I love leverage; doing more with less and doing multiple things at the same (not multitasking) but being more efficient with my time with no extra effort.
My son is a distance runner and I was really struggling to fit in his training along with everything else in our lives. The tiny dot in the distance is him preparing for his next road race.
I hate running but I really love walking and while I’m walking I like to listen to audible or something uplifting.
We can both fit in activities that we enjoy, he runs and I walk along at a sedate pace. If he wants company or someone to carry his jumper, he runs back to me. We both get headspace and I can listen to audible in peace.
To really make the most of my time, before we head out, I fling some food in my slow cooker so that the food is ready later on. If I want it ready when I come in, I switch it to high, otherwise, the low setting works best.
Sometimes the easy way to get more done is simply to do less.
In my latest co-authored book, WE Summit Together, for the first time I talk openly about how I ended up in debt – twice – because of my inability to talk about money with my partner. I also talk about how I managed to get out of it.
I clearly had to make the same mistake more than once before I learned how NOT to do something.
Sometimes I win and sometimes I lose LEARN.
The biggest lessons for me were
I learned to face my FEAR.
Fear is simply Focus + Effort + Action = Results.
I handfasted my soul mate recently. Old fears and anxieties crept up again;
It has been over 20 years since I have had a “money conversation” with anyone other than myself.
I took a breath, opened my bank statement and said: “do you have 5 minutes, I’d like to run through something with you”. The world did not end, the sky did not fall in, there was no stress, drama or anxiety. All of the stresses were in my head.
Since that moment, we have been able to have open, honest and really speedy conversations about money in the same breath as I’d say “pass the salt”. We have set joint savings and income goals but we each still have our own independence and freedom. We don’t always agree all of the time but we have both made a commitment to figure stuff out together, and we live in a very small house so there is nowhere to hide.
You can read more about the strategies I used to get out of debt and change my mind mindset in WE Summit Together. It is an incredible book written by incredible women and ALL the proceeds go to The Christina Noble Foundation.
I give myself permission to take the day off.
I give myself permission to work on my business and not in my business.
I give myself permission to do whatever I want.
The majority of my work is location independent. This means that I can do what I love as long as I have an internet connection and my laptop.
This allows me the freedom to be where I want to be and to be there for my family when they need me.
Have a great day, stay safe, stay warm.
Pru
Have you ever heard the expression “be careful what you wish for because you might get it”?
Recently, I wished for
Guess what? I got everything I asked for and I felt SO guilty. I did not cause the current Covid-19 situation and neither did you but it reveals interesting layers around guilt and the fear of asking for what you want.
I missed the secret sauce for asking and manifesting. The secret sauce is in these 3 life-changing magical questions to ask yourself.
If figuring out what you want feels difficult, ask yourself what you DO NOT want and then focus on the opposite.
Get clarity on WHY you want what you want. Everyone’s why is different but if your big WHY does not make you cry, then it’s is not big enough. Keep asking yourself WHY do I want this until you genuinely cannot come up with any more reasons. Keep going until you get to a feeling of such joy and passion that if you don’t get what you want, you might explode.
Once you know what you want and why you want it, start visualising what it looks like. I wanted time with my family but not with us all squished in on top of each other with no escape.
I wanted less traffic on the roads but not because no one was allowed to go out and the fear of a checkpoint or being arrested.
I forgot to visualise and journal and get absolute and total clarity around what my goal actually looked like, felt like, smelled like and sounded like.
In the book, WE Summit Together, you can learn how I managed to get myself out debt and manifest a new life using this exact method.
Repeat after me – “It’s safe for me to ask for what I want. I know what I want, I know why I want it and I know what that looks like for me” and start visualising.
Let me know how you get on.
However, thank heavens for my Kindle.
90% of my books are still in boxes. I packed up my old house in August 2017, moved to my new house, unpacked in September 2017 and then repacked in January 2018 for renovations.
I love free stuff. My books are free from today until Monday on Amazon Kindle.
I also get lots of free books from BookBub. I get a daily email with offers.
I can’t do some of the things I love doing do such as tidy my sock drawer (no drawer and socks in boxes), clean the kitchen (I haven’t got a kitchen), vacuum the carpet (floors are bare concrete), read a physical book (I’d have to find it), cook (no kitchen remember).
I sold my television about a year ago and I have not missed it until the last few days. Then again, I haven’t got a sofa or chair to sit on either. Arghhh
However, there is always my trusted Kindle and free books.
I have signed up for 30 day free trials for Amazon Audible and Prime Video.
That should keep me going until I can physically make outside my front door.
Pru
Here are some tips on how to win the game of pre-pay power; either gas or electricity.
This is the first in a series of “how to win the game of” blog posts. Stay tuned.
What is pre-pay?
It’s an alternative way to manage your utility bills like gas or electricity. It needs a different type of meter but this can usually be installed for free. You pay as you go (PAYG) by putting money on a card, putting it into the meter and pressing a button.
It sounds simple because it is.
What are the benefits?
You may feel more in control of your bills. You cannot end up with a huge bill at the end of the month or two months because the system will not allow you to spend money you have not got.
What are the costs?
All accounts have a standing charge whether you are pre-pay or bill pay. This is the cost of having the supply in the first place.
Prepay power is generally more expensive than bill pay. My preference is to avoid it if I can.
How do I win the game?
If you like having total control over your bills by paying in advance, simply switch to a bill pay option and instead of waiting for the bill to hit the mat, opening it and then fainting, simply pay what you had been paying for pre-pay against your bill pay account at the post office or any PostPoint – for FREE.
This means you stay ahead, you say in control but you get more for your money with the same amount of effort.
The other option is to switch over to level pay. This means that the utility company take your yearly cost, divide it by 12 and ask you to pay that amount per month. Your meter is read 4 times a year but to really stay ahead, ring in the readings yourself every month to keep the bill accurate.
What’s the secret sauce?
The real secrets to managing your utilities are:
This is the first year I have decided to publish my annual review and goals for the upcoming year. There were definate holes in my goals but awareness is the key to success.
I journal, doodle and record my successes through the year using Leonie Dawson’s workbooks and some blank notebooks.
Writing things down by hand helps concrete idea and goals into my subconscious mind. Reading them daily helps anchor these ideas and my brain will do it’s best to find solutions.
The difference between a millionaire and a billionaire is that the billionaire reads HER goals twice daily.
Personal
We made a conscious decision to keep things private and not invite anyone. It’s ok to set boundaries, it’s ok to say no, it’s ok not to be a people pleaser.
Personal Development
Volunteering
What did not go well, the goals with holes
Areas for improvement
We often overestimate what we can do in a day but underestimate what we can do in a week.
Goals for 2019
One of the most common questions I am asked is: How can I get my partner on board when it comes to our money goals?
There is no magic solution. I wish there was.
Life can be difficult when both parties in a relationship have different values, goals, beliefs and stories.
My husband and I could not be more opposite.
He likes heat, I like cold. I like quiet, he likes noise. I like clear, open, bright spaces. He likes dark colours and clutter. We spend a lot of time counting to 100 and compromising. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
One compromise we have made recently is that he now wears a hat during the night so that I can have the window open. If my hair grows any longer, we will both be wearing hats.
If you are struggling to communicate about money, here a few strategies to try and if they don’t work, try something else.
Celebrate the good stuff, welcome all abundance into your life using my free tracker and most of all, BREATHE!
From a numerology point of view, 2020 will be a magical year of intention and manifestation.
This is my last post of this year. It seems that having a “word” for the year ahead is hugely important. I’d had a few different words over the last few years and I find the exercise very useful. I have decided to have 2 words for 2020.
Comment below.
Finding your tribe has become something of a buzz phrase recently. We are the measure of the 5 people that we spend the most time with so how do you find your empowerment tribe?
Firstly, be mindful of who you are spending time with, what you are listening to and what you watching. Our unconscious minds are highly suggestible. Watching a gripping murder mystery on the television just before you head off to the land of nod might not be the best idea for a restful night’s sleep.
On the rare occasion that I find myself in my car, I normally listen to Sunshine Radio, apparently, it’s Dublin’s easy place to relax or audiobooks on CD that I get for free from my local library. I prefer walking or public transport as it frees up my mind and I can listen to audiobooks on Amazon audible.
Secondly; have a clear vision in mind. I made a conscious decision last year to be more visible and put myself forward for speaking and writing opportunities and it paid off. I wrote my goals down and took inspired action.
I was invited by 1 Plus Events to speak in Blanchardstown Corporate Park about demanding your worth. I am delighted to be aligned with their sister company, 1 Plus Security. We have both been accredited with the coveted Business All-Stars award.
Thirdly, take action. What can you do today to find your empowerment tribe?
Aim to align yourself with people that enhance and support you because together everyone achieves more.
