It is really important to me to live as natural life as possible. I use my air conditioning as little as possible, drive the car only when necessary and try to buy the best food our budget allows. Everyone is an individual and will have a different drive and priorities. Their life is there life and my life is mine.

That being said, I find often that the people who I am drawn to and who are drawn to me have a reason to be in my life. I find myself saying things to clients over and over again, advice I recognise often as advice I am repeating for my own benefit as much as for theirs. I find this quite freaky sometimes. I also have a daughter who is my mirror and I constantly find myself hearing things I need to change within myself first. I cannot expect her to speak to me in a certain way if I am not prepared to moderate how I speak to her sometimes (for example I NEED to stop shouting!).

Recently I have found myself saying over and over,

“you are important, you need to be kind to yourself, if you don’t put yourself first- you are no good to anyone one else.”

I need to practice what I preach- daily

This is to clients, I see clients of all ages who are looking for weight management, digestive issues, hormone imbalances, energy, fertility, skin health, and pain release. All of whom have this central core issue (amongst others) that I resonate with. Physician heal thyself is something I constantly repeat to myself. Following through is the hard part.

I recently spoke to a friend who identified that people don’t want to change their diet. They want to eat all the things they are told are treats, will comfort them and will make them feel better. All lies of course, we all know that we don’t feel better on poor ingredient chocolate, biscuits, crisps or other ‘junk’, we all feel worse. Guilt, poor energy, bloating and stomach upsets are common. Change is hard, we know its necessary but it is still hard. People want magic pills to change everything to what we think will make our bodies and lives perfect. It does not exist, we know that. Not only that but some of the backlash and aggression you get from others when you do try to change (which is all based on their guilt because they know they should be doing the same) can be really really hard to take. Especially when it comes from family and friends.

On the other end of the stick are you constantly punishing yourself by denying yourself things your body may be looking for, striving for physical perfection (which you will never achieve unless you like yourself!), ignoring symptoms or just obsess over being a number on the scales or in clothes. For who- for you or for others to accept you. Do you constantly judge people by their appearance- are you ideals even attainable and sustainable in a healthy, happy, balanced life? We all need to start with ourselves.

When I think about all the changes I have made in my life over the last 10-15 years from when my journey began I am astounded by how far I have come. Yet I still dodge changing some core beliefs that I have about myself and what my future could be like. I am a constant work in progress just like I tell my clients! I use affirmations, eft and Bach Flower remedies to help to consciously and unconsciously change my thought patterns, reactions and emotional ups and downs and I am getting better and better at listening to myself saying the good stuff, stuff which drives you forward and upward.

I believe I am worth it now, I am worth my own effort and I can and do achieve amazing things. I said out loud for one of the first times the other day- I like what I see in the mirror– and I meant it. Someone tried to tell me that I needed to change for others to listen to my advice and it didn’t shake my belief that I like me just the way I am. It has made the slug through in my lifetime worth it, for that sense of courage and belief.

If you find yourself giving advice to friends and family over and over again, find yourself complaining about the same traits in others or your kids/hubby/wife- sit back and listen. Do you practice what you preach? Are you doing the best for yourself?

Find a way to reconnect with nature, through eating REAL food, going outside or simply taking sometime to focus solely on breathing. Work out what is really important to you and what it is you want from your life and use it to drive you forward. Try and change how you speak to yourself. To change a core belief you have to start with changing your thoughts, to change actions to change habits to change how your life will continue!

Thanks to hindsight photography for taking pictures I am proud of- they look like the real me!

Here is another!