Fulfilment: My View on Balance

Posted on March 14, 2014 by sh

As part of the huge sort out I’m having at the moment I’ve been leafing through my (many) notebooks, sticking page markers on my fabulous ideas and ditching books that are just full of uninspiring (and never-ending) to do lists. When leafing through one notebook I came across this gem (if I do say so myself) that I penned a few years back:

I’m an ambitious person. I wouldn’t be coming back from work, firing up the laptop and blogging if I wasn’t. I realise that if I want to make my dreams come true I have to work hard – nothing comes for free. In the past I’ve been guilty of pushing myself too hard and burning out, ending up a snivelling wreck or a constant lurg-ball. And that’s the thing. Sure, you’ve gotta work hard, but you’ve also got to learn to take time out too. Whether your time out is watching cheesy TV, travelling, or floating in a pool of warm bubbles courtesy of Soap and Glory – that downtime is important, and I think we all need to be reminded of that sometimes.

What do you do to chill out?

Fulfilment: My Post Holiday Resolutions

Posted on March 3, 2014 by sh

I know, I know, I’ve still not filled you in on all the glorious details of my holiday to Sri Lanka. I will, I promise. It’s just, well, it was such an amazing holiday that I want to make sure I do it justice and with one thing and another, my heads perhaps not been in the right place recently. A trip to see our ‘Yonce soon sorted that and was (a little bit) cheaper than a therapy session. It also reminded of the post holiday resolutions that I came back with (and have recently added to).

I don’t know about you, but being on holiday always clears my head and enables me to think a little more clearly. As a result I often return to the UK with a list of things to do, or try. In the past these post-holiday resolutions have sometimes been extreme. Back in 2010 I resolved to leave a job that I hated and pleasingly by the time we honeymooned in 2011 I had (rather scarily) done just that!

As you’ll see this year’s list isn’t so severe…

Start doing Yoga again – yoga is big news in Sri Lanka. I’d waned to attend a Yoga session at the hotel where we stayed, but instead got distracted by a beach wedding, oops! I vowed to return to the practice when I got back to the UK. Trouble is I probably shouldn’t do practise which involves too many inversions (no Downward Dog for me!) because of my retinal detachment. I’m thinking of making contact with my old Yoga instructor to see if she can pull a routine together for me.
Find out my Ayurvedic type – again, big news in Sri Lanka. I wanted to pop to the spa to find out what type I was. But it was something I didn’t get around to doing. I’ve since read that a woman can change types after she’s had children. I don’t know how true that it is, or even if I’m fully on board with this ancient medicine but I’m intrigued to find out more.
Buddhism – another biggie in Sri Lanka. I’ve been fascinated by the Buddhist philosophy for around ten-years. I really think it’s about time I took that curiosity further and attended some Buddhist meditation classes. There’s a local centre near to me, so there’s no excuses really!
Learn how to make sushi – this is something I’ve been wanting to do for a while. I was going to book onto a Yo Sushi course but I reckon with the right equipment and a good YouTube instructor I could master some California Rolls. What d’ya reckon?
Master eye liner – I’ll admit, this is one that has been added to the list post-Sri Lanka. It’s one that was inspired by Beyonce and her amazing cat-eye eyeliner. I mastered the water line eyeliner back at school, but the art of lining my upper lid has always eluded me. Again I reckon a good YouTube video should be able to show me the way!
Learn to swim – I know, I’m 33 and I can’t swim. How embarrassing is that? When I go on holiday and see people doing lengths of the pool I’m always deeply envious of them. I also want to learn to swim so that when we do eventually have a family I can swim with our kids and also be on hand if ever they needed to be rescued (god forbid).
To eat more healthy – You can blame Cameron D for that one

So there you have it! Do you get inspired when you take a break from the daily grind? Do you know of any YouTube videos that can make my resolutions reality?

Fulfillment: Book Review: Now Is The Time

Posted on April 9, 2013 by sh

This lovely book was a gift from my mother for my birthday.

I know you like that kind of thing… she said, as I unwrapped it.

She’s right, I do.

Now Is the Time is a tome of short sentiments, or musings if you like, on a variety of topics, including: organ donation, goals, love, nature and technology.

The entries act almost like mini meditations. Each one begins with ‘Now is the time to…’ and then through a few short lines of prose gives you something to muse over, before finishing off with a nice quote to prove the point.

Who doesn’t love a piece of inspirational prose and a good quote? The fact that legions of people rep in ‘Sayings I Like’ on Pinterest suggests that most people do!

The book is small, with a cute banksy-esque illustration on the front. It’s also a hardback, produced from a heavy paperstock and very minimally laid out, which lends it a classy appeal, making it a great book to give as a gift.

I loved it, I read it all the way through in two sittings and some of the pieces and quotations really resonated with me (so expect some of them to be cropping up in future blog posts). The book is now nestled on my ‘posh’ bookshelf ready for me to pick up at times when I’m feeling a bit Grumplestiltskin, or when I just need a bit of inspiration.

One of my favourite bits?