In the moment.

I've always struggled with being a living in the future person instead of a living in the present. It took me a long time to try and accept to just be content with the here and now and not think about what I will be doing tomorrow, next week, next year. I was always looking forward to something that was about to happen and that moment would pass me by so quickly that before I knew it I was waiting for something else. I couldn't just accept and be happy with the fun and joy that I was experiencing that day because I was too busy waiting for another moment. However, there were those days when simple things like driving to the beach on a hot summers day would open my heart completely and make me realise how lucky and special I am to live here and be here in the now.

Travelling around the world for four months really opens your eyes to what you have and what you have always taken for granted in your life. It could even be the little things like our squeaky sandy beaches, ease of traffic and Australian's laid back lifestyle. It was all these minor details that I yearned for when I came home and although I loved travelling, I realised I had taken everything for granted before as I was living in the next moment. I have now come to appreciate what I have in my life and the beauty of living on the Gold Coast. I used to look at the negatives of being here with the lack of jobs being the main downfall, but things just seem to fall into place once you stop and take life one step at a time and now I wouldn't want to be anywhere else and have an amazing job that I like to wake up for. 

The Gold Coast has an amazing laid back lifestyle, we live our days by the beaches with bare feet and sandy hair and our evenings outdoors enjoying the hot balmy nights. We have a little sense of pride and joy living here that I think other places lack. Although I have lived on the Gold Coast my whole life you would think I would be over it, and I am, sometimes. There are some days when I just want to fly away and live somewhere else, but I just did that. I lived in about 13 different countries in the matter of months and while I was away in these exotic and extraordinary places it was a nice, content feeling to be coming home. And I came home to a great job and a great place that I just didn't even see would be a possibility before. 

When you open your eyes and heart to what you have you realise you have a lot and you wonder if it was always this good all along. Did I really live this close to the beach? Was getting to work never an hour long commute but a 15 min drive? Is the majority of the year warm temperatures so I can enjoy the beach all year long? Although the Gold Coast- and everywhere you live- always have some cons... the grass is always greener on the other side, right? But we have got it going on here, and in Australia in general we are a happy bunch that enjoy great company and the outdoors. And you know what, once you realise that life isn't so tough it's really a lot more fun. So get up early and enjoy the sunrise with a walk along the beach because in some places this just wouldn't even be a possibility. So soak it up while you can.

The rest is still unwritten....

 

Within us we all have a story to tell but often it is the story of the past, the challenges, the hardships, the friends who hurt us, the men who left us and the things that didn't work out.  We all have a life story, one that we hold on to with our dear life as if that is all that ever was and ever will be, but little do we know that we have an unwritten story a whole book full of new pages where we can start over and begin writing the real story of the life that we are destined to live.

 

Landmark Education, an intense personal growth seminar which I went through in my early 20's teaches to differentiate between reality and our stories - between what happened and the story that we tell ourselves and most often made up about what happened.  It's liberating to be able to see our own made up dramas and saga's and finally stand in truth and power knowing that all it takes is just a paradigm shift in our thinking which will lead us to a new page, an unwritten one, a truthful and honest one which finally sets us free.

 

I turned on my iPod last night and 'accidentally' found a song called "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfied. I didn't even know it was on there, it's as if God had placed it there for me at this perfect moment to inspire me and that it did!  As I was lying in bed listening to the words I realised that I had finally closed a chapter and opened a new book with many blank pages and one that is unwritten.  What that means is that I can create whatever story I want as beautiful, magical and inspirational as I want it to be.  So many of us hang on to things, we don't forgive because we think it's better that way, we don't move on because we are afraid, we don't try something new because we are stuck in our story of how it is and we believe that there is some force outside of us holding us back.

 

We all have an unwritten story within us and at any time we can choose to finish that book and say "The End".  Whether the end is a happy one or a sad one is not important, some stories end tragically and some happily but life goes on beyond both of them and as my dear New Yorker friend said the other day that time waits for no one, it doesn't care what you're doing, it just goes on.  We think we are in control but then life comes along, or in his case hurricane Sandy flooding homes and wiping people out where they lose their homes and belongings.  And for those who believe in something beyond our physical world we see that nature lovingly gives us the chance to start over, put the past behind us and create something new.

 

How beautiful is this universe teaching us, even through (perceived) disaster to live in the now, to be aware, present to what and who is before us now and that the past no longer lives anywhere other than in our minds.  It is our thoughts that make us suffer not the past or what happened to us - that part is over, we survived but in our mind we play the story over and over again, if we only opened our eyes and looked around us we would see that the past is no longer here and that the only thing that is, is our beautiful unwritten future.

 

 

"Drench yourself in words unspoken

Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten"

NATASHA BEDINGFIELD (Watch the Video)

Imperfection is beauty.

The last couple of years and in particular the last couple of months I have grown to realise that imperfection is beauty. Our own little quirks and imperfections in not only our looks, but our style and character is what makes us each unique and individual in this world. The other day I was sitting at Starbucks sipping on my skim mocha in one of the most beautiful places in the world and my home, the Gold Coast. I was people watching (again!), with so many different types of people coming and going past me, whether they were here for a long time or a short there was one thing that made everyone visit. The Gold Coast has some of the most beautiful surroundings with stunning long, white beaches and blue skies. But even one of the most amazing places in the world there are still imperfections, just as there is in people. The small patches of dirt coming through the grass as it hasn't rained in weeks, the exhaust of traffic zooming past: nothing is perfect. 

We read in countless magazines and see plastered all over our television screens the hunt for perfection that celebrities are consistently chasing. But how can one describe and pin point what "beauty" exactly is? People put themselves through countless surgery's, trying to change into someone else and by doing this push some of their closest family and friends away and ultimately push themselves away from their true self, all on the quest to be "perfect." But are they satisfied? Do they look in the mirror and think that they are now more beautiful? More wanted and more loved? Some maybe, but mostly people are never satisfied, always wanting to look different or better or more beautiful. We all need to accept that we are all individual and each have our own little quirks that we need to embrace in order to make us stand out as our own in this world. It may be a gap in your teeth, freckles on your nose, big ears or a mole in the wrong place, but it's all these simple quirks that set us apart and stand out. No two people are made the same for a reason, because we don't want to live in a world of look-a-likes. So embrace what you have been given and love what you've got because at the end of the day the thing you hate is going to be the thing someone loves. ♥

Where did you get that? I want it...I need it

 

 

Some days I feel like a rock star wearing a leather jacket or my studded boots, other days it's girlie all the way with floral dresses, my hair flowing in the breeze and my nails painted red.

 

When I was younger I used to reinvent myself every few years, these days with disposable fashion we can do it every few months and are often pushed from the outside world to shop till we drop.  I have to say that as I get older and wiser the urge to reinvent myself becomes less and less.  Perhaps as women once we get past a certain age we get to that place where we finally feel cushy comfy in our own skins.  We no longer need a new dress to make us feel better, another pair of shoes that costs how much??!!, looks amazing but you can only get to the car, into the restaurant, back in the car and home in them because those "killer" shoes really are a killer.

 

So how do we reinvent ourselves from the inside out, giving ourselves something that lasts beyond the next season?  What is it that makes us feel whole and centred, what is it that makes us walk tall without the Gucci heels?  I have been on a journey for many years now, one that began when I was around 21 where I began to do things that made me better on the inside.  Practising yoga for over 17 years now I can say that there is no better feeling than being on a yoga mat and lying in corpse pose at the end of the class connecting to what what it really means to feel sexy, beautiful and whole.

 

After yoga there is no care in the world, there is no sense of urgency to buy another "thing", to want "more" but instead I have found that wanting "no thing" is the best feeling in the world.  Vipassana teaches that all human suffering come from wanting what we don't have, which is craving for more and more and our hate of the things that we don't want, which is an aversion to the things we dislike.  We crazy humans oscillate between those two states constantly, it is no wonder that we have trouble finding peace and the right thing to wear because we have "nothing" in our wardrobes either craving something new or hating what we have.

 

Reinventing myself I have discovered is about the growth of my soul and not the growth of my wardrobe which inevitably I become bored of after a few months, investing in a pair of shoes can give you happiness for a little bit but investing in your soul will give you such deep joy that the shoes will never provide.  The peace of mind you get by never again needing to say to someone "where did you get that" because you too want it, you crave it, you can't live without it.  When you discover that the only thing you cannot live without is yourself that is when you will become the most beautiful and radiant and the heels will be nice but not necessary.  What will be necessary is to feel whole and connected with the most stylish and priceless thing in your life - being yourself.

 

And for those who still want it and need it check out the rockin styles I wouldn't mind reinventing myself into this season.

 

 

I love you.....Baby

 Looking for inspiration (as you do on a Sunday night) I turned on the TV and found myself moved deeply by a story on adoption.

As I watched Sunday Night on Channel 7 a story of an American couple who adopted 9 children after already having a few of their own, I could see the love that poured out of this couple to whom adoption was just a normal thing to do.  Most people would never consider adoption let alone another nine children from many different countries including Romania but this amazing couple brought into their life, their home and their hearts a baby who was abandoned at birth, born with no limbs and was close to dying.  They have given this baby who is now a young man a life full of so many blessings and opportunities including being reunited with the parents in Romania (read the full story here).  I never truly understood the need that some may have to adopt but after watching this amazing story I really got it for the first time, that the love we have is limitless, well for the evolved ones that is and when we open our hearts amazing things can happen to us and those around us.

 

 

Love (true unconditional love that is) has no boundaries and no limits and I have certainly experienced that over the past few years with people who have been sent by God as my earth angels and what a blessing it is that such love exists and that we can give that to eachother and for some like Debra Lee and Angelina this love extends far beyond what most of us would be comfortable with.

 

We often watch in awe as Angelina Jolie continues to add to her family, adopting more and more children and loving them just the same.  Unfortunately in Australia, unlike in America it is often a long process, sometimes up to 7 years to adopt a child and one woman who is rallying to change the laws and make it easier for Australians is Deborra-Lee Furness, the wife of film star Hugh Jackman who is also appealing for more Australians to adopt orphans.

 

 

Advocate and mother of two adopted children, Furness yesterday launched National Adoption Awareness Week, calling for all Australians to do more for the world's estimated 143 million orphans.

 

Furness was close to tears as she implored Australian politicians and the broader community to help orphans either by supporting birth families so they can keep their children or by adopting children who cannot stay with their birth parents."We have an ethical, moral obligation," Furness said.

"We are one of the most developed countries in the world and yet we have the one of the world's lowest inter-country adoption rates."

 

Inter-country adoptions currently account for 61 per cent of all adoptions in Australia. Furness wants the Australian Government to do more to both encourage adoption and to support parents of adopted children, especially children born overseas. Furness said that does not advocate any specific policy but believes that changes in public opinion will prompt law makers to develop more compassionate adoption policy.

 

ANGELINA Jolie's pediatrician Dr Aronson has slammed Australia's adoption laws, branding them ``uncooperative'' and calling for urgent change. New York-based Dr Jane Aronson, who founded the Worldwide Orphans Foundation, has been closely following the adoption campaign, spearheaded by actress Deborra-lee Furness.

 

 

Dr Aronson said she was shocked at the obstacles that Furness and Jackman encountered when they tried to adopt in Australia. "It's shameful and it's wrong that they couldn't adopt in their own country,'' she said. But Dr Aronson, who works tirelessly to tackle the challenge posed by the health care of orphans around the world, said the US system was far from perfect.

"Why adopting never works out well ... is because there is no single body that's set up in the government and committed to just adoption,'' she said. "You have to create a whole different structure. None of us can turn around to our country and say we have a great system. We don't.

"Australia, like most countries, has an anti-adoption attitude.

``Meanwhile, you have tens of thousands of individuals who would like to create a family through adoption.''

 

It is a sad reality and it is inspiring to see that there are women like Debra Lee who are changing the way the world works so that it does work for everyone.  I have often questioned the many laws that exist and why when there are people who can change them to make the world a better place and help people create a family through adoption that they make it so difficult.

I certainly remember what goes back four years now, where I volunteered at an orphanage in Venezuela.  One of the most dangerous cities in the world, known for it's poverty and the crime that goes with it where people are being killed for sunglasses or a mobile phone.

 

(me at Hogar Bambi with one of my babies)

 The experience abroad is one that changed me and only now 4 years later I realise just how much.  The memories and the love that I felt towards the children I looked after, the babies who's nappies I had changed, the bottoms I'd wiped and who's tears I had wiped away, this will stay with me forever. I admit, I did want to take them home and I and they did cry when it was time for me to leave.

 

As we often hear, everything that happens to us does so for a reason and that time at Hogar Bambi Orphanage was no exception, perhaps that was a defining moment in my life that I had forgotten until I turned on the TV whilst sitting on my comfy couch, in my comfy life. Nothing happens by chance and God speaks to us in many ways, sometimes it's as easy as turning on the G Channel on 7.

Take a Walk.

As I sat at countless airports during my travels overseas I watched hundreds of people pass me; coming and going. People from all walks of life, going to different destinations and different places, coming home to loved ones, moving away from their homes, starting new chapters and finishing old. I couldn't help but wonder of the people in my life, the ones I have and the ones I've lost. Some people you've wanted to lose, the ones that deep down you knew where a burden on your life and thoughts. Then there are the others that no matter what happens you couldn't imagine your life without them. And then, there are the ones that you seem to just slip away from, slowly growing apart in so many ways you don't even know it happened. I can't help but to compare these friendships and relationships to my clothing sitting in my wardrobe.

Just think of the Chanel bag, Burberry trench and Manolo's that you know you will always be able to love and trust. No matter how old, or how much you have been through you always know they will be there ready to use and share. Then there are those seasonal pieces, the items you bought because they were 'in trend', which were amazing at the time and you spent nearly every working day together but after time you begin to realise that they weren't so good for you after all and you grow apart. And finally you have the items that just seemed so good at the time like those sequinned shoulders and that ra ra skirt, you wore it once and then realised how much you didn't need it in your life after all. 

Not many people would understand how I can possibly compare your friends and loved ones with items of clothing, but our clothes and accessories are in some way our best friends. After all, we do spend every second of everyday in their presence don't we? We get up every morning and chose out a specific outfit just like we ring up which friend we feel like seeing and talking to that day. So as you clean out your wardrobe getting it organised for the next season (hello summer!) just think of what relationships are healthy and which are just being a burden, wasting your time and space. Fill your life with positive and happy friends that radiate good thoughts and bring out the best in you. And take a walk on the friends that are bringing you down and you know you can do without. Good luck, it can be a cut throat cull!

Everyday a Friday

 

Whatever challenges you may face, whatever circumstances are weighing you down, you can choose your response. How you live your life is totally up to you. It’s not dependent on your circumstances. It’s dependent on your choices. Abraham Lincoln said, “Most people are as happy as they’ve decided to be.”Honest Abe would have enjoyed a recent study that found happiness increases 10 percent on Fridays. Why is that? People are excited about the coming weekend, so they decide to be happier.

 

They make up their minds on Fridays to enjoy their lives more. I challenge you to let every day be a Friday. Give yourself permission to be happy every day. Not just on the weekends. Not just when you have a special event. Not just when you’re on vacation. If you have the right mind-set, you can be just as happy on Monday as you are on Friday. The Scripture doesn’t say, “Friday is the day the God has made.” It says, “This is the day the God has made” This means Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and every other day of the week. You can be happy even when it’s raining, when you have to work late, or when you have to do the dishes.Why don’t you make up your mind to be happy every day?

 

You’ve heard the saying “TGIF. Thank God it’s Friday.” For you and me it also should be, “TGIM. Thank God it’s Monday.” “TGIW. Thank God it’s Wednesday.” “TGIS. Thank God it’s Sunday.” Another study said there are more heart attacks on Monday than on any other day. So many people just decide that Monday is a stressed-out day. They suffer the Monday morning blues. When you wake up on Monday morning, don’t accept those negative thoughts that come knocking on your door, saying, It will be a hard day and a long week. Traffic will be bad. I have so much work to do. I just need to make it through the Monday morning blues.

 

Don’t buy into those thoughts. Instead, say, “Thanks, but no thanks. I’ve already answered the door and almighty God, the Creator of the universe, has sent me a hand delivery of joy. I know this will be a great day!”Decide that for you, there are no Monday morning blues. Instead,choose the Monday morning dos by saying, “I do have a smile. I do have joy. I do have God’s favor. I do have victory.”

 

Yes, I know some days are more difficult than others. But if you program your mind in a positive way, you won’t have to drag through certain days just hoping to get to Friday so you can finally enjoy life. Faith is always in the present. Your attitude should be: I’m excited to be alive at this moment. I’m excited to be breathing today. I’m excited about my family, my health, and my opportunities. I have plenty of reasons to be happy right now.

 

Let's remember this Friday that it’s not what happens to you or what you have or don’t have that is important; it’s how your mind is arranged and the choices you make to live, to be happy and to say Thank God no matter what day it is.

 

Shabbat Shalom :-)

Idea of Happiness.

I love Van She's song "The idea of Happiness" but whenever I listen to it I am always finding myself pondering what I consider to be my "idea of happiness." These thoughts consume my mind until I have lost all meaning of what happiness means to me. This idea of happiness has become an overused term in our society although it can be found in a variety of different things, places, people and thoughts. What makes one person happy, is and will be different to the next. Throughout the years I have seemed to struggle and am always being contested with what is ultimately going to make me most happy in life.

When I used to think what would be my idea of happiness certain images came to mind. I thought of having a massive walk-in wardrobe in the best house, the latest bag, a high powered job in Sydney and ultimately that would make up my happiness. When I have finally achieved all these things, I would be happy. Right? Wrong. I don't have a job, I don't have a walk-in wardrobe, I don't have any of those things but I am still wondering should I still want that? Should I want all those things because that's what we're supposed to want out of life isn't it? Should that still be my idea of happiness? So many people base their life around these material possessions that I am left to think that our possessions are what shapes us and defines our emotions.

Having recently got back from travelling the world my mind is open to the simple things in life. Having no plan and no real place to go was a foreign and unknown place for me.  I hated not having a plan, not knowing what I was going to do next with my life but this has pushed me into transforming and really shaping my new concept of happiness. I saw some of the poorest people, in the poorest countries, struggling to work all year, with nothing to their name but their family and the place they live, yet they were some of the happiest people I have ever met. I realised that this life isn't about having all those material possessions, it's not all about what job you have and if you're the best at what you do. Life needs to be enjoyed and expressed in it's simplest form.

One of these simple pleasures is love. Love can make you feel on top of the world, it makes you feel whole and wanted and loved and needed. When you've found the right kind of love it won't become old and tiring like your once new handbag will. You don't have to upgrade it every six months or sell it on ebay so you can afford whatever has become better than that. A deep love is an eternal love. My whole vision and idea of happiness changed when I discovered how fulfilling it can be to have someone that you can relate too and enjoy. Doing nothing is a new pleasure. But I do understand that your life can't be fulfilled though just love alone, to some extent we all need to want to exceed and do better and be better in what we do, this makes us human after all.

But I have now realised that I can't get sucked in to the conventional way of thinking what happiness is. That's what I used to do and it just made me unsettled with the amazing things that I had in life at the time. I looked past everything that was amazing now so I could live in what I could have instead of what I already have. So once in a while look outside, look around at the things, the people and the beauty around you. De-clutter your life, get rid of all the material possessions that clutter your thoughts and live with life's basics, be happy with you, now. And don't get me wrong, you can buy things that make you happy. I am so happy when I purchase a new bag or high heels but it is a short lived happiness, one that disappears after that first wear. It's not an eternal happiness that burns deep down inside you, making you feel alive. That feeling you can only get when you're truly satisfied at who you are and who you've become and realise that all those "things" don't define you, can't shape your happiness and really just don't matter.

Live simply. Live your life the way that makes you happy, because the best things in life are free.

Find happiness in creativity.

Find happiness in summer fruits.

Find happiness in daisies.

Change is inevitable....

We all know that change inevitable and that it happens with our consent or without but I am starting to see that not only do we fear change but we also crave it.  When it's hot outside we complain that it's too hot and we can't wait for the change to come (unless you live in Melbourne).  When it's cold outside we too complain that "It's too cold" and we wish it would be hot again.  When we are brunette we want a 'change'.  When we outgrow a style we want something new and then that new also becomes old and again we crave for a change.   I have to wonder whether us humans just don't know what we want or do we seek to find the in-between state where all is perfect and we will never complain again. Ummmmm that won't happen!

 

Recently the weather has gone from hot to cool and honestly I welcome the change because I love the seasons, I love that I can wear a summer dress today and a leather jacket tomorrow. I love that today is different from tomorrow but having grown up in Melbourne some consistency for a week at least would be lovely. 

 

I believe that the environments we are placed into, the countries we are born into are simply there for us to find our way.  To make a change that is based on what we feel is right for us.  I often read the Abraham teachings which tell us that we are constantly seeking out what we want from being born into an environment of great contrast so that we can see what we do not want and clearly define what we do!  To me that is so empowering, the teachings tell us that only from a place of seeing what we don't like in all areas of our life that we can define and refine and really come to know what we are, who we are and what we stand for.

 

For some change is uncomfortable and for others their lives are one adventures after another yet what I have noticed is that we all crave change, probably why we go on vacation and then come back to our familiar and comfortable life at home.  We need familiarity just as much as we crave for the weather or our lives to change and be different from what they currently are.  The question is how do we embrace both aspects and both needs that sometimes pull us apart.

 

Do we take a holiday every few months to a new and exotic destination or do we look at our full lives and see what we may have always wanted to try but never have. Learn to fly, a plane that is, like Angelina Jolie.... Take dancing classes at night to satisfy our inner diva or maybe even take a surfing class and learn to fall and learn that no matter what you can still get back on the board, paddle out and catch another wave.  There really is no "right" answer and we must all simply explore the depths of our hearts to discover what will light us up and provide us with the change we crave yet with the stability and adventure that we also need to feel alive.

 

So for today my adventure is keeping up with the wind and the cool breeze, giving me the chance to rug up, stay warm, wear my leather jacket and I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.....Oh life is such an adventure and I don't even need to leave the country.



Charity begins at home....in St Kilda

 

There are some people who are pioneers, they are willing to give life a go and to do something great with their time and resources.  I recently came across an article about a man who has shaped his Community and has grown from a tiny vegetarian restaurant to become a thriving business that gives, shares.  A business not built on the model that many of us are used to and it is this young man that was called a pot smoking hippy and a crazy man yet what most didn't see was his big heart and desire to make this world a better place. 

What he built was a restaurant that started out in Blessington Street St Kilda where I used to frequently visit called Lentil as Anything and at the time the many people around him thought that it should have been called "Mental" as Anything instead. Little did I know that this young man that I met 13 years ago and whose meals I used to eat weekly would become an inspiration to many.

Shanaka Fernando is a revolutionary. For many years he has been well known in Melbourne, Australia, as the pioneer of the pay-as-you-feel vegetarian restaurants.  This humble man leads a simple, modest life as he continues to inspire and challenge perhaps millions as he advocates an inclusive, ethical approach to business and life, and a belief in the innate goodness and generosity of his fellow man.

His socially responsible Lentil As Anything restaurants feed thousands every week, and set an example for other restaurants and businesses to follow – an example which illustrates what an inclusive, ethical approach to business, and life, can achieve. In his restaurants it is people that qualify life, not property. ‘You get fed and treated with dignity even if you don’t have any money, and the colour of your skin and your education and your beliefs only put you on a par with everyone else.’

Shanaka is a modern day folk hero, offering an alternative, a new way of living that is not based on consumerism, profit or greed.  He was named Australia’s Local Hero in the Australian of the Year Awards and was a guest judge on MasterChef alongside the Dalai Lama.

It just goes to show that you should always follow your heart and never let others tell you what is right or possible.  We all have a purpose and with our unique talents and our way of being a channel for what the creator has brought us here to do, we CAN change the world and be joyful that we are doing something great for others and ourselves.

And as the famous Gandhi saying goes "Be the change you want to see in the World".... 

Leading Lady

For centuries women have been playing in a man's world but today there are leaders and leading ladies everywhere who are changing the world, making a difference with or without their heels on.

I recently read about Audette Exel, a "high flyer" who built her career on making millions for the rich, but her true achievement has been using her legal and financial nous to make money for the world's poorest. 

This woman, this leader didn't need to renounce the world to become great and make her mark, but she took her God given talents and used her mind for business and her heart to save the children who were taken from their homes and imprisoned - this is the world of child trafficking.  This extraordinary woman who works via email on a half a billion dollar sale of a European banking group yet her biggest achievement is out of the boardroom helping some of the most impoverished people in the world. "If you want to know me," the former corporate lawyer and banker says, you have to know me in this context.  The truth of me is here, it's not dressed up in high heels and a business suit in Sydney." She hasn't given up one world for the other but she has found a way to be passionate about both and use the world of corporate to feed the soul of her passion.

Women who lead have one thing in common - Passion!  They LOVE what they do and you can feel their passion in ALL that they do. Passion comes from our life force, our ability to connect to our heart and to channel this energy into something we know will make a differerence. 

What I have learned is that trusting my intuition has given me a life that I love.  It has taken me through some challenging lessons and journey's, but without them I would not have been able to know who I am, nor would I have learned to trust that little voice within that guided me all the way back home and to my special and happy place.  It is this intuition that I have started to talk to every time I need to make any decision that will impact my life - and it has not failed me yet!

We all need to access our own power, connect with our intuition and know how to use the wisdom of our bodies to know what is right for us.  I recently came across a young woman who combines classical Indian traditions with contemporary gender theory, and applies these in a powerful combination that speaks to 21st century life.

Vena Ramphal PhD. has a unique combination of knowledge and experience.  Introduced to meditation at the age of ten and studying yoga and tantra perspectives on the body, personal power and influence for 20 years and is now sharing her work through a very special retreat in Bali called "WOMEN WHO LEAD" with Natalie Turner - they both have a wealth of experience in helping successful people connect with their deeper purpose, find personal fulfilment and achieve greater success.

Women who Lead, a retreat experience in Ubud, Bali, provides this oasis of holistic nourishment. The weekends will be hosted at Como Shambala’s stunning 5* Resort in Ubud and are designed around a fusion of facilitated conversations, cutting edge theories in leadership and innovation, emotional wellbeing, pampering and time for yoga, meditation and quiet reflection.

This event is designed for women who are already making a difference in the world and who want to increase their power and influence. You will leave feeling refreshed, inspired and repurposed, ready to have a greater impact around you.  You'll have to leave your heels at home for when you get back but for this weekend it is time to connect to your own inner power, passion and femininity.

Women Who Lead - Click here

Explore the world and find yourself.

Travelling can open your eyes to a world you didn't know existed. Packing up your bags and experiencing a different culture, foreign language and different peoples way of life and styles can change you not only on the inside but the outside too. In a sense, we are all like chameleons morphing our different styles into the culture and cities we find ourselves in. Travelling can allow for the type of self expression that can only be explored when you are put in a place that is not your own. Sometimes we get stuck in the same routine of our daily lives, putting on our same staple outfits and going to our same favourite places. However, when we are somewhere new and foreign we are put completely out of our element and therefore, we have to create new places and find new things to explore.

There are different cities in the world each with their own unique and distinct styles. Take Paris for example, it is seen as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with its classic french style of dressing and delectable pastries. Then there's Miami known for its fast cars, tanned beauties and great parties. Or Sydney which has gorgeous beaches and a relaxed yet sexy sense of style. The same way these cities have their own sense of style and distinct lifestyles, we too can have a unique self. However, sometimes we don't know which is the greatest and best form of ourself until we have explored all options, places, and styles. Are you a laid back beach chic or a city slicker or do you find yourself feeling completely at ease with being hidden among a small cafe in a town nobody knows? No one place or form of yourself is right or wrong. We can all go to these places and pretend to be these different forms of ourself, however deep down there will be one where our heart feels completely at ease.

So no matter where in the world you are or where you are heading too, listen to where your heart and soul feels at 'home.' Travel the world to open your eyes to the experiences that may occur.  And explore different cities, different styles and different versions of you. Like they say, the world is your oyster. ♥

European summer style.

The weather may be drastically dropping in temperature here in Australia, but on the other side of the world the European summer has officially begun. And since I will be joining them over there in 21 days (countdown begins!), I decided to share my European summer wardrobe inspiration. A few things on must pack, or must buy, list include: striped tee, coloured jeans, cut out backs, whites, flat shoes, neon accessories and denim shorts. Packing to go to a foreign country that you have yet to visit can become very daunting so I started my packing list today and started to go through my overflowing wardrobe sorting everything into must keep, must throw and undecided piles. But after looking through these photos my must throw list became longer and consequently so did my need to buy now list! Wish me luck, Au revoir!

Seafolly's newest addition.

Australia's favourite swimwear label, Seafolly have uncovered the latest bronzed beauty who will front their Summer 2012/13 campaign. For the second year running Seafolly have secured an international supermodel, this year being South African born Behati Prinsloo. 

The 23-year-old Victoria Secret's Angel and Leonardo DiCaprio's ex is bronzed, toned and looking flawless in the sneak peak campaign images that were released. With long locks and equally long limbs to match, Behati is the perfect candidate for these images which were shot in tropical Palm Springs.  

The Seafolly campaign has previously formed a platform for Aussie supermodels including Miranda Kerr, Catherine McNeil, Jess Hart and Samantha Harris. Draped in delicate gold chains and ethnic inspired necklaces a high fashion approach has been taken. These images are the perfect thing to add a little heat to this chilly Autumn day. I'm thinking... bring on summer already!

Being Lara Bingle

Whether you love her or hate you, there's one thing you gotta admit. Lara Bingle has kiss-ass style. And that's not the only thing going for her right now, she is about to launch her own reality TV show titled Being Lara Bingle. The show will give viewers an inside into the 24 year olds life showing the ins and outs of her glamorous Sydney lifestyle. Often in the media for bad publicity including her recent naked photo scandal, hopefully this fly on the wall approach will give insiders a better perspective of the model/ socialite more personal life.

The sunny blonde bombshell will be surrounded by her best friends including manager Hermione Underwood and lives with her brother in her newly rented Bondi cliff top apartment with views to die for. Coverage for the show will include her many appearances at the recent Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia where her style was on show. Envied for her relaxed, effortless approach to dressing, Bingle is an all Australian gal with her blonde tresses and tanned skin. Being Lara Bingle will air on Channel Ten in the coming weeks.

MBFWA... black affair.

It's that time of year again... Australian Fashion Week time. Although changing the name from RAFW to MBFWA it is still the same event, with the same amazing fashionistas stepping their well clad feet out at the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay. So far this week we've seen Zimmerman, Ksubi, Michael Lo Sordo, Jayson Brunsdon and Romance Was Born all on show.

Yet this week is as good for celeb spotting as it is for the fashion, with some of our favourite celebs spotted including Lara Bingle, Kate Waterhouse, Christine Centenera and Charlotte Dawson along with international favourites Whitney Port and Elin Kling.

Each year black seems to be the colour de jour and this year is no different. However, the black is mixed up with different aesthetics and fabrics in asymmetrical skirts, leather, slouchy pants and pendulum tops paired back with statement chunky chains and studded belts. Well done ladies, the first few days have proved to be a black affair, but what will the final few days bring?

Not just a pretty face.

Karl Lagerfeld once said, "sunglasses are like eyeshadow. They make everything look younger and prettier." And this is the reason why sunglasses are a woman's best friend. Sunglasses come in all different shapes and sizes and the 'it' pair of sunglasses can come and go just like your favourite hermes bag, however, a stylish and on trend pair can last you a lifetime. 

The classic ran ban wayfarers are a favourite among A-listers especially Rachel Bilson, who is never seen without them. Yet the most popular eye-ware of choice at the moment is the cat-eye. These feline frames have been snapped on taste makers Diane Kruger, Mary-Kate Olsen and Nicole Richie. Both styles are wearable for a wide range of faces and will be a must keep in your wardrobe forever. Sunglasses have the impact to dramatically change any outfit and are as good as a perfect pair of heels or bag to complete an outfit. A perfect pair of sunglasses will live with you forever so instead of using your sunglasses as a mask to hide behind use them as a statement piece in your wardrobe. A bold pair of sunglasses also has the ability to show the world you are reading to tackle anything that life throws at you, so I say... the bolder the better!