Get Going

What gets you on to that first step or moves you along to the final one? How do you motivate yourself?

Instead of mentally beating yourself up for not having done what you wanted to, it's a great idea to talk to yourself the way you would a friend who can't get going.

Let's imagine your friend just can't think of anything to say on their blog and phones you up for a little motivation.

Would you be sympathetic: "I know just how you feel. I sometimes can't think of anything to say either, and then I have a shower and relax and a thought pops into my head. I know you can do it, you always write such great posts."

Or would you be all questiony: "What helps you get creative? What usually inspires you?"

Or would you just be brutal: "Oh, get on with it, you're always moaning."

Think about it, because however you talk to a friend is the way that would most inspire you.

And then, when you've written your post, let me have the link - I'd love to read it.

See you at Life Clubs this week where we're getting motivated,
Nina
Founder Life Clubs

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

Why?

Dear All,

It was my birthday weekend and I just wanted to let you know how truly wonderful it was to have a weekend in which I indulged myself and others indulged me. We went for a stunning walk, I had a swim, a facial and manicure, I enjoyed tea in London with some of my children and then supper in Leeds with my husband and son and Alice, my son’s girlfriend. We ate in a tiny bistro that squeezed us in at the last minute and gave me an impromptu pudding with sparklers. The whole restaurant sang ‘Happy Birthday’ and it was great.

All I could think all day was ‘Aren’t I lucky?’

I know that’s not a real question, but it brings me nicely to our topic this week, which is questions. It’s the New Year, what could make you feel as lucky as me? Come to Life Clubs this week and find out.

See you there,
Nina

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

Isn't it the time to set goals?

I don't know why I love this photo. The designer chose it for The Big Book of Me and it appealed. Probably because it's so much the opposite of me. I don't like boxing, I don't like violence of any kind - staged or not - and I'm not really someone who punches (and wish I could). My punches, if there were any, would go round a circumference instead of a straight diameter.

Business friends are often saying to me 'You know all about goal-setting, you show people how to do it in Life Clubs, well, just apply it to your business'. And, yes, I can see the logic of that, but the wonder of Life Clubs (to me) is that we set ourselves a challenge every week - a little goal - and that's what we aim for. Once a year (and that's this week), we think about the best way to set a big, life goal, but most of the time there's that wonderful feeling of satisfaction as we aim for something achievable - but just slightly more than we'd usually do - and can do it.

Today however I thought I'd practise what I'm preaching this week and set a larger goal. I didn't do anything for the business - I'll leave that 'til next week (sound familiar?), but I set myself the goal of losing weight. I did exactly what we're going to be doing this Life Club and it worked. The end result was that just a few hours later I was already achieving one of the parts of this goal and going for my first swim. Hooray!

So, let's put on our wonderful red, shiny boxing gloves this week and punch. Punch our goals and punch the air for success.

And, before I forget, have a look at this wonderful piece written about us in today's Times newspaper. I was punching the air I can tell you.

See you at Life Clubs,
Nina

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

Happy New Year : Best Life Ever

Dear All,

I started the New Year with no internet connection. Let's hope it's not a foretaste of the year ahead.

The connection is thankfully back, but what its absence did was left me free to visit Tate Modern and what a brilliant way to start the New Year. I'd never heard of Brazilian artist, Cildo Meireles, but I'm now one of his biggest fans. I hate to be an art bore, but there were three installations there that really affected me and I'd like to share them with you.

All three of them seemed relevant to my New Year mood and New Year thoughts.

The first installation was simply a tiny 9mm cube of wood in the corner of a totally empty room. There was just a spotlight on the cube of wood. Meireles is very political, but I'm not even going to attempt to express the thoughts behind his actions. To me, this was a wonderful perspective for the year ahead. I felt that I am that totally tiny little cube in the middle of all that space, and how wonderfully insignificant I and all my problems are. So, my first 'lightbulb moment' of the year was that I am going to keep remembering that space and me as that tiny little cube of wood and keep all my worries in proportion.

The second was a red room. These photos sadly do not do it justice. Yes, I know the walls were white and the ceiling was white too with a diffuse light coming through it, but everything (yes, everything) else in the room was bright red, or as near to bright red as you can get. I have never craved for the colour blue as much. That room was so incredibly suffocating, so intense, so dead it was uncanny. I would never have believed it. It felt surreal starting a New Year like that. In a red prison, longing for colour.



The third was the final installation - again, forgive the picture, the best the Tate provides. Two rooms, ankle deep in talcum powder which felt damp underfoot. One room totally dark, the other long with a burning candle at one end. A magical, 'in the bleak mid-winter' scene of fog, mystery, poetry and hope. I loved it.


Go if you can - don't wait for your internet connection to fail.

Happy New Year,
Nina
Founder Life Clubs
PS This week at Life Clubs we're going to be thinking about our Best Life Ever. More trips to the Tate feature high on mine. What makes you happy?

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

Getting Out Of The Box

I came across this tiny mosaic whilst walking through London the other day. It was in Mayfair, the dark blue on the Monopoly board, a totally exclusive area, and there were no signs around as to who had made it or why. It wasn't connected to a groovy sci-fi shop or record store. It was just there.

There are signs of creativity everywhere, but we don't always see, feel, taste or hear them - we're sometimes so in our own world of insecurities and worries that we don't notice the things around us. And when we're in that cut-off zone, the last thing we feel is creative.

I have two remedies for those sorts of moods. One is to physically force myself to take in other people's creativity. To put on some wonderful music or to look at some art. I feel very quickly that there is beauty out there and it changes my mood. The other is to take my little phone camera out and just take photos. It doesn't matter if they're good or 'rubbish'. If I take enough, sooner or later there will be a 'good' one, or, at least, one that I'll keep and treasure.

We are all deeply creative, although sometimes we just don't realise it. But we definitely feel so much better when we do.

Here's to a wonderfully creative week.
Nina
Founder Life Clubs

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

The Cycle of Life

I know, it's not quite Elton John, but this week's Life Clubs workshop is all about change. Not just change in the jungle, but also change in the city.

In both, there is the expected and controlled change 'I'm going to the waterhole, rather than hanging out here' or 'I'm giving up smoking', and also the unexpected change 'I'm being chased by a wild buffalo' or 'I just lost my job'.

Change affects us. Like the bicycle wheel we keep going, but it's only if we're 'centered' enough to be in the middle of that wheel that the impact is minimalised.

This week at Life Clubs we're going to be thinking about how many different parts of our life are changing (either in our control or out of it) right now and how we could get to that centred place in order to be least affected.

See you there,
Nina
Founder Life Clubs
www.lifeclubs.co.uk

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

Inside it all

Somehow the image of the Russian doll to me really seems to sum up what values are. On the outside we can sometimes feel we're anyone - maybe we even change depending on who we're talking to or what we're talking about - but strip those layers and underneath we're us with all the values we have around ourselves and our life.

One of my main values is freedom. I'd hate being that trapped doll in the middle of all the others - I'd like to be the one on the top, able to leave at any moment and run.

This value has made me fun, independent and outspoken. You know where you are with me. It's also got me into all sorts of problems. I'm hopeless at the thought of commitment - I was extremely nervous about getting married (and yet we've been happily married now for over 20 years), I've never been able to work for anyone else (imagine not being able to do what you wanted to when you wanted to) and I'm often far too outspoken (and that can ruffle others' values).

And yet when I do commit I'd say I'm more satisfied and fulfilled than when I'm free. Such is the paradox of values - you can be opposites at the same time.

This week, let's discover all your values - contradictory and harmonious. Why not start by working out which layer of doll you'd like to be.

See you at Life Clubs this week for our Being You workshop.
All best,
Nina

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