This morning I was inspired by a Tony Robbins recording about Life Purpose. I used to struggle to define my life purpose because I was always linking it to a specific role or job. In reality though Tony has helped me understand that  your life purpose is not really a job as such like being a Doctor, or Coach. Your purpose is a decision you make about the way you chose to live your life. It's that thing that helps you find fulfilment and certainty. It is your very own reason for living and its unique to you and you alone.

On my own coaching journey started back in 2011 - I was at such a point of confusion in my life I didn't feel able to answer the fundamental question "What brings you joy". My coach  gave me an exercise to do to help me answer that question and in doing so help define my purpose. 

When I first did the exercise I was still a little disappointed as it didn't give me an answer to the question I thought I wanted to answer at that time which was all about what kind of job I should be doing that would make me happy. In reality the answer I gave back in 2011 makes so much more sense now. 

I am so excited to share with you all now that my purpose really is to inspire others. To let you know that you can make a choice to let go of worry, anxiety, stress and confusion at any point, where ever you are on your journey. Once you discover your purpose you can apply that purpose to whatever it is that lets you achieve that way of being.

If your purpose is to live a joyful and happy life, helping others and you focus on that you will then see and take or create the opportunities to live that way of life. If you are looking for joy - you will find it in everything you do. It is about your state of mind and your ability to chose what you focus on. The picture at the top of this blog was taken by my local river. I walk the river often because I love it but that particular day the sunlight through the trees and the reflection in the water stopped me in my tracks and really made me feel so joyful I wanted to capture it. 

Today my day started unusually early at 5am as my 5 month old puppy was very ill. I willingly got up to care for him, and clean up because he gives me joy. Being awake (and joyfully so) early also gave me the opportunity to listen to Tony Robbins and then be inspired to write,

If you too would like some help with your Life Purpose why not try out the same exercise by clicking on the link below. If you would like to find out more about your purpose, why not connect with me on one of my  complementary 'How to Live a Life you Love' 60 minute sessions. You can find our more here.

What is it that helps you take that first step towards achieving something you really really want but have perhaps been putting off?

For me there can be many triggers that help, but often just listening to inspirational people speak can provide all the motivation I need to make a start. 

Yesterday I listened to an excellent interview between Michelle Holmes and Marisa Peer on the Rockstar Summit.  Marisa Peer Marisa Peer is an internationally renowned therapist, writer, public speaker and behavioural expert.  In this interview she was speaking about the 4 key traits that people who are successful share. There is a detailed post about this topic on Marisa's web site too. In summary the four headline points about Successful People were: 

• They are willing to do the things they HATE to get to where they want to be: 
• They do the things they dont want to do FIRST: 
• They never take no for an answer: 
• They take action every day in pursuit of their goals:  

Ths really struck a chord with me. I know  I need to raise my visability and start talking to more people about my coaching business to attract more clients and be more successful.  I was doing a great job face to face with people via workshops while I was still living in the UK. Since moving to France in December 2012 I have come to realise I need to find new ways to do that. Webinars. blogging, web pages, facebook are all great ways of doing. I have tried a Webinar based on the workshop I ran titled the 'The Ultimate Confidence Toolkit' and it was great, BUT I have since been procrastinating about the next topic. I have done a couple of blog posts but need to do more. My web pages are up but need more information. Facebook I find easier but I want to be able to express myself more easily. So for me my least favourite thing has to be writing things that I believe need to be creative and imaginative. 

Merisa's advice was to ban the word 'BUT' because believing you are not enough is the number one cause of people giving up way too early. This really got me thinking about why I was allowing this to take a hold of me. What limiting belief did I need to identify and and revise.

Well I remeber always being told as a child that I lack imagination and have no creativity, so I have been running the story that I find it hard to sit down and write creatively! In fact I recall this happened a lot even as an adult. In my late twenties I had a psychometric profile done to check out what direction to take my career, At the time I was a Housing Enabling Manager for Local Government, but studying to become an Interior Designer. I was advised that perhaps I should become a painter and decorator instead because I lacked insufficient imagination and flair to make it as an Interior Designer! Guess what - I let that get in the way of that particular dream and it kept me stuck doing something I didnt really want to be doing for another few years! 

I now know with all of my heart having changed direction completely and utterly in my life since 2009, and taken this to the next level in 2012 by moving to France that I really want to be able to share the power of Life Coaching with as many people as possible. Listening to Marisa and Michelle yesterday inspired me to revise that old script and do that thing I find hard, and write this blog. My new mantra is now "I am enough just as I am, Creativity and Imagination come easilty to me and I love writing blogs and web pages". I look forward to sharing more and more with you over the coming weeks.

Who is your inspiration and what have they helped you to change in your life. I would love to hear your thoughts below. 

The time has come for me to say YES to the Universe and in the words of Susan Jeffers - 'Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway'!

I have now been living here in France for 6 months. What a roller coaster ride it has been. My original plans to run my first retreat in May 2013 have been a little delayed..... There have been many excuses as to why! – Delays to works, unforeseen expenses to name a couple. I found myself saying 'No' and 'Not Ready' to myself way too often. 

I took some all important ‘me’ time to reflect. I often do this by reading and relaxing in a lovely warm bath. On one such occasion this week, Chapter 9 in Susan Jeffers book reminded me that I need to actually 'Say Yes To The Universe'. So - rather than feeling disappointed that we are not fully let during June and July this year, when Mid July and August are sold out ..........I am saying YES and thank you to the Universe for giving me this time to plan and then run my first retreat in the last week of July/first week of July - I am so excited I just had to write it all down and begin to spread the word. 

The retreat will run Wednesday 26th June to Sunday 30th or Monday 1st to Friday 5th July. All you need to do is pack a bag and book a flight to Rodez or Toulouse. Your airport transfers to Salles (81640), in the Tarn will take about an hour and is included. This retreat will be fully catered including wine with your evening meal, unlimited teas and coffee and soft drinks too. There will be an introductory session on the first day to set the scene and tell you a little more about what will happen during your stay. Here is a preliminary breakdown.

Day 1               Airport Transfer & Arrival , Introductory session and evening meal.

Day 2               Breakfast in the garden, followed by a group session till lunchtime. 
                        Lunch - Followed by Free Afternoon. Evening Meal.

Day 3               Breakfast in the garden, followed by a group session till lunchtime. 
                        Lunch - Followed by Free Afternoon. Evening Meal.

Day 4               Optional Excursion to Cordes Sur Ciel or Albi to soak up the local culture and 
                        the medieval magnificence.

Day 5              Breakfast followed by some time to reflect on your learning’s. Airport Transfer.

The specific program will be designed to meet the needs of those who are attending. It will include:

·         The benefits of life coaching to help unlock your true potential.

·         How to discover what holds you back from being who you really want to be?

·         How to overcome your fears, and identify your life’s true purpose?

·         What are your limiting beliefs? Are they holding you back from getting to where you want to be?

·         The power of positive affirmations?

·         How to benefit from that inner chatter that sometimes gets in the way?

The choice is yours.........It will be a bespoke programme rich in content that I am so excited to be able to share with you, and in this beautiful setting too.

Options for your Free Afternoons

Time to relax by the pool and in the gardens or walk by the local river.

OR (For a small extra charge and to be booked in advance)

·         Full Body massage

·         Reiki

·         Manicure/Pedicure

·         Body balancing

·         Yoga session

·         Meditation Tuition

·         1:1 Personal Coaching Session


To enjoy this wonderful and relaxing opportunity to invest in yourself you will just £456. (plus flights and any optional extra's you chose). This amazingly discounted price is only available for this first retreat, to launch this new and exciting venture. The value of this investment will be £650 on subsequent retreats in September 2013 and June 2014.

There will be a maximum of 6 places, to ensure you will all have your own room. Some rooms are larger than others, some with en-suite. The rooms will be allocated on a first come first serve basis. For the full choice of rooms available please check out the photographs above to make your selection.

I will be posting a booking form page in the next couple of days. If you would like to express an interest or secure your favourite room, please contact me soon to avoid disappointment via email at coach@janinewood.com or call me Mob: +33 (0)6 76 34 20 24. I am really looking forward to hearing from you.

GRATITUDE - Who would have thought how important that one word can be, and how much difference it can make to our lives. Read on to find out what role this has played in my journey to discovering my true purpose in life over the last 18 months.

What a transformational year 2012 was for me. I knew  I wanted things to change but didn't quite know why, or even where to start....

At a WI Lite meeting back in 2011 I met an incredibly inspiring lady  Ali  a Women's Coach and Mentor. In her presentation she said "sign up on my web site for my '7 tips from fed up to fabulous', and the first 5 to do that will benefit from a 50 minute personal coaching session." I thought what have I got to lose, and got straight on to it actually at the meeting - thanks to my Blackberry!

It was in that very first session - the power and benefits of coaching became apparent. I realised that I needed to let go of what was no longer serving me. The empowering coaching questions helped me to acknowledge the guilt I was feeling around not promoting the the business I had set up since being made redundant in 2009. I finally owned up to myself that even though this was what I qualified to do, and had spent 25 years perfecting to get to the top of that profession - it really was not what I wanted to do any more.

I knew from that very first coaching session that I needed something to change, and that this really would be possible with some help and support along the way - my coaching journey of self discovery had begun! 

I joined a local group Fab Friends  and signed up to a six month intensive coaching programme called the Butterfly Circle - it involved a monthly VIP day with 4 other ladies and our coach. There was lots of learning in between and two 1 hour coaching session each month too.

This was such an emotional roller coaster, I discovered what my values were, and  in what areas of my life I was not meeting those needs. I worked on my own limiting beliefs, discovered how they were holding me back, and preventing the personal growth I craved. Amazingly I took time out to really get to know myself,  unlocking and discovering  my own dreams, rather than just doing what it was I thought was expected of me. As I acknowledged who I was, and what I wanted and needed, my self belief soared and I found my confidence levels just grew to the point where I knew anything really was possible.

I was so inspired by my own coaching journey I attended a 2 day event at the Coaching Academy in London  in January 2012. As part of the event I had to identify a goal that was important to me and say it over and over again until not only did I believe it, but everyone I shared that goal with believed it too!

That goal was "To be living the dream in France, running our French Escapes Business, and being a transformational Life Coach by January 2013" 

If I am honest with myself at that time I still had no idea how this was going to come about. However I went on to join The Coaching Academy and study for my Diploma in Personal Performance Coaching.

On my journey Rhonda Byrne's book The Secret was recommended to me. I found it so inspiring, I went on to buy her other books, 'The Power' and 'The Magic' too.  
The first gift from my coach was a Gratitude Journal too, which I am still using now. The Introduction to the Journal identifies 

"Whenever I am asked the easiest way to use The Secret, my answer is always the same. Gratitude! It is one of the most powerful emotions you can use to bring all good into your life in absolute abundance. No matter who you are, no matter where you are, gratitude can dissolve all negativity in your life, no matter what form it has taken. Let me explain how something as simple as gratitude can completely transform your life.

The Secret explains that the law of attraction is the most powerful law in the Universe. This magnificent law governs all energy, attracting like energy to like energy. Einstein proved that everything in the Universe is energy. All energy vibrates at particular frequencies. We are energy too, and so each of us is also vibrating at a frequency. Your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs determine the vibration and frequency of your energy. 

As you focus on gratitude and think, speak and feel gratitude, you are transforming your energy frequency into one of the most powerful and highest frequencies of all. Gratitude attracts like energy of gratitude to it, so as you are feeling grateful you are powerfully bringing like energies to you, which will have you experience more things to be grateful for. In other words, you will magnetize to you the energy of people, circumstances, and events that will bring good into your life......"

It was this gratitude Journal, and putting my first Dream Board together that ultimately helped to bring about a significant shift in my own attitude. By acknowledging what I already had, and discovering what I truly wanted,  rather than just existing day to day and letting life pass me by - great things started to happen.

On my first dream board back in Sept 2011 - I wanted to sell my French home, because it was a financial nightmare. I also wanted to work harder in my role as a Slimming World Consultant to become a Team Developer, because the Team thought I would make a good one, and in my own head I felt I really should be going for the District Manager Role in order to earn more money to make my life more financially secure.

My Slimming World business did start to grow, and viewings started to come through on our French home.   Great I thought - all in my life is going well. It was on a trip over to France in October 2011 to close our French home for the season and say our goodbyes really, as  I was now convinced selling them was the only thing to do - that things really started to transform!

Well, guess what happened -  I fell in love with our place in France all over again.  It was as if the Universe was trying to send me a message, because while we were there, the car broke down, and this meant we had to extend our stay by another 10 days. This was such an important time as it happened enabling that time out to reassess, and just be in that moment.

My husband and I decided we really didn't want to sell after all, but still didn't know quite how we were going to be able to afford to keep it.

The focus in my gratitude journal changed from wanting the houses  to sell to asking that they be fully let in 2012 instead to help us afford to keep them!

Initial plans in 2012 were to focus on my Slimming World Business, growing my groups- Taking on a Manager Role – However, this turned out not to be my path!

In June 2012 – we were once again in France getting the houses ready for the season. Our manager was ill, and in hospital when we arrived. It was while we were hunting for a new manager we came across a business opportunity for us over in France . We started to explore this option, and we just knew then, that this was a way forward for us, and we decided to sell up in England and just do it!. 

In July 2012 the house went on the market. We were now anxious to sell having made the decision, but even after several viewings, no offers were forthcoming. The tension in the house, can’t have helped create the right energy either. It was really odd how it happened, but the house buyers viewed the house while we were in France closing the houses up for the season. It was another sign. So shortly after our return to the UK that magical call came with the offer. The house sold in October and completion took place in December. The actual move date ended up being the 12/12/12 what a memorable day to make such a shift.

Alongside all of this my coaching business is starting to develop too. I went on a personal development retreat in October, with 8 amazing ladies.  The lessons learnt and that injection of time to myself to work out what exactly I wanted to do was amazing.

It was on this retreat I planned my first workshop, which I ran in November. It was called ‘The Ultimate Confidence Toolkit’. The sign up rate from the workshop was amazing, and I am really enjoying working 1:1 with clients who are now looking to implement significant changes in their own lives.

Now I am in France, supporting my husband in his new business at the Cordes Owners Club, and French Escapes. I am looking at ways to continue running coaching workshops, and will be developing some tele-seminars, perhaps a webinar too, alongside some V.I.P days, short breaks and my first personal development retreat in May 2013.

I look forward to sharing my journey with you all.