Please come and visit us there.

Jude Jennison.

All eyes were on Obama this week as he was inaugurated on Tues. What strikes me is the hope that this one person is generating not just in the US where he is now President but all over the world.

Obama comes into office at a time when the world is in crisis – economically, politically and socially. His task is an enormous one and he is just one human being.

JFK said: “Ask not what America can do for you but what you can do for America.”

The only way we can create the change we want to see in the world is for each and every one of us to step into the light and make the impact we are meant to have. Individually and collectively, we can create our present and our future.  When every one of us leads from the heart, then we will generate real and lasting change for the better.

How will you use your talents for the greater good of the world?

What one thing will you do differently for the sake of a better world?

Corrina Gordon-Barnes of You Inspire Me writes about this beautifully in her signature article on The world needs your passion where she asks every one of us to make our unique contribution to society.

No doubt Obama had doubts along the way. No doubt he wondered if he was doing the right thing, if he would succeed, if he can really do what he is passionate about. If he listened to the reasons why not, then he would never have become President of the United States and would never have the impact on the world in the way that we are hoping he will.

It’s up to each of us to dare to dream big and to create the opportunities to turn those dreams into reality. For the sake of the world.

Here is this week’s choice of song – Over the rainbow sung by Eva Cassidy. Put down what you are doing for 5 minutes and really let the music wash over you.

As the song says: “The dreams that you dare to dream really do come true”

The only person who can make them happen is you.

Will you make your dreams come true for the sake of a better world?

Share your dreams in the comments below and start to make them happen.

With love,
Jude. x

Scroll to the bottom of this post for the videos. Once I had decided to share this music, here’s what I realised. 

The music is too good to be hidden away so I decided to spread the gift! I hope you will find something in the music to awaken your senses and emotions.

What is your unique gift to the world?

Each of us has knowledge, talents and passions. Many of us keep them hidden, sometimes even from ourselves. So I encourage you to acknowledge to yourself your talents, knowledge and passions and share them with the world.

What is your passion or unique talent that you are hiding from the world?

What will you do today to unleash it to the world?

I am passionate about my husband, my dog and my cat. I adore animals and nature. I love to spend time outdoors, experiencing the glory of this beautiful planet with all its diversity.

I am also passionate about coaching and personal development. Through coaching, I witness the amazing and unique journeys that each of my clients make and I get to experience it personally too. It’s so empowering! This year, I am increasing the time I spend coaching people and expanding my business because that’s where my heart really lies. In doing so, my clients get to step into their magnificent lives and be really fulfilled and I get the privilege of being with them every step of the way. What a gift for everyone! 

I know that coaching and personal development is my gift, both to myself and to the world. It’s aligned with my values, my heart’s desires and my dreams. For too long, I held myself back, conforming to what I thought was expected of me. Most of us have all done this at some point in our lives. In reality, we can be and do anything we want to be and when we are aligned with our true selves and making an impact on the world, that’s when it all feels right.

What is your gift to yourself in 2009?

What is your gift to the world in 2009?

It’s time to release your gift to yourself and the world. Take the first step today by naming it in the comments below.

With love,

Jude. x

Here are the videos. Enjoy! I’m sharing two videos because they are both so good! The first is Days like these. The music starts at 34 seconds.

The second video isThe Chariot. 

Hope you enjoyed them.

The inspiration for this blog post is my dog Gracie who had 7 puppies last Weds. She is just so proud of them that I instantly thought of this song. She has that gooey look on her face that young mums have as though she has done something truly incredible… which she has.

So it got me thinking about what makes us proud. Few of us will ever achieve a gold medal and it dawned on me that it’s the little things we do and say every day that we can be proud of.

What have you done to make you feel proud?

Here are some of the things I’ve done in the last week that I am proud of:

1. The fact that I kept Gracie fit leading up to pregnancy and through pregnancy because I feel that I played a small part in enabling her to whelp relatively easily.
2. Being with Gracie throughout the whelping and reassuring her when she was in pain. The bond between us at that point was so great and is a reflection of how much unconditional love we give each other. We can learn so much from animals.
3. The blog I set up to track the progress of the puppies (http://www.guidedogpuppies.wordpress.com) because it enables me to keep my family and friends updated on her progress and it is good PR for Guide Dogs
4. The articles I’ve just written on “4 week plan to creating more time for yourself” and “3 steps to gaining clarity and fulfillment in your life” which I plan to publish very soon
5. My Connected Souls blog because I realise it really reflects who I am
6. The courage it sometimes takes to be vulnerable publicly in service of others hopefully learning something from my blog

 “I look into the window of my mind
Reflections of the fears I know I’ve left behind
I step out of the ordinary
I can feel my soul ascending
I am on my way
Can’t stop me now
And you can do the same

What have you done today to make you feel proud?
It’s never too late to try”

We are all amazing individuals. It’s time to stop playing small, time to let go of the constraints we put around ourselves and step out of the ordinary into the extraordinary lives that we can have.

What constraints will you let go of?

How will you step out of the ordinary?

Let me know what you are proud of and how you will step out of the ordinary this week.

With love,

Jude. x

I’m excited about 2009. I’ve decided not to set goals and New Year’s resolutions. Instead, I have high hopes and incredible dreams that I intend to turn into reality. I have some coaching and business ideas that I plan to launch and the thought of them is just thrilling.

“You’ve got to fight for every dream
Cos who’s to know which one you let go
Would have made you complete”

What are your hopes and dreams for 2009?

Right now, every newspaper, magazine and TV programme is encouraging you to improve in some way… to lose weight, stop smoking, get fitter, be happier and so on. A goal or New Year’s resolution can sometimes feel like a chore when it’s driven by what you think you should be doing.

Hopes and dreams are something special; they make your eyes shine with excitement and your heart sing with joy.

What will really make your eyes shine and your heart sing in 2009?

What do you really hope and dream for?

Concentrate on this and go for it with all your heart and soul! Every day, take a step towards it.

“Everybody’s looking for that something. One thing that makes it all complete”

We can sometimes get caught up in chasing something in a belief that when we have it, everything will be perfect. Amongst all this dreaming and goal setting, it’s important to remember that life happens right here right now in the present. This moment is reality.

What is here right now that makes your eyes shine and your heart sing?

Right now, my dog Gracie is snoring at my feet, my cat Dennis is out hunting for mice, my husband Paul is cooking dinner and I’m writing my blog. Life just does not get better than this.

“I’m flying without wings”

Identify thrilling hopes and dreams to move towards in 2009 and enjoy every step of the way, including now. The present really is a gift.

With love,

Jude. x

Last weekend, I was assisting on a coaching course. One of the main topics covered was to explore the things we don’t like about ourselves and face up to them. We spend extraordinary amounts of energy avoiding things we don’t like.

For me, I don’t like anger and I don’t like to be insecure or unsafe. This means I spend a lot of energy avoiding anger both in myself and in others and I’ll do anything to avoid conflict. The amount of time and energy this takes up is incredible. I also go to great lengths to be safe in many ways. I seek financial security, job security, security in relationships and so on. Trying to avoid being unsafe means I reduce the choices available to me.

What do you go to great lengths to avoid?

What is the impact on your life?

“Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams
Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before
Close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar
And you’ll live as you’ve never lived before …”

On the course, the participants confronted their darkest fears and experienced them, knowing that there was much to be gained from understanding what is at the heart of them. In confronting these fears head on, they experienced their own resourcefulness and ability to deal with whatever came up. I know I can cope with anger when it arises so why not accept it and deal with it at the time instead of wasting so much time and energy avoiding it. It seems so obvious.

If you are not sure what you are avoiding, take a look at the habits you see in others that you don’t like. Often, we deflect onto others the things we can’t be with in ourselves.

What is the behaviour other people display that you can’t be with?

Where in your life do you behave in that way? What do you do to avoid it?

“Let your mind start a journey through a strange, new world
Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before
Let your soul take you where you long to be”

When we stop running away from ourselves, we are able to experience every moment of our lives. Only then will we be truly free to lead a fulfilling life.

“Let your dream begin, let your darker side give in…”

With love,

Jude. x

I’ve just spent a lovely weekend in York (England) with my husband and parents-in-law who were celebrating their Golden Wedding Anniversary. After 50 years together, I was interested to understand how they make their relationship work.

My parents-in-law are two very different people with completely different ideas, approaches and personalities. They share many common values and still retain their individuality. They accept themselves and each other for who they are and that makes for an easy relationship.

When we are at ease with ourselves, we can also be at ease with others and our relationships are more harmonious. From this inner peace, our creativity is born.

What is possible when you are at ease with yourself?

What is possible when you are at ease with others?

“I don’t know why you say goodbye, I say hello.”

We are all unique and we are also all the same. As the world we live in becomes more global, our ability to understand and celebrate the diversity of all of us will enable us to live and work in harmony.

What difference will you accept today?

What is unique about you?

Be yourself, embrace diversity and have an easy week.

With love,

Jude. x

I’ve been prevaricating all weekend about what I should write about this week. I’ve had so many ideas but none of them seemed good enough. I was searching for the perfect song, the perfect idea, perfect words.

In the pursuit of perfection, I failed.

When does the pursuit of perfection cause you to fail?

How much better might “average” be?

Be average this week and let me know what is different.

With love,

Jude. x

Modern society moves at high speed. We drive around in fast cars, we have computers with fast processing speeds that enable us to do more in less time. At work, we have more things to do than is feasibly possible in the time available.  This often leads to long working hours and stress. We often replicate this at home by having a big list of things to do at the weekend, including social activities. We get caught up in trying to do everything. We are doing, doing, doing.

What speed are you going in your life?

“Slow down, you move too fast.”

Take a deep breath and slow down. Engage all your senses and get present with where you are right now in this moment. What can you see, hear, feel, taste, smell, sense?

What happens when you slow down?

What is here right now in this moment?

When I slow down, I stop being a machine and become my true creative, warm and loving self. I know what matters to me:

1.       My gorgeous husband  who I rarely have enough time for

2.       My dog – going for walks, having fun together and helping her look after her puppies

3.       Coaching and leadership development which are my passions and are the work that I am meant to be doing

4.       My family and friends as time spent with them is precious

5.       The outdoors, fresh air and exercise

6.       Our beautiful diverse planet. Travelling to see remarkable places and meeting amazing people.

These things are beautiful music to me. Anything else is noise. When I slow down, I know that I want more music and less noise in my life. Already I feel as though I have created the space to make this happen.

When you slow down, you create the space to really understand what is important in your life and what is not. It enables you to make conscious choices about what you say “Yes” to and opens up the door to saying “No” to things that are not important.

What are you choosing to say yes to?

What are you choosing to say no to?

Try slowing down this week and let me know what you choose.

“Life I love you, All is groovy”.

With love,

Jude. x