Self love is the new psychology and super dooper wellness buzz word!   'They' say if we master self love then life becomes like a 'walk in the park'.  Sounds lovely, but how do we love ourselves?

Oh Court... I love you! 

Is it just me or is there something a bit schizophrenic about loving yourself?   My teacher in India, Dolano used to ask the same question.   She would say “when you love yourself, who is loving who?”    It is a very powerful question... who is the 'I' that loves 'yourself'?

(lots of space to let that question hang in the air................)

You are love itself.  Your very essence is love.  Not love because of this or that achievement.  Not love because you were a good girl or boy.   Just good old plain love... for absolutely no flippin reason.  An endless expanse of love, love love.  Don't just believe me.   Close your eyes and look all the way to the bottom of the 'cookie jar' and see for yourself.

Love is your nature.   Love cannot be 'done'.   It is not a particular action.   It is a spontaneous overflow that ripples from the core of who you are and out into the world.  True love is not based on conditions.   It doesn't take effort or practice... it simply flows when triggered by life. Who knows when a ripple of love will appear and disappear on the surface of life, while the ocean of love that it emerged from remains eternally full.  So from this perspective do we really need to learn to love ourselves? OR do we just need to wake up to the truth that we are love, and the rest then takes care of itself?

Does the tree love itself? Does the ocean love itself?  No, they simply are love.  True self love requires our inner eyes to awaken to see all that arises with love.   This includes all of our human imperfections and challenges that arise in each moment.  The illnesses, painful emotions, destructive thoughts, the dramas, the annoying people, the shitty days, the heartbreak, the tragedies... they are all a reminder or a sign post guiding us back to the truth... you are love.

Ok enough big picture talk... lets break it down... and get clear and simple.

5 practical expressions of self love

In the Wellness Adventure (one month counselling program) we go travelling together through all levels of your being.  We practice self love.... until we reach the core of love... your true nature... home!

1. Physical self love– NOURISH, eat well, exercise, create a healthy lifestyle, be creative, follow your dreams, surround yourself with supportive people, sleep well/rest, spend time in nature, balance work, rest and play. Have fun, laugh alot!

2. Mental self love- OPEN - meditate, become the witness of your thoughts, realise you are not your thoughts and withdraw belief in destructive thoughts, open your mind to allow all thoughts to move through, focus beyond thought and allow your deeper intuition to be heard.

3. Emotional self love- FLOW – welcome, embrace and release any emotion that arises with acceptance and love, express yourself with maturity, honesty and authenticity, focus beyond emotions and allow your deeper intuition to be heard.

4. Spiritual self love- AWAKEN - listen to and follow the guidance of your intuition and instinct AT ALL TIMES, say yes and no according to the guidance of your instincts, trust the flow of life.

5. The essence of self love – when you fully realise you are love itself … self love is no longer a practice or a discipline... it is a natural overflow.

I recently had fun making a little promo video for the Wellness Adventure that you can click to watch below.  http://youtu.be/Acm24ERCR-Y

There are limited places available for the Melbourne sessions so if you would like a massage or counselling session or know of some-one in Melbourne who would, contact me here to book a place.  (Tues June 4th to Sat June 8th)

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below and share the love with your tribe.

Ever felt like you are on a roller coaster of emotions?  One day you feel on top of the world, skipping happily through your day and the next life has pushed your buttons and you begin the spiral downwards towards the pit of sadness or frustration.  Up, down, up, plateau, doooooooooown, up, down, plateau!  This strange but oh so common phenomenon is referred to as the roller coaster of life.   Happy moment, sad moment, joyous day, frustrating day, peaceful month, dramatic month, flowing year, stagnant year!  This up and down momentum is triggered by the constant changes in our outside circumstances and our emotional world.  The highs and lows are continually stimulated by the ever changing flow of life.   Just like in nature there is the changing of seasons, the ebb and flow, the rise and fall, and night and day, so too do our lives and emotions have there own cycle of high and low.

The constant ups and downs can get tiring... so how do we get off the roller coaster?

Well, on the surface, we can't get off and nor would we want to!  We can't stop the natural flow of change that is part of being human and part of life.   We can however reduce the intensity of the highs and lows by dealing with our emotional baggage that triggers such steep peaks and troughs.   We can face the inner darkness that will often surface in patterns of avoidance and resistance causing greater ups and downs.  

AND

On a deeper level we can use the roller coaster to remind us to dive deeper than that which is subject to change.   We can move our focus beyond the rise and fall of life to the essence of who we are... our true nature... that is beyond change and eternally at peace.

3 tips to find relief from the crazy ride!

1. Embrace it! Step one is to acknowledge that it is a natural part of life.  Acceptance of the cycles of life.  Acceptance that all emotional states are impermanent and will always be changing.  Acceptance that there is a greater wisdom to the natural cycles of life and to allow them to move through us.
   
   
2. Enjoy it! Whhheeeeeeeeeee! Just like the roller coaster at the theme park that we go on for fun, we can learn to enjoy the whole spectrum of emotions that are part of being human. Clients in my counselling/coaching sessions often ask me how to overcome certain emotions or to get rid of them but true freedom comes from embracing all of life. To attempt to rid ourselves of certain emotions is un-natural and sets us up for disappointment.  Instead we need to learn to accept, embrace and allow them to flow through us.  It is only then that we can be free of their impact. 
   
   
3. Move beyond it. Meditation teaches us that whatever can be observed in our being is not our essence.  The essence of who we are is the vast silence, peace and stillness that observes all phenomena.  The unchanging observes the changing.  The only true refuge from the roller coaster of life is found at the very core of who you are.  Meditate and see for yourself!
   

So next time you find yourself frustrated by the roller coaster of life... let out a little wwwhhheeeeeeeeee in celebration of being human and allow the roller coaster to guide you home... to the unchanging essence of who you are.  

I would love to hear your comments and roller coaster whistles in the comments below and please share the love with your tribe. 

I would love to fill my weekly blog posts brimming with talk of sunshine, butterflies and daisies but this week I wish to speak of a profound BEAUTY that exists within the darker aspects of life.  So I dare you to be brave with me for a few moments as we dance together with the much feared D-word... death!  The reward for your bravery will be a perspective that may change your life forever!  Yep, I know, that's a bold statement, but come along for the ride, let the words seep into your every cell and see for yourself!  Our beloved friend death has been given a bad rap and it is time for the truth to be known.   Death is our good friend and wise master, not our enemy. Allow me to explain....

When I was in my 20's I was lucky enough to work in hospitals as an Occupational Therapist with people who were dying.   I held countless peoples hands on their death beds.   It may sound pretty morbid and depressing but to me it was one of the most enlightening times of my life.    As the body is fading away and the organs are shutting down, the mind and the emotions surrender and release attachment to the physical identity.  If I focused on the body, it was very sad to watch someone die.   However, if I looked into their eyes I would often see something wildly amazing happen.   The closer that people were to death, the more peace, love and silence would burst from their eyes.   Their true essence, the core that does not die would become more prominent.  I will never forget the look in the eyes of the dying.  In fact years later when sitting before many enlightened and realised masters, I would see that same look in their eye... a look of aliveness, of silence and loving surrender to the ginormous vastness of life.

The good news is you don't need to wait until you are on your death bed to awaken to truth and to surrender to the vastness of life.   You can do it right now... today... this moment.

Both the dying and the enlightened speak the same message of the preciousness of each moment, despite your circumstances.   The morning sun on our face, the sound of rain falling on the roof, a babies smile, the pain in your heart and the storm in your mind.  To the wise, these natural and ordinary human moments become an extraordinary celebration of the miracle of life.   We often overlook the preciousness of the now with our endless desires that drive us away from the beauty of this moment.  Our culture has conditioned us to fear death and often points to its superficial tragedy but I encourage you to dive deeper than the physical decay and see the profound beauty and the awakening potential that exists within the natural cycle of life.   So let's go light up the darkness!

3 ways to look death in the face so you can awaken to life.

1. Die to the moment – We begin life with an inhale and we end life with an exhale. Sit and watch your breath for a moment.   Breathe in fully your current circumstances. No matter how shitty or flippin fantastic you are feeling right now... breathe it in.   Truly living life to the full is breathing in whatever comes our way.   Scan every aspect of your current circumstances and breathe it in.  Now as you exhale die to the moment.  Let go and surrender fully to 'what is' in this moment.    Let go of all judgements, expectations, attachments and resistance and die to the moment.   As you breathe in life fully and then let it go, notice the vast silence that each breath is drawn from and returns to.   This is your true nature.
   
2. Die to the day – We begin each day by opening our eyes, getting up and either moping, walking or skipping through our day.   At the end of each day, we close our eyes and we let go of our identity and drift off into the darkness.   No matter how crappy or freakin marvellous today has been, when you hop into bed tonight, die fully to the day.   Forgive yourself for anything you are not proud of.  Forgive others for any unfair actions that came your way.  Congratulate yourself on any small wins you had.  Be grateful for the blessings in your day.   Die to the day and surrender your being to the darkness ready to be freshly reborn tomorrow.  Notice the vast silence you fall asleep into each night and awaken from each morning.   This is your true nature.
   
3. Die to your identity – We begin life with a name, a sex, a family and a nationality. Throughout life we accumulate more identities.   Daughter, sister, father, cousin.  You attach to a profession, religion, social status, political party and a sporting team.    All of these identities appear to define who you are.  You pile on more labels.    Successful, artistic, dole bludger, disabled, intelligent, schizophrenic, famous, poor, blah blah blah.   Die to your identity.  It is the role you play but it is not who you are.   No matter how miserable or blissfully ecstatic you are with your perceived identity you can die to it each moment, each day and each lifetime.    Notice the vast silence that all of your identities are born from and die to.  This is your true nature.
   
   

The vast silence that all of life is born from and returns to is your essence... your true nature.  You are essentially beyond birth and death.  When this truth is fully realised it inspires a life lived fully with playful joy and a celebration of all that moves through our day... 

I would love to hear your thoughts on the D-word in the comments below and if the words speak to you share them with your tribe.

Ever laughed so hard that you cry tears or worse... pee your pants? I have!

Some years ago I was blessed to spend time with a master in India, Dolano, who told me a joke that has had me laughing (on the inside) ever since!  She introduced me to the truth of who we are beyond this body/mind.   It was the most mind blowing experience of my life.   She slapped (not literally) every false identity I had of myself until I could see, without doubt, the truth that lies at the source all of life.  Love, peace, wisdom, power and freedom... the very essence of who I am.  I had spent years fixing my personality, healing my wounds and mending my broken heart, all in hope of receiving a big injection of love and wisdom.  Little did I realise that these qualities are my true nature and the very act of seeking them was denying my own self.  Am I making sense?  I hope not because this point is beyond understanding and can only be recognised from a place of total surrender to what IS true in each moment.... rather than what we WANT to be true!  

So what is the joke?  Well I'm glad you asked!  I question people everyday and ask what they want and it is always more love, more peace, more wisdom, more freedom or more money (so they can have more 'freedom') and the funny part is, WE ARE LOVE!  We are peace itself.  We are freedom at the core of our being!  It's like searching for the glasses that are on our head!

Ahhhh hahahahaahaha!

We often take life waaaaaaaaaay too seriously, when all that we need is right here, in each moment.  We just need the maturity to stop looking for happiness and love outside of ourselves.  In the moments that my focus moves away from the deeper truth and towards the illusion of lack in my life, I love to hear the local kookaburra's who regularly remind me to laugh at life. Koookakakaakakaaaaaa! Children, nature and animals are a great living example of the true playfulness of this great mystery called life!

3 tips to getting the joke of life!

1. The next time you are feeling sad, alone and in pain. Don't try and numb it, avoid it or run away from it. Feel it, open to the pain, let it move through you, surrender to the flow of e-motion (energy in motion). Let the wave wash over you and then focus on the ocean of love that the wave emerged from and returns to. Take in a deep breath in the moment and acknowledge that love itself is watching the painful wave. Love is never absent, just overlooked.
   
   
2. Next time you are feeling stressed, anxious or confused and your mind is running at a hundred miles an hour. Don't try and force it to stop, don't numb it with your favourite addiction or indulge in blaming someone else for your situation. Let the mental storm pass. Open your mind, take in some deep breaths and give the storm lots of room to move through in it's own time. Acknowledge that a powerful silence is watching the mind's chaos. Peace is never absent, just overlooked.
   
   
3. Next time you feel trapped in a situation, you feel smothered or overwhelmed by life. Don't attack the perceived threat, run away and have an adult tantrum. Let the feeling of being trapped move through you. Stop, breathe and dive deeper than the feeling to the unlimited expanse that is watching the restriction. Freedom is never absent, just overlooked.
   
   From this deeper perspective we always have exactly what we need in each and every single moment. Our instincts and intuition can then clearly guide us to create the circumstances on the surface that reflect the recognition of truth at the core. The coming and going of circumstances, places, people, money, experiences then becomes a playful game. We are here to enjoy the challenge and the joke! Hehe!
   

Let me know if there are any topics you would like me to write about or questions you would like me to answer in future blogs.  If the words speak to you, share it with your tribe.

Somedays I seem to be going in circles, I manage to do everything the hard way and it feels like I am 'pushing sh#t uphill', as the crass but cute aussie saying goes.  On these days I like to imagine myself as a little seed.  The seed of the mighty oak tree that has been placed in the dirt, covered over and appears to be trapped in darkness.   Just like the little seed, I gather all my strength and focus to continue, then fumble my way through the soil until I reach the light.   These times of darkness and struggle are the strength building days that prepare me to grow into the powerful oak tree that is my true nature.

I have noticed that if I focus on the darkness and the appearance of a struggle, life feels hard. Ouch!  However, if I dive deeper and acknowledge that life has a natural ebb and flow like nature that is sometimes stalling, sometimes moving very slowly and other times moving swiftly, the darker times then take on greater value.  They become part of the divine plan and are then no longer viewed as a hard struggle but a necessary phase in building strength and focus.  I take my eyes off the superficial circumstances of  'it's not working, damn it', and dive into the deeper perspective and big picture of trust, inner guidance and natural growth.   Nothing like a bit of reframing to allow a natural surrender to the moment and an enjoyment what is!

Sometimes life feels a struggle because we are moving in a direction that is in conflict with our true nature and other times it is just a natural phase of slowing, growth and strength building. The key to discerning the difference is found within.  By contacting our inner guidance and wisdom within that is always moving us in a healthy direction.  In this way the hard days become our greatest teacher providing the opportunity to hone and develop our life skills.

5 Nifty tips to navigating the hard days.

1. Stop during a perceived struggle and take a deep breath.  Spend some time meditating and observe the effect of the struggle on your being; body, mind, emotion, spirit.
2. Dive deeper than your circumstances and shift your focus towards the bigger picture, the natural flow and your intuition that is always guiding you in the direction of the light.  Using your intuition as a guide you can then discern if your perceived struggle is aligned with your essence and continue or change direction.
   
3. Listen carefully for the inner guidance of your next step in a healthy direction and trust the timing in which to make each step.  This is where patience often comes in!
   
4. Surrender to the natural flow of life and trust that your inner guidance will always lead you home and to visit all the worthwhile places along the way.
5. Acknowledge your true nature that is the source of all life and is beyond the duality of hard and easy, stuck and flowing.  The unchanging, pure essence that is silently aware of all of life's natural unfoldings on the surface.
   
   

We are all in this fabulous and mysterious life together and you are supported each step of the way. 

The Wellness Program (available on skype) is a life changing adventure if you are keen for some guidance through the tough times.

I'd love to hear what works for you on the hard days in the comments below and if you like the nifty tips, please share the love with your tribe!

“When you point the finger at some-one there are three fingers pointing back at you". 

This wise and common phrase illustrates the importance of taking responsibility for the conflicts that arise in our lives.  It reminds us that if there is conflict in our world, we have taken part in creating it.  Blaming others for our circumstances or our emotional upset just keeps us trapped in a victim mentality.  Oh poor me!  Boohoo!  It's no fun playing the victim, it is completely disempowering and ultimately untrue.

One of the things that used to upset me the most as I travelled the world was seeing the way the European settlers had dominated and oppressed the indigenous cultures of the world. I was so ashamed to have white skin UNTIL I saw the movie Apocalypto. The movie is the Mel Gibson portrayal of the life of the ancient Mayans up until the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors. The movie begins with the quote,  “A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within" - Will Durant.  Meaning there is no external conflict without internal conflict.   It then goes on to show the violent human sacrifices and cruel treatment that was existing within the Mayan culture well before the Spanish arrived and simply continued the abuse.

If we are completely honest with ourselves we can often see the ways that we are mean, unfair and unsupportive within our own heart and minds.  No one will ever treat us as poorly as we can often treat ourselves.  In my counselling sessions it always amazes me how cruel people can be with their self talk.  In fact, during my own meditations, it amazes me what mean things my own mind can say about me some days.  We all have that mean voice that pipes up from time to time to rip at our self esteem.  People who are mean or treat us unfairly are only ever a mirror of the ways that we talk to ourselves.  So it is time to stop playing the blame game and take responsibility for how we treat ourselves.

8 simple ways to turn blame into insight and self love 

1. Ask yourself “Who are you pissed off with at the moment? Who has wronged you and triggered your mind to go in circles?
   
   
2. What have they done that has upset you?
   
   
3. What is it that you want them to do instead.
   
   
4. Have a look at the answer to Q2 and ask yourself if you ever treat yourself in a similar way. Be honest with yourself and look for the subtle ways that you know you can be hard on yourself. 
   
   
5. Read your answer to Q3 and acknowledge how you can do these things for yourself.
   
   
6. Meditate regularly to increase your self awareness of the ways in which you talk to yourself.
   
   
7. Remember it is not our thoughts OR the people who mirror those thoughts to us that are the problem... it is believing them. Learn to examine the false beliefs you have about yourself and stay focused on the truth of your magnificence.
   
   
8. Put on some funky music and dance it out. Turn the aggro you feel towards people and life into awesome dance moves! Hehe!  It is important to not take life so seriously.  See any conflict as an opportunity to celebrate the unique you.
   
   

In this way our enemies turn into our allies as they become the catalyst and motivation to create greater self worth.

I also recommend visiting Byron Katie's website and her you tube video's for a more in depth version of the process above that she calls 'the work'.  

I'd love to hear your take on resolving conflict in the comments below and share this article with your tribe.  

Most old fashioned psychology is based on the philosophy that you are broken and you need fixing.  They label you and put you in an emotionally defective category.  They tell you that you were damaged in your childhood and you will need years of therapy to clean up the emotional mess of your life.  You then spend your entire life going from therapist, to workshop and healing sessions to put your broken self back together... but this process is endless.   I know because I gave the fixing a good go myself and felt like I could go on digging forever.  Just like waves in the ocean, our emotional waves will continue to rise, peak and crash back into the ocean for eternity.   The bigger the storms the bigger the waves.   It is a natural part of being human.   

The limited psychology perspective of needing to be emotionally fixed applies only if we look at ourselves on a purely emotional level.   Of course we need to face our emotions daily and dive right in particularly during difficult phases in our lives.  However we are so much more than emotions and need to also dive deeper for true healing.  On a deeper spiritual level we are not broken and we have never been broken.   We are not damaged and we do not need fixing.  Consider this truth for a moment.  What if despite your neurosis, emotional wounds, crazy behaviours and circling patterns... you were pure peace, love and perfection beneath?  What if you were here to realise your spiritual perfection while loving and accepting (rather than constantly trying to fix) your naturally human emotional imperfections?   What if loving and accepting your madness was the key to allowing it's power to dissolve?

Meditation teaches us to dive deeper than our thoughts, feelings and emotional patterns.  When we meditate we welcome all of our neurotic thoughts and crazy emotions to rise.  We watch them emerge and if we have the courage to sit and observe for long enough, they leave just as easily as they came.  When we shift our focus from emotions and their triggered patterns of behaviour and dive deeper to the perfection below we can begin to really heal.  The patterns naturally have less power over us when our focus is on the calm, silent, stillness below.  We can then chose our words and actions from the depth of who we are rather than a fleeting emotion.

5 steps to allow self acceptance to replace eternal fixing.

1. NO MORE LABELS – Stop labelling yourself as broken, damaged, depressed, a mess, a hopeless case, and see yourself from a deeper wiser perspective.
   
   
2. WELCOME ALL – invite the emotional waves and patterns to come as a natural response to life and remain the silent witness of them. Don'y try to avoid, analyse, fix or attach a story to emotions.  Just be present, open and allow them to pass in their own time.
   
   
3. SHIFT FOCUS - Rather than focusing on the emotional pain or pattern, see the emotion as a sign post that points to the stillness that lies beneath.   It is important to note that shifting focus does not deny or avoid the emotion.  Stay open and allowing of each emotion just simply dive deeper.
   
   
4. MEDITATE – next time you have a strong emotional response, remove yourself from the situation when able, close your eyes and breathe.  Bring your attention the vast expanse of who you are rather than the emotional waves that move within the greater expanse.  Be the ocean that allows the waves to pass over its surface, while remaining still at the ocean floor.  Note: It takes practice to master this.   Be gentle and patient with yourself.  Practice with the small waves everyday in preparation for the big waves when they come!
   
   
5. CELEBRATE – enjoy your human responses to life.  Allow yourself room to be flawed, to make mistakes, to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and continue to let the blissful chaos of life flow through you.
   
   

So it is time to stop trying to fix yourself and to discover the magnificence of who you are beyond emotion.   Turn the fixing into an honouring and acceptance of who you are on all levels; body, mind, emotions and spirit.  If you would like a guide on your adventure to discover your greatness the Wellness Program is designed to celebrate each level of who you are.

EXTRA GIFT - I have been discovering my 'inner film maker' lately so I made a little video for you this week as a gift to celebrate the dance of life.  See link below.

I would love to hear your thoughts on self acceptance in the comments below and please spread the love by sharing this article with your tribe.

Oceans of peace!

Who would like to see inside my heart?  Of course you would! Ha!  Every heart has a story to tell and beauty to share.  My heart contains lots of fresh flowers, clear mountain air, warm sunshine and the usual turbulent waters, stinky mud and dark forests that all we humans posses.

Why would I want to reveal my heart?  

Two reasons- 

1.  Balance of sharing.  I am blessed in my work to be allowed deep inside the hearts and minds of my clients.  People whom I have only just met share their deepest yearnings, their scariest fears, their painful wounds, their darkest thoughts and they tell me secrets they have never dared to tell before.  They open their hearts with trust and courage.  My job is to beam love and acceptance at each adventurer who has the courage to say yes to life and dive into the chaos to find peace.  I journey with them through life's challenges to the refuge and silence that is the essence of who we are.  My clients constantly inspire me to keep opening and sharing.

2. Vulnerability is Power.  If I have learnt anything on my journey through life it is that when we have the courage to be authentic, open up and reveal the darkness within, the light can then enter.  Our most powerful moments are those when we acknowledge our struggles and our humanness while keeping our eyes on the truth that lies beyond all human struggle.

Courtney Snippit

So I'd like to share a little of my story and a few pockets of my darkness in this weeks blog.  I do so in honour of all those who have entrusted me with their secrets.  I couldn't walk with others through their darkness if I hadn't journeyed through my own dark cupboards to find peace.  Below is a snippet of my journey. 

During my birthday last week I was reflecting on my actual birth.  Three weeks before I was born my dad was in a serious car accident.  It may sound weird but on some level I can recall the moment my mum received the news.  Her whole body went into shock, emotional shutdown and she switched into practical survival mode.  She had a young daughter of 2 years, a brain damaged barely alive husband and a new baby (me) in the womb.  When I finally arrived my mum was at the most stressful point in her life, my dad was recovering from a dance with death and was dazed and confused and my sister was in and out of hospital with asthma.  I arrived into a time of chaos.  

My mum describes me as a quiet and happy baby.  I quickly took up my role in the family as the peacemaker.  I brought peace, positivity and joy to the chaos.  I have spent much of my life being drawn to people in their times of chaos.  I worked in hospitals with the disabled, the dying, the mentally ill, the sick and the injured.  I found my place very young sitting beside people in their most chaotic moments and brought peace and clarity.  

I also found that I could easily hide behind being the therapist.  By focusing on others all the time I could avoid my own pain and pretend that I had things sorted.  But as life flows you can never fake it for too long before you are slapped with circumstances or tidal waves of emotion that force you to look within.  There was a little girl within me that yearned to be supported in the way that I offered others.  Over the years I have dived into my own darkness to uncover the pains of growing up with a brain injured father and the impact this had on our family.   I have spent years travelling the world spending time with healers and masters to heal the pain within me and to find the truth beyond suffering.  AND the journey was well worth it!!!!

The process of healing and surrendering to life is a constant journey and I continue to playfully find a balance between receiving others vulnerability and sharing my own.  I encourage you all to open your hearts and share your vulnerability.  No healing can occur until we open up and be authentic and real.  Positivity and getting on with things will only get us so far.  We need to balance these with the courage to be vulnerable so that we can uncover the peace we all yearn for.

3 steps to be powerfully authentically fabulously vulnerable! 

1.  Write down your vulnerabilities in a journal.  Share your darkest fears and doubts on paper.  Admit to yourself what darkness lurks below the surface.  Write until you have got it all out.  Then write yourself a supportive response.  Be the clarity and support you seek in others.  Offer yourself counsel and advice from your own wise instincts within.  Shine your own light on your darkness.

2.  Share one vulnerability to a loved one today.  Honestly admit a doubt or fear that you would not normally share.  Be seen and authentic without an expectation of support in return.

3.  Book a guidance session with Moi!  If you've ever flirted with the idea of doing some juicy nitty gritty diving into the mud with me then go for it.  You deserve to be supported too!  Many gems await!  (Online via skype or in person)

I'd love to hear your comments on vulnerability below and share this article with your tribe as we celebrate being real and authentic! Whoop whoop!

Why does the snake slither? Why does the bird fly?  Why does the sun shine?  Why is water wet?
These questions seem a little strange when referring to nature.  The snake slithers because that is its nature.  Water is wet because that is its nature?  So why do so many of us question what our purpose is?  It seems to be a big theme amongst my clients at the moment.  It appears that the search for purpose mirrors the search for our true nature.

What am I meant to be doing?  Am I in the right job for me?  What is my calling and unique gift? These questions require us to dive deeper than our mind for direction.  We have been filled with ideas, expectations and pressures from the world around us that have dictated what is practical and acceptable in societies view.  But underneath all of those outside expectations lies our true nature, our unique gift and flavour that we bring to the world.  

When I ask myself, what is my purpose, my mind tries for a moment to formulate words and then it explodes into a thousand pieces.  The question is too big for the mind to grasp.   There is only a deeper instinct that goes "ding ding ding" when I am moving in flow with my true nature. This has always been an indicator that I am following my purpose.  That inner guide of intuition and instinct that is the trusty travel companion on the road of life.  The guide that has lead me to the people, places, jobs and circumstances that allow me to live in flow with my purpose.  It requires me to be rebellious to the norms,  to be creative to find my niche,  to be courageous to be who I am instead of what others may expect me to be and it requires me to love and respect myself enough to follow my deepest yearnings.  I also need to be willing to fall flat on my face at times to learn and grow along the way and hone my intuition.

Many of the masters I have spent time with say that we are here to awaken.  To awaken to our true nature.  To allow our true nature of love, peace, joy and wisdom to flow into the world.  The 'where', 'how' and 'what' are not relevant... just that your true nature flows!  For some people a particular job allows them to feel a sense of flow and purpose, for others the journey of parenting, for others their spiritual quest or simply just sitting on the verandah having a cup of tea.  It doesn't matter what you are doing it is more about the qualities that flow through when you are doing it.  

Sometimes when we feel disconnected from our inner voice our minds and emotions are either super noisy or shut down.  One step on your path to align with your true nature is to face your shit!  Sorry to be bold, but we need to dig through the rubble to find the gems.  We need to release our identification with the drama and waves of life and dive deep to where truth lies.  

Below are a few great questions to ask yourself to help get in touch with the guidance of our instincts and our unique path:

-What are the moments that you feel most alive?
-What are the things you do that bring you a deep  
  sense of joy and contentment?
-What comes easily to you? 
-What feels natural to you?
-What are your strengths? (Ask 5 people closest to 
  you to share the strengths they see in you)
-What ideas arise that fill you with expansion, energy    and inspiration?
-What do people often compliment you on?
-What do people often thank you for?
-What moments in life give you the "cha ching ring a 
  ding ding" feeling in your gut/heart?
-What moments trigger the qualities of your true 
  nature to flow through?   

Get a piece of paper and pen, don't think about your answers just let them flow out.  Write as many things as you can... let these moments be a path for you to blissfully walk on!

If you are having trouble coming up with answers to these questions you may need to pay more attention to when life is expanding and contracting through you (meditate!) OR you need to be brave, put on the gumboots and walk through the muddy emotional world (with or without guidance) to uncover the boundless joy.

May your instincts guide you each step of the way to deep surrender and acceptance of the fabulous human that you are.  May you shine your unique brilliance into the world!

I would love to hear what these words have triggered for you in the comments below.  I will also respond to any questions posed.  Share the free flowing nature inspired nuggets with your tribe!