How to succeed? You'll be surprised at the answer...

Yes, you'll be surprised to hear Arianna Huffington's answer to that question. As an incredibly successful woman, you might think she'd advise to work crazy hard and never give up and blah blah blah…but guess what she instead suggests? Get more sleep. I know, kind of crazy and radical but so easy and simple! Please please please, I hope gone are the days that people stop bragging about how they worked so hard that they barely got any sleep and they are therefore functioning on 3,4,5 hours of shut-eye. Maybe we could even hear a manager or director in the near future discourage this sleep depriving behaviour. (One can only hope…)

But seriously, I love this idea. You know why? I love sleeping. I love going to bed early. And quite frankly, I get tired of people giving me weird looks as a response to me voicing my sleeping successes. A good 8-9 hours of sleep? That's my idea of a true success. Thank goodness I've now got someone substantial supporting me!

What are the benefits of sleep? Why should you get more? You'll make better decisions. You'll be more present. You'll see the iceberg before the titanic hits it. (Watch the video and the reference will make more sense.) Honestly though, I agree with Arianna, leadership could do with more; our leaders could do with more. Sleep. It will make you more productive, inspired and will lead to a more joyful life.

More present...you'll be more present. I don't know if Arianna actually uses the word present but this is something that I've had on my mind lately. I've come to realise more and more that there is no point in a lot of things if you're not present. Stop trying to get ahead of everyone by being preoccupied with the future. Stop being obsessed with the past. The only way to live is in the present. Honestly, there is no other way to do it. Live now. Not later, not tomorrow, not yesterday. If you are listening, listen! If you are sleeping, sleep! Whatever you're doing, experience IT, not what you think it should be or what you hoped it would be, just it. Turn on, tune in, just don't drop out. 

Sleep your way to success. What a concept! I like this lady. Her book Thrive has just moved up my "need to read" book list.

 On that note...Good night!

http://www.ted.com/talks/arianna_huffington_how_to_succeed_get_more_sleep?language=en#t-232469

Conversation is apparently 6ft under

I came across The Death of Conversation today. Wait, no, that's not totally correct. I came across a number of articles about it today. That's not to say that I haven't experienced it and witnessed it and even taken part in it numerous times over the years. But, what the Death articles are actually about are a series of pictures taken by Babycakes Romero (whhhat? I know, not sure about the name but it's beside the point so let's not dwell on it. Besides that, he's done well...) that highlight our phone obsession and our lack of face to face conversation because of it.

Is this what we really look like?! OMG it is and that is making me uncomfortable. Honestly though, what I'm really struggling with is that the photos are so relatable. That could be me in the cafe...

Me in the gallery...

Me on the bus…

Ok, yeah..no, I'm not a delivery man, but you get the point.

I think most everyone can see themselves in the pictures. I don't know how that makes you feel but it doesn't make me feel proud. I kind of feel embarrassed. Why are we doing this to ourselves and each other? Why are we rejecting what is right in front of us...who is right in front of us…reality that is right in front of us?!

Which leads me to something I think about sometimes…Why is silence so awkward? It's weird that we feel as though we have to talk and talk until we don't have anything left to say and at that point we need to check out of "face-to-face reality" and join "phone reality." When did silence become awkward? When in conversation, I really appreciate someone who doesn't feel like it's a necessity to fill the silence when we stop talking for a few seconds or even a minute or two. I like a good ponder without the assistance of a device. I think it takes confidence to be able to do this. Plus, I think people have forgotten or ignore the fact that we can communicate in more ways than just conversation. 

Can I extend a challenge to you (and myself?) The next time there is a conversation gap, don't look at your phone. I know, it might feel hard or weird at first but just don't do it and see what happens. How does it make you feel after you get past the awkward? 

There is nothing wrong with silence. It's not awkward.  

Want to see more of the pictures? Here is an article that features them - 

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/10/27/photographer-smartphones-babycakes-romero_n_6054650.html

In honour of Valentine's Day...

Ever heard that your heart has an electromagnetic field? That it can be detected and measured several feet away form the body?

Wait, just think about this for a sec. I'm not talking about things that just affect you in our own little bubble now. You're putting things out there for other people to experience. We transmit information outside our body to those around us. What kind of signal is happy, sad, angry, relaxed, open…different that's what! And, those different signals you're putting out have an effect on those around you. People and animals will respond differently based on what you are putting out, i.e. what they are receiving. Think about the person sitting next to you. What is your heart making them feel? What is your heart telling them? Ever consider that?

Our brain and heart talk. The heart has a huge system of neurons. The heart sends meaningful messages to the brain. Take another sec and think about this…I always had the understanding that the brain told the heart what to do, not the other way around. It told our heart to beat, beat faster, beat slower, do this or do that. But, that's not not the whole story anymore. Do you realise what this entails? The heart acts as though it has its own mind.

The heart has a lot to say when it comes to our perceptions, feelings and behaviours. It influences the way we perceive the world. It is a powerful, rhythmic generator, the most powerful of the body actually. It produces meaningful electricity; signals for others to perceive.

So, take a millisecond to consider what you are offering up to other people. What is your electricity saying?

Some amazing fast facts -

The heart's electrical field is 60 times greater in amplitude than the electrical activity generated by the brain.

The magnetic field produced by the heart is more than 5,000 times greater in strength than the field generated by the brain.

Want more? Visit heart math.org

http://www.heartmath.org/research/science-of-the-heart/introduction.html

Thank you Heart Math for the Valentine's Day inspiration!

It's 2x yoga pose Tuesday!

I've blabbed about 2 kinds of yoga poses before - backbends and inversions. Well, here I go again. But seriously, I am only doing so because of 2 good reasons. One, I love them. Two, they're good for you. 

After sitting in a chair for most of the day, my back pretty much screams at me to bend and flex it. It aches if I don't. A backbend is like a reset button…no wait, better yet, one of the buttons within my reset code that I require daily. Give it go, because no matter what form your backbend takes, or how little or big the motion you require, you won't realise you need it until you do it.

Speaking of a body reseting code, this would also be one of my buttons - an inversion. Preferably at the end of the code sequence for me, turning myself upside down is more of a grounding mind trick to give myself an oh yeah, the world isn't just one way reality slap. Everything is different upside down. I mean everything. Let me start elaborating by focusing on the senses: 

1. The obvious is that um duh, your vision is upside down. 

2. You hear sound different. Probably has to do with how you're receiving it. It is travelling down to you instead of up or across. 

3. Instead of your feet touching the ground your hands, head or arms are in contact

4. Well, you smell the floor. Deal with it. Or, clean your floor. Or, invert on the grass. I love the smell of grass.

Once you are semi-comfortable upside down, you'll notice that your breathing starts to slow and become steady, thus giving you a calming sensation. You'll get a feel good kind of kick. Plus, I'm a big fan of getting out of my comfort zone. Sometimes making myself uncomfortable is a good way to bring myself back, kind of a grounding experience, an acceptance of humility and at the same time confidence. 

So, from all that yoga pose babble, I think I only really mean one thing:

I couldn't encourage you more to practise things that open your heart and shift your perspective.

Anthropolgie

One of the things I really miss from the USA is Anthropologie. I know, I know, I'm being completely and utterly superficial, but it is one of my favourite shops. I miss just going in and window shopping. Yep, just having a stroll around looking at all the beautiful stuff and maybe, just maybe buying a thing or two, once in a while. Now that I'm in Australia I can still shop online but it's not the same. Looking at pictures of pretty things isn't the same as being in the midst and trying them on in the shop. Plus, when you order something from another country, there is always the chance it can get lost in the post after you've paid an exorbitant amount for shipping.

But, I've caved in and I'm scrolling through the Anthro website right now.

So, in the spirit of Anthro Oh how I miss you! here are my fav things on their website right now:

How cool are these?! Asymmetrical - A letter and a stone. Love the contrast.

And these...they are like the half sister of both the wedge and the clog.

I think the wearer of this quite possibly might require a preggo belly but it still looks soft and beautiful. And hey! look! it's the Aussie brand Zimmerman! Too bad it's ridiculously expensive.

I just want to sit on the couch, like I'm doing now, but in this top (above)...wearing these shorts (below):

And then I'd love to wear this outfit to work the next day, even though I'd look like a massive flying squirrel in it (how does she pull it off?!):

This is just lovely:

I think I've tortured myself enough, and if I don't stop now I might just go to the checkout…stop. now. 

AWFULIZING

Ever heard of this word?

Awfulizing. 

But seriously, I'm confounded. Why have I never come across this word?! I could have been using it in so many totally appropriate situations!

So, what does it mean?

Well, according to http://psychologydictionary.org, awfulizing is a noun that refers to an irrational and dramatic thought pattern, characterised by the tendency to overestimate the potential seriousness or negative consequences of events, situations or perceived threats. A person who engages in awfulizing likely predicts the most catastrophic outcome in every circumstance.

Or, according to the Oxford Dictionary, it means to imagine a situation to be as bad as it can possibly be.

I came across it in this linkedIn article:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/live-presenttell-yourself-truth-roy-larson

Which, in summary, advises to live in the present and focus on our positive thoughts because unfortunately we are prone to fixate on the negative and awfulize them. It's a good one. Read it. And then, use the word awfulize because even though it has a negative connotation, it is a great opportunity to realise that it is the perfect word for that horrible thing that we all do.

Bathroom Ikea Hack

Know what an Ikea hack is? You probably do if you've ever come across this website:

http://www.ikeahackers.net

…where people take Ikea pieces and make them into things they're not. If Ikea hacking is a new thing to you, allow me to introduce it to you because it is pretty cool. People do some awesome stuff with Ikea furniture. There are cabinets made into bars, tables transformed into ceiling sculptures, and my personal favourite, kitchen trollies made into bathroom washstands. 

So, when there were no standard vanities that would fit in our teeny, tiny bathroom space to replace our existing atrocious vanity, I got frustrated and then creative. (It's amazing what positivity can blossom out of negativity sometimes!) I came across the Ikea Hackers website through a Pinterest post and I stole the idea of converting a kitchen trolley into a washstand with mounted basin! Witness the following:

Oh no, I didn't build it! I have very little talent in that area. I struggle to even to assemble Ikea items! But, if you're lucky like I am, maybe you have an exceptionally talented, handy partner at home to build your ideas.

So, I encourage you to think outside the box (or, the bounds of your conventional room) and use something for something it isn't usually used for. It can even be cheaper than your standard inexpensive, pre-made alternatives!

Good luck and happy building!