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!

Well, here I am now, safely back home in Australia after a fabulous week in New York with my good friend, Laila Seewang.  I have to say she’s a brilliant architect so keep an eye on the international architecture scene for her!

It was my first time in New York in Summer and the hot and humid weather was an eye-opener.  I didn’t do too many touristy things.  It’s fun sometimes to just ‘be’ in a city and live like the locals, rather than try to explore the hell out of it.  I like the different feel you get.  So I’ve been hanging out in local Brooklyn cafes, I even went to a spa and Laila and I just had to try out a few yummy Manhattan restaurants.  It was a fun week and exactly what I needed.

Oh, and here’s a piccie of the Empire State Building I snapped!

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….

Have you heard me talk about Wealth Dynamics lately? Probably-I’m always carrying on about how it is simply the most useful profiling tool I’ve come across. Based on the Chinese text” The I Ching”, Wealth Dynamics shows you how to tap into your natural flow by following one of the eight paths to wealth creation-a path unique to you and EASY to follow. And that’s what this new little project of mine- my first “Multimedia Book” is all about:

http://www.shiftlifestyle.com/wealth

The Wealth Garden Book - Dr Joanna Martin

The good news is you can get a chapter from me, straight from the book as a “taster” absolutely free. How fun is that? So you can go and review the content, see some groovy previously unseen video trainings and audio tools from me, and if you like it- grab the whole Multimedia Experience!

The book is called “The Wealth Garden: The New Dynamics of Wealth Creation in a Fast-Changing Global Economy”, and I got together with more than 30 other leading entrepreneurs from five continents to bring it together. Our stories about the day-to-day application of wealth dynamics are truly inspiring. And this cutting-edge online book allows you to experience our stories through text, audio and video! Cool huh?

http://www.shiftlifestyle.com/wealth

The Wealth Garden is a must-have book for anyone who wants to stop the chase and start attracting wealth, opportunity, resources, powerful connections and success in all areas of life. You’re going to love it!

Go check it out now…. and post me your feedback!

Warm regards,

Joanna

PS Did I mention the best bit: you get a chapter from me as a “taster” absolutely FREE! Yay. Let me know what you think!

http://www.shiftlifestyle.com/wealth

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.