Will’s Wisdom

I’m a HUGE fan of Will Smith. I always have been since his Fresh Prince of Bel Air days. Gosh, that makes me feel old saying that! Anyway, I believe that this guy is way more than just an actor/entertainer. Aside from the fact that he is annoyingly good looking, talented, rich and famous, he is also a man with an incredible amount of passion and dedication for what he does in order to make a difference to other people’s lives and the world as a whole. Which makes him a man after my own heart. If only he wasn’t married!

This guy didn’t come into this world to just take a back seat and allow his life to pass him by. This guy came into the world to make his mark, to leave the world a better place for him having been here. He knows how to fight for something that he believes in, to give every ounce of his being to something that his is passionate about, to his craft, his family, and to making the world a better place.

If you are feeling in need of some motivational, empowering food for thought after the anti-climax of christmas and new year, then tune into this video below (by clicking on the link “Will’s Wisdom”) which contains a series of clips from the man that walks his talk. Even if you aren’t a fan of Will’s work there’s definitely something to be taken away from this. Enjoy!

\”Will\’s Wisdom\”

Love, Health and Happiness,

Francine x

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New Year’s revolutions!

Well, we are only less than 24 hours away from the start of a brand new magical year, and boy am I excited about it!! It’s that time of year again when most people make their New Year’s resolutions with every good intention of keeping them, but somehow let them slip by the wayside only to never end up achieving them.

I was recently introduced to the concept of ‘New Year’s revolutions’ in an article I read by Pete Vincent (www.RawHumour.com) in the latest issue of Get Fresh magazine. Here, he proposes that instead of making a resolution that focuses on giving something up, or things that you don’t want this New Year, we focus on what we do want instead and have a New Year’s revolution! I love this concept!!

Because remember, if you focus on what you don’t want, you’ll just attract more of it. For example, if your New Year resolution is to give up crisps, then what do you think you will be likely to spend a lot of time thinking about? Hmmmm crisps may be?! Why not shift your focus to something else that you could be eating instead of crisps that would be a lot more healthful?

So if you find yourself making the same old resolutions year after year, perhaps you should take a look at what it is your focusing on exactly and make the switch between a New Year’s resolution and a New Year’s revolution. Go on, you know you want to!!

I have spent the past few weeks crafting my vision and setting my goals for 2010 in order to make it the most magical year for me to date. I’ve been reassessing what I want to leave behind from 2009 and what I want to take with me into 2010. I feel a deep sadness that some things are having to be left behind, but know that in doing so, I will be able to move forward and closer to my goals and the vision I want to create for myself. It’s really going to be a year of new beginnings for me in so many ways! I am soooooo excited!!

So, what do you intend to do in order to make 2010 the most magical year possible for you? I’d love to hear your New Year revolutions!!

Wishing you all lots of Love, Health and Happiness for 2010,

Francine x

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Serenity

A very special friend of mine, the beautiful soul that is Lisa Simpson, pulled an oracle card for me the other day at a time when I was in much need of some comfort and reassurance. The card that she pulled was entitled Serenity. Here is what the card read………….

“You are moving into a time of greater inner peace and tranquility. Even if your logical mind cannot fathom how a challenge could be resolved, peace of mind means that you trust that the Universe will create a miraculous situation. It’s a mistake to think that you have to wait until your life is problem free before you can be happy and peaceful”.

Major shifts have been happening in my life over the past months and I know that I have not been alone this. It seems as though a lot of others around me also are undergoing internal and/or external goings on. It’s so easy sometimes to feel some kind of resistance around this but I’ve found that just by trusting in the process of life, an overwhelming sense of peace is created. This oracle card reminded me of that and the fact that, although our lives will never be ‘problem’ free, it doesn’t mean that we cannot cultivate a sense of peace  and happiness. So thank you Lisa!

For those of you that do not know the lovely Lisa Simpson, then hello, where have you been?! Lisa is based in Chester and is the founder of Raw Liberty where she runs raw food workshops and coaching packages for those who are in need of some raw food know-how and support. She is super talented and I highly recommend that you go check her out at her gorgeous new website www.rawliberty.co.uk.

With Love, Health and Happiness,

Francine x

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Self-Love

How many of us can honestly say that we truly love ourselves, believe in ourselves and think that we deserve to be happy? I know that throughout the majority of my life I have had a hard time in being able to say all of the above. I think a lot of us are guilty of looking to others most certainly for the love. It’s easy, especially when your in a relationship with someone, to almost ‘rely’ on that person for the love, belief, and happiness and to make you ‘feel good’. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not necessarily saying that this a bad thing, but what happens if they are no longer there, for whatever reason? Where does the love come from then?

Everybody wants to be loved but I think that a lot of it has to come from within. If we don’t love ourselves, how can we expect anyone else to? The more we can grow to like and love ourselves, the more others tend to like and love us. The more we believe in ourselves, the more others believe in us. Subsequently, our lives are enhanced both personally and professionally, and the more we can achieve in our lives.

Most of us are guilty of being way too hard on ourselves on a regular basis. I think a lot of us would agree that if we treated our friends the way we treat ourselves, we wouldn’t have any friends! A simple way of remembering to be kind to yourself is to treat yourself as if you were your own best friend. 

Here are a few of my top tips to cultivate the much needed self-love that so many of us fall short of!

1. Write a daily affirmation

Notice what you say to yourself. Replace your disempowering self-talk with kinder and more positive self-talk using affirmations such as ‘I love and approve of myself’, and say it to yourself as often as you can throughout the day.

2. Self Love activities

Write a list of all the activities that you like to do or make you feel good e.g. reading a book, having a bath, a snuggle with the dog (one of my personal favourites!), painting your nails, or may be making a juice etc, and then choose at least one self-love activity everyday to gift yourself with on a daily basis.

3. Treat yourself!

Don’t just rely on others to buy you presents. Buy yourself a birthday or christmas present, or a present at anytime just because you are you!

4. Write yourself a love letter!

 Write a letter to yourself telling yourself how wonderful you are, recognising your achievements, positive qualities and natural gifts.  Then read this letter to yourself when you are need of some self-love. You may even decide to post the letter to yourself to feel as though it has been sent especially to you!

Try these steps to learning to love yourself and just notice how different you feel. You really are worth it!

With Love, Health, and Happiness,

Francine x

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Falling Apart

‘Just when it looks like life is falling apart, it maybe falling together for the first time….The nice thing about things falling apart is that you can pick up only the pieces that you want!’

I received this quote via a very special friend the other day and it really resonates with me and what has been happening in my life over the past few months. I do apologise for the hiatus from blogging but without sounding too melodramatic, I have literally felt like my life was falling apart. I wasn’t sure how honest to be about what was, and has been going on for me, and even if it was relevant on a blog about food. But I really feel that the REAL food journey is about a whole person transformation and not simply about the food. Well, that has certainly been my experience as I know it has for a lot of other people.

Without going into too much detail, during the past five months I have been enduring what I can honestly describe as being one of the most painful experiences of my life to date, the end of my relationship with my ‘life’ partner.

Love is such a powerful emotion, and in my opinion, THE most powerful. Whilst love, on any level, is something I believe that everybody needs and cannot live without, it’s not only a reason to laugh and smile, but also a reason to cry. It feels like joy and it feels like pain, it feels like sunshine and it feels like rain, and it can be an excuse for dying as well as a reason to live. I have, as I’m sure so many other people have too, felt the whole spectrum of emotions associated with loving someone so much, that they feel like they are an intrinsic part of you, and having to let them go.

It’s been a trying time to say the least, and whilst I am not quite completely through the other side of it, I am starting to see the light. For me, it’s been about just trusting the process and having faith. I’ve always believed that everything happens for a reason and that we are never given anymore than what we can truly handle at any one time. Whilst I initially tried to resist what was happening, I’ve now tried to embrace it because ultimately it has made, and is making, me a better person for it. I’ve come to realise that sometimes in life things have to look ugly before they start to look good. Just like detox, right?!

 I have to say a huge thank you to the other person involved for this experience as I have learnt so much, not only about myself, but also about what’s important to me. I am also absolutely blessed to have some super special people in my life that have supported me throughout this difficult time. Those who have been most significant include, in no particular order, my Mum and Dad, my sister Simone, Lisa, Tracy, Helen, Charlie, Tim, Alexis, Steve, Kim, Claire, Linda, Jules, Sheila, Karen, Flynn, Marc, Mel, Robyne, and last but most certainly not least, my two ‘boys’, Rollo and Richie, for their constant, unconditional companionship. Thank you so much guys, you’ve all completely blown me away with the love and support you’ve given me. I’m such a lucky lady!

So now, instead of things seeming like they are ‘falling apart’ I do truly believe that they are starting to fall together for me the first time. I’ve dusted myself down and picked myself back up along with the pieces that I intend to take with me into the next chapter of my life, and I am committed to making 2010 not only MY year, but the most MAGICAL year of my life to date! I’m so excited!! Anyone care to join me?!

Wishing you lots of Love, Peace and Happiness for the new year ahead,

Francine x

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