You'd just never know...

Coming back from a run the other day I was gasping for breath (literally) and on the home stretch and was running past the house of a woman that I wave at every day (from our cars). Our girls used to be in the same school and year, but they both moved schools and you know children - they want to be friends with who they want to be friends with - you just can't force it.


So I caught my breath and rung the doorbell and invited her (plus daughter) for a glass of wine and a rather (4 years late) catch up...


So you just never know - here is this fabulous, gorgeous, confident woman who in the space of 2 hours told me how she lost her father at 12, the eldest of 4 children, her mother was swindled out of her father's multimillion £ business and they went from a very priviledged upbrining, privately eduacted in India, to state school in London. The culture shock, the loss and grieving, the pain of watching her mother struggle to cope after losing her husband - the lot. But you know what... she survived. Survived and grew and became more determined.


Then we got on to talking about the benefits of giving your children the benefit of the best education you are able to provide. The conversation went on and will go on I am sure..


Yours thoughtfully...


We talked about her love of excercise - and my hate - and it got me thinking... its too early for new years resolutions... but I am compiling a list, and its going to be a long one..

“Me time” a guilty pleasure or critical need of existence?

It's good to put yourself first, because then you have more energy to give others.

-- Valerie Bertinelli

Stop the roundabout I want to get off! Healthy Selfishness - fact or fiction??

I have come to realise that acting in my own best interests, when done properly, isn’t a selfish act – it’s a way to ensure that you’re making the very best of your life, so that I can help those around you to make the very best of theirs.

So I’ve tried acting consistently in my own best interests involves 4 key areas:

So, what are my best interests? How do I base my actions, my new shiny 2012 goals, my time-management (help me now!!) and my life on them – and how will this affect the people around me?

•                Meeting my physical needs, such as sleep and exercise

•                Meeting my emotional needs, such as asking for support when you need it (without the guilt)

•                Meeting my mental needs, such as having a stimulating job (without the excess stress)

•                Meeting my spiritual needs, such as taking time to meditate

 My initial reaction to this is to feel uncomfortable – like most people, I worry that I’m being selfish if I put myself first.

But I’ve come to realise that acting in your own best interests, when done properly, isn’t a selfish act – it’s a way to ensure that you’re making the very best of my life, so that I can help those around you to make the very best of theirs.

One piece of advice that I’ve come across in the writings of several life coaches is that we should act in our own best interests. I’m told all the time to be KIND to myself!!

So, what are my best interests? How do you base actions, goals, time-management and life on them – and how will this affect the people around me? And the agonising question – will they “get it” or continue to expect me to be everything to everyone and a form of superwoman without the cute shiny blue hot pants and shooting wires coming from my shiny cuffs??

So I’ve decided a healthy selfishness is an important ingredient in me living a full life, and its presence -- or lack of it -- can be felt in both the biggest issues as well as the smallest details.

I remember Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: human beings must meet their basic needs before they can move on to higher-level goals. Since most of us already know that we should take care of ourselves—but often have trouble figuring out how to do it.

So life in 2012 is going to be balanced, made up of regular deposits so that I always have reserves to draw upon. So the small gestures even the small deposits will be worth it.

Many psychologists see healthy selfishness as a higher level of mental function that can help you reach your full potential. People who practice healthy selfishness have a zest for living, a joy that comes from savouring one's accomplishments. Healthy selfishness opens the door to a life of freedom -- freedom from being ruled by the opinions and demands of others as well as freedom from the voices in your own mind, often left over from childhood, that judge and blame you relentlessly.

So its zest and va va voom all the way for 2012!!

Are you financially in control?

Be realistic about how much you will need to live

When planning your retirement, set yourself a monthly budget equal to your projected retirement income and try to live on it. Be realistic about what your monthly expenditure will be. You may be spending less on commuting daily , but you will have more leisure time and increased socialising normally means more expense! Not to mention that you will now have the time for all that travelling you didn’t quite get round too.
Think about the ‘benefits’ you may be losing such as private health cover and  life insurance- if these have been funded by your employer you will need to check out the costs of buying the cover privately.

Make sure you have a complete picture of your financial situation

Make sure you have a complete picture of your financial situation- ask for current figures on your pension plans to have a realistic picture of what level of income your current pension  will deliver. Worryingly according to the Office of National Statistics It seems that the average pot for 56 year old women living in the UK stands at only £9,100.  This would generate an approximate income of around only £550 a year - could you live on that?
Recent changes to pension legislation also mean that women have to wait longer before being eligible to draw their state pension,  women’s state pension age rises to 65 by November 2018, and then to 66 by 6 April 2020.


Can you afford to fully retire as you had always planned, look at the options available to you- do you want to work part-time?  93% of the new jobs created in the last 12 months are part-time  so in theory this should work to your advantage.
If you need to lo for full-time employment are your skills up to date?  Do you need to attend any training courses- have you budgeted for these? Are there any evening classes you can attend to fill any skills gap you feel you may have?
Also, once you reach state pension age you cease to pay national insurance contributions, giving you an extra opportunity to save!
Even forget retirement would you just like to work part time and are you yearning to be your own boss?
No job is for life these days, so think about taking control as statistics show that more businesses set up by the over 50s succeed  than businesses founded by the under 30s .
It’s never to early to start planning for retirement or just being in control!


So if you are curious, I took control and started working full time on my job whilst working partime on my fortune  - so take a look at this: www.lindadaviescarr.myarbonne.co.uk




This article has been adapted from an article by Ceri Wheeldon

Letting Go and Becoming the CEO of Your Own Happiness

Letting go..... of a 20+ year career in corporate - the colleagues, the strucutre, the MBA, the experience, the recognition, the validation(???) the ££, the hours, the stress, the politics, the stress, the B****, the egos! Did I mention the stress??? 


CEO - chief executive officer or chief ENERGISING officer? Of my own happiness? What a wonderful thought...


So i've been self employed for 10 years, in corporate business for longer still, and lots of transferable skills - or so I thought. A turnaround expert of so the CV & Linked In in says - lots of fabulous testimonials. In a global recession is it enough?

So here's a thought? A success strategy:- Find something you love, a business model that is sheer genius and surround yourself with wonderful people who love you; be around genuine, authentic people and banish every negative thought in your head and stay positive. Stay away from inauthentic and toxic individuals (you know who they are), and the "doubting thomases" and never never compare. Be proactive, positive and courageous and know that you can be the CEO of your own happiness if you want to!


I'll keep you posted...

Christmas has come early...

WOW - the postman called a little early for us this morning - grumpy teenagers awoken by the postman ringing the doorbell - but what a great surprise for me - grumpy teenagers aside... :)

A thank you for your continued success and happy Christmas from our CEO - now did I make the right decision or what?? After 20 very successful years in corporate I made the switch to an industry that is BOOMING global and recession proof in the 21st century!!

A GENIUS business model and market leading CONSUMABLE product - how could I have chosen any better??

take a look: www.lindadaviescarr.myarbonne.co.uk

Till next time x

Positive mental attitude and grateful for EVERYTHING!!!

So its been a fairly tough week - lovely husband involved in a head on car collision -  the other guy either fell asleep or was texting - honestly, my lovely husband, our happiness, the happiness of our great children and life's agility suddenly flashed in front of me.. How much we take it all for granted and how, in a second it can all change. So today I am grateful for EVERYTHING!!!

Ok so I love my Choos, nice things, great holidays... but there is more, so this weekend it was coffee out just for 2, then 4 of the 5 teenage children snuggled at home with lap tops, iphones, blackberrys and all other technology out of reach and time spent watching Love Actually - our fav Christmas movie, home made Chinese and a lovely evening. Today some Christmas food shopping as we intend to have a house full. Full of life, full of laughter, full of fun and NOISE!

A week to go to Christmas... wow..

Till next time x

ok so about that inspirational man..

So he's English, funny, kind and so so so determined. He showed us this last night and it resonated with many people in the room. Shoulder to shoulder with doctors, corporate executives, dancers, stay at home mums and lovely people who set their bar high (bit of a theme here).


As children we dream, we day dream, our hopes and dreams are abundant, yet over time some of us stop dreaming. Why? Is it that life becomes routine and we stop dreaming? Is it that we choose to stop or it just erodes & diminishes over time? So as adults in order to identify the game plan, the future, the 5 year plan we are asked what we aspire to and what are our dreams. The adage if we don't know where we are going how ill we know when we've got there... blah blah blah.


So we set a goal, a target, a dream and we set about achieving it. But statistically most people "fail" i.e don't even start as they are fearful of failing - so they never start. They are fearful of failing so in order to protect themselves they don't even start. Weird cycle of emotion...


But if they knew what they COULD achieve - how amazing would that be? A crystal ball or a inbred knowledge and belief that they were 10 feet tall and bullet proof!!


So if most people don't know what they can achieve, where do they start, or do they ever start? And how high is their bar? Is mediocre OK? if so, to whom?


Lots of questions and not so many answers today, a period of reflection and consideration. The weather doesn't help. Running in the cold is hard, again there's a theme - running is HARD!!


Retrospective is good - retrospective for 2011 - not my retrospective  - but it will be ...

Till next time xx

Be the best you can - how high is the bar?

Tough day - even the dogs were running around the park faster than me - this marathon training is HARD!! 

So I got my arse kicked yesterday - metaphorically - by an amazing man, who in his business just became no 1 in the world!! He encouraged, pushed me and pushed me again. I reflected aka liked my wounds and came back fighting... so you ask, how high is the bar now??

Well its higher than it was, and higher than its ever been before. Be the best you can, live life passionatley, compassionatley and with authenticity and have fun fun fun... oh and run faster than the dogs!

next time x

The price & future of networking...

A great day of meeting new people. Some structured networking and some unstructured - you could argue that it is becoming deconstructed. It got me thinking
There's BNI on one end of the scale - costly and effective, free and friendly ladies that lattee on the other and masses in the middle. All supported by lovely, friendly people all of whom are attempting to build and / or create something better / improved / a happier / more fulfilled existence and business whilst making provision. So which is better in a world where one size doesn't fit all?
Is it as simple as "know me, like me and trust me?" or is it like a modern business focused dating ritual?
So if Business networking is a socioeconomic activity by which groups of like-minded business people recognise, create, or act upon business opportunities. A business network is a type of social network whose reason for existing is business activity. So with the explosion of social media, online "relationships" and the generation Ys transacting virtually and online - what is the future of the traditional business networking with the businesses over breakfasts and lunches? 
Gone are the boozy lunches of the 1980's - where the deals were done..maybe the future is a cyber golf course!
The beach gets my vote - as long as there's no video!!

Why it began...

It took me a moment to get over myself, I thought I was better than network marketing.  I stupidly didn't realise the opportunity I was trying to ignore.  Back in the day I lived corporate, I moved mountains on a daily basis, sometimes just to see if I could.  Now I'm making my dream a reality, but better still I get to help others realise their dreams.