More than just a detox

I recently got back from a cruising holiday and embarked on a detox run by Whole Living. I am not really into detoxing as my days as a nurse taught me that our bodies actually detox themselves on a very regular basis (livers and kidney will do that). Yet a big part of me was excited about doing this detox, the meals didn't look terrifyingly boring and actually I was looking forward to eating in more often.

My husband and I often go out for food and our bank account shouts at us. So I was looking forward to buying fresh produce and cooking it myself and making lots of these yummy looking recipes. I was not disappointed either- they were gorgeous and even my husband looked up from his plate one day and said he couldn't believe you were allowed to eat this on a detox it tasted so good (that was the dish above).

What I didn't expect to get out of banishing alcohol, gluten, caffeine, dairy and sugar from my diet was clarity. Complete clarity in many ways.

As my body is becoming more alkaline, my head is becoming clearer, my emotions more in check, my decision making becoming easier, my digestion singing to me from someplace happy and I am so much more mindful of the whisperings of my body.

I am also so very proud of myself as I thought that after day 3 I would be dragged kicking and screaming from the nearest coffee shop. Nope, think the weak coffee on the ship had weaned me off and after day 4 I was still waiting for the massive headache to kick in. It never did!

I have realised that eating this way can be more than pleasurable and that I really enjoy cooking my own meals. When I start to reintroduce gluten and dairy, I will be very interested to see how my body reacts as I believe I have a slight intolerance to these food groups.

So this was more than just a detox, for me this was a holistic look into the very workings of my mind, what happens when I give myself the rest it needs (which I so needed on days 2-4), what kind of person I wish to be, what kind of person I can turn into when I let my emotions run away with me and how much I miss exercise (fast exercise) which I haven't been able to do whilst on the detox. Though now into week 3 my energy is returning stronger than ever, I have shed more weight than I think I put on when cruising and I feel vibrant!

All of the information is on the Whole Living website and they have some super great recipes on there for when you finish the detox. If you wish to give yourself the gift of knowing yourself more intimately (all free) then I heartedly encourage you (even if you haven't been overindulging) to give it a whirl. I think you'll thank me :)

It can be a great thing to do before embarking on a coaching journey and I will recommend it to all of my new clients in the future!

Meeting the man of my dreams

This is a picture of me with Dr Wayne Dyer. I call him the man of my dreams as I have had many that he has appeared in.

I recently went on a two week cruise around the South Pacific. It was a Hay House event and I attended two seminars. One was Mastering The Art of Manifestation with Dr Dyer and the other was Write, Speak, Promote: Become a Mover & Shaker with Cheryl Richardson (an author and coach) and Reid Tracy the CEO of Hay House.

I learnt a few things about myself on this cruise and I wanted to share some of them.

Number 1- I don't have to be famous to impact people's lives.

This one surprised me. I thought I knew that about myself but only realised whilst on this cruise that I didn't actually 100% believe it. I am always thinking that I need to be all over the internet, be followed by loads of people and be adored by the public to make a difference but I heard a saying on the course which said to be a star in your own backyard and I recalled how many of my clients have given me great feedback and this means more to me than having thousands of followers on twitter. I am not on TV and don't have a book out (yet) and this is actually okay. I am no longer willing to rush my life and feel totally overwhelmed to get that. My new friend Terri Cole (whom I met on the cruise) told me I am exactly where I need to be right now. If you ever need a therapist who rocks then go to her website...she's awesome.

Number 2- I am not ready to write my book yet.

There I was at a Write, Speak, Promote seminar and I realised that I was not ready to write my book yet. This was lovely to realise and I actually almost cried when they said it takes 10 years to become an overnight success. I don't know where I am on the 10 year scale but I reckon I still have a long way to go. I have stopped and started this business (or was that just in my head) a zillion times. Okay so I am not ready to write my book but that doesn't mean I am not ready to rock my business.

Number 3- I change when I put people on pedestals.

For years I have put people on pedestals and then I get all weird and silly when I am near them and act all awed by them. I got invited to a private cocktail party where Dr Dyer was the main attraction. He was swarmed by women getting pictures and autographs. I was having a great conversation with another very cool person I met on the cruise Lisa Brockwell and I thought if I was meant to meet him I would.

A few days later he was taking his daily walk around the deck and I managed to have a few shared private moments and a picture taken with him. I realsied that he is just a person and my new mantra is that the light in me is equal to the light in him. I practice this now when I start to get starstruck with people. For years I have given all my light away but I'm claiming it back.

What new things have you learned during the holidays I wonder....? Sometimes it pays to challenge our thinking and find that what we once believed to be true is now false.

Brilliant!

Yes I am a Gaga Fan. Anyone who has messages like hers to share with the world get's my vote!!

Love this duet xx It's super cute, funky, delightful and JaZzY.....

Getting me in holiday mode- I go on a Hay House cruise round the South Pacific very soon and will aim to blog about it depending on Wifi...Cheryl Richardson, Wayne Dyer & Reid Tracy sharing their wisdom with workshop participants over 13 days!!!

Ocean Meditation

I spent many lazy days up at my in-laws house on the Kapiti Coast this Christmas and took this little Ocean Meditation whilst walking slowly along the beach.

As you watch it I invite you to put in place an intention for yourself for 2012. Breathe deeply in and release this intention forth.

Not my iphone

Something happened today that I wanted to share.

So the story started a while ago- maybe a year. Settle in by the way- this may be a biggie!!

I so wished for an iphone. My journal at the time stated that I would love to download all the beautiful and inspirational apps from Hay House and sync my calendar with my MacBook Air.

I dreamed of holding it in my hand and having the world at my fingertips all day, everyday.

It was a bit of an obsession of mine really. I knew deep down that it wouldn't like be the best thing that had ever happened to me but pretty high up on my list of really awesome cool stuff to own.

So I looked at getting one in NZ and at the time couldn't justify the price of it especially when we didn't know if we would be staying here for 2 whole years (of a contract). So I decided against it. I was sad :(

So a year goes by and my old little phone decides to die a death and we still aren't completely sure at that point we would be staying put. So I got one of the crappiest phones as it was cheap and I still couldn't justify the price in NZ of an iphone (had I still been in Oz, I woulda been on a plan that made it very affordable) but the reality was, I wasn't there. I was here.

So life with my crappy little phone (it's coolest feature is....a torch), was a bit embarrassing. I didn't want to be someone who was embarrassed about having a crappy phone. Whilst everyone tapped away checking their calendar for when we could meet at networking gigs. I would tell them, let me email you when I get home. "Well what's your calendar like?" they would ask me....Emmmmmmmm

So you see, when I knew we were staying here for the forseeable future, I said to my beloved, "I think now is the time..." To which he replied "Absolutely."

So I was told the rates for the phone and I said, "Whaaaaaaaat, realllllllly, Holy Crap!!!" They were like....expensive. Really expensive, especially when I had just been back to the U.K and seen an ad for an ipad 2 and the latest iphone at the time on a plan for way cheap and no cost for the handset and tablet upfront!!!!

So I decided once again to hang on tight to my crappy little phone :(

So a couple of weeks ago someone I know who works at Vodafone told me there was a cool business deal going and the phone was now 'Amazingly' affordable. I promptly ordered it...iphone 4, 32Gb in white....I even bought a cover in anticipation.

So I waited and waited and checked my Po Box like an obsessed monkey....

Nothing came.

I then got an email yesterday saying the phone had actually arrived at the Vodafone office by mistake......Hmmmmm

So they were going to drop it off for me today....Woop Woop....I was so excited. I would have all of Christmas break....just me and my iphone...lounging in the sun, sipping cocktails and browsing apps and maybe playing the odd game of BubbleBurst (I know this game from my husband's work iphone)...I am kinda addicted.

Anyway...I digress, where was I again...Oh yes...So it was coming this morning and my hubby went down to collect it at the front door...brought it up to the apartment and.......it was an iphone 4S.....WHAT???????

I checked back all of my email correspondence just to make doubly sure that I had in fact ordered the right phone. Yes, I had...phew. The iphone 4S is way more expensive with no discount so I left the cellophane on the box as you an see above and do you know how hard it was for me to do it. I almost said to hubby...Oh, I'll just open it and it was their mistake and I'll just use it and pay them what I was going to pay them. He told me to calm down and just email them. I had a kind of wild crazed look in my eyes now as I wailed on and on about how they could have got it so wrong and I was damn annoyed really.

He waited...and hugged me and told me..."Honey, it's just a phone."

Well, that made me mad...ok, I was already mad but I was calming down after the hug.

So I emailed and politely told them what had happened. I got a phone call, several emails and a kind of promise that the new iphone 4 would be with me tomorrow.

Now, I don't usually fight reality like this or get that upset so I went to do some reflection on why I was so pissed.

Here is what I came up with:

• I find it hard to tolerate incompetence
• I was so looking forward to using my new iphone today
• Things like this have happened before
• Really it went back to how it could have gone wrong

So I said in an email that mistakes happen.

I hopefully will receive the right phone tomorrow as I leave to go up to the coast to spend Christmas with family, then go on a cruise which I would very much like the phone for.

Reflecting back I have realised that when I fight reality, I am the only one who loses out. On the scale of things, it ain't that big a deal. People can make mistakes, things can go wrong. At least I wasn't in surgery getting the wrong limb cut off (I read about that once- horrid).

And as Jon Kabat-Zin says in his book Coming To Our Senses (a great read BTW) "I wound up seduced into a pervasive unawareness."

I was telling myself a story and making me right and others wrong. We are all human, we all make mistakes, it's coming up to Christmas and they likely have soooooo many orders for iphones.

So I am no longer mad. It will show up when it shows up (before or after said cruise) and I will be okay.

I will have time to properly say goodbye to little crappy phone and may even keep him around as a torch...who knows.

So there can be a lesson in something you perceive to be the worst thing in the world. Please don't think though that I am saying 'me not getting my new shiny phone' was in any way the worst thing in the world- I am so NOT saying that. To even have a phone that you can carry about in your pocket is itself an amazing gift...Alexander Graham Bell would have been so proud!

On reflection...on reflection everything is fine....and Vodafone- a Wonderful Company. They even have an Advent Calendar Draw leading up to Christmas and you can win phones and other great stuff...how cool is that?

Settle into the now

Sometimes we get so caught up in the Christmas rush, attending parties, wrapping presents, putting up decorations, shopping, cooking etc.

We forget where we are in all of the madness sometimes.

Whilst reading this post (if you have given yourself the time- it is short) I invite you to settle in the now...this very second. Meet yourself where you are right now...pause...breathe...drop those shoulders that you have been wearing like earrings and simply be......

Smile, place your hand on your heart and make a small promise of finding just one moment in the holiday season to do this very quick but very effective practice for yourself. Even if it means excusing yourself when with family and going to the bathroom to do it.

Your mind and body (not to mention your family- although not knowing it) will thank you for this little 'breather'.

Enjoy the break and celebrate your precious life....

Bless Fest!!

I was thinking today of all the wonderful people I get to work with and what they have shared with me about our journey together. I felt very blessed and so thought I would share this with other people.

Who are the people you have worked with?

Who are the people who inspire and empower you?

Have you told them lately how much them being in your life means to you?

Could you?

It's Christmas- write a testimonial for someone who you think rocks! Give someone a gift to say thank you or a beautiful handwritten note (these days it is all about the Facebook or Twitter and not enough about the handmade cards). Or look/think of some of the lovely things people have said about or to you. Have a bless fest of your very own!

Beautiful words and actions can have a beautiful impact and shares the love around. I am off to write some myself but here are a few people have written to me:

To whom it may concern:

Since engaging Yvonne Anderson as a coach, I have much gained much more clarity around myself and my actions.

The number of ‘ah ha’ moments has been quite remarkable.

Yvonne’s means and methods of enabling me to have self-insight and to then move forward, has been invaluable. Her help has been instrumental in my (at last) finishing off my novel draft, and dispelling my internal belief that I never finish anything.

I thoroughly recommend Yvonne as a guide and prompter of knowledge about that most important person – yourself.

Peter Kerr, Karori, New Zealand

Working with Yvonne allowed me to dedicate an hour of my time to ME! Yes, it sounds insignificant or perhaps even silly but I found that by working with her to focus on myself, learn and then challenge myself, I have finally started to turn that really loooooooong list of things to do into things that are being done. I came into coaching feeling generally happy with most aspects of my life but just wanting to kick it into a higher gear; feeling like something was missing without being able to pin-point what it was. Things I thought were the big issues (like work conflicts, new positions), upon reflection, have paled in significance against far more exciting ventures like travel - fulfilling my childhood dream of getting a one-way ticket to Europe! I also learned there were things in my "happy" basket that I wanted to work on - like how to argue, discuss and debate with my girlfriend, a feisty, passionate and loving partner. Add into that fitting into a pair of jeans I haven't been able to wear for over 6 months and I am now a very happy little camper!!!

K.H, Implementations & Training Manager, IT company, Melbourne

“I came to Yvonne to try and find my life’s passion and along the way managed to learn more about myself than I thought possible. Yvonne’s style is very laid back and I’ve found her to be a great sounding board for many an idea. Her methods and ideas are based on a variety of her own and others practical experiences. This coupled with her sunny personality and great sense of humour has made our sessions extremely rewarding and buckets of fun. She has opened this often very pragmatic personality to a range of new thoughts and ideas, which I have enjoyed immensely……can’t thank her enough or recommend her too highly!

…oh and did I find my life’s passion? You bet I did!”

PB, FAST, a Microsoft Subsidiary, Melbourne

"Yvonne has a way of getting to the heart of what's blocking you in a gentle and loving way and I always felt much stronger and more focused after our sessions. She works very intuitively and I felt very comfortable and safe talking with her about everything I was experiencing, learning so much about myself and my own role in the unhappy life I had created. I think the name "Safe Space Coaching" is perfect for the work Yvonne does, I trusted her straight away as we discussed even my most upsetting experiences with clarity, wisdom and humour. I am very grateful to Yvonne and would highly recommend her as a coach to anyone who is ready to make positive changes in their life. I now consider Yvonne to be a friend."

Abbie Berman, Wellington, New Zealand

I lead quite a stressful life and wanted to see if meditation would help me in any way. I first went to Yvonne to learn about meditation and to see what it could bring to my life. I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into but when we sat down to first talk about it I found that Yvonne does not base her meditation on 1 religion or 1 correct way of doing it, she informs and teaches you all different methods and whatever works for you is what she sticks with which I think is great!

Her teaching skills are amazing, she is very thoughtful and patient and is very comfortable to be around. The meditations themselves that Yvonne has taught me are just fantastic and have completely changed my life around from being very stressful to being able to control that stress whereas before I didn’t have the tools. I would, and have, highly recommended Yvonne to a lot of people with no doubt in my mind that she will give her all to look after and teach them as she has with me. She is a gifted wonderful person and I am so happy that I have her as a mentor. C.S, Account Manager, Wellington

“Having Yvonne as a coach has been a turning point in my life. She helped me getting in contact with my values, learning to manage my energy, finding awareness; almost every session was a highlight experience!”

Elsa Wohler, Property Manager, New York, USA

“Yvonne was a great support for me during my coaching sessions. With her excellent listening skills, productive feedback and powerful questions she assisted me in clarifying my goals in both my personal life and career then guided me to achieve them. Achieving these goals has given me a renewed confidence and vitality in being able to tackle any other goals I come across.”

Ivana Williamson, Sales Manager, Melbourne, Australia

Get CrEAaTiVe

This is for anyone who wants to quit playing small and start igniting their fire!

I recently purchased Your Big Beautiful Book Plan. When I purchased it I also got a copy of:

I loved them both so much and have found them so very informative, inspirational and brimming with excellence that I became an affiliate for the products. This means that if you click on the links to your right (in the sidebar) I get a wee kickback (which is nice).

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You can find out more about Danielle LaPorte here. She has amazing blog posts so check her out!!