The Joy of being 40

I have often joked that if I knew how it felt to be 40 years old, I would have done it 15 years ago!

I love being on the “grown up” journey, when you start to truly understand yourself and recognize the things you “need”.

I look at the friends and family in my life, and I know that over the last few years the people around me have become a supportive and loving assemblage. Gone are the days of younger years- comparing, “bitching” and judging. I like to think my “friendship tree” has been pruned down to the essentials. Sometimes you just got to cut some branches off. Age has bought the realisation that I am better off to share my time with people who offer positive aspects to my life.

I am able to feel responsible for my own state of being; I don’t rely on others to produce happiness for me. I get through painful and hurtful times, by remembering it is only my take on someone’s actions that brings pain and hurt into my life.

I feel old enough to be able to be comfortable with who I am.

I don’t need to carry life’s burdens. I look for ways to understand them, accept them, and grow from them. I can always find a positive outlook on these situations…there is always something good that comes from these times.

I no longer expect to be with my soul mate, in fact I believe in soul mates about as much as I do a happy Hollywood ending. I am married to a man though, that I recognize love in most all of his actions. And I do know that when I am 80 years old sitting back and sipping a cider (though I don’t drink cider now it feels it might be an appropriate tipple at 80!)…It’s his hand I want to be holding.

My work ethic has changed. All about me has a different meaning to the “all about me” of my youth. All about me means that I do the best I can do, in the best way I can. I do not let myself be held to other people’s expectations, as I securely know I have done the best I can.

I am also in the process of altering my career, to something I feel more attuned to. My new path is about what I want to be doing, and what I know will give me immense fulfilment, it fills a long held desire of what I feel is my “true calling”. It is a change that will not only benefit myself, but my family. I am so very excited by this change, and it brings me so much joy to be planning it out. I have pondered over this for many years, not being able to quite put my finger on exactly “what” it was that I wanted to do. Not have I only been able to realise it, but I may be able to even blend it into my current work life, merging the two together, until a new path becomes the way.

I have a stronger understanding of my own opinions now, and yet, I also have a greater acceptance of others opinions. I do not need for everyone to agree with me. I enjoy hearing other’s beliefs and thoughts, learning from them, taking the bits that make a fit with mine, even changing how I originally felt about something, always growing stronger in the heart of my belief system.

I trust my own judgement more than I ever did, yet am able to accept that I can make errors, and I am able to forgive myself for these.

I am more patient. I am able to sit and wait things out, or just accept what I cannot change.

I don’t need other’s approval. My relationship with myself gets stronger and healthier with every birthday. All I need is my approval, based on my knowledge of that what I am doing is right for myself and for those around me.

I have learnt to be grateful. I have learnt how to have gratitude in my life. I am grateful for things that never would have crossed my mind at 25!

And best of all I get to enjoy more grown up things like a fabulous new blend of green tea, my women’s group, making healthy choices over partying lifestyle and being a kinder person.

I love this beautiful aging process, and it is amazing to realise I am only half way through it! I am looking forward to each decade. For the knowledge it brings, the contentment…the shift in consciousness.

So much to look forward to in this beautiful life.

suzy x

This Week

This week I am going to eat ONE meal mindfully- I am going to eat slowly, put my knife and fork down between mouthfuls, and not read a magazine, newspaper, watch the TV or sit in front of the computer. I am going to eat my meal mindfully, think about the taste, the ingredients, and the process of making it- even if it’s a tuna sandwich!

This week, I am going to remind myself how easy it is to slip into being judgmental. It does not affect my life how someone else IS. It does not matter to my well being ONE bit, how someone else is, looks, dresses or speaks. It affects my wellbeing when I allow myself to be judgemental. When I feel these slip-ups I need to slap myself on the wrist, and remind myself of my choice to live a beautiful life!

This week I am going to focus on the people who bring happiness, beauty, fun and all things good to my life, I am definitely not going to allow myself to feel upset by what negative people are playing out in their own lives.

This week I will remember that my body is not only a temple, but also you are what you eat…and that throwing a slow cooker together in the morning is as easy as grabbing take away on the way home from swimming squad.

This week I am going to find someone that I can do something for to change his or her circumstances this week. It could be a comment, a deed, a phone call, or an action. We are all surrounded by opportunities to be generous to those we do and do not know. We should seize these opportunities, and thank the universe for allowing us to be generous.

This week I will also do something for me. I’m pretty good at this, and don’t need reminders. I should remind myself though, how cool it is to be able to have a midday nap, buy a magazine, sip a coffee while watching the world go by or just sit somewhere in the sun.

I’m going to look at the sky more, breathe deeply, and listen to people when they are speaking without thinking about what I want to say next. I’m going to walk slowly and take in all that is around me, instead of rushing to where I want to go.

I’m going to buy a bunch of flowers, clean out a cupboard, play with the cat and watch a chick flick.

I’m going to worry and complain less. I’m going to smile, laugh and share more. I will continue to remind myself what I am grateful for every morning. I will try to keep being the best friend I can be. I will really focus on the joy my children bring me, and not what drives me crazy. I will agree with my husband, not because I necessarily do, but because it doesn’t really matter either way most of the time

I am going to embrace problematic situations, as an opportunity to find the solution. I am going to challenge myself to overcome low moments and hurdles, and be grateful to be able to feel my strengths.

I will do these things because I know they change my life for the better.

I know how beautiful my life is.

suzy x

How To Be Happy

Happiness is a Choice.

We have to squash our negative thoughts...like a bug!
It takes so much energy to think and speak negatively.
It takes all our energy away from us when we choose to feel miserable, to hate, to be angry, to judge others.
Pull yourself up from negative thinking, slap yourself on the wrist. (I actually do that, physically!)
Happiness is a Choice. Make It.

Feel the Love People!
Love the people around you. Love your home. Love your pet.
Love your dinner. Love your bed. Love the weather.
The stronger you feel love, the stronger the power of the Law of Attraction in your life. The stronger the Law of Attraction; the stronger the power to create a beautiful life and attract more love into your life!

Be Grateful. For your family, for your friends, for your job, for your car, for your furniture, for your toothbrush!
If you wake up every morning and feel true gratitude for all that you have, you will feel happiness, how can you not. Mentally going through a list of what you are grateful for reminds you of the positives in your life, of what is important to you.

Mindfulness. Live in the moment. When the moment is good, do not worry about things that have happened, or things that could happen. When the moment is good, sit back and notice, smile, take a mental snap shot. Life is good, whether it’s a funny moment, great meal, fresh breeze. Enjoy these moments. Notice them.

Do not judge others, and do not allow yourself to be judged by others. I believe judgment of others to be one of the biggest failings we can have.
It is sneaky and comes up in our thoughts with out us even noticing. It is erroneous and a daily battle worth fighting.
I can’t say this enough, if you stop judging others you will immediately drop a little misery- just like that.

Do not compare yourself to others either... be inspired by them.
Be happy with who you are, where you are and what you have.

Make deep friendships. Two deep friends are worth a hundred times more than a group of people who do not recognize your value and care for you. Recognize the value in the friends that matter to you, thank them, let them know. Share with them, support them and know that they will always be there for you too.

Be Generous. With words, thoughts, actions. Give a little gift to someone who makes a difference in your life or call them and tell them what they mean to you. People gain a lot of pleasure from being told they are appreciated. You will feel happy by just doing something so simple.

Laugh. Watch funny movies, read funny books. Hang out with kids, have funny friends, be funny, whatever it takes, make sure you laugh as often as you can. See the funny side. Life doesn’t have to be so serious, it should be enjoyed

Rest. Re-charge. Re-energise. Re-flect. Get enough sleep. Take a nap. Lie down with a magazine. Deep Breathe. Meditate. Life is so fast pace; we prioritize getting things done, getting somewhere now and sometimes forgot how important it is to just rest.

Believe in something other than yourself. Something bigger than us. Think about what contribution you can make in your life time. Give back.

Don’t expect the worst. Sometimes when things seem to be going wrong, it may be that they are just changing paths and direction. Some problems are there to help us grow. Have some trust in the Universe; expect things to turn out for the best eventually.

Don’t see the worst in others, accept differences, expect the best only of yourself.

Take a good look at yourself.
It’s fine to know the affirmations, the mantras and read the books...but where are your thoughts...
Are they happy? Or are you concentrating on what you don’t like, what annoys you, who did something “wrong”...
How is your lifestyle? Are you a good friend, co-worker, person; making conscience positive decisions or are you making the day harder and a little more difficult for others or yourself?

If we keep thinking we hate our job-we will always hate our job.
If we think about how someone always drives us crazy- they will always drive us crazy.
If you keep thinking about those extra kilos, you will always have extra kilos.

If you keep thinking about how someone makes you hurt, angry, how things never go right, how you don’t like certain things about someone...you are never going to be able to be truly happy

Happiness is determined by our minds, not our circumstances. Happiness is a choice. No one or no thing can make us happy.

Keep thinking about how awesome our families are.
What amazing friends we have.
How you can make a difference at work, in the world...for someone.
How the sunshine is a blessing, how good your favorite sandwich tastes, how funny our friends and kids are.
We are surrounded by simple pleasures every day.

And remember of course happy people are not happy all the time, that would be impossible, life throws stuff at all of us- they are just better at bouncing back to the state of contentedness after feeling unhappy.

Spread the word. Enjoy the Journey. We are here to live a happy life, a beautiful life.

suzy x

Changing My World

The other day I purchased a little silver disc to wear on my wrist with one of my very favorite sayings.

What does this saying mean to me?

It is way to big of a job for me to change the whole world, but if I change myself, my world will change around me.

Be the mother I wish to see in the world.

Be the partner I wish to see in the world.

Be the friend I wish to see in the world.

Be the employee, the employer, the co-worker, the neighbor, the daughter.

Be the person I wish to see in the world.


I love wearing my little disc, it reminds me to be the change I wish to see in the world.



suzy x

jewellrey available online at corinegrant@etsy.com

The Optimist Creed

A workmate and I have both recently printed a copy of Christian D. Larson’s Optimist Creed and have been making a ritual of reading it each morning- in our own time and to ourselves...not together, which would be a tad weird for the rest of our office!
They are such amazing words and if I can follow just three of his declarations during the day I feel I have been successful.

Larson was an exceptional and extremely significant early New Thought* leader and teacher. He was a prolific writer who believed that people have remarkable underlying powers which can be used for success with the right outlook.

In 1901 he organized the New Thought Temple and began publishing a periodical “Eternal Progress”. He had 40 of his books published.

The Optimist Creed appeared in his book “Your Forces and How To Use Them” in 1912. Many have since found inspiration in this creed, from healers and hospitals to sports coaches and schools; and especially those of us who want live with the practice of being happy.

So here it is:

Promise Yourself
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature you meet.
To give so much time to improving yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud word, but in great deeds.
To live in the faith that he whole world is on your side, so long as you are true to the best that is in you.
Cool huh.

Try it; print it out, read it, email it, stick it up on your fridge. Give it a go, my co-worker and I have noticed it does change your perspective of the day; it does help with getting ourselves into a good frame of mind.
It’s pretty much a guide to having a beautiful life.

suzy x
*New Thought is a spiritual movement which developed in the United States during the late 19th century and emphasizes metaphysical (abstract and theoretical study of being) beliefs concerning the effects of positive thinking, the law of attraction, healing, life force, creative visualization and personal power.
Very much the origins of what the DVD and Book “The Secret” is influenced by.

Believe To Receive

It is natural for us to dream about what we want in our lives...happiness, a fulfilling career, love, great friends, a nice home, health and so on.

There is a difference between daydreaming and Positive Visualization. When we daydream, we are usually looking at a blurry movie in our mind, where we are in the third person in the future or the past. When we use Positive Visualization we are in the Present. We use our imagination, emotions and our senses; imagining the sounds, smells, touch and joyful feelings of how it would “feel” to have what we want.

We can all visualize, but we are not all aware of the power of visualization.

Using Visualization will actually move us from negative thinking to positive thinking. When we see ourselves happy and in positive situations we realize that we are happy and in positive situations, the more we visualize positive things the more positive your life will become. If we focus on the negative...well, it has the same affect. We notice all the negative things around us.

If we can’t do something, can’t be something, can’t have something, we project this all around ourselves. If we use Positive Visualization, for anything, say having a great and successful day at work...it will more than likely happen...sometimes it will take longer than others and it is up to you how often you practice Visualization, how much you put into it, to feel it, believe it.

This is nothing new, it has been used by sports coaches when training athletes, doctors when patients are healing, businesses when training employees and students when approaching exams. It has been studied, written about, and there are many techniques.

Avoid at all costs what you don’t want in your life! Avoid playing your greatest fears over and over in your mind. Focus on what you do want, what you do want to be doing, what you do want to enjoy. Feel the joy from the images.

Visualization techniques can be applied to many areas of your life. Visualizing a clear image and combining it with a strong positive emotional response will help you manifest your beautiful life.

suzy x

Yoga. Just Do It

As some of you know Beautiful Life has started holding Mother & Daughter Yoga classes here in Mermaid Beach.

This came about from a conversation Regina and I had about how much we enjoyed and what we “got” from Yoga, and how wonderful it would be to share it with our daughters. We were so excited by the idea that right there we decided to start up our own classes. We went out and found wonderful teachers, a great space and off we went.

I love the hour I get to spend with my daughter sharing the joys of Yoga. I feel I am giving her a base for a great positive self image, subtle lessons in breath and posture and some wonderful tools for dealing with life; she is learning techniques for self health, relaxation and inner fulfillment. It enhances her flexibility, strength, coordination and body awareness. It improves her concentration, sense of calmness and allows her to connect with her inner self. She is able to be a part of a physical activity that is non competitive, fostering cooperation and compassion instead off opposition.
Yoga brings out the beautiful inner light that all children have and it is a gift to give her.

Not to mention that we get to spend time with like-minded people and great role models. When you spend time with a community of people that hold the same values and hopes, it dissolves the feeling of separateness we get in the over stimulated, exhaustive world we all live in, us and our children. A group like this practicing together creates an amazing field of energy! It’s also just fun and relaxed. One of our mums said to me, “My daughter may stop doing Yoga at times in her life but she will always come back to it...and she will always be able to say, I have practiced Yoga since I was very young, I used to do it with my mother.”

With this in mind I am hoping to start up new classes of Family Yoga as soon as our Mother & Daughter classes are running smoothly, we have only just had our first month of classes. Family Yoga for all variations of family members, parents, children, grandparents, aunts or cousins!

Anyway, if you are not doing Yoga, thinking about Yoga, want to know more about Yoga, need to get back to Yoga, or love Yoga so much you can’t hear enough about it:
Here is my List of REASONS TO DO YOGA:

1. POSITIVE ATTITUDE Having Yoga in your life helps you face life’s daily challenges with positive energy in your heart. We can become more effective at problem solving as we act less emotionally and reactively to problems. When we practice Yoga we become clear in what we want and manifest our deepest desires. When we treat ourselves with more respect we treat others with more respect also. Trust, acceptance and gratitude are bi-products of self respect and we live with fewer expectations and judgments. Yoga makes us shine from the inside out: you will walk taller, with grace and a positive outlook. You will become more popular; people love to be around you when you are calm, balanced, serene and uplifted from your Yoga buzz!


2. HEALTH Yoga relaxes you and holistically addresses the body’s physical and subconscious needs. It can improve the immune system. Yoga is a powerful cleanser of our mind, body and spirit. It helps manage physical, mental and emotional signs of stress. Many Yoga poses detoxify the body. It cleans and massages your organs; releases feel good and immune boosting hormones, strengthens bones and muscles. As we heal ourselves, we can heal others, with our words, actions and smile!

3. JOYFUL LIVING Happiness does not depend on what we have- but who we are....When we do Yoga we realize we don’t need a reason to be happy, we just are. Yoga increases Mindfulness, as you become more in tune with your self inside and out. Life becomes relaxed and more fun!

Yoga is too fabulous, really it is TOO fabulous. And I am not talking about the transformed, over marketed, go hard, trendy version of a work out class. I am talking about the authentic Yoga, the real deal, where you don’t have to make your body suffer to feel the benefits. Where you are aware of what your body can do...and can’t...and that is enough.

All this talk of Yoga makes me want to practice more often, get myself a nice little set of poses I can do at home before bed, do with the kids instead of watching TV, enjoy and have fun with, and bring it into my beautiful life more and more!

suzy x

To the Power of the Positive!

A few weeks ago I wrote about Junk mail, useless mind chatter. When we unconsciously let our mind be filled with unnecessary thoughts, which we are not aware of. We are also not aware of how negative these thoughts usually are...and what a negative impact they have on our lives.

I’m talking about the stream of thoughts that are telling us what we don’t like about ourselves and others...you know the ones, I’m fat, I’m broke, I’m unhappy. Or, would you check out what she is wearing!

When we are consciously aware of this Junk mail, and choose to turn these thoughts into positive affirmations we change the impact our thoughts have on our present and our future. To a positive outcome.

I know some people find affirmations a bit on the airy-fairy side, it is a bit unusual to go into someone’s bathroom and see a big sign on the mirror, saying “I am beautiful”.
But if you consider, that your mind, your sub-conscience, does not have a sense of humour, it does not understand sarcasm and it is only trying to achieve what you are constantly asking for, then...if you tell yourself you are fat, your sub-conscious mind will try damn hard to achieve that for you...same with broke, sick and unhappy unfortunately! Get the idea.
But if you were to constantly tell your self, I am healthy; I have a healthy body, and start to believe it, guess what? You will feel, and more than likely achieve, a healthy body, meaning a healthy weight, not feeling as sick and hopefully feeling happier too!

Don’t let yourself wake up in the morning, thinking “Oh my, this day sucks, these kids are driving me crazy or I hate my job, blah blah blah.” You know what you are going to get, don’t you, a day that sucks big time, insanity causing children, and another horrible day at work. Instead take a few moments to be grateful, positive, say a little affirmation, whatever works for you. Make it yours, your words, your situation. Own it. Write it. Say it. Believe it.

I will admit to you, I am one of those people who likes to have things up on my mirror (call me airy-fairy, I don’t mind!) I write big affirmations in white board pen. At the moment it says “live a beautiful life”. At times it has said things regarding health, happiness, energy, but it is there and a constant reminder, to let my subconscious know what is on my wish list.
The more you think it and say it the more you will believe it, and guess again- once you believe it...you are it. So, constantly thinking with positive affirmations, will make you happy, healthy, wealthy, successful. It is not some distant, one day obtainable thing; it is here, ready, waiting for you, waiting for you to want it, think about it and believe it.

Take the word successful; think to yourself I AM SUCCESSFUL, over and over, regularly, everyday. Soon you will see success in your life; you are successful, in more ways then one. Look at all the things you have successfully done, you are a SUCCESS! See, success wasn’t some far off thing you were trying to achieve, you have been achieving it all along, all this time, you just needed to let yourself know it, feel it, believe it and then you see it! (This works with any type of affirmation by the way!)

I said at the start of this piece, when we think negatively about ourselves and others. Sometimes I find myself standing in a line somewhere, and before I know it Whoomp! I’ve just looked at some stranger, and thought, “get a load of that”...before I can even catch myself. I don’t want to feel like this, I don’t want to be judgmental of another person; this person is the same as me. This person also wants a healthy and happy life. Being judgmental is a form of Junk mail, it doesn’t really matter if things are good or bad... food, days, traffic, someone’s dress sense...it just is. Don’t let the Junk mail run with judging everything you come across.
A fantastic little way to fix this negative blunder is to bless the person, silently wish them a happy and loving life.

My problem recurring thought is “...we can’t, we’re broke” or “I shouldn’t...broke”
So how do I turn that into a positive affirmation, when I sure as heck know how much is in the bank account, so it’s hard to “feel” wealthy! (Because you have to feel it to believe it right?)
Regina suggested to say instead, I choose not to spend my money on that outfit, or going out for dinner or whatever the subject is. We are making a choice; this instantly makes the situation positive, I CHOOSE not to spend my money on that.

Having pure consciousness is pure potentiality. Potentiality is all our infinite possibilities. Our essential nature is pure potentiality. By paying close attention, we can create our future in our present activities.

Live a beautiful life!

suzy x