2013

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Listening to my own advice – a well earned break

It was 4am last Sunday when the alarm clock roused me from a deep sleep.  I had to get up and get ready to catch a ferry to the mainland at 6.45am.  But first, the caravan needed to be retrieved from the farm where it is stored, about 12 miles away.

Bleary eyed I showered and dressed, made a hot drink and set about loading up the van with the stuff we needed for our short break.  I had catered for our trip with food for our breakfasts, some lunches and some dinners.  We would be eating out in the evening on at least one occasion.

So off we went to hitch up the caravan and set off to catch the ferry.

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Everything went to plan, the four sets of gates on the farm were still firmly closed.  We managed to negotiate all of them, closing them behind us.  Arrived at the ferry terminal with time to spare.  Feeling hungry now, looking forward to a hearty breakfast on the ferry.

On arrival at the mainland we disembarked and set off for Redhill aerodrome for the first of our planned excursions, a flight over London in a helicopter.  The sun was shining, there were loads of people watching the planes and helicopters taking off and landing.  There was the danger of low cloud and rain coming in from the west, but that was going to be later on in the day.  Our flight was going ahead, but it was going to be the last one of the day as the pilot had to get the helicopter back to it’s home before the weather changed.

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The flight was glorious and over too quickly.  We flew over the Gherkin, the Shard, saw HMS Illustrious on her tour around the UK before she is scrapped.  There were tiny cows in the fields, weeny people playing golf (I never knew there were so many golf courses in London). And all too soon we were heading back to Redhill.  The helicopter was flying at 125 mph, but it didn’t feel like it.  It was comfortable, enjoyable and I loved it.  My husband loved it too, which is just as well as it was his anniversary present from me.

We landed back at Redhill and collected our van and caravan and set off to find out caravan pitch for the next few days.  We travelled back to Winchester which was to be our base.  The certified site was fabulous.  It was a small farm with a few horses, there were five pitches and that was it.  We had electric hook up and water.  We were set.  The farmer and his wife were lovely and couldn’t have been more helpful.  They found us telephone numbers for local taxis and made us feel really welcome.

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I cooked a roast chicken, roast potatoes and vegetables for our dinner and it was lovely to just sit and watch the horses whilst enjoying our evening meal.

The next day we planned to go to Southampton as we had tickets for the Rocky Horror Show.  We left around 11am and took a taxi to the station and got a train to Southampton station.  The free bus took us to West Quay shopping centre.  We had lunch in the John Lewis restaurant with some wine, since we weren’t driving anywhere.  A wander around the shopping centre reminded me how much I dislike shopping.  We had several cups of coffee during the afternoon and then set off to catch the free bus back to Southampton Station. Over the bridge and a short walk away is the Mayflower Theatre where we had a table booked for our evening meal.

A lovely meal it was too.  It was delicious, presented beautifully and the service was great.  Ready now for the Rocky Horror Show. We have seen the film several times, and seen a stage version many years ago.  Would it be good, would it the same?

No it wasn’t the same, it was even better. The whole thing was full of energy.  There were a lot of the members of the audience dressed up as various characters from the show and a lot of interaction between the audience and the narrator, who was Philip Franks.

Thoroughly enjoyed it, the audience was up and dancing and the atmosphere was brilliant.  Then we walked back to the station and got a train back to Winchester and taxi back to our caravan.

The next day we went to the Wimbledon Museum, my Christmas present.  A trip around the museum and going on to Centre Court and Court No. 1. Taxi to the station, train to Wimbledon and, because it was raining, a taxi to the Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

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Of course it rained, as you would expect at Wimbledon.  We were taken around a large part of the site, into the covered walkways between Centre Court and Court No. 1.  Past the players’ restaraunt, through the players’ reception area.  Onto Court No. 1.  We were not allowed anywhere near the grass, it had it’s own security guard to make sure nobody touched it.  It was of course pristine.  The edges were perfectly shaped, the grass trimmed to perfection.  We sat in the press seats and could see all around.

Then we went to Centre Court.  Again not allowed anywhere near the grass, which also had it’s own security guard.  We were allowed to sit in the press seats again, and we could see the BBC commentary box – basically a portacabin – where people like John McEnroe, Boris Becker et al describe the action.

There is a 360 degree pod on Centre Court where you can get an all round view of the stadium.  It is removed for Wimbledon fortnight for obvious reasons.

We dined in the restaurant and of course had to have strawberries and cream. Well it would have been rude not to whilst at Wimbledon.  A visit to the museum revealed some fascinating facts and showed the clothes women used to wear whilst playing, including their bustles.

Back on the train to Winchester. This time I cooked spaghetti bolognese for our evening meal.  Mmmmmm.

Our final trip was to a brewery and winery near Henley.  We drove there this time.  I agreed to drive back as it was my hubby’s Christmas present.  So I tasted a soft drink whilst he tasted the wines, beers and liqueurs.

First a trip around the brewing processes, learning how they mix the hops with the gloop for the beer, and how they harvest the grapes and press them and bottle them ready to sell.

Very interesting indeed and of course there was the tasting of half a dozen wines, several beers and a few liqueurs.  A very enjoyable couple of hours.  I drove back to Winchester and we enjoyed our evening meal of pie and chips.

Thursday we set off for home.

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A very enjoyable few days fitting in our various trips and making use of our caravan for the first time this year.  It will have several more outings in June, July and August and it will be going as far afield as Scotland, Henley and Manchester.

I have learned to practice what I teach and coach, and that is to have time for myself.  If you find that difficult, then we can work together on that.

I have some availability for coaching clients, we just need to fix some dates if and when you want to get started. Get in touch today.

Maggie Currie 

Creedence – Confidence for You

International Confidence Coach, Motivational Speaker, Author

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Is it time for you to take action?

As a very busy coach I am lucky enough to be in a position where, on a daily basis, the fascinating people I work with tell me all about their big dreams, grand plans and compelling goals.  Dreams, plans and goals that they have possibly never shared with  another living soul.  There are some amazing potential futures out there for these people!

What will be the deciding factors in whether these big dreams remain as dreams or become  wonderful and vibrant realities?  The factors are – clarity, vision, belief, motivation, support – and they all play a part.  But the deciding factor in each and every case is – will this person take action?  Will they act upon what they want and work towards making it happen?

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Frequently people don’t realise their ambitions and make their dreams a reality because their aspirations remain as something that they think about, rather than something that they do or create.  Having put all that effort into the thinking, dreaming and planning they find all sorts of reasons not to do anything to make things happen for them.

Interestingly, the most common reason that I hear for inaction is ‘no time’.  How often do you hear people say “If only I had the time”?

This time-poor mentality is very common, so much so that we often appear to believe we have run out of time, or that there is literally none to spare because it’s already been spent on the other stuff in our lives.  Time is ‘taken up’ by so many things that  when it comes to the big goals and ambitions that require action, we don’t feel we have any left.

Added to that, the nature of some of these wonderful dreams that people have ( retraining for a new career perhaps) mean that they can take a certain amount of time to come to fruition, and there can be a sense of, “but it would just take so long!”.

The thing is though, time is passing anyway.  Regardless of whether or not we take action, whether or not we use it constructively and make it count, it is going by at the same rate.  The real key to success is to decide to use it in the best way possible for what is most important to us.

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We allow so many less important things to drain our time when we could choose at any moment to use it in a much better way, in such a way that we make progress and start heading towards where we want to be.  So that in a year or two years time, we’ll be in a different place to the place we are in now.  Well on our way to one of those compelling potential futures.  Or perhaps by that time it will be our reality.

Is it time for you to take action? Do you have a dream or an ambition in which you’ve invested lots of thinking and planning time, but just haven’t taken  any action to achieve it?

Ask yourself:

  • What needs to happen for me to achieve this?  What are all the steps?
  • What is stopping me from taking action?  How long will I allow these things to stop me?
  • What is the one thing I could do in the next 24 hours to know that I have started taking action?
  • Will you do it?

It is time now for you to take action and to really begin to change your life. I will help you to do that. Get in touch today.

I have some availability for coaching clients, we just need to fix some dates if and when you want to get started. Get in touch today.

Maggie Currie 

Creedence – Confidence for You

International Confidence Coach, Motivational Speaker, Author

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Is the feeling of fear real?

The feeling of fear. What is it? Can you describe it?

When I ask this of myself and others, the replies are the thoughts people have about fear and not a description of the “feeling” of fear.

That is not unexpected, after all it is the left brain’s, rational/analytical job to put into words feelings that arise from somewhere in our bodies, the subconscious.

Instinct, intuition, imagination and everything else that’s in the right brain doesn’t generally speak to us.

The subconscious mind speaks and thinks in pictures, senses and sensations, urges, vibrations, waves, patterns, connections and possibly in other intangible ways.

So when you talk about fear you are actually talking about your thinking.  You are talking about the mind’s attempt to translate your physiological responses through thought and language and how it tries to make rational sense.

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I believe your emotions are just that, authentic feelings being expressed in thought.  And fear is just such an emotion.

That’s what is making me think that fear doesn’t really exist in any other dimension of our being.  I believe it is possible that there is no such thing as fear outside of the subconscious mind. That the feeling of fear is not real. The case has been made in the past that fear is necessary for self-preservation. But is it?

The fight or flight survival response is an occurrence that happens without thought. It really doesn’t have the time to be otherwise.  Look at something you are ‘scared of’, a spider, a bear, a clown. Do you feel fear or are you thinking fear?

If you were to walk around the corner and come face to face with a huge grizzly bear, you would definitely feel something right away.  But is that feeling fear?

If you listen to people who have encountered survival situations, whether they be stopping someone falling off a cliff, ripping the door off a burning car, disarming a man with a knife, they will say their sense in that moment was not fear. They were too busy with their actions.

Fear after the act, yes.

We have all felt that thing that our mind has labelled fear. But is that what it really is?

Maybe not.

FEAR =

 False

Expectations

Appearing

Real

Think about the interview scenario:  You are sitting waiting to go into the room, you think ‘what if there are ten people on the panel’, ‘what if they ask me questions I can’t answer’, ‘what if they are all wearing suits’.

What are you actually afraid of?  You are not afraid of the panel, you are not afraid of the questions, you are not afraid of the suits.  You are not afraid of the reality, but of the negative expectation, or thoughts, of what you imagine might happen next.

 New for 2013. From confusion to clarity – Becoming ME again

But if any of those things did really upset you that much, you would take flight and there really wouldn’t be any thought involved at all.  Your intuition and instinct rule your fight or flight response.  Only 2% of our fears actually occur, the other 98% are just imagined.

Trust in your intuition and don’t let false expectations drive your life.

Do you want to remain stuck and miserable with the fear of making changes in your life? 

I have some availability for coaching clients, we just need to fix some dates if and when you want to get started. Get in touch today.

Maggie Currie 

Creedence – Confidence for You

International Confidence Coach, Motivational Speaker, Author

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Taking time for YOU!

My clients often tell me that one of the added benefits of having coaching with me, that they hadn’t considered before they started, is that their coaching sessions can often be the only time in their busy week that they feel able to step back and truly focus 100% on themselves.  Be honest, how often could you say that you allow yourself to do just that?

A lot of the time we get so busy ‘doing’ that we forget about ‘being’.

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This was a revelation of sorts for me some years back.  I had something fantastically inspiring to aim for.  I had the focus, I had the drive to work really hard, and I was making good progress.  And yet, I ended up feeling ill, stressed and fairly disillusioned.  I began to think that if this was what having stretching goals was about, I wasn’t sure I wanted them after all!

Talking through how I felt with a good friend one day, I was brought up short when she said “oh yes, you’ve become a ‘human doing’ instead of a ‘human being'”.  I thought about that all the way home.

As I reflected on the previous few months, I could think of very few times when I wasn’t ‘doing’ and even fewer times when I’d consciously decided to take time out and ‘just be’.

How much of your time do you spend ‘doing’ and how much do you spend ‘being’?  If you had to divide a circle up with how much time you give over to each, what would it look like?  How big would your ‘being’ slice be? Be absolutely honest with yourself.

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With our busy lives and time-poor society it can seem nearly impossible to take more time for ourselves, but at what cost do we choose not to?  My decision those few years back was to invest more time in myself, and I’m certain that I’m more productive as a result.  I get more done in my ‘doing’ time now than I ever did when I was ‘doing’ every waking second of the day.  Plus, my ultimate decision was that it couldn’t all be about the doing and the destination or I’d miss the journey altogether.

So as we roll into the next season, what time can you make for yourself to just ‘be’?  When can you next set aside an hour or two, a whole day or even more than that, to relax and recharge?  Imagine how much better you will feel when you do?

Could you do with some regular time set aside to focus 100% on you and on making your life how you want it?

I have some availability for coaching clients, we just need to fix some dates if and when you want to get started. Get in touch today.

Maggie Currie 

Creedence – Confidence for You

International Confidence Coach, Motivational Speaker, Author

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Do you need to change your surname after divorce?

There are a million reasons why it is advisable to stick with your married name after divorce.  There are also a million reasons why you could change your surname after divorce.

If you have children, it can make it easier when dealing with schools to keep the same surname as the children have.  Although, in this day and age, it is very common for children to have different surnames from their parents.  For instance, when two families merge there will be Mr & Mrs X and their 6 children.  3 of the children have come from Mrs X’s previous marriage, and 3 of the children have come from Mr X’s previous marriage.  So there will be Mr & Mrs X with children X and children Y.

It can cause some hassle with paperwork, but other than that, it is not a problem.

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When there are no children involved, it may be that you may want to change your surname.  You can choose to revert to your maiden name, if you like that name, or you can choose another surname entirely.  Changing your name can be done relatively easily via deed poll.  You will have to provide several forms of documentation to prove you are who you say you are, and that you not going to commit fraud. But once that is done, and the fee paid of course, you can go ahead.  You can find out more information from their website.

You could completely reinvent yourself if you chose to. Pick a name that you have always loved and that you think will suit you.  If you are not sure, then try a few out for size.  Write down the names you think of, say them out loud, see if they fit.  If they don’t then think of some more until you find one you really like.

There will be banks, credit cards etc., to inform, but once that is all done you can live happily with your new name.

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Some people want to revert to their maiden name, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing that either.  It is a matter of personal choice.

There are, of course those, who didn’t change their surname when they got married, and therefore nothing needs to change now, unless they want it to…………….

Whatever decision you make, be sure it is the right one for you.  Don’t allow other people to influence you either way.  It is your life, your name and it is you who has to live with it.

I have some availability for coaching clients, we just need to fix some dates if and when you want to get started. Get in touch today.

Maggie Currie 

Creedence – Confidence for You

International Confidence Coach, Motivational Speaker, Author

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An incredible year

This year has been interesting to say the least.  It began in January with my birthday ‘tour’.  I decided that instead of having a fixed birthday party I would take my celebrations on tour.  I started here on the Island and then went to the mainland, to Portsmouth and then to Essex.  I met up with friends and relatives who maybe I wouldn’t have seen if I had kept the party here on the Island.

I had a great time and really loved seeing all those people and enjoying celebrating with them.

February brought the birth of my newest granddaughter, Tabitha.  She, of course, decided to arrive on 29th – so only one birthday every four years for her.  I went to visit her of course when she was only a few days old, and she is beautiful. She is now 10 months old, crawling and ‘chatting’.  Below is Tabitha at about 6 months.

 
March was uneventful, except for helping out a friend who is a florist delivering flowers for Mothers’ Day. The car was full of bouquets, arrangements and choccies.  Lovely gifts.
 
In April I helped out at a charity fashion show.  I helped to dress the models and ensure their quick changes were just that, quick.  I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was also invited to attend the Isle of Wight WI Annual Conference as a guest of their speaker Lucy, who I had helped with her relationship.  She thanked me publicly and it felt so good to be appreciated.
 
May brought a visit to the theatre in London to see a play called ‘Noises Off’, starring Celia Imrie. A very funny play, brilliantly done.  Loved it.
 
In June I was given tickets to the Electric Woods at Robin Hill Country Park, an evening of music and illuminations.  Brilliant.  Two more trips to London to see Blood Brothers, a stunning musical play, and War Horse – just fabulous.  The horse was a puppet, but you didn’t notice and got emotionally involved with him all the way through. I was also invited to display and sell my books at Newport Minster by a local writing group.  This was really good.
 
July was the beginning of the festival and event season.  I spent a wet weekend at Smallbrook Stadium in a caravan providing head massage for a wonderful group of bikers.  I also started an open coaching group at a healing studio in Newport and this was quite successful, although I don’t think I will repeat it.  A trip to Scotland followed to work at Rewind Festival Scotland, providing head massage to the masses.  Again it rained, but we had a good time and met some lovely people.  I was interviewed on WC4S Radio via Skype and had a great time. I also helped out at the local talent show for under 18s.  A great day too.
 
August brought a wedding in Essex, we took the caravan and stayed nearby.  Then we went to see Grease the musical at the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton. Excellent. A day spent in Cowes for Cowes Week and then off to Henley for Rewind Festival Henley.  That weekend was so hot, 93 degrees, we nearly melted.  Then it was Faux Fest at the Donkey Sanctuary.  A festival of tribute bands. It rained, and rained.  I sold raffle tickets and met some of the ‘stars’. Below is ‘Michael Jackson’.
 
 
September was very busy with coaching and mentoring, getting my car fixed after someone kindly donated a dent whilst I was parked in a supermarket car park.  
 
In October I won some tickets to see Level 42 at Portsmouth Guildhall. Great concert.  Two more trips to London to see the play Jumpy starring Tamsin Greig.  Excellent.  And then to see A chorus of Disapproval with Rob Brydon, Ashley Jensen and Nigel Harman.  Very good and very funny.  Then off to Mayflower Theatre Southampton to see Sarah Millican. I also began being the resident life coach on a radio programme called “Calder’s Confessions”, this is all about real people’s life problems and hopefully I am bringing some much needed help. October also brought the birth of my very first great-granddaughter.  
 
November brought another trip to the Mayflower Southampton to see The Mousetrap.  A very interesting play.  Typical Agatha Christie.  Then a trip to the Nuffield Theatre Southampton to see Francesca Martinez, and lovely young comedienne.  Very funny. 
 
In December I was interviewed on Power Women Radio by Deb Jones via Skype.  I had a ball. I also spent two days at a local high school conducting mock interviews for the year 11s.  Great fun drawing out their good points and giving them tips on interview techniques.
 
All through the year I have also been coaching lots of women, creating a new online course to help professional women going through divorce or getting over the aftermath.  I have undertaken a marketing course which has turned out to be fabulous and I would recommend it to anyone.  Take a look here if you would like to find out more about this amazing course.
 
 
What will 2013 bring? I know it is going to be a year of creativity, coaching, teaching, mentoring and helping lots of people to change their lives so they can live authentically and on their own terms. That is my intention for 2013.
 
I know I am really looking forward to the coming year and building on the foundations started this year.  I think it is going to be fabulous.
 

I have some availability for coaching clients, we just need to fix some dates if and when you want to get started. Get in touch today.

Maggie Currie 

Creedence – Confidence for You

International Confidence Coach, Motivational Speaker, Author

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