What does it mean to be awake?

The sharp-eyed among you will have spotted that I changed my strap line (why does that phrase always conjure up visions of leather and dungeons?!) to ‘your friendly wake-up call’.

It’s the result of a long process of trying to explain what it is I really do. Yes, I’m a nutritional therapist; yes, I’m a life coach – but that’s just my toolbox. I wanted to describe what my primal motivation is: why I do what I do.

I wake people up.

I help you see that there is only one life and you’d better not spend it napping.

But what does it mean to be awake?

Here are a few pointers:

Beliefs: You are more likely to believe in yourself than in other people or institutions. You will develop an ability to reflect on and evaluate the ideas you were brought up to see as facts and discover whether they are still true for you; including beliefs about yourself, your abilities and the society you live in. Increasingly you will look to yourself for guidance, trusting your own feelings and intuition rather than relying on duty, rules and tradition.

Relationships: You will be seeking win-wins in all your relationships at home and at work. The positive energy created will make an enormous difference to your wellbeing and enjoyment of life. As you feel more supported and supportive you will be able to ‘be yourself’ – risking more honesty and depth with the people you choose to be with. You will find your ‘tribe’. When that happens you are likely to find extra supplies of energy that used to be buried along with your true self.

Money: You will see money as a source of energy in your life, a way of exchanging value rather than power. As you become more confident in your own value you will be less afraid of money and less defined by your financial status. You may even discover that you no longer seek distraction and compensation in material things as you find more purposeful ways to use your time. Money will regain its natural status in your life – a tool, or convenience – not a way to measure your value as a human being.

Health: You will discover that your body is in a delicate balance that you can either nurture or sabotage. When you understand that you can choose to make healthier food choices more often, from a perspective of empowerment rather than restriction. Your idea of a treat – or a good time – may shift as you widen your definition of pleasure to include nourishing rather than anaesthetising yourself. As your energy increases your need for addictive substances will probably reduce and the substances you used to use as props will become treats again.

Work: You will be clear about why you are here and what you want to achieve. That sense of purpose will be reflected in your work, creating a sense of fulfilment that in turn fosters a natural motivation to look after yourself and prolong your experience of this amazing life. You will understand that doing your work can mean more than paying the bills and keeping you off the streets. Your choice of career is a way to express your purpose; so even if you are employed you will identify strongly with the aim of the business you are working in. If self-employed you will be pursuing a personal agenda based on your own needs, the needs of your customers and society at large. There will be a sense of meaning in what you do. It matters.

When all this happens you will be you, in all your glory, alive and kicking. Awake.

Sound good?

Let’s go.

Voices in my head

Ever since I was diagnosed with breast cancer I’ve been fascinated with the voices we hear in our heads. I believe my voices saved my life and they could do the same for you. We all have a jumble of voices vying for attention; I used to ignore them, finding them indistinguishable and unhelpful. But then, in 1997, I went to the doctor, worried about a lump under my arm. She said it was just my breast tissue reacting to hormonal changes after a recent miscarriage. One of those voices disagreed. And over the next few days the voice grew stronger.

 As it happened I was attending a christening that weekend and I had tears pouring down my face for the whole service. Naturally everyone assumed they were because I had just lost the baby  – but it was no such thing. In that quiet country church the voice was stronger than ever: there was something wrong and my life was in danger.

On the Monday I phoned my GP again and, reluctantly, she referred me to a consultant. By the Thursday I had seen my tumour on the ultrasound screen; there were 2 of them, and they were big. I was 33 and my daughter was 2.

That was my first compelling experience of the voices but since then I have learned to tune in and use them as my guides. Sometimes they show up inner conflicts that relate to outward behaviour; other times they highlight outdated beliefs and inhibitions; frequently they convey harsh criticism and scorn; but the more I listen the more I hear the voice of my inner guru. I believe somehow there is a part of me that ‘knows’ things in a way that can’t be explained. I believe we all do – if we listen. It’s a voice that represents a level of awareness that we normally override. Ready to take you to a new level of self-knowledge and designed to keep you healthy and happy.

It can be quite difficult to unravel the chorus to focus on the important messages and so I’m going to share mine: the pattern of my voices might help you find yours. I hope you know what I mean. I’m slightly worried that I’m the only one with this thing going on in my head. But I’m guessing I’m not that unusual.

If you get it, please join in… start listening… sharing… let me know if it helps. It may just save your life as it saved mine.

Now is a Good Time to Make a Difference

I have been an unalloyed follower of Steve Jobs since 1988 when I first clapped eyes on a Mac screen – over the shoulder of our in-house designer. My pupils dilated, my breathing quickened, my palms started to itch – not dissimilar to my reaction when I saw Daniel Craig in his swimming trunks. I was captivated. It was the beginning of a long and productive love affair: only a matter of time until I bought my first Apple Mac – the LC II – when I launched my consultancy business in 1992. I have never looked at anything else. Apple have made my life bigger by increasing my productivity by an incalculable factor and adding lots of style and whoops along the way.

I had colleagues who viewed my stance as irrational. They were right. It was emotional, visceral. It always has been. As it was today when I learned about Steve Jobs’ too early death.

It’s proof that life just isn’t fair.

Not even for the very rich, very talented and very famous.

No matter what you do to change the world there is no-one in the sky cutting you some slack.

There is no cosmic balance sheet.

There is no heavenly gold star chart.

There is no celestial VIP list.

There is no way to earn more time.

There is no way to negotiate better karma.

There is no guarantee of tomorrow.

There is only you. There is only now.

Once you allow that to penetrate your consciousness and settle into your belief system you can begin to see the wonderful fairness of it all. The inherent freedom. We are all vulnerable human beings with a limited life span. No one can make us do anything. No one can promise us anything. No one can make a difference to your life unless you let them.

You can’t make a difference in the world unless you do something. Something that comes from the heart. Something that feels emotionally and viscerally right.

What will it be?

What could it be?

When are you planning to allow it to emerge?

It doesn’t have to be earth-shattering or life-changing but it does need to be a little piece of you making a little bit of difference in your world.

But for you it will make all the difference. It will be huge. Don’t miss that chance.

Today there is a great big hole in the universe which will need a lot of energy to fill it. Maybe it’s your time?

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If you need any further inspiration let me point you to Steve Jobs’ famous Stanford Address where he explained his secret. It’s quite simple, and it’s life-changing: http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/grad-061505.html

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Bye Steve and thanks for everything.