Thanksgiving Thoughts
We often think that maybe we were living in the USA in a former incarnation because we both love a lot of American traditions and Thanksgiving is certainly one of them! What better reason then, for us to take the chance and reflect upon the top 10 things we are thankful for...
Our Families
Has to be number one right? I mean where would we all be without our family around us? We believe that sometimes though, we can take these relationships for granted. If we have had a bad day, unsuccessful business deal, not enough sleep...we often manage to keep smiling and shining for the rest of the world but sometimes your close loved ones take the brunt of the effort that it’s taken to keep smiling outside of the home. This is a great time of year and reminder with Thanksgiving being all around (although any time is good!) to make sure that your family know that you love them and also appreciate them. Tell them today!
2. Friends
Friends are so important for you as your support network. They’re the family that you get to choose! And they’re often the people you turn to before family when you need an ear or a shoulder! The friends who are there with a bottle of wine no matter what the drama, the ones who step in for emergency childcare at the drop of a hat and then ones who just tell you straight when it’s not the thing you want to hear but they love you enough to be honest...they’re the glue that hold us together! We are so grateful for our circle of friends - they’ve been our cheerleaders, counsellors and unpaid staff sometimes! So thank you from the bottom of our hearts - you know who you are!
3. Now Is Your Time
Our new movement is the result of blood, sweat, tears and lots of prayers! We still pinch ourselves every single day that we now get to do the ‘job’ that we do. Witnessing the transformation of our clients who feel like our friends, before our very eyes is still one of the most humbling experiences every. It’s a privilege not a job. NIYT is absolute proof that you can do anything you set your mind to if you want it enough, you’re prepared to be brave and you are prepared to stand up and be counted for what you believe in!
4. Health
We are both so conscious of our health blessings every day. We know it isn’t something anyone should take for granted and dare I say it...the older we get, the more we need to make sure that we are taking care of what we put into our bodies, what exercise we do and what action we take to stimulate and care for our mental and emotional wellbeing. We both have had some issues with our health and we choose to look at them as opportunities to learn more and grow from them. It’s so important to be in tune with your body, to listen to what it’s telling you. Often your body is telling you that something emotionally and mentally is not aligned and it’s so key to know those triggers! Learning to appreciate your body as you get older is a gift.
5. The Beach
We live at the beach. We love the beach. It’s our happy place. When we need to be creative, think, get something off our chests - it’s where we escape to in order to find our internal happy place again. The smell, sounds, sensation of the air there, it’s just so soothing - for us there is just something magical in it! Everyone needs a happy place, somewhere they can go physically or mentally to get back on track emotionally when the going gets a little bumpy. For us that physical place is the beach. Every day when we leave our homes and see the sea, we count our blessings for how lucky we are - we can’t imagine living anywhere else!
6. Books
Reading is something we both get so much pleasure from. We could write hundreds of blogs on our favourite books (we have already done one for you) and we would never run out of material! We have a monthly Book Club in the Soul System too (and you can check out it out by clicking here) where we recommend one particular book that people like us will love! We love being so engrossed in a story that you just forget where you are and we love books that make you see things in a different way, make you challenge how you perceive the world. Written words are so powerful and even in this digital world, we think there’s nothing better than opening a book, smelling the pages and just getting lost in the glorious words.
7. Holidays
Who doesn’t love a great holiday? A break away from it all! Whether it’s lazing around a pool reading a book, walking around a breathtaking little church in Rome or hiding out in a log cabin in the middle of the Lake District with no phone signal for a few days - most of us try to take at least one opportunity a year to take time out with our family and / or friends to recharge our batteries on holiday. We get to drink a cocktail at lunchtime, stay up late having fun with the kids, explore beautiful places, eat too much delicious food and laugh more than we do on an average day. Most of us come back looking a few years younger and a few pounds heavier but all the happier for it. Whatever your idea of a holiday is, making it a priority is just good practice as it pays you back in productivity, relaxation and happiness.
8. Meditation
Years ago this was something that raised a lot of eyebrows for people. It was perceived as a little ‘out there’. It was always something we found really interesting and now it’s just something we couldn’t imagine not having in our lives. The benefits of meditation are well documented - it reduces stress, anxiety and depression, enhances self-awareness to name a few - and using it as part of a healthy lifestyle comes highly recommended now by many leading key figures. Even ten minutes a day can have a great impact and if you’re not sure where to start, apps like Headspace take you through it in such a great, easy way. Try it!
9. Our Homes
Our houses are more than just bricks and mortar to us. They’re physical evidence of how hard we have worked, how well we have done in our careers and how far we have come from where with both started. It’s not about bragging, we are just really proud of the homes we have created for our families from being from humble working class backgrounds. They may not be palatial but they’re certainly palaces to us. The memories we have in them, the conversations and growing up they have witnessed, makes our homes actually a part of our family and a big part of our history. We are thankful for them every day as we know how lucky we are.
10. Fun
Aha, we are listing it as a ‘thing’! You see, you can actually forget to have it! We actually make sure that we schedule time in to do the things we find fun as otherwise let’s be honest, life can take over and before you know it, you’re busy ‘adulting’ far too much of the time! We love to go to the cinema, hang out with our families, go for lovely food, have cocktails with our girlfriends, have a spa-break or just play some fun family games. What do you find fun? How are you making time for it? Are you making it a priority or something you fit it?! We promise you, the Universe loves for you to have fun!!!
So what are you grateful for? We would love to hear! Have you downloaded your FREE Gratitude Journal yet so you can make an attitude of gratitude your daily habit…? Click here for yours!
Love, hugs - and thanks,
Donna & Cheryl xx