Mar
26

Brisbane Blogcademy – come at me

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I am a sassy blogger and recruiter on the South Coast of NSW and the only other country I have travelled to (so far) is Fiji. I dream of New York and decorate my house accordingly but this dream is sadly a few years off. I dream of being a blogger entrepreneur but am super happy with my current situation of blogger and intrapreneur. I am always looking to expand myself in new ways.

So when The Blogcademy class one in New York came and went I was disappointed I couldn’t just up and jump at this opportunity. Then Blogcademy jetsetted across the seas to London – again a location I couldn’t just up and jump to.

Then I got Gala Darling’s blog update via email!

Blogcademy was going global and that included two stops at Melbourne and Brisbane!

Although initially disappointed that Sydney got skipped along the way I took a look at both destinations and thought – hmmm I haven’t been to Qld in a few years…Done!

Therefore I am excited to announce the countdown has begun for Brisbane Blogcademy where I will not only meet some star bloggers that I have followed online for years and years (Gala since her Melbourne days!) but I will get to learn tips and tricks from the best.

November? That’s 8 months away I hear you say. Yes. Yes it is.

But what this means is that I have 8 months to make my blog more fantastic so that when it gets scrutinised by these blogger babes that I get higher levels of advice not just basic tips. It means that I have 8 months to plan a wardrobe for the two days that is fitting of the online queens of sparkle and shimmer. It means I have 8 months to get used to the idea that I get to meet my blogging role model for the first time in the flesh so that I can make sure I don’t get star struck and say something dumb (like the multiple times I have met Wil Anderson). It means I have something to look forward to. And to me this is the kind of event and weekend that will be worth the wait.

It wasn’t until last year that I wanted to blog a bit more seriously and a bit more frequently while still giving myself permission to have it go a few weeks without a post if life gets in the way.

This weekend will not be about idolising some of my favourite bloggers. I don’t idolise anyone but God. But getting to learn and grow in such a promising environment. Giving myself a chance to expand my knowledge in an area that is for personal growth only – not for work or anyone else – is pretty cool.

For any Brisbane or fellow Aussie bloggers I look forward to seeing you there. For Gala, Shauna and Kat thanks in advance for the opportunity…I am already channelling the power of turquoise and deciding between sparkly bow or bunny ears.

And to my readers may I inspire you to step outside your comfort zone and normal routine and take a class or book an event that is for purely personal growth. Do something that is for you and you alone and not for your career or family or anything else.

The best investment you can make is the one you make in yourself.

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Mar
22

Another year older…time to get wiser

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I am one of those people that LOVE birthdays. In fact I love love LOVE birthdays! And no it is not just because I don’t have kids to get excited about their birthdays instead. I think everyone’s birthday should be celebrated as it is a commemoration of another year of awesome living on this earth. Another year of contributing to society and a reminder to keep being the most awesome version of yourself and giving life all you have. This life will end eventually so we must rejoice and celebrate within this world while we can – birthdays are no exception.

This birthday I am feeling young and accomplished and busy and happy. I haven’t celebrated in the normal BIG ways that I normally do but I feel this year that it is the smaller things that are contributing to the bigger celebration – that I am a year older, have spent another year doing awesome things and some not so awesome things and being in my mid-twenties I feel it is time to get a bit wiser.

There are always areas that we could be improving and as the saying goes:

 Standing still is the same as going backwards.

 So I greet my twenty-thirteen birthday with this in mind. If I am to be deemed wiser by my own merits then what areas of my life do I need to improve. I could list of ten fantastic accomplishments right now but this is more about working on areas of my personality or life that sometimes work against the greater good for me.

Now this isn’t a chance to criticise myself, but instead to know myself and nurture myself into being the best version of myself – and who could want more than that!

With this is mind here is a list of areas that I commit to working on over the coming year:

♥ My health and fitness – I have begun a serious journey this year to lose weight and I want to remain committed to this journey. Working out with my partner has helped this immensely!

♥ Stop being sarcastic when people ask me questions when I think the answer is extremely obvious.

♥ Make an effort with my wardrobe. Some days I am fantastic at this and entirely put together with matching accessories and all but then other times I am flustered and running late or tired and don’t care and end up in outfits that are just not quite right. I am making a stand against this don’t care-ish attitude and will always care what I wear so that I can be fashion forward not ensemble-challenged.

♥ Never be late to work. Ever. Powerful women are never late. And the fact I am now only five minutes from work as opposed to 45mins should make this a lot easier.

♥ Read my bible and connect with God – and do this with no distractions around. So much of my connection with God is while driving or when I am in the middle of thinking a million other thoughts. Some quiet time would be nice.

♥ Contribute to the greater good. Whether this be money, time or knowledge I want to contribute to the greater good of society in some way.

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Mar
05

21 days without Facebook – what I learned

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Sometimes in life we have to take something away for us to realise it wasn’t good for us in the first place. This is true for me of Facebook.

My facebook fast went fantastic up until about day 19 when someone was trying to get in touch with me for an event organisation and they didn’t have my mobile number so I took a quick peek at their message.

What I learned is that where Facebook is concerned – absence does not make the heart grow fonder.

My relationships with my friends improved for a number of reasons. For once I was no longer annoyed at whiny things they posted on Facebook but more so because I was forced to call them, to text them which is in fact much more personal than hitting like on a status as if I cared about the post for more than the second it took me to read it and hit the thumbs up.

I don’t feel like I missed out on their lives as I was forced to connect, to tell them what was happening in my life. It is this personal connection that is too often lost when we solely rely on Facebook as a sorry excuse for a catch up in our time poor lives.

Even now that I am back on the Facebook bandwagon I find myself less inclined to like or comment on status’ and I am impatient with myself with scrolling my newsfeed when for the past 21 days I was forced to spend my time in more interesting ways. Those moments when you are waiting in line or at the Laundromat or killing a few minutes because you are at the coffee store on your own – these are times when I would normally Facebook newsfeed scroll desperate for something tantalising to come across my path. Since performing my Facebook fast I have written the beginning of a short story, sorted out finances, called friends and thought about positive affirmations and prayed to my God – all in the moments when I would normally have checked Facebook.

It has freed my mind and allowed me to open up my channels of creativity and imagination. Like a kid without toys I was able to use my imagination to entertain myself and by golly did I enjoy it.

This whole experience has changed my perspective on social media and made me check myself and my thoughts before purging them out into the world, I feel more for my friends and more connected with humanity. While I have no urge to delete my Facebook or twitter accounts at this point in time I feel that I only want to put beautiful things out into the world so my focus is going to stay with my website and with Instagram. While Instragram is essentially a social media outlet I believe photography is a more creative and beautiful outlet. Photography is a more pure medium to express myself in and compliments my whole mantra of make Your Own Waves.

So what I’ve learned is: I would rather phone a friend than hit a like button any day. While there are people who seem to like stuff I post most of them I don’t really know. Scrolling through a newsfeed that is selected by algorithms designed by IT people who don’t know is pointless and stupid and a waste of time. Instagram is better because it is beautiful. Relationships are better offline and away from the public eye. We expose ourselves to so much unnecessary garbage that can be overwhelming. I have an amazing and fascinating imagination that I don’t give enough time to.

Back in high school I worked part time at the local Westco – a jeans clothing store that was really big in the 90’s – and when there were no customers in the mornings and I got bored I didn’t have the option of signing into social media on my phone or really of texting anybody. Why? Because I was the last generation that managed to make it almost completely through high school before mobile phones became the new accessory. Where kids get a phone at 12 or younger, me and my friends didn’t get phones until 15 or 16 years of age. Even then we were limited to Nokia 3315’s which could only save a finite number of messages before the memory was full. The only game was snake and there was no such thing as apps.

These were simpler times and I used to write all kinds of crazy notes to myself on receipt paper at Westco as that was my only option. I realised I missed that part of myself and I am going to focus more on staying on Facebook and letting my imagination and relationships run free!

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Mar
01

Does size matter

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As many of you probably realise by now I am not a fashion blogger, however, this does not mean I love clothes any less. I was very intrigued when I stumbled across THIS article regarding uniform sizing in Australia and the fact it was a too hard basket and supposedly pointless exercise.

What intrigued me most was not that Australia and it’s fashion industry refuse to make this happen or that sadly yet unsurprisingly Australian’s don’t see fashion as being a “high growth economic industry”  but it was the fact that there a women who buy clothing that doesn’t fit based on the number on the label.

Are you serious ladies?

Having packed on a bit of weight since my late teenager years I quickly learned the best way to fake still been skinny was to stop wearing clothing that was too tight and to only focus on building a wardrobe of items that FIT. By fit it meant that it didn’t matter if the dress said 14 (to fit over my large bosoms) or a pair of jeans that say size 10 but totally would  have been too big five years ago.

For someone who desperately wants to lose weight to get back to a healthy weight range I can completely understand the pain that vanity causes us to feel when we have to go for the larger size on the rack. But if that larger size means that we won’t have a muffin top then shouldn’t that be enough?

Body confidence is a major issue with women of all sizes but it does shock me to realise that women are buying smaller sizes for the tag not for their body.

Having started a 6 week sewing class last week – more on that to come – I have realised the benefits of clothes matching your actual size measurements not the size you wish you were. Custom made clothing is surprisingly easier to master than people think, provided you have a sewing machine and money for material and patterns but once you have mastered it, it can only mean good things – especially for the vain among us.

Making your own clothes will mean that you decide what label goes onto your clothing. Or better still just cut out the tag when you get home from the store – that works too!

In all honesty I think that people are still thinking of themselves and their weight in complete black and white. Everything seems to focus on skinny versus fat rather than focusing on healthy versus unhealthy. So ladies let’s change the focus en masse and let it be about our hearts and our health not a size.

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Feb
14

Don’t have a cow this Valentines Day

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Today is Valentines Day.

If  it wasn’t for the guys at work talking about what to get their women (flowers & jewellery I believe) I probably wouldn’t have been as aware of Valentines as I am. Not been on Facebook at the moment has helped – like I always say what I don’t know can’t hurt me.

I remember so much of my late teens/early twenties pining after guys and getting extremely disappointed on Valentines Day as all the lovely girls around me got spoilt by their other halves. What I have learnt as I have matured is that it doesn’t matter if you are single or not you can still have a marvellous day – and make someone else’s day marvellous too.

In all honesty it is a selfish notion to sit around whining all day that there is noone to love and spoil you – and that is without realising that instead you can spoil yourself or your friends. So here are some ways to Make Your Own Waves this Valentines:

♥ Message or better yet call your friends and instead of whining about the opposite sex tell them five reasons that make them an amazing friend

♥ Date yourself: take yourself to eat your favourite meal and see a movie on your own. If all the love is getting to you then make sure the movie is an action/thriller instead

♥ Run yourself a candle lit bath filled with essential oils and plenty of bubbles and stay reading and relaxing until you are all wrinkled

♥ Spend the evening exfoliating and working on your fake tan. Just because you are alone doesn’t mean you can’t look and feel beautiful – a tan always works for that!

♥ Get to the gym and exercise to give yourself a healthy glow – and while you are there perving on some hot muscles won’t hurt anyone

♥ If you are coupled up then try my Legendary Date Ideas to do with your partner – See how many you tick off as having done already and than aim to do as many more as you realistically can in one day!

♥ Read a Jane Austen novel such as Pride & Prejudice, Persuasion or Sense & Sensibility and revel in how much things have changed over the past 120 years in terms of what was allowed and not allowed in “courting” and realise how much technology has shifted things

♥ Smile at anyone who looks sad today because they probably need it

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Feb
13

Facebook fasting February: part one

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Every February my church runs an initiative of 21 days of prayer and fasting to encourage us to get closer to God, put our worries on him because he cares for us and to focus on various aspects of our lives. You can read more about it here.

Last year I didn’t really take part in any serious way but this year I gave it serious thought and I decided that giving up Facebook for the 21 days was the answer. Food is a big focus in my life at the moment as is eating healthy so it didn’t seem that I needed to address this issue.

Facebook on the other hand – that was getting out of control. There are a number of things that bug me about Facebook, both my postings, my interactions with others and others postings.

I had already decided just after Christmas last year and right before new years that I would no longer post anything negative to Facebook ever, but this itself poses a problem. Does this mean I am been dishonest when I am continually posting happy thoughts, quotes, musings even when I am feeling blue? But on the other hand those people who continually vent about their issues in a whiny indirect manner are just pushing their negative vibes onto anyone who has them come up in their news feed. Do I really care that you hate that bitch that you are going to say everything about but never name…no, no I don’t care so why am I wasting my time scrolling through my newsfeed reading about it?

Another issue I have is about babies. Now I love babies. I love that so many people have had such blessings come into our lives. What I do not love is watching my friends profile pictures go from selfies to pre-schoolers. To put it another way…It would be weird if my mum was on Facebook and had a picture of me right now at 25 as her profile pic. Therefore in my eyes it is just as weird for a mum to have her profile pic as her one year old. I find it really weird and no, I will not change my mind once I pop out a few puppies – I am beautiful and a baby won’t change the fact I love myself and a good selfie.

Further to the baby issue is all the useless status updates people post about their babies stages of life that really have no impact in the way I live my life so why should I waste my time reading about it? That is right I shouldn’t – but I have been.

Next issue I have with Facebook is about mindset, jealousy and friendship.

Sometimes without realising it you can read things about other people you used to know, don’t care to know anymore or who you know now that cause you to question your own existence. If you are a particularly sensitive on a day when you read that a bunch of people you know had a party that you weren’t invited to when you think that you were better friends with them than that it can bring you down. You don’t mean for it to – but it does happen.

What about when your ex boyfriend has commented on another girls page? Or your best friend seems to have other friends she sees more of? If you are particularly sensitive one day you may read into things that can bring you down and make you feel left out or alone. And this sucks and is one of the many reasons I am fasting Facebook. What I don’t know can’t affect me especially if it is something I don’t need to know or wouldn’t know in “real life” outside of the world of Facebook.

Look out for Facebook fasting February part two coming soon which is all about keeping in touch with real friends in real ways.

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Feb
11

Get your head clear: free-writing

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Sometimes we can get caught up in all the little intricacies of life and before we know it, it’s Friday evening, work is over for another week and our head is swimming with a million thoughts, to-do list items that haven’t been done, things that require your attention for the weekend, people you need to text or call back and a hundred more things that are going to require your attention come Monday. Whew!

It isn’t any wonder that in the switched on, fast paced lives that we are living that we can get so caught up that we forget to stop. We are dealing with emotions, relationships, physical demands on top of all our goals, wants and desires. So when we are all go, go ,go – how do we stop, stop stop?

One tactic so that you no longer feel emotionally, mentally and physically spent by the end of each week is to get things out of your head and onto paper. While some might find they prefer to type up every aspect of their lives with the variety of digital platforms available to us, there is something to be said for putting ink to the page and writing out all that is bogging down our minds. Not all of us have the desire to get flexible with yoga or to sit patiently with our eyes closed in a meditative state – free-writing is the perfect alternative for the same relaxed state of mind result.

Many writers already know and occasionally or frequently adopt free-writing exercises to assist with clearing their head from clutter and to beat writer’s block. Adopting it as a regular task for no reason other than to pour out your mind can actually help you improve your mental capacity to deal with stress, manage your life and keep your emotions in check. Regularly writing down what is on your mind can be effective in helping you sort out what you really want in life, what you may not be happy with now and where you should be heading in your life.

What are some tips for free-writing aimed at clearing your head?

♥ Dedicate to doing at least once a week if not multiple times per week. This will help you to get into the rhythm of the exercise and get your head clear so that it reduces stress levels and allows you better emotional balance but understanding what is bothering your mind.

♥ Set a time or page limit for each session. Free-writing is not the same as journaling. The aim isn’t to pour your heart out or list of what you did today in a dear diary sense but to let your mind wander to whatever topic it comes up with and to get this out of your head.

♥ Spelling and grammar go out the window. Do not worry about getting things neat and out of your head in an ordered fashion. You may start a sentence with “I don’t know what to write…” and the next minute your three paragraphs in and have jumped from football, to someone at work who pissed you off to that pretty pair of shoes you wish you could afford. It isn’t meant to be pretty and it doesn’t need to make sense.

♥ Don’t censor yourself. Write the pages as if no-one will ever read them except for you. The idea is to honestly convey any thought that pops into your head and start to get an understanding of what bothers you, what you really want and get your mind free of muddled thoughts.

♥ Use a really nice, easy flowing pen. It seems silly to point this out but when we are so used to typing things out using a pen for long periods of time can be a little awkward at first. Buying a pen that has easy flowing ink can make all the difference between the speed your thoughts enter your mind and how you capture them on the page.

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Jan
01

Supersonic boom: twenty thirteen

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Happy New Year!!!

I love the start of a new year…I can liken it to the excitement of fresh stationary.

Making (hopefully) happy memories, having a few cocktails with friends and watching the fireworks after the midnight countdown!!!

On top of all that, it is a time to cleanse off all the worries and stress and issues of the year that has gone and time to click the button ready-set-go on all your goals and plans for a fresh clean slate.

Twenty Thirteen is going to be a supersonic boom year. Goals have been set and attitudes have been checked.

You are going to be the shining star in your own life. You are going to finish writing that novel, start that blog and write that letter full of your true feelings for the one you love. You will educate yourself in someway because you know that learning is the key to life and should never stop no matter what your age. Your body will shed that heavy weight both physically and mentally that you have been carrying around. You will move your body everyday and nourish it from the inside out. You will take your vitamins, put your faith in God and make sure that you meet ALL the goals you set for yourself.

This is your year.

This is the year you will make your own waves.

The year you will outshine your old self and make magic happen.

Twenty Thirteen will be a supersonic BOOM!

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Dec
04

Time to reflect on the year that was twentytwelve

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As of Saturday this past week end, the date on the calendar hit December 1st which marks 11 months since many of us set and abandoned one or many New Year’s resolutions. One of the things I love most about this time of year (other than excitement of time off, summer and Christmas) is reflecting back on what I have achieved and how I have grown over the course of the year and where I want to head for the next year.

This time of year, while seemingly hectic, can actually be the best time of year for reflection so that you head into the new year assured of what you have done and what you are now ready to do.

What I am hoping to do over the next couple of weeks is to take the time to sit and reflect: Think about the wonderful things I have experienced (such as a Wedding in Adelaide, a horse and carriage ride in Melbourne, another friend’s wedding, 5 other black tie formal events, a 2 year anniversary with my boyfriend and many other mini adventures with my man and best friend <3); and List off all the things I have achieved both personally and professionally (this list includes expanding my white collar recruitment scope within the company I work for, working 4 days per week for 6 months to take time to myself, becoming a Finalist of the Illawarra Business Awards, undertaking a Real Estate investment course, persisting with this blog, expanding my resume recreation services).

Now it is your turn! Take a notepad, some pens and a quiet space and reflect upon the following and remember to break it down month by month if you have trouble remembering! Ask yourself the following questions and let your mind wander across every avenue and let the pen scribble free-thought style:

♥ What great experiences have I had this year? This could be travel, relationships, events, new places, new foods tried…the limit is your imagination.

♥ What have I achieved in my personal life? This can span across any category including relationships, communication, health & fitness, religion, body & soul…

♥ What have I achieved in my professional life? This is where it will differ depending if you work for yourself or a corporate company…detail what you have achieved whether it was updating your resume, a work related course, promotion, pay rise, work experience…

♥ What lessons have I learnt? Have you broken a bad habit? Or let go of a toxic friendship? Detail the things you feel you have learnt or had reiterated in the experiences of this year.

♥ What areas do I want to focus on in 2013? Areas of your business need improving? Does you marketing kit need a makeover? Do you wish you spent more time being creative? Or meditating? Or exercising? Or with family and friends? Details the areas of focus for yourself in the New Year.

♥ Are there any courses you want to take to increase your skill either for personal or professional benefits?

♥ What are your personal goals? Make at least one goal for each of the areas of your life: finances/relationships/spiritual/fitness/self etc.

♥ What are your professional goals? Make a list of goals to achieve in your professional life whether it is find a new job, return to an old job, get a pay rise or promotion, start your own business, build up your existing business. The limit is in your own self worth.

So this area of goal setting is simply the reflection stage. Unfortunately I often get caught at the reflection stage and come up with fantastic ideas with no follow through. This is one of the things I learnt by partaking in NANoWriMo this year. A goal whether small or ridiculously ambitious takes careful planning AND execution for it to come to fruition.

So as a start reflect on what has been a wonderful 2012, enjoy the remainder of the last month of the year and hit TwentyThirteen with a supersonic BANG!

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Nov
26

The Female Entrepreneur revolution is upon us…

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Being or becoming a true entrepreneur is no mean feat. One can coin themselves an entrepreneur simply for coining a term, idea, invention, business, book or blog but this doesn’t necessarily discern entrepreneurial success.

I myself am an intrapreneur; building the white collar recruitment business I run as part of a much larger organisation.

There are similarities to becoming a successful intrapreneur or entrepreneur. To reach the level of success that you wish to you need (and this is by no means a conclusive list):

♥ Ambition

♥ Drive

♥ Persistence

♥ Dedication

♥ Expertise

♥ Passion

♥ Balance

One other thing you need is the ability to take risks – without some risk there can be no worthy reward.

I am ultimately inspired by the many woman I see taking a risk and building up an empire business or brand for themselves: Valerie Khoo of Sydney Writers’ Centre; Janine Allis of Boost Juice; Colette Hayman who started Colette fashion and accessories; Gala Darling of galadarling.com. The transformations of what they have grown and achieved in comparison to where they began is incredibly inspirational. It is uplifting to see women developing businesses and brands of such growth and power.

In light of all female entrepreneurs who have excelled/ are excelling in their industry areas I am introducing to MYOW a series entitled The Female Entrepreneur. It will include various articles and interviews and guest posts over time of woman who are making their own waves in this world with businesses they have built up, are building up or even working on as a part time gig.

The more females can share around their advice and experiences the more it can empower other women who are teetering with their own business ideas.

Woman are powerful despite often limiting themselves to set standards of what society think they should be. My current mantra is a Chinese proverb I read around the same time the focus on my blog changed and I have been on fire ever since!

When sleeping women wake, mountains move – Chinese Proverb

Dare to dream, dare to be inspired and dare to make your own waves in this world!

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