I’ve just had the most amazing weekend…

On Saturday night, Greg popped the question… it’s true … he’s making an honest woman of me.  I have to admit it was such a surprise, as it happened on the day of his brother’s bucks night…and it caught me totally off guard.

He proposed at a little cafe off the famous Lygon st in Mebourne… called Brunetti’s.  Which means nothing to anyone else… but for Greg and I it’s where we fell in love over Italian Hot Chocolate.  He proceeded to blind me with the most gorgeous ring I have ever seen.  I was telling him it is so much better than anything I could ever have picked. He’s certainly very clever!

Then he whisked me away to a new Art Hotel in Melbourne called “The Olsen” where we spent the night in the Penthouse with a view overlooking Melbourne city, and sipped champagne in the hot tub on the balcony under the moon.  How lovely huh!?

In case this wasn’t enough, he had also booked a “Couples Massage” at my favourite spa the following day… and the girls there were so excited for us.   To top it all off we had a gorgeous dinner at the restaurant of our first date, but this time with all our family to share the exciting news.

So I have to say I was overwhelmed with romance, and feel so humbled and spoiled.  I still catch the sparkles of the ring out the corner of my eye and have to pinch myself to know it’s true.  

But as I was saying to a friend of mine yesterday, it feels like a little corner of my soul has relaxed.  It’s so divine.

To all of you who have left us beautiful messages on facebook and in the inbox… thank you so much.  Your support over the last three years has been wonderful, and we really do feel that this is a celebration not just of our love of each other, but all the wonderful people who are a part of our community.  You guys make it all worthwhile and special!

Here’s to partnership, love and magic!

I’ve just got back from Los Angeles where I spent a fabulous weekend reconnecting to my soul-self.  It’s so important we stay true to what we care about and what drives us – and staying in touch with my soul essence is something very valuable to me.

So there I was in a room full of hundreds of powerful women, but not powerful in a pushy way, but in a very feminine way.  You know, it’s such a shame that our culture no longer celebrates feminine power and that we have to go re-discover something that was so normal in so many traditional cultures.

It seems like the drive these days is to turn women into men and men into women.  But just because we can be strong and independent, doesn’t mean we have to give up being ladies!  And just because men can be soft and sensitive, doesn’t mean you have to forget your soul-self either.

And talking of being a lady, well guess where I went this week?! I popped into the MAC store in Santa Monica and treated myself to 2 new eyeshadows, 1 mascara, 1 studio fix, 2 new brushes, lip gloss for Hannah and two new lippies for me.  Not a bad stash for the afternoon and a very good way to get in touch with my feminine energies, don’t you think?  And men, I’m not saying you have to wear make-up but you can still be soft and sensitive too.  All of us can learn to get in touch with our soul-selves and the divine essence of who we are….

Hello

I hope you enjoyed the weekend just as much as we did. Were you one of the world audience of millions who watched the World Cup Final?  I have to confess I’m not a huge footie fan and did need help on the off-side rule, but the World Cup final is a once every 4 years event and surely worth watching….

It wasn’t a beautiful match but what I loved about it was that after years and years of potential, Spain finally got their reward.  Unbelievably Spain had never made it past the quarter-finals before 2010 and yet each World Cup, their team have always been lauded with compliments – they have most talented players, they play the most beautiful football, they’re a joy to watch, they surely must do well…. And yet tournament after tournament they flopped.  When would they ever fulfil all that promise?

The answer is it’s never too late to fulfil promise and talent.  It’s just a matter of putting the correct system around your natural skill-sets.  Spain learnt that raw talent wasn’t enough – they needed a framework around it.  And that’s what they did.  They put the systems in place to unlock the talent and make it flow. And now look – they’re finally world champions!

So, the message I got from watching Spain as they celebrated wildly was one – the Spaniards sure know how to party and two, never give up on your dream! If you know you’ve got natural raw talent, and you’re still not making it, what business systems do you need to put around yourself so you too can reap the reward?

Talking of parties, check out my pics from our time in Surrey last week.  Our team had a week of post-event work in a gorgeous converted barnhouse.  We got a lot done and we also had a lot of fun…

For those of you in the UK I hope you had a great Bank Holiday weekend and you made time to do lots of nice, relaxing things!  Remember, running a lifestyle business is just as much about the time off as it is the time spent working.

This weekend has all been about books for me.  I’ve been working on the marketing proposal for my new book, The Lifestyle Shift.  Who knew proposals could be so darn difficult?!  It’s harder than writing the book itself!

As a break away from the page, Greg and I have found ourselves gravitating towards the beautiful harbour here in Antibes.  It’s like stepping into a different world. You would not believe the size of some of the yachts!  They’re like mini-Titanics!  Still, it’s a lovely place to daydream and soak in the energy of abundance. 

Abundance comes in many forms.  Before I go, let me tell you about an extra special webinar I’m running on the 9th of June.  From conversations with many of you, I know you’re interested in running your own lifestyle business – a business you can run from the South of France, the mountains of Spain or even the foothills of the Himalayas.  It’s all about webinars!  Hop on this free webinar on the 9th June and I’ll share all their life-enhancing benefits with you!  Big Money from the Small Screen

I read a report in the paper the other day that the British are guaranteed a long, hot Summer.  Get the barbeques ready and the sunglasses out.  Who needs to fly abroad anyway?  This way you get to beat the ash.  So, what holiday plans have you got for this summer (or winter if you’re in Oz)?  Please do share the exciting ones with us – it always gives me ideas for my next vacation!

In a few days, Greg and I are flying out to Antibes in the South of France.  It’s not technically a holiday because we’ll still be working out there but it still gives us a chance to dine out on all that yummy French food.  Isn’t French food just the best?  I just love the way the French practically build their whole day around their meals.  I like that they place this at the centre of their existence.  It says something about how healthy they are – rather than placing their lives around their workload.

Holidays aren’t just an annual event are they?  In our business we permanently aim for the relaxed edge that holidays give us.  What you get out of holidays – the time to unwind and relax and get the work/life balance into perspective – we try to strive for everyday.  How can you bring the holiday into your work-life?  It’s actually more productive than you think….

Think about it this week as you soak in the sun in your lunch-break.