Believe You Can

Self-belief vs. self-doubt. We have each experienced the ongoing battle between our authentic self and our ego.

Our authentic self nurtures, inspires and champions our deepest dreams and wishes. She speaks to us in gentle tones, igniting our soul with a deep sense of faith and optimism. Everyone is united on this sacred path towards healing and joy. Love and abundance really is available to all.

And then, there’s our ego.

Our ego sees the world as separate. She’s the Boss Bitch of the Itty Bitty Shitty Committee whose greatest strength lies in comparison and competition. She’ll do anything in her power to have us believe in a fearful existence where scarcity is rife. Life is an uphill struggle, and one must be ruthless to get ahead.

Which voice we listen to is a matter of choice.

Whether you think you can or you think you can’t – you’re right.

– Henry Ford

This weekend I attended the Hay House Writers Workshop in Sydney, Australia. As I sat in the audience with five hundred people, all who shared the same dream as I – that familiar battle between my inner champion and my inner saboteur ensued: ‘…I stand just as good a chance as anyone else in this room of becoming a published Author…’ “Pfh. Who are you kidding? What makes you think you’ve got what it takes? You may as well stick to what you know and avoid looking foolish…’ ‘When the time is right, we will all fulfil our purpose, Divine Timing is at work in each of our lives. Persevere…and trust.’ ‘Yeah right! This is your last chance dreamer. How many more times are you going to try before you realise this dream is just that – a dream?’

And that’s when I dropped kicked that Boss Bitch in the head. (Ok – so my recent Wonder Woman fix may have aroused my inner Amazonian warrior) – but if it takes multiple death defying roundhouse kicks to defeat that dreaded Ego – then I am definitely in with a grin! Skimpy body armour suit and all.

Today, silence that inner saboteur and drop kick that bitch in the head. Remember, self-belief is the most potent antidote for old worn-out, limiting beliefs.

In love & light,

Hayley xx

With Reid Tracy, the CEO of Hay House

Harnessing the Power of Intention

Reid and Leon sharing their wisdom on stage

Go With Heart

Many have ‘failed’ multiple times on the road to fulfilling their dreams. Oprah Whinfrey, Walter Disney, Thomas Edison, Steven Spielberg, J.K. Rowling and Albert Einstein all experienced humiliation and rejection on their path to success.

As J.K Rowling reminds us: 

‘It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.’

Be bold. Be brave. Don’t be afraid of setbacks. 

This weekend I have the honour of attending the Hay House Writers Workshop in Sydney, Australia. This will be my third time pitching my book proposal to one of the worlds most renowned publishing houses. I was almost floored when I received a phone call from one of their authors inviting me to attend the live event. Dreams really do come true. And should I not succeed one hundred times, I will never give up on my dream. Why? Because it lives and breathes within my heart. 

Ever since I decided I wanted to be just like Roald Dahl when I was six years old I knew I was destined to write. If I touch the heart of one person or one million, I have stayed true to my soul.

If you have a dream, don’t just go after it – go after it with all your heart. Dream with intention and know that anything is possible if you just trust and believe in yourself.

In love & light,

Hayley xx 

Soulful Sundays #8: The Dash

Welcome to my eighth instalment of ‘Soulful Sundays’. A weekly share where I post a roundup of soulful reflections, each including recipes, songs, quotes, blogs I have read and/or any other inspirational discoveries to sooth the soul.

For me, Sunday’s have become a day of quiet contemplation and simple pleasures. A time to reflect on the week gone by and to consider my hopes and dreams for the week ahead.

My hope is to extend some love outward and to share some simple pleasures with anyone who cares to receive them.

Soul Reflections

Happy Sunday to you all. Today I thought I would share this thought-provoking poem, The Dash Poem, which I heard read aloud recently at my local Toastmasters club. It was such a simple and moving truth that I wanted to share it with you in case you have yet to hear it. For copyright purposes, the Author Linda Ellis asks that the poem not be copied or reproduced, rather, a link shared back to her site. So if you’d like to read the poem (and I encourage you to do so), then just click here! It certainly made me think of how I would like to spend the remaining ‘dash’ in my years.

Soul Strolls

Along my soulful strolling this week I snapped this Chinese Cherry Blossom. So beautiful to see so many colourful flowers in bloom. Spring is officially my favourite time of year…

Soul Food

Today I am sharing these Raw Caramel Slice Bites by Becomingness. They look delightful, plus I’m all about treats that don’t necessarily result in a ‘cheat’. I’ll certainly be trying these – will you?

Soul Sounds

Today I am sharing The Writer by Sleeping at Last. I am sharing this track which I have listened to daily, because it has uplifted me whilst preparing for my book proposal, the submission date of which is due on Christmas Eve. As part of a Writers Workshop that I purchased last year, there is an magical opportunity to enter a competition to win a book publishing contract with the one and only leaders in the self-help genre, Hay House.  Yes – I know! Excited much? So when the stars align, you could be one of the first to hear of me fulfilling my lifelong dream of becoming an author! You have to believe it before you see it, right? 😉 And since you too are all passionate writers, I thought I’d share the love with this inspirational track!

Soul Sisters

And whilst on the subject of writing, I though I’d share a fellow writers book launch over at Watching The Daisies. This looks like a wonderful memoir, and not dissimilar to the message I portray in my daybook of living in the present moment. I believe that the message of slowing down and mindful living is one that can truly transform our lives, so the more people who can remind us of this, the better! So please do head over to Brigid P. Gallagher’s blog and support her in her inspiring work!

In love and light,

Hayley xx

To Write or Not To Write

Writing 101, Day 9: Writing and not writing

Considering I am currently a week behind most on the Writing 101 course, I guess I fall safely into the category of ‘little time to write’ as opposed to the ‘I need a break from my full-time writing schedule’ category. I wish I did fall into the latter group of full-time writers – writers whose dedication and commitment to their practice requires them to set multiple alarms to remind them when to eat, go pee and just, well, live – those writers who write so often that it’s hard to tell where human ends and keyboard begins… I hope, one day, that is me. (The writing often part, not the physically merging into my keyboard bit…)

Cheri at WordPress asks those of us struggling to find the time to write to consider these questions:

If you could step into a machine that gave you more time, how would you structure your day? 

I am currently experiencing a busy period of my life, one which I hope will begin to settle somewhat in the New Year. This year has seen us prepare for our big move to the other side of the world in January. Due to the timings of lease ends and availability of rentals in Oxfordshire, we have had three temporary house moves in the last three months, have a fourth this weekend, and then a fifth move which will take me home to Manchester where I will spend Christmas and New Year with friends and family, all before the final move to Australia in 2016. With this in mind, I would certainly like to use a time machine, if only to tackle the mundane to-do list that comes with packing up your life. With the extra time, I would use my evenings to indulge in my favourite pastimes with more regularity rather than fleetingly. Some of those include; cooking, yoga, sketching, meditation and writing, (and hopefully dog walking, once I can convince my partner that a puppy called Spencer is exactly what we need in our lives!)

What would you write with this extra time?

For a start, I would keep on top of this Writing 101 course, making sure that I complete the daily prompts daily and not every four to five days as I have been doing. I also have a burning desire to bring my children’s book series to life, a long standing idea of mine which I am eager to finally bring to fruition, if only for myself and my own sanity. I wish to write a book to help others to heal through adversity and pain. I would quite like to explore poetry a little more since I found it to be extremely therapeutic during the recent Poetry 101 course. Finally, I’d like to begin to use this blog for the purpose that it was created; letters to my Dad xx

How do you free up time to write during times of upheaval or change?

My Writing Haven

Writing 101, Day 6: The space to write

Today’s prompt asks:

• What are your writing habits?
• What equipment or supplies do you use to write?
• What do you need and want in a physical space?

I am really quite old fashioned at heart. I prefer books to Kindles (I was kindly bought a Kindle as a gift, and admittedly, I used it once on holiday and returned it to the box as soon as I arrived home. It has remained there ever since.) Even if it means carrying an extra few kilos of volumes in my luggage, I’d much rather have a real book in hand than a piece of electronic equipment.

The same goes for my writing practice. I have journals and notepads galore! I just can’t get enough of them and am a bit of a geek when it comes to shopping. Mostly, you will find me in the stationary isles. I love the unique design of each, I’m usually drawn to pastels and neutral colours, with designs that incorporate birds, flowers and nature. The crisp white pages invite me to fill the blank spaces in a way that the laptop just doesn’t ignite. I can, however, see the benefits of electronic writing; it allows for easy editing and takes up less space thanks to the invention of hard drives. But there’s something about the thought of discovering the original works of writers, in the early, raw stages of production that inspires me. Many poets, such as Wordsworth and Shelley, left behind extracts of original works that evolved and changed over time, extracts that are still able to be viewed by the public today. When a piece is handwritten, it arrives at the page straight from the heart; raw and unedited, regardless of how many times it has been crossed out or altered and changed. Watching it evolve is part of the process. Often with word processing, we see only the edited, perfected piece at the end, minus the struggles, alterations and changes it took to arrive there. Each time we hit ‘save’, we lose part of the manner in which the piece unfolded and matured. For that reason, I much prefer to use my pen and type it up later; to cross out, to insert arrows or an asterix, so that I can remember the journey and not just the destination.

I’m also quite privy to a Parker. I was first bought a Parker pen when I was eleven, it was a black fountain pen with blue ink cartridges (I much prefer blue ink to black, and tend to only use black when a form requests it.) I loved the way it felt in my hand, the way the ink glided over paper, I felt so grown up. My handwriting was never quite the same when I used other pens, and equally, none of my friends at school could write neatly using my pen! It was like it was made for my hand. I still use a Parker pen today, although I have moved on since the days of my fountain pen. My partner bought me a silver ball point Parker which I simply love.

In terms of my writing space, I just need peace. A quiet space in which I can connect with my heart and my pen. I like to gather ideas and inspiration from my surroundings, conversations with people, walks and solo missions, travels near and far; but once I have gathered this information, I need a peaceful environment to retreat to. If it’s a little noisy at home, I’ll put on some classical music in the background to get me in the zone. If it’s a nice day, I will take my notepad and pen outside to write, surrounded by the beauty of nature. Otherwise, I sit in my comfy armchair in my bedroom as I am doing now. Or on the bed. I do own a writers bureau, which I love. But as much as I love having a writer’s desk in my room to house my stationary, I rarely sit at it. Simply because there’s something about sitting at a desk that reminds me of when I was a child at school, when we were expected to sit and work, or of the time I was employed in an office and I was required to sit at a desk. Whenever I sit at a desk to write, it suddenly feels like a chore. I much prefer to be comfy so that my writing is inspired rather than forced.

So there you have it! My writing habits. What are yours?

I Write Because…

Writing 101, Day 1: I write because…

…to become a writer one must write. It really is that simple. I have this written on the first page of every notebook and journal that I own. To become a writer one must write.

This is something I told myself after months, years even, of procrastination. And I still have to remind myself of that simple truth daily. Oh…I’m too busy/stressed/tired/insert any other excuse *here*. I am ashamed to admit that I am guilty of all of the above and have blogged about my tendencies to put off the one thing I love doing more than anything else here.

Procrastination is something I battle with daily. In saying that, I am becoming much better at establishing a writing practice (WordPress writing courses have helped significantly with this!) But would you believe, I almost made an excuse not to proceed with November’s writing challenge despite really wanting to take part? (Heh hem – you’re not supposed to say ‘Yes, I can believe it…!’) I signed up to November’s Writing 101 when the first invite was emailed – yet for some reason, I didn’t receive the usual confirmation or daily prompt when the course began. I immediately took this as a ‘sign’ that I was too busy preparing to emigrate in the New Year to commit to a writing practice anyway, and that I should probably wait for the next course to come around when things would be less ‘hectic’ (how easy it was for me to slip into my old habit of delaying the writing process!!!) So I had a quiet (and very stern) word with myself and contacted WordPress support before I could convince myself any further that it would be better to wait for that ‘perfect’ moment to write (you know – that perfect moment that doesn’t actually exist unless you create it?!)

Thankfully, here I am! And hopefully, I shall remain here throughout November, come rain or shine, taking time to indulge in a little writing each day. Yes – I will be sitting my ass down daily and committing to a daily writing practice because after all; to become a writer one must write!