Now we all talk to ourselves, it's a natural human trait. I certainly do. But here's the thing.... What does it sound like that inner voice? Is yours kind, loving, supportive... your biggest fan? your cheerleader?  OR is yours the kind of inner critic I like to call THE GREMLIN?

Hmmm... good question hey?

Well the best way to tell is to listen to the words yours is using.... Are there words such as... You can, You're good enough, Go for it, I've got your back..... OR can you hear... Don't be stupid, you can't, you're not good enough, who do you think you are? you're going to make a fool of your self.

Let's hazard a guess, if you had to say which shows up more, I'm going to bet it's your inner critic... that nagging little Gremlin... am I right?

In this instance to really want to be proved wrong. However, in my experience we all give way to that inner critic from time to time, that doubting Thomas that stops us really fulfilling our true potential.

This little blog is a subject matter I often talk about in my talks.....I wonder... just how long have you given head space to that little critter? I hope you're charging it a good rent, because I can't think of any other positive reason to give it any head space for so long, can you?

Maybe it's time to give your inner critic the heave -ho .... lets call it an eviction from the big brother house that is your head. It's 3.44pm in the big brother house and the inner critic is being evicted....

How about imagining that little critter as a cartoon character and giving it a name... you can see it now can't you? When you look at it now... well it just looks kinda funny really, that cartoon character with that silly name. Well its time that little fella ( or gal) took a long, long holiday. After all its never had a holiday has it? not for any length of time..... that's a long time to go without having a break in my opinion.... So in truth your doing it a favour... giving it a gift no less... You're so generous after all ! That's it you can see it, bags packed, little passport in hand, waving as it takes its little sabbatical to go aggravate, berate, niggle, doubt and moan to  itself to its little hearts content.

As we know, when a key member of the team ( no matter how detrimental they are) is off on a break, we have to get in a replacement, a bit like getting a substitute teacher ( a good one) to cover the class... after all life is one big humongous class room and every day we're on this Earth is a school day. So guess who's coming to cover?

YOUR BIGGEST FAN!

Oh how exciting, your biggest fan is well.... just like a cheerleader, they'll be cheering you on from the sidelines, high fiving you at every opportunity ... I know you're picturing them right now aren't you?

Take a good look at them, maybe they represent someone you admire, or someone you know, or perhaps some super hero... after all they are a part of you and we absolutely know YOU ARE A SUPER HERO!

(Enter soundtrack to Wonder woman or Super man right here)

I wonder how is your life different now that your biggest fan is in residence?
What will you be, do and have now that you no longer have that little gremlin that you used to shack up in your loft space?

Wow... the World's your lobster my friend!
Anything is possible now, 'cause your biggest fan is the teacher and well that's going to make one heck of a difference.  Just think of all the CANS.......

No... not that sort of cans..... I mean CANS instead of CAN'TS !
As we know success comes in cans...... not can'ts.

I urge you to take a moment now and consider the language your biggest fan is using. What pictures are you making in your head? Imagine the possibilities, they're limitless... the future is bright the future is ......

Oops in my excitement I got carried away there with word association.. of course other mobile networks are available :)

Although I could talk here about the health benefits of vitamin C... of which there are many... but we'll talk about that in a later blog.....

Seriously, your vision of the future will be so much brighter with your biggest fan in the CEO post.
Life is about to get loved up, miraculous and a whole lot more positive without the neg head, energy drain that was your inner gremlin.

Oh, and if it should try to return... He/ she who shall not be names... like a very undesirable character from Harry Potter... just remind it... YOU'RE ON HOLIDAY! MY BIGGEST FAN HAS EVERYTHING COVERED !!!!!!

And then give yourself a big hug... be sure to keep it going for 20 seconds so all those juicy feel good vibes dance around your body !

Until next time,
Make every moment count,
Lisa xxx

I've had a very fascinating week so far. I had a lovely exercise fall into my inbox from Sarah Prout - The magic of 55 x 5. Where you write an affirmation by hand 55 times for 5 consecutive days. The affirmation starts with gratitude, as in 'Thank you universe/ source/higher power/ God/ creator or any other name that sits comfortably with you and your belief system... followed by your affirmation stated ion the present tense, then how it makes you feel. So it may look something like this ' Thank you universe for the sunshiny day and picnic with the family I feel abundant and loved' Or ' Thank you universe for the bright red high heeled shoes I feel so elegant when I'm wearing them'... you get the idea... the picnic or red shoes aren't yet in physical manifestation, but you're assuming the feeling and gratitude as if it’s already real in your experience.

I loved this idea, despite the fact I probably haven't hand Witten quite so much or in such frequency since being a student! I was you could say 'fascinated' by the magic of the energetic experiment. I shared my excitement for the little magic making too, with my friends on the private Damsels in Success forum (well worth checking out too ladies, sorry gents it’s a girl thing) As I was also fascinated to see if a the energy of the collective intent would add further to this little project.

So as instructed I started writing, and a funny thing happened, my excitement grew, as I progressed a couple of pages, my inner critic popped up and started the chatter ... you know that narrative that goes something like...' This is stupid, do you honestly believe this stuff works?' but still no matter what resistance came up from the inner critic I diligently carried on. I then found I kind of drifted a little, and in that beautiful gorgeous in between space the ideas started to come, a little fuzzy at first but then they came more and more into focus!

Each time I did my daily 55 I could feel the energy and excitement building.... now I really was fascinated!
We also had a new moon on Monday, so I decided to re-start my abundance bowl and universal cheque at the same time. Focussing my intent has been interesting and again fascinating.

So today, I went to have a meeting with a client, the outcome was nothing short of magic... and my affirmation had set into motion, it was manifesting right in front of my very eyes, and only a couple of days after finishing my affirmations!

Now you can say it’s simply coincidence, or that there is no magic just concentrated focus... which of course is very true. After all as you will have heard me say many times before, where focus goes energy flows.

On my return journey along the M69 the song above was playing on my CD player. As I sang along, yes I know I am old enough to remember all the words! It struck me, when we are fascinated (as appose to the opposite feeling of frustrated, yes you've heard me talk about that before) it brings out an expansive, creative, limitless, anything is possible energy. And I have to say, fascination has proved to bring absolute MAGIC into my life experience so far this week....AND ITS ONLY WEDNESDAY!!!!!!

Looking at the lyrics, Phil Oakey and crew have it perfectly sussed..

If it seems a little time is needed
Decisions to be made
the good advice of friends unheeded
the best of plans mislaid

(Basically give yourself some space and time when making changes ....)

Just looking for a new direction
In an old familiar way
The forming of a new connection
To study or to play

( Allow new learning, play and create)

And so the conversation turned
Until the sun went down
And many fantasies were learned
On that day

( Fantasise, daydream, create, allow your mind to wander into the realms of make believe, acting as if, trying on for size, feeling how it feels)

Keep feeling fascination
Passion burning
Love so strong
Keep feeling fascination
Looking learning
Moving on

( when we're fascinated energy and passion build, our pure energy of LOVE - not FEAR... yes you've heard me talk about that one too.... helps us to grow and learn and move forward)

Well the truth may need some
Re-arranging
Stories to be told
And plain to see the facts are changing
No meaning left to hold

( When we're fascinated we start to see things from different angles, we may experience a paradigm shift, wonderful magic unfolds)

Now I've absolutely no idea if that is truly what the Human League were intending the message of the song to be, but I do know this, I'm going to keep feeling fascination and allow the MAGIC to unfold!

Today I urge you to get absolutely FASCINATED..

Let me know what occurs :)

Until next time,
make every moment count,
Lisa xxx

I wrote this blog in the old fashioned way, with paper and pencil whilst I was visiting the very beautiful and serene Grayshott Spa last week. I was the guest speaker there but had time to relax and soak up the atmosphere whilst there.
As I sipped my coffee ( that's a rare thing for me, being a decaff tea lady myself) soft music was playing in the background- You know what I would call 'Lift' or 'lounge' music, the sort that includes no words, just soft tinkling of the ivories, the sort that blends into the surroundings, there but almost not there. The lilting sound, as I listened a little more closely, was i realised Simon and Garfunkel's 'The sound of silence'.

Mmmm - now there's a thought. The sound of silence. A rare phenomenon in truth. If you really consider it, we rarely experience true silence. Even when we find ourselves in a quiet moment, in quiet surroundings - Is there truly silence?

Try it. Find yourself a quiet space and just listen- listen to the silence.
I'll bet this is what happens:
At first you fidget
Then your mind chatters
Then your mind chatters even louder
All of a sudden where you were expecting silence, there's a cacophony of sound.

So how can we really experience the sound of silence?
How can we still the chatter and the noise and simply be present and in the moment?

Silence, without the need to fill the void- without the need to avoid simply sitting with ourselves by making a noise.
What makes us do that?
What purpose does the incessant chatter serve?
Do we plan?
Do we reminisce?
Do we allow our mind to be filled with trashy garbage?

What would the benefit be I wonder, to simply sit with the silence, without the need to fill it or fix it?

Perhaps, if we could just listen to the sound of silence, fully, intently, mindfully and whole heartedly, we might just make the space to allow clarity, calmness and inspiration in to our life.

Today I urge you to take time to simply be, to dive into the juicy moments of absolute quiet. And savour in listening to the sound of silence.
May you be filled with inspiration in those quiet moments today.

Until next time,
 Make every moment count,
Lisa xxx

*Clink, Chat & Catch Up!* airs every Wednesday and features an interview with an inspirational person who is following their passion and dreams, and the story behind how they did it! *cork popping* Our goal here at the Bubbly Talk Radio Network is to give the people that listen to us a platform to spread the word on their passions, because after all, that is what we're all about!

Yesterday I was asked into the studio of BBC Radio Lincolnshire, to comment on the UK's 2011 census, in which one question asked was ‘How is your health in general?’ In the East Midlands the results were as follows:

"General Health in England and Wales, 2011 and Comparison with 2001" compares 326 local authority areas. The worst ten include:

· East Lindsey (worst in the country with 73.5% reporting good health)

· Bolsover (4th worst with 74.3% reporting "good health")

· Mansfield  (9th worst with 75.8% reporting good health).

This compares with 88.1% in good health in the "best" local authority area, Hart.

Now of course demographics play a part, with a higher number of older people living in East Lindsey than there are in Hart. But is there something more at play I wondered?

How much do your thoughts affect your health?

In Dr David Hamilton's blog 5 Ways that Positivity and Happiness can Protect you from Illness and even help you Live Longer we can see without any doubt that positive thinking has a direct impact on our health and well-being. This I can also corroborate, from not only my own personal experience, but also from my  as a therapist who has for many years specialised in the areas of stress, anxiety and depression. When clients shift their thoughts even a small amount towards a more postive viewpoint their health also improves.

Dr Hamilton make's the following point:

This is backed up by a comprehensive study.

So I urge you ( along with those living in the low scoring districts of the East Midlands) to take a moment each day to count your blessings and not your worries.

It's all too easy at the end of the day to lay in bed at night, just before drifting into what you hope to be a peaceful slumber, with your thoughts running over and over your worries.

In this extract from WebMD we can see that worrying, has no positive effect on solving issues, but does have a detrimental effect on our daily lives:

Not only this, our subconscious mind cannot distiguish between fact or fiction, so when we run through our script of all the things that can go wrong, it stores this information as real.... and then you wonder why you wake in the night, in a cold sweat from a nightmare?

How about thinking about just how great things are and will be?

How about as you lay in bed tonight, just before drifting into that peaceful slumber, your recall all of the blessings from the day?

Tonight I urge you to count your blessings, name them one by one and say thank you!

When we show gratitude for the blessings in our life do you know what happens?
We notice more and more blessings to be grateful for.

Imagine what that will do for your health and wellbeing?

Here's another to tip. For anyone who's been to one of my talks recently, you may have heard me say "A hug a day , keeps the doctor away!"

Lots of us take our mental and physical health seriously and we try to improve our daily lives with exercise, a good diet, even supplements. But theres one simple treatment that is often over-looked and its been shown through scientific studies to be an effective way to keep our heart and mental health on target.

The power of the simple hug.

In fact, studies show that folks who are regularly hugged by their close friends and family have reduced heart rates, lower blood pressure, increased nerve activity and more upbeat moods. A survey of successful marriages even showed that hugging and touching (not sexual intercourse), were the key factors in keeping the relationship long-lasting.

Plus, a loving hug in the morning, researchers say, can keep you buoyant throughout the day. Just a brief hug or 10 minutes of handholding with a romantic partner greatly reduces the harmful physical effects of stress. Loving contact before a tough day at work "could carry over and protect you throughout the day," says psychologist Karen Grewen with the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill who conducted the study.

So what are you waiting for?

Get hugging! ( an oldie but goodie- Free hugs campaign)

Warning these may hurt!  
1. If you want more than you have got, you must become more than you are. 
2. Most people set goals for themselves that are outrageously safe.They keep within limits that are embarrassingly small and so lead marginal lives.
3. Too many people die at 40 and get buried at 80, living half lived lives and going to their graves with undiscovered and their best music in them.
4. If nothing changes, nothing changes.
5. If you work hard on your job you make a living, if you work hard on yourselves you can make a fortune.
6. You cannot earn an above average income, secure an above average position or receive above average recognition until you become an above average learner, an above average performer and an above average person.
7. You must either magnify your skills or modify your dreams.
8.Success is a few disciplines practiced daily, Failure is a few errors in judgement repeated daily.
9. Successful people become successful long before they are recognised as a success. They become successful during their daily routine..
10. The danger comes when we look at a day we have squandered and believe there has been no harm done.
11. Don't get "through" your day, get  "from" your day.
12. Unless you change how you are, you will always have what you have got.
13. The time will come and go anyway, so why not put it to the most constructive, productive use!
14. Being broke is a temporary condition, being poor is a state of mind.
15. If you think you can play it safe and succeed in a big way, you are sadly mistaken.
16. Most people live in a world of "Lack", lack of knowledge, lack of belief, lack of courage, lack of discipline. Lack of enthusiasm, lack of faith, lack of get up and go, lack of hope, lack of inspiration, lack of motivation, lack of action, lack of energy - Stay away from the "Lackers" their contagious!
17. It's never too late to become what you might have been.
18. The past does not equal the future.
19. If you face your fears then the death of fear is certain.
20. I am your greatest companion,  I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden. I will push you onward or drag you down to failure. I am completely at your command, half the things you do you might as well turn over to me, and I will be able to do them quickly and correctly. I am easily managed, you must be firm with me, show me how you want it done, after a few lessons I will do it automatically. I am the servant of all great men and women, and alas, of all the failures as well. Those who are failures I have made failures, take me, train me, be firm with me, and I will place the world at your feet! Be easy with me and I will destroy you..................................who am i?..........I am habit.
Written by Jon Davies
Get a Life !
PS Want to know the Secret to bringing these alive..................
www.getalife-uk.co.uk