Are you in control? (nope - you're not!)

I love skiing, but am no in way a gun on the slopes. I am new to telemarking too. But what astounded me was how much I was trying to force a result in the most fluid of sports. In this quick video you can see me really struggle (and almost wipe out) trying to stay upright and execute the turns properly. My body is stiff and stilted, and my gaze is on the tips of my skis rather than down the slope. I am really fighting everything here -gravity the snow, and my own brain as I try and perform for the camera. Yikes!

So my little buddies, here are my Law of Attraction lessons, brought to you from a day in the snow:

1. Focus on where you want to go. If you keep your eyes stuck on your skis you will surely ram in to a tree. This goes for everything in life - be mindful of where you are, but focus your energy and enthusiasm on where you'd like to go.

2. Let go of trying to be in control! Trust the mountain and gravity to pull you forward. You don't need to control every single element In fact, it is better if you don't - be guided by the feel of the mountain rather than what your brain is saying to you - 'turn now, transfer weight, knees together, blah blah blah...' So as in life - be guided what feels good, and let the brain shut off for awhile. You've just got to trust that the greater forces of nature (gravity, attraction) will guide you the right way.

3. Keep it light! No need to prove anything. This is supposed to be fun, right? After all, those ski dudes fell down heaps before they good do their whoosh whooshing. So enjoy the falls too.



And now watch Rob as he flows a lot more easily!



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How to deal with setbacks

Well my friends, last week I spent dealing with a dripping nose and what felt like a box squeezing my brain.

The change of season lurgy hit me hard.

All my grand plans for getting another video out to you and dazzling myself with my ever shrinking and firming butt came to nought.

It was such a great reminder that things don't always happen according to your time table. Manifestation has its own magical agenda.

The trick of course as a powerful creator is to steer away from the 'woe is me, now I am way behind' vibe that comes up when you face such a setback.

And boy was this hard to do last week! It is incredibly difficult to shift a negative vibe when you are feeling so worn out, heavy-headed and uncomfortable.

But what we resist, persists, right? So I knew I had to find some way of shifting my focus away from "I don't want to be sick" thoughts.

I tried appreciation. What could I appreciate about the situation? Nothing, was my brain's answer.

If I might find something to appreciate about the situation, what would it be? Nothing.

Hmmm...not working. How about, what am I grateful for?

And then the trickle started:
I am grateful for the fact that I can actually still work a little.
I am grateful that I LOVE my work.
I am grateful that my clients are so awesome.
I am grateful that my on-line business ticks over even when I am sick.
I am grateful for the fact that I no longer have cancer.
I am grateful for the fact that this is the only time in 12 months that I have been sick - that shows my immune system is getting stronger!

The gratitude rant gave me an opening - and my good vibes started to flow again - I felt more in the flow.

Next I imagined what it was like to be fit and healthy again - running through the bush trails and feeling alive and vibrant. And for a nano-second, my head did not hurt at all.

I'd opened up the flow and got some relief.

And now this week with just a few lingering traces of my cold, I am so grateful for my return to health, my return to the gym, and the launch of my new Inner Circle program.

What seemed like an eternity of setbacks and delays now just seems like a blip. Not even.

Just goes to show how even the smallest of shifts, in the toughest of circumstances, can keep you flowing in the right direction.

As far as Booty Bootcamp goes, it's back on!

This week's focus is on 'acting as if'. Acting as if I'd already achieved my awesome posterior. What would I be thinking? What would I be saying? What might others say to me? What do I do to maintain my Charlie's Angels figure? What does a Charlie's Angel eat to honour her tush? What does she do for exercise? I'm doing it all dudes!

And here is a photo of me in my ever-fashionable wetsuit that I wore the weekend before I got sick (possibly one of the reasons I got sick in the first place - two days of surfing in cold water).


This photo reminds me that I am ever so grateful that I have a body I can take surfing :)

Have a wickedly wonderful week folks!

Zoe

How to be an 'allower'

This Friday I'm getting measured for the results of my 16 week body transformation program. I can't say the results have been spectacular; I've got plenty of excuses: a trip overseas to New Zealand, a week off in Dubbo, and two months of unsuccessful IVF procedures really take their toll.

I can also say that I have not been desperate to transform my body (big tick in the manifestation checklist - no one wants to be 'desperate for' anything!) I like my body - it's healthy, it's curvy, and I have all sorts of fabulous adventures with it. We're on good terms.

Like a zillion other women, I fancy a little less wobble here, a little less jiggle there, and a whole lot more firmness there.

I know that by focusing on my wobbly bits I only perpetuate their jello-like behaviour. (What you focus on, you manifest, right?) So how do I let go of the desire for that stripper-like, hard, smooth butt, and stop focusing on my dimpled one, and be an 'allower'?

I've worked out that it's really a commitment to enjoying the process. The feeling of enjoyment, satisfaction, gratitude, and pleasure, in the moment, is the state that allows things to flow.

What most people have trouble with however, is getting in to that state of bliss when their reality is clearly not what they want. Those pants just stay a little too tight no matter how much gratitude-listing, visualising, and affirmations I do. This grounds me firmly in the present where my desire is clearly not manifested yet. This is resistance pure and simple. Ugh.

So here's my trick: I focus on enjoying the process. I really do enjoy working out. I love the rush of energy, I love feeling the strength of my muscles push against machines or strain to do one more push up. In the moments where I finish a workout slick with sweat, I can honestly say I feel satisfied and triumphant. I do not care about the orange peel butt. (I can't see it anyway with shorts on). I know I've worked out, I'm healthy, strong, fit, and have the full use of all my physical faculties. Right on.

Compare the old strategy of keeping the end in mind: when I held the intended result in my head during a workout I would often get discouraged - every pushup would remind me I was not at my goal yet. The runs would seem pointless -when would my derriere transform? It all seemed so far away in the future kind of stuff.

Focusing on my muscles, breathing, and the energy zipping through me in the moment really boosted my vibe and released me from that 'when is it going to happen' feeling.

The beach-babe body then becomes a by-product of effort, and not the reason for effort. The reason for effort is simply this: to feel good. This is how I let go of the outcome. And funnily enough, my butt is responding.

So next time you sit down to write your gratitude journal, or do some visualisations, check in and see if you are enjoying the process for itself, and not just hanging on the results you hope the effort will bring. It makes a world of difference, I can assure you.

Zoe
P.S. Want to change the beliefs you have about being able to transform your body? Listen in to the interviews with ten coaches who share their secret belief-busting strategies in Law of Attraction Superhighway.

P.P.S. Have you got some great body transformation manifestation tips? Share 'em! I'm all in to fast easy results - beach time is only 3 weeks away here Down Under.

Backhand bliss

Sooner or later your intention catches up with you.

Like with my tennis game. Ever since I embraced the concept of enjoying tennis and wanting to feel good in hitting the ball (instead of cranky and embarrassed by my lack of skill), things have started to shift a little.

My friend Roger bought me a tennis lesson with a great coach. I bought a new tennis racket (one the size of house that makes it a lot easier to hit the ball). And I've been practicing.

This weekend Rob took me out with our laundry basket full of balls to throw at me so I can practice my technique.

My backhand is my worst stroke - it clangs, hits the net, or goes careening out of bounds. Last time it was a devastating experience - I just couldn't get it.

This week I held the intention of being positive and desiring to hit the sweet spot on my backhand. No pressure - just a simple wish for it to feel good.

So this Sunday out on the court, Rob threw balls at me, and I swept them back beautifully, with a lovely top spin, and on target (mostly).

There is nothing like being in the groove. And the amazing thing is that it took a lot less effort than trying to make my stroke work better.

I'm curious - when have you let go of needing to 'make it work' and simply let it be a wish? I'd love to hear your story. Especially if it helps my tennis game!

Tennis, anyone?

I took tennis lessons as a kid. That was, like, 30 years ago. Isn't your body supposed to remember how to do things?

Well not so for this bag of bones.

This weekend Rob took me out for a hit on a popular court. There were four guys who knew what they were doing whamming away in the court beside us. Rob had a bucket of balls and bounced them to me to practice my strokes. 7 balls went over the 20 foot fence. 6 rolled on to the court with the four tennis rats next door. Many went through that hole in my tennis racket.

I'm not a bad athlete. I have run 6 marathons. I've played on soccer and field hockey teams. I can hit a pretty mean golf shot from time to time.

But yesterday on the tennis court I felt like a goose with octopus arms: all waddle and waving limbs.

Boy oh boy this was hard on my ego. Plus there was an audience of experts whacking away with ease and grace. All my self-conscious buttons were being slammed with giant negative self-talk sledgehammers. "I'm such a loser. What a gumby. Those guys are laughing at me for sure. Rob must be so embarrassed. Why can't I hit the damn ball? It's the racket - it's a crap racket. I always have crappy gear. I'll never get this right..."

I felt tears sting my eyes and my throat tighten. I was really gearing up for a dummy spit and a sour-faced pout.

I took a moment and took a deep breath. It was unusually warm out and the air was sweet - like a Canadian summer morning. I smiled. I love Canadian summer mornings! A zillion summer memories came flooding in: canoeing on beautiful lakes, fun in the sun with best friends, and adventure after adventure. Here I was, in Australia, playing tennis with my oh-so-patient husband who gently and without judgment hit one ball after another to me so I could have a go at learning how to hit a ball. He could have been out playing his mates and getting a decent game, but he was there, with me, because he loved me and wanted to have fun. With me. I felt good again.

Isn't it amazing how your mood and perception can change in a heartbeat if you let it?

Yeah, you can do it too.

Sunset on Lake of the Woods, Ontario