Welcome to a very special blog post!
Since Jo and Greg are currently honeymooning in Bali, Jo turned to me this week to write this update and share the wedding with you.  So, I’ve put on my best journalist’s hat to make you feel as if you were there too . . .

Firstly let’s start with the weather.  All weddings rely on mother-nature and this one relied on her more than most.  In the midst of a sodden summer, the sun Gods truly were smiling because as dawn broke on Saturday 15th January, the Tasmanian sky was a sheet of blue and the sun shone down making the island look even prettier than it was.  *Note if you’ve never been to Tassie – you must go!  What a gorgeous island.

Anyway I digress.  The ceremony was set for 4.30pm and at 4ish the guests started to gather in Princes Park in Hobart.  A string quartet played softly in the background, a handful of white seats were set out and the pimms was flowing.  There were about 80 guests in total, lots of family and a mixture of friends and Shift personnel.  Take a look at the photos because Joey and Greg loved the contrast of everyone’s dresses against the vivid green of the park. 

At just gone 4, the groom showed up . . . looking great I have to say in a black Hugo Boss suit and a sexy black tie.  Accompanying him were his 2 brothers. As he took position the guests gathered around a lilac carpet and awaited the bride . . . 25 minutes later the bridal party arrived.  Jo’s 2 sisters, Kath and Emma, led the way along with Jo’s 2 year old niece, Charlotte. 

And then came the bride!

Jo’s stepdad and dad walked her proudly down the aisle . . . and a beaming, beautiful and radiant Joanna looked absolutely overjoyed as she walked toward her soon-to-be husband.  For you ladies out there who want the details . . . Jo’s designer dress was an off white silk, with a ruched bodice with a sweetheart neck line and hand embroidered beads.  She had a ruffled halter-neck with a short train and a very fancy feathered head piece and net in her hair.

She looked amazing.

As they exchanged vows in a simple but touching ceremony, some of the guests were seen to shed tears (especially when Jo did!) and when the ring was slipped onto Jo’s finger and she could finally call herself Mrs Elliott, the guests whooped and cheered.

The new wedding ring matched her engagement ring perfectly.

The reception was just as gorgeous  . . . the wedding party sailed upriver to Moorilla Winery . . . and were entertained by some hilarious speeches and some more moving ones.  I asked Jo what her favourite moment of day was and she answered without hesitation that Greg’s speech was her best moment.  Greg, not usually the public speaker, made a beautiful speech to his new bride which brought tears to her eyes (and to most of ours!)

Joey and Greg specifically wish to thank all of you for all your support, love and wishes of good will.  Their wedding was not just for them, it was an opportunity for everyone to witness their union. Without the love of the Shift Community it would not have been the same and it makes them truly happy to know you were there with them in spirit.

So if you have a glass handy, raise it to Jo and Greg Elliott and toast their new marriage.

Love

Loving yourself is the beginning. Regardless of your goal, be it harmonious relationships with your partner and your family, or financially orientated targets, do not underestimate the power of self-love. It – or the lack of it – is at the core of everything. And just like an apple, the more juice on the inside, the tastier life tastes.

But, as so much else in the personal development field, self-love is easier said than done. Loving yourself is so much more than indulging in some long denied desire, or lying in a bubble bath surrounded by scented candles while relaxing music soothes your jagged edges.

It’s Up To You

Loving yourself begins first and foremost with the recognition that if you are not in a place of well-being inside yourself, it’s up to you to do something about it. This should become your priority.

Imagine you are the parent of a small child. Your child is upset, or sad, or angry or frightened, You, as loving parent of the child, would attempt to help the child move to a better place inside. You might embrace the child, talk about what is going on, or do any number of things to help the child see the situation with new eyes in order to feel better about it.

But in order for this to happen you would need to be closely connected to your child, you would need to have strong communication with your child, and you would need to be totally aware of your child’s feelings. Furthermore, you’d need to want to be there for your child.

Be Your Own Parent

By now you’ve probably figured out that I’m giving you an analogy about how you need to be dealing with yourself. In order to show yourself that you love yourself (because that’s how it starts), you must be aware of yourself and your feelings at all times and be conscious or aware enough to choose to do something about them at all times.

Does that mean that you would never allow yourself to feel pain or sorrow or worry or have any other type of negative feeling? Does it mean you would keep yourself in some iron grip of control so that you would not have those feelings? Absolutely not! But it does mean that you would be willing to choose to focus elsewhere in order to help yourself move to a better place inside.

Choose To Focus On Something More Positive

Worrying about your business, your income or your relationship takes you nowhere. It is much more proactive to resolve whatever is going on in your life. You can attempt to resolve it by allowing it a certain amount of time per day – but only that amount of time – in your life, brainstorming, consulting, researching about the situation, and you would then choose to focus on something else in order to help yourself move to a better place inside. This is what you do for those that you love.

What Next?

If you start today, right now, this evening you will already feel better about how you are dealing with yourself. You’ll recognize that you’ve taken some steps to love yourself. And a part of you will feel just as loved as the child who has been enveloped in the loving arms of a caring and emotionally generous adult parent. This will bring you ever closer to inner peace and freedom, and this will bring you joy and who knows what else…

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!

At the weekend we had the Annie Stoker event which totally rocked! This woman is a magician at shifting mindset, believe me.

And then this week, still on Bondi. we had the Million Dollar Masterclass Acceleration Session. See all the crazy pics from our Mexican Fiesta night…

All the MDM groups have been amazing and this one is no exception, in fact it’s more special than most because it’s the last time we are running the MDM programme. That’s because Greg and I want to focus on our family and a mentor group needs love and nurturing – as do children. So that’s why we’ve spent so long systematizing everything so we can still offer the same content but with less of me. That’s cos I’ll be spending time being a mummy! Although not just yet…

Greg and I flew back into Australia on Friday, a bit earlier than planned but we wanted to acclimatise before the wonderful Annie Stoker event in Bondi Beach this coming weekend.

I have to admit, I do so love Bondi Beach! Isn’t it just a great place?  Makes me happy to be home.  That and the good coffee.  I do crave my coffee especially in winter.  Saying that, it’s hard to believe it’s the middle of winter over here because the weather is still fairly warm.  Don’t you just love Australia?  (And I hold nothing against the UK except the weather…..)

So now’s the time of year when they start to release the big blockbusters. Going to the cinema is such a treat.  Just out is The Karate Kid which stars Will Smith’s son, Jaden, as well as Jackie Chan who plays the eccentric martial arts mentor.  I went into the movie thinking nothing could match the original but I loved it!  The ironic thing is that the remake is not actually about karate at all – it’s set in Beijing and is all about Kung Fu.  Why still call it The Karate Kid though?

Who knows?  Still, it’s one of the best coming of age stories around and teaches us a lot about the power of restraint and mercy over violence.

Very philosophical.