“Three Score Years  & Ten” – A Gift of Memories

“Three Score Years & Ten” – A Gift of Memories

Today is my birthday 🙂

While I am not quite “Three Score Years and Ten” yet, any birthday does make you contemplate the past.

Quite a few years ago, I came across a list of 100 questions to give older family members to answer.  By answering these questions, you may gain a deeper understating of your relative’s life.

At some point I will do this excercise for myself and create my own book ( maybe in time for my 70th birthday?)

You can download the questions here…
100 Questions.pdf

I gave these questions to my Mum and, well, she went above and beyond and wrote a whole book!!!

I had the (very large) file she sent me turned into a hard covered book and got copies for the whole family.   The family were then presented with the book on her 70th birthday.

Over the last few weeks I have been organising my computer’s hard drive and I came across the file.  I had not read through it for a while, and it was fun to skim back over it.

You can download her book here...
or click on the image below.

Why a Tight Budget Might Make You a Better Mother

Why a Tight Budget Might Make You a Better Mother

Motherhood is a journey filled with joy, love, and countless challenges. One thing that can add an extra layer of difficulty is navigating motherhood on a tight budget. While a bank account less than “loaded” may initially seem like a hindrance, it might actually shape you into a better mother.

So, embrace your financial circumstances and discover the hidden advantages they bring!

Cultivating Resourcefulness:

 A tight budget encourages you to become resourceful, finding creative ways to meet your family’s needs. As a mother, this resourcefulness translates into clever solutions and a knack for stretching every dollar. You learn to make the most of what you have, finding alternative options and DIY solutions that not only save money but also boost your children’s creativity and problem-solving skills. Being resourceful teaches your children valuable life lessons and creates a sense of resilience.

Teaching Financial Responsibility:

Navigating motherhood on a tight budget provides an opportunity to teach your children about financial responsibility from an early age.

Instead of saying a firm NO to their requests, you make conscious choices, prioritise spending, and involve them in budgeting discussions.  In doing this, you teach lessons about money management and the importance of making informed financial decisions. By showing them how to live within means, save for the future, and distinguish between wants and needs, you equip them with essential skills that will serve them well throughout their lives.

Fostering Gratitude and Appreciation:

A tight budget allows you to instill a sense of gratitude and appreciation in your children. By consciously making choices and sacrifices, they learn to value what they have and express gratitude for the simple pleasures in life.

Teaching your children to appreciate experiences, togetherness, and acts of kindness rather than material possessions helps them cultivate a lasting happiness that isn’t dependent on “things”.

This mindset creates a strong foundation for their overall well-being and shapes them into compassionate individuals.

Building Strong Family Bonds:

On a budget, you discover that quality time and shared experiences matter more than material possessions. You create opportunities for family bonding that may have been overlooked with a larger budget. Whether it’s cooking together, engaging in outdoor activities, or having game nights, these shared moments become cherished memories that strengthen the bonds within your family. Motherhood on a budget allows you to focus on what truly matters: love, connection, and the joy of being together.

Nurturing Determination:

Navigating financial constraints requires determination and grit, qualities that you naturally develop as a mother.

You face challenges head-on, finding creative ways to overcome obstacles and provide for your family.

Through your example, you show your children the values of perseverance, adaptability, and hard work. They witness firsthand how you handle difficult situations and learn that setbacks are temporary roadblocks that can be overcome with resilience and determination.
(even if you do breakdown in the shower on occasion when it all gets too hard   )

Motherhood on a tight budget is a journey that molds you into a better person, despite its initial challenges. Through resourcefulness, financial responsibility, gratitude, strong family bonds, resilience, and a downright dogged determination to succeed, you create a nurturing environment that prepares your children for a well-rounded and fulfilling life.

Embrace your financial circumstances, for they have the power to shape you and your children in beautiful ways.

Remember, it’s not the size of your budget but the love, care, and values you impart that make you an exceptional mother.

 

 

Your Best Life Awaits You! 

Your Best Life Awaits You! 

Living your best life means something different to everyone, but at its heart, it means living a life true to your values, bringing you joy and fulfilment. It’s about being intentional with your choices and creating a life that you love.

The problem is that many of us feel stuck in our current reality and believe that our dream life is out of reach. We may feel like we’re too old, too busy, or too broke to make significant changes in our lives. But the truth is, it’s never too late to start living your best life.

I understand that change can be scary, but I also know that it’s necessary for growth and progress. That’s why my program is designed to help you make small changes in your life, one step at a time.

Each month, try focusing on a different area of your life, such as your job, money, health, or relationships. I’ll provide you with the tips and support you need to make significant improvements in that area of your life.

For example, if you are focusing on health, you may look for exercise routines, healthy eating habits, and ways to reduce stress. If you’re focusing on relationships, you will find tips on communication, peace making (and keeping), and building stronger connections with your loved ones.

Now, let’s talk about the idea that you need a big salary to live your dream life. While financial stability is important, it’s not the only factor that determines your happiness and fulfilment in life. In fact, research has shown that once you reach a certain level of financial security, more money doesn’t necessarily lead to more happiness.

I believe that true wealth is measured by the quality of your life and the experiences you have. That’s why I designed Rise to Rich to help you create a life that helps you map out YOUR 10/10 ideal life that brings you joy and fulfillment, regardless of how much money you make.

At the end of the day, what’s most important is that you’re living a life that makes you happy and fulfilled. It’s not about how much money you make or what you do for a living – it’s about creating your best life.

In conclusion, if you’re feeling like there’s something more out there for you, know that you’re not alone. Many of us have felt that way at some point in our lives. But the good news is that you don’t have to settle for a life that doesn’t fulfill you. By taking action and implementing some of the tips and strategies shared in this post, you can start moving towards the life you’ve always dreamed of. Remember, it’s never too late to start living your best life.

Start today, take it one step at a time, and trust the journey. Your best life awaits you!

The Pot at the End of the Rainbow

The Pot at the End of the Rainbow

Happy Friday!!   And  Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Today, as we celebrate this day (whether or not we have any Irish ancestry), many of us think about luck, riches, and finding that pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. But let me tell you something: true richness comes from within.

You see, you can never create a rich life by talking or thinking about your lack of something – no matter if it is money, love or time. Negative thinking that focuses on what you don’t have will only keep a rich life beyond your reach.

So, let’s make a commitment to dwell on abundance and gratitude instead!  Celebrate what you DO have.

I encourage you to make a daily gratitude list. When you allow riches to flow through your experience, you will find that all the things you thought the lottery or a pot of gold would bring you will come to you naturally.

If you want to prosper, you must use prosperity thinking. To help you get started, I have some green and prosperous affirmations for you to practice:

  • My income is enough.
  • I prosper wherever I turn.
  • Today is a great day. Riches come to me in unexpected ways.
  • I give myself the green light to go ahead, and joyously embrace life.
  • Green means “go,” and I choose to go for all the good life has in store for me.
  • I support others in becoming prosperous, and in turn, life supports me in rich ways.
  • I am now willing to be open to the unlimited richness that exists everywhere.
  • I live in a loving, abundant, harmonious Universe, and I am grateful.
  • I deserve the best, and I accept the best now.
  • All is well and I am safe.

So, let’s remember that grateful thinking is what brings richness into our lives. Let’s focus on abundance and positivity, and watch as all the good things we desire come our way.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

St Patrick's Day
I bet you need help.

I bet you need help.

In today’s busy world, we seem to be constantly pulled from pillar to post with barely the time to stop and take a moment for ourselves this can often lead to feelings of overwhelm and frustration.

Recently, our televisions have been filled with high-level sports matches including the Australian Open and Test cricket it occurred to me while watching some of the after match interviews that these high-performing individuals definitely do not do it all by themselves. Behind the scenes is a huge team of coaches, strategists, advisors, agents, and partners

Would it all boils down to, is that on game day,  the player has just ONE goal that they are completely focused on at that moment.

So what can we learn from this?

I feel as women, we are subconsciously programmed to want to do it all and feel somewhat “less than” if we ask for help.

And of course, there can often be budget constraints after all who can afford to hire a nanny, a house manager, a bookkeeper, and a chauffeur just to do some of the jobs that we as mothers and wives are often expected to do?

Where to start?

Completing my lifestyle quiz might help you uncover the areas of your life that you may be struggling with right now.  When the parts of our lives are going really well, we don’t seem to mind added responsibilities, but those struggle areas can seem like job after job and nothing gets done.

Start with the lowest scoring sections of the quiz and ask yourself whether you need help in this area.
There are many ways to get this help without spending a lot of money some examples could be:

Arrange a cleaning-chatting-drinking-dancing day with a girlfriend. Spend a couple of hours at your house and then a couple of hours at her house and in no time both places will have had a good clean and you will have filled your heart with some quality friend time as well

Ordering groceries online can free up a few hours that you can spend with the kids. I know a number of ladies that add items to the shopping list on the app on their phone as they need it throughout the week and then choose the most convenient time to either have them delivered or use the direct–to–boot service to collect from the supermarket.

If cooking and meal planning are chores that you can never seem to keep on top of, have a look at some of the meal delivery services. Often though, I find these to be quite expensive but many of them will have recipe cards available online.

Choose the meals you would like to have if you were getting them delivered, print out the recipe cards add the ingredients to your shopping list and make up your own meal kits.

Most of these recipes are quick and simple and will be on the table within 30 minutes, often quicker than the time it takes to organize who wants what takeaway and get it delivered.

Looking again at the lower scoring sections of the life balance quiz, is there a way you can combine tasks together for example, is quality time with your partner scoring low and also your health ambitions? Ask for help in trying to find some time together to go for a walk or doing an online yoga or fitness class.

Sometimes you may find that tasks responsibility is yours and yours alone and you truly do not have any capacity to complete it in these cases paid help might be the only option but in my experience, I have found most families can find ways to get no cost or very low-cost help within their current networks.

How can you build your team?

A Wrap-up of 2022 and a Plan for 2023

A Wrap-up of 2022 and a Plan for 2023

2022 has proven itself to be my “annus horribilis” with a number of serious health complications raining down on our family.  Thankfully we have reached the other side of it with some sort of normality and life continues – albeit with some changes.

The year has disappeared in a blur of doctors’ appointments, hospital visits and LOTS of stress.
We made the very tough decision to sell our dream block of land in Hobart, Tasmania.  We will still retire to Tasmania but with a different plan that we have not fully formed yet

Mostly I managed to keep it all together, but at times I have NOT felt I have been living my best life. 🙁

I CAN be grateful that we were able to travel and were able to see our gorgeous grandsons TWICE this year.  As much as it is super fun Facetimeing 5&3 year olds, nothing beats “Nana Cuddles”

All in all, I can be thankful for every moment good and bad.  I can be intentional in closing off 2022 and be ready to face 2023 with renewed optimism and joy.

My word for 2023 is “SPACE”  space for me to…

  • breathe
  • relax
  • connect and just
  • BE!!

I have planned a number of catchups with friends, weekends away and plenty of “me time” ( how long has it been since I had a massage??)

What are your plans for 2023?

Why not complete the “Life Audit” to see where your life is at right now and give yourself some hints on what to address this year.