esteem, confidence and self belief, other times it involves developing a healing relationship from an intensely negative body image, life time of dieting or an eating disorder.  All involve finding your real self.  Your real beauty.  She’s in there you know.  

True Work

 Are you doing your true work?  Do you even know what it is?  When I meet someone who is vibrant and happy and ‘alive’ I often sense that an incredibly fulfilling and rewarding career, business or entrepreneurship is not very far away.  People who are getting dollars for doing what they truly love are an inspiration to be around.  They’re doers, creators, catalysts, inspirers and out there shaking their money maker – in whatever form that may be.  It could be as a teacher, a healer, a fashion designer, a scrapbooker, a gardener, a blogger.  They come in many different and beautiful forms but they are all being true to themselves by choosing to get real about what their passion is – and getting paid to do it.

As a life and business coach I adore working with people who are wanting to propel their true work to an even higher plain, or (let me speak frankly!) work out what the hell their true work is meant to be.  The rewards and richness that unfold from that are totally amazing, as many of my coaching clients who have worked on a career or business goal attest to.  Helping you find your true work and inspiring you to take your own business, career and money making ideas to a truly beautiful level is going to be taking up more love space here at beautiful you.  I can’t wait and hope it helps you soar.  

Beautiful Life

Forgive me for going all ‘woo woo’ on you for a moment. 

Do you sometimes listen to a piece of music, watch a clip on youtube or even just see a beautiful photograph and move into a place of thinking about your life?  Who am I?  What is my life meant to be about?  Am I doing ok?  Am I giving enough?  Am I keeping it real?

I do.

I think I always have – ever since I was quite young.  Sometimes I think it’s just daydreaming.  Other times I have learned I better have a notebook or my laptop nearby because a gushing of ideas is about to come forth.  (Please do leave me a comment if you do this too so I don’t feel so nutty!)

And many of these ideas and thoughts make it here to beautiful you.  Ideas about living an inspirational life, being the best person you can be, making the most out of every day, loving yourself, building incredible personal, business and community relationships and just being happy.   

Yeah that.

So….beautiful you….

Welcome to your real beauty – your true work – your beautiful life.

Read along, comment along, share along and know I’m right here to walk beside you as your coach or counsellor.

Here’s to an amazing 2012.  Here’s to beautiful you.

 

Tagged as: Beautiful Life, Coaching, Counselling, Real Beauty, True Work

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Happy Holidays Beautiful You!

Happy Holidays Beautiful You! 

I send you much love, peace and good wishes for a festive season as wonderful as you.  May it be filled with all the things you are hoping and wishing for.

Thank you for your presence here with me.  I treasure you.

Image: Patricia Awapara

Tagged as: Christmas, Festive Season, Holidays, Love, Peace

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Guest Post: ‘My Breast Enhancement Surgery….and Removal’

A special thank goes out to Melanie Hawskley today for emailing and asking me if she could share her journey of body acceptance with Beautiful You readers.  I of course said yes when I learned more about Melanie’s life experiences and her desire to share her story with others in the hope they may learn something from it; especially if considering cosmetic surgery.  It’s a true and raw tale of learning and self love and I thank Melanie for sharing it with us.

My name is Melanie.  I’m a personal trainer, C.H.E.K (Corrective Holistic Exercise Kinesiology Institute) Holistic Lifestyle Coach, massage therapist and mother to two lovely kids.  In 2005 I got silicone gel breast implants to improve my very saggy post feeding breasts.  I was 34 years old, 3 years out of my marriage and in a relationship with a guy that definitely didn’t think much of me as a woman.

As a young woman I was always very self conscious about having almost no breasts, often making bras and bikini tops so I could pad them out.  All my friends wore bras and I wanted to be the same.  This desire was something I thought about lots as I grew up. In 2002 my marriage ended and I found myself in a relationship with a self centred man.  He was breast obsessed and often commented on mine being small.  He wasn’t the only one.  Other women would comment too.  I can now see if I’d had any self esteem I would not have cared what they thought but their words cut deep. 

It was 2004 when I met the guy who supported my decision to get breast implants.  I knew he was poor partner material but he had a way with words and knew how to keep me down.  My breast implant obsession began one night in a club.  I saw a woman with the most perfect breast implants, but when I looked at them I also thought how stupid it was to have them.  My partner laughed and said something about how bitchy women were.  I thought this meant he wanted me to have implants and that I wasn’t good enough without them.

I spent the next 6 months thinking about it obsessively until one day I announced I was getting them.  Again he laughed but never once did he say it was a dumb idea or worry about the implications for me.  I choose one of Sydney’s top surgeons and decided to get a ‘C’ cup breast (3 sizes bigger than natural) and was very excited.  The surgery cost me $11,500 and was the beginning of a very interesting life journey.  My partner came with me and took me home.  He was a pig; wanted to take my sleeping drugs and got so drunk he left me alone in the house un-able to change my own dressings.  I was very sore and swollen and even from the start felt they looked REALLY fake.

I now had ‘DD’ size breasts, 5 sizes bigger than my natural breasts.  It was a love hate relationship from the start but we got along OK for about 3 years.  3 years after surgery I went back to university and ditched the bloke but was beginning to develop unexplained fatigue.  I ignored it.  I had two children to rear, a business to run and studies to complete.  

Eventually my health was too poor to continue doing what I’d come to love; working out at the gym.  I was studying to be a personal trainer, was lean, exhausted and in need of help.  I decided to study C.H.E.K Holistic lifestyle Coaching and was sick throughout the course; but what I learned changed the course of my life.  I learned why I was unwell which included excess stress on my immune system, how to get well, and how to share that with others.  After a workout one day I developed acute swelling around my left breast.  Investigations revealed nothing but it happened again much worse a few weeks later.  This time I felt ill and went to a great GP who discovered I had excessively high levels of ‘C Reactive Protein’ – a sign the body is rejecting something.

It took me a while to find a surgeon I could trust but in May 2011 the implants were removed.  It’s been a journey of mixed emotions.  I was truly relieved to be bringing my body back into balance and good health but it’s been a big challenge with clothes as my breasts look a lot worse now than they did before the implants.  I also discovered that due to the original implant surgery and my love of fitness, I’ve torn a lot of chest muscle tissue off the bone so now only have half my chest muscle left.  I also have lots of breast distortion when I exercise which means I need to hide my chest more than I want to.

To be really honest though, I’m happier than I’ve been in years.  The implant removal was such an awesome experience in that it enabled me to see just how much I have grown as a person.  Right now my breasts don’t look awesome but I can handle it far better than I could handle my wonderful natural body before implants.  I have grown into a self confident woman who’s following her path in life doing what she loves.

I look back at the whole experience and wonder who I’d be without it?  Where would I be, what would I be doing now?  So much good has come out of something so bad.  I’m now helping other women understand the value of their health.  We can’t take our health for granted; it’s not for free.  Through fitness, holistic lifestyle coaching, massage, meditation, good food, self appreciation and appreciation for the world we live in; we are able to bring our lives back into balance and experience our birth right…..optimal health and fitness.

Wishing you a happy, healthy and fulfilled life.

Thank you for being so brave and sharing such a significant part of your life with us Melanie.  You can connect in with Melanie at At-One Womens Fitness and on her Facebook page. 

Tagged as: Breast Implants, Cosmetic Surgery, Melanie Hawksley, Self Esteem

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