Help! How to help a grieving dog...???

Help! My dog is grieving and I'm a little unsure what to do... ??

Cooper is mourning the sudden loss of her brother yesterday. I'm measuring my own feelings and they pale in comparison to my surviving dog Cooper.

Whilst out at the beach yesterday, or in the park today, she is mostly distracted enough.... showing interest in her surroundings and new smells...

Yet at home she lays flat and unmoving.... paws straight out with her head bowed. She blinks up at me, showing sadness in her eyes...

I'm walking her more regularly and during the day she is by my feet at my desk, or following me around the house. By night, I've now moved her inside bringing her bedding into my room to be near me. She no longer has Samson to curl up next to outside in the kennel.

It breaks my heart to see her so sad. Watching her eye the back door to see when Sam is coming in.

I'm giving her a tonne of attention and love, which is helping my own grief whilst I am increasing my bond with her.

If you've had any experience with a dog grieving, and you have some helpful advise... please leave a comment for me below.

My two cats are fine. They are indoor only and well bonded to each other. Cleo, who was always a great buddy with Sammie seems to be fine. But then, she's closer to Chloe and they sleep cuddled up together also.

Forever grateful...

Katie & Cooper...

xx

A Very Special Life... His Love Still Lives On...

Today is one of deep reflection of love, gratitude, and counting all the magic moments with my very special friend.... and dog... Samson (German Shepard x Staffordshire).

He suddenly passed away today.

Christmas eve, he was racing around the park with Cooper, my other dog (Black Labrador x Samoyed).

Christmas day he began vomiting water and was lethargic.

Today, he was not looking well and vomiting phlegm. As he was getting into the car, he collapsed. I raced him down to the vet, panic rising in my throat... wanting to ignore the intuitive voice that was gently whispering it was his time to move forward.

Noooo.... Please nooo... not yet!

My vet was closed, so I raced down to the nearest one back in my own neighborhood.

I scooped Sammie off the back seat of my car. He was conscious, but exhausted.

Having been a Paramedic for many years, I witnessed the look I now saw in his eye.

"Not yet buddy.. Please, not yet!"

As I carried his now limp 21 kilo frame, I noticed how frail he is (he's been unwell with many health issues throughout his life). His bones are abrasive against my skin, without a lot of flesh on his frame anymore.

A kind lady held open the veterinary door, giving me space to struggle past.

I spy past two customers, making eye contact with the lady at the counter, "Please, help him! He's been vomiting and has collapsed."

She takes Sammie in her own arms and whisks him through a door. I'm no longer with him. I struggle to fight back the tears, as I become aware of six sets of human eyes looking at me with sympathy.

I stand still. Not sure what to do next. The lady comes back within a short minute. "Take a seat. We'll have someone with you in a minute."

I head back out to my car to get my handbag... and to give myself some space as I sniff back the tears. I take a deep breath as I lean against my car and allow the feelings to flow.

Within a few minutes, the weight on my chest lifts. I rub my eyes with the back of my hand in an attempt to dry them. It doesn't work.

In the waiting room, I distract myself with a book recently given to me by a dear friend.

"How Would Love Respond?" By Kurek Ashley.

It helps me to center my focus back on love and gratitude, instead of the pending loss.

"Miss Gilbert," I hear my name and look up to see the Veterinarian summoning me into the room.

Sammie is not in there.

My gut strikes. My face contorts as I try not to cry. Instead I hear a strange yelp sound squeeze out of my throat. I brace myself knowing what is about to be said.

He looks at me with tenderness.

"Tell me what happened," he asks.

I breathe deep, blow out and race with the details.

"He's been vomiting water, with lots of phlegm. He's not been eating in 24 hours. He's lethargic, and been distressed. And today he collapsed as I tried to get him into the car to come here."

He pauses. Obviously waiting a moment before he delivers his next bit of news.

"Sammie is suffering. He has heart failure. He's old for his breed and he's obviously had lots of health issues."

I nod. It's all I can do.

We both stand still, eyes connected. I sigh deeply.

"Are you saying we should put him to sleep?" I sniff again in a futile attempt to hold back that avalanche of tears.

"I do. He's suffering. Prolonging the inevitable is not fair."

He takes me through to the next room, where I see him weak but alive on the table. I wrap my arms around his neck and cry..

"I'm sooooo sorry baby, I love you sooooo much. Thank you for being such an incredible soul and guide for me for all these years. Thank you for hanging in there long enough for me to come home and say 'Goodbye' to you."

I look up as I sense the Vet standing next to me. The Vet nurse is passing me a box of tissues. I take one. "Ok, I'm not ready, but go ahead."

As the nurse holds my boy and the Vet induces the needle filled with a green fluid, I whisper in Sammie's ear.... "I love you... see you on the other side."

His body gently rolls back onto the nurse, as he exhales his last breath, his body still twitching. The Vet checks his heart... "He's gone," he says.

They give me a few moments with Sammie. "What now?" I ask. "I haven't a clue what happens next."

The nurse kindly takes me through the options for a burial or cremation. I choose to have him cremated, and placed into an urn so I can later have a private ceremony ...a last goodbye.

She tells me it will take a few weeks.

Now, the weight of his absence is surreal. My heart is filled with sadness, but I know this will pass. Whilst I'm honoring my feelings, I'm also focused on all the magic moments, the love, the joy, the fun, the protection my beautiful boy served me with for almost ten years...

May you rest in peace my sweet soul....

Merry Christmas! Celebrating With Joy & Gratitude...

Merry Christmas to my dear friends and friends I'm yet to meet!

I had a terrific day celebrating Joy & Gratitude with my family in Perth, Australia...

What a great day!

Plenty of food, wine, love, fun and abundance of gratitude abounds.... wishing the same vibration of magic and gratitude in your day with your loved ones too...

Merry Christmas.. with Joy & Gratitude

Katie Gilbert
"The Global Butterfly"

Magic Happens... It's Christmas

Some Wonderful Magic with Graham Kite...




It's Christmas eve, and I haven't created a post in 2 weeks!

So much Magic has happened! And now I get to share it with you too...

And to all my fellow "Profile Accelerators"... here's a tribute to you!



I left America on December 12th to arrive in Sydney on December 14th.

After spending a few days with some very generous and kind friends, I was back into 'Seminar Mode' with attending Dale Beaumont's "Profile Accelerator" course.

One word: OUTSTANDING!

Second word: FUN! FUN! FUN! ...OK, so that's three words.

But if you get my hint, the event was definitely one of the best I have ever attended for value and for amazing networking opportunities with people playing life at a much higher level!

If you get the chance to attend.. without a shadow of a doubt.. DO IT!

In one day: On set in a Hollywood Movie and Offset being a 'Paramedic'

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to play a small part in a Hollywood Movie called "Tranced: The Experience."

The day was full of experiences, both on and off set.

On-set, I got to play a "Hypnotic Host" along with Maya Hiersoux, Michael Grady, and Nicole Crocker. My role was small, but fun, helping the hypnotist (played by the Master himself, Marshall Sylver) to assist the audience experience their hypnotic trance even more.

We were fed on set, with snacks available all day long.

Then we took a break for lunch, with boxes of pizza arriving by the stacks.

Because we were not allowed to eat on set, we were shuffled outside of the theater to the front sidewalk.

We stood there on Santa Monica Boulevard, and the lunch-time traffic was busy with cars whizzing by with a trail of car fumes polluting the air.

Bundled up in my favorite Argentinean wrap to keep me warm from the chilly air I happily munch on my hot pizza. I was listening to the conversational banter going on around me when we heard a gut-wrenching screech of tires and a loud bang as the sound of glass splintered the air.

It took me a few seconds to realize it was not a car versus car, instead a crumpled up bicycle lay on the ground with a human being laying crumpled and still.

"My God!" I cursed as I ran through the traffic now standing still. My cocktail dress is flapping around my boots and I still have my wrap around me.

A few people began to gather around him, just standing and staring not knowing what to do. I threw my wrap at a stranger and said, "here hold this!" while I squatted down beside the man, doing my best to avoid the large chunks of glass and blood now dripping from his face.

"Sir! Can you hear me!" He was on his side, propped up on his right hand, groaning. "I'm Katie, and a trained Paramedic from Australia. I'm here to help you. Can you tell me your name?"

As I'm getting a response and doing a quick assessment, an LAPD cop is doing a secondary survey on the patient. I'm a little in shock myself having just 'witnessed' the accident, so hadn't seen him arrive. He tells me he is also a trained Paramedic from Illinois.

I help the cop to pull the backpack off the patient so we can lay him flat. My hair, loose and long, is flapping in the wind and I find out later, that my friend Michael had been standing behind me holding my hair to avoid it wiping through the blood on the ground.

When I discover this, I feel deep gratitude with this kind act.

"Thank You!" I say.

"You're a living Angel," he says. "That man will be so grateful for you."

I smile yet feel a sadness at the broken Angel now on his way to hospital in an ambulance.

My focus for the rest of the day was on fun, and even deeper gratitude yet again for my life and for every day and every moment I get to experience being alive and well.

My years working in the Ambulance service in Australia has me now deeply rooted in living large, never taking life for granted, being in the moment, always sharing my love and making sure my family, friends, and even strangers (friends I haven't met yet) know how magnificent we all are.

What's wonderful about this is, so many more opportunities reveal themselves. There is a magnetic force with gratitude and living in the NOW.

Is there someone in your life you want to share forgiveness and/or love with? What's holding you back? Are you wanting to do something in your life, but putting it off until 'tomorrow'... what if tomorrow never comes?

Which it doesn't.

Because by the time 'tomorrow' comes, it's 'today' again... and then you're saying "I should have done that yesterday."

What can you do in your life right now, to be fully present and engaged in your life?

Go on... for you and for the ones you love...

As the slogan for Nike says "Just Do It!"

Are you living large, expressing your Core Genius?

Adventure - Traveling in a whirlwind!

This last week, I've dashed from San Francisco, to Phoenix for 2 days then to Las Vegas for Speaker's Bootcamp with Marshall Sylver, AJ Puedan, Dave Vanhoose and Dustin Mathews.



Phenomenal!

My greatest learning this week is identifying my core genius, so I shine my brightest.

I get that!

Over the last few years, I've been mastering the skill of leveraging out most of my tasks, so I can do what I do best... and right now, that's living an extraordinary life of traveling the world and focusing on creating and learning...

And yet now, I have taken my understanding to a whole new level.

When I arrived back in San Francisco last night, I found a terrific YouTube video through facebook to share with you to really anchor in this truth... and I ask, are you living YOUR core genius?

If not, when will you now start living it?



The adventure continues...

When I arrived back in San Francisco last night, I checked my email for the first time in four days. I had received an invitation to apply for a casting call as one of four extras for a Hollywood movie.

My immediate thought, was "YES!"

Then I realized the filming was for TOMORROW...

In my mind I still said "Yes!"

So I called up the number and chatted with the lady, who advised me to email a photo of myself. Six hours later I got a call back and was told, "You've been selected, can you be here at Santa Monica Boulevard by 9:30am tomorrow?"

"Yes!" I said, without having even booked a flight yet! But I did..

Life is so short, and when opportunities of new experiences and adventure comes along,"YES" is the only answer, right?

I could have made a tonne of excuses as to why I couldn't go tomorrow. But, when you say "YES!" the Universe lines everything up for you! It's a phenomenal experience, especially when you live in the flow of this.

What are you going to say "YES!" to in the next 24 hours?

What opportunity are you going to attract into your life?

The more you say "YES!" the more opportunities are revealed to you...

And by the way, life is FULL of Golden Opportunities.... you just need to decide which ones are YOURS.

Thanksgiving - celebrate EVERY day with Gratitude

Thankgiving arrived yesterday and I had the privilege to celebrate it with my American family here in the USA.

I arrived back in the States on the eve of Thanksgiving (Wednesday 25th November) with enough time to settle into the new time zone before mixing a little alcohol with plenty of conversational skills and a tonne of turkey!



I LOVE this Celebration. And the truth is, it's how I celebrate EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE...

...with GRATITUDE...

It is the number ONE key to my life success.

Being GRATEFUL for all the abundance I am, have and do in my life.

A little hint I would love to share is that one of my automated patterns I run through every day with myself is... The discipline of Gratitude.


As soon as I wake up, I'm already smiling as I run a list of a minimum of 10 things I am genuinely grateful for in my life.

• My cat snuggling up into my arm as I wake up to a beautiful day
• The sun shining as it lifts my soul
• The rain pouring as it waters the garden and gives me the opportunity of a day to snuggle up in warm clothes.
• The clean filtered water I drink
• My family and friends
• The breath I take as I get to wake up to another day of wonder on this earth..

...you get my drift.

And... it doesn't stop there!

Throughout the day I am CONSCIOUS of being Grateful for EVERYTHING.

I've learned throughout my life that there is no judgment of 'good' and 'bad'... it's only an illusion. Everything... JUST IS.

With this belief system it makes your world view one of wonder and awe. Whether something magical happens in the form of turning out as a 'pleasant' surprise, or in the form of something we didn't expect, there is.... ALWAYS A HIGHER REASON...

So with this in mind, it keeps you in faith, trust and gratitude for all that is...

Sometimes, the gifts are presented to us wrapped up tight with several layers. Just because it's wrapped up, and not yet visible, doesn't mean it's not a GIFT!

So.... say THANK YOU!


For every situation, person and event that evolves and passes into or out of your life...for it IS ALL FOR A HIGHER PURPOSE for our souls to grow, learn, love and break through to our higher spirit in a state of Joy.

How do you tap into this?

Simple. Be GRATEFUL.. for EVERYTHING.


The added benefit is, as you become CONSCIOUS of this process and habituate it, you also start to stack MAGIC MOMENTS of the day...

...so as you sleep at night, you can do what I do also, and again say "THANK YOU!" for EVERYTHING that happened for the day while you run a 'mini-mind-movie' of Magic Moments from the day to help you drift off to sleep with a smile on your face and the light ON within your soul.

You might already unconsciously run a mind-movie of worry, what 'didn't work', and conversations or events that you are criticizing yourself, or another, about.

If this is true for you, then well done! You have the technique of running your mind-movie down! Now, you just need to change the scenes to events, feelings and MAGIC MOMENTS to EMPOWER you....

And with this new habit.... watch and discover the MAGIC UNFOLD and how you ATTRACT even more ABUNDANCE into your life!

Love & Blessings and a Tonne of Gratitude,

Katie Gilbert
"The Global Butterfly"

How to avoid jet lag – general tips

Jet lag is a physical reaction to a rapid change in time zones.

It affects most people, even seasoned travelers! Including flight staff that travel often.

It’s often been said that it takes the body one day to recover for each time zone crossed. In my case, that could be a week-long recovery!

This time, I got a little smarter and figured out how to avoid jet lag (or at least minimize it)

I've just traveled from Perth, to San Francisco (via Sydney) again for the fourth time in 18 months, and have copped another dose of it! This time I’ve only got some mild effects because I created some new patterns for myself. Mostly, drinking LOTS of extra water before, during and after the flight. And resting the day before the flight, instead of running around preparing to the last minute, like I did in the past.

Some of the contributing factors of jet lag can be quite debilitating and include:

· Dehydration

· Unfamiliar foods

· Cramped spaces

· Recycled air

· Lack of sleep

· Uncomfortable clothes

· Continual low-level noise

· Connections that disrupt sleep

· Quite frankly it can make you feel beat up!

Some of the symptoms of this disruption to circadian-rhythm include:

· Exhaustion

· Irritability

· Headache

· Dehydration (dry eyes, throat, nose, even skin)

· Disorientation

· Anxiety

· Indigestion

· Irregular bowel movements, constipation or diarrhea

· Impaired co-ordination (Including: bumping into things, dropping things)

What To Do?

Pre flight

· Plenty of sleep

· Plenty of exercise

· Drink lots of water – hydrate

· Avoid or limit alcohol and caffeine. Especially avoid a party night the evening before you fly, so you can give your body maximum energy to cope with the travel and time changes. Alcohol and caffeine are also diuretics, which deplete the body of maximum hydration.

· Prepare for your flight in advance so you can relax the day before. Reducing stress, anxiety or excitement prior to the flight will help your body clock adjust with more ease

During the flight

· Wear or change into comfortable clothing. Or even, put on your pajamas!

· Carry a set of ear plus and an eye mask to help you block out noise and light whilst you sleep.

· Use a travel pillow or neck rest to also aid your positional comfort when sleeping.

· Avoid or limit alcohol and caffeine. With the pressurization of the cabin it accelerates the effects of dehydration.

· Drink plenty of water. Set a target to drink 2 liters (4 pints) during the flight.

· Eat as little as possible. Most people don’t enjoy the meals on the flight, but rather eat out of boredom. Even in business or first class, where the food served is often quite delicious, it’s not necessary to eat as much as is served. Try to eat fresh fruit (even pack your own to take on board).

· Move about the cabin and stretch for some exercise when possible. In your seat, stretch regularly, pay attention to your spine and give it a chance to stretch and ‘breathe’. In your seat, circle your ankles and do some knee/leg lifts to aid circulation.

· As soon as you board your flight, set your watch to your destination time. Adjust your body clock immediately to the new time zone: If it’s going into night time, then do your best to sleep, or at least meditate and nap for as long as possible to align your body clock. If it’s daytime, then stay awake.

· If you get the opportunity to have a shower during a stop-over then it can be a great way to assist with nurturing your body. It not only assists with freshening you up, it also aids in relaxing your muscles and improving circulation.

Arriving at your destination

· If it’s daytime, then do your best to stay awake. This is the KEY. It’s important to reset your body clock as soon as possible to help avoid jet lag. Or at least minimize it. Do your best to stay awake until mid-evening at least. You will likely have a shorter sleep cycle for the first night. But then usually return to your regular sleeping pattern the second night. If you go to sleep during the day, you will likely sleep for days!

· If daytime, spend some time outdoors in the daylight and eat gentle and nourishing foods for your body to spend as little energy to digest. Salads, fruit, low-fat meals are great.

· If it’s evening when you arrive, go to bed as soon as possible. If you are restless, have a hot bath or shower, drink a calming herbal tea (such as chamomile) and listen to some calming music. Meditate or sit quietly to still your mind and body. Avoid stimulating your mind with watching TV or movies. Choose instead a little time for yourself to wind down.

· Drink plenty of water!

Hope these tips on how to avoid jet lag helps you the next time you do a long-haul flight. Whether you are traveling for business or holiday, take care of you so you can maximize your trip. That way you get to spend as much time as possible enjoying your new location.

How to Automate, Delegate and Leverage Your Life...

This blog article was inspired by a facebook interaction on my profile a few days ago.

Are you looking for some answers on how to automate, delegate and leverage your life... so you can have one?

How am I qualified to share this information?

I am a living example of creating my life by design, by leveraging most of the common personal and business tasks out.

I retired two years ago from a job as a Paramedic (and I was also running my business 'bound to a desk.') When I created enough passive income to match my job income, I took a leap of faith from my old belief system of doing everything myself, to setting myself up to win - by automation, delegation and leverage.

My result? I more than doubled my passive income inside 18 months, whilst traveling the world and only working less than 4 hours a month (yes, really!) to 'tap the doors of automation.'

Whilst my vehicle of how I did this may be different to yours, the SAME MIND-SET strategies are required to get similar results for a life designed set to: automate, delegate and leverage.

This article is NOT about how I created my income. It IS about how I created a lifestyle of freedom to travel the world, play every day and position myself to be in an even greater creative space to add even more value to my life and the lives of others.

Facebook Status update on 17th November:

“If you could ask me any question regarding how to automate,delegate and leverage your life for financial and time freedom, what you would ask me? ...OK, if you have a few Q's go ahead.. :o)


Where do you go for inspiration?

I seek out mentors in all areas of life who have overcome great challenges and succeeded. I also master strategies of those that have accomplished what I want to do. I read a LOT. I listen to audio-books and tele-seminars/webinars. I’ll go to many seminars – free and paid ones. I also draw on my own life experiences. My time as a Paramedic was a gift in many ways. In particular to remind me that I am very blessed and to live EVERY DAY with the fullest attention and gratitude.

What drives you to be successful?

I’m very internally driven. My WHY is HUGE! Know your WHY. Have a deep enough WHY. The bigger the goal, the bigger the WHY needs to be.

To create and continue momentum for my drive:
I also create emotional leverage with myself, meaning that I future-pace myself to see my goal complete and how I feel, how it effects my life and of those around me. I also write down my goals, create vision boards and practice the daily habits of gratitude/visualisation/meditation as soon as I wake up, again throughout the day and again just before I fall asleep.

I also ‘stack’ my magic moments of the day. I run a mini-movie at night as my last conscious thought so I am constantly creating and living in a world of success: with relationships (with myself, the Divine, others), my goals, the quality of my life, health, etc.

I’m also now gracious and kind with myself. (In the past, I’d verbally beat myself up if I hadn’t succeeded at a step in the goal by an (internally set) expected time-frame, even if I’d taken massive action.) I’ve learned I can only have “massive” EFFECTIVE “action” when I pay attention to my inner dialogue and ‘working’ on the same team as ALL the personalities within myself. (We all have them!). So, I’ve turned the “inner critic” into the “inner coach” (Jack Canfield) and give myself a lot of love, grace, kindness, attention, praise and internal support. This sets me up to trust my instincts and subconscious mind even more with a collective power, instead of self-sabotaging and dragging myself down with any negativity and internal conflict.

How do you turn it around when things are not quite how you want them to be?

In the last few years (when my success has escalated the most) I have been practicing the ‘Art of Allowing’. I allow and have faith and trust that everything is as it’s meant to be, even if it doesn’t match MY plan and all my actions. Often the situation is a gift unwrapped in that moment. At some point in time, it reveals itself that BECAUSE things “weren’t quite as I want them to be” that I’m on my current path NOW, which is awesome! (Please note, there are lengths of the path I journey down ‘in the dark’ simply grateful for the light about to come. This is where I 'listen' with extra sensory acuity to my inner guidance).

Two tools to use in this situation:
First, practice Gratitude. Find all the gifts.
Second, In your mind’s eye future-pace yourself to see what you create with the situation now. Then go back to your past to see where there have been other times in the past where this type of situation has delivered you many gifts because of similar situations earlier. Then bring yourself back to the now… and take course corrective action! (Time-line therapy model: See an NLP practitioner or Psychologist who can help you through this process).

What’s your # 1 tool for state management and avoiding those time wasting days/hours?

Gratitude (authentic gratitude. FEELING centered in all the abundance that I NOW have) and;

Visualization of all areas of my life: first thing in the morning, and last thing at night. I also set a plan for my goals and create a monthly plan, a weekly plan and a daily plan. Each night (or sometimes first thing in the morning) I set my targets for the day.

I decide on "My THREE MUST ACHIEVE" outcomes for the day. Then everything else is a bonus. I also give myself plenty of time to play, breaking up the day (and the week.) For example, I will go for a walk, sit in the sunshine and read (sometimes ‘work’ material), meditate, re-bound (on a mini-trampoline), call a friend, chat on facebook and connect with people. I’ll plan lots of social activity and events to go to, so I am focused on my time frame on what needs to be achieved in the time in-between.

Essentially I recognize what DRIVES me.

Love & Connection does.

So when I catch myself ‘time-wasting’ I’ll ask myself: “what do I need to do right now to serve my goal at the highest level?” also, “What is it that my spirit needs right now?” is a great question when I sense myself creating a road-block.

It’s important to pay attention to that ‘inner child’ that perhaps wants some attention or even something as ‘little’ as to notice the bird flitting around in the garden or watch the butterfly land on a flower. Again, it comes back to GRATITUDE and living in the NOW. This appreciation allows me to be in the flow and therefore do what is in alignment with my goals and best interest.

I'd just like to know the overall strategies you use for having a mobile life and business. I'll be on the road soon enough managing the business and I'd love your insights into the whole experience.

Leverage: Automate and delegate.

Break down all your tasks and qualify people to delegate and leverage to. I use a “McDonald’s Franchise” model, giving small tasks (even breaking down big ones into smaller chunks) to delegate to people I outsource to on my ‘team’. By spreading out the workload I minimize my risks of being too dependent on that team member. It’s therefore easy enough to re-allocate the task to someone else, or train someone to do the one thing. Think of ‘french fry station’ or ‘drink station’ etc.

You can outsource tasks to people you know locally, or online. Resources for virtual assistants, writers, webs-site designers, bookkeepers, editors, copy writers, etc can be found easily, with you deciding who is the best fit for you at a great price. You can check out resources here: www.RentACoder.com and www.elance.com

On the personal level too, I have a similar mind-set with house-sitters. I have several to mitigate my risk of my house (and animals) being unprotected. So, I have a long-term sitter and a short-term sitter. This allows for me to have a contingency back up.

I have four beautiful animals I care and love for (and who have guided me for 10+ years!) So I keep my home as my base to return to in-between all my travels. It may be a better option for you to release your home: rent/sell/sub-let etc.

I also have a gardener who has access to my property once a month to take care of all the external maintenance.

I redirect all my business and personal mail to my bookkeeper who works in closely with my Accountant. We communicate (usually) quarterly to confirm my tax statements.

I set up most of my accounts to be paid automatically online with direct debits.

Integrating my calendar with my iPhone also allows me to set reminders for bills/events/tasks that require attention on certain dates. There is software available to calendar share with a Virtual Assistant who can access information you give permission to read (and write), so many tasks can be outsourced whilst flying, sleeping or climbing a mountain!

These are some of the basic strategies. The toughest part for most people is getting into the mind-set to delegate and leverage your life…. So YOU can have one!

A Huge THOUGHT KEY here is to have an ABUNDANCE mind-set.

The more people you have on your team helping you, the more opportunities you are creating in life to allow money to FLOW, and helping a lot of people to grow and win financially.

You buy your TIME back which allows you to step into a ‘gap’ to create even more and think of new solutions and attract even more opportunities than if you choose to do most of the tasks yourself.

What extra greatness will you create in your life as you free up your time and create financial freedom? Would you travel more? Spend quality time with your family? Volunteer for a charity? Build another (different) business? Play more? Take up a new sport or hobby? All of the above? :o)

*** *** *** ***

I would love your feedback with these responses. Please let me know if I have added value. Thank you for letting me know what you think.

Serving the world, in the context of love and joy, and an abundance of gratitude!

Katie G. xx
"The Global Butterfly"

Hitting a Cross Road... What to do when you are confused about your direction.

Have you noticed as you travel on your life journey, and come to a cross-road, sometimes you're happy to cruise forward with grace and certainty of your direction? Then other times, you come to a T-junction and stand still: baffled, confused, even 'stuck' about which way to go?

These last few weeks I had been living in the illusion of "needing" to get a lot of stuff prepared and done before heading back to the USA for a three week journey. With my attention climbing it's way up into my head space, I've come to the realization today that I simply needed to pause to look for the elevator, gracefully walk over to it and take the express ride back down into my heart.

Being still. No further impact. All additional information, access denied.

Information overload and juggling many acts can lead to overwhelm, or hyper-stimulation, neither being a resourceful space to be living in.

My chiropractor assessed and re-balanced me again today. With care and compassion, and a depth of heart-felt love that radiated from his soul, he helped me quieten my body, relax, reconnect and.. breathe.

"You know," he gently says, "us humans sometimes forget that we don't need to struggle or push forward to do so many things at once. That instead, we are designed to float, gently and with ease."

My spirit and body ached for some STILLNESS, and for some nurturing.

On my way home I treated myself to a new pajama set, fluffy slippers and a bathrobe I could melt into. My purpose for the rest of the day was to sleep, rest, meditate, be still...

It became clear that my usual tool-set to deal with my life challenges was only going to be of use to me after meeting my most pressing need....

Sleep!

When I awoke, after several hours of uninterrupted slumber, a smile dawned, and a new light spread across my face and soul. It broadened as I internally witnessed my inner dialogue of automatic gratitude again. Then my visualization of each area of my life as I choose to design it.

A sigh of relief passed over my lips. I felt the presence of familiarity of being back in my usual empowered state.

A short and gentle walk with my dogs elevated my state even more. The cool air cleansing my head, airing it out like a house with the windows open to let the flow of new air breathe through and allow the stale air to dissipate.

With my body in motion, I now realized that a part of the disconnection had come as a result of adding in too much input these last few weeks, without the opportunity to let the brain cool down.

I likened my situation to a recent and parallel experience with my laptop. I had chosen to re-install my old operating system, erasing everything and starting again, only to load it up quickly with lots of new programs whilst still demanding it to work effectively. I'd been expecting the same function of myself.

Now I realize, that I made a major error in judgment with both my demands on the computer and myself.

I forgot to reboot after loading each program, causing a series of 'synaptic junctional confusion'. The system didn't know how to read the programs so instead it just went into stall mode.

Today, on rebooting my computer with the aid of a friendly assistant from Apple support, I made the connection of how I had arrived in the (head) space I had found myself in.

So I followed my innate intelligence, and went to bed in the middle of the day and just rebooted my system.

As Eckhart Tolle says, 'Stillness speaks.'

I'm now positioned back in the 'gap,' connected to both my heart and and my head with a communication line functioning effectively.

Sometimes at a cross-road or any junction in life, it's best to just park the car and turn the engine off. Allow it to cool down. In looking up from your pause you see the directional street sign in front of you, now visible because of your new position. It's no longer hidden behind the noise of an advertising billboard that looms in an attempt to distract you to the lure of it's hypnotic promises.

I'm happily singing, "I'm on the road again." This time, with an itinerary to pause regularly along the way to stop and soak in the beauty of the journey, measured by the depth of my gratitude and joy....and enjoying the stillness.

Relaxation is a habit... Being in the flow

Relaxation is a habit. The more it's practiced, the easier it becomes to slip into the 'flow' and...

...breathe...

In this fast-paced world it's easy to get caught up in the multiple focuses of our lives: To be an attentive spouse, parent, and contributing business partner or full-time employee. Then there's the friend circuit, courses, sport, contribution.. and the list goes on and on.

Are you feeling perhaps a little 'torn' and 'stretched' and yearning for some ..'T I M E... O U T!" ?


I'm fully aware that it can sometimes be a mental trap to listen to the logical chorus of voices going on inside my head, telling me "you don't have time to stop!" or "keep going, and you can have 'X' later" (yet 'later' never comes).

Yet, I'm sure like me, you have had many life experiences and references that you can draw upon, that indeed when you DO STOP and pause to take time out for yourself and to gravitate back to your center, then you empower your life even more. You also have better outcomes. Results are accelerated. And Goals are achieved... in record time.

How is it so?

I once heard one of my Spiritual mentors, Guru Singh, say "there is no such thing as time or space. Time was invented so that not everything happened all at once; And space, so that it doesn't all happen to 'me'"...

There is this Universal element that expands beyond our usual socially conditioned beliefs, that there is only so much time. And whilst in the context of a 24-hour clock, this is true.

Yet, when we touch base with our soul, we have no fiber of time in the web of life. Everything is, already is, and has always been.

I'll let that statement sit with you a little..

Go on, let it resonate with your soul. It's OK to give your mind permission to take a short vacation right now, whilst you relax into your spirit and embrace this concept.

Whilst you are there.... grab a cup of herbal tea, take some time out for yourself and watch the magic flow....

Remember to make some time now, to relax in the areas of your life that need your attention to ground, center yourself and breathe.

Take a mini-break.

Go ahead, do it now.

Even a 5 minute meditation or relaxing time-out with a cup of herbal tea will give you a renewed sense of energy and empower you to create even more in your life... being in the flow!

Wine review: Tickle your taste buds at Yangarra Estate Vineyard

Are you a wine lover? If, yes, then do I have a great wine estate recommendation for you!

On my last day in Adelaide last week, I went along with my friends to Yangarra Estate Vineyard in McClaren Vale, to taste some delicious wines.

Our host in Adelaide, Erika (and her fun-loving husband, and my friend Haydan) announced the surprise private tasting on Monday night. Her son, who works in the hospitality industry had kindly arranged our 'group date' with his contact at the winery.

When we arrived, Tom Kriegshauser introduced himself as the sales manager for Australia. His thick American accent caught my attention.

"Where in America are you from?" I asked.

"St Louis, Missouri," he smiled.

We settled into a relaxing lounge 'tasting' room. As usual, I was prepared with both camera and video in hand to capture the magic moments whilst we enjoyed the Yangarra wines.



p.s. I list my favourites as the Voignier (White - "The nose is a ripe and exotic mix of jasmine and white nectarines. The plate is fresh and crisp with stone fruits and citrus. A hint of creaminess brings harmony to the long crisp finish.").

The Cadenzia (Red - "The nose is a mix of beetroot, cherries and creme caramel. The flavours are rich and lush with black fruits and silky tannins. With airing the wine reveals characteristic flavors of boot polish, dark chocolate, flint, dried roses and lavender.") is my number one recommendation! :)

p.p.s. I'm of the faction who believes red wine is GOOD for your HEART! In moderation, it's certainly a great joy to the taste buds, and a masseur to the soul! :o)

Living Adventures Of The Heart on a Houseboat - Murray River, South Australia

This month I experienced living adventures of the heart on a luxurious houseboat!



It was a gathering of like-minded adventurers; a reunion of some of our group that traveled to Antarctica in January and February earlier this year.

It was also my first experience on a houseboat, and in the region within South Australia where we cruised down (up?) the Murray River.

'Captain' Andy, one of our fellow adventurers had thrown out an invite to us via email a few months ago to gather here on these magical waters and to share the wonderful experience on his houseboat. I took the bait! It was the best bite of the trip! (Peer tried his hand at fishing and barely got a nibble!)

There were so many highlights, and many captured within the first of the four days of cruising.

My back was still on the mend so instead of participating directly in the water sports and rough play (water fights and 'people' tossing into the river were just a few) I enjoyed capturing the magic moments with my camera.

On day two, Andy took us out in the dingy through the marshlands, tearing through the river 'alleyways' and reeds. The air became polluted with our squeals and laughter as Andy steered and belted our way through the narrow channels.


Matt got whipped around on the tube behind the ski boat, as did apparently his shorts! The men decided to entertain us with a visual to remember: re-routing the ski-boat direction so Matt could zip past us (we were sitting on the back deck of the houseboat), baring all his glory, lying face up on the tube and giggling.


We spent four glorious days laughing, loving and living adventures of the heart.

The games didn't stop at dusk. Instead, they magnified as the affect of plenty of wine and beer flowed.

Card games became a spectacle at night-time as body slapping occurred with a "King," "Queen," "Jack," or "Ace." Andy led the group, apparently bending the rules on occasions. He liked to win! And he certainly had quality competition.

For four days, we ate like kings and queens. Whilst we all pitched in, Erika mostly commandeered the kitchen and spoiled us with her love and passion for cooking. Normally I'm the 'Kitchen Queen', so I lavished the opportunity to have someone else be in charge of (most of) the cooking.

The men (mostly Peer) took care of cooking on the BBQ out on the back deck. The first morning used most of the eggs.

The rest of the eggs were used the following day, 'trick-or-treat' style as egg-throwing occurred on Halloween. I dodged the mucky affair, witnessing the hilarity whilst behind the sanctity of the glass sliding door to the deck, avoiding being egg-slapped and possibly pushed into the water.



The magic moments stacked high for the long weekend that we enjoyed together. The weather was perfect, warm and inviting to sit out on the top deck at night. The sunsets lit up the sky with majestic oranges, pink and gold rays of light. The crack of dawn reflected it's stillness in the smooth water, mirroring the reflection of the trees on the banks and the clouds forming gentle puffs of white cotton wool.

Perhaps my favourite magic moments are all the ones connecting deeper with each of my friends, forming stronger bonds in friendship and love with like-minded souls.

Thank you Andy for the opportunity to experience such joy and fun on your beautiful luxurious houseboat, and connecting with you all again.

Remember... "Life is either a great adventure, or nothing at all." ~Helen Keller~

Service with Heart

Living Adventures of the Heart! It's what I do best!

To me it means showing up every day in life to play full-out.

Sometimes, that means physical adventures, and it also means expanding past the self-limiting boundaries I perceive in my own personal life journey. Every day is an adventure!

I'm back in Perth, settled in after an amazing ten day adventure to Melbourne, then Adelaide, South Australia to reunite with friends (from probably my most magical adventure yet - a trip to Antarctica back in Jan/Feb of this year.)

This post is about a wonderful ...and quite frankly, the BEST SERVICE I have ever experienced from any restaurateur.

Meet George McArdle, the venue manager for "Bombay Bicycle Club," a unique restaurant in Adelaide.

This story is all about his BIG HEART and a memorable experience. (I've also just noticed the t-shirt I was wearing that day. I believe there is no co-incidence, only co-creation. By the way, that white band around my waist was my back brace supporting me after my 'spontaneous' injury on Tuesday.)

I arrived at the Adelaide airport at 3pm on Thursday 29th October from Melbourne to be greeted by my friends Peer and Margaret, who are literally my close neighbours and had flown in from Perth. Erika also greeted me with a welcoming smile and a hug. She lives in Adelaide and was picking us up. We had flown in to prepare for an amazing houseboat holiday adventure on the Murray River (that blog post is coming next!).

We were all hungry, so headed straight out to the Bombay Bicycle Club which Erika was excited to recommend to us.

Unfortunately, when we arrived we were advised initially by George that the kitchen wasn't due to be open for another two hours!

"Wow! Really? We've been anticipating amazing food here, recommended by our friend," I said, pointing to Erika. "We've just flown in and we're hungry!"

"Sorry," he said. But he looked undecided.

We all gently asked if there was any alternative food available. There wasn't anything we wanted.

"Okay," I breathed out. We all looked at each other, slowly preparing to head off.

"Wait!" George says. "I can't promise anything, but let me go see if the chef is in yet and is prepared to make something up early. I'll be right back. But I'm not promising anything."

He came back with a BIG smile. We all whooped with joy!

We kept it simple. We all decided on the delicious 'Salt & Pepper Squid.' My heart was singing for his kindness, opening up his restaurant early for us to eat and enjoy their fare.

George, if you're reading this... again, THANK YOU! You made a decision that affected four people in a powerful way. Just as well, I'm a 'big-mouth' and love to share with people wonderful stories that exemplify excellence and Living Adventures Of The Heart.....

In return for your kindness George, I am absolutely excited to share your restaurant details.

For a great restaurant experience: ambiance, service, food and wine. Next time you're in Adelaide head on over to The Bombay Bicycle Club