Life Lessons & New Beginnings

What Does December Mean To You?
December is always a slightly strange month for me these days….it’s my birthday on Christmas Eve (a significant milestone this year too!). Christmas Day follows with all the celebrations and festivities, lots of laughter and relaxation time…..yet it is also a reminder to me of how beautifully fragile our lives can be and how important it is to give ourselves support, love and time so that we might flourish and grow and not become stagnant or unwell. This time 9 years ago my life was about to change forever, little did I know that the immediate fear and pain would eventually be replaced with a fresh new way of looking on life and a wonderful world of education and self development would begin too.

How Life Can Change In A Heartbeat
I was diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) and after several investigations the diagnosis worsened and I was told I had Breast Cancer. I was  a Mum of two gorgeous young children so was incredibly lucky that I had lots to live for. Through a year of turmoil I gained amazing support and strength from my incredibly wonderful family and friends, those people know who they are and I hope also know that what they did for me in those worrying times meant the world to me.

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Chance Meetings Can Create New Beginnings
A chance meeting on a hospital ward after major surgery changed my life and I don’t even know the name of the lady who gave me the most important piece of advice I had received for a long time. I often think of her. She suggested I buy a Paul McKenna book “Change Your Life In 7 Days” a grand title indeed! It had a chapter on health that she thought I would find beneficial. I bought the book read the chapter and waited for the change. A month later I was told I would have to complete a course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy... I kind of fell apart for a bit then… my family caught me, loved me and held me through the worst of times. It was at this point that I started to listen to the Hypnosis CD that came with the book... that was all… I just listened once a day and well, what happened next was incredible!

















​My overtly negative feelings turned around to become fiercely positive, my weakness became strength, as I felt ready for what was ahead. It was a tough year on me and those that loved me but I got through it and after reading the book from cover to cover vowed to train in NLP the following year. I did that training, followed with training in TFT and the following year training in Hypnotherapy too. I changed my direction, my career, my life, for the better. My life hadn’t changed… I had… it was me and the way I looked at the world through clearer more positive eyes. I have met some amazing people along the way, some only briefly others for longer but they have all contributed to my personal and emotional growth.

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Learning To Dance In The Rain
I have been able to share my knowledge with all my clients helping them to build better happier lives too. I love my job and enjoy meeting so many new people that all have gifts to share. Life still throws me curve balls occasionally, I still have upsets and difficulties but the difference is I support myself, I sooth myself as I am more self assured and self reliant, this results in all the support and love that I get from my lovely family and friends being an added extra, I feel lucky in life, I feel grateful for what I have. I see life in a positive perspective.

Setting Goals & Finding A Spring In Your Step
This time of year is such a good time to reflect on your journey so far, picking out the highlights and recognising that they may not always come from positive events, that silver lining is always there if you look hard enough. So whatever is happening in your life this Christmas, keep thinking positive, keep supporting yourself, knowing you are strong, powerful and magnificent.

As you look ahead to 2015 do so through positive eyes, write down some goals and keep focused on them checking in with yourself throughout the year, trust in your own innate strength and sense of survival. We are all capable of so much more than we think J

Best wishes, Julie@Time2Shine x