1. Drink water slowly throughout the evening: Many people struggle to think straight when they are fasting. They often think it is because they haven’t had their morning coffee. However, the only thing that truly makes a difference to thinking is water! The brain is largely made up of water and a state of hydration helps us to keep our thinking flowing. It is important to drink water slowly through the evening in order to build up hydration levels. Drinking lots of water quickly does not achieve hydration effectively.

2. Eat the morning meal: Many people tend to skip Sahur (morning meal) because it requires waking up in the middle of the night. This can be very challenging. If you find it difficult to make something, then try to keep something ready from the evening before. Eating keeps your metabolism going, and of course, provides valuable nutrients and blood sugar levels to help you function throughout the day.

3. Limit caffeinated drinks: Caffeine helps pep us up, but it always leeches the body of valuable hydration during fasting. For every cup of tea we drink, we need an extra glass of water to make up the water loss. So, if you are having trouble consuming enough water, or are feeling dehydrated, avoid the teas and coffees as much as possible.

4. Eat a protein breakfast: Having some protein with your morning meal will keep your blood sugar levels steady for quite a few hours. This will help you to have a bit more energy for the day. When we have things like sugared cereals in the morning, they give us a quick boost and then we tend to feel hungry and also have an energy lull. You can also try some complex carbohydrates like brown rice, porridge, or whole wheat bread. These will work through your system more slowly and keep you fuller for longer.

5. Avoid too much sugary food at Iftar: We love those goodies in the evening don’t we? The sweets are the rewards for a whole day of fasting. Indeed they are wonderful, but they can be a bit of a shock to the system. Also, we may find ourselves being quite energised and awake at night when we want to be sleeping. Do go ahead and have something, but monitor the quantities. This will be easier to digest and it will also help you maintain, or lose weight during this wonderful month.

I looked up at him and asked, “so what do you dream about?” He gave me the biggest smile and said “well, anything and everything really. I think about all the things I want to do in my life. It makes me feel good.” I asked him about why he had the words written on his arm and he told me that these words from John Lennon have always inspired him. He told me that the words serve as a reminder for him to keep dreaming his dreams. He said that they were always with him, and so he felt pretty optimistic about the future.

I wonder if you have ever lost sight of a goal or dream. What did you really want to do once upon a time, that you haven’t thought about for a long time? I can tell you about a goal i’ve had that comes and goes in this way. It is something simple, and when I think about it, I really want to do it, and then some time goes by and it gets lost in all the life stuff. I’ve wanted to learn how to ride a bicycle for years! I’m just remembering this now as I write this….

You may have been working on a particular goal recently (such as losing weight, writing an article, or improving your exercise regimen). One may find that they are on track, and then suddenly something happens and everything goes topsy turvy. Those are the times when it can be difficult to get back to where you were. Having small reminders to help us along the way can serve a valuable purpose. You don’t have to go as far as placing a tatoo on your arm, but it is useful to have visual reminders so that you don’t have to think of doing something extra. Use a reminder that once placed, is an instant trigger that brings you towards your goal. Here are a couple of ideas:

Put up a poster or a picture that inspires you
Write post-it notes and put them up near your desk, on your fridge, on the bathroom mirror
Write a few words, or a statement that will motivate you to act.
Use the homescreen on your phone or your computer.

The type of reminders you use should be personal to you. If you try something and it doesn’t really “do anything” for you, then go ahead and try something different. Use a different picture or words until you get something that really feels right for the task you have at hand. Remember that building a new habit takes time so reminding yourself to stay on track can make all the difference!

What was really sweet about the program, and so inspiring, was that when Oprah asked Micheal about how he felt about being a singer, and if he always wanted it, he said: “I had this rediculous faith that it would happen. it was rediculous i’m sure. I knew nothing could stop me. I never thought that it wouldn’t happen.”

Micheal always believed that his dream would come true, he never ever believed that it wouldn’t. We, often sabotage our own dreams coming true because we fear the worst. I don’t know about you, but I can relate to this. Ever wanted something so much, but had a small fear that it wouldn’t happen for you? Noticed what happened after that? I imagine that the dream did not come true.

Fear can be useful when it stops us from making mistakes, or perhaps doing things that may not be in our best interest in the long run….however, it can also paralyse our dreams. So, how do we use our fear to our advantage? One suggestion is to turn that fear into something else. Use it as an advisor instead. When doubt creeps up, ask yourself, “is what I want good for me now, and in the long run? What may I lose? What will I gain? How will my loved ones be impacted?

These questions will help you uncover any potential problems. Once you work those out, you may find that it may become easier to dream…if the fear continues, then it could be a deeper, more emotional fear. This is where coaching can help to eliminate that fear, raise your confidence, and you can transform your beliefs to have them work for you!

I saw this on a poster at one of the London underground stations. How apt to talk about speed when you’re waiting for the next train (and quite possibly running late). I wonder where you’ve travelled to today? How was the journey? I wonder how “busy” you are. I imagine you have lots to do, and time is often of the essence. There is always a lot to cram in because time is short. Now living in London, I realize that I came from a world where time was viewed entirely differently than it is here. The day starts later, and ends much later…and people back home still have time to meet and socialise. Here, we schedule everything. Having a coffee with a friend has to be booked in advance, quite often for days or even weeks. Granted being busy is important, and we do want a lot more out of life, but does all this business get us the fulfillment we truly want?

I meet so many people who are busy all the time, yet they have virtually no fulfillment or sense of achievement from all the actions they are taking? Why is that? I asked myself…and if you ask yourself the same thing, I imagine that our answers will match. We are so busy doing that we don’t have the time to stop and savour the accomplishment! I invite you take a few moments out today and just notice all that you did. How does it feel to get all that done? Take a few breaths, slow things down, and allow your vision to open to all that you are, and all the abundant possibilities around you. Then, take the next step forward and enjoy the rewards.

I went up and asked her politely, I said “excuse me miss, are all these rolls going into the garbage?” she said “oh yes, but we dispose of them but in a good way so we don’t do any damage to the environment.” I asked her, “what do you mean by that.” She had a smile from ear to ear when she said “oh we make sure that its biodegradable and so it doesn’t harm the earth.” We talked for a little while longer, and I asked her if the company believe in sending all the fresh food to the homeless or something instead of wasting all that food, afterall, there are people going hungry every day. She was quite convinced that they possibly couldn’t do that because its been on the shelf during the day, and things were past their sell-by date that very day. I wondered about how much food (other than bread) is thrown into the rubbish. Though the sell-by dates are there, most of the food is still fairly fresh, but can’t be kept on the shelves due to legal reasons (and health and safety, granted that is important.)

This truly got me wondering about something. How much of an effort would these big companies need to make to ensure that this food, being made the same day, was being used on the same day in places such as soup kitchens. I guess the major issue would be getting it there logistically so it could be used up. This would mean financial resources being utilized and a potential reduction in profits (though I imagine it would do a LOT for their reputation with the public.) I imagine it would take a bit more effort than maybe they are prepared to make, but its not just the big organizations I am wondering about. How often do we stop short of doing that little bit extra that would make a difference that may even live beyond us?

Now I realize that these questions are not my usual more upbeat and positive style. But at times, we need to ask the question: are we stopping short? could we possibly do a bit more, or do better? Now let’s ask it in a different way. What if I did that little bit extra (like recycle that newspaper, or plastic bottle), what difference would that make in my life? what would it say about who I am? How might it impact others after me?

I invite you to explore the areas of your life where you could be doing just that little bit more. Possibilities include:
what you do with old clothes
Electrical items you no longer need, or even used batteries
Do you recycle your everyday waste
What about taking a few moments to call a friend you haven’t spoken to in a long time.

I wonder what you’re noticing. Maybe you have noticed similar issues? I hope that we all realize that it will take very little, but the difference that can be made will be significant. Please do report your findings and leave your comments.

Would you like to be understood and valued by the people in your life? How about working on enhancing the skills that will make this possible? I am going to give you a few very useful tips. Look at my video below to learn the first, most important tip to having your voice heard. Give the tip a go, and let me know what happens.

My neighbor, who I became acquainted with only last week, had very kindly invited me to her home for a dinner party she was throwing this weekend. Part of me wanted to just curl on my sofa and play it safe especially being unwell, but the other part of me wanted to move beyond my comfort zone, meet some new people and forge this relationship a bit more. I fought with myself for quite a while and then ended up going. Once i’d got there, I actually had quite a nice time. This really got me to thinking about what I, and many people I know often do….we play it safe!

When do you find yourself backing out of a potentially challenging situation? What would happen if you went out of your comfort zone a little? The next time you have a potential opportunity to do something new, I invite you to ask yourself “what might I gain in my life by doing this? What opportunities may open up? If this question still leaves you wondering if doing something new is worth it, then ask yourself what you might lose from not doing it. It may be useful to explore what you would be losing from doing it, so you know that you wouldn’t be losing too much (in this case I would have lost two hours of being on the sofa…something I could live with!) I wonder what you discover and how much easier it will be to just jump in!

I often find myself being a bit more of a “human-doing” rather than a human being so his words really struck a cord with me. Don’t get me wrong, taking action is very important too. Being driven has helped me achieve a lot of my goals, and I’ve worked with lots of determined people who get things done. However, it does come at a price. A lot of energy is spent looking for opportunities and chasing things up.

I do wonder what would it be like well…just to “be” and to allow things to come to me for a change. What if I could allow things to unfold? Well, sometimes the most wonderful things occur from what most people call coincidences. These lovely occurrences don’t happen when we are busy taking action. When we are busy taking action and running around, we sometimes miss opportunities that may be right in front of us. Dean reminded me that slowing down, taking a breath and just allowing things to unfold is equally as important as taking action. It is figuring out what to do when! When we get that balance right, we renew our own energy and have renewed vigour for when we want to go out and achieve our dreams.

I invite you to ask yourself about your own balance. Do you allow yourself to “be”? How much of the time?

I invite you to take some time out every day to check in with yourself and ask, is it the time for me to be taking action, or will I benefit more from allowing myself to be in the moment. I hope you will find new opportunities emerging.

As a woman, whether you are a single professional, a full-time mother, or somewhere in between, you quickly learn to become an expert juggler, handling families, careers, friendships, and personal needs with dexterity.

Until a circumstance arises – an “extra ball” that throws your entire life off balance.

There is a way to improve this situation.

Imagine what it would be like if you could juggle everything in a manner that made you feel satisfied, in control, and confident. What would that powerful balance look, feel, and sound like for you? This balance is possible, with the support of a process called personal coaching.

Personal coaching provides an objective, non-judgmental sounding board to explore any aspect of your life that is important to you. Coaching begins with where you are now, helps you to explore what may be possible, and supports you in turning that into your reality.

Take time management as an example. Ever had a really busy day, and then wondered what you did with your time at the end of it? How much of your day do you spend on things that add real value to your life? Coaching can help shift your relationship to time so that it is spent on people and activities that you value and cherish, thereby adding more depth and meaning to your daily life.

Coaching can also address the roots of stress, whether it is related to your career, relationships, health, parenting or communication skills, dealing with past events that may be holding you back from fulfilling your potential, or spending too much time putting out the daily fires of life and not enough on what inspires you.

By exploring what is truly important to you with your coach, you can begin making conscious life choices and setting powerful, attainable goals for yourself. Through the support of your coach, you will create practical steps to transform your outlook and begin living the life you truly want.

Coaching is a gift you give yourself. Take some time out of your life, to make your life happen…for you.

“Early one morning a man was walking along the beach, watching the ocean waves breaking on the shore, and he saw a most unusual thing. He saw that the beach was littered with thousands of starfish that had been washed up on shore and were dying in the sun. Far down the beach in the distance, he could see a young woman picking up starfish and throwing them back in the ocean, one at a time. When he was close enough to her to be heard above the waves the man said, “You’re wasting your time, there are thousands of starfish here. You can’t possibly make any difference.” The young woman reached down, picked up a starfish, and threw it as far as she could, back into the sea. “I made a difference to that one,’ she said, and she reached down to pick up another.