"Live A Better Life in 30 Days" challenge

"Living is like tearing through a museum. Not until later do you really start absorbing what you saw, thinking about it, looking it up in a book, and remembering - because you can't take it in all at once." - Audrey Hepburn


It has been two seasons since I last blogged. I have spent all morning, afternoon and now a good portion of my Saturday evening desperate for inspiration. Why am I desperate for inspiration ? It is because I confess I am stuck! Ok, so I am slightly embarrassed to disclose this feeling but we have all been stuck at some point in our life time right? Take these examples, maybe we are not certain if we should end our relationship of 5 yrs because that will mean we will have to be single, or maybe we want to resign from our uninspiring job and pursue our passion in life as a fashion photographer or a lonely planet travel writer but there are concerns we are getting too old, or maybe it is because we are feeling empty in life and have very little hope or maybe we have a awful habit we can't shake.

How does one find inspiration? Some people are lucky and book a holiday to exotic Brazil, whilst other people aren't as lucky and instead scramble for change and go to a local pub and enjoy a few drinks, others follow in the foot steps of what have worked for their friends i.e meditation classes, tarot reading, philosophical classes, acting lessons. I on the other hand decided to take up the latest fad "Live A Better Life in 30 Days" challenge. It is much like boot camp but without the arduous sit ups and being passed twice by a grandmother whilst doing laps around the oval. Instead the challenge is to complete required exercises everyday of the month, in my case the month of November in a notepad, one of which I will explain later below, and then consciously reflect on what is happening in your life and then finally committing yourself to make a difference so you can grow and live a life of wholeness. I have always believed that you are in the pilot seat of your life and it is you that is responsible for it. If you wish to join me in this 30 day challenge please swing by the following website http://celestinechua.com/blog/live-a-better-life-in-30-days-challenge/

p.s I was skeptical about commencing day 1 of the challenge which was to create 'My Life Wheel' but I learnt there is particular areas in my life wheel where I scored a frightening '1'. I realised I didn't want to stick with the low score forever either! Here is the link to the page which explains the life wheel in detail http://celestinechua.com/blog/30dlbl-day-1-life-wheel/

Maybe this blog will inspire you!

Amy

Enjoying sinful white chocolate mudcake & feeling conciosuly alive!

I was hanging out with girlfriends today enjoying a very special moment, what moment was this? Enjoying sinful white chocolate mudcake and feeling conciosuly alive - and it's the finest thing in the world to feel too. I knowwww that sounds dorky!

I thought about what has been making me feel consciuosly alive over the last few months. And I have listed some of them here:- Resurrecting my goals, chasing my dreams, being silly - Yes, remember the kid you once were? (Roll on the floor, dance/sing and throw a ball), facing the window and feeling the sun beaming on me, making chocolate mud cake and eating it too (slowlyyy), surrounding myself with friends who are uplifting, listening to my favourite songs (yes this includes dancing in my bedroom to Billy Ocean's 'Get out of my dreams and into my car'), doing inspirational reading, replacing negative thinking with positive thoughts, practicing random acts of kindness - the list can go on!

"It's possible to forget how alive we really are. We can become dry and tired, just existing, instead of really living. We need to remind ourselves of the juice of life, and make that a habit, Find those places inside that jump for joy, and do things"

"Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher." -Oprah Winfrey (1954)

This blog is dedicated to Kylie and Mel - "I like beer" ;)

Something occurred to me last night after I hit the town with new girlfriends last night. I had a super doper time hanging out with the girls and within the next few lines I will reveal why. But before I do so I just want to warn you that what I am about to say will come across as dorky, ready? Well, I was gobsmacked about how many people approached us during the course of the evening. But this blog is not about my ego, it is about my recent fascination about what makes a person/s attractive? My opinion is based on people I have met over the last two months including my two new girlfriends mentioned above- they all have a twinkle in their eye, a spellbinding smile, a bounce in their step, a friendly demeanour, drive to succeed and most importantly a positive attitude. These types of people are now more then ever infectious to me and of course clearly infectious to other people as per my experience last night.

As Oprah Winfrey once said "Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher."

This Isn't a Dress Rehearsal

LIGHTS........ CAMERA....... ACTION!!!!

This same time tomorrow night I will be surrounded by a professional camera crew. It's the first time I will be casted in one of the lead roles. Is it my ticket to Hollywood? Maybe ;)

I was inspired to write this particular blog because the filming that is taking place tomorrow night got me pondering about how many of us don't cast ourselves in the leading roles of our own lives. What triggered this thought? Well, many months ago I came across a passage in a particular book that I keep in close sight of me for inspiration every now and again. This particular passage said "None of us can be expected to perform every minute of our lives. But a lot of us might tap into the power, excitement, and glory of real life more frequently if we cast ourselves as the leading person in our own lives".

Imagine what we could achieve if we lived and breathed the above passage? STARDOM is my answer =)

Go on....Brag!

Time for some gratitude and bragging on this crisp Autumn night. I am dedicating the below quote wholeheartedly to my two friends Jennifer Christine and Suzanne Louise who have shared the same risky but rewarding journey as me over the last few months:-

“It is important that you recognize your progress and take pride in your accomplishments. Share your achievements with others. Brag a little. The recognition and support of those around you is nurturing.”

- Rosemarie Rossetti quotes

Amy's Brag time: I got 100% for my assessment AGAIN!

Autograph your work with excellence!

"Every job is a self portrait of the person who does it. Autograph your work with excellence" - Unknown

I have been living and breathing the above quote for the last month. Endless late nights and early hours of the morning burying myself with a den of books, saturating myself with rehearsing and giving regular face lifts for my first major assignment. All for what you say? The big day - judgement day!

I walked into the class room today and delivered my lesson plan in front of my class mates and lecturer. The outcome was mind blowing. My class mates gave me a roaring applause and my lecturer gave me his assessment mark of 100%. I am feeling pretty proud. The endless nights and early hours of the morning studying has paid off.

Finally, I would like share that I received an official letter confirming my application for admission to the Australian College of Applied Psychology has been successful and that I am now enrolled! =)

Inspiration from Mohandas Gandhi, Eleanore Roosevelt and Nelson Mandela

My friend's husband Martin on the weekend over Portuguese lunch (keeping in line with the Portuguese wedding we were attending) with his funny Belgium accent asked me"Ame whozz are thaz Counsellor's thatzz have inspirzzed youzz?". I embarrassingly replied "Ummm....I actually haven't thought about it!". Moments afterwards I thought to myself "It was just last week I asked my good friend Suzanne about photographers who have inspired her work and she proudly ran off a list of names, truly I thought I cannot be a good counselling student".

So, here I am in my bedroom doing research on this Anzac long weekend to identify notable counsellors who inspire me. But firstly, I have come across wikepedia (I knowww... I should have gone to the state library, climbed a ladder and reached the top shelf of dusty books) which provided insight on the personality traits of a Counsellor. It explained Counselors correlate primarily with the Myers-Briggs (self-assessed personality questionnaire) type INFJ. What I found surprising is that this type accounts for 1–3% of the population.

I have listed the acronym INFJ definition below...

I – Introversion preferred to Extraversion: INFJs tend to be quiet and reserved. They generally prefer interacting with a few close friends rather than a wide circle of acquaintances, and they expend energy in social situations (whereas extraverts gain energy)
N – iNtuition preferred to Sensing: INFJs tend to be more abstract than concrete. They focus on the big picture rather than the details, and on future possibilities rather than immediate realities

F – Feeling preferred to Thinking: INFJs tend to value personal considerations above objective criteria. When making decisions, they often give more weight to social implications than to logic.
J – Judgment preferred to Perception: INFJs tend to plan their activities and make decisions early. They derive a sense of control through predictability

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For you budding counsellors like myself here is a further overview of a counselor's personality:-

Counselors are introspective, cooperative, directive, and attentive. Counselors find helping others to personally develop and reach their potential to be personally gratifying as they have a strong desire to contribute to the welfare of others. Counselors often communicate to others in a personalized manner and are positive and kind when dealing with others. Counselors are good listeners and are highly intuitive. They are often able to detect the emotions or intentions of another individual before the individual is aware of them.

Counselors usually have intricate personalities and rich inner lives. They tend to keep their innermost thoughts and emotional reactions to themselves, which can make them tough to get to know. Counselors tend to be private people, possibly because their ability to take in the emotional experiences of others can cause them to be easily hurt. They have great depth of personality and can understand complex issues and individuals.

Counselors often prefer to work on a one-to-one basis with others or to work intensely with people close to them. Counselors are happy doing jobs that require solitude and close attention. They are also happy working with others provided that the personal interactions are not superficial and they are given some quiet time in order to reenergize themselves. Counselors usually exert their influence behind-the-scenes rather than being a visible leader.

Counselors often work well in organizations. They value staff harmony, are good at consulting and cooperating with others, and they are concerned with the feelings of others. They strive to make an organization run smoothly and pleasantly. Counselors can also act as a barometer of the feelings within an organization.

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Further into wikepdia it explained that David West Keirsey (renowned psychologist) identified well-known individuals whose behavior is consistent with this specific type (INFJ) described above and as illustrative purposes were also identified as notable counsellors. Three of the individuals identified which made me excited as I have read about their lives inside out - were Mohandas Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt and Nelson Mandela. There were also other notable people listed who I am not not very familiar with such as Emily Bronte, Mary Baker Eddy, Jane Goodall, Sir Alec Guiness, Carl Jung, Queen Noor and Sideny Poitier.

In a nutshell though I can now go back to my friend's husband Martin and confidently say in my best Belgium accent "Martinz, Mohandazz Gandhiee, Eleanoreaa Rooseveltaz andzz Nelsoonz Manzzdela inspirezz mei". =)

Now over to you "Who are the people that have inspired you in your career?"