We heard a little story the other day about two business women who were looking to take on bigger premises together and at the negotiation stage with their prospective landlord. They are already successful and confident business women and still, the idea of playing hard ball on the rent and lease agreement with one of the city's most notorious property tough guys did not fill them with glee. Years of experience in corporate life had taught them the rules of negotiation - don't show your hand too soon, go in low, be prepared to walk etc etc. So they were ready for the fight.
Career
February 18, 2010
January 20, 2010
What life roles do you play?
This month's Psychologies magazine has a great article on life roles based on recent happiness research by bestselling author Marcus Buckingham. Buckingham's research is pretty dear to the hearts of us living right now gals - he interviewed women who were happy, fulfilled and motivated by their jobs and lives to see what roles they preferred to play, and how well they matched them to what they actually chose to do.
Just another spin on character traits maybe, but what we like about the idea of strong life roles is the questions that go with them. If you are a Creator, for example, the question you most ask yourself (in one form or another) is What do I understand? A Caretaker asks Is everyone Ok? and a Weaver poses the question Who can I connect with? It's been said that the quality of your life is determined largely by the quality of the questions you ask of yourself and of others, so we love a test that helps us get to the root of the ones that fit our preferred roles. It's another great way forward in the search for the components of a balanced life.
You can take the life role test for free at Strong Life Test
And if that inspires you to think more about the roles you play - willingly or unwillingly! - then our book is perfect to help you gain clarity on who you are, what you want and how to navigate your way from Frazzled to Fizzing. It's available at a big discount too so get your copy whilst stocks last!
January 17, 2010
Does a New Year, New You HAVE to mean a diet?
Everywhere you look this month, the front pages of magazines and newspapers are screaming with headlines aimed at women:
- New Year, New You - lose 2 stone on our amazing diet!
- Start 2010 8lbs lighter with our new eat-all-you-like plan!
- Lose weight in 2010 without giving up carbs!
It's enough to drive a woman to the nearest Hotel Chocolat in protest!
We're all for having a 'new you' in 2010, but does it really have to involve a diet?!!
OK, we'll grant you that if you're overweight, then losing a few pounds is probably a good thing - but does that mean that you can only have a 'new you' if you need to lose weight?
Of course not! There are lots of ways to reinvent yourself in 2010, and here are just a few:
- Start meditating. Meditation is no longer the remit of peace loving hippies - a busy career and family woman can make time in her schedule for regular meditation too. And what benefits it brings! Just 10 minutes a day to centre yourself and relax can make all the difference to your attitude and mind Make 2010 a peaceful year right from the beginning!
- Find that dream job. If you're unhappy in your job, then the chances are it will affect your homelife too. Make 2010 the time that you find that dream job rather than just dreaming about it! Make sure your CV is up to scratch and find out what's out there. Simply looking and planning will help relieve some of the pressure you've been under, so imagine how 'new' you will feel when you actually GET the job?
- Commit to YOU. It's easy to get tied up with work, family commitments, kids, pets etc etc etc. So make 2010 the year you start focusing on YOU. What do YOU want? Whether it is more time for treats, or a simple cup of tea made for you each day, start thinking about yourself a little more. The happier YOU are, the more control you'll have over other parts of your life!
If you need some pointers towards becoming a 'new you' for 2010, why not take advantage of our special offer? Our Frazzled to Fizzing book is packed full of content-rich reflections, tips, techniques and practical activities to enable you to apply the Living Right Now philosophy from the moment you start reading. And to help you start the new year with a new you, we're offering it at just £9.50 for a limited time only. Get yours now!
January 04, 2010
New Year of Living Right Now
Well, here we are in a new year. What will it bring you? What will it take from you? What will you love and what will you want to leave behind at the end of the first year of this particular decade? Instead of encouraging you to make resolutions at the beginning of this year, we encourage you to think about making them throughout the year- a series of little commitments if you like. These commitments being to look after YOU. We want you to really reflect on what YOU want from and for your ; health, wealth, career, relationships and your spiritual development this year. Our commitment to you is that we will continue to provide as many professional women as possible with tools and tips to create the life you love, to support you in achieving work-life balance. A lifestyle you create that provides freedom and happiness.
We said a great deal in 2009 to encourage you to accept personal responsibility for you in making choices. So, our aim at the beginning of this year is to remind you of some of those key living right now messages that we gave you during the last 12 months......
If you are wishing and wanting this is just wishy washy thinking . To be, gather, have or become something , you need to do more than wish to make things happen. We challenge you to think about why you want something and consider how you are going to get/achieve it.What's your plan? Who is on your support team? What will help you to get there?
If you find yourself unable to go for success, we have encouraged you to consider whether you are frightened of success . If you are, consider that we have approximately 60,000 thoughts a day. Around 90% of the thoughts you have today will be the same as those you had yesterday. So that's a potential 54.000 thoughts that could continually keep you fearful! So, learn to change them.
We have been coaching for so long now that we know that many of you will want to get serious about creating more work-life balance this year and that this will be uppermost in the thoughts of many of you during January. What this lifestyle of balance means, will be different for each one of you. It can start with taking just 5-15 minutes a day to think about and focus on you and your wants.You value yourself enough to give yourself the gift of a little time each day don't you?
So where are the solutions to these dilemmas? Well, in truth, they're all around you. In books, journals, Cd's, programmes, holidays, meditations etc. There are loads of resources available to you. We are rather partial to our own resources. We have spent so many years reading, researching, coaching, training, writing and just listening, that we know what works. We know that you do not need to spend hours and hours reading self development books, Cd's and the like. Nor do you have to spend lots of time attending a range of workshops to develop yourself. If you want to, by all means do.Most people who do this stuff implement a tiny proportion of what they learn.
You are busy, your time is precious and rather than being overwhelmed by the volume of what you might tell yourself you should, ought and must do/read/experience, just commit to one thing- 5-15 minutes a day or even 5 to 15 minutes a week for yourself. Time to reflect on some aspect of life that you choose to focus on and time to complete a short thinking exercise, planning exercise or activity that will enhance you, energise you and even maximise you. Buy our book if you want a book choc full of reflections and exercises , the accompanying journal is for those of you who love to write down your thoughts and notes as you journey through From Frazzled to Fizzing. If you really cannot contemplate a book, buy the 52 card deck - a card for you to select every week. You can find 5-15 minutes a week for you can't you? (Many of our clients now keep these by their computer and start their week by picking one up every monday morning).
So, invest in you in 2010. Whatever you do, make this year the start of the decade of Living Right Now for you.
Our very best wishes to you and yours.
Marie and Jeni xx
December 09, 2009
15 things to do with 15 minutes extra a day
When we wrote our '5 Things to do with 5 extra minutes a day', we were inundated with emails saying 'Yes, but 5 minutes isn't long, is it?' - and you're right, it's not.
So just for you, our dear readers, here is our follow up - 15 things to do with 15 minutes extra each day.
1) Read a chapter of a book - sit in a quiet corner and relax with a chapter of a book; either a new one you've been looking forward to, or an old favourite
2) Spend time in the garden - 15 minutes is time to plant, weed, pick vegetables, or simply wander around taking in nature.
3) Watch some TV - whether it's your favourite soap that you've recorded, or that documentary you've scheduled into your 'me' time. Don't think of the TV as a waste of time - it's YOU time!
4) Meditate - 15 minutes is plenty of time to relax and concentrate on your meditation, leaving you feeling good for the rest of the day.
5) Prepare a meal - not all meals take an age to prepare. Why not spend some you time in the kitchen preparing something you normally wouldn't have time for - a quick Google for '15 minute recipes' yields some great results!
6) Exercise - lots of exercise DVDs are split up into 15-20 minute sections, so you don't have to worry about starting half way through a routine. Don't forget to warm up and cool down!
7) Sleep - okay, it's not the most adventurous way, but if 15 minutes extra sleep in the morning, a cat nap in the afternoon or 15 minutes earlier in bed at night makes all the difference to your outlook, it's 15 minutes well spent!
8) Walk the dog - get out in the fresh air and throw a ball for the dog. Great exercise for the two of you and loads of fun!
9) Cuddle the kids. Life is full of 'hurry up's' and 'we're running late's' - take these 15 minutes out to stop and have a cuddle without keeping one eye on the clock.
10) Write a poem. Let your creative side flow free - whether you show it to anyone or not, creating a poem will make you proud!
11) Tidy the house. A quick 15 minute run around any room should be enough to tidy it up - throw anything that doesn't belong in there in a basket and enlist everyone else's help to find the right homes for things.
12) Have a massage - whether it's a self massage or you persuade someone else to do the job, a massage is a relaxing and indulgent way to spend 15 minutes of time.
13) Play some music - whether vinyl, CD or MP3, or even your own instrument, just get 'lost in music' for 15 minutes. Concentrate on the lyrics or music and shut everything else out for a little time.
14) Develop a plan. Have a think about how you're going to create your 15 minutes extra each day - this is YOUR time, make it happen!
15) Call a friend - in these days of emails and instant messaging, it's easy to avoid the telephone. Make someone's day, and relax yourself, by picking up the phone for a chat. Whoever you decide to call, we bet they'll be happy to hear from you!
So there you have it, 15 things to do with 15 spare minutes - how are YOU going to create that time today?
December 01, 2009
5 things to do with an extra 5 minutes each day
Most women will freely admit that they have a hectic lifestyle and a busy, task packed day, but we're here at Living Right Now to help every one of you feel inspired to take the time to spare just 5 minutes per day to do something FOR YOU.
That's right, just 5 minutes to spend focusing purely on something YOU want to do.
In fact, why not start right now?
Here are 5 things you can do that take only 5 minutes, and will provide an energising and relaxing break in your day:
1) Sit down with a cup of tea
It's easy to spend the day running here and there, picking people up, making phone calls, cooking dinner and more, so when was the last time you made a cup of tea and actually sat and drank it without doing anything else at all? Do it now - make a cuppa and sit down for 5 whole minutes to enjoy it. We bet it will taste much better than it does when you're slurping it down whilst doing 101 other things.
2) Meditate
If meditation is your thing, take 5 minutes right now to focus on you. Think you need more than 5 minutes to do this? Take a look at http://www.fiveminutemeditation.com/ for some sample 5 minute meditations. Don’t get bogged down in “doing it right.” At its essence meditation is simply stillness whilst focusing on your breathing or on a single object, allowing thoughts to just come and go as you relax more deeply.
3) Relax with a face pack
Most face packs only take 5 minutes to set, so sit back, smother on the cream, put cucumber on your eyes and block out the world while the facepack works wonders on your skin. When did you last treat yourself and your skin to a 5 minute pamper?
4) Look at the garden
OK, so the weather isn't great at this time of year, so you may have to do this one through the window, but just take 5 minutes to look at the beauty of the garden, or your local park. The flowers may not be in full bloom right now, but look at the glorious autumnal colours, watch the wind through the leaves, and smell the cool, fresh air. It's relaxing as well as boosting, so it's 5 minutes well spent. And it will remind you that in a world of change, nature does it effortlessly – so can you!
5) Read a short story
With the internet at our fingertips, it's easy forget the simple pleasure of sitting and reading a magazine or book. We often feel time poor, so sitting and reading a whole book or magazine in one go may not be possible, but just 5 minutes a day of non work related reading will help you to remember that you're your own person, and not just a boss / employee / mum / wife – try it right now!
So there you are, 5 ways you can spend 5 minutes on YOU right now.
Why not have a think and see if you can come up with other ways of spending 5 minutes, and post them in our comments below?
Stuck for ideas? Take a look at our Inspiration Cards http://www.livingrightnow.co.uk/products-and-services.html - handbag sized to allow you to dip in and out of a wealth of resources every single day. Use as a meditation tool, as daily guidance, in decision making and as a constant reminder of how easily you can choose to live your very best life.
September 20, 2009
Are you being true to your career?
Being true to our careers is about being true to ourselves. Are you doing what you want to do with your working time? Your working time takes up most of your waking time so is the waking and working making it for you or faking it for you? Sometimes we hide behind our existing careers being busy busy busy and oh so important and so short of time because we're afraid to take the time to just STOP.
So we encourage you today to just stop and be with your thoughts of career for 5 or 10 minutes.
If you are just being who you want to be, is the career doing it for you? Are you fulfilling your dream career plan?
If not, and you want to talk to us about waking up with positive working head on in the mornings get in touch. We'd love to hear from you.
October 03, 2008
Lights, camera, ACTION
We have been touched recently by the hand of fame. When we were in New York hanging out at a cool Italian restaurant off Times Square we were in the presence of the wonderfully talented Meryl Streep.
September 23, 2008
BECOMING – Realising your full potential
The fourth state of living right now is BECOMING. If BEING is your inner state of accepting and loving “what is” then BECOMING is the inner state that reveals your true essence and identity as it is shaped by all of the experiences and choices of your life. You are BECOMING at every moment as you grow in wisdom and your sense of self. It is your process of change. We know that change can feel uncomfortable and even unnecessary – ask a caterpillar. And we also know that when your BECOMING results in a new way of BEING you can fully appreciate the butterfly beauty that has been created. So here are our three elements of BECOMING for you:
Continue reading "BECOMING – Realising your full potential" »
September 20, 2008
An abundant story about HAVING
Abundance, abundance, abundance-everyone who has ever read The Secret or seen the DVD will know all about attraction. About attracting what we want with positive intention. Now, I am all for attracting what we want and thinking positively, providing we remember that in all of our positive and purposeful thinking there is also the occasional reality check. At Living Right Now we do have a philosophy that if something is possible for you, it’s possible for me. There are limits to this sometimes though, limits imposed by society or by physical capacity. So, if you want to become a confident nudist, you can. Just don’t go running down to your local store wearing only your training shoes, Equally, if you want to take up deep sea diving at 70 and are asthmatic because you smoke 40 cigarettes a day- please don’t pay the deposit on the training fee. Find other ways of creating and attracting confidence ,freedom and fun or even a sense of adrenalin rushing danger into your life.
Margaret is a would be professional opera singer. She is very pretty, overweight, unhappy with her appearance and loves opera. She can’t sing.
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