As I write this I am sitting in a small cafe in Istanbul, Turkey. Having arrived here only 3 days ago it is a world away from home as I know it. My eldest daughter is now 26 and when she was at Pre-School I was lucky enough to meet up with and get to know another Mum, whose little boy attended the same pre-school.

26 years later here we are….She is Australian and when in her own country we see each other about once a year! She travelled through Europe last year and stumbled upon Istanbul and loved it, so decided to stay! She has now been here almost a year on her own, living life and loving every wondrous moment it bestows upon her.

So many of her friends and family are bewildered and perplexed at what she doing! How could she leave her husband at home, her adult children and extended family, and why?

Because she found somewhere she loved and she made a decision to act on it. So often in life we don’t heed the warning signs, and trust me there are many along life’s journey, its just that we dont always see them. The difference is she did and what a wonderfully enriched life she is living.

It’s sometimes very challenging, living where you cannot speak the language, a woman on her own, learning to live her life in a foreign country without knowing anyone here. I am sure she has days where she wants to give it all up and go home, but the passion she feels for Istanbul and her craving for adventure keeps her here.

I envy and admire her courage and tenancy for as I write this she is struggling through a university class trying to learn turkish. She will come home frustrated yet elated having risen to yet another challenge of the day. While the rest of us go blindly through our lives, not knowing what we are potentially missing.

Cheers
Mary-Ann Roche.

Tags: courage, happiness, inspiration, motivation, overcoming fear, passion, positive attitude

From Lisa’s Chair

The journey I have been on over the last five years is something most people, me included, only read about or see in the movies.  It has been a journey of highs, lows, laughter, tears and mostly of survival and self discovery.  A journey of developing into the person I have become today.  From the lows of lying in a Spinal unit to the highs of seeing the sparkling lights of the famous “Las Vegas Strip”.

It all began this time 5 years ago with a slight nagging pain in my upper arm.  I came home from my working day and commented to my partner that my upper arm was sore.  This progressed quite quickly to a pain that affected my daily routine, stopping me from working, sleeping and socialising.  I found myself at the emergency department of our major hospital, to be given the diagnosis of a massive bulging disc on my C5/C6.  After trying so many lotions and potions I was advised  by my doctor that the only option was surgery.  I was then booked to see a “Very well known and experienced” Neurosurgeon.  I was excited to be seeing this person who would take away my pain and give me my life back.  He assured me it was a very simple operation, and I would have more hope of being hit by a bus when he discharged me, than of anything going wrong.  I was so full of hope and could hardly wait until this wonderful person was going to give me my life back, 9th February 2005.  I could never had known how his words would ring in my ears for the rest of my life………3 to 5 days, you will be back home, pain free.  Those words started me on a journey of self development into the stronger person I have become today.

Hope you enjoy my story….

Kind Regards
Lisa Monaghan

Out with the Old In with the New

9^th February, 2005, a day forever in my memory, a day I was so looking forward to. Arriving bright and early keen to get the process going, I could never have imagined how devastated my family and I would feel by late this afternoon. I really don’t think there are any words that could describe my mortal fear when I realized that I could no longer move, I was so happy as I waved to my mother at 10am that morning as they wheeled me away smiling, to the operating theatre.

 Somewhere, somehow during my operation something had happened that would change everything in every aspect of my life. My body, mind and soul were no longer as I had always known them to be. My first realisation that all was not well was saying I felt pain in my arm, I just kept repeating that something was wrong. My family were downstairs unsure of what was going on as I was due out of theatre three hours earlier.

I remember waking seeing my Son, Daughter, Mother and Partner standing there smiling, huge bunches of flowers in hand, happy to see me at last. They had no idea of the horror we were all about to face. I was so sure that this was going away and all was going to be good again. Why wouldn’t it be-I was getting a new car and had a planned holiday to the Reef. Just a day or two should see all of this go away, after all the awful pain I felt was gone. I will be home again in 3 to 5 days, the Surgeon had assured me of that.

Never could I have imaged the journey I was about to undertake, a journey of digging deep and finding survival tactics I never knew existed. It is amazing the inner strength you can find when you are faced with adversity. Look out Lisa, out with the old and in with the new……….

07/02/10

As you can see by the date on my column today it has been some time since I last wrote and things have come to light of which I could never have imagined, but for now back to my hospital stay.  My three day visit lasted for nine long agonizing months, agonizing for me, my children, my parents, family and friends.  To see the pain and helplessness on their face day after day is really hard and sad.  To see their glee is also sad, their glee because you can now hold a pen or a cup or you can brush your hair, they feign excitement but really their heart is just as broken as yours, but they have to be as happy as they can be for your sake.  You do have your happy moments of course when funny things happen and you can even laugh at yourself and as time goes on you learn to do this more and more.  As much as you don’t like being in hospital it almost becomes a safe haven or another family and leaving it, even for just a few hours can be quite traumatic.  

My first trip out of the hospital was amazing and I almost felt like an alien!  Allan, my partner at the time, had asked me to marry him and he wanted to take me for a champagne to celebrate.  I had been practicing for a few weeks with my physiotherapist, Josh, how to transfer in and out of a car, so here was my opportunity.  It was slow, difficult and painful, but with the help of my Physio’s and Allan I was in the front seat of the car, the same car that had dropped me off a few months ago to start this painful journey.  Oh how excited I felt, it felt so weird to be in a car, yet I had been driving since I was 17.  We drove off leaving the hospital behind, so excited at something so seemingly small, I immediately called my mother and said excitedly “You will never guess where I am Mum, I am in the car with Allan”, such a big moment, we were so happy.  We stopped and picked up some piccolos of champagne and went and parked down by the river and drank to our excitement, to getting engaged, to being alone together, to being back in the real world, sitting in the car like a ‘Normal’ person, life just didn’t get any better.

Unfortunately, reality has a way of biting you when you least expect it, after we had finished drinking our champagne, it was time for me to remember that I had to go back to the Spinal Unit, Allan had told me something that had broken my heart and the Physios gave us a scolding as in our haste to get away from the hospital we had forgotten to take my wheelchair.  It seems my spinal injury was going to be with me wherever I went for the rest of my life……..how could I deal with that?

Kind Regards

Lisa Monaghan

Tags: anxiety, attitude, change, coping with change, fear, happiness, inspiration, Love, personal development, sadness, Self Esteem and Confidence, self improvement

Find Inspiration for Free

Have you been looking for inspiration?
Every one needs a bit of inspiration now and then – here’s some free inspiration for you!

The next time you feel like you need some extra inspiration, try these sources. You may be surprised at how well they work to get you happily working toward fulfilling your goals and living the life you desire.

Sometimes life is tough and it’s hard to see the pot of gold waiting for you at the end of the rainbow. Fortunately, it’s easier than you think to find a source of inspiration that will motivate you and keep you on the right path toward your goals.

Here are a few quick and easy ways to find inspiration:

1. Find inspirational imagery.

Sometimes you come across inspiration by spotting something in nature, like a beautiful sunset or freshly fallen snow. Other times you may be inspired by a photograph, an image in a book, or a painting at an art gallery.

* Once you find an image that inspires you, rely upon it during stressful or difficult times as a visual reminder to keep moving forward.

* Perhaps the beauty of an image will inspire you to create something beautiful of your own. In the process, you’ll find new excitement and motivation to carry over into the other areas of your life.


* An image can also remind you of your destination, which will motivate you to work ever more swiftly with laser-like focus to reach your goal.

Feel free to download some of my beautiful Inspirational Wallpapers!

2. Use motivational quotes and affirmations.

It seems that no matter how many times you read or hear your favorite quote, it resonates with you almost as much as the very first time you heard it. Adding to your collection will bring you an ever-flowing well of new inspiration.

* As your goals change, look for quotes and affirmations that reflect your new path so you can gain the inspiration to persevere in your new direction.

Feel free to download my lovely little Positive Affirmations ebook or my Motivational Quotes ebook!

3. Watch motivational videos.

 Websites like YouTube offer a plethora of motivational and inspirational videos. Some videos, such as the late Randy Pausch’s poignant “Last Lecture,” has inadvertently inspired millions, even though it was originally intended for a much more personal audience.

* People often use YouTube to tell their stories, share successes, and offer advice or encouragement. When facing a challenge, or if you need some words of wisdom from someone who’s “been there, done that,” you’ll surely find inspiration here.

4. Confide in strangers.

A method you may find surprising as a source of inspiration is to talk to strangers when out and about. There’s an understood confidentiality clause with strangers. Because of the anonymity factor, people may actually become comfortable with someone they may never see again.

 * Someone you meet by chance can bring you a new perspective on old challenges. The next time you’re out, try striking up a friendly conversation and share your thoughts.

 5. Let your neighbors inspire you with their stories.

When you hear someone’s story of personal triumph or hardship while standing in line at the neighborhood post office or sitting in the waiting room at your local doctor’s office, you just may be able to relate to this person.

* Because you’re neighbors or friends, it’s as if you have an instant connection. Their story could very well be yours, with a few different details. Seek out their stories and let them inspire you!

These are all great ways to find inspiration! Make sure you click on the links and access my free inspiration resources for Inspirational Wallpapers and the free ebooks (you can just download these! – no optin required!)

If you know some more great ways to become inspired, please leave a comment for me and my readers!

Tags: find inspiration, free inspiration, inspiration

Find Inspiration And Avoid Stress At Work

Do you find that when you get to the office, your motivation and inspiration for your daily work duties leaves you and you have no enthusiam for your work? Here are some helpful ideas to get you going towards a better work day!

Simple Ideas to find Inspiration at Work

One of the best ways to put yourself in a position to find the neccesary motivation is to make sure you are comfortable. You need to make sure your chair supports your back, your desk is at the right height, and you have an ergonomically correct keyboard and mouse. Repetitive strain injuries have been on the rise for some time now, so speak up and you just might find your employer willing to cooperate. Im sure he would rather adjust the environment rather than deal with a workers compensation claim!

If that is not so – Worst case: bring in your own office supplies or equipment. There’s no reason that your body has to suffer even if your boss is an ass!

Clean Up and De-Clutter Your Workspace

I find inspiration by getting rid of the clutter on my desk and getting everything back to tidy! A cluttered workspace can zap you of your creativity because you spend more time trying to find things than actually getting your work done.

Look at your workspace objectively and ask yourself: “What absolutely NEEDS to be here?” Remove the things that make you feel claustrophobic, stop hoarding rubbish and toss the things you never use. File or bin anything else as your work items should be filed away in an organizational system that works for you.

Here’s the bottom line: just hold on to the things that are vital for your daily chores or will propell you towards success in your duties! Keeping anything else serves no purpose and adds nothing more than clutter and distraction. Then, all this clutter zaps your motivation and inspiration, so avoid it! Now, if you do this, you will feel so much better! You will be more relaxed and able to think more clearly.

How Can You Create an Inspirational Computing Experience?

Are you in an office? do you spend the majority of your time on a computer? Do you ever clean up your computer? or do you have 72,000 emails sitting around and files you never use saved to your hard drive? Clean out your computer! Delete all your temporary internet files and your computer will run faster and then bring inspiration into your workspace through inspirational wallpapers.

Now, these usually free downloads can be very helpful in inspiring you during that long 8-10 or 12 hours! Try checking out a picture of the Bahamas. I for one, know just how hard it is to stare at a screen all day and remain motivated – its tough. But if you have to stare at it – make it something Inspirational!

You can check out these wallpapers when you are having a hard time getting started, getting motivated, or just finding the inspiration to push forward. Inspirational wallpapers typically contain beautiful landscapes with inspirational quotes or sayings. Sometimes all you need to get going is a gentle push in the right direction, and inspirational wallpapers just might be what the doctor ordered. It really can be that simple!

The great thing about these wallpapers is that they don’t take up any physical space, so there’s no need to worry about clutter. You also can use some of the images and quotes on the wallpaper to create screensavers for your computer. Your computer has the potential to inspire you in so many ways!

Inspiration, motivation and the ability to avoid stress can often seem impossible to find at work, but you may need to think outside of the box and find ways to get inspired. Keep things simple and don’t let clutter get you down.

A really good idea is to listen to your Ipod or similar – if you can!

Anytime I need a boost – I put on a personal development cd and listen deeply and contently. This is particularly helpful even when I happen to be really down or stressed!

Now , if you are like me, and work from home – it can be really tough to stay on track somedays. If you have tried all of the above only to find you are still missing something, then get up and go for a walk around the block!

After all, this is the main benefit to working for yourself! You can get up and go anytime you want to, especially if its for a quick rejuvenation walk! Where I live is almost surrounded by water. I have the beach on one side, an inlet on the other and a lagoon on the other! I am just across the water from the inner city and have an extemely pituresque outlook. I feel very priveledged to have my own personal everchanging screensaver!

When you feel down for whatever reason, use self help techniques to find motivation and inspiration at work. If you can avoid stress at work or better still avoid stress altogether, life will be a better place for you. Find Inspiration and motivation now – go look high and low if you have to.
Thats all for now – have a great day!

Tags: avoid stress, avoid stress at work, find inspiration, inspiration, motivation

Inspiration comes in all forms. Here is an article about Inspirational Sayings and how they can help you and then Ive added a couple of thoughts to add to my conversation!

Everybody has those moments when we need inspiration to gain confidence and build momentum. That’s why inspirational sayings are so popular! Yes – just read and feel better – I like it!

Want More in Life? Get Life-Changing Strategies Here.
There are many great motivational sayings out there that we can turn to when we are feeling down, but we should be using them all the time, rain or shine! Strive to incorporate inspirational sayings into your every day life, using them to inspire you to reach higher and push harder so you can achieve all of the things you have set out to do and more.

Living a life without inspiration, can be a life without any real joy or passion. In those moments where you need a little pick me up or a reminder of the many great things you have in your life, you can turn to the power of inspirational words. You need to have a collection of inspirational sayings in your toolkit that resonate with you so you can get more done and still feel great!

My Top 10 Inspirational Sayings You Can Use Everywhere!

Here are a few sayings just off the top of my head:

1. There is a beautiful light at the end of my tunnel.
2. I take small steps in life and value my time.
3. In order to share happiness with others, I must also be happy.
4. As I let go of dissatisfaction, I feel happiness in my life.
5. My life is full of purpose, exciting change, and many recognized deeds.
6. No matter the challenge, I will see it through.
7. I am becoming more focused and confident every day.
8. I welcome positive energy and I use that feeling to accomplish more.
9. My life is already full of success.
10. I keep only two mental snapshots of myself: where I am and where I want to be in life.

These are all very simple inspirational sayings that work to affirm positive thoughts and attitudes in your mind. Affirmations are simply positive statements that remind you of your goals and positive uniqueness so you can boost your self-confidence.

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You Can Accomplish More with the Power of Inspirational Thinking

Inspirational sayings and affirmations can help us move forward in life and accomplish greater things than we could have ever imagined. After all, we can’t deny the power of a can-do attitude. If more of us incorporate inspiration into our lives, we would all be happier and more successful people. When you incorporate positive sayings into your life, you’ll find that you’ll respond on a subconscious level and you’ll no longer need to look very far for inspiration!

If you’re down or lacking confidence, you can use inspirational sayings to find the courage to move forward and force out any negative thoughts that may be cycling through your mind. When you say these statements with gusto, you are re-affirming positive thoughts in your mind, making them a part of who you are. Remember to use these inspirational sayings at any and every occasion to give you the inspiration you need to get through any challenge, both big and small.

Relax and allow affirmations to go through your subconscious mind! Maximum Achievement Affirmation. Achieve your goals now.
I am a firm believer in positive self talk! If what you say to yourself is positive you will feel better and put your self in a better position to deal with life in a more productive way. If you only ever speak to yourself in a negative way – believe me, you are doomed!

We are all capable of making life exactly what we want – but we are not always in a position to just be endlessly happy! (I wish!) I often need some extra inspiration or motivation to get through the day and I find that when I am kind and thoughtful towards myself, and pump myself up with motivational talk or inspirational sayings – I feel happier and more positive and it shows!

I have an indepth personal development and motivation toolkit that benefits me everyday and Inspirational Sayings are a big part of that.

I would love to hear what your favourite inspirational sayings are! Why dont you leave a comment and let me know what you think and feel?

As a gift to you, I have a FREE ecourse available that provides daily motivational tips and personal development hints, designed purely to make you feel better and help you have a great day! Get it here!
I look forward to sharing these tips with you and can guarantee you WILL feel better – and YES! of course there are some Inspirational Sayings thrown in for good measure plus a heap of other tools to help you find Inspiration and Motivation!

Tags: inspiration, inspirational sayings