Making time for "Quiet Time"

Quiet Time! It's such an important part of a person's day, I believe. When I think about how much I treasure my 'quiet time' each morning when I first get up out of bed. It's a chance to just sit and appreciate life, nature, love.

This morning on my back verandah as the doves coo, the geckoes bark, the parrots all sing, and distant rooster crows, water droplets drip from the verandah roof onto the garden....... there is still a beautiful and peaceful quietness about it all.

And time for me to just appreciate and be grateful. An essential part of my day in order to create balance.

I wonder how many working couples or families allow for 'quiet time', rather than getting out of bed, turning on the TV and having a day filled with constant noise. Argghh I could think of nothing worse!

I hope YOU are having some quiet time in your day.
Namaste
Till next time
Val

Rose

The first day of school our professor introduced him-self and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know.I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me...
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How To Be Your Own Best Parent

How To Be Your Own Best Parent

Loving yourself is the beginning. Regardless of your goal, be it harmonious relationships with your partner and your family, or financially orientated targets, do not underestimate the power of self-love. It – or the lack of it - is at the core of everything. And just like an apple, the more juice on the inside, the tastier life tastes.

But, as so much else in the personal development field, self-love is easier said than done. Loving yourself is so much more than indulging in some long denied desire, or lying in a bubble bath surrounded by scented candles while relaxing music soothes your jagged edges.

It’s Up To You

Loving yourself begins first and foremost with the recognition that if you are not in a place of well-being inside yourself, it’s up to you to do something about it. This should become your priority.

Imagine you are the parent of a small child. Your child is upset, or sad, or angry or frightened, You, as loving parent of the child, would attempt to help the child move to a better place inside. You might embrace the child, talk about what is going on, or do any number of things to help the child see the situation with new eyes in order to feel better about it.

But in order for this to happen you wouldneed to be closely connected to your child, you would need to have strong communication with your child, and you would need to be totally aware of your child’s feelings. Furthermore, you’d need to want to be there for your child.

Be Your Own Parent

By now you’ve probably figured out that I’m giving you an analogy about how you need to be dealing with yourself. In order to show yourself that you love yourself (because that’s how it starts), you must be aware of yourself and your feelings at all times and be conscious or aware enough to choose to do something about them at all times.

Does that mean that you would never allow yourself to feel pain or sorrow or worry or have any other type of negative feeling? Does it mean you would keep yourself in some iron grip of control so that you would not have those feelings? Absolutely not! But it does mean that you would be willing to choose to focus elsewhere in order to help yourself move to a better place inside.

Choose To Focus On Something More Positive

Worrying about your business, your income or your relationship takes you nowhere. It is much more proactive to resolve whatever is going on in your life. You can attempt to resolve it by allowing it a certain amount of time per day – but only that amount of time - in your life, brainstorming, consulting, researching about the situation, and you would then choose to focus on something else in order to help yourself move to a better place inside. This is what you do for those that you love.

What Next?

If you start today, right now, this eveningyou will already feel better about how you are dealing with yourself. You’ll recognize that you’ve taken some steps to love yourself. And a part of you will feel just as loved as the child who has been enveloped in the loving arms of a caring and emotionally generous adult parent. This will bring you ever closer to inner peace and freedom, and this will bring you joy and who knows what else...

Would you like to use this article on your website or in your ezine? You can, as long as the information below stays intact.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dr Joanna Martin

Dr Joanna Martin is an internationally acclaimed speaker and sought-after educator who has taught over 40,000 people on three continents. She is also the author of the new book "The Lifestyle Shift".
Today, she trains entrepreneurs and professionals alike in key communication, leadership, and presentation skills. With her partner Greg, through their business, Shift Lifestyle they provide strategy and support for business owners who want a lifestyle, not just a living.

For more information go to: www.ShiftSpeakerTraining.com

“SPROUT The Life You Love - Tales and Secrets from Female Entrepreneurs”

Do you dream of starting your own business?
Do you love the idea of financial freedom?
Is it time to change the direction of your life?
This book features amazing business minds, repeat OPRAH guests, an EMMY award winner, bestselling authors and designers that will inspire you to SPROUT the Life You Love.

Featuring Networker, Speaker, Writer & Entrepreneur : Val Howard

together with:
♥ Poppy King (founder of Lipstick Queen)
♥ Rhonda Britten (EMMY award winner and repeat OPRAH guest)
♥ Arielle Ford ( #1. US book publicist, selling over 15 million books!)
♥ Sandy Forster (bestselling author)
♥ Sarah Prout (award-winning entrepreneur and young publishing mogul)
plus many more!

$28.00 incl postage within Australia

Secure payment through PayPal is now available

Simply post your comment & I will contact you with PayPal details

Perfect Day

What an awesome day. A luxurious, delicious sleep in. A 2hr phone call with my sister. Plenty of time for reading, meditation & study. And a visit to "my" beach - Toolakea - deserted except for some people having a fire about 500 metres furt...
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Leadership Theories: 10 Major Leadership Styles to Model

LEADERSHIP THEORIES: 10 MAJOR LEADERSHIP STYLES TO MODELWe’re on the theme of teamwork this week so what do you have to do to create a great team around you?  The very first thing is to become a great leader.  A great leader will auto...
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New Updates from Sokule.com

How incredibly grateful & lucky am I? A husband who adores me, and who yesterday mowed the whole property... http://bit.ly/5sqZzo

My "Saturday" thought for the weekend

A simple thought, and one I felt worthy of a post:

We have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.

We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.

We cannot change the inevitable.

The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude…

I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it !

I am so grateful & absolutely full of appreciation for my life, and the journey I have taken

(including the low points, because it was in those low points that I learnt so much more).

May I suggest you take time over

the weekend to think about that statement.... meditate on it... write about it....

Until next time....

Cheers!

New Updates from Sokule.com

Still dark here, but the birds are all up and chirping merrily (including me) - don't you just love that ... http://bit.ly/5sqZzo

New Updates from Sokule.com

WOW! Just got back from a fabulous 45minute walk along the beach - totally deserted apart from 2 other pe... http://bit.ly/5sqZzo

Thought about your ideal holiday?

Have you stopped to think about what your ideal holiday would be?  Perhaps a cruising the Whitsundays, Australia or the deep, blue waters of the Caribbean?  Maybe an adventure through Canada, Africa, UK or any area that you’ve longed to di...
Read more on My Sokwall : http://bit.ly/9Pf694

What's your Ideal Holiday?

Have you stopped to think about what your ideal holiday would be? Perhaps cruising the Whitsundays in Australia or the deep, blue waters of the Caribbean? Maybe an adventure through Canada, Africa, UK or any area that you’ve longed to discover. Or it could be simply kicking back, relaxing and enjoying having the time to unwind enjoying great service & some pampering.

What if your fabulous holiday idea offered the opportunity for you to not only save money when you book, but earn an income as well? What if you then told others about your great savings – imagine how good would it feel knowing you’ve helped others save money and earned an income as well? Sound too good to be true?

When a good friend of mine told me about it, I decided to taker a closer look. I trusted her and thought ‘what have I got to lose?’ I travel often, so the thought of saving myself some money had me interested, and I knew that if this was as great as it sounded, I certainly knew plenty of people who would want to know about it!

So I got all the facts, and after a close look, I decided that this really was a ‘no brainer’. What’s more, my membership gave me:

· 6 Nights/7 Days Vacation in a 3-5 Star Property

· 1 Free Return Domestic Flight with the purchase of a Flight (excl. taxes & surcharges)

· Lifetime access to Company promotional deals

· A Self Replicating Personalized Website

· A Virtual Office to manage your Business

· One click access to discounted travel deals

· Opportunity to make $10,000 + Per Month

So if you’re as excited as I was by all of the above, then you owe it to yourself to contact me, and I’ll tell you what you need to do! I’ll answer any questions you may have, and if you decide you want to also make the most of the Business Opportunity attached with this great Company, I’ll be available to Coach & help you each step of the way. You can catch me at my website : http://www.EarnBigBux.com

New Updates from Sokule.com

The "Wet Season" for some may create feelings of "mouldy-ness" - for me it creates an absolute feeling of... http://bit.ly/5sqZzo

New Updates from Sokule.com

I am LOVING the energy, excitement and variety of running more than 1 business from my home office, & cre... http://bit.ly/5sqZzo

New Updates from Sokule.com

Big thanks to my friend Jenny today for some helpful tips on sokule. Yes "SOKULE" really is So Cool! More... http://bit.ly/5sqZzo

Company grows by 200% each month

At the stroke of recession, when the world economy slept, TVI Express rouse to a new business model with a benign thought of "Touching Lives Globally by making millionaires!" On 1st Feb 2009, it was just a thought, by the end of Feb, 2009 with a network of 2500 members and a map overlay of 50 countries, this thought became a hope and now on 1st Feb, 2010 with a flamboyant network of over 600,000 members in 160 countries, we have become a legendary record-breaking success story.

At the dusk of 2009, we started on an unending quest and thereafter trackless days and months were filled with our striving and grandeur of success and failures which enabled us to grow many folds. TVI Express maintained the sight of its quest and today after a journey full of struggle by the end of a small period of one year, we have discovered new horizons.

The achievements we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity, to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us. We define growth worth it if the masses grow with us! Every ethical business opportunity is first framed for the benefit of the people and then for the entrepreneur. And as we are a strong believer of the same, our Company has generated numerous millionaires in a couple of months and turned common people into highly successful Business Entrepreneurs.

Touching Lives Globally is a vast goal which just not ensures that our members live a richer lifestyle but also ensures that our members are upgraded to be in synchrony with the hi-tech modern practises. And visibly we have achieved this too! An infant TVI Express, from its journey of infancy to childhood has made laptops an indispensable part of the lives of the ones who never knew what internet is. Hence, each TVIite is groomed 360 degrees in both professional and personal attributes.

Not only this, with the launch of our vacation packages we have felt that we haven’t just touched the lives but also touched hearts globally! Those who always aspired to have a feel of a luxurious lifestyle not just lived it but treasured it during the TVI Vacations and the contentment thus reflected on their faces was worth much beyond our payouts.
Other than the above there are numerous such achievements which proudly make us announce that we are making positive differences in lives of people worldwide. The happiness on each face to be his own boss, the pride each home-maker carried to be the bread-earner of the family, the independence each teenager cherished to now support his own self and the complacency each parent relished in fulfilling the desires of their children ............................... is what we have earned in this journey of a year!

We are amongst a handful companies in the world which is growing at a rate of 200% each month not just in terms of our member-base but also in terms of popularity. Each month our network is doubling and each fine day our website experiences 100,000 unique hits. We have an average monthly ranking of 5000 on world-wide web as per Alexa with over 3000 new members joining us everyday.

The figures achieved and the hearts conquered are both the contribution of our member-base who didn’t just make TVI Express business a family but also made our basic principle of "People helping people!" a grand success by actually following it and articulating the same to the roots. Hence, today on the occasion of one year of our togetherness, we at TVI Express take immense pleasure in expressing our gratification to the member fraternity for making us what we are today and for paving the path of our continuous success.

Thanks a ton for all your support today, tomorrow and always! TVI Express has become a multi million dollar success story because of the fact that the base, the escorts of TVI Express are all worth a billion in terms of their dedication. A salute to all the living legends and the best Distributors in the world! A salute to all TVIites!

Thanking you from the bottom of our hearts!

Team TVI Express
Touching Lives Globally!

COME JOIN US !

http://www.tviexpress.com/earnbigbux1

What a funny experience "Australia Day" experience

Snake under my chair!

Ahhh Happy Australia Day - I sat down this morning in my chair on the back verandah, with my cup of tea and as I leaned back in the chair, tucked in underneath my chair (unbeknown to me!) was a carpet snake - only about 2foot long, but an unwelcome guest non the less!

We hastily grabbed the very LONG mango pickers. These are like secateurs, but have a 'grab' that holds the fruit when you pick manges, it's about 8 foot long, so a great tool to have when catching snakes! (It keeps a nice distance between you and the snake!). Husband dear did the deed & picked him up, and with him firmly held in the jaws of the mango picker I took him down to the bottom of our property & released him - he was quite happy I think to slither away into the scrub.

So my question is where is the rest of the family, this one was only a baby!

Birds are such fascinating creatures

What a fabulous way to start the weekend, enjoying the gentle breeze, sitting on the swing in my garden watching the bower bird re-arrange his amazing collection of "stuff" he is so methodical in how he arranges it all. Quite the tidy little housekeeper. Ahh life is bliss.

Taking the Time to "Just Sit, Just Be, Appreciate"

I am sitting on my swing in the garden this morning with my laptop, it's about 30C (that's about 86Farenheit), and thankfully at present there is just the slightest breeze. The kookaburras are singing up a storm (& with the humidity that's around I wouldnt be at all surprised if we had a tropical storm later today).

What's inspired me to write today, is appreciating the luxury I have right now, of just sitting here - at home - whilst so many people go about their daily grind, battling traffic jams, caught up in office politics and the whole stress of the 9 - 5 (actually more like 6 - 7!) grind. And here I am, listening to the many birds, watching a kangaroo grazing down by the creek, and thinking "WOW, how wonderful it is to be able to just sit here, to have this time to just think, just "be", and appreciate all that surrounds me.

So it got me thinking, how often do we take the time to do that? And I thought that even if you chance upon this post, and you ARE stuck in the daily grind of "having" to go to the job (and even THAT is not a "have to" - we all have the ability to make choices, to change things, to make things better), but sadly, some people get stuck in the groove of life, unhappy with their 'lot' but unsure how to turn things around. Unsure of how to make that change.......

So in trying to keep this short & sweet (so I can get back to just "gazing" - appreciating the gentle movement of the breeze as it caresses the trees, whilst the butterflies flit around, and the birds dart from tree tree, not to mention the cicada's as they start warming up for their turn to sing!), I thought perhaps I could provide a suggestion on "how" to create that moment of appreciation in your life, to just sit, to just 'be', even if right now you DO decide to continue a little longer with putting up with the Boss you cant stand, or the neighbours that annoy the crap out of you, or the traffic that you hate getting stuck in:

Take the time, MAKE the time to close your eyes - breathe deeply and just sit. You could do this in your lunch break! Put your hands over your eyes to help block out what's going on around you - just sit, quietly, allow yourself to breathe deeply and see how much fresher and better you feel after just 10 minutes of doing this! If you're on the train, bus, tram (whatever!) do the same! You will definitely feel yourself more relaxed as well as energised! Now if you're in the car, perhaps it's not such a good idea to close your eyes, but even just switching OFF the radio, take ten s-l-o-w d-e-e-p breaths. This will have you feeling more relaxed and could even start that creative side of you thinking 'inspired thoughts' !

Go on! Give it a try - I would love to hear your feedback & results. For me - I'm going back to my 'gazing' . Until next time.....

Cheers !

Optimist Creed

I had someone share with me a fabulous quote today,

taken from Joe Vitale's book "The Key", & just had to share it:

Promise Yourself

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.

To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

ENJOY! And see what sort of a difference this could make in YOUR life!

Till next time

Cheers

Val

Successability Thinking

For the last 6 months, I've been tapping in each day to Bob Proctor's "Six Minutes To Success" (if you are interested in checking it out, click Bob's picture & link at the bottom of my blog).

The lessons I am currently learning are all about "Successability Thinking" and the lesson that I wanted to share with you today was "I MATTER"

YES! I matter, YOU matter, and if we all had a simple affirmation each day like below, just imagine in 30 days how you'd been feeling?! So why not jot down this affirmation and give it a try:

"I Matter! I matter to myself and others. I am a significant person with incredible potential and abilities. I am aware of my flaws and choose to appreciate myself even with them. I love myself"

Go on! Just try it for 30 days! (Or try Bob's 7day intro for free)

Until next time

Cheers

Val

One Thing I Have Learnt about Marketing ANYTHING

If there's one thing I've learnt over the last 10+ years as a Marketer,

it's that you absolutely have to believe in your product or service.

If you provide products or services that really benefit others, marketing is

an 'ethical duty', and failing to spread the news is, quite frankly, in my

humble opinion, unethical and irresponsible!

On the other hand, if you have a product or service of no real value,

then actively marking it would be just as irresponsible. If you have deep

doubts about whether you are providing true value, chances are you will

sabotage yourself in your marketing efforts.

If I could offer just one suggestion, it would be for you to consult that inner

voice, your conscience, to find out what you believe.

This was exactly the place that I was in just recently, tapping into my inner

voice, asking myself the hard questions "what is it that I believe in?

Does this feel right, and ethical? Am I truly providing a service (or product)

that people will gain true value from?

If you are at place in your life right now, where you are searching, then

check out the links on my blog to the different business opportunities available.

Who knows? Maybe one of those is going to the the "right one" for you?

Till next time...

Cheers !

Val