It's almost over!

There are just 4 days to go before the challenge is over, I can't believe it's been two months already! So even though the Facebook group has taken over from this blog I thought it only right that I do one final post to share what I have got over the last couple of months!

1. Every day I am doing things I love and I was already doing this with out necessarily consciously realising it. Just making paying attention and noting it down though has made me feel grateful for the life I already lead. 
2. Creating a life you love doesn't have to be a huge effort, even the smallest things like sitting in the sunshine lift my spirit and make me feel alive. It is totally possible to do something that makes you smile each day.
3. Having the intention of creating a life I love over the past couple of months has actually led me to take this challenge even further. I am now really going for it with plans to write a book and take my business on-line whilst travelling around India for 6 months, something that was always some day one day and I never imagined I could combine it with work. I am putting any fears or doubts a side and just doing everything I can to make it happen.
4. This challenge has sparked an idea for a book about a new year long challenge to set myself .....details to follow soon!
5. In life we often face set backs to our goals, sometimes we set out to do things and then something completely different happens. The thing is never to give up, be flexible, there will always be a way of making something happen even if it doesn't end up looking the way you imagined it at the start. Anna is a great example of this, what ever happens with her charity she will help people affected by cancer.
6. It's so great to hear what makes other people smile, it triggers ideas and memories of what you love to do to! I loved the giving of random hugs and sharing of cooking delights! Sharing things that touch you creates a deep connection with people, which is lovely! I'd love to read some more of your experiences of the challenge.

Hope you can make our celebration drinks on Thursday night, 7pm, Elysee Restaurant and Bar on Percy St, just off Tottenham Court Road. We will be on the roof terrace!

and finally there is just one more thing to say......

xxxxxx

Louise

Create Yourself

How do you like to play?

I was reading yet another interesting blog this morning that I feel really relates to our challenge; The Happiness Project. Today Gretchen Rubin is discussing how playing has a huge part in feeling happy. Thinking about our challenge of doing something we love every day and what things we are picking to do I am sure a lot of them are things we loved to do when we were younger. The things I loved to do when I was growing up are all the things that make me smile now; baking cakes, being by the sea, seeing my friends, dancing.....and even roller skating (not that I do that very often now)!


Hmm just thought of another one, I used to love making mix tapes!! Ok so that is my thing for today, I am going to create a play list (oh, how times have changed!) of all my old favourite songs from when I was 15 and under.....ooo this is going to be fun! I hope I can find Mel and Kim on Spotify!! (if you have not yet discovered Spotify it is an amazing tool for downloading free music).


Gretchen mentions a book by Stuart Brown Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul in which he lists various different "play personalities".  Going through the various options I think I must be a director, as I love to plan events/parties, and an explorer as I love going to new places and meeting new people. It helps to become present to what you are as then from there you can get ideas of things to do that will make you happy!


So I am taking on my director hat today and am booking the venue for our party on 14th April - I hope you can make it!


What is your play personality?


....and if you are stuck for things to do each day to make you smile, what would you have done when you were 8 years old?


Have fun! x

Beach time!

I've been having a lovely weekend down with my parents, and then catching up with a good friend I haven't seen since last summer! Below are some pics I have snapped from last nights sunset and a walk on the sand this morning.....bliss :-)

Next on the agenda is baking a chocolate cake with my mum this afternoon.....I don't think we have done that together since I was about 10!!

xxx

Operation beautiful!

Inspired by the AMAZING Operation Beautiful I just sneaked into my friend's (and flatmate!) room and left a note on her mirror saying she is beautiful, I love her and thanks for being such a fab friend. It feels really lovely to express how you feel about someone, especially when they least expect it, he he :-)

xx

Day 3....allowing myself to stop!

Before I start I just have to say.....Tiffany your cats are GORGEOUS!!! I tried to add a comment but for some reason I couldn't write anything, hope that fixes itself soon! But they really are so beautiful, awww!

Well my first little treat was a Cadbury's cream egg today, the first one of the season! I try to leave it as long as possible usually and once the seal is broken there is no turning back. It was indeed very yummy, although must say Maltesers Bunnies are big competition this year :-)

After scoffing the egg I spent my lunch break on the search of someone to compliment, I just thought it would be a nice thing to do, it was fun I felt like I was on some kind of make over show running around undercover checking out what people were wearing!! When I did find my lady she looked rather chuffed to be told how lovely she looks.

I've ended up going for a triple whammy and have decided to give myself a night off tonight, instead of planned yoga and then work I am going to turn the laptop off after this, have a long soak in a bath and then read my book....(and not feel at all guilty!).....bliss.

Good night! x

Thank you note....sshhh!

Today I posted a Thank You Card.....ashamedly the first proper one in a very long time. I've got so used to just sending texts/emails or saying thank you in person but there is something special about saying it via post. Also I only ever usually send thank you cards after Christmas and birthdays so it felt really  lovely to be thanking someone for all they do for me all the time and for being such a great person in my life. I am not telling you who it is......it will ruin their postal delivery in the morning.....sssshhhh! :-)

1 day to go - can't wait!!

Hello!

Just one day to go until the challenge starts, I just can't wait to see where it all takes us, what we get up to and what comes out of consciously planning to do something that makes us smile every day. Knowing that it is about to start I have been thinking about what I am going to do for my first week, I am a planner and like to get things planned in for my week ahead!

I had a fab idea yesterday whilst going through someone's wardrobe (I am an image consultant) of how lovely would it be to go up to random people on the street and give them compliments. It's so nice when someone comes up and tells you how nice you look or comments on something you are wearing, it really gives you a little lift. I often see people and think how fabulous they look but never actually say anything to them for fear of them thinking I am slightly odd! So I think I will do that on a few of my days in the challenge.

Another I idea I have had is to send people thank you cards, this idea came from reading about this fab book 365 Days where the writer sent thank you cards to people every day for a year. Every day I do think about what I am grateful for but this is one step further and again like the compliments idea it's touching other people.

After just spending a couple of weeks in an Ashram  in India I am addicted to yoga now so making sure I do bikram yoga will be another thing this week.

And finally I am going home next weekend to see my parents so I think I might bake a chocolate cake with my mum and enjoy licking the bowl afterwards (with no guilt!).....used to love doing that when I was younger!!!

Looking forward to hearing about what you all get up to!

Louise x

50 things that make me smile!

OK here is my list of 50 things that put a big smile on my face.....as I started I wondered how I would think of 50 but as i got going more and more kept springing in to mind! Now I just want to go do them all :-)

I look forward to reading all of yours!

x

1. Walking along the Thames
2. Going into nice cosy old London pubs with open fires in the winter
3. Visiting Brighton
4. Going down to the New Forest to see my parents, love seeing the ponies wandering around
5. Running along the cliff top/ sea wall where my parents live
6. Roller skating
7. Dancing
8. Bikram Yoga
9. Reading a good book, love Paulo Coehlo
10. Cooking a roast for a big Sunday lunch with friends
11. Hosting a dinner party
12. Throwing a party
13. Looking around shops
14. Baking Cake
15. Being spun around salsa dancing
16. Tooting bec lido in the summer
17. Writing my blog/diary
18. My cat
19. Lying in a hammock
20. Eating fresh fish by a beach in Thailand/India
21. Kyaking through crystal clear sea
22. Snorkelling
23. Chatting to friends abroad on Skype
24. Planning a holiday
25. Having a really great open conversation with someone I care about where you really share yourselves and learn more about each other
26. Kissing :-)
27. Going for coffee and cake with a friend for a good catch up
28. Going to the cinema on my own in the middle of the day
29. Going to the Tate Modern
30. Sitting somewhere peaceful and meditating
31. Running along the Thames
32. Borough Food Market, going saturday morning and wandering around feasting on everything!
33. Saturdays at Portobello Market with a friend and glass of vino after shopping
34. Pie and mash after a good nose around Spitalsfield market on a Sunday
35. Going to seminars that inspire me and help me to grow
36. Seeing my friends children, they are all so cute!
37. Taking photos, I aim to take one a day
38. The feeling at the end of a personal shop where the client is excited about all his/her new clothes
39. The energy I get when I am coaching someone and they start to make the changes they desire, to see their confidence and excitement growing is a true gift
40. Waking up in the arms of my boyfriend
41. Ordering food in a new restaurant
42. Eating delicious food
43. Listening to music up LOUD!
44. Dancing round the lounge to a great song on full blast
45. Playing Wii with friends
46. Visiting somewhere new and exploring
47. Long windy walks where your cheeks are pink and you feel wind swept by the end of it
48. Swimming in the sea, even in UK!
49. Getting dressed up with friends to go out, music on, wine open!
50. Going to concerts/gigs

It's time to sign up!

I can't believe how much the time has flown and the time is here for everyone to sign up for the Challenge! I have just spent a wonderful 5 weeks doing things I love every day in India and feel even MORE excited about the impact I know this challenge will have on all those doing it. Just consiously planning to do something that makes you smile every day really does shift your thoughts and feelings for that day.

To sign up please go to this site and donate via the paypal link. Then I will add you on to this blog so you can start contributing. Some suggested tips to get you started are:

• As soon as you recieve an email from me to say you are added to the blog write a quick post just to introduce yourself to everyone. I am sure people would be interested to get to know a bit about everyone doing the challenge and who knows you might get to know some people who can help you/ you help them etc
• Then before the challenge started on Valentines day you may like to post an idea of the kind of things you will be doing. A great exercise to create some ideas of what to do is to write a list of 50 things that make you smile, then you can start to plan to do them. They might be things you like to do now, things you haven't done for years or something you have always wanted to try.
• On Valentines please start posting what you do every day, it doesn't have to be long just a quick few lines to share ideas and experiences with everyone.
• It's perfectly ok to copy other peoples ideas!! That is one of the reasons for this blog to inspire each other.
• Above all HAVE FUN!

Once I have an idea of how many people are on the challenge I will then book a venue for the party to celebrate the end on 14th April.

Again the site to sign up is: www.createalifeyoulove.co.uk

Over the new week I will post my list of 50 things that make me smile too :-)

Thanks everyone for your support!!

Louise xx

A smile is something you can't give away.. it always comes back to you. (Anon)

Hi All,

AnnaGoAnna here, Trustee of Living Beyond Diagnosis. Thank you Louise for coming up with this great idea and thank you to everyone who takes part on two grounds. 1/ Because you'll be doing something you enjoy and something that'll make you smile every day (smiles are, of course, highly infectious!); and 2/ Because funds from this lovely challenge are going to support our first 3-day event in 17-19 November in London for anyone affected by breast cancer - and you'll be helping approx 500 smile at a time when smiling, sometimes, is a hard thing to do.

So... what am I going to do every day for the Create a Life You Love Challenge? I've had lots of ideas... although I'm concerned that they may sound more like a list of New Year resolutions and I usually only keep those up until... ooooh... about 4th January!

So, what am I to do... well I'm going to do something silly every day. By silly I mean walk down the road and avoid the cracks in the pavement. On rainy days I'm going to remember to stomp in puddles and not care that I'll get wet feet. I'm going to go up to a stranger and tell them I like their tie/shirt/dress/haircut. I'm going to call someone I've not spoken to in a while and just say 'Helloooooooo is it me your looking for' (Lionel Ritchie styley). I'm going to send a random postcard with a kind message and forget to sign it. I'm going to pay for a coffee for the person behind me in the queue.

Hmm I think you get the idea - do you think I'll get into trouble with some of the ideas? I'm quite sure in London that I'll get some odd looks and a few sidesteps.

I'm hoping my blog entries about my adventures on this challenge might make you smile too?

Good luck with your ventures and I look forward to hearing all about them.

AnnaGoAnna

PS Ooooh and thank you so much for supporting this challenge. Talk to others and encourage them to sign up too... imagine if we could make everyone on the tube smile!

Lots of ideas!

I have been on lots of train journeys the past couple of days so have been day dreaming about things I love to do that perhaps I could plan over the 2 months of the challenge and raise a bit more cash for the charity......here are a few of my ideas:

Afternoon tea - cupcake/ cake sale

Sponsored 10K run (or walk) around the Thames

Great old London pubs tour (money for tour donated)

Afternoon of mini colour consultations - £10 each - money donated

Sponsored Bikram yoga challenge - 3 classes in a day, eek

I am currently thinking about how the promotion page for the site will look and who else to ask for prizes and hoping to get things like:

a massage
yoga lessons
hair cut
make up lesson
a subscription to a magazine

Everyone I have been speaking to about it is loving the idea, as it's not that often we actually plan to do something that we love every single day.

Can't wait!!

xx

A new idea is formed!

Yesterday whilst musing about what could be my next big challenge I thought about what I could do that is really at the core of my being; people living lives they love. This is the ethos of our whole company, Create Yourself. It's all about helping people to live lives they really love, every day.

So it was then I came up with the idea of a Create Yourself charity event, something that gets people in touch with what they love to do and helps raise money for a great cause. Recently I met an incredible lady, Anna Wallace, who has just got through an extremely rare type of cancer. She is dedicating the next year to putting on a 3 day event next November called Living Beyond Diagnosis. It’s for people who have been affected by breast cancer to give them all the information they need that the doctors don’t tell you about. Stuff like diet, image, dealing with your friends and families reactions, your body changes and so on. The mission is to empower the survivors and connect them with people going through similar experiences to build a strong community of support. She is really thinking big and wants to try to get the likes of Kylie and Gok Wan to speak. Just while I was thinking about this she actually emailed me yesterday afternoon asking me if I would do some style sessions at the event next November?! Love it how people get in touch when you are thinking of them, so I took this as a sign and emailed her about my idea to raise money to help her put on the event and she loves the idea!

My idea so far is that the charity event will be the celebration party at the end of a challenge. The whole idea is people living lives they love so from 14th February (a day all about love!) the challenge will be to do 1 thing you love/makes you smile every day for 2 months. You'll be asked to write regular blog posts on here to share your journey and inspire others.

At the end of the challenge in April we will put on a big party to celebrate your achievements. We will ask for some people to stand up and share what they got from it. We'll also also arrange a speaker or two to share their inspirational stories of creating lives they love. Then there will be a prize draw for everyone who has taken part and completed the full 2 months, the winner will win a full Create Yourself package of a 13 session life coaching course, 10 personal training sessions and a full image consultation, worth £1364.40. There will also be a raffle to win other fantastic donated prizes such beauty treatments/ haircuts/ yoga sessions etc. (All to be confirmed!)

The money from entry to the challenge and the raffle on the night will all go towards putting on Anna's event next November, to ensure attendees pay very little to attend the event (many suffer financial hardship because of their diagnosis).

So this is my idea so far, my new blog has been set up and we are in the process of setting up a new website to promote this. I am excited and full of anticipation of where this project is going to lead, above all I know it's going to be a lot of fun.

xxx