A Funny But Serious Message - What's Your Brimmel?

Today’s post is short and sweet (and will hopefully give you a giggle and a lesson at the same time).

At the moment I’m in the middle of writing a story for a great friend. Being a person who gets huge “kicks” out of helping others I totally love writing this story and whilst maintaining a fairytale tone, I’m jam packing it full of fun, thought provoking life lessons. Honestly, this story could be read to a kid of 4 or a grandma of 70+. The last time I wrote a story was in primary school… no wait… I’m sure I had to write stories in high school too… the subject “English” was totally NOT my forte during that period of my schooling.

Back to my point! I’m writing this story for one friend, right, and there are many old and/or wise animal characters in this book who teach a young robin huge lessons in life. Last night as I was chatting to a different friend she asked what I’d been up to and I told her I was writing a story. Now, this particular friend and I go way back to university days and in those days I used to read my essays out loud to her as a means to proof read. It came naturally to me, therefore, to read the story (well, the half that is written) to her to proof read.

She listened as I read out loud and after telling her my plans for the upcoming characters, and their names she exclaimed “Brimmel! What sort of name is that… it’s like a toilet brush cleaner brand name! Let’s wash the toilet with our BRIMmel!!” and then she roared with laughter! Now, whilst I “get” that Brimmel is different from “Sebastian, Benjamous and Sabella, who are other characters in the story, I still personally love the name Brimmel. I suits the goanna. I love it. I’m not changing it. She giggled more… and I thanked for giving me the idea for a fabulous blog post!

So who or what is your Toilet Brush Cleaner?

What’s your Brimmel?

My personal Brimmel is that I’m 29 years old, I’m self employed with two businesses after giving up my safe, secure job that was unsatisfying and unfulfilling (and really not allowing me to fulfill my purpose in life – to lead, inspire, motivate and change). Sure quitting a job and becoming self employed wasn’t exactly EASY… but I’m a butt load happier knowing I’m in complete control of my results in life now.

I like my Brimmel. I like it a lot… and I’m not changing the name ;-)

Hot Off The Press: Mentoring and Contribution

I just got off the phone to a girl who I am about to start mentoring...I’m really excited! Why? Well from this coming Wednesday (23 June 2010) for a whole year I get the opportunity to contribute to someone on a weekly basis and assist them in reaching their goals and their dreams.

The program that I’m managing at present is run in conjunction with an organisation which is internationally known as “Big Brothers Big Sisters”. This fabulous organisation is responsible for matching “big sisters/brothers” with mentees who are in need of a helping hand, guiding light, positive presence or just a fun big kid to hang out with. Stattistics show that having a positive role model in a child's life has a HUGELY positive impact on the lives of underprivileged children. So, I’m incredibly happy to not only be managing this program, but to also have taken on the responsibility of mentoring this girl.

Having interviewed a number of children and listening to their goals and desires in life, this one girl really struck me as a person who I wanted to help! Why? Well, she was “real”, said it like it was and was incredibly clear about what she wanted. So, when I asked her “who is your role model or someone you look up to?” her reply was her teacher. Why? Because he recognized that she was shy and started to mentor her “out of her shell”. So what does she want from her new mentor? “Someone who will help [her] get out of her shell more”.

From the moment I heard she wanted assistance in getting out of her shell I was SO grateful to be in the position to offer her assistance, both in terms of tools and time resources (being my own boss makes time very flexible). I’m also incredibly happy to be contributing in this one-on-one fashion. I also do this on a grand scale, through a win-win-win business opportunity that is all about GIVING with the understanding that through giving you also receive (and don’t get me wrong…the leverage in the system allows for massive potential income).

So, I’m excited! I’m mentoring this girl in a few days for the first time as well as helping folks on a grander scale through a business opportunity like no other I have ever seen. If “contribution” is something that’s missing from your life I strongly recommend finding a way to give.

If you want to give on a grand scale and receive on a grand scale… head to www.LoveTheLifeYouLead.info.

Win in the war against Monday!

This blog is about Mondays. You know the Mondays I mean, right? Those ones when you’ve had the most amazing weekend hanging out with your friends and family, having a few beers over a BBQ, or maybe relaxed by the fire watching movies, or went hiking/camping walking freely around in nature and THEN…Monday comes.

Monday…the day when you HAVE to go and DO the thing you HAVE to DO so that in your WEEKENDS you get to DO the things you WANT TO DO.

Welcome to Monday, at least in New Zealand as I type this it’s Monday and I’m writing this because this morning I was SO incredibly excited that it was Monday as I woke at 6.10am…and as I was going through my morning ritual I thought to myself “How many people are as excited about what they do as I am?” It soon dawned on me that the percentage of people DOING what they want to do for a living is TINY compared to those who LOVE THE LIVES THEY LEAD.

Imagine a Monday when you literally smiled when the alarm went off in the morning because you were SO excited about what you were going to do that day. Actually, let’s take this a step further. Imagine a SUNDAY night…when you were so excited about the next day that you found it hard to sleep! For many this is a far off “others people can have that” life, for some they are aware that they COULD have that as a reality and a few (like me) LOVE MONDAYS!

So today…I hereby declare war, on your behalf, against Mondays where you do something that you feel obligated to do as opposed to something you’re totally passionate about! If you’re ready for a Monday where you live life on your terms, do yourself a favor, grab some ammunition, Live The Liz Life and at www.LiveTheLizLife.com

Loving Who You Are

Loving who you are is one of the most powerful abilities you will ever allow yourself to have. Period. If you love who you are then your chances of success, wealth, happiness, finding your ideal partner, being in a loving relationship with your partner/significant other are so much higher that it begs the question of: Why would you not want to learn to absolutely love yourself, even if you did have to go through a little pain in the first instance to get to the pleasure of being 100% in love with yourself?

Well, the obvious answers come. "You can't love yourself, that's just arrogant", "You must love others before you love yourself", "I must love God/Ala/Buddah above all", "Loving yourself is for tree hugging hippies". Well, I'm here to tell you today that in order for you to get your ideal life (the life you imagine being the perfect life you've always wanted) you sure as heck better start with creating a foundation of self love. Tony Robbins, Donald Trump, Mother Theresa, Mike Pero and any person you may look at as a success in their field all have a deep, underlying self love which leads to a self respect which non "lovers of self" often lack.

How then, does one love themselves if they don't now? Well the first part is to start by building an awareness around who you see yourself as being. Do you see yourself as beautiful, successful, healthy, loving, warm, motivated, financially free? Once you build a self awareness of where you are now, you can start to devise an idea of where you want to be, in terms of loving yourself. Many times lack of self love comes from a feeling of I'm not good enough, and often these feelings flow right through life, even into our career. Working in areas where you love what you do can absolutely assist in maintaining the feelings of self love. Working with folks who also love what they do will also assist in solidifying your self love.

Head to http://www.lovethelifeyoulead.info to find an opportunity where you can have all this and more.

Loving The Life You Lead

It’s one of those cool things to realize that you have complete power and control over your life, your decisions, your choices and your destiny. Getting to that point can sometimes be more challenging.

As a huge proponent of Loving The Life You Lead, I am absolutely committed to assisting others in doing the same. Here’s a few tips to get you started on getting really passionate about what you do…

• Find your passion – It’s surprising that so many folks are not clear on what it is that they’re passionate about.
• Socialize with people you want to be like – If you can’t find them in person, read biographies of people who have done things you find inspiring, have achieved a goal you want to achieve or who have characteristics you want to possess.
• Treat yourself – Human beings love being treated… so it’s important to feel treated! Now, even on a shoe string budget you can treat yourself and make yourself feel special.
• Visualize and talk about your future life as if it’s already yours. You’re not lying! You’re creating certainty in doing this!
• Contribute to others – Find a way that you can help others, especially if you feel like crap yourself. Helping others creates this amazing oozing of positive emotion in us that’s make you feel just so damn good! For a funky way to contribute that can make a HUGE difference in YOUR life click here.
• Go into nature – Now, I’m not saying you need to go “HUG A TREE”. What I am saying is that being in nature is such a revitalizing, decalcifying experience that you’ll likely come walk right into loving your life, or at least get insight into HOW it is that you’re meant to do so.

The tips are simple – Implementing them however, is the part that requires slightly more effort on your part. So ask yourself today, do you love the life you lead? If not, what are you committed to doing to make a positive change in your life.

Many of the folks that I work with and mentor worked long, unrewarding hours in professions they really were impassionate about. They wanted to find a purpose (greater than themselves), they wanted to contribute but didn't know how they would be able to at the same time as paying the bills, living their life, raising their kids etc. Now, I have a team of folks who love their lives, contributing to others through their efforts and living a life filled with passion. Now, if I was you I’d want to know what they know that you don’t. Click here to find out just how easy it is!

Helping Others in a NON Judgemental Way

Anyone following me in these blogs and online pretty much knows that I’m totally into helping others live a life that they love…so that they really and truly love the lives they lead. These followers will also know that I like to give “food for thought” in these blogs so that you can get a wham bam thank you ma’am lesson and be on your way…

Today I want to touch on JUDGEMENT. We all judge! It’s natural…and we do it, researchers say, within 1.2753 seconds of seeing someone (Ok… so I made that statistic up…but you get the point?!)

I had a funky experience that occurred in my life months ago… but has stuck with me as a learning tool since then.

I was walking down the street in Christchurch (most likely to or from a café) and I saw a man drooping over a chair who, I judged as someone who may appreciate some financially assistance. I totally believe in tithing…and do it regularly, so the notion of giving money to a stranger is not foreign to me.

This is where the lesson started.

I asked the stranger if he wanted some money.

He said “Why?”…
Not wanting to JUDGE I said to him… “Just because…I thought you may want some”
He said, “Ok… that would be nice”
Then I handed him $5 to which he said, “Thankyou”.

I wished him well and headed on my merry way as I wanted to walk away without a big scenario.

He followed…asked my name…I told him…he re-Thanked me… THEN I can to the end of the street…and had to wait at the lights… there was no getting away from him without obviously making a run for it…

He re-thanked me… and I said, “Honestly, it’s really fine. I just hope you spend it on something that makes you feel good” to which he said… “Yes… I will… I was thinking of grabbing a beer before I went home”.

OK…So that was totally not what I thought the $5 was going to be spent on…but I quickly realised that I gave the money…wanting to help…and how he chooses to spend the money once it’s his really is his choice. It’s not how I would spend it, but that doesn’t matter.

This whole scenario was such a fabulous lesson in judgement… and how we judge others. Most of the time… we actually judge OTHERS negatively because of some short falling we see in ourselves.

I dare you to OBSERVE yourself for a week and see how you judge instinctively. Write a big “J” on your hand in a permanent marker as a reminder. You might just learn a lesson that will change yours or someone else’s life for the better.

Till next time, Love The Life You Lead.

Liz Benny

www.LoveTheLifeYouLead.com

Decide For Yourself

WOW! So here's the scoop! A while ago now I went out to meet a couple of friends on a lovely Sunday afternoon. It was actually the first time I'd met up with them officially (after meeting them in a cafe... No surprises there, right).

This particular afternoon I had a major ah ha moment...as my afternoon at a cafe (which would normally cost around $15-$20) ended up costing that...AND $60 for the parking ticket I got!

Why did this happen? Well... to learn a VERY cool lesson of course (being the master of changing the meaning I put on things).

Here's what happened...

• I drove into a car park...
• saw a few pay and display parking meters...
• saw loads of cars parked in the same area I was about to park...
• questioned weather I would need to pay on a Sunday (not a normal day to pay for parking here in NZ)...
• found that officially I probably should pay because I was in a private area...
• then saw that over 50% of the other cars HAD NOT PAID...

So...I didn't either. I walked away and started thinking about what I was going to order...MMMmmm Coffee....

See what I did? I TOTALLY MADE MY DECISION BASED ON WHAT OTHERS CHOSE TO DO!!!

In this case...BAD MOVE! But...It got me thinking about life and about how many and how often people actually do this. I used it as a very cool lesson for myself...and you can to.

WHERE in your life are you just following others decisions? Maybe when you order food at a restaurant you wait till the end to see what everyone else orders ... and then order the same. Maybe you're in a career that you hate but feel you should stay in, because everyone else does. Maybe you're content with you're mediocre lifestyle, because that's what your mates all do.

It's time to question yourself. REALLY!

The COST of NOT doing so WILL likely cost a bucket load more than my silly $60 fine.

Decide for yourself! I choose to Love The Life I Lead... and am passionate about assisting others in doing the same.

Till Next Time, Love The Life You Lead!

Liz Benny

Owner and Director, Love The Life You Lead

What Legacy Are You Gonna Leave?

Ok...Let's Get Into It!

Today we're talking about "LEGACY". I'm reading "The Ride of a Lifetime" by Paul Teutul, Sr, of Orange County Choppers, at the moment. What a primo book...and boy oh boy has it got me thinking about life, business, success, happiness, family...and loads of other good things. On the back of this book Paul has given readers a list of practices/mindsets/activities that business owners can use to run a kick ass business like OCC. The one that really got my attention was this, "Leave a legacy - the way you lead today shows others how to lead tomorrow".

Now this book is primarily written for business owners, like me...however the topic of Legacy is applicable to anyone, mum's (mom's) at home with their kids, accountants, lawyers, farmers...anyone.

So here's the deal...What legacy are you going to leave? How are you going to lead to assist others? If those are hard questions, think of it this way:

• When you're laying on your death bed...what you gonna be SO very proud of having created/done/achieved/made?

Or if you 're the type of person who doesn't like the idea of laying on death beds...then...

• When you're 40, 50, 60 years old...and you reflect on the life you've lived...what is it that you're so amazingly proud of having created, done, achieved, made or (insert your own word)?

I Dare You To Take 10 minutes of your day, right now, to stop what you're doing and contemplate on your legacy. There's no "right" or "wrong" answers! For some people it's about being the most amazing mum/mom, for others it's about being the next Mother Theresa. When you're done with answering the questions, be sure to join me on Monday next week (Monday 19th April 2010) at 10:30am NZ time. I'm hosting a radio show where we'll investigate more about Legacy's... Head to BlogTalkRadio for more information.

Till next time folks, love the life you lead...and in theme with today's blog...Live to Leave a Primo Legacy!

Liz

www.LoveTheLifeYouLead.com

Which Duck Are You?

Which Duck Are You?

About a month ago I went to a park here in Christchurch, New Zealand to see our famous kiwi. Now, knowing quite well that our native bird is nocturnal, I didn’t fancy my chances of seeing the real deal. Something else that I didn’t bank on was the lesson I got from about 20 ducks.

Yep! You read right! 20 ducks proved to be great teachers!

As I was walking around the park I walked over to a little creek and stood on the banks. It took all of 5.34 seconds for these ducks to swim over to within a 5metre radius of me. I stood there. I had NO food with me to share with them. I had nothing, other than kinds words, to offer them.

Now, here’s the interesting part:

(a) About 5 ducks quickly realized they were not going to get food out of me.

(b) Shortly afterwards another 5-7 ducks realized that if they were hungry they better go elsewhere for food.

(c) Then, as I remained standing there for another 2 minutes or so, the “left over” ducks stayed also!

Furthermore, the ducks swam (a) upstream, against the current, (b) downstream, with the current or (c) NOWHERE respectively.

So, which duck are you? Do you realize quickly when things aren’t right and do what you need to do to make the necessary changes? Or are you slightly less quick off the mark and then just go with the flow of what others think? Or… do you stay where you are, not moving upstream or downstream?

I didn’t have any food for the ducks, but this is certainly food for thought.

Come join me on my Lovin' Life with Liz Radio Show where I discuss this topic further.

Love The Life You Lead,

Liz Benny

www.LoveTheLifeYouLead.com

Ideas Above Your Station

A few months ago I had the absolute pleasure of spending time with my grandparents, both in their late eighties. I know that I'm pretty lucky to have both my grandparents still with me..and I savour the opportunity to ask questions about my heritage, what life was like for my grandparents years ago etc.

Perhaps the BIGGEST lesson I got recently was the concept of "Ideas Above Ones Station". I'd never heard such a phrase, but quickly caught on to the concept when I was sharing my goals and dreams with my Grandmother. You see, my granddad believes in the concept of "touch parking" and touched up against a lovely Audi with his lovely Fiat.

Upon saying to my grandmother, "I might just get one of those cars" she quickly replied with "Do you have ideas above your station Elizabeth?" WOW! What do you say when your Gma says that to you? I though very quickly. I wanted to make sure my reply was respectful of her, but equally as respectful of myself, my own vision, my goals and my aspirations. I really knew it was important to be true to myself and to not minimize my goals for the sake of making someone else feel better.

My answer was simply, "Grandma, you don't get anywhere if you don't dream". I don't remember her reply, or even if there was one, I simply remember feeling deeply happy that I had respected both parties.

So, to all those who have ideas above your station (which, by the way, is defined as to act as if one occupied a higher position) I say GO GET 'EM! Go get those ideas, keep dreaming, keep taking action towards your ideas, keep dreaming, keep talking about your goals to others, keep standing up for yourself when you come up against those who may not "get it", keep being true to yourself and shine bright!

Key lessons:

• Be true to yourself always - never cower when someone asks you about your goals and dreams.
• Be respectful of those who do not outwardly appear to have ideas above their station - I bet they do deep down but are just fearful.
• "Ideas Above Your Station" is traditionally a term used to suppress people, to hold them in their current situation. I say "If you don't have ideas above your station...You'll have what you've always had, you'll be who you've always been, and you'll get what you've always gotten". Is that what you want?

Through my coaching I assist many individuals from all over the world create attainable ideas above their station. I call it the "Lovin' Life Plan". You can find more out on my website. Also, be sure to tune in to my Radio Show tomorrow to get FREE motivation, inspiration and coaching!

Till next time Love The Life You Lead!

Liz Benny

www.LoveTheLifeYouLead.com

Change IS The Only Constant

We've heard it all before, right? "Billy boy, change is the only constant, so just be ready and deal with it!"...

That's all very well and good, but I think we can look at CHANGE from a slightly more positive perspective, as opposed to a fearful approach of "goodness, I better be ready for change or else..."

Change is one of the most refreshing parts of life and the only really HARD part of change is when you RESIST it, right? I have just had an amazing change...I just got back from the salon. For years I've had LONG hair...and would tie it back a month or so after a hair cut till 6 or so months later when I get it cut again.

Now, for months I knew I needed a change. I knew it in my gut that I just needed to chop off the old crappy hair and move on with a new FRESH IMAGE, one that really matched the new me!

What's the lesson here Liz?

I WAS holding back, not allowing change even though I knew I needed it. I finally took the plunge and result is far better than I could have ever imagined (I mean I LOVE my hairstyle now)! Are there areas of your life where you are resisting change, where if you just re-framed how you were looking at the situation the results would FAR SURPASS your wildest dreams? If there are, I strongly encourage you to take a look at where you're resisting and take steps towards changing. You may just find yourself so freshed afterwards that you surprise the heck out of yourself!

If you're keen to know what my hairdo is like, come visit me on Facebook.

Till next week, Love The Life You Lead

Liz

www.LoveTheLifeYouLead.com

Now For The Real Deal

Hey.

First of all, I want to say thanks for reading this blog. I understand there are millions of blogs out there which say a whole lot about nothing. This one is different.

It's been a while since I've blogged...and for good reason. I've been having some time out setting myself up in what I have ALWAYS wanted to do (My Real Deal) - Coaching People on strategies they can use to really and truly love the lives they lead.

Today's blog will be brief (there's enough rambling on the internet already) because I want to stick to my goal of keeping these blogs SUPER brief, insightful, full of impact and full of value for YOU.

Come back weekly for a kick in the butt, words of wisdom/insight or some funnies to get you in the direction of loving your life!

Till next time,

Love The Life You Lead!

Liz Benny