A little help from my friends

I love taking pictures of feet. I'm not sure if it's the shoes - though I did used to be obsessed with shoes - I think it's the gorgeous bits of green or brown or grey that they're standing on.

This week’s workshop is about friends (hence the multiple feet) and what you appreciate about them. I’ve not been able to spend very much time with my friends recently because of the two books I'm writing. But my friends have still been supportive and egging me on wonderfully when I'm not sure if I can create what I want to and I'm not sure if I've got the energy to do it.

What it makes me wonder - and that's one of the things the workshop is about - is what kind of friend I am to them. If I had a friend who was like me - working too hard, obsessed with talking about work, unable to think about plays or films or books or anything else of interest, would I want to be friends with them? I don't think so.

I'd probably find a bit of grass to stand on on my own.
See you at Life Clubs next week - in order to celebrate thinking about friends, you can bring a friend who hasn't been to Life Clubs before for free.
Nina
Founder Life Clubs

Add Post To: | | | | | | | | |

Happy Second Birthday to Watford Life Club

Watford Life Clubs second birthday celebration was great fun. Juliette cut the stunning cake my daughter had made and we all ate, drank and were merry.
Hope you can make the next party. Cake's all gone, but maybe I can persuade her to make another.
Nina
Founder Life Clubs

Add Post To: | | | | | | | | |

Is It What You Really Want???

There's a delightful series of children's books about a raccoon called Frances. In one of the books, Bread and Jam for Frances, Frances and her friend are at school eating their packed lunches.

Now, these lunches are not like the kind of lunches you and I might have. They are truly elaborate, fantasy meals with loads of different foods - all mouth-watering. Frances's friend is obsessed with trying to see how many different combinations of flavours working together in his mouth he can experience. But his main goal is to finish all the different tastes at the same time, so they 'come out even'.

I know just what he means. My favourite food is a picnic on a table, where you can dip in and out of various tastes, cooking on your plate and, of course, making sure that it all 'comes out even'.

You've probably had the same experience eating a delicious Indian meal, dipping and diving into all the different flavours and wanting to end up with the 'right' taste in your mouth.

But is it really what you want?

The other day I decided to regularly ask my stomach during the meal if it was full and, if the answer was 'Yes' to stop eating. Did I stop? Of course I didn't. I wasn't hungry any more, but I so desperately wanted it to 'come out even'.

The 'Is It Really What You Want?' workshop (22-27th June) we're running at Life Clubs is about stopping. About discipline. About will-power.

I'm inspired. Next time I'm going to stop the moment my stomach says so. Any hints???

See you at Life Clubs,
Nina
Founder Life Clubs
Author Big Book of Me and Big Book of Us

Add Post To: | | | | | | | | |

Remember Me?

It's impossible to remember ourselves like this, but we are still that same person as we were when we were a baby. Yet do we look after ourselves as well as that gorgeous baby deserves to be looked after?

You may want to use the memory of that baby inside you to help you look after your adult self. I'll explain how that works, by quoting from a letter one of our clubbers sent to me. It'll help you see how he uses his 'inner child' to make sure he treats himself well:

"Throughout my life I haven’t made time for myself and I’ve consistently shelved my own needs for the needs of work, friends, family, lovers and even strangers. This regular routine has eclipsed my own basic needs for so long that I became depressed, deficient, and emotionally underfed.

To address this, I think of myself as a vulnerable separate entity (i.e. inner child) who has basic needs that I (as the adult and solitary care-taker) am required to fill (i.e Jake needs to go to swim practice, Jake needs to go to the gym, Jake needs his lunches made for the week.) In a way I’ve become a soccer mom for myself. Over time I have been able to integrate these facets more and am now able to see myself as a thing of value that needs to be cared for and schedule life around my needs schedule. I’ve learned to say no to others and yes to me and am coming to enjoy the benefits of reciprocity. And it’s made life *so* much easier. I still love to give to others, but it isn’t an obligation anymore and I feel much more ownership of my time."

Come along to our Remember Me workshop and find out what your 'soccer mum' would say to you.

My soccer mum is saying 'Eat less', 'Get some sleep' and 'chill'!!!!

See you there (week of 15th June).
Nina
Founder Life Clubs

Add Post To: | | | | | | | | |

Not sure about licking your nose...

I feel I've gone slightly animal on you all, but next week's workshop is about body language and this photo I took of a cow in Dorset seemed to me to be just the kind of body language that might put you off wanting to get to know someone.

Even when we don't think about it, there are so many things we know not to do. From licking your nose on, we're already pretty aware of what works and what doesn't. And yet there are so many more things to think about that we do unconsciously.

Do you know what impression you give someone when you first meet? Do you know your body strengths and how you could play on them?

Most of what we communicate we do through our body and facial expressions, so it's good to know as much as possible about how you come across and what you could do to enhance that first impression.

Come along to Life Clubs next week and discover your body - you can tell that cow hasn't yet been.
See you there,
Nina
Founder Life Clubs

Add Post To: | | | | | | | | |