My love affair with Spain

My first experience of mainland Spain, as an eighteen year old, wasn’t good!

So bad in fact was that first visit I didn’t return for another 24 years. 

I visited the Canaries and Mallorca but not the mainland. 

The original ill fated visit was with a work colleague who would later play a role in my decision to make 2017 the year I realised my dream. 

My return to the mainland, to Mijas Pueblo, came in the form of a girls break in 2004 and it coincided, unfortunately, with the unexpected passing of my mum.

Mum was diagnosed with terminal cancer in February of that year but was doing well as the prearranged break approached in April. On the second day of our trip she took a turn for the worse and I was unable to get a return flight until the next day. I slept badly during the night having managed to talk to her by phone in the hospital assuring her I was on my way home. I woke suddenly at 4.45 am and went out on to the balcony and as I looked down towards the sea I sensed she was gone – I felt very calm and strangely comforted by the view.

I would later learn that mum left this World, peacefully, at 3.45am UK time – 4.45am in Spain!

The amazing outcome of that experience in Mijas was that, rather than having an enduring bad association with Spain, I fell in love with the country right there on that balcony and each time I return I get the same sense of calm and comfort – Spain had claimed my soul!

I went on to spent many happy times there  and The Dream grew legs and started to gain pace each time I returned. 

Mijas 2014

The Back Story

Saturday, 16 February 2013

Adventure or just plain insanity?

After a career spanning 34 years I have opted to take voluntary redundancy – foolish, maybe.  Risky, undoubtedly.  Daring, exciting and liberating ……. hell yes!

Strangely enough I have had few, if any, moments of doubt.  Instead I have been overcome with a sense of relief and feeling of hope.  Also the realisation that I have spent the last 18 months wasting precious time working in an industry I no longer believe in – smothered in self doubt, negativity and a lack of passion for a role I once loved.

As an avid traveller for many years I have always held a certain curiosity for our cousins over ‘The Pond’ and have a desire to see more of the States.  This, coupled with some romantic notion of travelling on a sleeper train,  bought me to the Amtrak website!

So I am planning a coast to coast round trip, by rail, of the USA.

Taking in 10 cities,  13 rail segments and the States of Illinois, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, California, Arizona, Kansas, Virginia and the District of Columbia (DC), I will be leaving England on April 2nd – returning 3 weeks later.

 This was the opening post for my first blog ‘Off the Rails – Coast to Coast with Amtrak

 and it marked a point in my life where I dared to hope there was more to life and that I could somehow grasp it!

I have had so many rich experiences since that initial post – some of which I will recount over the coming posts on this blog – but to start I feel it would be good to give a little background, for those who don’t know me personally, about how I got to this point.

I don’t recall exactly when I started having ‘Living the Dream’ thoughts – it has definitely been my preoccupation for at least 20 years.  My first travel experience – moving with my parents to live in Switzerland – happened when I was just 12 months old.  However, I think my adventurous spirit is in my DNA and travel has become my passion over the years.

My Maternal Great Grandparents left the Welsh valleys following the General Strike of May 1926, which saw Miners starved back into work by November of that year.  Unfortunately, there wasn’t a job for my GGF or his brother in law so the two families moved to a new colliery in Coventry leaving behind their close-knit community and extend family network.  Uncommon back then, it was a huge wrench for all and the distance seemed vast.

They did, however, all thrive and my Grandmother passed that pioneering spirit onto my Mum and so to me.

I have been very lucky and have managed to travel to many places – my love affair with Spain, however, came about in a strange kind of way …………….

Leaving home aged 56

My journey south begins – 1st September 2017 – can I really be embarking on a dream I’ve held for over 20 years? Of course not, this journey is reality, real life, adventure – no more dreaming for me!

My time to ACT is now – no more THINK for me – time to LIVE!

Car packed maps ready – the continuing saga of 2 little dogs and a women hooked on adventure!

#journey #eurotunnel #france #byebyeuk

Fur Babies

Missy is the proud mum of 6 fur babies – she surprised us all by delivering 5 days early (whilst I was in leeds on a course)! Luckily the midwife support team was on hand (Carrie and Judith) and all went well. 

Having initially been informed we had 6 boys a further inspection revealed it was in fact 2 girls and 4 boys!

I am now confined at home puppy watching – mum does everything else so all other activities have moved down the list – including blogging!

I will be back soon but until then here’s a few more pics. 

Are you getting enough sleep?

Sleep is underrated – no doubt about it.  We insist on doing without and push our bodies on and on regardless.

We all know lack of sleep makes us grumpy but did you know that it can also impact on memory, health, sex life, looks and can even interfere with our ability to lose weight?

Too little sleep leaves us prone to

1. Accidents – our reactions become slowed and we are more likely to make mistakes on the job if we are tired.
2. Less brain power – with direct impact on our ability to think and learn, lack of sleep lowers our attention span and concentration levels.
3. Depression – lack of sleep can contribute to depression over time.  Insomnia and depression feed off each other.
4. Aging Skin – tired bodies release more Cortisol (the stress hormone) which can break down Collegen.
5. Poor tissue repair – Human Growth Hormone is released only in deep sleep when it repairs the wear and tear of the day.

And the list goes on…………..

 

On to the QUICK tips for better sleep then

Routine – try to go to bed at the same time and rise at the same time every day. No sleeping in even at weekends and limit napping (if you must) to 15 – 20 minutes in early afternoon.

Combat after eating drowsiness by getting off that sofa – do the washing up, chat on the phone to a friend, walk the dog or get thinks prepared for the day ahead.

Light – during the day get out into direct sunlight if possible.  Ensure you get natural light both at home and at work.  At night avoid blue screens or backlit devices including TV 1 -2 hours before bed and make sure your bedroom is dark – sounds obvious but with early mornings the light will wake you early and outside light will keep you awake during the night.

Get Comfortable – heat and cold will impact on sleep, is your bedding and pillow right for you to get comfortable, is your mattress supportive enough.

Exercise – include some physical activity in your day wherever possible but not too close to bedtime as this will energise your body.

Manage Stress – this is a biggy for lots of us – switching your brain off ready for sleep is difficult if you are stressing about matters.  Try to relax, maybe read a book, talk to a friend or take a bath.  Try a little meditation or use a small notepad to write down the things that are worrying you and put it down beside your bed – leave the worries in the notepad.

Much of this is common sense and we have probably heard it all before  but we still don’t listen to our bodies and act – give it a try.

Right – I’m off for a snooze!!

Are YOU Ready? Week 1

So to set our course for 2017 we will spend this session reviewing 2016 to lay the foundations for Best Year, Best You!

This should take about 30 minutes and will get you thinking – note the points down so you can see your journey.

• What were your top 3 achievements last year?  doesn’t matter if they were small or large or what they were – just the 3 things that made you proud.  How did this make you feel?  What did you gain from these achievements?  How did they add to your journey?
• What were your 3 biggest challenges last year?  What did you find hard? why was it so hard? How did you overcome your challenges?  Will you be carrying forward any of your challenges into 2017? How did these challenges affect your journey?
• What are your 3 big learnings from last year? Did you uncover any strengths or weaknesses? Were your values or beliefs challenged/Changed?  Did you acknowledge any fears?  Can you see how you might use these learnings going forward?  Do you see the positives in these learnings?

We often rush through life so fast that we forget to “smell the Roses” and all years’ have highs and lows and by acknowledging this we can build a picture of our last year that we can take positives from and move forward.  Even acknowledging the negatives can give us a start to focus on the change we want in our lives and change is everything for your Best Year, Best You!

Next lets look at relationships – and by that I mean all relationships, new, old, friends, partners, family or work colleagues.  What did you add to these relationships?  Did you neglect anyone?  How did you enhance your relationship with someone?  Did any new people come into your life?  Will they be involved in your 2017 journey?  Do you want to invest more/less time in a particular relationship?

Now,  let’s not forget the fun we had in 2016 – what are your highlights?  What did you enjoy?  Holiday? trip away? new challenge? new job? more me time?  reading more?  get them all down on paper and relive your thoughts and feelings about these times.  NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF FUN!

Finally – What are/were you grateful for in your life, last year and now?  We all have many things we can be grateful for however, do we give them thought?  I know I don’t – not enough anyway.  The thing about spending time thinking about what you are grateful for ALWAYS improves the mood and outlook on the day and why wouldn’t you want to do that?  Positive focus is key to happy living and although things will not always be perfect in our daily lives we can always find something to be grateful for – even if it’s just being grateful that we have taken the moment to try to  focus on the positive!

This morning I was grateful for a good nights sleep – so simple but just by acknowledging this my day has started on an up note!

So that is week 1 – any comments or questions will be gratefully received and answered.  Thanks for reading and HAVE A GOOD WEEK!

 

 

 

 

Self Development Coaching

I have recently embarked on a new chapter in my Self awareness and have begun training to become a Life Coach, focusing on Self Development and Goal  Setting.

Coaching is a form of development in which a person called a coach supports a client in achieving a specific personal or professional goal by providing training, advice and guidance.

Coaching is NOT……..

Therapy.  It does not focus on your past, healing deep emotional wounds, or resolving symptoms.  The coach assumes that the client is capable,  whole and able to work  to develop a plan based on the their values and goals.

Consulting. The coach is not there to have all the answers and solve all of the client’s problems. The coach may frequently challenge the client to take action toward their goals, but does not  “tell the client what to do”.

Friendship. The give and take of relationship is vital to all of us, coaching differs in that the focus is all on the client and what will give them maximum benefit.

Cheerleading.  Anyone can offer basic support and encouragement; however, a coach also teaches specific skills to help people change their behaviour.

’52 Small Steps’ was created as part of my growth plan.

So before reviewing some highlights from last year, thinking about challenges faced or what was learned – let’s think about clearing the decks.

Focus on your well-being as mentioned in the last post – give the Phone detox a go and also spend a little time looking at your eating/drinking habits to see if there is anything you would like to change. Lack of sleep often defeats us before we even start with our tasks so a review of sleeping patterns/times/habits is another good thing to focus on this week.

Think about how you will record your progress, should you want to – in a journal, in a blog, diary or share with another.

I would suggest that you decide what level of commitment you will give to this development – can you set aside a certain time/space for this each week?  will commitment be one of the distractions you will face?

How committed are you to your personal development?   Do you want to change things in your life?  How will you keep motivated?  Do you have small goals or just one huge one? Have you even decided which direction you want to go in?

With all these questions in mind take that time for yourself and then, in WEEK 1 we will spend one session on looking back on 2016 before we lay the foundation for 2017!

 

Best Year, Best You!

 

 

 

Set your compass

2016 is gone, good or bad – draw the line and plot your course for 2017 – where will your journey take you next?

With many opportunities on my horizon I know I will need to be very focused on my journey this year – I don’t want to miss anything!

’52 small steps’ will help with that focus and before I put together the first instalment I’m going to take some quiet time to think about self care to ensure I get into the ‘zone’!

My weekly success planner for this coming week includes a commitment to better eating, drinking more water, getting to bed on time and doing a phone detox. 

With the increasing functionality of our smart phones it’s incredibly easy to get totally engrossed in mobile media – there isn’t much I need a laptop for these days my phone does most of it – but whilst this is most helpful work wise I have had to admit to myself that my phone use has reproccusions on my well being – mostly my sleeping patterns. Even though I know blue screen use at bed time is great for insomnia I still do it and I have to admit I reach for the phone before I even get out of bed every morning!

So…….. here is my 7 step phone detox plan – it will be a challenge believe me – why don’t you try it too?

1. Monday – decluttering contacts/remove acquaintances on social media/unsubscribe to junk emails. 
2. Tuesday – disable notifications and push messages.
3. Wednesday – stop using phone 1 hour before bedtime. 
4. Thursday – set up charging station outside bedroom. 
5. Friday – resist temptation to look at phone until downstairs in the mornings. 
6. Saturday – leave phone at home when leaving the house to shop/eat/walk dogs. 
7. Sunday – switch phone off until after lunch. (Yes phones come with on/off switch these days)!

Be Brave

Thoughts for the New Year

I don’t do New Year resolutions – I don’t see the point – promises made to yourself without too much thought or planning, soon to be forgotten in the light of a busy new year.  Can anyone remember the resolutions they made for this year?  NO I thought not!

I am however, quite a focused sort of person and do like to plan things for the near future.  I find that when I really focus and plan I achieve so much more so the concept of Goal setting appeals to me and I’m reasonably good at it.

2017 will be a year of great change for me personally – I am within touching distance of realising one of my long held dreams and have commenced a strategic plan to get me where I need to be.  Goal setting plays a huge part in this to help me stay focused.

With the end goal firmly in sight I have been putting together a goal plan that keeps me focused on a week to week basis.

Over the coming weeks, here on this blog, I will be sharing a generic weekly goal plan with you – 52 Small Steps – weekly inspiration to enhance your BIGGER picture – and hope you will use it to create focus in your own life – helping you to achieve your goals and dreams and unlocking your potential to reach higher……….

You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction – George H Lorimer

Although I keep a written planner for all this I have recently discovered a really cool goal setting site that you might like to check out Lifetick