Gabriella Goddard's Blog (author of "Gulp!: The 7 day crash course to master fear and break through any challenge"

More Raw : Try it...I am!

As summer draws closer the vision of swimsuits and beaches does wonders for my interest in exercise and healthy eating. 

In March I went "downunder" for a holiday and also to work on a creative project which I'll be telling you more about soon.  I stayed with my super fit friend Sharon in St Heliers (the best place in the world!).  As always going to New Zealand where one is surrounded by sea, sand, sun and fresh air, it got me thinking about my health and fitness.  As a member of the gym at the Hilton in Rotherhithe I'd veered towards the treadmill and weights machines.  But coming back from NZ I decided to try out the classes.  WOW - is all I can say.  There are some seriously fit people out there.  I'm proud to say that after being the unfittest, fattest and most discoordinatist in the class, after two months of regular attendance I'm walking taller, my arms and legs are moving in time to the music and in synch with everyone else - and on Saturday when the teacher got it wrong....guess who go it right and guess who everyone else followed (oh yes I'm a girlie swat).

All I can say, is if you're tired of exercising - try out a class.  Something magical can happen.

And then there's the food.  If you haven't heard of Karen Knowler, the raw food coach extraordinaire, then you must check out http://www.karenknowler.typepad.com/   Summer is a great time to be pigging out on salads and vegetables and Karen has this incredible knack of making that sound exciting.  I've been watching her video clips as well and the one on making almond milk sounded so easy, I almost went out and bought the almonds!

So I've made it my Gulp! mission to try out Karen's recipes over the summer and see if I can dramatically increase the amount of raw and natural fruit and vege I'm eating on a daily basis.

And then my biggest challenge will be what to do with all that extra energy coming from more exercise and raw food!

Any suggestions?

Start That Business: Nick Williams's Top Tips

  Nick Williams is of course the best-selling author of "The Work We Were Born To Do". 







After a long and successful Marketing and Sales career he left the corporate world to set up his own business and write books.

Check out his blog at http://www.nick-williams.com/blog

Here are his top tips for budding entrepreneurs:

1.                 Use your sense of intuition, passion and inspiration to guide you to the business you would love to create – that is a large part of what will make you successful – your own authentic energy

2.                 Avoid dreambashers – people who are afraid to live their dreams and who are happiest telling you why you can’t live yours. You already have enough of them in your own head

3.                 Be aware of your own resistance – often what you’d most love to do is what you most avoid and procrastinate about – but through your resistance and start doing the things that are most meaningful to you

4.                 Find great business strategies and use them in your authentic way – find out what works for other people to attract clients and then find ways of authentically integrating those ideas into your business.

5.       Learn by doing – nothing breeds confidence like success – so start in tiny ways to make your dream come true. Don’t wait until you are ready – start and you become ready 

6.                 Know that the biggest factor in your success will be your ability to attract clients – develop at least six strategies for attracting clients

Nick Williams is an expert on fulfilment at work and helping people become inspired entrepreneurs. See http://www.nick-williams.com/blog

Ask Gaby...my new career column in In London magazine

I'm very proud to announce that I am now the career/work columnist for In London magazine.  My first "Ask Gaby" came out this month and I had so much fun doing it.

In London is a magazine aimed at New Zealanders, South Africans, Australians and all other folk living and working in London.

It's a great magazine and I'm really delighted to be associated with it.  Check out the online version at http://www.inlondon.com/emag/ilm40/index.cfm .  "Ask Gaby" is on page 62.

Start that Business : Top Tips to Getting Organised

The best way to move forward with your Gulp! is to take small steps every day.  If you do this, you'll be amazed when you look back two weeks later and see what you've been able to achieve.

Kate Bacon used to be my virtual assistant so she knows a thing or two about getting and staying organised and here are her top tips for getting yourself organised.

1.  De-clutter your office:  A clear working area not only gives you space on your desk it gives you invaluable space in your mind.  You’ll be amazed how much more you get done when your mind is clear!

2.  Write a daily To Do List:  Look (honestly) at what your priorities are for the week and then break them down into daily bite-sized chunks.  Keep the list do-able – too many tasks and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

3.  Create a filing system:  Putting papers away in an organised filing system both puts them at your fingertips when you need them, and keeps them from distracting you on a daily basis

4.  Clear out your email inbox regularly:  A cluttered inbox feels stressful.  Clear out junk mail immediately; clear out email once read (if you don’t need to keep it); set up a filing system for your email by creating folders for keeping essential emails.

5.  Keep your calendar up to date:  Whether you use a paper calendar or digital diary, ensure that it is current.  Viewing an updated calendar means you “know where you” are at a glance!

Kate Bacon
VA and founder of the VA Business Start Up Course: Helping you design a VA business to fit your life!
http://www.piertopeercoaching.com

Call of Adventure: Trekking Machu Pichu

One of my dreams is to one day walk the Inca trail and trek up to Machu Pichu.  I think it would be one of the most amazing experiences.

So I've done a bit of research and discovered that SCOPE are doing a charity trek this May.  Unfortunately I can't make it, but maybe you can.

The five-day hike begins in the heart of the Urubamba Valley and takes you past snowcapped peaks and glacial lagoons. They finish at the lost city of Machu Picchu, the spectacular orchid-draped ruin which laid abandoned for 500 years until re-discovered at the beginning of the 20th century.

If this has sparked your adventurous spirit then check out

http://www.scope.org.uk/adventures/peru.shtml

One Life Live: Get Ready to Be Inspired

Don't miss the One Life Live exhibition.  With five zones including "be your own boss", "take a career break" and "retrain", it's ideal for anyone at a cross roads in their life.

I'll be running free Gulp! seminars on Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 4pm, so come along - it'll be great to see you there.

www.onelifelive.co.uk

Write That Book - Sarah Newton's Top Tips from a Debut Authors

Sarah Newton's debut book titled "Help! My Teenager is an Alien" published by Penguin, is due to hit the shelves on March 1st.  She shares with us her amazing and honest gems for getting that book written.  Thanks Sarah!

1. 1.  Start with the end in mind -  before you even put pen to paper, start with your idea of the finished book and the impact it will have.  What will it look like, feel like, how will people feel reading it? Truly get connected with the impact your book will have on the world. Go to bookstores and imagine your book on the shelves, build a vision board of images or write how people will be feeling when they read your book. This is so important and you will need it on the days when the energy is not so great. Just looking at these images, reading your vision and connecting with the readers you want to attract will motivate you.

2. Plan a general concept and framework of the book before you start to write – how many chapters will it have, how will it be written, what will make it different, what would you love to see in it? Get other books and incorporate ideas you like. Get the flow of the book planned before you write. I decided I wanted my book to read as if you were watching a television programme, so I knew I therefore needed to use case studies with pieces in between that were informational, like when the presenter speaks to camera on a TV programme.  Once you have the framework, you can then fill in the gaps.

 

LBC London Live : On the Jim Davies Show

If you're interested in health and wellbeing, then check out Jim Davies's new show on LBC London 97.3FM from 1.00pm-2.00pm.  It's fantastic.  I spent about half an hour on his show on Monday fielding calls from people wanting advice on their OBGs (One Big Gulp!).  He is such a fun guy and we had quite a few giggles in the studio.  Well worth a listen to as you munch on your houmous and beansprout low-fat gluten-free bap.

http://www.lbc.co.uk/

Gabriella

Write That Book - Linda Jones's Story

"2003 seems like a very long time ago now, but that is when I first picked up a pen a jotted down a rough idea for a children’s book entitled ‘The Lonely Little Christmas Tree’. The story was completed all bar the ‘tweaking’, in 2004. All Ineeded now was to find someone to illustrate it!

The husband of a work colleague, Mike Conn, came to my rescue. A truly talented guy who is giving my words ‘life’. Initially though it proved to be a slow and drawn out process. Being very aware that illustrations do take time to produce if you are going to ‘do the job right’, I had to find a way to speed this process up a little without compromising the finished product. I simply did not know how to achieve this at all.

Enter Gabriella Goddard! - Gulp! Was my inspiration! In my admiration for Gabriella’s drive and vision, I discussed my project with her.

Write That Book - Top Tips from Book Guru Julia McCutchen

1.  Explore this question: who are you before the writing begins?

The real source of your writer’s voice lies in the deep place within yourself that is the truth of who you really are. We are not talking here about the roles you fulfill in life as a friend, partner, entrepreneur … or even as a writer. Through stillness you can discover that the space between your thoughts of who you think you are is a gateway to knowing your true self. And out of this space, the ultimate power of your writer’s voice arises.

2.  Nurture your creative spirit.

How much time each week do you allow for nurturing your inspiration, imagination and creativity? Do you know what your top 3 sources of inspiration are? Successful writers know that finding ways to ignite creativity form an essential part of the writing journey. Make time to go for a woodland walk, listen to an author talking about their writing at a bookshop event or literary festival, and spend time with other creative people regularly to nurture your own creative spirit.

3.  Investigate your motivation for writing and finding a publisher for your book.

If you give yourself the gift of time to consider what you are really aiming for – and why - it will provide you with a clear focus and a valuable resource that you can return to again and again when the path to publication feels challenging. Write your thoughts down and update them whenever necessary as your journey unfolds.

...more to come...

By Julia McCutchen ,

Author of "The Writer’s Journey: From Inspiration to Publication"

Click here for Julia's FREE Special Report on "Writing for Success" plus check out her new Masterclass and Coaching programmes