Here’s a question for you…what does success really mean to you?

I know that when I was asked the question by my coach, I found that it wasn’t as easy as I thought to be clear about what being successful meant to me.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that, for me, it was much deeper than achieving goals and all the good things that come from that.  I realized that my personal feelings of success were strongly linked to feeling a sense of harmony and alignment in my life.  If I didn’t have this, I didn’t feel successful, however outwardly “successful” I was!

So, what is harmony and alignment?   Do we get it the same way as the other more accepted measures of success?  I don’t think so.  The more I experience this for myself, the more I realize that harmony and alignment comes not from accumulation and achieving things but from releasing and letting them go… Letting go of self-judgment, letting go of self-criticism, letting go of all the things that limit and allowing ourselves to just appreciate life exactly as it is in the moment.  Experiencing “now” with no strings attached!  Experiencing it as it is, no fretting, now striving, no comparing – just the way it is.

I’ve found that when I’m able to do this I can fully appreciate everything I have.  I can rejoice in everything, whether I judge it as good or bad, and feel exactly in the right place, knowing with calmness and certainty that the harmony and alignment I feel on the inside is reflected on the outside.

These are the thoughts I wanted to share with you… that true success is deeply personal.  It’s not about the external standards created outside of you – how you perform against the measures set by others, whether you make the grade or not – but rather the joy, the completeness, the connection you feel inside of you.

So, I invite you to take a moment and ask yourself how you really feel about success?   What do you need in your life to feel truly successful?   What is the real meaning of success for you?  And, the answer may not be what you expect!

I would love to hear from you so please feel free to share who you are and your experiences in the comments. I’ll be sure to reply!

First, I have a question for you… How are you going to be happier, more fulfilled and joyful in 2012?

Don’t know?  Well, you’re not alone!

Many of us have no idea how to make positive changes in our lives.

This is where my three questions come in because they will help change all that, and it’s really simple… just 3 questions to ask yourself and here they are…

The first question is: What are the good things I already have in my life that I want to keep?

So, what’s going well, what works, what makes you feel happy – and be very honest.  It’s not what you think should be making you happy, it’s what actually IS making you happy.

The second question is: What are the things in my life that are asking to be released and let go of?

What are the things that no longer serve you?  What are you holding on to that is actually holding you back?  What emotions are you feeling that need to be released?

And, the third question is: What are the new things I want to welcome into my life?

What is it you want to manifest in your life? What are you ready to say yes to? What are your passions and your dreams?

And it’s important to write your answers to all three questions down.  Be as detailed as possible and be totally honest with yourself because this is about becoming very clear about what you want and don’t want in your life.

When you’ve done that, it’s time to make a plan for your next steps, the actions to take, where to seek guidance and how to make it work for you.

This New Year, more than any other, is about forward motion right from the start. So, use the positive energies and decide to make your life a happier place to be in 2012!

I would love to hear from you so please feel free to share who you are and your experiences in the comments. I’ll be sure to reply!

Not so long ago, my life was a mess. It doesn’t seem possible now, but it was…

I was in a relationship that had always been difficult and I’d spent 5 years of my life trying to make it work. I knew it wasn’t right, but I did it all the same.  How could a relationship where I felt belittled and dishonoured, bullied and criticized ever be right?

I tiptoed around my life, in permanent fear of doing something wrong, something that would invoke the “silent treatment”… the weeks on end of black looks and bad moods.  I was ignored, it was made plain to me that it was my fault, that I had no idea how to behave correctly…and that was to be punished.

On top of this, or maybe because of this, my life was a financial disaster.  I had burdened myself with two houses (that both resembled building sites) and two mortgages that I was solely responsible for.  What was I doing?

I was self-destructing on a massive scale…

I could tell you that now my life has transformed and I am happy, fulfilled, successful and totally blessed with loving relationships – and it’s true, but that’s not the point…

When I was surviving, when I was feeling small and worthless, criticized and bullied and just managing to keep my head above water it seemed impossible that my life could be any different.  I’d brought this upon me and I had to live with it.  I was obviously not a very nice person and everything I got, I deserved.

It took me some time and a lot of deep inner work to understand what was happening to me but when I did, it was like a dark rain cloud clearing to reveal the brilliant blue sky behind.  I had been right, I had brought this upon me, but the difference was, I now knew how to change it.

Does any of this sound familiar to you? 

The thing is there is always a choice… you can either bounce around from one experience to another, a victim of your situation and circumstances like I was, or choose to navigate your path, take control, understand the situations and circumstances that confront you… because that’s when you create what is really best for you.

It’s your choice.

Love to you all. X