Never again....

I want to make it clear right away that this week's Never Again workshop is not about being eaten by bears - though it could be. It's about all the things you never want to do again. It's deciding what you want backwards.

This is a scenario that quite often happens to me...

It's late at night and I'm driving along the motorway feeling peckish. So I stop at a motorway service station to buy something and I don't really know what it is I want. I look along the crisps, then the chocolates and then the nuts and slowly eliminate what it is I don't want. That leaves fewer and fewer things to decide between until I've worked out just what it is that I want.

Of course, sometimes I walk in, head straight for the Cadbury's flake and just know... but more often than not, I don't.

That happens in life too. I don't really know what I want to do this weekend, but by eliminating some of the possibles (a long walk, a trip to the beach, hanging out with friends), I'm left with what I really fancy - a lazy sun bath in the garden and time alone to write.

Never Again is a great way of backwards thinking. Come along next week and find out more.

Have you ever been approached by a bear??? I hope not. We're a lot friendlier at Life Clubs.

Nina
Founder Life Clubs

Pictures speak louder than words

I took this photo on the beach outside a row of beach huts. I suppose children might have been painting the stones that day - anyway, I thought they looked fun and they reminded me of this week's workshop which is all about using images to solve problems.

I was inspired to write the workshop by a friend of mine. I was extremely gloomy one day and she asked me what the landscape I was mentally in looked like. I described to her that it seemed as if I was in a wide, wide river and unable to swim to the other side. When she asked what would help me I said 'A branch - I could hold onto that branch and not feel as if I was about to drown'. The moment she said 'Who is that branch?' I instantly knew who I had to ask to help me and I hadn't even thought about that person before.

The moment you think visually you free your mind up to the most exciting lightbulbs. Or maybe even to painting a few stones on the beach.

See you next week at Life Clubs with paintbrush.
Nina
Founder Life Clubs

Being You

I love Russian dolls at the best of times, but this week's workshop is all about values and to me that little Russian doll says so much about values. She seems to be peeping out of her many-layered protection going 'My values are what keep me safe'. And yet her values on each level may be contradictory and each doll may represent a different collection of values.

We are multi-dimensional, thank goodness, just like this doll and studying our values is one of the most fascinating and fun and basic introductions to self-development.

I strongly urge you all to have a go.

See you at this week's Life Club,
Nina
Founder Life Clubs who values... integrity, freedom, happiness, running along the beach (not doing enough of that these days!) to name but a few.

Far from the madding crowd

Far from the madding crowd I can do what I like and in Dorset, with my daughter about to study this Hardy novel, I decided to go for my first Hardy.

I've always thought I'd hate Hardy. I've tried several times to get into one or other of his novels and have given up - his poetic style of writing frustrating me. But this time, with the thought of GCSEs hovering in the background I persisted and was it ever worthwhile? It was brilliant. A Greek tragedy in a Dorset village.

A few days of being totally immersed, with hazy memories of a very sexy Terence Stamp and Julie Christie in my mind, I realise again how my ideal life would allow me to read novel after novel.

In London I have time for three or four pages (maximum) a night before I drop off to sleep exhausted. I usually have a few personal improvement books I'm in the middle of, simply because a novel would have me too gripped to either go to sleep or function properly the next day.

But here, in Dorset, lying on the beach or in bed or on the sofa far from the madding crowd I am happy and living in the present. What's more, there's a whole host of other Hardy novels to explore so I can see hours of bliss stretching ahead of me.

Bring on the next Hardy!

See you at Life Clubs next week,
Nina
Founder Life Clubs