Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

How you feel about your body has a powerful effect on your self-esteem and your relationships.  Here are some tips from Barry Carter of Body Conditioning to improve your relationship to health and well-being.

When it comes to health and fitness, it’s all about balance. We appear to know significantly more about it, but as a society, we are becoming one of the unhealthiest nation on the planet. Why? Most of us are confused about what’s the best solution to this problem. At Body Conditioning we have the answer. 
Our team follows and preaches an 80/20 principle. This principle aims to teach people to make healthy, positive decisions 80 percent of the time, whilst rewarding yourself 20 percent of time with your favorite treats, activities or pleasures. Quick fix, crash diets and silly diet plans consistently lead to short term pleasure, followed by long term failure. Is this how we really want to live? 
At Body Conditioning we try and integrate both a healthy nutritional plan combined with using the most effective exercises to ensure you lose weight, feel great and live a healthier lifestyle. Exercise does not have to be boring, time consuming or painful. With the right education, motivation and guidance YOU can achieve what most of us fail to achieve, a balanced positive lifestyle.

Below are some our top tips to help you get started:

Keep things realistic: making small achievable changes weekly will ensure you stay on track with your fitness goals. 

Preparation: If you don't prepare yourself on a day to day basis you will struggle to stay on track. Think ahead, plan your time wisely. We all have the same amount of time in a day but skillful management of that will determine your success.

Do exercise you enjoy: You don't have to spend hours in a gym looking at others getting sweaty. Find activities or programs that work for you. You will be amazed what you can achieve with just 20 minutes a day. Train smart.

Eat fresh: Eating foods that live in a packet are not the smartest choice when looking to lose weight, get fit or live a healthier lifestyle. Try and stick to fresh foods. They contain fewer calories, provide the body with all the nutrients it needs and can also taste great. 

Value your 20 percent: Life is for living, having fun and enjoying the things we do. This 20 percent doesn’t have to be based around eating indulgent calorific treats. Do something different. 

If you would like to know more, you can contact Barry at barry@bodyconditioning.info

New Year State of Mind

There have been times when I really empathised with Scrooge.  It used to be that from mid December onwards I would wake at 3am in a state of anxiety and thinking "I can't wait for it to be over". I'd start fantasizing about the 6th January when the whole festive thing would be done, decorations gone and life back to 'normal'.

So a few years ago, when I found myself falling in to a stressed out state in the middle of the night - again -  I decided that there had to be a better way of experiencing Christmas than this.  I decided to focus on how I would feel when life was 'back to normal'.   I imagined how I would be calm, relaxed, happy and with a clear sense of direction. Then I had a brainwave 'why not just bring that mind-set forward to now?'  Of course I still had a great deal to do before Christmas and whilst I couldn't change the fact that Christmas was happening, I could change my attitude towards it.

So I brought my New Year State of Mind forward by a few weeks and discovered that it helped lower my stress levels and, as a result, my thinking got clearer.  I became more efficient, more time seemed to create itself (even though I was never busier) and everything got done more easily. Best of all, I had a great time!  Christmas Day and Boxing Day were full of family, food and celebrations.  I felt really present, much more able to relax and enjoy the chaos.  Christmas became a magical time again and was much more fun.

Somethings you can't change, but you can change your attitude to it. I learnt a great lesson about the power of the mind. Think of a challenging situation, think about the positive feelings you will feel when it is over and bring that state of mind forward to the present to help you work through the challenge.  

Now I am going to apply it to the ironing!  And the fitness programme.... And the tax return .....

Getting in the Mudra - relationship yoga for core stability.

When stress hits your relationship do you snap or do you bend over backwards? Learning to be flexible and yet stay strong is an important skill for healthy relationships.


My yoga teacher talks about the minimum and the maximum edge. The minimum edge starts when your body registers a change, you feel a bit of a stretch but it's not too challenging. Then, with gentle movements and awareness of the breath, you go as close to your maximum edge as you can. There's a bit discomfort, muscles may be juddering, and focusing on the breath helps to hold the pose and maintain any dignity.  At the end, though, your body has stretched and the feelings of ease, space, inner strength and flexibility are glorious.


To achieve the same outcome in relationships it is necessary to do some emotional yoga.  The first stage is to understand the transition process which has three states: Comfort, Stretch and Panic. 

Comfort is familiar; nothing challenging but not much growth or learning either.  

Stretch involves a move into the unfamiliar; it feels both scary and exciting going into the unknown - this is the realm of the minimum and maximum edge.


Panic means you're far from your comfort zone, easily overwhelmed and destabilized. Some people love the Panic Zone, believing it makes them feel alive, but it is usually a cover-up for unresolved feelings that surface in the Comfort zone.  If you come out of the Comfort zone with all guns blazing - finding huge distractions that keep you busy or mistaking high stress for living life to the full -  you are more likely to hit burn out and will have missed the chance to Stretch and build a strong, sustainable core.


Get things moving.
When you your relationship is in Stretch it feels great and you find that even challenging situations can be handled with ease. You don't have to work so hard to feel the connection, communication is easier, inspiration and creativity flow.  Issues still come and go, but the relationship can handle anything because there is the flexibility, core strength, self-awareness -  and a willing attitude.

If you're stagnating and feel that your relationship is floundering or you are just plain bored - you're stuck in Comfort and it's time to Stretch.  When relationships get stuck here I often suggest telling your partner that you're bored.  It is, however, vital that you explain you are saying this not because you want to start a fight or hurt their feelings, but because you want things to be better and are willing to work on it.  If you want things to start moving without either party getting hurt, it is also important to learn effective communication skills - being able to talk and listen with openness and a willingness to learn about yourself and each other.

Flexible and Strong
When you both feel stimulated, inspired, energized and connected - congratulations, you are in Stretch - you could work that feeling to the maximum edge! Use the good feelings you have here to work on your relationship.  If there are any difficult conversations to be had, or issues to be resolved - now is the time!  You will have to address them at some point and its better to do it using the positive vibes of love and understanding that abound in this state.  



Reduce the overload
When the relationship has gone beyond it's maximum edge,  stress increases the distance and there is danger of collapse,.  There may be money problems, constant arguments, affairs, addictive behaviour - and the demands on time leave no space for connection.   

It only needs one partner to be aware of being in the Panic zone to help the relationship regain stability.   Rather like the emergency procedure on an plane, you are advised to put your own oxygen mask on first.  Work on reducing your stress and by bringing yourself back inside the maximum edge first.  Slow down, find your own emotional equilibrium, get some understanding of what is really going on - then start communicating!  Trying to sort things out when both of you are in the Panic Zone means you are unlikely to sort things out successfully in the long term and the fight will just go round and round.

Depending on what is going on in your life, our training events can move you gently out of the Comfort Zone or help you pull back from Panic - allowing you to work at your best in your best state.


What needs to happen for you to be in Stretch?  Here's what people are saying about our 'relationship yoga'.

How to avoid going Christmas Crackers - Daily tips for staying sane in the run up to Christmas.

Tip No. 4
Is there someone you are dreading seeing over Christmas? Someone you fear might start an argument, or with whom you have unresolved issues?   Every time you think of them, visualize them feeling peaceful and loving toward themselves, you and the world around them.  
You can't change other people, but you can change the way you think about them.

Inspiring Business Success

Taking Care of Business 
a guest blog from Guy Millar of The Millar Method

Left Brain Right Mind 

With everything that is happening in business and the economy it is obvious that radical change is required.  The problem is that we are not changing our way of thinking.  

In the past our attitude in business has been driven mainly by left brain processes. Left brain thinking is all about rationale, logic and analysis. It is about action, getting busy, meeting targets – and uses the masculine approach to getting business done. Right brain processing is about feelings, emotion, intuition, creativity, listening, inspiration – what are traditionally known as more feminine characteristics.  


Just like when a car is skidding out of control, turning the wheel in the opposite direction will stop the spin, so we as individuals are being asked to look at things another way. Whilst it seems counter-intuitive to turn the wheel the other way, it is the only thing that can stop the crash.

A client with a successful business, and many of the symbols of success, came to see me because he felt he was struggling.  He did not feel successful.  He felt that something was missing; running the business seemed like hard work and home life just seemed to echo the feelings of heaviness and exhaustion he felt at work.

Journey without end.
I know a lot of people, men in particular, who are caught in this pattern. They have achieved a level of success and yet don’t feel successful, nor are they able to enjoy the trappings of their success.  

In fact, after years of work the only thing they feel is trapped by it all.  They know there must be more to life than this and they want things to change, but they do not know how to go about it.   Often the only way to get some kind of excitement back into their lives is to either create a situation that gets them feeling alive again by bringing their business to the brink of collapse, or have a change of career, an affair, buy a motorbike.  Reckless decisions are made with little or no thought to the long-term consequences.

Stopping the tailspin

With coaching my client was able to do the counter-intuitive thing.  Instead of working on how to increase productivity, create bigger sales targets (which would only increase his dissatisfaction and misery), we worked on addressing the feelings and beliefs he had around his business and, more importantly, himself.  

He realized that he felt resentful of having to work so hard, of feeling unappreciated by his family, for having to be the provider.  We explored where these feelings and beliefs came from and discovered that he had been working hard all his life to avoid feelings of failure and inadequacy. 

With new awareness he began to apply a new level of thinking which changed his attitude and relationship not only to his work, but to his sense of identity. He began to feel less burdened by his business and felt inspired, motivated and creative – he even gave himself time off to pursue a long forgotten love of fishing.  He now feels able to give himself wholeheartedly to his life, family and work. 

And his staff and loved ones feel the difference too!

“You cannot solve a problem with the same level of thinking that caused it”.  

Albert Einstein

The open road
To be successful in the 21st century business needs a new level of thinking. I believe the only way business can achieve this is by rethinking itself, its purpose, its possibilities and conduct, and start leading the way forward in this time of huge uncertainty. Only when we are able to bring right-minded thinking to problems will solutions start to present themselves.

When my client accessed feelings underneath exhaustion and inertia, he was he also able to reconnect with his more creative side.  With access to this part of his mind was he able to uncover possibilities and find answers that he had been seeking previously so desperately through hard work and exhaustion.  

Business is good – and so is life. 

If you would like to explore a revolutionary new level of thinking about your business, contact Guy at info@themillarmethod.co.uk

www.themillarmethod.co.uk

How to avoid going Christmas Crackers - Daily tips for staying sane in the run up to Christmas.

Tip No 2

Rewrite your Christmas gift list:

'To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect. ' 

Oren Arnold

How to avoid going Christmas Crackers - Daily tips for staying sane in the run up to Christmas.

Tip No 1
As you get ready for Christmas remember to set your intention for the kind of attitude YOU want to have.  Give yourself 10 minutes of quiet time every day to focus on your vision for Christmas.  
Envisage harmony, ease, happiness, see yourself feeling calm and enjoying the day - no matter what happens.  
Setting your intention has a powerful effect on the sub-conscious mind and will influence your attitude and ability to create a successful outcome. 

EMBRACE your Life

Engage your heart: feel inspired & motivated again

Meet at a new level of relationship: self-awareness is key to successful relationships

Bridge misunderstanding through communication: effective communication resolves conflict

Release your hold on the past: your old stories hold you back from your true self

Align with your purpose: discover who you have come to be and what you have come to do

Commit to your best self and to the best in others: develop a daily personal practise

Evolve spiritually and emotionally: to live a meaningful life, give everything meaning.

If you would like to learn more about the transformational EMBRACE course, contact us for more details: info@relationshiptraining.co.uk   or 07789 408378

To change your relationship, change the way you relate.

Give your relationship a boost - let your partner know what you're thinking!

All relationships need attention and with the right tools you can create an exciting, happy and rewarding partnership.  Is your relationship at a stalemate?  Is it hard to know what to do next, where to turn, how to change things?  When your outside circumstances seem impossible to address, the easiest way to start any change process is to do some personal research.

To that end, here are some questions to ask yourself.  Be as honest as you can.  The purpose of these questions is to help you get a new perspective.  If you have reached an impasse in your relationship, the answers will certainly give you something to talk about!  

1.  List 3 things that annoy you about your partner.

2.  List 3 things you admire about them.

3.  List 3 judgements you have on your partner.

4.  List  3 things you appreciate about them.

5.  Name 3 things you haven't forgiven them for.

6.  Name 3 events with them you cherish/hold dear.

7.  What 3 things does your partner not know about you?

Can you see a pattern in your relationship?  Is it easier to see the negative rather than value the positive?  Are you holding on to old hurts, refusing to forgive? Or wishing you could go back to happier times?  Do you with-hold information in order to protect or to punish?  

The first step to healing a relationship is communication. The most important question to ask yourself is 'Do I want to be right or would I rather be happy?'.  I used to think being right was the thing that made me happy, but being right just reinforces the distance between me and another.  It is connection that makes us happy.   You can't buy it, you can't demand it, all you can do is be willing to drop your defences and want an honest connection.


Author and researcher, Dr Brene Brown talks about shame being the biggest block in relationship.  It is a feeling we hate to acknowledge and acts like a vice around our heart. As we try and move toward another it grips us and prevents us from making those final steps to connection. Shame is generated from the belief 'I am not enough'.  It's in all of us and is the death knell to intimacy and connection.  It drives our addictions, our personalities, our lives.

Sharing hidden judgements and thoughts with the opening statement of "I'm telling you this because I want to find a way out of thinking like this" is the first step to overcoming shame.  It opens up communication at a new level, acknowledging vulnerability and signifying a willingness to change.  It is the first line in the song of re-connection.   


It is important to build on what works in a relationship and clean up the areas that need improvement.  Learning to communicate openly and honestly, with a clear intent to achieve mutual understanding and forgiveness may take some time, and requires vulnerability, but it can bring a dull relationship back to sparkling life.


Be Happy.

Love Lines #9: love is the answer, whatever the question.

An Attitude of Gratitude
The research is in - giving thanks increases of feelings of happiness and love.


Day 9:
Each day write down on a small note pad a list of the things in your life you are grateful for.  Keep it close to you and at low moments take it out and remember.  When you feel inspired - express it to those who matter. 

Sometimes it takes courage to express thanks, especially to someone you have perhaps found challenging, but don't let that stop you!  Finding something you admire and/or appreciate about them and expressing it could change the relationship completely.  

Love Lines #5: love is the answer, whatever the question.

Your daily warm up for Valentine's Day

EMBRACE your relationship.

Relationship problems can feel overwhelming.  If something isn't working, it may be time to change the way you think about it.  Albert Einstein said: 'You cannot solve a problem with the same level of thinking that created it’. 
Our 7-step transformation model, EMBRACE, helps you address relationship issues by breaking them down into manageable steps.  


Day 5:  Here are some questions to ask yourself, the answers could surprise you!  Give yourself time to reflect on these questions and write the answers down.  Then ask yourself what 3 things could you easily change?  It might be to start a dialogue with your partner around how you feel, or a change in your behaviour, perhaps getting the help you need to address your own pain.  Like Albert says, changing the way you approach something can change your world.

Engage

How engaged are you in the relationship?  Have you already left by emotionally withdrawing?  Or by giving up all attempts to make things better?

Meet

How willing are you to see things differently.  Are you hanging on to a miserable situation because you are afraid of being alone?  Or is the situation miserable because you are afraid of intimacy?

Bridge

Are you waiting for the other person to make the first move? Effective change requires a willingness to communicate.  Would you rather be right or be happy? How willing are you to build bridges? 

Release
10% of the pain in a situation is to do with the present and 90% comes from our past.  What old event, relationship pattern or wound is surfacing here?  Where have you felt like this before?  Who, from your past, does your partner's behaviour remind you of?

Align

How much time do you give to your own creative self-expression?  What are you expecting the relationship to give you?  How much responsibility do you take for your own sense of fulfillment and happiness? 

Commit

What do you feel about commitment?  What does that mean to you, to your partner?  What role model do you have for a successful relationship? 

Evolve

What skills and tools do you need to help you learn and grow in your relationship?  How many times have you been here before?  What outcome would you like to have this time? What simple steps could you take to move toward that outcome?

'Take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves'

A few months ago I received an email that sent me into a real tailspin, it appeared an invoice was overdue and I owed money.  I was really worried because normally I pay my bills on time and, if I had forgotten to pay quite a serious amount of money, it must mean that I was not on top of things financially.

This last year I’ve been working with a specific coaching process that harnesses the power of metaphor to develop creativity and increase self-awareness.  When it comes to numbers I feel like a really bad rabbit farmer, the rabbits (representing numbers/money) keep escaping, digging under the fences and getting mixed up - with horrible consequences.   I quickly reach a state of panic and feel out of control with no idea what to do.  What I want is to feel calm, ordered and confident around the subject.

When you want to change your internal state a good question to ask is 'what would I like to have happen?' In answer to my own question, I needed the 'rabbits' to be less mobile, more like …. fruit trees! 


I could farm fruit instead of rabbits!  


I developed the metaphor further:  my business finances would be pears, household finances apples and personal finances soft fruits. That way there would be no mixing things up - although the mixing could be delicious rather than chaotic - also, I could increase the yield, enjoy the harvest and even create extra revenue with jams, juices etc - not to mention benefitting the environment by encouraging bees and insects and creating shelter for birds etc.. 


As soon as I created this image in my mind the anxiety levels dropped and I could feel myself gaining clarity  - I actually started to get excited about how I could make it work.  I was able to calmly go through my books and found the payment had been overlooked by their bookkeeper – it was like I had won the lottery!  

Alongside the delight and relief, I recognised that changing the metaphor had not just lowered my anxiety, it made me see it was time to give up always feeling so inadequate around numbers.  I knew much of my fear came from old beliefs developed as a child struggling in maths lessons and decided that it didn't have to stay like that.  I am working with my new image every day, creating a strong inner picture of my orchard and have started to collect magazine cuttings to anchor it in my subconscious mind.  On a practical level I have enrolled myself on an accounting and bookkeeping course for January and it feels empowering to take control of those fears and no longer have them disempower me. 

With Relationship Training we use many creative and effective techniques to harness the power of your mind and help you unleash your potential.  Don’t let the past rule your future.  Whether its relationships, finances, health or life in general, ask yourself: What would I like to have happen?

Ready for Change?

Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.

- James Baldwin

Something for the weekend.

How to beat the winter blues.

The clocks go back this weekend – an event that coincides with my birthday and, this year, a planting spree in our garden.  I love the idea that the birthday present I am giving myself this year is a glorious spring and summer next year and happy times for the bees.  Daffodils, bluebells and snowdrops bulbs will be buried in the soil along with beautiful young plants around our newly dug pond and cleared flowerbeds.

This pattern of winter and summer, dark and light is an ancient – and important - part of our psyche.  In Greek mythology Demeter the goddess of earth, agriculture and fertility is associated with the seasons. Her daughter Persephone was abducted by Hades to be his wife in the underworld. In her anger at the loss of her daughter, Demeter laid a curse on the world that caused plants to wither and die. The land became desolate.  Zeus became alarmed and sought Persephone's return. However, because she had eaten while in the underworld Hades had a claim on her. Therefore, it was decreed that Persephone would spend four months each year in the underworld. During these months Demeter grieves her daughter’s absence and withdraws her gifts from the world, creating winter.  Demeter's delight in Persephone's return brings the Spring and an abundance of growth, celebration and – ultimately - harvest.

Planting new ideas for relationships. 

The same pattern occurs in relationships, we have those glorious Springs and the enjoyment of Summer – then something happens to create a distance and we slide into a cooler Autumn and can find ourselves stuck in never-ending Winter.  However if, when we notice the ‘cooling off’, we take a new approach and change our attitude,  plant new ideas, set new intentions, as we work through the darker phases of our relationships we can bring  a new lease of life to them.

If the thought of the long winter months ahead fill you with dread – plan for the spring.  Relationship Training will enable you to set yourself goals this winter that will change the way you view your world.

Happy Planting!

For real gardening guidance:  www.janetbligh.co.uk

How's Life?

Learning from others.
I have just returned from a training in Ireland entitled "From the dark side of the street, to the bright side of the road' facilitated by my friends Fran McDonnell and Denise Moroney.  They run regular workshops, courses and coaching sessions on emotional intelligence and personal development through their company, Imeall.


For me personally it was a great opportunity to deepen my own inner work and look at the blocks I put in place to stop me living at my best in life and in my relationships.  As a trainer and coach, I know that being committed to my own development and learning from others helps in so many ways.


There is always another way to handle problems.
Relationship Training is really about giving yourself the best chance in life.  Most of the time we are busy running our lives on auto-pilot, we do the best we can yet get frustrated that we are not where we really want to be.  With training, new insights and a willingness to change old patterns, you really can create the life and relationships you long for.


If you would like to know more, why not come along to our next public events? 
The Forum: 7th November, 6.30 - 9.00.  
The Workshop: 'Sweet Surrender',  Saturday, 12th Nov., 10am - 5pm.


If you fancy a mini-break to Ireland, Fran and Denise's next event is "The only escape is Forgiveness" at Castletroy Park Hotel, Limerick, Eire on 19/20 November.  Tel. Denise +353 61 924 889

Something for the weekend

I have been thinking all week about what a wonderful life means for me. I used to think it meant no problems, no upsets, a life free of conflict.  Now I realise that  is not the truth about life at all.  


A wonderful life is a life full of wonder.  "I wonder what I can learn from this?"  "I wonder how I can work through this for a better outcome?"


Life will always throw up challenges.  But what makes life wonderful is feeling connected.  


Having the right attitude when things change.

Knowing how to respond rather than react.


Recognizing when you've disengaged and withdrawn.


Understanding how you feel and being able to communicate about it.


All of these increase your ability to connect with another.  Having the tools to help you respond to challenges and meet them with commitment and confidence enable you to build connection.  


Those same tools will your deepen your appreciation, enjoyment and gratitude when things are great, too, thus sustaining your wonderful life.


Here's to a great, no, WONDERFUL weekend.

Planting Ideas

Nature herself does not distinguish between what seed it receives.  It just grows whatever seed is planted, and so this is the way life works.

The Universe can only grow for us that which we are planting.

Be mindful of the seeds you plant, as they will become the crop you harvest.

- Mary Morrissey

The Cookie Thief

---

A woman was waiting at an airport one night
With several long hours before her flight
She hunted for a book in the airport shop
Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop
She was engrossed in her book but happened to see
That the man beside her as bold as could be
Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag between
Which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene
She munched cookies and watched the clock
As this gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock
She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by
Thinking "If I wasn't so nice I'd blacken his eye"
With each cookie she took he took one too
And when only one was left she wondered what he'd do
With a smile on his face and a nervous laugh
He took the last cookie and broke it in half
He offered her half as he ate the other
She snatched it from him and thought "Oh brother
This guy has some nerve and he's also rude
Why he didn't even show any gratitude"
She had never known when she had been so galled
And sighed with relief when her flight was called
She gathered her belongings and headed for the gate
Refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate
She boarded the plane and sank in her seat
Then sought her book which was almost complete
As she reached in her baggage she gasped with surprise
There was her bag of cookies in front of her eyes
"If mine are here" she moaned with despair
"Then the others were his and he tried to share"
"Too late to apologize", she realized with grief
That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief.
by Valerie Cox

What is your ‘North Pole’ Challenge?

Many young men returning from war are showing us how miracles show up in today’s world. When a miracle is defined as a shift in perception, there is the miracle of modern medicine and rehabilitation programmes. Many of the men have lost limbs and yet with the progress in medicine and the dedication of the caring professions they are being shown a whole other way of looking at their new lives. Not only are they learning to live with prosthetics and disabilities but they are reaching levels of achievement that are truly awe inspiring.

Secondly, they are showing us the miracle of the healing process. How the human spirit can transform. These young men – yes they have lost their limbs, yes their lives as they knew them have shattered and yet they are using the very event that changed their life to push themselves to greater levels of achievement. They are showing the world what a True Hero is. How many times do we use the excuse of events from our past that shattered us to prevent us from really shining, from achieving our purpose? These young men are showing us what is truly heroic: a vulnerable and challenged individual using those very qualities to achieve great success and inspiring and motivating others to do the same time.

These young men have acknowledged their pain, they cannot deny the events - they happened. Often their health, well-being and many of their dreams for the future have been shattered by them too. However, with support, guidance, healing and determination many have set their sights on a greater goal than self-pity. The papers are full of reports of the new goals these young men set themselves.

"In the Walking with the Wounded polar challenge, four disabled soldiers are changing one extreme environment and form of ordeal for another in pursuit of a world record." reports Tom Coghlan in an article in The Times, 19th Feb '11. "They are part of a team who will become the first group including amputees to reach the North pole unaided. Despite their broken bodies they will each be hauling about 130 kilograms behind them."

So what is your North Pole challenge, your greatest goal? And what event do you need to acknowledge and address, heal and rehabilitate from in order to achieve it? Everything that happens in life is part of our training for our purpose; the events that take place give us the tools and skills we need to achieve our goal. Sometimes we just need help, support, guidance and a healing process to see it that way. That shift in perception, that willingness to change how we respond to past events, becomes our own personal miracle.

My miracle came in reading that article. Those Heroes, those brave young men have helped me to recognize my fears and have inspired me to take another brave step in my life. I recognize I have been holding myself back, immobilized by old fears and beliefs. I am ready to embrace the Hero in me and take the next step and the next and the next…. Are you ready to take yours?