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I is for Indecision, Inspiration and Intentions

22/2/2015

Welcome to week 9 of this alphabet inspired newsletter.
How was your week last week? Mine was a little full on with challenges particular to my circumstances here in France, which have a habit of hijacking the intentions I had originally set myself for the week. To overcome this I am getting back into a routine of meditating and journaling each morning. Yes this means getting up a little earlier to make the time, but for me this is what inspires me and allows my creativity a little bit of wriggle room. I often do my best work, or get clear and focussed on my intentions for that day just by following this simple process. I prefer a guided meditation and usually find a quick search on You Tube leads me to something important for me at that moment. So here are my thoughts on indecision and intentions to share a little inspiration with you.

Indecision - Last week I talked about decisions being heart based or head based. Whatever kind of decision is before you it is so important to actually decide on something. Even a ‘wrong’ decision is still better than indecision. A ‘wrong’ decision helps you clarify why it wasn't right for you and you can learn from it. Staying at the point of indecision gives the power to decide away to others. When uncertainty or self doubt strikes it can often be about giving ourselves permission to do something, even if that is to take more time to decide. How many times have you dilly dallied about a purchase you know you really love. Only to find when you do finally decide and return to make the purchase it’s sold out! When indecision strikes, ask these questions to get clear?
By when do I need to decide?
How much more time will I allocate to this?
What is stopping me from making a decision?
What am I afraid of and is this real?
How will I feel if this option is no longer available to me?
If you are still undecided, grant yourself just one wish as if you had a magic wand that you could use in respect of this decision. What would this enable you to do?

Inspiration -I love to be inspired by books, films, long walks by the river, staring at the ocean and often other people and their successes. But most of all I want to inspire others. There is nothing quite so uplifting and rewarding as hearing someone say; Because of you I didn’t give up; Because of you I found the strength to carry on; Because of you I knew it really would be possible. You might be thinking this ability to inspire is for other people and not you. I would like to remind each of you that you will be an inspiration to someone. Never underestimate who you are and the things you do in your life that perhaps you take for granted. You will be inspiring someone. I would also like to ask that when you feel inspired by someone share that with the person, as they may well need reminding just how extraordinary they are. If you read or watch something inspirational share it with others. If it inspired you, it will help someone else too. By simply being who you are and doing what you love, you too have that ability to inspire others. Simply share what you love, learn and discover. Inspire someone today it really is what we are here to do.

Intentions - On a retreat in 2011 I learnt the power of meditating, journaling and setting intentions for the day. This simple process puts me in charge of my thoughts and feelings for the rest of the day. It is in periods of indecision or overwhelm that I am reminded to make time for this daily practice again. On waking I start by asking myself how do I feel today? Really taking the time to tap into what my first thought was on waking. I then ask myself how I want to feel. I take a minute or two to acknowledge any differences and let it go. I then set an intention for that day, something I really want to excel at or achieve. After this I spend 5 to 10 minutes in an appropriate guided meditation. YouTube always has something that seems just perfect. Click here for an example of a 10 minute guided morning meditation to kick start your day. . After meditating I journal my thoughts and shape my intention into action points. As a result of this process I get really clear on something that I have been indecisive over. All of a sudden the steps I need to take unfold on the paper before me when previously I had just been stuck. I always benefit from taking the time to fit this process into my day.

Professional Bio
Janine Wood is a woman who thrives on her sense of adventure and her capabilities at giving anything a go. She left her 6 figure corporate income to live her rural dream life in France with the love of her life Tony and their two rescue dogs Junior and Benjy. Janine is inspired by interior design, creation, music, art, dance, fun and personal growth and she lives each day with love, laughter and inspiration. Her role now is to inspire other people who know that they can take more out of life and supporting them as they too discover how to live every day like it was their best.
Subscribe to this Let Go and Love Life Newsletter here.

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H for Hearts, Holidays & Hope

16/2/2015

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Welcome to week 8 of this alphabet inspired newsletter.Well this weekend was Valentines Day making me think of all things heart based rather than head based! I received beautiful red roses and the most amazing heart shaped dessert. They certainly excel at patisserie over here in France. February is also the time of year I like to plan my holidays too as this fuels my hopes and dreams which will keep me grounded and on purpose through what is going to be a busy summer. So here are my thoughts for the week to hopefully inspire you to keep your hopes and dreams alive. Always look for more opportunities to go with your heart rather than just your head. Especially when it comes to the potentially life changing decision that often we are not brave enough to embark on if we let our head rule our hearts!

Hearts - Have you ever heard people say – that decision was from the heart, or that decision was from the head? Which are you more inclined to use? Is there a right way and a wrong way? When people ask why we bought our place in France, the thing that comes to mind is that this was a heart based decision. How do I know that? The moment we saw the place, we were in love with everything about it, the buildings themselves, the spiral stone staircase, the beautiful gardens and swimming pool, the walk by the river, just the sound of the birds and the wind in the poplar trees. It really was love at first sight, and I don’t think anything could have made us change our minds, unless of course we had just bought with our heads! What do I mean by this? My head would have said, buy something smaller, easier to manage and maintain remotely, quicker to clean in between guest changeovers, more economic to heat in the winter etc etc. BUT would I have loved and been so passionate about the kind of place that met just my head criteria? Definitely not. There is no right and wrong, but I believe that doing more of what you love and really lights you up is where we should all try and spend most of our time to help contribute to a life full of happiness.

Holidays - Why a picture of the Maldives when we live in a fabulous holiday home in France? Good question. We bought our French holiday homes in 2005 on generous corporate salaries with no other financial commitments. Our hope was to holiday here often, retiring mortgage free by 2010. We then hoped to manage our gites each summer and holiday in the Maldives every winter – simple! Exchange rates and redundancy in 2009 meant the dream was put up for sale in 2010. Whilst retraining as a Life Coach and a few dream boards later, we found a way, sold up in the UK, and came to France on 12/12/12. Interestingly, we have not had a holiday since we moved here! When you do work you love there is much less need for a holiday. We love our life here looking after other people on their holidays at French Escapes. Seasonal work frees up my time in the winter to focus on my other passion - Life Coaching. I am so excited to be hosting my very first coaching retreat here in June. The first booking was confirmed yesterday. The dream continues and we hope to be in the Maldives in October for our 12th wedding anniversary right back where we had our honeymoon.

Hopes - By special request for my very good friend Jane Howman here are my thoughts on hope. It is one of those words that can be open to interpretation depending on your current state of mind. Is ‘living in hope’ unrealistic and likely to lead to self-deception? I don’t believe so. I love the Wikipedia definition that “Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one’s life. Hope is the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.”
A case in point, we bought our place in France in 2005, with a clear hope that we would be here full time and debt free by 2010. When we put this place on the market in 2010 rather than moving here I was tempted to give up all hope. At the time it seemed like the only solution. With the help of my great coach Ali, the passion for my dreams was reignited, my hopes were once again alive and well. The two years the house didn't sell allowed the time to train as a coach, and to prepare a new way forward. We moved out here permanently on a very auspicious date 12/12/12. I am living proof that no matter what, it is important to always live in hope and keep those dreams alive even through the darkest of times.

"Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future" (Robert H Schuller)

"Hope is like the sun, which as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us". (Samuel Smiles)

"Hope is the feeling you have that the feeling you have isn't permanent". (Jean Kerr)

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G for Goals, Guidance and Guilt Free Zones.

8/2/2015

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Welcome to week 7 of this alphabet inspired newsletter.I was asked to speak on a webinar on Sunday night on the topic of Goals and Dreams so I thought I would share some of my top tips with you too. One thing that can really help us define our goals and open up our dreams is to seek some kind of guidance, I share below how I use the Goddess Guidance cards gifted to me by my coach many years ago now. I also want to touch on why its important to release guilt so we can do more of what we love. This is a topic close to my heart and one I work on daily. We are all a work in progress, and need guidance and support along the way. I hope something in this newsletter helps you the way I have been helped over the years on my own personal development journey.

Goals - What is a goal? It's simply a dream with a deadline. Why are they important? Goals create focus, energy and passion. They strengthen our will and create purposeful living. They are a route map to stop us getting lost along the way. Successful people are always goal orientated. They have a big dream which keeps them inspired. They know the key milestones they want to reach along the way which allow them to grow. They take action consistently. A coach can really help you with this process of identifying your goals, and working on your action plan. Having someone support you and to be accountable to can keep you motivated to achieve more too. To make a start today, tight now, simply answer these three questions:
1. How do you want to be?
2. What do you want to do?
3. What do you want to have?
Ask yourself, the all important - why? What will this give you? What is it that's important about these things to you? Cross off anything where you can't answer "I want this because.....". If you have many roles in your life try this goals tool to help you get starte. (Click here for the link). Enjoy the process make it fun.

Guidance - Never be stuck, there is always someone or something out there in this amazing universe to help you. I was given a set of these beautiful Doreen Virtue Goddess Guidance Oracle Cards back in 2011 by my own Life Coach Ali. They are the gift that keeps on giving for me. I often ask the cards if they have a message for me at the beginning of my day. I find them motivating and inspirational and they often put into words the very issue I have been trying to address. Todays card was FREYA and her message for us all is so relevant to todays topics "Unleash your adventurous side! Take Risks and be daring - Don't play it safe right now. Instead, take bold action in the direction of your heart's desire. Success comes not from timidity but from committing yourself fully to realizing your dream. Hold the clear intention of success and it shall come about. Enjoy the excitement of taking risks, of being bold, and of being daring, And be sure to celebrate your success with a party or by splurging on a wonderful indulgence." What great advice especially when it comes to thinking about your dreams, turning them into goals. Then creating the plan and taking consistent action!

Guilt - This is a cruel judgement based emotion we all seem to live with. We impose it upon ourselves, or let others impose it upon us. What would your life be like if you made it a Guilt Free Zone? What do you need to do to let go of it? It can be helpful to define it in the first instance. What are your guilty pleasures? One of my many is that down time at the end of a day watching soap opera's! When I try and rationalise it I can't, however I manage it by using this time to do the ironing creating guilt free watching and making a dull task more pleasurable! Creating a win:win guilt free zone! Another one of my guilty pleasures is taking a long hot bubble bath in the middle of the day. My old corporate trained brain shouts at me 'you should be working'! To counteract this nagging voice in my head I combine my guilty pleasure with another one I often don't get (make!) enough time to do and that's reading. Bingo this works for me its a way of 'killing two birds with one stone' making efficient use of my time. So what are your guilty pleasures and how can you make them a guilt free zone for you to just really enjoy. Do send me your thoughts on this one, lets inspire one another on this Let Go and Love Life Facebook page .

Professional Bio
Janine Wood is a woman who thrives on her sense of adventure and her capabilities at giving anything a go. She left her 6 figure corporate income to live her rural dream life in France with the love of her life Tony and their two rescue dogs Junior and Benjy. Janine is inspired by interior design, creation, music, art, dance, fun and personal growth and she lives each day with love, laughter and inspiration. Her role now is to inspire other people who know that they can take more out of life and supporting them as they too discover how to live every day like it was their best. Subscribe to this Let Go and Love Life Newsletter here.

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F for Fears, Freedom & Feedback

2/2/2015

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F for the first week of February - wow its finally here. Not long until spring now. I have already seen a couple of early daffodils, and the lighter evenings are starting to make an appearance again. This week I thought we might explore a little around three things that have played a significant part in my own transformation, and how valuable it can be to do some personal development in these areas in order to set yourself free to grow and develop a little more.

Freedom - What does this mean to you? Is it conditional? When I started looking at my core values, I realised this was a significant one for me. However identifying the word was not enough. I needed to define what it actually meant for me. Often I hear people say more money would give them more financial freedom, or a new job with less hours would give them more time freedom etc. However for me freedom is something we can actively choose and simply involves a guilt free state of mind. Yes more money might help but in reality at what cost? When I worked a 70 hour week in the corporate world on a six figure income I had money, but absolutely no freedom in terms of time. To me time to do all the things I want to do is the key ingredient of freedom. Doing the things I chose without the guilt associated with the old conditioning is still something I work on every day! I will be talking more about guilt next week. What are your core values, can you name them? If you would like an exercise to help you work them out check out this link Core Values Workbook.

Fear - What is it for you? Fear of....Public speaking, asserting yourself, making decisions, intimacy, changing jobs, being alone, aging, driving, losing a loved one, ending a relationship?
This is how one of the most useful books I have ever read starts. Check out Susan Jeffers Feel the fear and do it anyway. In this book Susan highlights 5 truths about fear:

1. The fear will never go away as long as you continue to grow.
2. The only way to get rid of the fear of doing something is to go out....... and do it.
3. The only way to feel better about yourself is to go out ..... and do it.
4. Not only are you going to experience fear whenever you are on unfamiliar territory, so is everyone else.
5. Pushing through fear is less frightening than living with the underlying fear that comes from a feeling of helplessness.
In conclusion its not FEAR that is the problem just how we deal with it. What do you tell yourself? Can you handle it or not? Next time fear crops up try telling yourself - I can handle it and see how you feel.

Feedback - If you are reading and enjoy these newsletters I wouldguess that you are at some point on your own self development
journey. It may be that you are in a job right now where the feedback is non-existent, badly delivered and a negative experience. I have been subject to this in the past and so know how awful it feels.
Feedback is not a once a year thing, it should be there all the time. When delivered well it will motivate you and help you grow. Getting myself a coach was a real eye opener to the benefits of feedback done well. It was also a lesson in how to receive positive feedback as this was quite new to me. How often do you find yourself dismissing or brushing aside feedback? How do you response to a simple complement about how fabulous you look in a particular outfit? Often our default reaction is something dismissive like 'what this old thing'! rather than a simple thank you. Raise your awareness today and learn to accept feedback with good grace. If you would like some one to one time to discuss the benefits of a coach just get in touch.

Professional Bio
Janine Wood is a woman who thrives on her sense of adventure and her capabilities at giving anything a go. She left her 6 figure corporate income to live her rural dream life in France with the love of her life Tony and their two rescue dogs Junior and Benjy. Janine is inspired by interior design, creation, music, art, dance, fun and personal growth and she lives each day with love, laughter and inspiration. Her role now is to inspire other people who know that they can take more out of life and supporting them as they too discover how to live every day like it was their best. Subscribe to this Let Go and Love Life Newsletter here.

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Janine Wood

Living my dream life in France as a transformational Life Coach. Looking forward to working with you, to help you make that shift, and move towards living your dream life too.

I is for Indecision, Inspiration and Intentions

H for Hearts, Holidays & Hope

G for Goals, Guidance and Guilt Free Zones.

F for Fears, Freedom & Feedback

Janine Wood

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