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shift Archives - Kate Emmerson

Moving from HISS to HYS: a very funny tale featuring #mintblue Smurf

By Coaching Tips 'n Tools, Transformation Journeys

***That was a wonderful and hilarious read! Humor is amazing therapyThank you Kate. See you soon xx SR
*** Laughing until I was #blue in the face too CBYour latest musings were a jolly good laugh Kate JM
*** That was the most brutal comedy of errors ever! Thank you for the captivating read. Poor you. Love that you can laugh it off with your dear Mum. DTW

*** That was a wonderful and hilarious read! Humor is amazing therapy.Thank you Kate. See you soon xx SG
*** Oh, dear, dear Kate…I am in awe of your ability to pivot. There’s a lesson in there for all of us covered in blue paint. At the moment, I am like a massive blue ship attempting to turn around — It’s a sluggish process.
*** Reading about your laughter did make me smile and that’s a start. Thank you for the inspiration. C
*** I laughed SO HARD!!!!! DA
*** Hilarious! Just what I needed today, Kate, thank you!I love the idea of laughing out loud by myself! Must practice this more! LGI had a guffaw at your smurf experience too. Oh. My. Word. Sooooo funny. Hilarious a great read!! LF

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Happy MAY

This insider musing comes hot on the heels of completing my first every group retreat held on my beloved Iona this week. Oh, my heart is full! A challenging theme that requires deep personal work from everyone who made the long journey for “Cutting the Threads that Bind.” It played tribute to the concept of “Build it and they will come” and I am forever grateful to the seven of us who gathered. New dates will be opening soon, so keep an eye if that appeals. 

So on to this month’s INSIDER MUSINGS …..and of course, I’ve been laughing out loud on the train writing this for you as I fly south to my mum.


It’s an 11 min read, so grab that coffee or wine and come laugh at /with me!

Have you ever been stuck in a crazy place, HISS-ing at yourself and the world, ready to burst into flames or tears with all the perceived stress…and then you somehow manage to flip the switch.

As always, I’m sharing life lessons only with you as a loyal subscriber (and not splayed over social media!) that involve me being super vulnerable about what’s unfolding, re-telling something daft that’s happened to me, or sharing life from my perspective. Sharing things in the simple hope it helps you see something differently one day. 

I’ve decided that mid-life post 50’s is truly glorious, and so much happens that gives me insights, lessons or little love slaps from the universe to crack on with life.

Living on Iona as my official base camp now, I am of course part of the local Facebook IONA STUFF community group for residents only. It’s where I post about my local writing group, and stay abreast of all sorts of local updates, requests and information. Vital for navigating #islandgirl life on a remote island.

Since taking on my wee flat, I have been gathering some beautiful things to make it into a very special base for myself, and to share it as a reflective writing and retreat space for clients. I have been replacing some things that were not appropriate for the space and its new way forward.

A large black couch, a traditional slatted single wooden bed, several blinds, two chairs and some carpet needed a new home.

My plan was that upon coming back to Iona after a #citygal break, Mrs M and I had decided we would put them on the IONA STUFF group to offer them to someone who might make use of them. Great!

Recycle and re-use! I had just returned to the island, and that night someone posted about how they were coming to work in the Abbey for Historic Scotland and they have secured a house for three of the staff that’s totally unfurnished. Immediately I reply -offering up these things and approved my Mrs M. Yippee, the stuff has a much-needed home. 

The only thing is they are not arriving for a few weeks until their official position starts. Mrs M agrees the huge couch can stay in her shed, and I manage to store the other stuff in my small space and jammed into the very tight squeeze of a boiler room.

But being a clutter fundi and wanting clear light space, I say to the girls ideally they need to come and collect it the day they arrive, on Iona as I too am leaving for the city again and want it all sorted before I leave. The due date looms a couple of weeks away, not too far in the distance.

I’m fine to keep walking around the two extra chairs in the passage when my new comfier ones arrive, but I can’t sort the boiler room to store all the cleaning stuff and extra linen yet, so am super excited they are coming to collect it all in just a couple weeks.

PICK UP PLANS
So a few days before the due arrival day I make contact and the girls say they are trying to borrow a tractor to trundle around the island gathering everything offered to them (yes a tractor, not a truck). I think they could start a guesthouse by this stage – such is the island’s generosity of things donated to them. In fact within two minutes of offering them our slatted bed base, it has a mattress to go with it! They magically furnished their house with excess within 24 hours or so. 

Proposed collection day from me was April 1st (haha yes!)

I didn’t want to get all their stuff out the boiler room until I knew for sure they were coming. I know how tricky just getting to the island can be, let alone trying to move in and trek across the village gathering up their offerings. So I organized that they let me know before they were coming. That would give me about 20 minutes to get it all out the cupboard, half expecting it not to be Friday 1st as anticipated. I knew if I dragged all the stuff out the boiler room and it wasn’t collected, I’d be tripping over it all day, or worse it would be stuck there till I was back from my city break.

I was just finishing up with a client on the phone when I hear a voice, “Hello – Kate – Hello.” Miss B appears at the bottom of the stairs by my front door. Not able to get the tractor yet, I already knew her dad was only on the island for a few hours to move them in and grabbing the last ferry, meaning there was a very short window of time using his car to collect the stuff that will fit in the back boot and seats. We had already decided that the couch might have to be collected another day with tractor, trailer, quad, boat or transported by coos if necessary.

So I immediately say, somewhat surprised, “OH, you are here – I thought you were going to confirm a time so I could start getting the stuff out for you to save you time now!” Alas, island signal being what it is ……she was foiled at that attempt and was suddenly at my door – quite naturally – to collect the stuff. I start with the chairs in the passage by hurling (ok, gently passing!) them to her for her dad to pack, and rapidly attack the boiler room. I fling the door open hell-bent on not wasting their time on precious move day and getting the stuff as swiftly as possible.

That annoying old saying – more haste, less speed is just too darn true!

Miss “QuickShift” here kicked into gear with a vengeance. I yank the first length of the slatted bed out (it’s broken down into head and footer, and two sets of slats bound together.) Tick. 

I put my hand in the tight squeeze to go grab the next piece, the larger headboard and hear a very loud THUNK as I try to lift it up over the boiler. 

Ah, it must be the other slats moving I think, not even missing a beat. Yank yank it out the tiny gap in the tight cupboard. Still tut-tutting that I didn’t have a heads up time-wise!

BLUE DISASTER
So as I pull out the headboard from a weird angle, I see it’s ….oh no

Splotched with blue?! 

Huh? 

It’s wet too?

Gloopy blue paint! What?

Moroccan Mint Blue! 

Pic below of the beautiful colour I painted on my walls!

Thank goodness modern paint is thicker and more rubbery even though it was PVA. I remember paint as a kid being a thick liquid, rather than jelly-like? 

Scrunched up my nose, confused forehead all wrinkled and HISS-ing profusely, I look at my hands now covered in mint blue gloopy-de-gloop paint. It takes me a few minutes to realise what has happened. In the meantime, I try getting the wooden piece to the kitchen while sparing the brand new carpet en route. I look in dismay to see the beautiful rich wood now splattered everywhere with blue paint. 

I am cursing like a sailor, hissing and repeating and winging – I wish you had told me you were coming. I was sweating, swearing and this poor young lass with wide eyes must have regretted being the one to collect the stuff from this banshee woman.

I grab paper towel and furiously start wiping – only to smear it and make it worse. Do you perhaps have a wet towel, politely asks Miss B? I grab the nearest brand new tea towels – I don’t yet have any old rag-type fabric as I’ve only recently moved in so pretty much everything is new. Leaving her nursing the headboard I dash back to the boiler room to pull out the next item – a black blind. 

Well, a partially black and wet sticky blue blind. 

I’m cursing and HISS-ing. Embarrassed and cursing some more! 

Then some bed slats – not soooo bad …

Then another blind – ugh blue blue blue

Another blind …..I shove those quickly in the shower to get them out of the way! 

Then another set of slats – bugger-roo –blue too.

Oh F$%^!

I’m still HISS-ing when the dad appears to see what’s taking so long to get the stuff downstairs. He hadn’t wanted to bring mud upstairs- but it’s already soaked in mud from the wet day and I say more curse words in five minutes than in the past few months, all in front of a young lass and her dad. Next, I start apologizing while still HISS-ing in front of him. There are NO snakes on Iona you might know, so I’m first in line to restart the population! I think I’m more embarrassed than anything to be honest – that I was hastily daft, that I’m swearing and annoyingly HISS-ing so much, that I’m wasting their time and they cannot put wet paint in the car. 

We keep trying to wipe off the gloopy blue.

I try to look in the boiler cupboard properly, having not quite clocked yet what had happened? The entire 5-litre tin of paint that “miss decorator” here clearly had NOT 100% secured the lid after using 1/10th of the tin painting my final bits…had tipped a$$ over tit and was now oozing over everything.

All I can think of to be grateful for is that I hadn’t yet opened and used the dark blue ENAMEL paint I’d bought!

SMURF WOMAN
My new carpet was somehow miraculously spared as we moved stuff quickly to the kitchen. Of course, I was also wearing my FAVOURITE big cowl neck silver jersey, and my best work trousers, as I had client calls that morning (and I do NOT subscribe to wearing PJ’s on the bottom layer for video calls even though the world does). I happened to catch myself in the mirror, and realize I’m a silver and blue-haired disaster. In my exasperated, embarrassed and HISS-ing state, of course, I had swept my hair off my forehead a few times. So I’m looking back at a mad SMURF woman with blue hair, hands, face and clothes. 

Two tea towels, and a roll of paper towels and half an hour later, Miss B and her wide-eyed dad leave with most of the stuff in their car.

Then I’m left to myself.

Time to rescue the oozing paint!

I’m now imagining how the paint will start oozing through the bottom of boiler room straight onto Miss D’s piano – she lives in the flat beneath me. Now I am dithering – I can’t think whether to try to clean the blinds, my clothes, the oozing paint in the cupboard or myself first.

I realise that if the paint dries on my clothes they will never be blue-free again, and I can handle them properly later. So I submerge them quickly in warm water.

TICK –my brain seems to be working! 

So now you have a vivid picture – clothes soaking in bathroom basin, and Missy here standing in her unmentionables. The front door is still open, there’s blue paint smeared on the kitchen floor, blue oozing blinds in the shower, and I’m a hissing Smurf.

Let alone that I needed that tin of paint to do some touch-ups on the wall…so I’m also HISS-ing I’ll have to replace the whole tin at 20 quid AND get it to Iona!

Ok – so now what the hell do I do with this gloopy paint? I can’t get IN the boiler room, as it’s a minute gap next to the boiler with the larger space opening up behind the small gap. I can see blue gloop everywhere.

I’m wondering how to clean it up as I know it won’t dry properly like that and I can only reach it by stretching my hand inside the cupboard about half a meter.

Still mad at my own hurried clumsiness and the fact that she hadn’t let me know final arrival time (which means I would have had time to get the stuff mindfully out the cupboard) I’m in full irritated and blame mode – you can tell right?

Ok, Kate – focus!

I kid you not – my only thought was to use a spoon. I grab a dessert spoon and start ladling the paint back into the tin, spoon by blue spoon. I’m stretching my hand through the small gap between the wall and the boiler, when I realize I am not picking it up fast enough.

HISS. HISS! So next I try the paint tin lid that’s lying innocently next to it. Nope – far too awkward and clumsy in the small space. I’m going to dislocate something.

APRIL 1st MADE ME DO IT

I’m trying to do things with relative speed here, to prevent any leakage below. The best option now is to become one with the paint and immerse my whole hand in it of course and start scooping it up!

So there I am, bent over, most of me covered in blue (as it went through my clothes) and my hands smeared the rest – I swear it was like Smurf wrestling personified. At least it was pretty matching Italian underwe@r – in BLUE! 

I then do THE UNTHINKBALE! 

If I’m going to be daft enough to use my hand I had better look more closely at what I’m doing – in case there are some splintery pieces of wood under the blue gloop. But I can only JUST get my head through the gap.

I don’t stop to think it through – NOOOOOO I just push my head in, don’t I? Like a baby who sticks their head through bars and then turns its head, not able to back out, I now swiftly realize my daft predicament.

My head only just went through the gap, because I kind of forced it through, but panic hits me as I realize exactly what reversing out entails.

Ears!

CALENDAR CONTRIBUTION
I instantly feel my adrenalin kick in as the reality of getting wedged here lands on my brain. Instant Panic. But I somehow flipped a switch as I realize that if I stay in panic mode I’m gonna be in real trouble. So I start getting HYS-terical with laughter. The ludicrousness of it all and the image of the local firemen volunteers having to dash up the stairs and rescue send me into guffaws of laughter. The entire of Iona and Mull would know what my #smurfblue skin and underwear contribution for the annual calendar might look like! 

I started gasping for air I was laughing so much. Then crying.

HYS-terics!

Tears of laughter streaming down my face was making blue streaks mixed with sweat running through my cleavage. I somehow managed to pull myself towards myself and back out – yanking my poor ears in the process.

The cartilage had to bend forward as I reversed, but no serious damage was done! Only ego got hurt in the process. 

I’m was now weak with the panic and the laughter but it was time to have a shower with the three blinds. At the very least I wanted to rescue them if possible and remove the fast-drying gloop and get them to the girls. I had promised them blinds, and I was going to deliver them! Next, I wash my clothes on a hot machine wash, and set about cleaning the kitchen. I still had blue paint on my skin two days later when I went for a swim!

The only downside – I never stopped to take ANY pictures for proof. But the boiler cupboard is forever blue. I just didn’t want to stick my head back in to get the pic for you! Every now and then I find little specks of blue – on a mug, a cupboard door and I did find a small speck on that new carpet. I think there is forever blue paint on their headboard on the other side of the island as a reminder! 

The whole escapade that should have taken just ten minutes to hand over some stuff, took me well over two hours. Later on, I walked to the village and bumped into the dad again – and met the mum – so one again I apologise profusely for swearing and HISS-ing so much in front of their poor daughter and slink off sheepishly, remnants of blue everywhere, laughing to myself.

So, if you have read this far – I hope you got a good laugh at my blue expense.

WHAT’S THE POINT Kate?
Why did I even decide to share THIS laugh at myself with you this month?

It’s a tool that has served me well throughout life – to find the funny side of things, to seek out and witness the ridiculous even amidst the pain. To roar with laughter and guffaw at things I see. Because I spend a lot of time traveling on my own for work, I have even learned to be able to do this solo – I can sit on a train and burst out laughing at stuff. Like today writing this out for you – laughing away to myself. If I can’t find myself amusing, I’m not living right! I simply don’t care what others think. Rather than noticing it’s funny, and politely chuckling internally, I prefer to let folk wander what is amusing me so much by chucking out loud.. 

Can you laugh out loud next time? 
It shifts your energy lightning fast. I Promise! Just like babies who shift in and out of different states of being – one minute giggling, one-minute eating, one-minute crying, and the next laughter. 

It’s my favourite remedy. Life is tough, stress is real, and loss is imminent, but our point of view can re-frame anything. The next time YOU are deep in your own version blue-gloop, I wonder if you can flip your switch from HISS to HYS and find a faster way out?

It’s why I am so excited to be traveling to Greece this week with my Mum – we always land up crying with laughter together. A Lot! Then I get to hang out with my dear friend and business partner Sarah while running our writing retreats as we offer three back-to-back retreats in Greece and Italy this summer at last (there is ONE spot left if you pop me a mail) 

It’s been two long years since we gathered together- and the thing I miss most is just how much we laugh together! 

I wish you tears of joy, the ability to get deliciously HYS-terical when required and find a lighter way through life, no matter what.

I wish you sweet joy and lightness.

Kate

IF YOU WANT TO WORK WITH ME….
PRIVATE CLIENTS:
 
I’ll be opening up my next mentoring slots and virtual retreats at the end of July again. Why so far away?
I am not taking on any new private clients so I can immerse myself and nurture the folk flying across the world to write with us. I prefer to stay focussed and not spread myself too thin for better results for YOU.

IONA IN AUTUMN: 
If you follow me on socials I will also be opening up the next IONA retreat soon, on the back end of the first one just competed this week! Bookings are not open yet!

THE SASSY SYNCHRONISTIC STUFF OF SIMPLY SHOWING UP

By Insights to help you #quickshift, Transformational Journeys, Transformational thoughts

THE SASSY SYNCHRONISTIC STUFF OF SIMPLY SHOWING UP
#Minimalist meanderings

Recently in the quaint country of Romania for some work, I experienced some (well SEVERAL) sassy synchronistic stuff unfold as I allowed the special energy of this beautiful city take over for a while. I was staying in a flash 5 star hotel as a guest of my host in the country (Sassy #1 – having been delightfully upgraded from an already wonderful 4 star hotel as upon checking in they were renovating that back part of the hotel and a band had extended their stay, so they had no room at that Inn and so they “moved me” to the ooh la la Radisson on the front) Ooh I love that I believe in unexpected delights!

Sassy #2 – there were strelitzias basking on the new concierge’s desk at check in. Hello South Africa. The Radisson was also directly opposite the main concert hall near the old walled city, and 2 days later I discovered there was a special concert on THAT evening. How?

I had been gifted a three-hour private walking and driving tour of the city earlier by my hosts, and we happened to go inside the concert hall to view it’s historical magnificence when we stumbled across some deeply inspirational choral practice whilst looking up at the domed ceilings with awe. Sassy #3 – My amazing tour guide mentioned there was a very special concert on that evening – nudge nudge wink wink.

Sassy #4 – we then landed up in front of the “palace” that was built under Communist rule, now the seat of government. My host proclaimed, that although being Romanian she had never yet been inside or had the tour, and that sadly you need to submit your passport at least 24 hours before in order to get inside. We were marveling at it from the parking lot. Then she gets a twinkle in her eye and says- shall we try and get in? She made a phone call to a friend who works inside, and even though he WASN’T working that particular day he said – go to the entrance and they will allow you to visit today! My host and guide both decided I was their lucky charm, making everything so easy and effortless.

I started feeling a bit lousy in the afternoon after returning from the tour, and had taken myself off to bed for an afternoon nap, contemplating the concert that night. 35 minutes before the start of the concert, I knew I would regret not trying to get a ticket, so I dragged myself out of bed again, splashed my face and added a dash of lipstick, walked across to the “late sales” booth at the side, and stood in a long queue.

Mmmm bed seemed very appealing again. Waiting, slowly.

I saw a very well dressed elderly gentleman standing near the queue for the 15 minutes I was there and kept wondering what he was doing? He wasn’t talking to anyone, but kept trying to motion to them. I kinda felt sorry for him. As I got to the front of the kiosk, they told me they only accepted CASH> >>>aaaargh I only had my card.
Cash machine here? No!
Tickets were 75 leu and I had only 40 leu cash on me. Damn. Maybe the other Hotel across the road could convert my foreign money, as I knew my own hotel didn’t do that. In Romania what is weird is that all the hotels only work in Euro’s, as it’s now part of the EU, yet all the local shops and establishment still use Romanian Leu, the original, local currency. It’s a tad confusing.

That Hotel also had no local money for me and the banks had closed ten minutes ago.

Eventually after 10 minutes – with the show now starting in ten minutes, I found a cash machine, realizing it would dispense in local currency. DUH! Now, a little weird travel lesson from South Africa. We are considered a slightly “dodgy” country, you know because we look and sound just like Nigeria where most of the money laundering in the world happens. Every time I leave SA I spend about an hour on the phone calling my two banks and getting all my business and credit cards cleared for the countries of my travel, otherwise any foreign transactions might be deemed fraudulent transactions. And even after doing that time-consuming clearance, they can still decline transactions when I’m overseas. So I have multiple cards with multiple options so as not to get caught out.

It took me three cards to be able to draw cash from THIS Romanian machine!

Right – dash back, sweating and huffing to the queue, now with less than 5 minutes till show time. Old man still there. Sassy #5 – He shows me a ticket and says “you for one?” He seems to “imply” he has a ticket (in very broken English and of course I am 200% fluent in Romanian) so I go to the kiosk lady and get her to verify the ticket is indeed valid as there was no date on it (that’s how their special season tickets work apparently) and he says he wants only 60 leu for it. B for bargain, as the tickets were  originally 75 leu.

“COME” he urges, “we late”.

As we are walking and running up the stairs he manages to convey to me that his wife is home and ill and this is her season ticket – pretty good communication hey? We walk into this uppermost concert room and I gasp. OMG – vast, bold, exquisite and ornate. Everyone dressed to the nines and I am transported to ancient Eastern European grandeur.

Sassy #6 – He proceeds to walk to the FRONT ROW. I am front and centre and can hear the musicians breathe as they are warming up. In and out, deep and crisp and even. And the faint squeak the violin string makes before the haunting sound is emitted across the air. I can reach out and touch the conductor as he sashays to the front and lifts his baton!

I can see him twitch and sweat beads form on his brow.

Front row tickets for simply BEING in a city on a night and being willing to show up. I am in awe of the magic of life.

Too often we try and PRE control and PRE book. I believe there is a place for that, but I do love the magic of being in the moment and letting life unfold! FRONT ROW SEATS UNFOLDS! Sassy #7 -The next morning as I head outside to my taxi back to the airport to leave for Greece to run a writing retreat, I see the music conductor sitting in the hotel lobby. Already half way through the revolving door, I make a split second decision to do the full 360 degree circle and get out where I started. I walked up to him, apologized for interrupting his Sunday morning with his female companion, shook his hand and said how marvelous it was that I had enjoyed the privilege of being in the front row the night before. “I remember you, madam, thank you” he said, smiling and eyes twinkling.

And that is how I love to travel.

Do you need to start letting sassy magic unfold in YOUR life? Perhaps I can share some of my methods with you over the next few months?

Last week, I had 90 minutes to “kill” before meeting a dear friend for a mutually soulful chat and had gone early to make sure I was in the right place. So literally killing time, wondering where to go to I was just meandering along in my Russian hat. This “random” guy, bit older than me, Kevin to be precise, stop and says, “I know this is weird but I have (Sassy #8) “time to kill” before making my way to my theatre show tonight with friends and may I buy you a cup of coffee. You look really interesting”. I shrieked with laughter, looked a little shocked and amused at the same time and promptly tuned into my spirit and said yes. I KNOW some of you are reading this with many many “WTF is wrong with you Kate!!!” going round in your head.

As we sat and chatted and told each other a bit about ourselves, (and please let me re-iterate with zero weirdness or innuendos or sexual undertones whatsoever) I was telling him about my new book being released this year helping clients to get really clear on the complex emotional issues of detaching emotionally from a home before putting in on the market to sell, and to support people to sell, pack and move with ease. He just looks at me and smiles – he is about to sell his house and it’s a potentially complicated story with the house and…..Sassy #9 he ALSO works for a well-known estate agent in his town. Now – here’s the rub – I am I the process of looking for potential “brand partners” in the whole property industry, alongside “guinea pigs” to keep working with the material to give me feedback on how it all works for them. Social proof if you like. So this sassy just tickled me pink.

And then there was today catching a bus on a sad, dreary day from Rugby – saying goodbye to my mum on the side of the road just as the light was just coming u, I start chatting the the guy waiting for the bus with me, also headed to Heathrow Airport. Sitting across the aisle, we simply chat about where we are headed and why, and spend the next two hours chatting about work, life, beauty therapy, making brave bold choices in life and business and following our dreams. He landed up Sassy #10 – lugging my suitcase between the buses whilst we waited for an hour and he bought me a mug of tea and became my companion for a while on the road. We even landed up looking at his new brand logos for his business.

Yep, I speak to strangers and I let my trust in people, the world and what we are all doing here seep into my soul at every turn. It’s all to easy to shut off, shut down and shut up. How is that working for YOU?

 

Call me crazy, call me naïve, call me mad. Or worse. I call it “THE SASSY SYNCHRONISTIC STUFF OF SIMPLY SHOWING UP”. And I mean showing up with trust, openness, love, compassion and your wits about you at every turn. Let life and people surprise the hell out of you, shock you and win you over. Yes, it’s a bit of a dare!

 

WANT TO FIND YOUR OWN VERSION OF SASSY?

I am so passionate about this concept of LIVING IN THE MOMENT and being in love with your real self (as in deeply proud of who you are and how you live your life) and for me it all starts with HONESTY.

The starting point is simply to TAKE STOCK in all 8 areas of life, so that you get clear on WHERE YOU are and what is and isn’t working for you.

I have created an entire video series – FREE of charge to support you to get started. Click here to  QUICK SHIFT 1 THING using the 4  G-SPOTS of TRANSFORMATION
If I can help you do that as smartly as possible, then you will have some starting points to let yourself meander and BE. And that is good for ALL of us. My mission is to help you find your own SASSY and SHIFT!

When you sign up, you will need to confirm your e-mail address, and get stuck into the first video with pen and paper. Then I will send you 2 more videos.

These 3 live videos will cover the 4 G spots of Transformation – Grips, Gap, Grow and Guts.

TAKING STOCK in all 8 areas will help you figure in which 1 area YOU need to shift immediately.

Then further down the line you will be invited to “The Cappuccino Challenge” -another surefire way to stay HONEST with YOURSELF. Courageous acts of self-love every day for 30 days. Loved by THOUSANDS of CLIENTS that have transformed their lives permanently in just 20 minutes a day  –  Just so you know what’s in store for you as you join my “tribe” ok?

LET’S GET YOU STARTED RIGHT AWAY

With lightness,

Just because you can’t see it #Lessons from London

By Transformational Journeys

Just because you can’t see it over there…does it honestly mean it doesn’t really exist?

Or perhaps it could signify that simply, you cannot see it?

What if someone else annoyingly can?

What if someone perhaps a little closer to it can?

Or with a different, slightly skewed perspective on life?

A slightly different angle?

Or with different viewing equipment?

 

We often make something absolute, simply because we cannot see it for ourselves. How arrogant of us darn it!

And what if it’s simply a little mystical mist in the air begging you to walk closer to see what might be revealed as you inch closer? I beg you to stop expecting everything to be so bloomin’ obvious. Learn to follow your heart, your nose, your instinct, a smidgen of trust and a total delight in being. Simply insatiably and incurably curious.

Yes, insatiably, incurably curious.

I have a favourite, delicious past time that has been with me my whole life. Well since I was 8 little years old and flew on a plane on my own, unaccompanied. Yep, I’m an intrepid, gypsey-like traveller. Whilst I often travel with a partner, friends or am meeting clients in foreign countries for work, I also travel a lot on my own and REVEL in days I can spend meandering and musing on my own. Put me in a city, town or the middle of nowhere and I am simply happy to explore.

Meander slowly even if it looks like I’m walking fast.

I usually wake up, do some yoga at home (well let’s not pretend THAT happens every day, but mostly I do, to stretch the ol’ bones) then I make it a priority to find freshly brewed coffee…and then I’m off.

Where to?

If I have just two days in a city, most likely I will do the hop-on-hop-off tour bus, IF that exists there, to get a big picture perspective. BUT, I also find it a little stressful in terms of then trying to fit in EVERYTHING on that darn bus route and animated map glaring at me. Ugh. What I wholeheartedly love more is just to BE in a place. No agenda, definitely with no prescriptive-whilst-attempting-to-be-useful guidebook, and just a backpack filled with some weather appropriate protective gear (either sunscreen in summer or a brollie in winter) and GO.

Yep just go.

I let my heart dictate left or right, stop or go. I find true MAGIC that way. Being in the moment, letting the city talk and whisper it’s longings into my heart. Being present and free, awake and alert. Incurably curious about where a road may lead. Or not.

I had a two-week kitty and houseit in the heart of London recently, and had a lot of time to myself, but this day was special –  just meandering and mooching around on a cold day with gentle fog lurking everywhere. Mystical and magical, hiding things from view. I walked across a bridge for the very first time and in my heart I knew the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben were meant to be there, right in front of me. I took a picture. Really? Just some grey, swirly mist today!

What if I believe and keep going?

Sometimes we have to know the end picture, and just take ONE step in the direction of our destination. I really wanted a picture of Big Ben from the opposite side of Westminster Bridge, to send to my partner. Why? When we decorated his home in South Africa together after he had revamped it, I sourced him three special photographs to buy that were of three amazing bridges across the world, all in warm Sepia tones. Golden Gate, Brooklyn, and Westminster. At the time we were already booked to visit San Francisco, and naturally Golden Gate was one of the bridges we drove across twice – admiring the “international orange” colour of this renowned landmark. We then landed up bicycling across the Brooklyn New York one together – creating for me one of my all-time favourite NY memories. And so the London one is left for us. Whilst we have both seen it on our own, we have never seen or walked across it TOGETHER. I wanted to send him a pic to say …thinking of you darling and I cannot wait to come to this city together. But the bloody bridge was NOT there. Arrrrrgh

Walk

Walk

Walk

Huff

Puff

OOh look, a little cafe and some … mmm….yes they are birds I think

Trust

Walk

Huff

Puff and try to stay warm

Mmmm, what’s that?

It was getting cold, colder, coldest on this foggy and windy day, I had to stop and put a fourth layer on to stay warm – but as I took each step, I got one step closer and it all got a LITTLE clearer. Never crystal clear, but I eventually got to the spot to take my pic. BIG GRIN!

 

So you have stuck my story out to this point. So what??

Sometimes, you know something is there even when you can’t see it.

Trust your heart, your spirit and your 6th sense.

You don’t need maps, or guides.

Just walk, one foot in front of the other and let the path unfold in front of you.

So often we want to know it all before we set out. How boring.

Business is like that too.

You cannot know all the bits, all the answers, all the steps.

You know where you are and you know the next step.

That’s all you need, really.

 

Have fun walking the misty, foggy streets of your life as you take steps to make magic this year.

 

NEED SOME MORE HELP TO GET STARTED WITH THIS STUFF?

YOU CAN INSTANTLY IMPROVE YOUR LEVEL OF SELF-LOVE

Yup, RIGHT NOW!

I am so passionate about this concept of LIVING IN THE MOMENT and being in love with your real self (as in deeply proud of who you are and how you live your life) and for me it all starts with being HONEST.

The starting points is simply to TAKE STOCK in all 8 areas of life, so that you get clear on WHERE YOU are and what is and isn’t working for you.

I have created an entire video series – FREE of charge to support you to get started. Click here to  QUICK SHIFT 1 THING using the 4  G-SPOTS of TRANSFORMATION
If I can help you do that as smartly as possible, then you will have some starting points to let yourself meander and BE. And that is good for ALL of us. My mission is to help you SHIFT!

When you sign up, you will need to confirm your e-mail address, and get stuck into the first video with pen and paper. Then I will send you 2 more videos.

These 3 live videos will cover the 4 G spots of Transformation – Grips, Gap, Grow and Guts.

TAKING STOCK in all 8 areas will help you figure in which 1 area YOU need to shift immediately.

Then further down the line you will be invited to my other fabulous programme called The Cappuccino Challenge. Another surefire way to stay HONEST with YOURSELF. Courageous acts of self-love every day for 30 days. Loved by THOUSANDS of CLIENTS that have transformed their lives permanently in just 20 minutes a day  –  Just so you know what’s in store for you as you join my “tribe” ok?

LET’S GET YOU STARTED RIGHT AWAY

With lightness,

 

 

When expectancy rules in your favour…

By Coaching Tips 'n Tools, Insights to help you #quickshift

There are two ways to look at expectancy – one is on a purely materialistic, foot stomping, “get your own way” kind of way to look at it. The second is the way that paves the way to miracles happening … and what I’m talking about below.

Whatever your religious persuasion or affiliation, miracles can occur in any form –  be it in gifts, unexpected pleasures, hardships being overcome, little pearls of wisdom dropping into your lap, a chance meeting with someone that somehow changes the course of your life.

Miraculous things happen in each and every moment and if you are looking out for them…a positive expectancy of finding the good and the glow in every minute, rather than the sick and the slow.

So what do you EXPECT IN YOUR LIFE?

Miracles do not have to be massive positive explosions of energy or gigantic outcomes…they can be a collection of small wondrous occurrences, that once witnessed can alter your life forever. A smile from someone who is worse off that you is a form of minute by minute miracle, a flower blossoming from mud is one too; being able to get up and survive each day no matter what is thrown at you is a miraculous testament to the strength of human spirit; an animal’s unconditional love no matter how you treat it  they will always welcome you home again – we could learn from that as humans.

So this beautiful sentence “The Atmosphere of Expectancy is the Breeding Ground for Miracles” that I heard on a TV channel really grabbed me from a life perspective!

I think it is just the reminder that we have to create the atmosphere from within….how you take and make each moment of each day determines the overall outcome of your life. If you have a positive atmosphere that you create in and around your life, you will live in that atmosphere like your own little magic bubble. Once you “map” or “match” that positive atmosphere with the concept of also constantly expecting great things to happen to you, with magic and miracles coming your way all the time, good to prevail and happiness to be possible……well then that too will be your reality. And even when the  inevitable bumps come along in the road, you will see them in perspective of the whole – and gain some insight and wisdom from the event, even when it is life threatening or heartbreaking. It’s about being able to be OK in the middle of the storm even when you want to die. The expectancy that this too shall pass, I will get through this no matter what.

What you focus on, INCREASES. That is a simple universal spiritual law. So if you focus on expecting more and more positive things to flood your way, that’s what you will get more of. Energy can move towards you because you are ready for it and welcoming it. Do you know that you can chase things away as well…..by simply having the wrong attitude, being pessimistic, negative, focussing on everything that you don’t want and having an atmosphere of negative expectancy?

Where attention goes ENERGY FLOWS!!!

So when you IMMERSE yourself in the atmosphere of POSITIVE expectancy, then ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN. Live with the possibility of magic and see what happens to you.

Be open to flow in your life, be open to opportunity. Align your desires with what is for your highest goals. Have goals and outcomes but let go of attachment to the outcome. OOOOhhhhh boy that is often a hard one hey!!! If something is meant to be yours you will not be able to keep it from you, but you always have to be willing to STEP UP in your life.

 

RIGHT – THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU CAN DO NEXT TO HELP SUPPORT POSITIVE EXPECTANCY IN YOUR LIFE! Yup, RIGHT NOW!

I am so passionate about this concept of sorting out our inner life, our core, our sense of self that I created a very snappy, zappy 30 day e-mail course titled THE CAPPUCCINO CHALLENGE. Designed to take you 20 minutes a day  – just for YOU. You can check it out  WATCH HERE

This is a journey loved by thousands  –  if YOU need to put yourself back on your own priority list again, so that you can start seeing the positive in yourself, others and your environment, then this is the most streamlined way to do that..

HERE IS WHAT YOU WILL GET on the CAPPUCCINO CHALLENGE:

  • Easy to follow daily challenges, that can be implemented from anywhere – home, office or your favourite coffee shoppe
  • Combination of short videos and punchy emails that take less that 2 minutes to read!
  • Integrate the 20 minutes a day habit
  • Small Tweaks will lead to MASSIVE CHANGES
  • Create a new habit linked to your daily ritual of drinking coffee, tea or smoothies  so you will always stick to it
  • Themed challenges to focus your efforts each week
  • How to Put Yourself back on your own TO DO LIST!
  • Improve your relationship with yourself – the MOST important one
  • Challenge how you interact with your environment
  • Re-engage and communicate with others in a more effective way
  • Learn to trust what life brings your way
  • A private online community of support so you do not feel alone on your journey
  • Real support from Kate who actively supports, cajoles, guides and motivates you

I can’t wait to support the shifts you will make so that you become the breeding ground for miracles again.

LEARN MORE NOW – when you sign up you immediately get started on your journey of self awareness and new habits formed with ease. Remember, where attention goes ENERGY FLOWS!!!

With lightness,

Kate