Do You Ever Feel Trapped?
Do you ever experience the feeling of wanting to strive for something while an inner force is holding you backl? It can feel like a sensation of wanting to run, while stuck firmly on the spot. It’s a feeling that can happen when you say, ‘I really want this’ (to go to the gym, start writing a book, create your own business, try a new hobby, express yourself authentically, learn Spanish, read the book that has been looking at you for six months, or leave a toxic relationship), but your fears and doubts hold you in chains. 

Do You Want to Break Free?
This means that when you want something, you make your strength stronger than the force containing you. This means, when you want to run, you run. And this means, that when you make dreams in your mind and they matter, you take that step towards them, no matter what, and you silence fear and doubt, because you can. 

How do you Break Free?

• Become the Observer: This begins in making acquaintance with your mind so that you can observe your thoughts. Developing this ability can be achieved through meditation, mindfulness practices, journalling, and any activity that helps you to be present in this moment and slow down your thinking, so that you can see your thoughts. Sometimes, just by asking the question; 'What am I thinking now', takes your mind to the place of observation, to see your thoughts as they are playing out. 
  
• Make Your Choices: When you can see what you are thinking, then you can decide to allow the thought patterns to play out as they are doing, or to decide to intervene with your chosen thoughts and actions. Intervention begins with deciding if you want to take control and make changes to improve how you feel, and how you live, or not? This can be a huge challenge, so do not despair. The mind likes its comfort zones; the known ways of operating, because it is easier to do what it has been doing than to learn something new, even if the new choice holds the potential for greater love, happiness and success. When you make your choice about how you want to think, feel, behave and live, MAKE YOUR CHOICE STRONG, and armor it with you values and the reason that you want what you want. 
  
• Blast Out of Your Comfort Zone: The secret is simple: it is to make your choice about what you want more powerful than the story playing in your mind. You can do this my allow the old thoughts to dissolve in mind mist and repeating the new thoughts, many times, and with supportive actions to give them substance. 
  
• Fuel Your Choice With Compassion. The power of the mind is great force, but self-esteem alone is not always enough. Mental power gives you focus, clarity and energy, and believing in what you want can help you make great strides in the direction of your dreams. However, to really enable change in a positive direction, towards what really matters in your heart, I believe compassion is needed to truly ensure success. Compassion is also a choice, built on beliefs of self-kindness, and non-judgement. Self-compassion smooths the path, and creates a soft strong inner power, that holds a sense of coherence, so that when you this choose to speak to yourself and treat yourself with kindness and acceptance and without harsh judgement, it can feel as thought you have stepped into a stream of light that carries you in the direction of your dreams.

I believe the mind and heart working in unity is where we truly cultivate our powers to liberate and create.

QUESTION: This year, what do you want to achieve?

• What change does this involve?
• How is your comfort zone imprisoning you from achieving this?
• What thoughts happen inside your comfort zone?
• What thoughts happen when you think about moving out of your comfort zone?
• What thoughts support what you want to achieve?
• What are you going to think and repeat, repeat and repeat with all the strength in your heart?
• How does this make you feel?
• How can you use self-compassion to support you; what can say to yourself from a place of kindness, acceptance and love?
• What do you want to do?
• When will you begin?
• What will help you ensure you do this?
• How will you feel when you have done this?

 
Freedom is your choice, in every moment. You can give it away, but no one can take it away. Own it. Choose it. Cultivate it. Practice Your Freedom. 

With a strong heart and mind anything is possible. Cultivating strength is a choice.You always have a choice. Anything is possible, if you really want it.

Antonia x

​If You Are Going to Lead, Then Lead.
Linda Cliatt-Wayman
 
 
Leadership is about becoming the writer of the story of your life.
 I believe that to be a true leader requires:


Vision: It is your vision, something you believe, see or feel called to do. It is where you see a need that you can serve, or hope that you can give. No one can give you this vision, other than to inspire you to give birth to your own. Leadership asks you to turn from the status quo and seek new vistas, hopes, dreams and possibilities.  Leadership requires you to be a visionary.

Faith: A true leader has faith in their vision; they may not see what will be, how it will be attained, the actions ahead, or how the chapters will be filled. They just know it can be realized and that it matters. They know this because they believe in what they see or sense, and they trust in their own dedication, commitment, and ability to try. A true leader knows that true faith is simply the bold choice to choose to believe in yourself and your vision, over fear, no matter what. 

Love:  A true leader knows that real success will only be achieved when their journey is fuelled by love, because love gives a true leader the light they require to build success and attract others into their vision.

Truth: A leader must be authentic. People sense a lack in authenticity,  they feel the words unspoken and they see the actions above the facade on show. A true leader must honour their values and truth in actions, if their leadership is to succeed.

Courage: There will be challenges. There will be dark nights and days of glory when you are called to demonstrate your leadership skills. There will expectations placed on you, demands made of you, responsibilities chosen by you, and there will be fears that hound you; some real, others ghosts in your mind. Courage, the ability to believe in yourself,  silence the ghosts, and to trust life will be your ally.
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Connection: A true leader understands that true success is bringing about transformations that benefit the whole and so care for the whole and the ability to communicate with clarity, care and compassion is key to cultivating powerful connections.


I know that to truly lead, I must write the story of my life and be accountable for it. I must manage my mind, conquer my demons with all the power of my love, and project faith, courage and positivity onto the script of my mind and onto others. I must stay true to my truth and be fierce in breaking through clouds of doubt to let the light shone through. I must choose my vision, choose faith, choose love, choose my truth and choose courage, and keep choosing these qualities every day of my life. True leadership is an art, and requires practice and dedication every single day.

Always believe in your vision, faith is the light that brings your dreams to life.