It is very easy to lose yourself when you focus on your family, work and basically everyone else around you. Of course all those areas of your life need your attention. However it is important to set aside time for yourself. Otherwise you will find yourself tired and in a sense there is a loss of some of your spirit. The spirit that makes you wake up each day and love life. 

First step is to recognise that you may be neglecting yourself.

Second step, set aside time each day/ week/ month to spend on yourself. This may be going for a drive, going out for dinner with your friends. It is whatever activity that helps you connect with yourself and bring you joy.

Spending some time surrounded by nature is a great way to relax and to de-stress. There is something about the sights and sounds of nature that help the mind to slow down and just enjoy the moment.

Third step is that you do not feel guilty and realise that you deserve this time for yourself.

Take care of yourself and until next time, stay safe

 

Happy New Year everyone.
2021 is going to be the start of a New Year and a new chapter for all of you. 2020 went slowly and quickly at the same time. It was a year where there was a lot of tragedy but also a year full of opportunities to learn. The main thing you have to remember is that you did your best with everything and everyone. So do not beat yourself up if things did not work out or people did not behave in a way that you expected. Just feel peace within yourself that you did your best in 2020 and that you are wiser and have more experience to deal with 2021and beyond. 

Wishing you all a safe, prosperous and happy 2021 New Year.

Life is filled with ups and downs - when things seem to be really bad, remember that it will eventually get better.

Fairy tales and many fiction books always end with “happily ever after”. Unfortunately this is not true in real life. Life is in fact full of both good and bad times and you can only hope that you have more good than bad.

We are living during historically, unprecedented times. For many people, they are finding that life is highly stressful. As bad as it may seem, try to remember that it will get better. All the lock down restrictions will eventually be lifted and life can hopefully return to a new kind of normal.

Life in general can bring you in contact with people being both nice and not so nice to you. During periods of great stress, such as the lock downs, people’s attitudes and behaviours appear to be amplified. I have seen strangers help one another and on the flip side people being rude and aggressive.

I was talking to a friend recently and she was complaining about how people were behaving in the supermarket. As we talked, we came to the conclusion that while there were some rude people, the majority of people seemed to be fine. In life whether, it is at work, in your extended family or even amongst your circle of friends, you will see a balance of good and bad behaviours. You will never be surrounded by totally kind and considerate people, nor will you be surrounded by totally nasty and rude individuals. In life there is always a balance of good and bad.

The next time you are in the supermarket and that person pushes in front of you or that customer is rude to you at work, just shrug it off and try not to let it bother you too much. They are nothing compared to all the good and kind people out there. 

Step 6 - Affirmations

Affirmations or mantras are phrases that when said repeatedly will help change the way you think. As you go through your day, listen to what your thoughts say about money. If you are having money problems then chances are that your thoughts are full of negative comments about not having enough of it.

Affirmations will help you change your thoughts so that they are more positive.

Examples of affirmations are:
I am good at managing money.
I am open to receiving money from all sources.
I have plenty of money.
I deserve to have money in my life.

Another helpful way to help change your attitude towards money is to have affirmations written on pieces of paper and posted around your house. So that whenever you look at the pieces of paper you have positive words to say.

At the end of the day, the affirmation has to be believable for you!!

Step 7 – Be inspired and motivated by the success of others

What are your thoughts when you hear that someone is successful and is wealthy? Do you get jealous? When you get jealous, you are blocking any money from coming to you, as you think that the other person has money, so there is not enough money for you. The reality is that there is enough money for everyone, including you. So the next time you hear that someone is wealthy, use it as inspiration for yourself.

We are all able to have plenty of money in our lives and we should use successful people as inspirations for ourselves to succeed. So next time you hear how Olivia Johnson bought a house . . . think . . . If she can do it then I can too!

Step 7 – Everyone can be smart with money
 
My grandmother told my mum, who told me, that a woman should always be financially independent. She should have her own job so that she can be independent and earn her own income. My grandmother was born before World War 2, but she had the foresight even then to realise the importance of financial independence. My mother passed on this advice to me and my sisters.

I studied accounting at university; however those studies did not provide me with skills to manage my own money. I know accountants who live in debt because they are unable to manage their personal finances.

My financial ability was gained through reading lots of books and asking lots of questions. You never stop learning and I continue to read and learn every day.

We are not all born with an instant financial ability. Men do not know more than women, or vice versa.
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We are all equal when it comes to the ability of being financially savvy. The key is to believe that you can understand money.

My next blog will give you some suggestions on how to educate yourself about money.

Until next time, have a great week and believe in yourself.

Welcome to 2019. A new year brings so many new resolutions, whether it is wanting to lose weight, be healthier or even living a more fulfilling life. My birthday is also at the beginning of the year, so I find that it is a time where I really assess my life. This year was also a change in decade so it really made me question how I wanted to live my life from now on. It is a question that I can now answer freely. Life was not always so straight forward. For many years my life was influenced by my husband and children. However now that I am divorced and the children are older, I find that I am blessed with the space to rediscover what I like. 

I thought I would start the year with blogs relating to being financially independent. Why? Because once you have control of your own money, you have greater control of your life. When you have to rely on other people to hand you cash, whether it is the government or your partner, you find that these other parties can control your life.

Each day gives everyone the opportunity to learn something new. Learning about how to better manage your finances is something that can continue your whole life. Your current financial situation does not have to remain the same for the rest of your life. 

One of the reasons that many women stay in relationships with domestic violence is due to money.

For instance, Serena had been in an abusive marriage for over ten years. She had two children and her husband would terrorise the whole family. Every waking moment was filled with fear and Serena felt as though she were in prison. One day Serena made the decision to leave her husband. Life was pretty difficult at the beginning. After a number of years, life started to get easier and Serena finally felt as though she was free. One of the reasons that Serena had the strength to rebuild her life was that she had the faith that she could look after herself financially. Serena worked and she had learnt to manage her money well.

Understanding money gives you more freedom in your life.

In the coming weeks I will show you some strategies on how you can have better control of money in your life.

Goodbye for now.

Life is full of experiences, some of which are good and some not so good. Everything that happens to us can make us a better person or it can make us bitter. It is entirely up to you as to which type of person you want to be. The only one affected at the end of the day is you.   

The older you get, the more experiences you will have. I see some people collect each negative memory and carry it with them, until they get to an age where they are angry with life and what it has done to them. They are left suffering in the world they have created in their minds.

Letting go of awful experiences is not easy. It takes a lot of work and dedication to forgive and move on.

When someone has mistreated you, you have the choice of learning from the experience and moving on. Chances are that the person who hurt you may never say sorry. You have to find a way to let go of the anger. This may mean seeing a counsellor or even talking to a friend. A friend named Lisa told me how she went to the beach and visually dumped her issues in the water. Lisa was able to release the negative experience and more importantly let go of the anger that had consumed her.

Bottom line is that you have to find your way to let go, so that you can find inner peace.

Have a great day and hope you find peace in all areas of your life.

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