Celebrating success

Yesterday you were clued in to the methods of becoming a positive person so today I am going to continue with that theme.

A big part of our life is spent on the rigmarole wheel, because we operate in a series of everyday patterns sometimes we forget to celebrate the simple things in life that make us happy and that at times we take for granted. One of my first serious boyfriends was a doozy of a partner and his family had some rather questionable concepts that frequented their rigmarole wheel however one thing, despite all their bogan-ism, that they understood, was how to celebrate life's little successes and have gratitude for even the small things. This would happen at least once a week over family dinner where they would light a candle and take time to talk as a family about those little successes. For all the interesting ideals this ex and his family had this was definitely one worth remembering, it is something that I adopted and since I have experience how lovely it makes me feel reflecting on the good I am going to continue it.

Celebrating success regardless of how you do it is very important. Sometimes success is just about celebrating your ability to make the effort to do something you couldn't really be bothered to do. Like getting the washing in quickly as the rain starts falling, getting up and out of bed for exercise despite hearing rain spitting on the window panes or making dinner when you could easily go and get McDonalds each night. Irrespective of how small or big success is it still needs to be measured. This is especially important in today's society where effort is less valued and everything is far easier, quicker and less drama for us to do things; thanks to technological advances.

Today all I want to do is encourage you to celebrate some of your success, small or big. Write a list about them and take note of how you feel. You may also find when you write about your own success you can imagine success in the characters' lives that you write about and that it in fact changes your perspective on stories and plot development. After all sometimes it's the simplest things that get audiences connected the most.

So here is my little bit of success to share with you this week:
1. I tried on my bodysuit that I haven't worn for 4 years yesterday & it fits. That is the first time since I hired my own personal trainer (back in 2008/09) that I have been toned enough to pull it off comfortably again- except this time I'm even more comfortable than before!

There is a whole lot more I have written down for myself as well that is worthwhile celebrating, but I'd rather keep that private. What success stories would you like to share? Please share any success stories of your week so far that you are happy about....  small or big. Till next time,

Stay positive :)

Living a positively peachy life #conquerseries

Hello lovelies, last week I said I would share with you my secrets to being a positively peachy person so I'm unleashing the goods! Being positive allows yourself to be free, realise your untapped potential for yourself and embrace who you are- yes it sounds warm and fuzzy and that's exactly how you feel day in day out when you choose positivity!

So we know how positivity towards something (like a goal) can help us achieve great heights but how do you maintain positivity throughout your week? Your month? Try my secret tips to a positively peachy life.

1. Figure out what consumes your thoughts. Why do you do the things that you do? Is it just for pleasure or a greater plan? Do you have a reason? Does it matter that you don't? We all think about things we consider to be important but sometimes their true importance is far less than the amount of time we give them. Gain a sense of reality about what should be taking up your time- then you'll know what you need to fix and what is wasteful thinking!

2. Base everyday on reality- life goes up and down; if it is down now it'll soon be making its way up. Through this thought alone we can focus on a positive outcome- its not about 'hoping' it will happen we know it will happen.

3. Pay attention to your verbs- the more 'should's' we say the greater ability we have to feel we haven't accomplished something in our day. Speak in 'wills' then you will feel less obligated to do things you don't have time for or don't feel like, leaving you feeling more fulfilled and also more accomplished.

4. Instead of thinking 'why did this happen?' ask yourself 'how does this event fit my plan or grow me?' Basically remove the cons from your pros and cons list. There is a good reason for everything happening. It's just sometimes we find out years later.

5. Do things for yourself. Take selfies and post them, talk to yourself lovingly, pamper yourself with nights off cooking, days at the beach, a cheeky almost-unaffordable getaway, a massage and DON'T feel guilty. Guilt is just a way of negativity creeping in again, you deserve to be positively happy, so don't let it win. You should also never feel like you should 'get back into your shell' other people are uncomfortable because you are comfortable with who you are and that is (for some) miles away from where they are; remind them they are missing out by being unapologetically yourself.

6. Laugh. Force yourself if you have to (I definitely have had to at times, positivity is really hard when you get really bad news so its important to make yourself). Delve into your comedy collection of films and laugh yourself senseless if necessary.

7. Notice others. You might recall my love challenge and a post on Random Acts of Kindness- this comment is the same- notice other people, their lives, what they do for each other, what they do for people they don't know and celebrate humanity. Tell people about what you witness. No one around? Get on your Twitter or Facebook soapbox and hashtag it to the heavens then write it down and stick it up somewhere as a constant reminder of the GOOD in life.

8. Remove and reject negativity. MOST IMPORTANT. This is also one of the most difficult things to do and with tact. You need to make it clear that you are about being positive, that you will look for it in every situation and that negative people aren't who you want to hang around. Get comfortable with saying it, believing and living it. And tell those struggling with it to try and be more positive.

9. KNOW YOURSELF. So the last one is very important but all of these things I've mentioned is null and void if you don't do the MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR YOURSELF IN YOUR LIFE which is knowing who you are warts and all and getting comfortable with it. Jennifer Anniston is not even perfect despite what the media suggests. Be prepared to list your strengths and weaknesses as a person. Why is that highlighted? You are not your job, you are who you choose to be, who are you as a person? How does this help with positivity you might ask? When life presents you with challengers, people who question who you are, you can celebrate a positive relationship (they know you well) or confidently reject falsehood with a smile.

10. Smile- regardless of how shocking your day is force yourself to smile- it makes a BIG difference.

11.  Use mantras. I used to think that positive mantras were an Eastern hoodoo that only the air headed would get involved in. Oh how wrong I was. A mantra, for those who don't know, are a short positive phrase you say to yourself to reiterate the knowledge you already have about something or yourself. They are absolutely worth adopting. You probably think I haven't had injuries and have had perfect fitness my whole life especially since adopting this goal. Wrong. In fact I have injured my ankles playing football approximately 16 times, an avid user of my own wobble board didn't stop the fact that getting on and off trains in London would give me momentary nightmares (whilst awake) of my ankle breaking and being at right angles to my tibia and fibula. I was honestly quite afraid of stepping on and off trains, that is ridiculous! Either way you cannot attack a goal with doubt in your mind about the capability of your body. So, I have a mantra for when/ if my ankles' proprioceptors (the sensors that allow our body to know where it is in space and time) over correct on uneven ground. The mantra is simply, 'slow, steady, you're strong'. It is based on knowledge of myself and what I have to do- go slow, steady your mind and remember you are strong. I have used it on various hikes, sometimes I say it at any given point other times I've said it when I have got a minor scare and my anxiety towards a mass injury disappears, resulting in sustained focus. Hence why now I can do approximately 4000 jump squats a week, putting my ankles under a lot of stress, and nothing ever happens. Point being...adopt a mantra. Now.

12. Positivity/Motivation board- get your favourite quotes off Pinterest about positivity, motivation, fitness, courage and determination and plaster them about your bedroom or a space you frequent a lot. Make the quotes/images the wallpaper for your Ipod/IPad or mobile phone. Surround yourself with constant reminders of positivity.

12. Music, music, music- in case you haven't guessed this one is about tunes. Just like the positivity or motivation board music really gets your mood going. If you use apps like Spotify you can access their already made playlists for various moods or alternatively create your own like mine...Bright and Fun. In the morning get ready to the happy tunes for the day- it'll really set the tone. Plus let's face it music is always better than television!

So there are all my tips. Now that you've read them please don't expect an overhaul overnight. Many people think, I've changed my mindset why isn't it working now? That is because a mindset isn't changed until you experience many challenges. For me my challenges were with people who were used to focussing on negatives because of fear. I had to explain to them that I didn't want a life run by fear but rather confidence and fun- you are in effect asking someone to think about a mindset they have had for their whole life though, that's tough. Other challenges I encountered was finding how to be positive when life got tough. It's not easy knowing people are suffering and you are being positive- but the way I see it is like this...anyone suffering wants a positive person around them not a negative one so think of your positivity as a benefit, it is in essence not about you it is about noticing someone else (which is a tip to more positivity!). These two examples I've shared really are the hardest challenges, they seem simple but until you experience them it's hard to relate. Last but not least realise as well that challenges won't stop happening but overcoming them is the best part- it fuels more positivity and happiness.

I hope you have enjoyed this post & have been able to take something away from it. Please feel free to leave comments. Till next time...

Jules xo
 

The world is your oyster #conquerseries #wk3

Imagine knowing that you have accomplished what you dream to achieve. This is what my goal has given me. Take the significant & highly important sports psychology tab out of the equation & you have something even more pure...self actualisation.

For those that are aware of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs you will know that self actualisation is the pinnacle we all try to achieve. But I'd rather not suggest that self discovery was linear but rather a series of twist and turns, ascents & descents that make up the topography of a mountain. I do not consider that I have come to know myself entirely and am completely content despite my known flaws and talents but rather that in almost 3 decades I have never known myself better than I do now.

Everybody's life teaches them what they need in the timing- pleasant or not initially there is always a positive to be taken away from things. This was one thing that I had to learn. For one reason or another the more I looked the more I found sadness in my life, like life was wrapped up in sheets of blue instead of sunlight yellow. The more I paid attention to blue the bluer things got; yet my affinity was always with yellow. Right now you are questioning my intelligence right? Fair enough. This is what we do when we let choice, our mind, rule over us. One thing sports psychology, positive affirmations and faith gave me was the ability to strive for and live for the positives.

It's not always easy, in fact sometimes it's very hard, but just like running your first 4km of stairs it gets a lot easier and you start doing it more automatically. There's one problem with positivity though...Positivity has many guns being pointed at it. You see blue tries to take over frequently, invade our heads & we have to challenge it back. Till it becomes habit.

I love it when someone says to me, you know your climbing the largest mountain in the world right?! You know it'll be cold right? You know you have to train for that, and like a lot Jules?! I think to myself...no, I didn't know that at all I'm just gonna pay thousands, rock up & wing it. I mean only 1 in 4 die who do. No biggie. Say what?!! Are people for real? People are always trying to undermine each other, it's our power play. But nothing is better than positivity. What can a man say if you know you will succeed? Is he really going to argue with you in that? I can tell you for a fact- No he won't. The only person in life & goal setting that needs to be prepared is YOU. Whether someone believes in you or not has to do with their own faith, motivation, determination, NOT yours.

Sometimes that path is lonely, it took me over a year for people to realise I was serious & they saw me get up for 5am gym sessions, complete 13/14hr days to satisfy work and training. They saw me lift 80kg, jump 800 squats, run kilometres on end of stairs, transform from a meatlovers gal to a doting vegetarian and still didn't believe. None of that matters. You get up for you, when everyone realises you believe in you they are sold. That's all they need. This doesn't mean they'll understand you or want to connect with you though...this is my newest struggle. Being determined and motivated you'd think is what the world is craving based on memes and general popular culture but I'm fact it's the opposite...people don't know how to get there (be someone so acutely aware of what you want and striving so seriously for it) and so you become someone that they respect but nothing more... They are disconnected. Having serious goals, and living them each day, I used to think that is how a lot of people live but in fact it's not. They don't know how to get there.

To me striving for something, being positive and knowing you will be successful makes you confident, better at work and better at life. The fact that you do it completely on your own at times (there's been plenty of people supporting me don't get me wrong) makes it even more of an accomplishment. People always want recognition for what they do, setting goals and achieving them without expecting recognition and knowing full well you won't get it even if you asked, is motivation in itself. Your work (your body, your fitness, your fresh persona) will speak for itself.

Personally I don't want people to miss out on how amazing it is to know what you are capable of and be completely free of self doubt. So my next post (separate to this series) will be about freeing yourself and letting that sunlight yellow in.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Please share any similar experiences with me.

10 Reasons why we should celebrate Valentine's day...loved up or not

Every year, as I've mentioned in a previous post, people think of ways to celebrate or surpress the thought of Valentine's Day. Whether we are American, loved up or not we should definitely celebrate it. Here's 10 reasons why.




1. We need a reminder that love is what keeps the world going around. Too much focus on life is on the negative when we should be focusing on positives...always.

2. Love is worth celebrating in all its forms it shouldn't take a 2013 Disney movie, Frozen, to show us that we focus on romantic love too much.

3. Loving yourself is important. Those that love themselves exude happiness and confidence. You should enjoy at least one day a year where you celebrate the loveliness about yourself.





4. Love makes you feel good. Whether it is love of another, loving acts of kindness or love for food we never lose from loving- worth remembering!

5. Love makes us hopeful. We need to stop and remember how positive hope in our and others' lives and place it in our hearts everyday.

6. Love makes us childlike. As adults we are always calculating moves like pawns in a chess game- love removes knowledge and makes way for faith; trusting despite fear. Its worthwhile reliving those childish, brave and funny moments.



7. Love makes us stronger. We all get hurt but we should remember these with smiles on our faces today because those experiences all grow us emotionally and make us the strong, more lovable people for the right ones we meet.



8. Love softens us. It might sound silly but we all have worked with play dough as a child that was stiff as a rock and decided it was better throwing out then trying to work with it. Love mellows us, makes us malleable- someone that is open, friendlier, more kind and better to be around, irrespective of how we experience love romantic or not that's worth remembering.




9. Love leaves us preciously vulnerable; allowing yourself to be bare butt and naked in emotion means you'll get to see someone else for ALL their glorious beauty as well.


10. Love...real love...always makes you a better, happier person. Whether we have it right now or it's just around the corner the excitement of not knowing what comes next is fantastic in itself.

Where did it come from? #week2 #conquerseries

Now that we have established and have hit off any notions of 'crazy' from random readers I wanted to share with you how I began this process of turning my goal into a reality.





Since high school, throughout University and in my private life I have enjoyed learning about training programs, holistic health, nutrition and how it builds the athlete's body. In my teenage years always determined to be a professional footballer I grasped all the concepts, understood the importance of ensuring healthy body, healthy mind and balance between work and play but it wasn't until I attacked this goal of mine that I really learnt about it.





When I decided, and I mean, really decided I wasn't wavering in my thoughts at all, that I was to climb Mt Everest base camp I began watching Youtube videos, following Instagram channels on alpine climbing, Mt Everest, hikespo (what I call hiking inspiration images) and snow gear. My Instagram channel became full of everything that my goal was about- ice, snow, freezing cold temperatures. Thanks to my knowledge of sports psychology and ongoing learning about health and fitness I knew that any approach to making sure I would conquer Everest and not just attempt it was all about living it, breathing it and most importantly having my head in it. This is where I took time to sit down and think about all the things I would require to keep myself mentally strong.

Before I go on I'll explain that last statement, it is really important to understand that any physical goal is more mental than physically challenging. I have participated in sport my whole life and enjoyed it all but nothing compares to having no doubt in your mind about the success you'll have. You see previous experiences in sport had all been about a long term goal which seemed (call me crazy) quite easily attainable, probably too easily attainable- I was trialling out and playing premier league for a sport I loved, was prepared to train for- I'd finish games mentally exhausted more than physically but it wasn't anything out of my comfort zone. This is what I believe draws me back to Everest every time.





You see mountain climbing whilst always enjoyed was not something that would produce the same results or have the same effects, every hike (not so many before I began training) was different. Each pathway you needed to think about and at the end of each pathway (unless you walk/run it twice) gives you a different view. The varying lengths of hikes presented new physical challenges, the ability to pack for them, enjoy your own company and understand how you'd get through each situation.








The hikes that I complete through a variety of national parks, mostly on my own, are challenging in a different ways. Yes it is a little crazy that I am doing it on my own (the majority of times) but it is also part of the challenge because any concerns I face, either with wildlife (I've met a few brown snakes and taipans on the way) or otherwise I have to overcome them on my own. This is not something that comforts my family however, but I still consider my risks to be calculated, healthy risks and I'd rather be taking those risks than unhealthy ones.


So I guess if you had to pin the point at which things started becoming real it was not with the exercise, it was with the understanding I gained from learning about the hike. Without gaining information about fitness programs, altitude sickness, dietary habits of Sherpas, the ways to pack to name just a few things I do not believe I could walk into a gym knowing that my 25hours a week (minimum) would equal success. This is where I began not just learning but fully understanding exactly what it means to have the head space to achieve anything.


Apologies for the differently sized images my computer decided to present me another challenge and not allow me to resize them!

Get a special person who....

Lately you have probably seen the article titled, 'Don't date a girl who travels.' Perhaps you have even seen the responses to this rather jaded attempt to force all the positive attributes of a travelling lady into a negatively minded, picky nit wit. I don't know about you but my Facebook news feed is already starting to fill up with positive and negative memes about Valentine's Day, its the usual hoorah about 'poor me I'm single' or 'can't wait, its going to be such a special day' either way I want to say this, forget the rubbish about why you shouldn't date someone or what 'issues' a potential partner might see in you and do this....

Get a special person who...

• Isn't afraid to acknowledge their feelings & your significance, to you or their friends.
• Remembers you even on days that aren't special.
• Knows what they want and strives to achieve it (including you, don't invite laziness).
• Fights with you & wants to make up afterwards...always.
• Likes you- because they'll always be able to love you regardless what you go through.
• Thinks your most outstanding when your ordinary looking (sweaty, dirty, tired, hung over). 

Don't...

• Torture yourself if people don't have the same ideas as you, there's billions of people in the world, make your life interesting and as corny as it is...you'll find the Valentine where you are meant to. Not because you've stopped being a traveller because you read an article with a biased view on independent women or somehow internalised that perhaps blondes do have more fun so you best pretend you were never a brunette to snaffle that handsome dude at the local meat market but because you haven't sacrificed who you are to be what someone needs.

I hope you all feel super loved this next week & a bit. Ciao!

You're crazy! #conquerseries

You're crazy! The words that I hear on a regular basis. Nothing has changed really, the same friends hear what exercise I do on a regular basis, they in fact know my whole schedule I'm sure but they still tell me I'm crazy. So how did I get crazy and decide that climbing Everest was number one on my fitness goal list? It's pretty simple really, I like mountains.

Right now some of you are probably laughing and talking at your computer screens, 'yeh right, your still crazy' is the mantra your saying to Mr Toshiba seated in front of you; but seriously that is where it started. As a young child I always enjoyed climbing, dirt mounds, rocks, mountains on family trips- I liked it all. Pretty quickly I learnt that I probably have a closer affinity to mountain lions than some of my peers, whilst not always surrounded by mountains I'll climb one when I see one. Yes, yes I am one of those random people who drives down a highway, looks at a mountain and sees an opportunity- not for the chance of being able to climb it but an opportunity to see the view from the top of it. The curiosity of the view at the top is what motivates me. I guess it's my real life version to the question of 'what animal would you be if you could?' because when I am on top of a mountain I'm like a fly, mosquito or ant completely insignificant and completely in awe of the marvellousness that surrounds me.

 

'Mt Everest though?' you say. Well it is simple, its just another mountain. Yes it is the tallest mountain in the world but if we got caught up on the biggest things in the world there would be plenty of things we wouldn't do- wouldn't travel to countries with the most people, places with the most non-English speakers- all sorts of things we should absolutely experience.

Rock climbing, mountaineering, bouldering, hiking all of it is problem solving. I understand it's not for everyone (I've taken people on hikes and they whinge that they had to think about where their feet were going) but I personally love that it engages my mind and my body. Everest has its own challenges, it always has, currently I am reading a book titled 'Everest, The First Ascent' it talks about Mr Pugh's role in uncovering the science that would make the first ascent successful after almost 3 decades of failed attempts, whereby people didn't understand or weren't prepared to acknowledge the effects of high altitude, acclimatisation and fatigue on individuals. It fascinates me how some individuals were adamant they could attack the mountain with little or no training and no oxygen and others were dedicated to investigating ways to ensure a summit success. Since I began training and I became comfortable enough to tell people it was my goal to reach base camp I have met people who have completed it by simply 'walking 3 times a week for half an hour' or just 'rocked up' to Kathmandu and hit up the base camp and then there's....me. Training 20 hours (minimum) a week plus 5/6 hour hikes regularly on the weekend non-stop and still working a 40 hour week. My logic- I refuse to be conquered. I don't care what mountain it is, I'm going to see that view. In fact, I've dreamt about it, the tears on my face, the smile from ear to ear and my face getting sore, my mass sighs of relief and screaming in excitement that all my hard work has paid off to be sitting on top of the world.

So crazy or not I care not. My dream will come true there is no doubt about it. Every gym session, every hike is not for some fickle obsession to make my body society's ideal, its for an intrinsic love that I have to experience the freedom, majesty and the awe of life when I witness a great view that reminds me of my own insignifance. That is why 5am mornings, 3hour gym sessions, regular bouts of 800 jump squats (for example) and regular 5/6hour hikes can be done.

Over this series you'll notice, even in the picture below that I am ME. My training isn't perfect, I've never not lost motivation, I've eaten cake more than twice a week since I've been training, I look in the mirror and wonder why my stomach won't go away (probably that cake haha), some days I feel super confident other days I want to rip my face off and replace it with another face out of frustration. Yep, I am just a plain jane woman. Whilst people go on at times with crap about me being inspirational I'm not, I'm just a person who chose a goal, has intrinsic motivation for it and decided how I will achieve it. Anyone is capable of achieving what they want. I guess you just have to be crazy enough to think you can.

I hope you liked the first segment of the series.... Any comments/queries are welcomed.

Julia