How to slow down time

Ninacat on the wine barrel the other night. She uses the chair next to it to climb up and enjoy the evening sun, such a funny wee puss :)

I heard someone say the other day that you can slow down time by changing your perception of time. It really stuck with me because days can go by without me even noticing, and hours pass by like minutes. I sometimes hold my breath and don’t breathe properly because I feel rushed; it’s like I am waiting until I have time to breathe fully and deeply. I often feel like I am running late, am behind, am disappointing someone.

When I looked at these things about time that seemed like fact, that’s when I saw what the quote was about. All of those thoughts are only my perception of time, and I can change it!

So I wrote down how I would rather experience time instead.

•    Time flows freely and slowly. It passes by at a snail’s pace and I feel so blissfully relaxed.
•    I move slowly and at my own pace. I do one thing at a time. Time passes slowly. I get things done in a paced and calm manner. It’s enjoyable.
•    I breathe fully and deeply every time I realise I’m holding my breath in my chest.
•    I take five minutes to close my eyes and breathe and just be. I notice the sensations in my body; what feels good, where there is discomfort.
•    I look at the trees out the window regularly and absorb their soothing green solid presence. They are always there.
•    I say to myself, Time is my friend. I love time. Time is good to me. Time looks after me. I have plenty of time. Time is abundant. Time is on my side.
•    I get so much done in such a short amount of time and I am completely relaxed doing it, it’s amazing I am the same person living the same life because I feel completely different.

Do you know, after writing those few points, which didn’t take long at all, I felt so tranquil. I bet you do too, reading my new mindset vs my previous thoughts.

So if you often feel like the day gets away on you, please, borrow my new views on time. And please, let me know how you feel calm and composed on a daily basis.

xx Fiona

PS. You can see all my books on Amazon at my affiliate link, including my latest book ‘Thirty Chic Days Vol. 3’. I have two more books in the pipeline as well, just so you know!

 

 

Find yourself with fun

 Happy new year chic friends!

I don’t know about you, but when I do some decluttering and organizing, I find out more about myself.  I find out what the real treasures are, and I can see what lights me up.

It’s such a great part of doing a bit of a clean out.  You can see, quite literally often, the next version of yourself.  Sometimes I have hung onto things such as clothing because I used to love them and think I will again, but then I don’t want to wear it.  It doesn’t feel like ‘me’ anymore when I put it on.

It’s a funny thing to experience, when you can feel yourself accelerating past your old self.  It definitely feels like you are moving quickly.  Have you ever experienced that?  I felt like this on and off all last year and still do.  Maybe it’s something with having an occasion birthday (with a zero on the end of the number).  You naturally start thinking to yourself about the next decade of your life and what you’d like it to look like.

It’s actually a thrilling prospect, at least to me.  Like the ultimate project to craft over the next ten years.  Where would I like to see myself at sixty? I ask myself.  It’s like a brand-new canvas to splash with art in any style you’d like.

And with keeping your home in a simplified and organized state, you get to move easily and fluidly through your years.

I plan to become more flexible and open to change as the years go by, not more rigid and set in my ways.  And I’ll get to do that because I choose to.  Why not?  Doesn’t it sound more enjoyable than slowly setting into premature rigor mortis?

And what I love about using things up, sorting out stuff to donate, and tidying the things I love and have kept, is that shopping for more stuff has never seemed less appealing.  It’s a strange thing that when you are drowning in clutter you shop for more, and when you are in a cleaning it out phase you don’t shop unless absolutely necessary.

I don’t understand how it works in the mind, but I know it’s like that because I’ve proved it for myself!

Let me know what side of the fence you sit on – happy clutterer or aspiring cozy minimalist like me?

xx Fiona

PS.  All my books on Amazon are focused on living your best life – check them out here at my affiliate link!

 

 

Introducing myself

 Hello everyone!  In the past little while I have noticed many new lovely ladies and received so many sweet messages and emails.  I appreciate every one!  I thought it would be a great idea to re-introduce myself.

Firstly, my name is Fiona and I live in a beautiful part of New Zealand called Hawke’s Bay.  This is where I grew up, and while I moved away for a couple of decades, I moved back four years ago and am loving living here again.  We have a sunny microclimate perfect for growing grapes and apples.

I live with my husband Paul, and our four rescue pets – doggies Daphne and Chloe, and pussy cats Jessica and Nina.  And I write books!

The world might be crazy right now but I believe we can be happy regardless.  We can bring the party with us.  Life is to be celebrated by turning our face to the sun, not the shade.  Focus on what’s good – life is good!

That’s what is in my books – goodness, happiness, feeling alive, creating a beautiful daily life and making the most of what we’ve got.  I believe in the transformative power of positivity and being a bright ray of sunshine in our own life for the good of ourselves and those around us.

We only get this one life and many of us – definitely me at 51 – are more than half-way through probably, so let’s get on with it.  We have no time to lose!  Live life, be good, eat well, and get rid of things that no longer serve you (I love curating my home and decluttering). Let others be who they are and love your people fiercely.

All the best to you this holiday season, and how exciting that we all get to design the perfect 2022 for each of us! Yay!

xx Fiona

PS. You can find all my books here on my Amazon affiliate link. Enjoy!

 

You bring the party

 

I am working my way through the Lucky Santangelo series by Jackie Collins in between reading other novels (I know, but they are really good!)  In one of the books, someone asked Lucky if she’d enjoyed her evening at an event.  ‘Yes of course’, she said, ‘I always do because I bring the party’.

To explain what I think she meant, was that she always chose to enjoy herself.  She chose to be a good participant in the event.  She didn’t rely on anyone else to make her have fun.  She was self-propelled!

That little phrase of Lucky’s really spoke to me.  It was a good reminder to not just turn up somewhere and expect to be entertained.  That it was etiquette to be a good addition to the dinner party, get-together or event.

Even if it’s being at home with your family, going to the hairdresser, or meeting a friend for lunch, you can still bring the party.  For me, just thinking that thought perks me up.  It reminds me that I can bring a happy vibe to wherever I am.  I can be a ray of sunshine.

I can do it for myself too.  Working from home, I need to be self-motivated.  I do my writing, behind-the-scenes admin, and I also have a household to run and four pets who, even though small, do make quite a mess often.  Shedding fur, toys strewn around…

So by me bringing the party, I get to enjoy myself while doing all my chores.  I lift up my mindset with good self-talk, positivity, and create my own motivation with time goals.

The unexpected side benefit from this is that your energy is elevated.  You feel zingier, more alive, happier.  You get things done!  So next time you’re feeling a little… flat, remember, you bring the party.  It’s within you!

xx Fiona

PS.  For more ‘party’ :) go and visit my books on my Amazon affiliate link or my eStore.  They’re all waiting for you and there are streamers draped everywhere with party whistles going off!  I have extended my Black Friday sale for a few more days – everything is US$3.99, usually up to US$9.99.  And for aspiring authors, my eCourse is still on a super-special for a few more days too.

 

Black Friday eBook sale - all titles $3.99 or less!

Hi everybody,

It’s my famous Black Friday Kindle book sale where all of my books are $3.99 or less!  (Usually up to $9.99!)  It’s only until the end of November, so why not download yourself some festive bargains.  Isn’t this a fun time of year?

If you have never tried a Kindle book before, I encourage you to participate in something new with the sale prices.  I love actual books, but I love my digital books too.  I have my favourite books in both formats because I like to flick through them from my bookshelf at home, but it’s great to have them on me when I’m out too.

You can get the free Kindle app for your phone, tablet or desktop and use whatever device you already have.  Ebooks on your phone is a great save when you have to wait for a few minutes, or even when you are in a long supermarket queue.  Grab your phone, flick open the Kindle app and read a few pages.  eBooks are downloadable too, so you don’t need to be connected to data or Wi-Fi to read them.

In the spirit of trying something new, if you love a cheap eBook sale but already have most of my books, why not look at the books you don’t have, and thought didn’t apply to you?

I’m thinking of ‘How to be Chic in the Winter’ when you live in the tropics (apart from my wintry recipes, most of the book deals with making the best of a situation), and ‘The Chic Author’ when you don’t desire to write books (there are a lot of chapters on motivation and success which can apply to any goal you’d love to achieve).

Check out the samples of these books and see if there is anything to spark a bit of fun and excitement, and new thought :)

You can see the book sale here at my Amazon affiliate link.  Prices are also reduced in my Payhip store as an alternative to Amazon – including the audiobook of ‘Thirty Chic Days’ for $3.99 which has never been priced this low before!

 

I appreciate your continued support, this is my way of saying thank you :)

All the best and happy reading!
xx Fiona

PS.  If you have always wondered about my author eCourse, this is also on a super-special right now.

 

BYO Sunshine

 

 

Is it sunny where you are right now?  It doesn’t matter, because when you carry the sunshine in your own mind, you get to feel a warm glow on your face no matter what.  You get to create your own sparkle and shine from within.

I love the power of positivity and of making your own happiness, because truly nothing feels better.  Life feels easier, you move with more momentum, and even difficult times are easier to bear.

Regrettably we cannot avoid sad situations in life even with a sunny disposition, but I have seen first-hand that those with a positive outlook go further and seem more content overall.

I have intentionally changed myself from someone who was cynical, sarcastic (I thought it was humour), and ‘realistic’ (pessimistic).  I now identify as positive, happy, lively, vibrant, light as air, sparkly and all those pretty things.  Why not?

That’s exactly what I asked myself, Why not, Fiona?

Why not live a happy life?
Why not create your own dream world to live in?
Why not make everyday life fun and creative?
Why not take jobs that aren’t that much fun and make them enjoyable?

You don’t have to be born under a lucky star to feel this way either.  When you focus on the bright side of life, everything becomes better.  You will be happier.  The people around you will be positively affected.  I promise you, give it a chance.  Don’t just say, ‘Who wants to be a Pollyanna, that’s just fake’.

It’s only fake until you absorb it in!  Imagine if someone lived entirely on junk food and thought it was fake that they would start to eat more fruits and vegetables alongside the fast food.  Eventually, they could entirely take over their diet with healthy and nutritious foods.

That’s exactly what a positive change does for your mindset.  Negative thoughts are like weeds so you need to plant flowers (positive thoughts) to crowd out the weeds.  I’m sure if we could see inside our mind it would be a real thing.  Mine would be a sea of cheery yellow daisies :)

All the best to you and your sunny, happy self.

xx Fiona

PS. Take a look at my books here at my Amazon affiliate link for more sunshine and sparkles!

 

 

The end of year countdown

  

 

Have you achieved the goals you set yourself at the beginning of the year?  Feeling discouraged because we are well into the fourth quarter?  Please don’t be!  Last month I was pondering this, and decided I could still achieve the goals I’d set myself in January.

All I had to do was re-enthuse myself and put my foot on the accelerator.  Why not?  What did I have to lose?  I had written down:

1.    Goals to be fitter and healthier
2.    Books I wanted to write
3.    To set up a fitness space in our home
4.    Tidy up my office and make it more feminine and pretty
5.    Dress more intentionally in my own self-flavoured French Chic way

I started journaling every day, giving myself pep talks and revisiting my goals morning and night.  It is amazing how much this helped.  It started to become addictive!

And even if I don’t get exactly to the place I wanted to with each of these five goals, I’d still go far further than if I hadn’t tried at all.

With the twice-daily drawing of my attention back to my goals, it reminded me of what I wanted.  In the past I would write down goals but then wander off and forget about them.  By asking myself what I really, really want to achieve with the remainder of this year and then re-focusing on those fun goals, I truly found out the power of focusing all your efforts on a few things that could really make a difference to my life.

It raised everything around me too.  My admin got up to date effortlessly.  The laundry baskets are empty more than they are full.  And I haven’t wanted to eat for fun as much, or do mindless online shopping.

So, even though there are only a couple of months until the end of the year, what is something that you would be thrilled to achieve by New Year’s Eve?  Name it and become excited about it.  Write it down every night, and in the morning too.  State it as if it has already happened.  List all the fantastic things about achieving that goal and how you will feel.

You can do it!

xx Fiona

PS.  All of my books are focused on living a great life, in your own chic style.  Take a look on Amazon with my affiliate link here and see what you think!