On our arrival in Cairns (Queensland, Australia) we were greeted by a friendly, young guy who booked our coach transfer from the airport to the apartment we were staying in, a resort about 30 minutes from the airport. Almost everything he said finished with the expression, “too easy!” This really made me smile and I have found myself echoing his words frequently ever since. I think he meant that nothing is a problem. Life, when we choose it to be, really can be “too easy”.
Cairns is known for its tropical climate and when we arrived it was very hot and humid with a lot of low-lying clouds. Shortly after arriving at our beautiful resort the clouds opened and torrential rain fell on and off for the next three days! Locals told me that there hadn’t been a drop of rain for five months! To think that on cold wet days in Dublin I had visualised myself basking in the tropical sun sipping cold drinks by the pool. Not to say this didn’t actually happen but inevitably, we had to run for cover every time it rained (frequently).
The work that I do is about helping you create your own inner sunshine which is not dependent on external factors; the ability to carry an inner light full of joy is empowering. Your choice of response to any situation allows you true mental freedom. You choose what will become “too easy”. By mentally choosing to create your own inner world of light and peace, your feelings, behaviour and experiences will all be imbued with a positive light.
We were fortunate enough be able to book a trip to the rain forest, one of the few remaining in the world. And yes, it did rain! But as I soaked in all the beauty that surrounded me and witnessed the incredible power of waterfalls in that jungle, I felt connected – the flow of water represents life, always changing. The ability to “go-with-the-flow” Aussie style is certainly a path to freedom as is being able to accept each and every precious moment of your life. This is what allows you to live and love fully.
Let me tell you, I had no problem “going with-the-flow” the next day when we made a trip to see the Great Barrier Reef, something I have always dreamed of. We set out with our umbrellas (in case of rain), determined to snorkel and witness one of the most incredible wonders of the world before it eventually vanishes. From the moment I woke, I knew that this day would be one for the positive memory bank. We met a lovely group of people on our tour, Luca found pals to play with and the day was filled with laughter and light – the sun really did come out! I had moments where I felt my heart would explode with joy and gratitude.
As I snorkelled under the water and saw incredible fish and coral, a beautiful feeling of excitement and peace came over me. Under the water everything is still and quiet and yet full of possibilities. I took a mental snapshot of this moment and I know that whenever I need to feel like this again, I can simply close my eyes, feel my wet suit and listen to the silence of the sea. “Too easy!”
As I write this, Christmas at home seems so far away but I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a peaceful and joyous celebration. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this blog and for all your feedback over the last year. It has been and remains my privilege to be able share my thoughts with you and to help you in any way I can.
Please do take care of yourself and stay calm even if you are surrounded by Christmas chaos. Take time out if you feel anxiety or stress building. Please read my article in A Lust for Life which gives some tips on how to deal with the wonder and chaos of Christmas.
Register Now, Pay Less & Start The Positive Habit in January! too easy
Every day the 5-star rated Positive Habit Course is changing people’s lives and offering people with anxiety an alternative to medication. The current, limited introductory price of €69.95 (note this is approx $76 for U.S. clients & $99 for Australian clients) will increase on January 2nd, 2017 to €99.95. If you haven’t already registered, you can do so now and delay the start until January 2nd to avail of this special introductory price.
My first impression of Sydney was of how incredibly green it is; an appealing combination of the abundance of flowers and trees and of being in a major city at the same time. It also helps that my lovely sister in-law lives in the leafy suburb of Forestville where we were staying. the wonder of Oz
On Tuesday, after claiming that jet lag doesn’t really exist, I found myself in bed wide awake at 4.am, totally confused as to whether it was day or night. I broke my “no device in bed rule” in order to find out not only what
time it was but also what day! In doing this, I stumbled across an article in Psychology Today about the Hadza, an indigenous ethnic group in north-central Tanzania and one of the last remaining hunter/gather peoples in Africa. The article was particularly about the link between their active lifestyle and their very low levels of cardiovascular disease.
Constantly sitting down is the new smoking and a sedentary lifestyle causes untold problems for both physical and mental health.
My sister-in-law is a personal trainer and gives incredible meta-fit classes. This new form of keep-fit is taking off here in Australia and in other places. It is an intense workout that lasts just twenty minutes so I just had to try it. I must confess that while I loved it my muscles were not so forgiving the next day!
The citizens of Australia may not need to forage for food like hunter/gatherers but they certainly appear to get plenty of exercise! Everywhere you look someone is running or doing a boot camp, playing cricket or tennis or football not to mention the surfing and meta-fit classes.
As a country, Australia promotes physical well-being; there are signs everywhere telling you not to drive when you are tired, to drink enough water, to protect yourself from the harmful effects of UV; in some restaurants they even offer complimentary bottles of sunscreen on your table. The wonder of Oz is that it also aware of the importance of good mental health. For example, along the beautiful cliff walk, The Gap, there are signs aimed at those who may be suicidal saying, “We care. We can help. Day or Night ” and a number to call.
If Australia was a mother it would make a very good one, always caring, always protecting and wanting the best for her children; as a result its citizens flourish. There is a real positivity and genuine helpfulness in the people – they stop to ask you if you need help without you even asking, they are inquisitive and stop to have a chat, some people we don’t even know, (neighbours and friends of the family) are lending us their car. In general and from my experience to date, Australians are relaxed, open, friendly and navigate their way through life with an abundance of everything I believe in.
As Christmas approaches and routines start to crack, please emulate the Australian desire for physical exercise by doing some sport or physical exercise. I know we don’t quite enjoy the same climate but make it your business to get out when you can and go to the gym or even do some keep-fit at home. As you know, the mind and body are totally interlinked – the cliche is true:
A healthy body = a healthy mind.
The converse is also true – if you don’t look after your physical healthy your mind will suffer.
I feel very privileged to be here and to see all the wonder of Oz. It is truly amazing to travel to the other side of the world and at the same time feel completely at home in a nation that welcomes me like a long lost daughter and reminds me to take good care of myself. As always, I ask you to do just that.
Please take the time to look at my new weekly video series – Sunday Share & Care – How to Stay Mentally Fit. I share tips, tools, insights that are both practical and informative. The Sunday Share & Care videos teach you to train your brain for positivity.
Register Now, Pay Less and Start The Positive Habit Course in January!
Everyday the 5-star rated Positive Habit Course is changing people’s lives and offering people with anxiety an alternative to medication. The current, limited introductory price of €69.95 will increase on January 2nd to €99.95. If you haven’t already registered, you can do so now and delay the start until January 2nd to avail of this special introductory price.
Sunday Share and Care is a weekly series to help you keep mentally fit. I share tips, tools, insights that are both practical and informative. The Sunday Share and Care videos teach you to train your brain for positivity.
noun: “The ability to understand and share the feelings of another.”
Last Wednesday afternoon I had the annual parent-teacher meeting for my son, Luca and truth be told, I was unconsciously a little nervous before it. I imagine many parents feel this before these meetings even if they already know how amazing their child is; there is usually a touch of “please be positive about my child, please tread carefully with what you say, I’m doing my best!” It takes courage to listen with an open and non-objective heart to potential criticism whether it is from our boss or a partner about ourselves, or a teacher about our child. However, I think that these experiences present us with a valuable opportunity to observe our reactions and behaviour; some people slip into defensive behaviour as their ego flares up at the slightest mention of faults.
One of the many gifts I have discovered in motherhood is that it highlights our own principles and what we believe is important to pass on to our children.
Having empathy is one of my main principles . To have empathy for others is an essential ingredient in creating a world of harmony and peace. Without it, it’s a dog-eat-dog world and who wants to bring children up in that environment?
After Luca’s lovely teacher outlined all his academic abilities she said: “I have to say he has great empathy for the rest of the children in his class”. At this point I wanted to get up and hug the lady. She is 8 and half months pregnant and I didn’t want to overwhelm her, but in my mind she could not have paid Luca a higher compliment. His English, Irish and maths seemed less signifcant as I value emotional intelligence so highly. It was like the time when I found out I was pregnant with Luca (the teacher’s baby bump reminded me of this special time) after a long road of infertility. I felt tears of joy starting to swell I was so proud of my son. I have to admit that I did take some of the credit myself – all those years of talking to him (nagging him!) and guiding him seem to be paying off.
This week, focus on the principles which are important to you and make a conscious choice to live by them. Empathy can come under many different names; kindness, care, compassion and above all, love. When we can see every creature and person is intrinsically connected to us it allows us to open our hearts, to reach out and express kindness in whatever way we can. As I have previously mentioned, in order to be strong enough to see the world like this you must first and foremost take care of yourself. Please continue to find time to care for yourself, reward yourself with a healthy lifestyle and mindset and allow empathy to flow. It is a win-win situation for all concerned!
This week the world needs as much positivity as it can get: is seems almost unbelievable that Donald Trump is in power. The less said the better…awareness and nightmares
Instead, I prefer to turn my attention to the passing of Leonard Cohen. Death is always sad, but in this case, we have much to celebrate – Cohen has left a wealth of music, poetry, and inspirational quotes for the world to enjoy. Before his career in music, he dedicated himself to writing, mainly poetry and lived a semi-reclusive life on the Greek island of Hydra. The world should be thankful that, due to a lack of financial success, he came out of his shell to pursue a career as a singer-songwriter. A clear example here of every cloud having a silver lining. Cohen lived his life to the full and released his fourteenth album only last month at the age of 82, writing and creating right up to the end of his life.
This week, the political events in the USA must have crawled into my subconscious because, despite my best efforts to remain positive, I had a number of nightmares. If you are the type of person who remembers your dreams, you will know how disturbing a nightmare can be. Symptoms can include hot sweats, panic and overwhelming fear. When I was younger I used to get quite upset whenever I had a nightmare and saw it as a sign that my mental health was not good. However, I now choose to embrace these disturbing dreams as a necessary part of my mental well-being. The nightmare is a mechanism whereby the subconscious mind deals with anything that the conscious mind has not done during your waking hours. Thank you subconscious mind! My subconscious seems to be particularly suggestible which is why I have to be careful about the information and experiences that I expose myself to. If you think of children and how impressionable they are, you can begin to see how your subconscious mind works. awareness and nightmares
On Friday morning I had the chance to impress 200 young minds by giving a short talk on mindfulness to Luca’s school assembly. I explained to the children aged from 4-12 that they have a choice in how they wish to feel, think and behave and that this choice lies in their ability to be aware. I sincerely believe that this is a message that needs to be sung from the rooftops or at least taught in every school and not just once, but every day.
One of my favourite Leonard Cohen quotes is,
“Act the way you’d like to be and soon you’ll be the way you act.”
Awareness is the greatest gift of the conscious mind and is what separates us from most of the animal kingdom. Choosing to use your awareness to shape your own life will allow you to rise above all the fear in the world that is created by just the opposite, a lack of awareness. Just like Cohen, you have the choice to be brave and to bring out the best in you today and everyday, no matter what is going on around you. And don’t worry about having nightmares – your subconscious is dealing with it! awareness and nightmares
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
“Too Easy!”
Let me tell you, I had no problem “going with-the-flow” the next day when we made a trip to see the Great Barrier Reef, something I have always dreamed of. We set out with our umbrellas (in case of rain), determined to snorkel and witness one of the most incredible wonders of the world before it eventually vanishes. From the moment I woke, I knew that this day would be one for the positive memory bank. We met a lovely group of people on our tour, Luca found pals to play with and the day was filled with laughter and light – the sun really did come out! I had moments where I felt my heart would explode with joy and gratitude.
My first impression of Sydney was of how incredibly green it is; an appealing combination of the abundance of flowers and trees and of being in a major city at the same time. It also helps that my lovely sister in-law lives in the leafy suburb of Forestville where we were staying. 
