Posts tagged as:

Self Love

Todays giveaway is a very personal one from me to you.  It’s a chance to work with me as your coach to help you bring to life some beautiful goals, dreams, hopes and wishes that you might have been thinking about…but haven’t quite begun yet.  Or maybe you have started but are a bit stuck and well, what to get unstuck.  Fair enough Beautiful You!

If you have always thought that getting a coach is not for you…let me tell you a little secret.  If you are alive and breathing and want to live the best life you possibly can – coaching is for you.  If you are dreaming of or already running your own business or want an amazing career - coaching is for you.  If you are wanting to dive into your dream career or relationship – coaching is for you.  If you’re a Mum and are in need of a confidence boost, support and have someone ‘in your corner’ with all you want and desire – then coaching is for you.  If you’re lost and unsure and can’t quite find your groove or hit your stride – then coaching is for you.  If you want to develop a self loving and confident relationship with yourself – coaching is for you. 

So….come coach with me.  This is your chance to work with me like so many other amazing people have – check out what they have to say about what it’s like to have me as their coach.  If you want a piece of the action – let’s make it happen!  Up for grabs is my Shine Package which you can read all about here.  It’s swift, shining and sassy and designed to get you super charged and forward moving with all you want and desire.  Worth a beautiful $200.00

Day Four Giveaway Guidelines

1. Entry is open worldwide! 

2. To be eligible to enter please be a Beautiful You Newsletter Subscriber.  It’s free to join in the ‘Fill Your Inbox With Beauty’ section in the sidebar and you will receive special news, discounts and goodies via email. 

3. Leave a comment below telling me about what you are most hoping to achieve in 2012.   

4. All entries to please be in by 5pm December 12th after which the winner will be drawn at random and notified by email.

{ 61 comments }

I finished my Christmas shopping yesterday.  That, for me, deserves a big jolly ‘Ho, Ho, Ho!’  Being so busy counselling and coaching during the week I often fantasise about late night shopping but it never happens and I don’t fancy being in shopping centres as the 25th draws closer.  So glad to have it all done and I hope you have been going well with yours too.  If you need help with your shopping don’t forget we have ‘The Slap’ TV series on DVD, a dress from Shabby Apple and an Aromantik Perfume Oil to help you out.  You’re welcome to enter any and all giveaways!

Today, from the lovely Michelle Marie McGrath at Sacred Self, I have a box of Self Love Cards and two Alchemical Oils to give away.  If you have not checked out the Sacred Self site – please do.  It’s beautiful and filled with loving thoughts to help you be the best you can be.  You can also join the incredibly popular Sacred Self Facebook page and follow on Twitter too.

As Michelle explains, – “You are unique and irreplaceable but sometimes it can be easy to forget.  These self-love cards are gentle reminders.  Choose a card each morning and allow it to provide a positive focus for the day.  The cards contain simple but profound messages that you can meditate upon or use as an affirmation.”  Michelle has also kindly given me two of her divine smelling oils to give you, each one hand made with love during a meditation ceremony.  The oils are Abundance to encourage gratitude for what you already have and Joy to support you to committing to allowing more joy in your life.  This divinely sacred giveaway is worth an amazing $110.00 and makes a beautiful Christmas gift for you or someone you love….which should be you too!

Day Four Giveaway Guidelines

1. Entry is open worldwide! 

2. To be eligible to enter please be a Beautiful You Newsletter Subscriber.  It’s free to join in the ‘Fill Your Inbox With Beauty’ section in the sidebar and you will receive special news, discounts and goodies via email. 

3. Leave a comment below telling me about what is either wonderfully abundant in your life right now or what you are joyful for.  

4. All entries to please be in by 5pm December 9th after which the winner will be drawn at random and notified by email.

{ 17 comments }

I’m delighted today to present a guest post by Juliet Martine  from Karmabelles on the topic of sabotage.  Sounds so scary and yes, sometimes it can be, but the way Juliet is going to present the concept of sabotage to you I am certain will make you realise you can turn it around and make it not just work for you – but help you fly.  Thank you for being a part of Beautiful You Juliet.  I know your words are going to help many people.  

We all sabotage ourselves from time to time.  There’s no denying it.  We do it whenever we think thoughts, feel emotions, or do physical things that limit or hinder us in ways that take us in the opposite direction to where we’d like to be heading in life.

Whether its telling ourselves that we’re not smart enough, attractive enough, or experienced enough when we’re applying for a new job or trying to get a new client, or whether its allowing ourselves to get angry and pick a fight with our partner…we all undermine and sabotage ourselves in a variety of different ways that block and prevent us from moving forwards in our lives.

So how can we turn our sabotage around so that we stop hindering and start helping ourselves more?

We need to start thinking of our sabotage as being like a best friend.  A best friend we really care about, who is hurting and trying to get our attention because they need our help.

Deep down, that’s exactly what’s going on.  Whatever is causing our pattern of self sabotage to arise in the first place, there’s a part of ourselves that we’ve rejected in some way that is wanting us to heal.  When we stop fighting and befriend our patterns of sabotage, we can push away that part of ourselves causing us to harm ourselves in some way.  When we do this, we can then move into a place of more loving wholeness within ourselves and reintegrating with the fullness of who we really are, from the depths of our being.

So the next time you find yourself thinking thoughts, or feeling emotions or taking actions that are sabotaging or limiting you in some way, think of them as being like a really good friend you care about and love.  A best friend that is hurting, that you care about, and that occasionally goes off the rails and needs your help.  Make the choice to get to know that friend better so you can help them, and be able to remind them that they are loved and valued, and they are important to you.

Sit with your best friend and ask them why they are hurting.  Ask them to tell you their story and where their hurt is stemming from. Ask them what they believe about you and about life, and who, what or where these beliefs come from.

Then appreciate your friend for being vulnerable and honest.  With love in your heart, check in with them to see if their beliefs are actually true, or if they are simply stories that they have made or taken on from someone else.  As we challenge the source of our limiting beliefs, we usually find that they are not actually true, they are just stories that we have given power to by choosing to believe them.

Then ask your best friend the following questions:

What new stories would they like to write if they were loving themselves more?

What do they need in order to heal their wounds and feel a greater sense of peace and harmony within?

What new feelings would they like to be feeling as part of the new stories they would like to write? 

What new actions do they need to be taking in order to be moving forward in the direction they want to be heading?

Whatever wisdom offered by your best friend, reassure them you will now support them by reminding yourself of these new thoughts, feelings and actions as often as possible.  Then take a moment or two to brainstorm some fun and creative ways to do so.  Write some positive new affirmations and stick them on your bathroom mirror, saying them to yourself as you look into your own eyes every morning with love, reinforcing your new beliefs about yourself.

Remember a time in your life when you felt the positive feelings your best friend has identified, and commit to remembering those occasions three times a day and really enjoying being there fully in your imagination to reconnect with these positive feelings.

Decide what actions you are going to take and then have fun doing them, such as going for a walk with a friend, taking yourself for a massage, or having a heartfelt conversation with a loved one to heal and move forward.

Whatever ideas come to you, do them with a sense of love in your heart in the knowing that you are changing your patterns, transforming your own sabotage into support, and helping yourself and your new best friend to move forward in healing and reconnection with the beauty that’s inside of you.  For you are truly beautiful, inside and out.  It’s just that sometimes we all need a best friend to help remind us of that.

Juliet Martine is a published author and energy healer.  She created Karmabelles jewellery to inspire you to be your own best friend and always remember the beauty inside of you.  Each piece of jewellery is infused with meaningful intentions and has a universal message, creating an inspirational collection that is more than simply luxurious jewellery. Visit Karmabelles and connect to your inner beauty.

 

{ 0 comments }

When I think back to the very beginnings of the Beautiful You blog I often think of Andrea Owen.  Andrea was one of the very first people I connected with on Twitter because she was always communicating such great information about body image.  My kinda woman!  When I threw out to the Universe I was thinking about starting a blog, Andrea was the very first person to respond and encourage me to ‘Do It!’ and here we are today.  Am I grateful?  You bet I am.

Andrea is an amazing woman that I greatly admire as a fellow coach and for how open and honest she is in everything she does.  Her business is her and what you see and experience with Andrea is as real as it gets.  I’m so delighted she agree to do this interview with me and in particular share with you all her best tips on how to beat down that nasty inner critic we all sometimes have.  Enjoy!

What are you most passionate about?  That is a loaded  question for me because I am multi-passionate about many things. In my early 20′s I was told I had to “pick one” and just do that, which made me sad and added to my ever-growing list of things that I thought were wrong with me. Then I found the term “scanner” coined by Barbara Sher and I was free to be ME in that arena (if you’re multi-passionate too, google it!).  If I had to narrow it down to one thing, I’m most passionate about women finding and living their own authentic self.  To love being in their own skin, to love themselves and work at it.  To break free from this “box” they have learned to live in.  To not apologize for who they are, get to know themselves and embrace their own beautiful uniqueness.   

What experience in life has helped you to grow the most?  My divorce.  It forced me to be alone for the first time since I was a teenager (I was 30 when we split) and I had wrapped myself so much in him and the relationship, and esteemed myself through him, not only did I not know who I was, but I hated who I had become.  I had to take full responsibility for this life I had created, the life I thought I wanted.  When it came crashing down (The Universe’s gift to me) I had no one to turn to but me.  I had a support system, but getting to know myself was scary, amazing, challenging, hopeful and the best thing I could have ever asked for. I learned that the hole in my heart could not be filled with the love of any man, being thin, alcohol or shopping (trust me, I tried them all).  It was God and me.  I’m still learning this, and I always come back to that. 

Why are you so passionate about body image?  It started with my own struggles.  Throughout my 20′s I battled EDNOS and my worth depended on my weight, my size  and I was no where near loving myself.  Finally, after some traumatic events I decided I didn’t want that kind of life and that I was sick and tired of being sick and tired.  I saw a tiny light of what it would be like to be my greatest, most magnificent self.  It was scary, took a lot of work (still does!) but I’ve changed my life.  I knew there were hundreds of thousands of women like me, that hated their bodies, weren’t happy with who they were, that were sick and tired of being sick and tired but didn’t know what to do about it.  I felt it was my calling to help and serve these women.  I’ve been on both sides and I know without a doubt a life where I love myself has given me everything I could ever dream of.  I know it sounds very “woo woo”, but it’s the truth. 

What on earth is an ‘Inner Gremlin’ (!) and why are you helping women kick it’s ass?  Your gremlin is your inner-critic, the voice in your head that might tell you that you aren’t good enough, makes comments about the way you look or your weight.  It also disempowers you by making up stories about what “could” happen if you decided to take a big risk, follow your dreams or make any change.  Even if life is going great, often the gremlin comes in and tells you that the other shoe is sure to drop. Gremlins don’t like change and they live in fear.  In my coaching, we work thorough these gremlins using different exercises and tools.  Gremlins never go away permanently, bur you can manage it.  Sometimes it needs a little ass kicking, yes!  But, other times, we can embrace them and learn to work with them.  It all depends on you.  I have seen drastic changes in women’s lives just by learning the simple techniques I teach. 

What are your best 3 tips for any wannabe Gremlin ass kickers out there?  The biggest tip is awareness.  Start to become aware of this inner voice.  Some people find this the most painful part, but it’s really the first step.  I ask my clients to make lists of what they hear to try to nail down patterns.  Another tip is to get what I call a “gremlin buddy.”  A friend where you share your gremlins, tell each other what your gremlin says to you and when.  This should be a trusted friend and there should be no judgement there.  Chances are, your gremlins are very similar!  The point of this is when you are talking to this friend, perhaps you say, “I really want to go after this promotion, but I’m not sure that I have enough…..” and your friend can point out that this is your gremlin speaking, not your true self.  It’s like having an accountability partner to better your life.  Another tip is to personify your gremlin.  What does he/she look like?  Some people’s gremlins are versions of themselves, just a little different.  Others see monsters, villains from movies, and some are just an energy.  By having this tangible vision, you can start to separate that voice and the true voice of your soul. 

Andrea Owen is a professional life coach and speaker.  She is passionate about empowering women and girls to value their character and feel beautiful by manifesting respect and love for themselves first and foremost.  She has helped hundreds of people manage their inner-critic to break through and live their most kick-ass life.  Get the ebook and workbook, “Kick Your Gremlin’s Ass: Manage Your Inner-Critic to Live a Kick-Ass Life”.   W: http://yourkickasslife.com  F: http://facebook.com/yourkickasslife  T: http://twitter.com/andrea_owen 

{ 3 comments }

You’ve got a kickin’ website.  Amazing products you have made with your own brains and hands, or sourced and masterminded to sell.  You’ve educated yourself and honed your skills to be able to deliver that service – that extension of you – that you know others need.

Every distant family member and acquaintance, let alone immediately family and friend, knows you are puttin’ it out there and have become your own boss.  You’ve researched.  Studied.  Done your homework.  Facebook page?  Twitter account?  Of course.  You’re ready. Your long held dream to be your own master and go into business for your beautiful self is here or indeed, already happening.  There’s nothing stopping you.

Except you.

You can have the most amazing product knowledge, beautiful logo and all the business acoutrements you could possibly need, but if you don’t have the self confidence, belief, and yes, love for yourself, that entrepreneurship and business requires – you’ll never reach the heights you really want to.  Or really deserve to.

Learning to love and respect yourself makes absolute business sense.  In so many ways. 

Why? 

When you love yourself you create a brand that reflects you.  It’s something that is YOU on a screen, or card, or piece of paper.  It’s your style and a public expression of your taste.  A self loving brand is one that comes from your heart and is not influenced by others or selling and marketing goals.  The sales will come Beautiful You – when you create a brand that has YOU at it’s centre.   

When you love yourself you speak your truth. You express yourself in a way that is conversational and reflects what you would like when delivering your service or goods in person.  If you’re not a reserved and formal person – why write your content that way?  If you have a wicked sense of humour – share it!  Really want to tell your customers or readers something authentic about yourself but afraid?  What for?  Those who are meant to stay and be with you, will stay and be with you.

When you love yourself you put yourself out there. You take speaking engagements.  You never pass up opportunities to showcase your goods at fetes, fairs and expo’s.  You gladly tell everyone about what you do.  It’s about having confidence in yourself first – and what you do, create and sell second.  The thought of turning something down because you are worried you aren’t good enough, don’t look ’right,’ or aren’t as successful as others doesn’t weigh you down.  You’re out there believing in you and what you do.  

When you love yourself you embrace self promotion.  Yes.  Embrace it.  You don’t shy away from marketing yourself and openly sharing with your potential customers what you do and how you can provide for them.  Why?  Because you believe in yourself and what you offer so much that you share it with people in a way that is respectful, meaningful and offers value to their life.  If it’s not for them – gosh that’s ok.  Truly it is.  If it is for them well they just may never have come to you if you hadn’t tweeted, or told them about your new product or shared a link telling the world – you’ve got something they just may be interested in.

When you love yourself you speak about what you do with confidence and pride.  You would never be meek or coy.  You’re thrilled to tell people you’re an entrepreneur!  You love what you do.  You recognise that there are literally millions of people the world over that could benefit from your goods or services and that they are absolutely worth talking about with joy and pride.

When you love yourself you can handle criticism and setbacks.  You’re strong and solid enough to realise that putting yourself out there means not all will agree, want, or even like what you do.  And you’re ok with it.  What others think is not nearly as important to you as what YOU think.  How revolutionary is that?  This strength also sees you pull yourself up when things don’t go your way or you quite literally fall into a hole.  You know it won’t last and a new path or the next chapter will unfold.  Why?  Because you believe it will, and you take confident steps to make it happen.

When you love yourself you set boundaries.   You value your physical, mental and emotional health enough to switch off from the world of business and just chill, or run, or sleep, or get a pedicure – whatever you need to do.  You don’t return non-urgent calls after hours, you’d never be one of those people that leaves a movie to answer a page and you shut that laptop or step away from that computer regularly and with no remorse so you can give to yourself.  You embrace what you need. 

When you love yourself you invest in your business. You seek out a mentor in your field to help guide and support you.  You join a network of professionals both in person and online that can support your business and your growth and they may just become customers as well.  You form or join a mastermind class.   You get a coach.  A copywriter.  A psychic.  You understand the value of spending money on not just the ‘nuts and bolts’ of your business – but on YOU.  I’m happy to share with you that in the coming months I am going to be working with coach Tara Gentile and copywriter Alexandra Franzen.  The excitement is palpable.  I’m my own Santa.

When you love yourself you accept help.  When people become enthused about what you do and they offer to help you – seek out if they really can – and if they’ve got the goods – you take them up.  You invite people into your life that can support and inspire you.  When your partner, or best friend, or neighbour, offers to help you pack and store your latest shipment, you smile, do it together and break open the teapot and good biscuits for them afterwards. 

When you love yourself you let the competition be.  You’re too busy focusing on you and your business to be overly concerned with what anyone else is doing.  You don’t feel the need to compare yourself to anyone.  You have a strong enough sense of self and purpose that you can draw inspiration from what others are doing or simply send them good vibes and leave them enjoy their own success.  Some people may think I’m nuts, but I link to, tweet to, Facebook to and profile in my newsletter, other counsellors, coaches and people doing similar things in my field….um, a lot.  Should it not concern me I’m driving business to them and away from me?  Nope.  It’s not the way I think.  If of course they are doing something that is exactly like a current project of mine – sure, I pull back from that.  But great content they write, courses that I’m not running, a service they provide, an ebook on an amazing topic?  I want to tell Beautiful You about it because I know it can add value to your life.  In turn, the generous person I hope that I am takes action and is.

When you love yourself you charge what you’re worth. Yep.  This is the big one.  Money.  Loving you means you would never knowingly undersell or undervalue your products and services.  That necklace, or dress, or service you have put your whole heart, not to mention, countless hours into.  You know that one?  Or that many?  You charge what it’s really, really worth.  You know that it is going to bring great joy to someone very fortunate who purchases it.  Or great confidence.  Or great insight.  You charge what it’s really, really worth.  And if you’re not sure what that is?  By my calculation its the price that doesn’t make you feel outrageously nervous and conversely, like you will be resentful because you know what you have created and can offer is genuinely worth more.  It’s somewhere in between those two.   

So get your self love on Beautiful You.  Self love is not just about what you need as a person day to day.  It can immeasurably help you propel your business to where you want it to be – looking amazing – coming from your heart – reflecting your values – focused on you – engaged in hot promotion – and yes, oh yes – bringing in the cash.

Not sure where to begin?

These are the best posts I have created here at Beautiful You that are focused on self love, confidence and being proud to be you.  There are lots of tips, suggestions and ideas for you to develop a deeper sense of self love for yourself.  One that will see you grow.  And your business soar.

You Have Courage

The Staircase to Success

Believe in Yourself

Look How You Shine

You’re Doing a Great Job

Loving Beautiful You

Your True Colours

Believe in Yourself (Again!)

Madly in Love With Me

Loving Your Looks

Show the World Your Magic

Love Your Body

Self Love Lessons

Self Esteem and Social Media

Love Your Flaws

Invest in Beautiful You 

{ 16 comments }

This beautiful visual and sentiment is bought to you by Kate Burns who is one of my favourite pinners and collaters on Pinterest.  You can learn more about Kate’s work at her website and follow her on Twitter too.

So – get on board Beautiful You.  Love your body as it is right now.  Love all of you.  Honour every part.

You cannot lovingly embrace, work on, nurture and cherish anything that you hate or disrespect.  Yes.  That includes you and how you feel about you.

Love your body because you cannot look after something you hate.

 

{ 4 comments }