Autumn is the perfect time to shed the layers and let go of anything, anyone and any habits that aren't serving you.

You wouldn't serve up a daily dinner you didn't love (or at least I hope you wouldn't), so why would you serve up a lifestyle you don't love!

Spending time, energy, thoughts and feelings on things and people that don't make you feel great, leaves you feeling more sluggish and less energised every day.

I've been unbelievably sick for the past week and 'physically' letting go and shedding the layers - note to self - don't need to do this so 'literally' next time. So instead of physically getting sick to let go of the old that no longer serves you, take charge of your life now, and effortlessly sift away to discover only the key ingredients to create a happy and healthy Autumn lifestyle.

Steps to Create a Happy & Healthy Lifestyle

1. Write a list of all the major categories in your life (eg work, family, hobbies, friends, lifestyle, food etc).
2. As you go through each of these categories in your mind, imagine you are holding a sifter in your hand. Imagine you are sifting through all of the things, people and activities that come to mind for each category.
3. As you are sifting, allow only the good ingredients for a great lifestyle to fall through.
4. Continue through each of the categories, allowing the good juice to naturally come through the sifter.
5. Whatever good juice you come up with, make a note of it - friends you want to spend time with, food that will make you feel great, etc.
6. You won't be blocking out every single detail of your life, but if you spend the season of Autumn, giving your focus and attention to the 'good juice' activities, people and things you know will make you feel good, you will naturally and effortlessly be more able to let go. And when you truly let go, you can enjoy the simple pleasures that life has to offer each day.

by Alison Nancye

Ok so you know the story of the Genie and 3 Wishes and all that... When I was a kid I was obsessed with shows like 'I Dream of Jeannie', and 'Bewitched'. There was something about simply asking for a dream to come true and it instantly appearing before your very eyes that appealed to me. I'm sure this childhood fascination has much to do with the Dream Seeker (and Creator!) I am today.

So in the theme of 3 Wishes and all that, try this month's Life Quiz and have fun watching how it turns out.

1. Close your eyes.
2. Allow 3 wishes you would love to come true this month to come in to your mind. Just allow whatever comes to appear. (Choose wishes that you go 'yeah' that would 'feel' great to have that come off or come in to my life).
3. Open your eyes and on a blank page write the 3 wishes and date the page.
4. Store the page somewhere handy like sticking it on the fridge, in your wallet, your diary or notebook.
5. Now ask for those 3 wishes to come true. Say it out loud or in your imagination, whatever feels comfortable for you. (I do urge you to have fun with this and ask like a child would, just totally unashamedly asking for your heartfelt dreams).
6. Now say thankyou.
7. Throughout the month, return to your piece of paper and read through your wishes and imagine what life would look and feel like when those wishes come in to fruition. Have fun dreaming on your wishes.
8. At the end of the month, review your wishes, celebrate your outcomes, and remember keep dreaming... because the power of dreaming is an incredible and essential ingredient to the health and happiness of any individual's life.

1. READ A BOOK... instead of turning on the television. For an effortless and positive read, check out Recipes for Everyday Life by Alison Nancye, Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne or The Magician's Way by William Whitecloud.
2. TAKE A WALK... before breakfast, lunch or dinner. Just walking around your neighbourhood and checking out new sites, homes and nature spots is a healthy way to live in body and soul.
3. BE GRATEFUL... for where you are right now in your life and every new good thing that comes your way.
4. MEDITATE... a little investment for huge rewards. If you are not doing this on a regular basis, please get started in 2009.
5. FOOD IS YOUR FUEL... eat food that makes you feel good. Good food produces good thoughts and good feelings, it's simple science really.
6. CLEANSE AND LET GO... swim in the ocean, have warm salt water baths and regularly let go of toxins consuming your body and mind.
7. DO WHAT YOU LOVE... pursue work that feeds your soul and if you can't get a job you love straight away, take up a hobby you love.
8. SLEEP... get enough zzz's each day. Bed before 11pm is a great rule to live by.
9. SMILE... smiling more each day makes you feel happier in body, mind and spirit. Try a 3 Minute Meditation Smile each day (that's smiling in your meditation ritual) - it feels really good.
10. TRY SOMETHING NEW... it's great to have something new to look forward to and work towards. It's a brand new year what are you waiting for.

1. Think of the categories of your life in segments like you would on a menu – so instead of starters, entrée, main, desserts, and sides. Put Lifestyle, Work, Relationships, Money, Health & Wellbeing, Hobbies, Education etc (whatever categories are meaningful to you).
2. Underneath each of those categories. Write what you’d love to create for the year ahead. For example Lifestyle might be Yoga class twice a week, 2 mini breaks throughout the year and one big holiday vacation. Work might be 15% salary increase, bringing more of my passions in to my workplace, Wellbeing might be doing a meditation course, and so forth.
3. Place your Life Menu for 2009 in pride of place (mine sits in the heart of my kitchen). You can also do a Vision Board to visually represent what this new look life might look like for the year ahead. Display your Life Menu with all your heart and all your glory.
4. Take Action and start ordering off your own menu. For example, if it’s Yoga, Gardening or a Cooking class you’d love to do, jump online, ask around and check out your local directories, book in to your course and enjoy!
5. When you’re really clear about what you’d love, it’s much easier to ask for it and take steps towards it. Keep ordering off your Life Menu and before you know it, you will be one satisfied customer of your own life.
6. Finally, remember to have fun, enjoy the journey, ask like-minded people to dine with you and share in your success and life. Celebrate along the way, as well as the end of the year.

TIP
If you’re stuck on getting clear about what you’d love, try the Dream Life recipe as a starting point... it’s a great way to visualise and meditate on your dreams come true.

Get Enough Sleep

How to Create More Work Life Balance

1. On a blank piece of paper, create three columns or sections with the headings 1. Mind, 2. Body, 3. Spirit.
2. Underneath each heading, list three ways (or more) you could create a healthier mind, body and spirit. Include things you can let go of or add to the mix. For example, turning your computer off by at least 10pm each night will allow you to let go and have a good hour to unwind if you want to get to bed before 11pm. Adding lavender drops to your evening shower or on your pillow will help chill your mind. Body - would be things like eating foods that make you feel good (be real you know what agrees with you and what doesn’t), and exercising in a way that you enjoy (even dancing to a song each day is a great way to unwind and get exercise). Spirit is whatever it means to you - things that you make your heart sing, feed your soul and make you feel good.
   
3. Put a circle around one item in each of the Mind, Body, Spirit categories that you would like to start this week or month.
4. Now get started! Remember the only person who can give you permission to spend your time the way you would love is YOU. You create your schedule, so it’s you who creates your own Work Life Balance.
   

So how do you discover the ‘thing’ that makes you sing?

Remember THIS is your precious life RIGHT NOW. If you don't love what you do for a living, then it sounds like a change for the better would do you the world of good.

Have fun cooking up your career dreams and aspirations.