In Spaces Between

I’ve been doing some ‘Big Picture’ thinking lately and lovingly putting all areas of my life under the microscope to see what’s aligned, what’s out of whack, what I’m working towards, what I want to create and as I mentioned in my newsletter, how I want to feel.

I love diving deep with self-examination and I’ll write about my intentions for the rest of the year on a separate post, but I want to mention here – as a prelude to that post – that I think it’s so important to do these regular “check in’s” to see how satisfied you are with the various areas of your life. It can be a simple or detailed as you like – rank the key areas of your life from 1 – 10, ask yourself which ones need a little TLC and decide what action is needed to bolster the lowest ranked areas. Review, celebrate (your accomplishments, how far you’ve come) and clarify.

To give you a personal example, I’m not 100% satisfied with the ‘health’ area of my life at the moment, because being satisfied means cooking nourishing meals most nights of the week, eating salads for lunch daily and exercising/ moving my body in some way every day. They’re all out of alignment currently, and I gotta tell you, a lot of it is due to taking on too much work. I’ve let work barge its way in and take over, and without shining a light on this energy leak, it would have been very easy to coast along ‘as is,’ feeling sub-par and kind of off.

Thankfully, it all comes down to making a decision to change what’s not working. 

Today – and every day – I want to remind you (and me) that:

The time is now. The place is here. What comes next is totally up to you.

You deserve happiness, you deserve to be fulfilled in every area of your life. Look at your stories – who told you that nothing comes easy, that you have to sacrifice everything for your big dream?

Dialling down your power doesn’t serve anyone, beautiful. You’re a conduit, a high vibin,’ miracle magnet and YOU are in control.

Musings and pep ups aside, there’s been lots to get excited about this week so read on to discover what’s been lighting up my life of late…

Cosmo Bride

Look! Our Big Day, adorning the glossy pages of Cosmo Bride!

Super thrilled to have our wedding featured in the Summer edition of the only wedding mag I ever bought when we were going through the planning process. Definitely one to show the grandkids one day, eh?

Holidays

While I was in Melbourne, my hunk of a husband tackled three tasks that I have been procrastinating on hadn’t had time to get to – booking our honeymoon (Italy, we’ll be seeing you in May 2013!), locking down a five day getaway in Byron Bay for my 30th next month (my party will fall on the Saturday of said getaway) and on a less-exciting front, cleaning out the fridge.

Whatta man, whatta man, what a mighty good man.

Guest Posting

My name twin Rach from Little Bits of Lovely invited me over to her site last week to share the beauty products that are on high rotation for me right now. Head over for a peek inside my beauty cupboard.

Daily Inspiration

Don’t you love when awesome people create just the thing you’ve been waiting for? I was stoked when I heard Dani from Positively Present had released a shiny new offering, Stay Positive - a beautiful book loaded with every day reminders and musings for magical living. All 365 days of the year are covered and it’s broken up into monthly themes including Relationships, Self-Love, Motivation (and more).

This generous, uplifting offering has certainly brought me joy this week and I know I’ll be referring back to it many a time. One to leave on the desk at work, for sure.

Thongs!

And not that type of thong, my American friends. No one loves thongs that much… except maybe Sisqo.

One guess what I’ll be living in this summer?

Mexican Beach Blanket

Speaking of summer and to continue the colour theme, our new Mexi beach blanket arrived yesterday from a fantastic company I discovered recently, Hammock Heaven (website + ebay). I’ve been chatting with the owner Ana over email and she’s a total sweetheart. Good service makes all the difference.

I adore pulling this post together every week. I’ve said it before and I’ll invariably spout it off ’til the end of time – drawing attention to the goodness that exists in our lives is so incredibly powerful. ’Things’ become more than just a purchase, they represent something that adds beauty to our world. ‘Words’ become more than words, they become sustenance for our soul. A sunny day is more than ‘just another day’ – it’s something to be marvelled at, a blessing to be celebrated.

Find the joy in a smile from the stranger at the supermarket or the good news shared by a friend.. and of course, get your list happening in the comments below. I’m hanging to hear what’s rocked you this week!

Image: rocketrictic

If you’ve been reading In Spaces Between for a while you’ll know that at the start of the year I defined some words to live by for 2012. When I sat down and really thought about the words I wanted to guide me this year, the ones that really spoke to me were as follows (with descriptions of how I planned to apply them to my life):

ALIGN

This year, I’ll align:

Myself: with change agents, creative mentors, dynamos with big ideas and lots of spirit (who’ll jam with me and insist that I dig deep).
My vision: crystal clear, razor-sharp.
My passions: a conscious choice to expend my energy on the stuff that really lights me up.
Myself: to my raison d’être.

EASE

‘Ease’ serves as reminder to inhale deeply, lower the pressure and ease up on myself when my body calls for time out.

AMPLIFY

Amplify is a bold word. Consider this my official declaration: I’m crankin’ the freakin’ dial up in 2012 (a bazillion decibels!)

After digging out the post the other day and evaluating where I’m at right now, I realised that those intention-laden guiding principles I set back in January have absolutely manifested in my life the way I imagined they would.

Through B-School and this blog, I’ve aligned myself with soulful sistas with big ideas and even bigger hearts. When it comes to ease, I’ve known when I need to pull back and (mostly) I’ve listened and slowed down. Life has been amplified on all levels – my bloggy baby has stretched and evolved, opportunities to spread my message have abounded, blessings have rolled in and our wedding was everything we dreamed it would be.

Checking in has warmed and comforted me, especially since my big focus this week was taking the foot off the accelerator and honing in on that potent word: EASE. Here’s how it all unfolded…

Country Love

Ramai and I have officially reached the age where “going for a drive” is considered a pretty sweet way to spend the day. Ohyeahwehave.

On Saturday, we jumped in the car and headed out to Birrell Creek near Mt Warning (past Murwillumbah/ Uki in Northern NSW) for the housewarming of our friends Danny and Olly and let me just say, a freaking fantastic day was had by all.

Along with their little boy, Danny and Olly live in the house below (epic or what?) and the incredible location, coupled with the fact the weather was absolutely breathtaking, had me daydreaming about writing books in a cute writer’s cottage tucked away in the mountains, where chickens roam free and a fires smoulder away in winter. Simply divine.

(that’s the side of Mt Warning above – anyone who has ever done the hike knows just how amazing the views are in the area).

Ramai’s mate Benny (above) – who actually owns the house that was being ‘warmed’ – also took the two of us on a little off road adventure, across rocky creeks and up steep dirt road inclines which reminded me of going to my Uncle’s property in Hamilton, Victoria when I was a kid.

All that fresh air and greenery and walking through the bush and getting dirty took me back right back to the memories of riding Pee Wee 50 motorbikes with my cousins and crashing out in bed early after running around the paddocks all day. Some of my favourite times, in fact.

What I Learnt:

My outdoorsy weekend, and having no phone reception for almost a full day (!!) shone a light on the undeniable fact that I’ve been spending far too much time on the computer every weekend, which is something I’m going to be really conscious of this summer. My productivity at work on Monday after disconnecting for most of the weekend and the deep sense of happiness I felt after our day ‘in the sticks’ is incentive enough.

I guess there’s a reason why Saturday and Sunday are referred to as the WEEK END. Light and shade, work and play – a delicate balancing act.

Above: That’s cutie pie Asher. Gorgeousness personified.

Below: Love these pics. It’s like Ramai and his lover Benny are on their summer vacation.

Sunnies, Sunnies, Sunnies!

Top: Ksubi. Bottom left: Sportsgirl. Bottom right: Retro Superfuture - Ramai’s sunnies that he’s decided he doesn’t like anymore. WIN!

My interest in fashion waxes and wanes in a way – I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love stylish wares and am quite partial to a shopping spree (ahem) but sometimes I’m just not that interested. My brain tends to oscillate between loves and obsessions on a regular basis so while I go through phases where I feel like deleting whole sections of my Google Reader (for instance, the fashion blog section), a month later I find myself inextricably drawn to that very category. Yes, I’m a strange, strange child. I’m also a Sagittarian. I hope that explains things.

Anyway, I woke up the other day feeling a major urge to surf the net and immerse myself in pretty things. Surface stuff, easy, light, “Pinteresting”, eyes-bulging-from-the-beauty kinda net surfing. It was as if after months of being “all-in” with my biz course and ebook and writing, the visual side of my brain wanted out… and before I knew it, she was kicking off her heels and indulging in a vodka cocktail and a mani pedi (who am I to stop such pursuits?)

So what does this have to do with sunglasses? Well, I happen to have a slight penchant for sunnies, simply because I think they’re an easy way to ‘make’ a look. I’m a one bag gal but when it comes to sunnies, I mix ‘n’ match with glee, so you can see how it wasn’t my fault that a pair of Karen Walker sunnies found their way into the cart as well as these Sportsgirl el cheapo’s. You know where to come if you ever need to borrow a pair of shades. Just call me The Shady Lady.

PS: my friend below wanted to stop by and say HAI LADIES!

Getting Juiced

Maxo-energy and good vibes all round – what’s not to love? Seriously never get sick of this stuff. Are you a green goblin too?

Magnificent Morsels:

Pulling together my How to Start a Blog series (look out for some great guest interviews!) + a chilled glass of wine at the computer + goodies in the mail + funny future life convo’s with my love + “Mexicrinkles” + casting my eyes forward to my 30th birthday in November (seriously need to start planning some sort of celebration) + this video for making me feel all patriotic + date night and The Bourne Legacy + super productivity at work + my guest post on The Wellness Warrior 4 Soulful Ways to Support Yourself When Life Gets Crazy – I feel so blessed to hang in Jess’s shiny corner of the web + seeing my girls kicking ass. Like majorly. I’m like a proud mama.

“Sometimes I need only to stand wherever I am to be blessed.” | Mary Oliver

And that’s me! Simple pleasures, a spot of shopping, energy-giving green goodness and sloooooowing down and relishing every day.

+ What’s your greatest joy right now? What are you thankful for? You know the drill babe, share away in the comments below!

Last Name

“I’m stuck, lost, in need of direction. I know what I want but how do I get there?”

You know what living a magnificent life means for you? It’s following the blazing inspiration that’s alight in your heart and seeing it through from start to heavenly end. I’m talking about your vision, your genius, the dazzling gifts bestowed upon you. You know, your birthright.

I know it can appear hard to get yourself ‘there’ because ‘there’ seems like this far-off place where magical things happen and spirits fly free – no longer compromised or buried inside meaningless living – but I want you to comfort yourself with the fact that instead of tackling the whole 1000-piece puzzle at once, it’s okay to simply connect the bottom corner to the next piece. And then add a piece after that. And maybe another when the spirit moves you.

Great whopping books are written word by word, page by page, just like houses are built brick by brick. You could do worse than adopt the same lead when it comes to The Reason You’re Here on Earth.

“If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. Wherever you are — if you are following your bliss, you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time.” ~ Joseph Campbell

“I’m scared of going it alone… and I’m scared of admitting that.”

Courageous transitions call for support so:

Forget this: it’s shameful and weak to ask for help; and

Know this: asking for help is powerful. It’s clever and brilliant and invites ease into your life, allowing you feel held and present while you focus on your soul’s work.

“How do I know if it’s right for me?”

Simply tune in to your deepest intuition, your inner whisper, the oracle inside that just… knows.

“We often hesitate to follow our intuition out of fear. Most usually, we are afraid of the changes in our own life that our actions will bring. Intuitive guidance, however, is all about change. It is energetic data ripe with the potential to influence the rest of the world. To fear change but to crave intuitive clarity is like fearing the cold, dark night while pouring water on the fire that lights your cave. An insight the size of a mustard seed is powerful enough to bring down a mountain-sized illusion that may be holding our lives together. Truth strikes without mercy. We fear our intuitions because we fear the transformational power within our revelations.” ~ Caroline Myss

When you learn to not only hear that soft, true and valid voice within, but to trust it completely, everything shifts. Call a committee meeting with your inner wisdom today.

“It feels like I’m constantly pushing. Why is everything I do so goddamn hard?”

Stop doing the things that kill your energy. If you let it die, it will die. Pleasedontletitdie.

“How do I stop feeling inadequate, not good enough?”

Left to her own devices, your inner critic is a bit of a bitch. She’ll show up unannounced when you’re feeling vulnerable or out of your comfort zone and dish up her own special brand of noxious nonsense, just ’cause she can. Just ’cause she knows you’ll cop it.

Protect your tender self and examine all the facts. Are they true? Really? Really?

Decide whether you’re going to allow your limiting beliefs, or the echo of your parents or your boss or whoever else you’re holding in a place of authority, keep you from shining like the luminous beacon of light you are. Write your fears and doubts and murkiest thoughts on paper to take the first step in releasing them. There are outrageously beautiful qualities inside you. Blaze.

“But… it’s not perfect.”

Good news: nothing is. Perfection is a myth. What’s admirable is that you are infinitely and actively growing, loving and evolving. Even when you fail miserably and publicly. Even when your thing isn’t tuned and preened within an inch of its life.

Instead of striving to be perfect, take heed of Tony Robbins advice and aim instead to be a sublimely flawed human being.

“Live life fully while you’re here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends. Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You’re going to anyway so you might as well enjoy the process. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. Don’t try to be perfect. Just be an example of being human.”

Sky-high expectations and crippling doubts – we won’t be needing your services anymore. Thank you anyway.

“I’m kinda awkward, a bit weird. How do I fit in?”

Embrace what makes you different. I was thinking about the things I’ll never be recently. I’ll never be totally conservative because although on the whole I can be quiet obedient, there’s this part of me that likes to rebel. I’ll never be a hard-hitting journalist, because I’m not into confrontation. I’ll never wear Peter Pan collars and collect vintage oil paintings and cute owl trinkets because that’s not MY style. There are people that do all that and be all that (I know and love those people), with far more spunk than I ever could. What I’m left to step into is my own authenticity.

I want you to know – hand-on-heart – that your (self-diagnosed) awkwardness or the things that are different and vulnerable are no doubt the things the world loves most about you. Come alive being fabulously you.

“What if I fail?”

Sometimes we resist the things we know are good for us because we’re afraid of who we’ll become. Thing is though gorgeous, worry is like a prayer for something bad to happen.

If you fail, you’ll pick yourself back up again. If you falter, you’ll eventually find your way – or another way. Leave the small stuff behind and promise us you’ll play bigger.

Other random mind-benders and flipped and dipped perspectives:

1 // Life happens for you – not to you.

2 // Instead of “having to do all these things” you “get to do all these things.”

3 // The only permission you need is your own.

4 // Struggles are our defining moments.

5// Ali Brown (via Denise Duffield-Thomas) asks: “What would millionaire {your name} do?” So, what would millionaire you do? Millionaire you would book it/ do it/ take it/ leave it/ launch at it. Consider yourself nudged.

6// It’s OK to pull back from the world. And as long as you know that ‘wherever you go, there you are’ it’s totally OK to hightail it out of here for a while. A change in location will annihilate blockages like nobody’s biz.

7// When you’re exceptionally busy and stressed and over it, be of service. Taking the focus off your own issues is guaranteed to mellow the madness.

8// And it’s worth reminding yourself that sometimes, just sometimes, not getting what you want can be the biggest blessing of all.

The inspiration for this post came from the questions I asked on Facebook a few days ago: “What are you struggling with? What’s grinding your gears, stealing your spark, putting a big ol’ dampener on things?” It also comes from conversations and emails and the things that crop up in my own life. These are universal conundrums, felt by us all.

+ If you didn’t get a chance to share your challenges on Facebook, I encourage you to let them unfurl here.

+ Let’s get share-y: what works for you when you’re going through a rough patch? Unleash your tips/ advice/ shiny nuggets of wisdom below.

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Images: Dream Yourself Along | Sankaku | Ethereal Taurus