Clare Josa | Author And Keynote Speaker

UK's Foremost Imposter Syndrome Expert, International Keynote Speaker & 8x Author

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From Liver Failure To London Marathon In Under 3 Years: Dare To Dream Bigger Interview With Heather Bestel [DTDB045]

Create, Podcasts

Have you ever found your excuses getting in the way? The fear of failure stopping you from starting?

Then you need to hear today’s interview with Heather Bestel, founder of Mum’s Got A Business and The Happiness Garden. She’s sharing with you the ‘inside work’ she had to do to go from liver failure and surgery to completing the London Marathon, just 3 years later. And she’ll explain how you can apply what she learned to your Passionate World-Changer journey.

This episode is for you if you’ve ever had a goal that you were dreaming of doing, but you were getting in your own way, secretly self-sabotaging, feeling scared you couldn’t manage it and you need the courage and determination to see it through and make it happen.

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Clare Josa's podcast - Dare To Dream Bigger - Is available on iTunes

Tweetables

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Resources

 

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Party Time!

Join us for the first birthday celebrations for the Dare To Dream Bigger handbook.

I’m running a series of five inspirational interviews with passionate world-changer business owners,

a competition to win a 3 month accountability mentoring package with me

and a live webinar on how to find the time to grow your business, even if you’re secretly drowning in stress and overwhelm.

It’s all yours, as my gift. Register here:

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Dare To Dream Bigger Handbook

Here are the references I mentioned from the Dare To Dream Bigger handbook, to help you with the topics we covered in this episode:

  • The best bit about your big why – page 174
  • Visualising – Why ‘manifesting’ and ‘law of attraction’ fall over – page 263
  • Connecting with your Dream Team / Mastermind / accountability network – page 255 (Connecting With Your Mastermind Team)

Page numbers refer to the hardback print edition. If you have the Kindle version, search for the titles in the list above to find the sections.

Not got your copy yet? Order it today: www.dreambiggerbook.com

 

Is there a dream you’ve been putting off? Have your excuses been getting in the way?

Is there something you’ve been wishing you could do, but you’ve been putting it in your ‘mañana-bucket’? How about making the commitment to get started – today – and letting me know, via the comments? And I’m curious: which of the four elements of Heather’s success strategy would help you most right now?

With love and gratitude,

Clare Josa, Author | Speaker | Mentor To Passionate World-Changers

Enjoyed this?

Please help spread the word and share it via social media wherever fellow passionate world-changers are hanging out. And here’s the archive, for you to enjoy:

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How On Earth Can You Stop People From Stealing Your Meditation Time?

How To Change Your Life

How to stop others from stealing your meditation time…

… And it’s easier than you might think…

 

It can be a real challenge for many of us, when starting a meditation journey. I’m sure that some of you have experienced this already, because you are trying to fit your new habit in as something extra, in a day that already feels pretty full.

We start the day with the best of intentions, but suddenly it’s bedtime and we’re feeling too tired…

What steals our meditation time?

Well, we all have our own personal favourites.

If, for example, we have children or other people sharing our home, it can be something unexpected that needs doing. Or it might be a phone call that overruns; it might be dealing with our messages; it might be something that comes up at work – the list is as endless as our imagination will allow.

What to do if it happens regularly

If you notice that things are regularly interrupting your meditation space, then it really is time to take a look at your level of commitment to meditating… At risk of being shouted at, it is only 10 minutes a day you are asking yourself for.

Is it really so difficult to find 10 minutes for ourselves?

Yes? Then perhaps you’re running a bigger issue, which would benefit from being dealt with?

  • Are you still waiting to be convinced of the benefits of meditation?
  • Perhaps you need to change habits about how you say yes to things?
  • Perhaps it’s something about not feeling that you deserve time for the things you want to do?
  • Would you benefit from help from a wise friend on how you manage interruptions?
  • It could be worth looking at what you’re using the distractions to avoid?
  • Are your meditation excuses still getting in the way?

I’m curious: what are your top time wasters? I’d love to hear from you – via the comments.

Of course it is important to be flexible. But just imagine how much easier it would be to fit your meditation in, if you treated it like an appointment – not negotiable.

For example you wouldn’t cancel an optician’s appointment, unless you really had to, would you?

So how about treating your meditation time the same way?

When you have that mind-set towards your meditating time, it’s amazing how easy it is to brush away the interruptions that would otherwise have stopped you from you taking your 10 minutes.

Taking your meditation time seriously is the key to finding the time to do it.

Prioritising it over other things is essential, or you’ll find yourself regularly missing it and not benefiting from it. While you list it as an ‘optional’ part of your day or a ‘nice to have’ activity, it is destined to fall off the bottom of your ‘to do’ list. It is better to meditate for a shorter time, every day, than for a long time once in a blue moon.

Remember: when you are feeling calm and focused, when you have clarity and a smile on your face, the thing that was going to interrupt your meditation will be much easier to handle.

And many of the people who have completed my “How To Meditate” online programme have found that they enjoy their meditation space so much – and it helps them so much – that sometimes they even do it twice a day! There’s no pressure for this, but if you can find the time, the benefits are amazing.

Is it about needing to say “No”?

Maybe you could look at how you feel about saying no to people
Or perhaps you could have a new phrase: “Yes, when I have had my 10 minutes to meditate”?

Most things will all wait for 10 minutes if we’re really honest.

What’s the best time of day to meditate?

The key to success is to fit your meditation in at a time that works for you.

Traditionally, so we’re told, we should meditate around 4am – not a chance for most of us! The next ‘best’ time is shortly after waking up. But that’s all very well if you live in an ashram – not so practical if you have a busy morning schedule when getting up earlier wouldn’t work.

Personally, the only space I get is in the evening, just after the children have fallen asleep – or incredibly early in the morning, before the rest of the family wakes up. And I’ve arranged things to work around that, because I know how different my day feels if I don’t take that time to meditate.

So what can you do?

Forget what people tell you about what time you should meditate! The best time for you to meditate is the time that works for you and for your day.

It might help you to set yourself a reminder. Resources like the Fungie bell  or your computer’s alarm / phone alarm can help remind you when your meditation time has arrived. Or you could use the reminder to practise five deep breaths, allowing your attention to rest on your breathing for a few moments.

Choosing a similar time each day, whenever that is, helps you to get into the routine.

Choosing the same place each day can help you get into the routine, too. Your mind and body quickly become anchored into the physical preparation for meditating, in a particular place, and this makes it easier to relax and feel calmer. It makes meditating easier and more effective.

Also, preparing in the same way sets off our unconscious mind’s auto-pilot response, taking us back to a resourceful state of mind, to make meditating easier. You can prepare yourself by, for example, remembering to close the door, lighting a candle, sitting down or putting a blanket around your shoulders. This type of physical preparation will trigger unconscious memories and automatically help you to relax, feel more calm and feel ready to meditate.

Tell those that might need you during your meditation time that you are not around; you are not available, but you will be back soon! Take the phone off the hook; don’t look at the messages just before you meditate, or they’ll be preying on your mind. This is your time and, believe me, those around you will eventually be grateful, because it will make a huge difference for you – and one day they will notice that difference.

I’m curious: what (or who!) typically steals your meditation time? And how do you handle it?

That’s enough for now I hope you enjoy your meditation today!

Affirmation

My happiness is worth ten minutes a day of my time.

Namaste,

Clare

P.S. Enjoyed this? It’s a bonus article from my online course: “The 28 Day Meditation Challenge” ~ Discover how 10 minutes a day could change your life.

Are You Too Busy ‘Blaming The Lettuce’, To Sort Out Your Life?

Dancing In Your Soul Shoes

Ok – so I thought that one might get your attention!If you’re getting close to FINALLY having had enough of things not going right and being hard work, then you won’t want to miss today’s article. I’m sharing with you some Ancient Wisdom and a whole bunch of solutions. No lettuces were hurt in the production of this article. 😉

Are you too busy 'blaming the lettuce' to sort out your life?The lovely Andrea Lee reminded me of a story told Thích Nhất Hạnh today:

“When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don’t blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the lettuce.
Yet if we have problems with our friends or family, we blame the other person. But if we know how to take care of them, they will grow well, like the lettuce.Blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and argument.
That is my experience. No blame, no reasoning, no argument, just understanding. If you understand, and you show that you understand, you can love, and the situation will change”

Thích Nhất Hạnh

And it goes even deeper than that.

It’s not just about our relationships – the ‘blaming-the-lettuce-syndrome’ applies to EVERYTHING we create in our lives.

If we fall in love with a dream project, but it doesn’t go to plan, we blame the lettuce.

If our career falls apart or we don’t bag that dream promotion or amazing customer, we blame the lettuce.

If we feel exhausted or fed up or miserable or lost or stuck or confused or stressed or anxious, chances are we’re blaming the lettuce.

Whenever the warning signs come up that we’re blocking our Abundance – that we’re sabotaging our health, happiness, vitality, energy levels, relationships and success – we blame the lettuce.

We do whatever we can to avoid looking in the mirror and taking responsibility for the choices we have made – for the thoughts, words and actions that were ours and ours alone.

When life falls apart and Abundance flies out of the window, it’s much easier to blame the lettuce than to look in the mirror and do something about it.

In fact, we go further than that. We don’t just blame the lettuce, we use it as our excuse – our justification for why things didn’t work out the way we wanted.

But blaming the lettuce means you’re throwing away your personal power – you’re keeping yourself stuck, because the lettuce is never going to do anything to change things for you.
Because YOU and ONLY YOU hold the power to make the changes your Soul has been dreaming of. You can always CHOOSE to change you thoughts, your words and your actions.

And that can transform your experience of life.

And, what’s even more amazing, is that you don’t have to wait to take back control and make those changes, you can start with your very next breath. If you want to.

Let’s do it – right now!

  • Sit or stand comfortably, with your back fairly straight, your chin tucked gently under and your shoulders relaxed, your eyes softly closed.
  • Think of something that feels ‘stuck’ or ‘broken’ in your life (make it a 2-3 out of 10 for this round!)
  • Take a deep breath in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth with an ‘ahhh’ sound, as you let go of stress and tension. Do this 3 times.
  • Now let yourself rest for a few moments, simply observing the physical sensations of your breathing – and if your mind wanders, gently guide it back to watching your breath.
  • When you feel ready:
    • as you breathe in, say to yourself, “I reclaim my power to choose.”
    • as you breathe out, say to yourself, “I let go and trust my Inner Wisdom.”
    • Keep doing this for the next few minutes, allowing yourself to feel grounded – and perhaps noticing the sense of relief as you let go of trying so hard and you stand in your Soul’s power.
  • Now, when you feel that process has created a shift, with each in-breath and each out-breath, say to yourself, “I AM ABUNDANT!” Keep going for at least 10 breaths, allowing “I am Abundant!” to effortlessly permeate every cell in your body.
  • When you feel ready, gently release the practice, dedicating its power to someone or somewhere who needs that energy – because sharing the energy helps it to grow.
  • Open your eyes, have a good stretch and notice what has shifted for you.

 

So how did you get on? What did you notice? Perhaps you’d like to tell me, via the comments?
Which areas of your life are screaming at you (however silently!) to stop blocking your Abundance, to stop blaming the lettuce?

It would be an honour to help you more on this, if your heart is calling you to dive in and make some changes.

Abundance Video TrainingWant to dive in more deeply? And deal with your Abundance blocks?

How about joining me us for my 28 Day Abundance Blocks training? Find out for yourself why people are raving about this course – and how it is empowering them to finally release the blocks they didn’t realise were holding them back: Click here to find out more & register now.

Absolutely no worries if it’s not for you! But I’d be being unfair if I didn’t let you know and you missed out. 🙂

I hope today’s technique has helped you. If it has, please do share it with your friends via Facebook / Twitter etc. And thank you for taking the time to run through it. Your ‘future you’ is busy doing a happy dance right now!
See you soon!
With love, Namaste,
CJ Sig

Scientists Now Agreeing That Calm Mind Leads To Better Health

Inspirational Messages

During his teachings at Dharamsala, India, on September 8th 2010, HH Dalai Lama reminds us of the epidemic that has spread throughout our culture.

He reminds us so simply of the dis-ease that comes from our “need” for material posessions – and how this leads to jealousy and greed.

He tells us that the ultimate source of a happy life, whatever our beliefs or non-beliefs, lies within us.

Even scientists are now finding a clear link between a healthy, more peaceful mind creates a healthy body. Too much stress creates an unhealthy body.

A mind that is basically at peace finds it easier to remain at peace, even when disturbances come.

His conclusion? [Read more…] about Scientists Now Agreeing That Calm Mind Leads To Better Health

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