Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Here's to 2019 and all that it brings. May we continue to add 'tools' to our 'toolboxes' so we can meet the challenges ahead.  May we always remember to look after ourselves, as we would the person we love most in our lives, because we are worth it! 

I have mentioned before that I use '16 Guidelines for a Happy Life' and today as always, I reached for the 16G cards in order to pre-frame the day ahead.  Before that, I had spent time considering what I was about to do, which was to write the first AndBreathe... blog post of 2019.  This is a milestone blog for AndBreathe..., as 2019 will be the first full year of its existence!  It has been a big step of faith to begin this journey and I will admit there have been moments (ok, sometimes pretty big moments!!) when I doubted myself. So, it was with all of that in mind that I drew the random card for today.  As always, 16G came up trumps - COURAGE!

16G's definition of Courage:

Courage is about stretch. It’s about seeing, feeling or realising that something more or different can be done, developing the determination to do it, and then carrying through despite all obstacles. We know in our bodies when we’ve been courageous. There is a glow of satisfaction and relief. Something has shifted, and we have grown in size.

Courage is not defined by what we do, but what we overcome within ourselves. It comes in many forms. It is found in a steady approach to everyday difficulties as well as in the single spontaneous gesture. It is happening quietly all around us as well as in the news.

Courage involves acknowledging our fears, but not being deterred from offering something that goes beyond our own immediate needs and comfort. Most courageous people have decided that the well-being of others is more important than their own, and have allowed this decision to drive their actions and the way they live. Invariably, they seem to find their own happiness in the process.

In many ways, I feel I could just end today's post right there! EVERY time I pick a 16G card, it is the 'right' one.  There is much more to 16G than picking a card (or it picking me?!) but the card is a practical, easy to use,  starting point.  I have benefitted from 16G courses and 16G influences much of what I do, personally and professionally.

The 16G role model for 'Courage' is Wangari Maathai: 

“We cannot tire or give up. We owe it to the present and future generations of all species to rise up and walk” said the Kenyan activist WangariMaathai. The Greenbelt Movement that she founded in 1977 is an outstanding example of her own perseverance and commitment to serving others. It has now planted over 51 million trees across Kenya and works at the grassroots, national, and international levels to promote environmental conservation, build climate resilience and empower communities, particularly women. 

WangariMaathai started life as a barefoot schoolgirl in a traditional Kikuyu homestead in the Kenyan highlands, and her achievements would have been impossible without an extraordinary degree of courage. She was frequently the target of media attacks and government raids; she suffered imprisonment; even her husband divorced her, saying she was too strong-minded. Maathai’s response was simply to dig deeper into herself. “None of us can control every situation we find ourselves in. What we can control is how we react when things turn against us. I have always seen failure as a challenge to pull myself up and keep going.” 

So, as I write the first AndBreathe... blog of 2019 and look to the year ahead, I will do so with COURAGE! Please continue to spread the word about AndBreathe... Whether it is EFT/Tapping, Reiki, Mindfulness (7-18 year olds in schools/sports clubs/badge organisations), 'Life Balance' workshops or 'Wellbeing in the Outdoors', please keep me in mind.  I am working in Insch @ Insch Podiatry & Bennachie Leisure Centre, Whitecairns @ The Sanctuary, Bridge of Don @ Urban Wellness Hub, as well as online EFT appointments, which allows me to work in all time zones and every corner of the globe.  All information will be shared on the AndBreathe... website (www.andbreathe123.com), FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin, as well as locally.

Thank you for joining me on this exciting journey!

Best wishes

​Gillian x​