Consider for a moment life is the game.

What we are doing is creating context we can step in to, in order to better understand what it means to live this life. Our life.

Its not the truth. Its made up. Made up to give us perspective.

So instead of shying away from the multitude of possibilities before you, if this was a computer game, what would you do?

Would you take a little more risk because its only a game?

Would you be little more brave, courageous, willing because its only a game?

Would you turn the corner with a little less fear because its just a game?

Would you turn the same corner again and again or because you've been there done that, would you turn another corner, to investigate the curiosity of what lingers around the next corner?

See - who we are from one context to another can carry us forward, if we just took a moment to be present, stop and pause and have a look at what is really holding us back.

Our world is full of distractions. Device this. Device that. Some of which adds value to our lives depending on how we use them. What if YOU are the device? What if the WORLD is the device?

How would you relate to yourself, as a device, how would you seek out your better or best performance? How would you relate to the world differently?

If you have seen the matrix, you understand the portrayal of a world as a device and humans the characters, avatars, players within the matrix.

Maybe its not as clear, but there are hundreds/thousands of possibilitities and although you dont need a joystick or controller, you get to choose which way to turn, "choose your own adventure" and its all there (here!) for your choosing.

We often think there are limited choices because of our limiting beliefs. But they are just patterns and programming from your past.

I used to play Nintendo, Super Mario Brothers, a linear game. Meaning the screen moved you from the left to the right. I had a chip in my version of the game which meant it had a series of hidden ways to jump through the levels. Also known as cheating.

But the intention of the chip was to create secret pathways. You had to be willing to find them knowing they were there.

Im not suggesting life is about cheating but I am suggesting that in life there is more than one pathway. More than one way to skin a cat as they say. There is more than one way to achieve the things you set out to achieve, if you would just be willing to investigate, experiment and follow through.

I remember being determined to find all the hidden parts of the game. I knew the game inside out. It was almost like the card game of memory. Eventuallly I unlocked as many secrets and finished the game.

When the game was finished. Guess what? It was no longer a challenge for me and I was bored of it because....

I knew what was going to happen. So I no longer held the urge to continue playing the game.

See in life you could challenge yourself and get out of your comfort zone numerous times in just one day even. All you have to do is not honour the little voice in your head, that is determined to allow doubt to creep in to your mind.

Honour your word as your word. Relate to integrity as your word. Your word has power. Observe closely what you say about yourself and others around you.

Its tricky but you have to cultivate a beautiful garden in your mind minus all of the weeds. You do this through intention and your words.

What will have you playing on the courts versus watching from the sidelines?

I watched Soul, an animated movie, about life before and after death. It explores the idea of someone finding their spark. This spark lights up the person and the world. Has them living a purposeful and fulfilled life. What is your spark?

What is your something?

In the end its about a willingness to be alive and be in the world. Which is how this started. I wanted my kids to realise if they just look up and out in to the world, wonderment lay before them.

Life is all about perspective.

What if being flawed and having flaws IS actually what life is all about?

One of the reasons we are so intrigued by art is its ability to reflect back the truth to us.

Art with all its flaws, is still art. Are they actually flaws or are they what makes art, art?

Life with all its flaws, is still life. Are they actually flaws or are they what makes life, life?

You see when something happens to us that is unexpected we can turn to there is something wrong here or we can see how this is a necessary ebb and flow of our life.

The ying and yang. Black and white. Dark and light. This contrast of our lives is what gives us the content and context to appreciate what we have and accept more gracefully what we dont have.

Its the contrast that gives the content and context. Without knowing what life feels like without first, can we understand what life feels like with.

Take for example our health and wellbeing. We can literally take it for granted day by day. Until something happens to us. And in a blink of an eye, this something shows us how grateful we are for our health and wellbeing. What is your something? Maybe its happened. Maybe it hasnt happened yet but I can assure you if it does, it will be the something that rattles you as you did not expect it.

Im not saying we need tragedy in our lives in order to feel bliss. Im trying to put perspective around those things that happen in our lives, that we may perceive as flaws or that we are somehow flawed.

What is your something? Did you stop working because of it? Thinking how will I continue to support myself and my family while trying to tackle this thing? Will life look different or the same? I have to look after myself and put myself first, a first time in a long time! Information overload, overwhelm. Trying to be the pillar at home when struggling to be a pillar for myself?

You see everything is a lesson in life. Not a lesson because its time to punish you - no. A perspective that asks what will I learn from this something? It isnt always easy to see it, when youre in it. When you look back on the something, the context and content gives rise to the contrast.

I learnt to put myself first.

I learnt to look after myself.

I learnt to cultivate intention and manifest what I want in my life.

I discovered just how much my family relies upon me.

Im grateful for my life and everything I have.

I wont hold myself back from experiencing all that life has to offer.

Ill step outside my comfort zone time and time again.

I realise I have nothing to lose because of my exerience of nearly losing everything.

I recognise the speed bumps, twists and turns in my life are a necessary.

They are guiding me toward meaning and purpose to fulfil my duty in being on planet earth.

My flaws are my scars. I am flawed but these are my scars of the life I have led.

They are what make me unique to you. They are what give me my perspective on life.

Secret keys to secret doors.

Are you willing to open the doors gracefully and walk through them or resist the situation or circumstance you're currently facing?

"When one door closes, another door opens" - I have a new understanding with this saying now too.

Being in a transition phase of your life journey, wherever you are, its an imperfect life where its all perfect for your journey.

Its all perfect for your journey.

If you are stuck in a fork in the road, it only matters to say am I honouring my heart when I choose?

I chose to be grateful for my something. Thank you its me and not my children or anyone else in my family.

I chose to heal myself.

I chose to go within and trust myself - I knew what was best for me.

I did heal.

And now searching for all the meaning and all the purpose in my life and found it too.

Flawed. And cant wait for more.

It is as easy as a choice you make in every moment of every day.

Who knew it would or it could be so easy?

We make choices in every moment of every day.

We make them so quickly, we forget.

What if we could continue to make them quickly, but be intentional about what we are choosing?

Am I choosing to be miserable in this moment versus what can I learn from this moment, that would make me grateful for this moment? Or simply how can I be grateful for this moment?

We are looking for our own personal best not someone else’s.

We are not comparing, competing, counting, compiling, and still feeling less than.

We are simply looking for our own victories over the past.

We are trying to be better in each moment. Better each day. Better each week. Each month. Each year.

Until one day, we say I am being my personal best right now in this moment.

It’s the triumph over the past you’re looking for. Every moment, of everyday. How is this moment a triumph over the past - For Me?

And then celebrating it. Letting the world know about your triumph is more about letting the world in to your world. It’s about collaborating, connecting, creating and belonging.

Sharing your triumph over the past creates a space for connection.

This is your unique view. Your perspective on the world. It’s yours and yours alone.

Navigating this world as a child, as an adult is your own personal journey.

No one but no one has shared the exact journey as you but there are some things we commonly share as human beings.

The place where connection happens is the same place that has you be vulnerable and open, and has the person reading your story recognise themselves in your story.

You don’t know when this will happen.

It’s not for you to know.

But if you put yourself out there, you’ll find out.

The only way to know what’s in store for you, is to be willing to step outside of your comfort zone.

Growth is waiting for you around every street corner.

It’s waiting for you at home and at work.

It’s not scary at all, it’s your friend.

And it all begins with a choice, snap your fingers, make a choice.

Like the pop of corn, make a choice.

A choice to become the best version of you, every moment, of every day.

Have you ever wondered “what is the meaning of life?”

What if the meaning of life is whatever you say? This is where we must come to contemplate the power of our words and the power of honouring our words.

What we create in thoughts can become. What we say in words can become. What if all that we create both unintentionally and intentionally can become?

Would you want to be more intentional about that which you create? Could you be more intentional?

Of course!

So what are you creating? First, you just want to become aware, bear witness to what you are creating and then make a choice to become more intentional.

Becoming intentional can mean you choose what you are allowing your mind to soak up. What knowledge or wisdom will you allow your mind to absorb?

In the beginning, you want to flood your mind with moments of inspiration. You want to be surrounded by the kind of people who bring more inspiration to and around you.

How can you do this? How will you do this? What are some of the ways you have been inspired by who you are? What has inspired you in the past? Who has inspired you in the past?

Start there and begin opening your mind, be willing to see something new always. This is as they say the growth mindset - to grow your mind means you are always learning, always growing.

There is a famous quote from or shared by Wayne Dyer “Night and day dream of what you intend to do and what you intend to be and those dreams will interpret your intentions. Let no doubt creep into our dreams and intentions.”

Sometimes we come across a message and our ego won’t allow us to let the message sink in. You may have to find many ways of saying something that will resonate or enter in an experimental way to allow you to truly get it. This is why I love writing. I believe the source of my words is pure and if I create the words, I’ll truly connect with them.

So with that in mind you have to be someone who dreams, who imagines and who creates - you don’t just one day wake up and stop dreaming, imagining and creating. Be a kid again. Remember what it was like to be a kid. Harness that energy - the pure energy. The fun energy. The excitement energy. The everything is new energy.

Now with this present be this way in your life. Conquer your fears, knowing that even though this is the first time you’re learning to do something you don’t know how to do, you will survive, you will look back and go that was so easy, give me my next challenge! This is how you make life work for you. This is what it means life is what you make of it.

Go out in to the world and become more of who you are supposed to become dropping the veil of your patterns and programming of the past. Put out all the dreams, hopes and wishes you have for yourself, for your family, for your communities, for the world.

Even if you don’t know how to achieve these things you dream, you can still put it out there!

I believe in you to dream and intend the life you want for yourself.

How do you make yourself at home?

You’ve heard this phrase it’s what your friends and family, colleagues, anyone really says to you when they invite you over to their place.

“Make yourself at home”.

How do you do this literally anywhere? How do you create a space of homeliness for yourself, wherever you are?

Is the space created by you? Or by the invitation?

When I was growing up with business all around me, a memory is etched in mind.

My grandparents home which was also their two businesses would have a small sitting room which was also their dining room containing a small lounge, TV and a grandfather clock. This was a step through room. You moved from the front of one shop, step through this room, to get to the rear of the other shop.

One day, I walked in to this room which is usually reserved for family, it was part the house and not the businesses. There I found customers pulling up a stool to the drop leaf tables.

That’s the day I witnessed “make yourself at home” for myself.

It was an odd feeling and experience, at first I was slightly bewildered, scratching my head, I actually asked are you ok? And then I thought to myself, my grandparents would be so proud of our being so welcoming and accomodating. The only reason the customers came in to that room, was because it was the only seating left, meaning the place was packed.

It’s funny how certain moments remain etched and the reasons why. I take that essence with me in the way I treat others. I want them to feel like they are part of my family. I want them to feel at home with me, no matter where I am.

I believe this is some of the how in which you create your values and things most important to you. What memories are etched in your mind? How have these shaped who you have become? Who you know yourself to be?

You probably keep these things to yourself, for you. The minute you start to declare who you are, the world will start to recognise the real and true you.

Why are you hiding? Where have you been hiding? Maybe the world needs you? Maybe the world needs your unique thinking, innovation, ideas. Maybe you don’t yet know how to follow through.

But maybe just maybe who you are in the world is significant, important and you have a role to play in making the world a better place. What is it? What is your part?

It’s time to stop playing small and recognise you do have a huge contribution to make to the world through your unique talents. Not everyone has a defined talent such as being a singer or musician. My dad says this all the time he wishes we were singers or musicians. Funny thing is we are - we just don’t make money or make a living from it.

What are your unique buffet of talents? Yes! You do have more than one. Whoever asked us the question who do you want to be, actually didn’t ask it properly. Not a title or a job. Who do you want to be as a way of being. Then consider what do you want to create in this world?

Start there and think what do I feel at home doing and being?

We are human beings wired for short cuts. This means we want to take short cuts wherever we can. It’s nothing bad, it’s just the way we were designed.

Knowing this means you can better understand how to fine tune this human being body you are in. How do you fine tune this tool so it works better for you?

For starters your need to realise we are habitual beings. We will form habits. Habits we become addicted to. So you can establish habits that work for you and that becomes your way of fine tuning this human being body you are in.

Let’s see.

I want a better body, get in shape, get fit. What habits would you need to create in order to fulfil on this commitment? Eat less and do more exercise? But this alone is not going to help you create new habits.

For me, habits are also linked strongly with what you are most committed to. Your inner ding, your higher purpose. Why do you want to get fit?

What has happened in your life that can help you to realise what is most important to you? Have a look and review what has happened to you that will give you the answers.

When it comes to getting fit: who are the people around you that become your role models or people you aspire to be?

What did they do to get where you want to be? What do you need to do to get there?

And then you need to start. Somewhere. Anywhere. Just do it Nike says. So find your new habit. Start committing. Turn up because you said you will. Get out of your comfort zone because you said this is important.

Never ever back down. Turn up. Do your time. Find magic in what you’re doing. Be present to all the things that are most important to you. Flood your thoughts with intentions and affirmations - you’ll find ones that work for you that you’ve collected over time.

For me, everything happens for a reason. There is no one else, but me. If not me, then who? In terms of grabbing my goals by the balls and just going for it!

When you set your mind to something. You have to keep being your own cheerleader. You can’t allow yourself to get distracted. Everything is a distraction wanting to tempt you away from that which is most important to you.

You have to recognise everything is a distraction and you have to say to yourself, how can I turn this around? How can I re-establish the habits that work for me? What can I do more, better, different, less to get back on track?

As I’ve said before, the mind is tricky. It wants you to be distracted. It wants you to fail so that it can be right about your failures.

All you need to do is create new habits - ones you know you will serve you. You need to trust yourself more. You need to be your own champion.

You don’t need the approval of others. You don’t need their permission. You don’t need their recognition or acknowledgement. What you need to remember is it’s always your personal best you are striving for.

You know if you are stuck in distraction because it won’t feel good letting yourself down and breaking your vow to your commitments. You’ll know if you are out of integrity meaning that you haven’t honoured your word. You will feel shitty.

So make a new commitment and stick to it. We are perpetually distracted. This is the way we were designed. If you can get distracted easily, then with a snap of your fingers, you can equally get back on track.