My 7 year journey

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Facebook threw up the photo on the left the other day and I had to take several moments to breathe in the journey I have been on. The photos are almost exactly 7 years apart and what a journey it has been.

7 years ago, at age 22, as ‘confident’ and ‘headed places’ as I was (I had a big group of friends around me and was already in politics working full time + in my final year at uni) I wasn’t sincerely happy.

I had a body that was getting abused with bad food, binge drinking and recreational drugs (ecstasy every other weekend), and a mind that was completely devoid of self worth and emotional strength.

And one day I woke up, and decided to change, just like that. It was a night I was on pills and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror – and LITERALLY didn’t recognise the woman staring back at me. Body, mind & spirit. So I changed. Morgan and I transformed our lives S.L.O.W.L.E.Y – changed our whole diet, I stopped saying yes to music festivals & parties I knew I’d be tempted to take drugs, and swapped out tv for books. In 2010 I had my major jaw reconstruction surgery (life changing surgery to fix my severe underbite). I dropped 17kgs – 6kg from the surgery, 11kg on my own, (Morgan dropped 23kg) and started to change literally from the inside (mind) out (body). 2 years in to that journey, I found nutritional cleansing yes – and have maintained my weight and results with those life changing products ever since, but that isn’t where this initial transformation ever came from.

This came from knowing who I was with conviction- and making drastic changes towards becoming that woman. It was knowing NO ONE defined my worth but me. It was being sick of thinking my power was external to me – when I had the keys all along.

There isn’t an excuse in the WORLD I will hear from someone, especially a woman (one day I will share my ENTIRE story) as to why you are so stuck in fear to change. Not one.

You are not what you weigh, how you have or haven’t looked, who you have slept with, you aren’t your dark past, or a fucked up childhood, you are not your mother or fathers or families expectations. You are not your scars or your feelings of unworthiness. YOU ARE NOT YOUR MISTAKES.

YOU are the one who gets to decide how your story will go.

YOU are the one who gets to feel, determine & KNOW your worth.

YOU are the one who gets to find your voice. No matter how long it’s been lost.

YOU are the one who gets to find the fire & the fight from within and share THAT journey.

No one, not your past, not your old stories, not men (or women) who have taken sexual rights from you, not any abuse, not a dark history, not A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G or ANYONE gets to tell you who you are. Only you get to do that.

YOU are a walking piece of art crafted for THIS lifetime not here to waste one second letting others define you.

You are the author of your life. And you need to understand that you get to claim all of your power & potency back in any given moment and write how the rest of your story will go.

Because I assure you – if I can do it, then you CERTAINLY can. Your time is now, the year has never been more perfect and the calling is officially on your life.

G.O and be the woman you were always born to be, and I will always be here – cheering you on the loudest <3

p.s I have to shout out to the main man in my life Morgan too who was there for every tiny step OF this journey and has supported me in ways that I can’t even explain

Overcoming resistance … I’m back (daily – almost)

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It’s 8:44am and I am sitting here looking out over the beautiful marina in my cozy little neighbourhood about to start this blog piece with a fresh new commitment to writing, every.single.day.

But immediately, the inevitable happens, what happens every time I go to write. Resistance slowly and sneakily takes over – and without even realising it, just under 10 minutes has passed and I realised I have been sitting here scrolling Instagram.

I silently tell myself ENOUGH in my mind, put my phone down and start to write.

And here I am.

Back to my happy place. Writing. And here you are, back at maybe your happy place of exploring the internet, reading it. Which I am so eternally grateful for. Always.

I started writing on my blog – ‘this’ blog (it’s had a major re brand from lifesshinyprettythings to annaandmorgan is all) in May of 2011, so on 23rd May of this year, I will have been sharing my life in this space for 6 years. Back when I started, I had a commitment to write almost daily. I would work 10+ hour days in Federal Politics, (sometimes 18+ hours if it was a Parliamentary sitting week), but every night, still get home and go in to my home office which I still so lovingly dub my zen den, and write in this space. Why? Because I love to write, it was and is writing that makes me happy.

You know those books and quotes and eye catching phrases that talk about finding the things where you can be doing it for hours and hours on end but have barely even noticed the time? That is writing to me. It’s of showing up to a blank piece of paper and just beginning to type or write and seeing what comes out.

And yet, somewhere along the way in this last 6 years, my commitment to daily writing has become almost non existent. I journal, sure, privately and almost daily – but it used to be those journal pages that I would share online, instead of writing in a book privately, I would write it on this blank white paper on the screen, in this space, and that is what made this space (in my opinion) so special.

So I am back.

Because I am done with the excuses of I don’t have time, or every.other.tiny.little.excuse that I throw up in my mind daily when I keep telling myself to sit and open that laptop with no wifi and just write. With no interruptions and before I do anything else in my day.

I can’t promise it will be every day, well actually no – I can. I can promise it will be every day, but I can’t promise it’ll be published every day.

My commitment is to show up to my blank pieces of paper on my screen and write NO MATTER WHAT – some days it might be absolute verbal vomit on a page – other days it might be the most profound or craziest thing I have shared. Most posts will make the cut I am sure, but some won’t. Either way we are back on this journey together.

Gone (finally) are the feelings that every single thing I write has to be a lesson for you or 5 steps to blah or content that you NEED to take something away from.

No.

Now I so fully understand that the very practice of just showing up, daily, is a lesson for you in itself, to show up to the ONE thing YOU love, every single day, no matter what.

And the magic, the real magic of my writing and this space, is just that also, the fact that I DO show up as myself, always, and just share what’s on my heart – some days it may be lessons, other days I might be sharing the craziest day that happened whilst travelling the world, or hell, even talking about sex.

Just know this, I will write for as long as you show up to read, and even then, I will continue to write when you don’t.

I am so excited to go back on this journey with you, and can’t wait to see where it takes us both.

The discipline of letting go

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Last week, I let go.

I let go of everything.

Sitting by the infinity pool looking at the infinite ocean feeling infinite love – I handed over ALL the B.S that has been holding me back because I’ve been letting it be centre stage for awhile.

I let go of fear around playing bigger (because playing bigger opens you up to bigger failure right? WRONG). I let it go.

I let go of the thought I actually was playing small (sense a theme here?) and realised I AM doing and being exactly what and who I am meant to be. So I let it go.

I let go of trying to figure it all out and accepted the fact that right here and now – all is as its meant to be. I had my breathe, my health, my happiness and realised a life of living in the present FEELS far more delicious than trying to figure out the future. I let it go.

I journaled and journaled and journaled and released that EVERYTHING is exactly as its meant to be as all my choices have lead me to this exact moment, and that exact moment was perfect.

MY job was just to keep expanding in to love and success and abundance (did I say love?) and inspire those around me to do the same.

Even the healer I see when I am in Bali got it. He tapped me in my heart space and said “ahhh, you have let go, you have realised that you finally can stop looking and start realising you’ve always had the answers” (there may have been some happy tears).

I have realised that all the things I focus on in my moments of doubt or uncertainty – like playing small or constantly thinking about what next what next (‘feelings around ‘not ever feeling stuck’) – were the exact things I was calling in to my life because I WAS focusing on them.

So to have truly let it all go, I can tell you that I honestly felt a clarity and lightness that I have never had before.

A TRUSTING – my soul letting me know ‘hey beautiful, finally you have let go and NOW we can have some fun, NOW we can unleash your true power and remember you never have to feel again the feelings that have been keeping you stuck”.

And that’s all great for me – but what about YOU?

What can YOU let go? What have you been focusing on in your life (consciously or subconcisouly) that energetically and physically has been holding you back.

Because I assure you, to let it go brings a grace and softness and lightness to your life like nothing else.

Trust that;

You are exactly who you are meant to be in this moment.

You are exactly where you are meant to be in this moment.

Once you accept that and let go of trying to CHANGE that – is when change actually comes.

So today – I wish you love and lightness as you let go of the things that have been consuming your thought and heart space – because I assure you, it feels really damn good.

An open letter to all women, you need to read this…

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85%.

The number of women saying they ‘opt out of important life activities, such as trying out for a team or club, and engaging with family or loved ones, when they don’t feel good about the way they look.

7/10.

The number of girls with low body esteem who say they won’t be assertive in their opinion or stick to their decision if they aren’t happy with the way they look.

9/10.

The number of women who will stop themselves from eating or will otherwise put their health at risk.

8/10.

The number of both women and girls who feel some pressure to never make mistakes or show weakness.

I recently read these statistics in the Dove Global Beauty and Confidence Report and was reduced to tears. I have no doubt that you will all agree, that these statistics are just so not ok.

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In 2016, to hear that women are holding themselves back from loved ones or stopping themselves from eating is not ok.

To also hear we’re then raising a generation of younger girls who are loosing their voice, all because they don’t feel good about themselves … is not ok.

It’s especially not ok to hear that 8/10 women and girls alike think they have to be perfect, that they can’t make mistakes or heaven forbid show weakness.

I stand here today to that whilst I have a beating heart, I will not let these statistics get any worse.

And I get it.

It’s all good and well for me to sit at my computer and write-up statistics and say they’re not ok, but what am I actually going to DO about it.

Well here’s the thing.

I believe the best way to combat women self-esteem issues, is to be a woman with HIGH self-esteem.

I believe the best way to show women how to truly love themselves, ALL of themselves, even their self perceived flaws – is to be a woman who truly does love herself, ALL of herself, even all of her self perceived flaws.

And I do.

I believe the best way to show women they DO NOT have to be perfect and it’s ok to be vulnerable and show weakness when it comes up, is to be a woman who IS NOT perfect and who shows up in life vulnerably and bares her weaknesses.

And I hope that I do that well too.

You might think that I live a bold and out there public life. And you’d be right. I do. And maybe now for those that have ever questioned it might start to understand it’s for good reason.

Because I realise that I have a LOT of work to do in this world, and I can’t do it whilst shutting up, letting statistics of women’s self-worth and worthiness get worse and worse – all the while being too scared to speak up to piss someone off or be misunderstood by haters. Fuck. THAT.

I am a woman who has worked HARD on herself. Extremely hard on herself.

I am a woman who has accepted that that work will never be done though, and personal development and self-love is a daily practice. I am a woman who has recognised however being on that journey, I still need to love myself through the process, every step of the way.

I am a woman who has fallen in love with her broken parts. The pain parts. The weak parts of herself that instead of shutting off from the world, I SHARE with the world.

I am a woman who see’s her flaws as unique, not something that has to be ‘fixed’ constantly.

I am a woman who has fallen in love with her perfectly imperfect self – and has a VOICE about that.

I am a woman not part of the 85% statistic who opt out of important life activities.

I am a woman not part of the 7/10 girls who don’t voice their opinion because of low self-esteem.

I am absolutely not one of the 9/10 women who stop themselves from eating due to low body confidence.

And I am especially not one of the 8/10 women who think they have to be perfect and never show weakness.

And I am PROUD of that.

beautiful

I refuse to live in a world where women have such low self-esteem and confidence that they take themselves out of living their boldest, grandest and brightest life.

You do not have to fit a particular mold of beautiful ladies.

You do not have to be a certain size or colour or age to BE beautiful ladies.

Exactly who you are, exactly how you are, is exactly who you’re meant to be.

We have GOT to stop looking to Instagram, and Facebook and tv’s and magazines to tell us what we’re meant to look like, what clothes we should own and what we need to do to our face and body to make ourselves beautiful.

News flash.

You already ARE beautiful.

There is a quote by J.Iron Word I have on my desktop to refer to whenever I need a bit of self-love ass kicking, and it says;

“She didn’t need to be saved. She needed to be found

and appreciated for exactly who she was”.

Double News Flash.

YOU are the only person who can find yourself.

YOU are the only person who can appreciate you for exactly who YOU are.

You want to know the sexiest most beautiful thing in the world on a woman?? HAPPINESS – which leads to CONFIDENCE…which ultimately just leads to more HAPPINESS.

One thing I know for sure, is that self-esteem and self-confidence is not an external ‘thing’ that can be found, it wholly and fully comes from within.

And something else I know for sure – is no matter how low a self-esteem you have, or self-worth issues you have – I have been in that gut wrenching shitty hole too and climbed VERY far out of it, and purely stand here today FOR you as a lighthouse of possibility.

I also recognise that it’s not just going to come down to us individually to work on ourselves to grow our self-esteem and self-confidence muscle.

We as a society can absolutely do better.

It’s going to come from ALL of us. All of the time.

It’s going to come from us stopping putting ALL of the blame on media, like they’re some evil thing out to get us and rip us down at any chance they get (which is a wholeeeee other blog post on it’s own), and start realizing that media operate on supply and demand. If the demand for portrayal of perfect women and ‘perfect’ sizing wasn’t so huge, they wouldn’t push it on our televisions and in our magazines so much.

It’s going to come from men loving their girlfriends / partners / wives better.

And more importantly, girlfriends / partners and wives loving THEMSELVES better.

It’s going to come from daring acts of self-love so grand we can flip the word selfish on its head. Make selfish a GOOD thing. Make self-love a NECESSITY not a ‘I’ll get to it on the brink of breakdown or burn out”.

I get that this isn’t something that is just going to ‘switch’ over night. Of course not.

I also get that it’s not something ‘easily’ fixed – but I also don’t believe its hard.

Ladies. We need to start loving ourselves MORE and doubting ourselves LESS.

There is a whole lotta hope though and a big solution to this ‘problem’, and it came from my favourite sentence in the report which was this;

7/10 women and 8/10 girls report feeling more confident or positive when they invest time in caring for themselves, taking time to care for their minds, body and appearance.

So you see ladies, as I said above – we HAVE to start loving ourselves more, and I mean physically love ourselves more.

fall-in-love

I have yelled from the roof tops about self-care routines since I started blogging back in 2011, knowing it was in fact the very thing to have set me on a path of self-love and worth.

Darlings. It’s time to stop saying ‘I don’t have time’, between work schedules and kids, or just crazy schedules and other commitments, and start making it a priority in your every day.

There are no rules to self-love practices either. It can look like whatever it needs to look like for you.

A walk. Or maybe some meditating. Or maybe it’s Journaling or sunrise and sunset beach sprints. Maybe it’s sweaty gym sessions or reading an uplifting book with a hot cup of jo every morning. It could be non negotiable bed times so you start getting more sleep.

It could be dry body brushing with a podcast on or long hot baths no matter what with beautiful essential oils every single night.

You see ladies, when you fill your own cup up first, you CAN step out in the world a little…fuller.

When you start to look after yourself as a matter of priority – magic can happen in your life. You start to look after yourself even better. You start to love on yourself more. You start to take care of YOU. And when you take care of YOU, self-confidence naturally rises, which turns your self-esteem UP.

Here is the other huge thing though, and something I hope you can get behind in a big way. I don’t think it comes down to just us as individuals either ladies, out there in a world that does very often try to tell us to be a certain woman we are not. It’s to remember that we are a sisterhood. As Constance Hall so beautifully refers to us – we are all Queens. So I believe, the other singular most powerful thing we can do as women on the quest of finding and growing our self-esteem and self-confidence through self-love – is hold other women in our lives accountable.

Check in. Ask the question. Make a plan with your girlfriends closest to you and hold each other accountable. Don’t let your fellow goddess go another day or week or month feeling like she doesn’t get to have the confidence she deserves to be exactly who she believes she can be.

And please just know this. That no matter where you are in your journey in trying to find yourself, to love yourself, and to gain more self-confidence – I am over here, ALWAYS… cheering you on, having your back and being a stand for you.

Love Anna,

XO

life

Dove Beauty Report and statistics found here: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-dove-research-finds-beauty-pressures-up-and-women-and-girls-calling-for-change-583743391.html

Images: here, here, here, here.

Tuning in to your soul; to live on purpose

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It’s 7:30am here in beautiful Bali and I am currently sitting over looking the infinity pool that looks out over the ocean here at our divine hotel. There are no other souls in sight, and why would there be, I think I’m the only weirdo who still loves waking up really early on ‘holidays’.

It’s just me, my book, my gratitude journal, my conscious creating journal, my laptop and the energy of total and utter fulfillment.

I came to Bali to work by the infinity pool – Morgan and I have created a life for ourselves where we are location independent so can just pack up and go work from a pool instead of our home office whenever we feel like it and we did just that the last week – but I also had a deep desire to find a better groove and rhythm with my schedule. And I knew it would take a trip to Bali to ground and centre in to it.

Back on May 23rd 2011 I pressed publish on my very first post on my very first blog I created; lifesshinyprettythings. Back then no one really knew what a blog was, in fact most people absolutely didn’t know what they were and even more people didn’t do it. Blogs were big in the U.S but very few Aussie girls were creating spaces to share their daily musings online.

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I loved the idea of it though, I was a young girl of 23 trying to find her mark in the world and was going through such massive transformation I wanted a space to share all of that – who I was, where I was headed, and the journey along the way. I also loved to write, ever since I was little I have loved to write, so it was like combining a sincere passion of mine with an awesome idea – and lifesshinyprettythings was born.

Every single day forever more, I came home from my full time corporate career, and spent every night in my zen den, writing for my online space.

It literally became the thing that kept me up late and got me up early and my love of writing only deepened. I was even viewing the world through new lenses as being an almost daily poster (aka, sharing one post a day) meant I needed to go through new experiences or emotions to share congruently and authentically.

Over time and love and sweat, I accrued a beautiful organic following of like minded women who too loved what I loved and resonated with what I shared.

It was thanks to that blog I knew that corporate REALLY wasn’t for me – I used to get so passionate about writing and wanting to grow that to videos, courses – whatever I could to empower women as I found empowerment through finding my own voice.

FYS1

March 2013, so almost 2 years after starting the blog, I found network marketing through the worlds BEST company. I said a big excited yes to nutritional cleansing and everything that came with that and CANNON BALLED in to the business side of the company. Why? Because after years of blogging and knowing corporate wasn’t for me, I knew I had found the very vehicle that could allow more time AND financial freedom in my life.

Cannon balling in to something and giving it your absolute all – all of my spare time, waking moments, love and attention… other things in my life had to be put aside; and writing daily for the blog was one of them. And you know what, it had to happen. I had finally found the exact thing that was actually going to give me the time and financial freedom Morgan and I were so desperately looking for in our life, and with all great success stories, it had to take, and did take sacrifice.

I didn’t neglect it entirely of course, you can’t ignore your passion entirely after all, I even did the huge job of re branding my little ole space of lifesshinyprettythings to the new annaandmorgan dot com site that I pour my time and attention in to today.

Here is the thing though, for the last 3 years, I have built my business, and for at the very least 1 of those years, I have had the eternal tug of wanting to go back to writing and posting much more frequently, but I always had an excuse.

That I should be doing a call instead.

That I shouldn’t start my day with writing (when I’m most in my creative energy) because that is when I should be doing biz emails or biz ‘things’.

That I shouldn’t do something that makes me feel so GOOD when I am not where I want to be with our business goals yet.

That I don’t have the time.

These are just some – I could probably actually write a book on excuses as to why I hadn’t gone back to my daily writing practice.

But there it was still. That eternal tug at my soul, write Anna, write.

I started to talk to Morgan about it. Like I was almost seeking approval.

I told him I wanted to go back to writing again, and he told me I should. I told him though that my writing would have to be in the morning, when I normally do a lot of my big impact biz stuff and that he would have to step up – and he said he would. He also reminded me that there was another 10 hours of my day (more even) that I could hit the biz stuff in after I had filled my cup first with writing.

I said ok.

So here I sit, at 7:30am in the morning, poolside in Bali, flexing my writing muscle again – declaring I’m back. That is the thing as well, if I am accountable to you again, whoever this is, taking the time out of your busy crazy day to read this little space of the internet – then I hold myself extremely accountable.

And guess what?

It feels so.fucking.good.

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And that’s the thing about following the eternal tug on your soul – following what your soul is asking of you (for me, that was to write), feels GOOD, and good feelings put you in flow, and being in flow, leads to an incredibly beautiful and divinely inspired life.

This is just my story. I want to know yours though. The greatest story yet to be told is always your own but I hope if you learned anything for my own, its that you have to start listening to your soul again (it’s not woo woo, it’s the same as if I wrote trust your gut, or listen intuitively to what your body or mind is asking for).

What is it in your own life you have kept putting off because you’ve been too busy, or because it feels GOOD which makes you feel guilty?

Is it making sure you have a bath husband / kid and phone free every single night?

Is it privately journaling about a new journey you’re on?

Is it taking a candle making course?

Is it colouring in with really loud music when you get home from work?

I don’t know what your own soul / intuition / gut instinct is telling you to do, but I know you’re ignoring it, and I know listening to mine and getting back to the thing I love makes me incredibly happy, and it will for you too.

We have one go at this particular life darling heart – and if we don’t do the things we love on a daily basis then we just aren’t doing this life thing right.

So today, I dare you to follow your gut, listen to your intuition, tune in to your soul, and do the thing that its asking for most.

I promise you – you won’t regret it.

Anna

 

Making every day count

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You know sometimes, there are those moments of chance that you act upon and the simple act alone can change your life dramatically? Those moments that you’re not expecting, and the lesson doesn’t come immediately, but from the act alone. Thosemoments. 

It happened to me a mere 2 days ago as I was rushing to catch my plane to Bali. I normally always come prepared with soul defyingly good books tucked neatly away in my carry on luggage, but for some reason, this trip I had forgotten. So as I rushed past the newsagent steps from my gate, I took a risk and dived in to the aisles to make a hasty choice on a book I could devour by the pools. 

Best decision ever. 

I picked up a book by a favourite inspiration of mine – Robin Sharma titled “Life Lessons from the monk who sold his Ferrari” thinking it might hopefully be as good as the first book I had read from that series ‘the monk who sold his ferrari’. Not only was it ‘as good’, it exceeded every expectation. 

I am an inspiration junkie. I am attracted to any words, pictures, movies, or seminars where I think I could burn my passion a little brighter or become more connected to something far greater. And this book delivered that. 
There was 101 life lessons – all of which I resonated with deeply. But there was one particular lesson though; lesson 72 – ‘See your day as your life’ that particularly resonated a little harder than others and made my heart beat a little faster than normal. 
It read; 

“The days come and go like muffled and veiled figures sent from a distant, friendly party, but they say nothing, and if we do not use the gifts they bring, they carry them as silently away’, observed Emerson. As you live your days, so you will live your life. It is easy to get caught up in the trap of thinking that this day does not matter much given all the days that lie ahead of you. But a great life is nothing more than a series of great, well lived days strung together like a beautiful necklace of pearls. Every day counts and contributes to the quality of the end result. The past is gone, the future is but a figment, so this day is really all you can own. Invest it wisely. 

It continued to make my heart beat a little faster again with this; 

“Your life is not a dress rehearsal. Lost opportunities rarely come again. Today, vow to increase your passion for living and multiply the commitment you will bring to each of the days that will follow this one. Many people think that it takes months and years to change your life. respectfully, I disagree, You change your life the second you make a decision from the depths of your heart to be a better, more dedicated human being.

Expansive. Soul Swelling. Screaming to the sun ‘hells yes’.  Heart beating kind of goodness. It was going in to my concisous somewhere a lot deeper than other words do. It’s because the message amongst his words spoke such truth. 
Life is just a series of days. Lived, one after the other after the other, after the other. Neither is any more special than the last, each one containing a sunrise and a sunset, and another 24 hours. And yet there are some days I think – it’s ok, I don’t have to do better today, or it can’t wait for tomorrow, as it’s “just another day”. But it’s so not. 

Every single 24 hours we have the chance to live again. Our hours turn in to days, that turn in to weeks, that turn in to months that turn in to years. But ALL our time passes day by DAY. So that is the trick to this living thing – living each DAY like it is your most special one. Here’s the thing as well, you don’t know when your time is up so imagine living each day as if it was your last. 
Would you hit snooze 4 or 5 times? No you would be up with ease at sunrise in awe that it might be your last. Would you get agitated in traffic? Nope, you might turn up your favourite tunes a little louder or take the time to call a friend or family member you haven’t spoken to in awhile (on blue tooth of course). Would you let self hate or loathing stop you throughout your day – buying that yummy lunch, saying hello to strangers because you want to, writing a big love post on your social media platforms? Nope – because all judgement would go out the window – as that day would be it to do it. 

Every single day you have a new 24 hours laid out in front of you like a gift from the universe/mother nature/God/Science – whoever or whatever you believe in. It’s yours to do whatever you like with – so don’t waste it. Just remember that life isn’t big bold grand gestures and singular days you remember, it’s living consciously, day by day making the moments count. It’s realising that you have every day to write a new story, to be grateful, to be happy and to make a different in your life and others.

So how can you make your days count or be just as special as those days you feel alive on holiday, at Christmas or on a really good day you have just had on your weekend? Here are just some of my gentle nudges with love…

+ Wake up earlier. 
+ Make sure you are happy with where you’ve chosen to be at this stage in life, and if you’re not, change it. Without delay. 
+ Spend 5 minutes each morning writing what you’re grateful for. 
+ Watch the sunrise or the sunset, at least every day.
+ Practice the art of presence in all that you say and do. 
+ Stop rushing. Stop it. 
+ Be a better listener – remember we have two ears and one mouth, you might be surprised at how much better you connect and how much a deeper connection you have. 
+ Create a beautiful home. I think a home is a reflection of the life you THINK you deserve or what’s going on inside your mind. Keep your house spacious, clean, tidy and have things you love in it. 
+ On that note; don’t wait to use the good glasses, dinner set, champagne glasses – EVERY day should be celebrated. 
+ Toast more things – I don’t have one glass of champagne without toasting to something – good health, good friends, sunsets … whatever is currently filling me up. 
+ Eat good, healthy food – your body is a temple and one that must be respected daily.
+ Move your body – whether it’s a 10 minute walking around the block or an hour in the gym…just move your body. 
+ Don’t touch your phone in the morning until you have at least done your gratitudes, kissed and said hello to your loved ones and eaten breakfast. Facebook. Instagram. Emails can wait.
+ Meditate. Daily. Without Fail. 

And lastly;

+ Be more, do less. 

If this was your last 24 hours here on earth how would you be spending it? Wildly in love with your family. Forgiving. Thoughtful. In love. Hungry for fun. Present. Are just some of my guesses – but the beautiful thing is you can have that kind of day everyday, and THAT is what creates a magnificent life. 
So what are YOU going to do today that will create a more magnificent life for yourself? I’d love to hear it even if it’s one word in the comments below. 

Images; here and here 

Finding your morning routine

By on 11

There I was. 
It was just an ordinary day. In fact, it started like every other. 
Off I went on my 5:30am walk, smiling away like a crazy person yelling Good Morning (!!) to every person we (Morgs is my exercise partner in crime of course) came across, followed closely by me energetically entering my work place excited and smiling as always about the day that I had ahead of me, when it came. The question I am getting asked more regularly than not recently.
“Howwww are you soooo happy in the morning? I want to start my day as well as you”
My answer came back without me even thinking and it wasn’t an answer at all, it was simply this question….
“Well, what’s your morning routine?”
I advocate and believe from the bottom of my soul that starting the day off on a wonderful foot sets me up for the rest of the day. I can smile, laugh, and be ok with bad traffic, my bosses bad moods or shitty work loads because I made time for me that morning and I know my body, mind and spirit is nourished enough to not get caught up in the unnecessary stresses. 
So what IS exactly my morning routine? 
5:20am – Wake up to a new favourite song I’ve picked for that week instead of a crappy, soul draining alarm. How? I just choose whatever song I’m loving that week from my music library. You can do this through your iphone alarm clock, click on ‘Sound’ when you are editing your alarm and you can go in to your library of songs! Smile number 1 accomplished.
5:30am – Go for a walk (between 4km – 7km) around our local area with Morgs and stop for a take away coffee at our favourite cafe (antz in your pantz) on the way home. Smile number 2, 3, 4 & sometimes 5 accomplished. And generally some belly laughs too. 
7:00am – Put on our music to get ready to & have my breakfast, which is always a big healthy green smoothie. Smile number 6, and sometimes 7 if a song I really love comes on.
7:10am – Of course this is done as I am listening to my music and drinking my green smoothie (I still love a good multi task after all) but it is one of my most important beauty routines I do, period! … Dry Brush my whole body. Read about what this is all about here & then smother it in Organic coconut oil (instead of chemical filled moisturizer).
7:45am – I am always ready and I escape to my lady cave (Morgs has generally almost always left by now) where I sit for 20 minutes right before I have to leave for work & gratitude journal.  I do this right before I leave for the reason that by the time I get in the car, I am so brimming with gratitude and joy how could I not start my day excited and happy. I am SO hyper aware whilst driving as well from seeing all the things around me at just how much else I am grateful for that I didn’t put in my book.
Of course, on my drive to work as well, I have the music a’going so by the time I am at my work, (or wherever I have to be after my morning routine) I am happy, excited and bringing everything I’ve got. 
I am well aware there are souls reading this as well going, hang on a minute though Anna, I am NOT a morning person and that’s totally ok, I have some good news for you. You can be. The amazing, almost overwhelmingly exciting news is that it takes 30 days to make or break a habit. JUST 30 days.Which means beautiful, that if you hate getting up any earlier than you have to each morning, even getting up 10 minutes earlier every day to do just ONE thing for yourself will create the new habit within a month. 
Are you ready for the challenge now?
I challenge you to just pick one thing that you love, just one thing initially so it’s not overwhelming you give up after a week and do it every single morning before work. It doesn’t need to take up your whole morning either, in fact, I encourage you to start at something that will just be 5-10 minutes. That might mean instead of turning the news on (which let’s face it is sad news at best), you play your favourite songs…loudly. It might mean that you have been wanting to shift a kg or two so you get up and do 10 minutes of lunges and squats. It could even mean you get up 10 minutes earlier so you can read some positive quotes and start your day off with your mind in a positive place.
Whatever it is though, let it be your thing. 
Once you have your new habit with getting up a little earlier to incorporate you time in to your morning you might find you can get up another 10 minutes earlier again to do it for longer, or find a new nourishing activity. 
Ready to wake up earlier tomorrow and start your own morning routine yet? I hope so. The most important thing to remember with something like this is to not be hard on yourself. If one morning you wake up and simply can’t get up, don’t beat yourself up, maybe your body is just trying to say sleep & recover a little longer that day. The amazing thing to remember is you always have a new opportunity the very next day to start again. 
I’d love to hear what you are going to try to start doing each morning for you though, so drop me a line in the comments below sharing what you are going to try to start doing. I would love to help keep you accountable too, so flick me an email at lifesshinyprettythings@gmail.com with a header “Morning Routine” and what you’re planning on doing & I’ll email you in a week or so to check in on you!
With love & light,
Anna xx
Photos found here, & here.

Harness your greatness

By on 14

 
{Whilst doing some yoga/meditation poolside in St Tropez this – the above – is what came to me. I immediatley went back up & googled who said the famous words – naughty I didn’t know – and wanted to share it with you to further ignite some of your own inspiration. Because after all} –
“who are you NOT to be great?” 
 
There I was. On the bus from Cannes to Toulon, quietly minding my own business, blissfully watching the beautiful surroundings outside whizz by me with Emelie Sande blasting in my ears when this song of her’s came on…”Read all about it”. This trip for me (& Morgs but I don’t speak for him) was about more than just seeing the world and soaking up different sights & sounds. It was about growth on the inside. It was about having time to devour books that inspired me. It was about finding ways to really be ok with living authentically. Learning how to be 100% true to myself and not letting any external factors like opinions of others & little thing called ego get in the way of that. I can happily say that I am definetley on the way to finding ways to do that, but it will be road that I constantly have to keep in check.
 
So how does the song come in to this? Well. Simple.
 
Read.those.lyrics – posted below.
 
Every single day, we try to live a certain way. We say certain things, or don’t say certain things, we have incredibly limiting beliefs (I’m fat, I’m not good enough, I can’t do that it’s too hard)…we subconciously or conciously conform to this way of living to fit in. To gain more friends, keep the friends we’ve got, be accepted by others, feel loved. Whatever it is you chase.
 
But what if you could live 100% authentically. What if you didn’t have to worry about what you said because it comes from a place of love. What if you could pursue your dreams with gusto and courage because you believed in yourself 100%?
 
I have been trying to find the music within me on this holiday. Flame it bright & bring it out. I don’t want the music to die within me and I’m having an incredibly journey along the way.
 
I’m currently writing a little somethin’ somethin’ for you, my lovely readers that will be put up that you can download (for free) once it’s finished that hopefully helps you do the above.
 
But what about you in the meantime? You have a story, You have beliefs, You have a  song inside of you….so stop biting your tongue. Don’t stay in silence for fear of what might occur – if you’re doing it from a place of love & authenticity.
 
So today, I really challenge you to step outside your comfort zone & do something that challenges you. Something that you always want to do but are too scared of doing it. That might even mean approaching a friend about the way they speak to you or telling your parents you love them if you rarely do as it’s just ‘not what you do’.
 
We’ve all got our lives to lead, our stories to be told, our dreams to chase.
 
& hopefully, you don’t let the music or song ever die within you.
 
Love & Light.
 
p.s These were the lyrics which inspired this piece – This is my own journey of life changes & living and one that I’ve been on for awhile now but when I heard this song I hoped sharing it might inspire you too.

You’ve got the words to change a nation
but you’re biting your tongue
You’ve spent a life time stuck in silence
afraid you’ll say something wrong
If no one ever hears it how we gonna learn your song?
So come, on come on
Come on, come on
You’ve got a heart as loud as lions
So why let your voice be tamed?
Baby we’re a little different
there’s no need to be ashamed
You’ve got the light to fight the shadows
so stop hiding it away
Come on, Come on

I wanna sing, I wanna shout
I wanna scream till the words dry out
so put it in all of the papers,
i’m not afraid
they can read all about it
read all about it oh

At night we’re waking up the neighbours
while we sing away the blues
making sure that we remember yeah
cause we all matter too
if the truth has been forbidden
then we’re breaking all the rules
so come on, come on
come on, come on,
lets get the tv and the radio
to play our tune again
its ’bout time we got some airplay of our version of events

A life with no regret

By on 3

Sometimes Almost always, if you listen or focus enough, the universe dishes you up the exact thing you need at the exact right time in your life. There are constantly signs all around us that we need to pay very careful attention to. It happened to me late last week whilst travelling on the train between destinations. I stumbled upon the quote I am sharing with you today…

“You know all those things you’ve always wanted to do? You should DO THEM”

I had read it many times before and never resonated as hard as I did with it this particular moment in time. In fact, I got a little emotional. How profound I thought. How simplistic. How beautiful. How many times have we said we would LOVE to do this, that or the other … and yet here we are, days, weeks, months, even years later with that thing still unfulfilled. And sure. The goal is written down, you have every intention of doing it, but other things got in the way. Kids, boyfriends, money, depression, careers…stuff. Lots of stuff. But what if you actually honoured your ‘ those things’. What if you knew you had only a short time to live & all of a sudden those money problems, ex boyfriends & every other excuse you had given yourself over the years … suddenly seemed insignificant? I’m here to tell you, that right now, as you read this, your ‘things’ you really want to do – are the important things in your life, – as are the relationships in your life – they’re what matter. I personally don’t want to live with regrets. I don’t want to live 2,5,10 years in the future telling myself I’ll “get to them” it’s just “the timings not right”. I want to live fully, to love hard, to do my things I want to do NOW. 

You want to start yoga? – Call your local council (better yet get on their website) & find your nearest class, you would be surprised how cheap they are & how you will be on the same level as most people there. 
Love to take a dance lesson? – Book in at the nearest dance school & convince your mum or friend to go along. I know if you take the initiative to book it you’ll find others willing to join.
Have you been wanting to plan a big trip away? – Write a list of things you’d LOVE to do (swim in a new ocean? Eat some chocolate in Switzerland?), and then plan your perfect itinerary  open a savings bank account & pay yourself FIRST out of every pay to start your travel fund.
Do you hold back telling people that you love them as it’s awkward for you? – STOP IT. Right now. My biggest ‘thing’ in life is having all of my loved ones know just how much I love & adore them. I want to know that if I died, they would know how completely & utterly loved they were by me. There is NOTHING awkward about saying I love you, or how amazing someone is. It is uplifting for you & everyone else so bite the bullet, and start sharing your ‘I love you’s’ more freely. Remember the article I wrote on the top 5 regrets of the dying? This bad boy was up there as Regret #3 … SO GET SHARING. There is honestly NO excuse for this one.
Dying to go and book a cooking course? – Go & google, right now, cooking classes “insert city, country here”. You just need to start the process of looking it up. Once you do you’ll be so excited by how many options there are that you’ll want to book straight away – & they’re not as expensive as you might think!
Would you love to finally get the courage to belt out some karaoke in a bar? – This one might take a little more courage but find a small bar first, where there are rooms or booths you can hire – Minq at Burswood in Perth do this & start small. Also – going there remembering you don’t know anyone at the bar, they’re all there to have fun & karaoke is meant to be FUN – hopefully will make you  ust do it!!! Once you get up on that stage & the first word comes out of your mouth, I bet you my last dollar you’ll own that stage & song like no other.
Is it on your heart to start a book? Do you have a story that is dying to get out? Good for you number one, this is really exciting!!! My best advice? Just start. Find what get’s you inspired (it might be running, listening to loud music, sitting in your favourite chair) & just start. Over thinking isn’t good for anybody. Put that pen to paper. The exciting news is other people want to help you too – there is a book proposal kit you can buy here that helps you get started & really is kick ass. 
Have you not been cutting the fat from your life (i.e. bad friends, a shit boyfriend) because you’re scared of the unknown? Breathe. Breathe some more & JUST DO IT. Write a plan if you have to. Enlist the help of family or other friends. Admit to yourself that you KNOW you’ll be better off without them. It’s YOUR time. Life is too short for shit friends, lame boyfriends .. and  bad coffee whilst we’re at it. Realise you’re stronger than you realise  & that when you do cut the fat from your life, the universe will reward you with friends that actually love you & boyfriends that adore you. STOP EXPECTING ANYTHING LESS.
Have you been wanting to travel more, get home at a better hour, or earn more? I.e get a better job? This deserves it’s own post – which I’ll get too. But what’s holding you back? Yourself is what. The life you’re living for everybody else but yourself. The fact you can say what kind of job title you have, the company you work for or that you are working your way up to a high management position mean NOTHING..no-thing if it keeps you away from your real passions. How amazing if you could have a job that got you home earlier to have a coffee in the afternoon sun & do some yoga if that’s your thing. Or cook a healthy dinner whilst sharing a wine with your loved one. Or better yet – work that let you put money in the bank then travel (don’t tell me there aren’t jobs like this as it’s how I’m doing what I’m doing).
You want to have kids or get married but you keep putting it off to please families or budgets? Repeat after me. There is no such thing as perfect. There is no such thing as the right time. You can’t always make everybody happy. Phew. Now. Remind yourself what is most important in your life – like marriage & starting a family if that’s your thing and start making plans. 
Do you have a burning desire to book a one way ticket with just a backpack? Sure, This takes some more planning but this is exactly my point to it. START PLANNING. Get yourself a vision board. Buy a journal to write all your steps down starting at 1- 50 if need be to how you’re going to do this. Get a job that pays you more. Hell, get your mum to control your money for 6 months, do WHATEVER it takes to get you to this point of saying goodbye to family & friends at the airport with an exciting adventure ahead of you. 
Have you always wanted to learn to play the piano? First of all, work out exactly just why you haven’t committed to this earlier than this moment right now considering it is SO easy to organise – harder to learn, sure, but what a FUN & fabulous challenge. Is it because you’re worried you won’t pick it up? You don’t have the time? You are too old? It’s going to be too hard? Now say all of those excuses aloud & realise just how ridiculous they are. Imagine yourself playing your first song, start to finish, flawlessly, you hear the beautiful song flowing out from beneath your fingers..and it’s all YOU! .. Now. Go & make that call & book your lesson.
WELL YOU SHOULD DO THEM…. Today, RIGHT NOW. No more excuses, no more ‘tomorrows’. I have just listed the simplest, quickest ways to start ‘your things’. I know there are tonnes of excuses, mainly money. But remember you are the only person getting in the way of living the life you dream of. I dare you to go, right now, and look up a few ways you can do even just ONE of ‘your things’ as soon as possible. No dream or goal or ‘thing’ in this case, is realised without action – so today, is about action. 
I want to honour the gift of life. My health. My dreams. My desires – my ‘things’ – & from here on in.. my ‘things’ (like getting a flexible job when I’m home, visiting more farmers markets, connecting with mother nature on a daily basis, doing exercise at home vs the gym) will be honoured & I’ll be doing them…

NOW. 

I really hope you do too. 
Love & Light xx

My plan is set, the goal is made

By on 4

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Do you ever have those moments where it doesn’t matter how little sleep you’ve had, or if you know you’vegot a huge & horrible day ahead of you at work, or you know that not everything is perfect, in fact, far from it, and yet, you’re still just….Happy? I’m talking soul deep, jump out of your skin, face hurts from smiling kind of happy.
No? Maybe? You’re not sure?
I had thought I knew happiness like that, I had felt like in my pursuit of balance – which I have since realised doesn’t exist – I had known the feeling of pure contentment. But I hadn’t. Not until travelling half way around the world and taking long hard looks at my goals, passions, lifestyle, but most importantly…Myself. Once I peeled off all the layers of sureness & confidence, there it was. Vulnerability. A vulnerability I hadn’t allowed out before or admitted I even had. It involved long walks along winding rivers in unknown beautiful cities crying my heart out to Morgan admitting my greatest fears, hopes, dreams….admitting my true self, and I have never felt so free. Free enough to even admit that. 
There is SO much to life. So much to me, you, to every single one of us as individuals. We are complicated, intricate, emotional beings whether we care to admit it or not, or if we embrace it wholeheartedly. 
Through seeing the world, meeting people from all walks of life, each person has had their own unique and completley different but interesting story, one thing has become incredibly apparent to me…
Everybody IS in fact the same – we are all in pursuit of happiness. In all that we do, or say or hope for. In all our actions, reactions, goals, friendships, love stories…Everything.
Happiness can be and is different for everybody. It could be the feeling of excitement, importance, affulence, freedom, love from many..but it all has the end goal. To make us happy. 
I have never felt more on the right path than I’m currently on and am crediting travelling for a large part of that.
I am gathering momentum & soul inspiration as I go along – but have a VERY exciting plan brewing that I hope will inspire hundreds & thousands of girls nationally & worldwide. 
Imagine if you could plan your perfect day and live it, achieve all your goals you set, pursue jobs that you actually loved & not just what paid the bills and more. Imagine if you got to be genuinely happy – in all that you do. 
I want to inspire you to find your true passion, set some fabulous goals, follow your calling that is deep inside your belly & find what makes YOU happy.
The plan is set, the goal is made.
You will have to stay tuned over the coming months but this is my declaration to the universe that it’s on it’s way….

& I’m EXCITED! 
Love & Light xx
Psst – here are a few more pics of us following & finding our Joie De Vivre …
1. Watching some beautiful hot air balloons float really low over us at coffee in Austria.
2. Our new favourite addition to our traditional cappuchino’s – whipped cream.
3. High tea at an incredibly beautiful restaurant in Budapest … most delicious apple pie I’ve ever had.
4. Some stunning views on our first morning in Prague.
5. Learning about the history of the restaurant we were dining at in Budapest – it was 100 years old.
6. Being lame tourists in Budapest on a red tourist bus. 
7. Scouring a 2nd hand book store for an old vintage book.
8. Drinking traditional Hungarian wine in Budapest.