CONFESSIONS OF A SUPERWOMAN

CONFESSIONS OF A SUPER WOMAN: Wed 6th July

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 19:52:00 GMT

MUM ALWAYS SAID "WHERE THERE'S A WILL, THERE'S A WAY!"

I was reminiscing tonight (or should I say at 2am this morning when I got up to heat up herbie my heat pack), about all of the great sayings my Mum used to say like

"Where there's a will, there's a way" - "Don't put it down, put it away" - "Necessity is the mother of invention"

This came to my mind as I contemplated how I was going to arrange a welcome video for my website....then an 'aha' moment as I remembered I can actually make awesome videos myself through some amazing video software I have that's simple to use. Up until then I was looking at paying between $500 and $1,000 to have one 2 minute video done which on top of the cost of having it done, also means the cost of my time.

So for now the video guys (who are great by the way) will have to wait and now I'm super excited to work on this, which is probably why I'm up talking to you guys and girls, cos my mind is full of ideas of how to do it!

So all I can say is "Thank God for Mothers!" I bet all of you have things your Mum used to say........We'd love to hear them. Feel free to comment below or put a post back on our What Working Women Want Facebook Page

SMARTEST LOSER UPDATE:

For those of you who don't know myself and 4 other ladies committed to "Take back control" and lose the weight we've gained. I was busting out of my clothes and that's a sure sign it's time to do something.

Well I started on Monday 4th July (what a great day to start - American Independence Day). After some research, I decided to do Tony Ferguson who has a maintenance eating plan of low GI foods, which I think is smart....so start I did.

Went to the shopping mall later that day, boy did I feel like breaking it...however part of the reason I blogged about it was the accountability side of things, and glad to say I didn't give up. (now I know none of you ever gave up on Day one of your new eating plan!)

It's now day 3 and I'm still on track! Whooo Hoooo!!! Now I know this may not be a big deal to some of you, but from someone who is normally a lolly freak....it's been challenging to say the least! Anyway...glad to say I'm still on track. The goal is for me to lose 10kgs by 24th September which is my niece's wedding.

Feel free to comment below or put a post back on our What Working Women Want Facebook Page

Until next time!....Superwoman (Remembering there's a Superwoman / Superman in all of us!)

CONFESSIONS OF A SUPERWOMAN: Sun 3rd July

Sun, 03 Jul 2011 08:18:00 GMT

BUSTING OUT = TIME TO TAKE BACK CONTROL!!!

Okay so I know this never happened to any of you, but have you ever had a time in your life when you were busting out of your clothes? Although I've never been a really big person, weight is something I've battled with all my life and just when I think I've got it under control, on comes a binge session. You see you don't have to be a big person to battle with your weight, because the fact that it's constantly on your mind is not healthy either.

You see I grew up sneaking lollies every time I did a run to the local grocery store for my mum, which set me on my path of bingeing on lollies from time to time. But I suppose like anything else in life...what starts of as an occasional treat can end up as a week long binge and sooner or later we pay for it. With my neices wedding coming up in September I figure it's a great incentive to shed those extra kilos.

Now while I'd like to blame my mother for my bad habits, I know that's not true...but when I start busting out of my clothes I know it's time to do something about it. So guys and girls tomorrow is the day and if you're in the same boat then why don't you join me? It's so much more fun when you do things together and oh of course don't forget the accountability! Now I'm about to do something I have NEVER done before in my entire life....let others know my weight (I figure I'm in good company, cos even Oprah had a weight battle)

My present weight (close your ears, eyes...something anyway!) - 70kg
My goal weight - 60kg

Now for some of you that may not seem big, but I know what my best weight is to be able to fit into my clothes comfortably and to have the most energy. So if there's any health gurus or nutritionists reading this who can help us all to know and understand our journey, I'm inviting you to join the conversation and be part of our journey!

Well here's to a healthier me - Just off to finish off the rest of my lollies before tomorrow! (Ssshhh - don't tell anyone!)

Till next time....Superwoman! (There's a Superwoman or Superman in each of us!)

CONFESSIONS OF A SUPERWOMAN: Sat 2nd July

Sat, 02 Jul 2011 13:10:00 GMT

SUCCESS = COURAGE + COMMITTMENT + CONFIDENCE

Do you ever wonder sometimes what life is all about and why we're here? Watching the movie "Marley and Me" tonight reminded me that in life success means different things to different people and no matter what success means to each one of us, it nearly always involves courage, committment and confidence.

Courage to step out of our comfort zones and take a risk, committment to keep going when the going gets tough and confidence knowing that somehow it will all work out in the end, if we just hang in there and keep believing in our dreams, even when everyone around you thinks you're a kook.

Success to me is about having great relationships and there is nothing more important in life than these relationships. Unfortunately relationships is one of the few areas in life that we don't get much training, so welcome to the world of dysfunction and I'm sure I'm not alone! The only way we learn about relationships is by being in them and going through situations and circumstances that teach us life lessons. Some of these lessons can be difficult to swallow, but they're necessary for our personal growth (don't you hate that word!)

For those of you who can relate, I used to think I was a nice person until I had children. All the horrible things within me seemed to come to the surface in pressure situations. My life relationships has been one of the greatest sources of character building I've ever had to go through as the rough edges have been sanded off to reveal the diamond within. Except that unfortunately the diamond doesn't always shine.....oops confession time.

So tonight has been a timely reminder for me to not get caught up in the things that don't really matter, and to remember the things that are important to me - my relationships! So if you're in a dilemna today and feeling like a complete failure, know that you are not alone and that if you just hang in there...things will get better!

Till next time....Superwoman! (There's a Superwoman or Superman in each of us!)

SMART SUCCESS: Working 9 to 5 - What a way to make a Living!

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 22:46:00 GMT

Working 9 to 5 - What a way to make a Living!

How many of you remember that cool song made famous by singer, songwriter.....the infamous Dolly Parton. It was the soundtrack for a movie that showed a bunch of women working in a typing pool and coming to the realisation that they were destined for more than just that!

SMART SUCCESS: Is beginning again!!!

I've had so many requests (including international friends and colleagues) for people to join our group as we go through the book "The Success Principles" by Jack Canfield. The book takes you through STEP BY STEP, of How to get from WHERE YOU ARE NOW to WHERE YOU WANT TO BE!!

Your empowercise for the week is to read the first chapter....and make comment on this blog by next Wednesday! Be real with us please....no masks here. I believe your learning will be accelerated if you're open and honest, rather than trying to fake it to make yourself look good! Don't buy into the philosophy of "fake it till you make it", because then you're learning journey will be so much longer, because no-one knows you need help. Take a big gulp, swallow your pride and enjoy the journey with us. We're here to support you!

Lotsa love.....Fabe

Reality Blog: Week 4

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 14:41:00 GMT

Wednesday 2nd February, 2011: Week 4

Well as you may have guessed........I had a bit of a meltdown when it came to my Blog. The pressure of doing it every day got to me, as well as wondering if anyone was actually reading it, so have decided to do it weekly instead. I figured because everyone's lives are sooo busy that we'd change it to weekly for 12months! So let's enjoy the journey!

Speaking of meltdowns......I had one of those today (now remember this is the Reality Blog - not the pretend everything's okay and don't let anyone know what's really going on Blog). Financial pressures due to work slowing down, and relationship pressures due to financial pressures got the better of me today.......so I just sat at my desk and cried.

It felt so good! It came out of the blue and was totally unexpected, as you see normally I'm a very together person emotionally. I always try to think of what I have to be thankful for in every situation which is a natural prevention for having meltdowns, so it came as a bit of a shock. After I had "released the valve" so to speak, I felt heaps better and just moved on with my day. Sometimes I wonder if any other women have days like this?

Join us as we read.....
The Success Principles by Jack Canfield: Chapter 8: Chunk it Down

This chapter was great and was all about taking a big goal you may have and breaking down into bite size pieces that make it more manageable for your average person. They called the concept mind mapping, but I think I'd like to rename it goal mapping....because that's exactly what it is. Taking a goal and breaking it down into bite size chunks, prioritising, and then taking action. I think I might do a plan on a spreadsheet and then share it all with you.

I don't know about you, but it really helps me when I can see something and not just be told about it. One of my goals this year is to launch our Smart Connections Event.....so off I go to "goal map" it! What are some of your bigger goals this year? How about making up a goal map, to help you get started and get going.

A special thankyou to Katrina Kavvalos who inspired and motivated me to keep going with my Blog!

Till next time........have a great week...........Fabe!

Reality Blog: Day 12

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:54:00 GMT

Day 12: Wednesday 12th January, 2011

The journey continues:

Spent the day helping organise things for the new Coolum Bizfest that's being launched on 8th and 9th April this year. It's the combination of a Business Expo, Family Festival and Multicultural Festival. Am looking forward to being part of something great in Coolum (my home town!) Feel free to check it out http://www.coolumbizfest.com

Mind you I did have a couple of detours. Off to the Principal's office to find out more about Grade 11 for my teenage daughter and then a quick lunch with my hubby. What a treat it was to have lunch together in the middle of the day!

Watched in shock as all the news reports came onto TV about the devastation in Brisbane. I think most people didn't really believe it would happen, despite the warnings. People battled to keep the water from coming in....but it was just all too much.

The Success Principles: Principle 7: Unleash the Power of Goal Setting

I'll be back soon...just have to put my daughter to bed! I love that she's 16 and still wants me to put her to bed! (Just don't tell her I told you!) Back again! Tonights chapter is all about unleashing the power of goal setting.

Now for those of you who don't know me.....I have developed what I call the Goal Quadrant. Robert Kiyosaki has the cashflow quadrant and Fabe Keily has the Goal Quadrant. This is simply when you divide a page into 4 with personal / family / business or career / investment and write down your goals for the next 12 months / 3 years / 5 years whichever you decide.

"If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy , and inspires your hopes"....Andrew Carnegie (the richest man in America in the early 1900's

When you write down your goals, make sure they are SMART goals. Goals are so much more powerful and effective if approached like this. Now I know you wonder why it's so important to write them down. Can't I just have them in my head....the answer is a resounding No!   There are some guidelines for writing your goals and then some guidelines for seeing them come into reality.

S: Specific
M: Measurable
A: Attainable
R: Relevant
T: Time Based

1. Write your SMART goals downs
2. Include some Think Big Goals
3. Re-read your goals 3 times per day
4. Keep a goals book and re-evaluate every 3 months
     (you'll be amazed at what you've already achieved!)
5. Carry your most important goal in your pocket

As a struggling, unemployed comic celebrity Jim Carrey once wrote himself a cheque for $10million. Not to be deterred by his circumstances he decided to write his goal down. He dated it Thanksgiving 1995.....and well the rest is history!

In 1994 when we return from living and working in Belize in Central America, we had very little to our name.....no job and no house. One of the first things we did when we got home was to sit down and write our goals.   Within about 3 years all of the goals we had written down we had achieved, including paying off our home. We had written that we'd like to have it paid off in 15 years and instead paid it off in just 3years. The power of goals!

Goals give us a reason to keep going, a purpose, a passion!    If this is new for you....just indulge me and do it! Don't question it, don't ask why is it so important...just do it and then share the results!

In closing:

I loved this whole chapter on Unleashing the power of goals. It doesn't need to be complicated....just allow yourself some time to do it and do it with a "no limits" attitude. Don't write your goals based on what you think you can achieve with your own resources and abilities, instead dare to dream big and just wait and see what happens! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Would love to know what your Think Big goal is....feel free to share!

Until tomorrow........Fabe xox

Reality Blog: Day 11

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 09:48:00 GMT

Day 11: Tuesday 11th January, 2011

The Day Begins:

I was shocked to wake this morning to a media alert from premier Anna Bligh advising that the state of Queensland was in a flood crisis and that the people of Toowoomba (in particular towns in the Lockyer Valley) had been devastated overnight.

My heart is heavy as I write this and I almost feel guilty that where we live has not been badly affected. So many people have lots their homes, their cars, their possessions, their livelihoods and worst of all their loved ones.

But my next thought is what can I do? I can't go out and help, because then I put my own life in danger...but if you're an Aussie and you're wondering what you can do to help, below is a list:

1. Give financially - Tens of millions of dollars will be needed to rebuild the areas worst affected areas
2. Give materially - Go through your clothes and manchester and donate whatever you haven't used in the last 12months
3. Give emotionally - If you have friends who have been directly affected, maybe you can provide food and shelter for them through this tough time.
4. Give spiritually - Last but not least, our prayers will be greatly appreciated by the thousands of Australians who have been affected

One of the most amazing, encouraging and inspiring things about being an Aussie...is the Aussie Spirit to stand by a mate when they're in trouble. Let's rally to the cause of our fellow Aussies who have been affected by this devastating natural disaster and give generously.

The Success Principles: Chapter 6: Become an Inverse Paranoid....what the???

This simply means that instead of believing that life is against you, believing that every difficult or negative situation in your life can be used for something to enrich you, empower you or advance you.   What an incredibly positive belief system and what a timely reminder with everything that is happening in Queensland and around Australia right now. It's time like these we are reminded what's really important.

Unfortunately life has a way of causing us to lose focus off what's important and our initial reaction can be do blame others, get angry, feel discouraged.......but it's how we respond to these circumstances that decides whether the situation and circumstances make us or break us.   I once read the following inspiring quote which sums it up really well:

"When life gives you lemons....make lemonade"

How can that be done? We need to ask ourselves the question...."How can I use this experience to my advantage?" We have the choice as situations arise in our life, to decide to let the situation help us grow, develop or change direction.

When we started What Working Women Want 3 years ago, we spent 2 years operating on a business model that wasn't working. While lots of women were being helped, our business model wasn't sustainable financially.

After investing over $150,000 and 2 years of our lives to get it going, (let alone the countless hours that friends and family have put in to help), it was devastating to have to go back to the drawing board, but we were not about to give up. I can honestly say now though, that it was the best worst thing that I have ever experienced.

Does it mean that we won't ever go through a hard time in our business again....I think not, but at least I know that out of the most devastating situations, can come great things.

Are you in the midst of a situation like that at the moment? Would love you to share.   A burden shared is a burden halved.

Until tomorrow.......Fabe

Reality Blog: Day 8

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 13:19:00 GMT

Day 8: Saturday 8th January, 2011

It's a Bloody Mess...Fabe and crew are up to their arms in blood!

Only joking! Just wanted to get your attention!. Sitting at the Coffee Club on Saturday morning with friends we started discussing our bucket lists for 2011. Now that is simply the things that you'd like to accomplish during 2011. True to form I pulled out my trusty pen and paper and started a list (because a Smart Working Woman never knows when she might need pen and paper!). You see I get excited about setting goals and achieving them (yes...call me strange).

Anyway....our friend - not that I want to mention names (John Zerk) said one of his goals for 2011 was to give blood and before you know it we'd jumped out of our seats and found ourselves heading across the road to the Red Cross Blood Van.  What we thought would take 30mins ended up taking about 1hr 30mins in total, between filling out forms, presenting ID and actually giving blood, but it was fun, we took photos, probably annoyed the heck out of the ladies in the van, but I think a part of them really enjoyed it because we were laughing and joking around.

You see we had some beautiful ladies from Mummy's Wish share their story about their battle with cancer with us at a couple of our Events. Did you know that 75% of blood is actually used for cancer victims. Mummy's Wish is dedicated to helping mum's going through cancer, and one of the main focuses at our events would be to get the women to sign up to give blood. So between forms, laughs and kermit the frog pictures with John wrapped in green blankets (because it gets cold in the van)....we managed to donate a substantial amount of blood from the 4 of us!   Another one bites the dust...so to speak!

Chapter 5: The Success Principles: Believe in Yourself

Now this is a great chapter about believing in yourself, but very similar to the things that were covered in the previous chapter. Venus Williams, one of the worlds most famous female tennis players said "You have to believe in yourself, when no-one else does. That's what makes you a winner!".

Don't waste your life believing that you can't.....instead believe that you can! Every single one of you has so much potential within us, but sometimes life and our well meaning family and friends little by little squeeze that belief out of us. You are an amazing, unique, talented human being and as you shine your brightness like stars in the Universe, you give others permission to shine

In Conclusion:

Well while it was challenging and a little bit uncomfortable, the sense of fulfillment we felt at the end of giving blood far outweighed any hesitancy or worry we had about it.   Have you ever given blood....would love to hear your stories!

Hasta Manyana.....Until tomorrow.........Fabe

Reality Blog: Day 9

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 13:23:00 GMT

Day 9: Sunday 9th January, 2011

The Aussie Spirit is strong and alive!

I was so inspired tonight as I watched the Queensland Flood Victims Appeal with Sports and TV Celebrities who had given up their time and energy to help raise money for the people of Queensland who had been affected by the floods.

One of the things that makes me proud to be an Aussie, is the spirit of Australians to help a mate when they're going through a tough time. Between two AFL teams in Queensland they had committed to donate $500,000 and Virgin Blue had donated $250,000 with a further $1,000,000 expected during their week long appeal where they committed to giving $1 from every flight booked to the appeal.

So that's just the tip of the iceberg and I know that many Australians have dug deep to help their Aussie mates who are going through a tough time. Farmers, retailers and individuals have lost their homes, their livelihoods and some have lost family members. It was amazing to hear of children donating their Xmas money just to help out.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the many Queenslanders who have been affected by the floods. If you are able to help out, then most of the major banks including Westpac, Suncorp, NAB, ANZ, CBA are all taking donations.

Spent the evening talking with my hubby about our plans for 2011. It was great to sit down and talk about our goals and dreams for 2011. Some things we'd talked about and others we hadn't so was good to find out what was going on. It's amazing how a vision, or your goals are fuelled by discussing it and talking about it with others.

Do you have someone to discuss your dreams, goals and visions with....if you don't feel free to share them here! We'd love to believe with you to see them come to pass.

Hasta Manyana (until tomorrow).....Fabe

Reality Blog: Day 7

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 12:06:00 GMT

Day 7: Friday 7th January, 2011

Hi ya....

Did ya miss me? I missed you. Strange huh....I actually missed doing the blog yesterday when I didn't feel well. Today has been busy (I'm still officially on holidays, I start back on Monday 10th Jan), but my hubby's family came up for a visit. So busy cleaning and preparing lunch.

Got to mind my grand-daughter for a couple of hours while I gave my daughter some much needed time out. She's so cute and slept most of the time, but when she was awake she's a barrel of laughs. Even took a video of her on the iphone dancing in the jolly jumper to "I am a Woman on a Mission"....was sooo funny!!!!

Chapter 4: Principle No. 4: Believe it's possible

Now I'm sooooo excited about this particular chapter because it was the same aha moment I had 12 years ago when I attended a 3 day seminar. I was taught how to break through a pine board......Yes!  Me....a woman.....broke a pine board in two (I distinctly remember ringing my 18year old and saying "Guess what? I just broke a pine board in two!" and he said "You did not"....I said "I did too").

It was a life changing moment for me and helped me to realise that there isn't anything in life I can't achieve if I just apply the B.E.A.R. formula. This formula now forms the basis for the education we give at What Working Women Want - B.E.A.R. Belief + Education + Action = Results

You see what I discovered was that if I believe that I can do something, but I've never received the education to know how to do it, then I won't. Equally if I've received the education to know how to do something, but I don't believe I can do it, then I won't either. You need to combine belief plus education, plus action to get the results you want. With the board I believed that I could do it, but I'd never been taught how, so when I combined the belief with the education and took action....I got amazing results! Yahoo!!!!

In this chapter it quotes Napoleon Hill as saying "Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve". Now I know this, but sometimes life buffets you about, so that you forget the most basic things, or in our case if you're believing for something really big, but the circumstances keep going against you, it's easy to start to lose faith in your vision.

Another book a I read a lot says "Whatsoever a man thinks in his heart, so he is". In my experience what I've come to realise is that our words and our thoughts have creative power.  The book suggests if you're finding it hard to believe on your own, find someone who will support you and believe with you. Jack Canfield (author of The Success Principles) shares the story of a famous Olympic athlete who when starting his training, and experiencing major injuries felt like giving up.

He called his friend and told him how he felt, who promptly told him to get in front of the mirror and say "No matter how bad it is, or how bad it gets, I'm going to make it!" After reciting this over and over, it started to give him the belief in himself that he needed to get him through.

Our minds ability to believe is one of the most powerful forces on this earth. Combined with faith it becomes a force to be reckoned with.  "All things are possible, to those who believe".

Is there something in your life right now that you're believing for, but it seems so far out of reach. Find a picture of how you'd like it to be and stick it up somewhere where you'll see it every day. Would love you to share and believe with you!

Until tomorrow.........Fabe XOX

Reality Blog: Day 5

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 22:01:00 GMT

Day 5: Wed 5th January, 2011

I start most days with a little reading. Today's was about the fact that sometimes with the birth of a vision, comes the death of the vision and then the rebirth of the vision. Now I know that may not seem to make sense, but this hit me like a ton of bricks.  You see my husband and I have a dream of a purchasing and developing a large property just west of the Sunshine Coast.

It will be an eco-friendly retreat center for people to get a way to relax, refresh and rejuvenate with some faaaarrrrm living, fresh air, horse riding trails, paddle boats on the huge dam and sunset strolls around the beautifully landscaped property (just so happens I know a great landscaper - my hubby of course!).  It will also have an eco-friendly event center for weddings and corporate getaways, and will provide short term crisis accommodation for women in need.

However, everything at the moment seems to be at a complete stand still. There's nothing we can do to make it happen, but deep down inside is this assurance that it will. Sometimes things like this just don't make sense, but I look forward to the day we announce it's purchase and then the development approval for it!.  I can't believe I'm telling you all of this, but then I committed to being real for this 90 days.

Chapter 3 of The Success Principles: Decide What you Want
This chapter was all about the fact that our journey in life starts off knowing exactly what we want...a feed, a nappy change, to be held and slowly but surely we have limitations put on us, as well as putting limitations on ourselves...don't touch this, you can't do that, you can't have everything you want until we really don't know anymore what we want, or we're too scared to ask for it, or believe that it could happen to us. The following exercise is to help get your dreaming genes going again.

Empowercise: Write down a list of the following:.....

30 things you want to accomplish in your life journey
30 things you want to experience in your life journey
30 possessions you'd like to acquire in your life journey

PS....this list is to be written based on the assumption that you have unlimited resources at your disposal. Do not limit this list based on your own ability to produce them, or your own resources. Dare to dream BIG! There are No Limits!

It's day 4 of my New Year's goal to get off diet coke and at last the throbbing headaches have subsided. Many thanks to Eve for her tip to drink lots of water to help with the headaches...it was much appreciated and made a difference.

Saw lots of devastation around Queensland because of the floods. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the families who have been affected by the floods at this time. One of the things that makes me most proud to be Australian is the support that we're willing to give each other when the chips are down. Already over $9million has been raised and they need more. So...dig deep Aussies and help a mate!

Until tomorrow.........Fabe XOX

Reality Blog: Day 4

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 23:18:00 GMT

Day 4: Tuesday 4 Jan, 2011

Diet Coke withdrawals

Well it's day 4 of the blog and I had a character building day! It's day 3 of not having any diet coke in my day (mind you I was drinking probably 1.25litres every day - scary I know!)...so I thought by today the headaches would have started to subside. Well not so....today my head was thumping worse than ever and even Nurofen Plus wasn't working!

I had committed to taking my gorgeous teenage daughter to the movies, cause we haven't had much time together lately...so I didn't want to go back on that. Just made it through the movie to drive home and collapse on the bed for about 2hrs. At last my head stopped throbbing and I felt a little bit normal again! I'd love to know exactly what is going on in my brain to cause this reaction. Any doctors out there??? Please feel free to fill me in, I'd really like to know!

The Success Principles Chapter 2: Be Clear Why You're Here
When Pat Williams (senior vice-president of the Orlando Magic Basketball Team) was asked what he felt was the greatest secret to success...his reply was "Figure out what you love to do as young as you can, then organise your life around figuring out how to make a living at it".

Hmmmmm....something to think about! So why am I here? Why are you here? There's a Life Purpose Exercise in the book, which I'll share with you below....because if you can get this, and I mean truly get it, it will make All the difference to why you wake up each day.

Life Purpose Empowercise:

1. List two unique personal qualities that are strong in your life (e.g. enthusiasm, creativity)
2. List one or two ways you enjoy expressing those qualities when interacting with others (e.g. to support and to inspire)
3. Assume the world is perfect right now. What does this world look like? How is everyone interacting with each other. Write your answer as a statement in the present tense. Remember a perfect world is a fun and enjoyable place to be.

This was the end result for me:
"My life purpose is to use my perseverance and encouragement to support and motivate others to be successful in all areas of their life...finances, health, relationships who will use their success to help others in need". Once you've determined your Life Purpose, write it down and read it every day (preferably in the morning!).

Wow......I've learnt something new today. I've done exercises like this so many times, but I've never taken the time to write it down and read it every day. Guess what I'm doing when I get off this Blog...you guessed it. I'm writing down my Life Purpose and putting it somewhere I'll see it every day (the options are toilet door, fridge door, bathroom mirror).

Well....would love you to do the exercise as well and share Your Life Purpose!...Till tomorrow......Fabe

Reality Blog: Day 3

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 23:14:00 GMT

Day 3: Mon 3rd Jan, 2011

The Success Principles: How to get from Where you are to Where you want to be

Okay so after watching the DVD Julia & Julie yesterday which is all about a woman who starts a blog based on cooking her way through a book called "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", I was inspired to add a great book into the mix here. It's a book called "The Success Principles" by Jack Canfield. He's the co-creater of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books.

Chapter 1: You must take 100% responsibility for your Life: We can't change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but we can change our response. One of the great things I got out of it was E + R = O. Event + Response = Outcome. This simply means that how we respond to a particular event happening in our lives will dictate the outcome.

The definition of insanity is "Doing the same thing over and over again...and expecting a different result". It's time to stop complaining and whingeing and change our response. Okay so how exactly does this apply to you and me. Here is one of my aha's as I read.

In the last 6 months I've become quite slack at cooking healthy meals (aaahh...confession time again), even though I love to eat healthy meals. So....one of my New Years personal goals was to get back into cooking healthy meals. Normally I leave it to the end of the day and can't think of what to do and then end up having something that's quick and easy instead.

But....after reading chapter 1 today, I realised that if I want this area to change...it's up to me. Went to the cupboard, grabbed out the Womens Weekly 50 Fast chicken fillets and have chosen....wait for it....Chicken and Bean Madras (my mouth is watering even as I type!). All I can say is yuuuummmmmy!!!

Feel free to buy the book and join me on this journey. The book has 64 chapters which if we only read it 5 days per week (got to have the weekends off) means it will take us just on 13 weeks to complete, which will be the 3 months I've committed to writing the blog. But who knows maybe after that we may even start on another book!!!

Anyway would love you to share your thoughts. Until tomorrow.......Fabe

Reality Blog: Day 2

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 23:17:00 GMT

Day 2: Sunday 2nd January, 2011

The journey continues

Well today is Sunday and I'd normally go to church, but today our teenage daughter to work at 9:30 so went for a walk and a pray instead. It's great to have some time to myself to think about what I'm doing, why I'm doing it, can I do it better etc.

Got inspired to pick up the movie Julia and Julie (which the inspiration for this blog comes from), and sat down with no distractions to watch it. Hubby at church, daughter at work....and the TV all to myself to enjoy a movie I want to watch for a change!!!

Okay....confession time. I have a diet coke addiciton....now I'm only telling you this because it's the year of being real and I committed to this blog for the next 3 months! So you get the good, the bad and the ugly!

One of my goals for 2011 is to keep diet coke out of the house! So suffered major caffeine withdrawals today. Throbbing headaches and feeling very lethargic....but hey this pain has got to be good for me....right!!!

Would love to hear how you're going with your New Years goals? Till tomorrow..........Fabe

Reality Blog: Day 1

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 23:17:00 GMT

Day 1: Saturday 1 January, 2011

Okay...so here we are Day 1. Spent New Years Eve having a quiet one with friends. Coming up on midnight we shared highlights of 2010, as well as something we'd like to achieve in 2011. I'm very big on goals, so after everyone had left by about 1am I sat down and worked on my goals for 2011.  Robert Kiyosaki has the "Cashflow Quadrant"...I've created the "Goal Quadrant"

Now all you do is grab an A4 sheet of paper and divide into 4 - a line down the middle and across the middle.  Put headings at the top of them Personal / Family / Business or Career / Investment.   S.M.A.R.T. goals are Specific, Measurable, Acheivable, Relevant, Time-based.   I don't do New Years Resolutions, cos they're so easy to break...but goals give you the ability to keep heading there even if you muck up!

Dropped by some friends, we don't get to see much and had coffee and pancakes. Thought we could add that to our personal goals this year.  Maybe once a fortnight, catch up with friends, we don't know that well but would like to get to know more. Life gets so busy sometimes we forget to spend time forging new friendships.

Today has been a good day.....no major dramas........no major stresses! Would love you to share your Day 1 of 2011! Remember 2011 is the year of being Real, so it's okay to share the good, the bad and the ugly!.......Fabe