Your friendship with yourself sets the tone for every other relationship you have

October 29, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Lori Milner

The relationship with yourself is the foundation upon which every other aspect of your life develops. Your health, wellbeing and happiness are directly proportional to how you treat yourself. If you want a different life, it's nothing to do with more money or career success. It is all about making decisions that are in your best interest. I remember asking my coach for the unconditional self-love and acceptance checklist; I wanted an excel spreadsheet with a bullet list I could work through and tick off each item. By the time I'm done, voila – a new friendship with myself!

The ultimate goal is to outgrow bad habits, not break them

October 23, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Lori Milner

A bad habit is a pattern of behaviour that sabotages you somehow. The language associated with habit change is that you want to start a good habit and break a bad one. Breaking a habit assumes that the problem is with the habit, but really, it's about your beliefs, triggers and actions about what this habit will give you.

What Do We Really Do When The Past Is Too Bitter?

June 11, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Elohor Oderowho

Almost every successful person has had pivotal moments in their lives that nearly turned their worlds upside down – there was usually a setback, a traumatic experience or an event so painful that made them for a moment, stop believing.

How to Press Your Internal Reset Button and Get Unstuck

May 28, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Lori Milner

When your laptop or phone begins to slow down to the point of unbearable speed, a wave of terror takes over you. You have horrifying visions of being without your precious device for a few hours. The good news is the simplest solution is often the most effective. Most likely, once you restart the device, it will work again perfectly. It’s the same with you. No matter what work you do or where you are in your career, you also feel as if your operating system is not functioning at its maximum capacity.

Firebreak

May 13, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Kathy Mann

This weekend I went on a women’s retreat. On the first night I admitted to the ladies that I was really there to escape my children. Of course, I also went to renew myself and spend some time alone. It is the first time I have attended a retreat and I’m glad to say that there were no intolerable team exercises or war cries. The activities included art, dancing and reflection (including guided meditation).

Laughter as medicine

May 1, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Kathy Mann

It is well-documented that laughter is good for you. In fact there seems to be quite a movement to stimulate laughter as a mechanism to reduce stress. I met someone once who conducts team workshops to laugh together for this very purpose. In my research on methods of healing, I’ve also come across Laughter Yoga, some sessions of which end with ‘laughter meditation’. I understand the benefits of laughter, but I also know that this is just not for me. Just as some people simply are not interested in meditation or a gratitude journal, forced group laughter is just something I can’t bring myself to do.

The One Habit That Can Free You From Overwhelm and Anxiety

March 26, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Lori Milner

Life has not been the same since March 2020. We are in ‘the new normal,’ which seems to change its rules every few weeks depending on the latest statistics or new variant of Covid emerging into our lives. As you feel like you are getting the hang of remote work, your lounge suddenly becomes a school. Although you know what to expect, you are still walking on eggshells, wondering when things will change again. Impermanence and change are part of life; it’s what keeps it exciting. However, you like the surprises that you know about. How can you create certainty for yourself and minimize those anxious, ruminating thoughts about how you are meant to get it all done in a constantly fluctuating world?

Taking the steps to a more focused you!

March 26, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Carla Wasserfall

You are the CEO of YOU before any role in family, business or sport. As the CEO of you, you give yourself daily instructions to go in a direction, what you will focus on, and what you give your energy to.

Are New Year’s Resolutions Still Relevant in My Life?

January 16, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Teboho Seretlo

2021 is gone and here we are in the first days of 2022, with 52 weeks at our disposal. The first weeks of January, that crazy time when we are tempted to put together some new year’s resolutions that we may never look at again until 2023 comes, and we do the same exercise again.

New Year, new me?

January 8, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Anja van Beek

The start of a New Year exemplifies a new beginning. It is the first week of 2022 and most people are eager to set New Year’s Resolutions. Research indicates that people are more likely to pursue their goals during times that feel like new beginnings (such as a New Year, Mondays, and birthdays) in their lives. After a challenging 2021, people crave newfound hope and motivation and we could all use a little more positivity in our lives.

Embrace The New Chapter

December 12, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Nontobeko Mbuyane

The past week was surely not an easy week for me, strangely nothing much happened but I completely broke down. I remember I even sobbed on the phone when my partner called. The most painful part is not even being able to be around to at least provide the emotional support I so much needed. It was after a few days when I regained my composure that I realized that indeed nothing new had happened on the day I broke down, but I have been carrying around so much emotional baggage that suddenly there was no room anymore, thus it all burst out.

10 Lessons That I Have Learned In My Career

December 4, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Naike Moshi

If there's one thing we all have in common, it's that we all make mistakes along the way (and hopefully learn valuable lessons from them). But if you're smart, you'll learn as much as possible from the mistakes of others and spare yourself some of the grief. Some of these lessons can applied whether you are employed, self- employed or unemployed.

Are You a Relationship Master Or a Disaster?

November 6, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Marjon Meyer

People who are good at relationships are already happy with their lives and don’t expect others to make them happy. People who are good at relationships are living happy, fulfilled lives before they even enter into a relationship. They bring their happiness into the relationship, instead of extracting happiness from the relationship.

My traumas made me better

October 3, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Kathy Mann

I recently read an excellent book, The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk. It’s about what happens to our brains and bodies as a result of trauma and how to treat it. Even events that seem fairly tame or punishments that parents deem reasonable, can be experienced as a traumatic event by a child. We are changed by these events. Not only in the way we think and behave, but we experience physiological changes. Van der Kolk writes, “trauma produces actual physiological changes, including a recalibration of the brain’s alarm system, an increase in stress hormone activity, and alternations in the system that filters relevant information from irrelevant.”

Afraid to say no!

September 3, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Nontobeko Mbuyane

As the very observant soul that I am, I have been observing so many things lately, especially the behavioral patterns of most people. I learnt so many lessons from just that this week. Do you know that what you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it? Are you afraid of saying no in your professional life because you think you will miss out on a big opportunity? I have learned that a quick yes can sink a lot of ships. God only knows I have taken on too much at times because I feared I would miss out on something life changing. It is for that reason now that before I say yes to anything I have to consult, and my consultations are with God through prayer and fasting. I never say yes to anything that is life changing until God tells me so, be it business prospects, relationships, job opportunities and so many others.

Renee Beck, a South African entrepreneur passionate about personal development

July 18, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Renee Beck, founder, Pink Lemon (South Africa)

Startup Story

Whether you are an individual looking to fulfill your potential, or a corporate looking to bring the best out in your people, it’s essential to get the right development support. In South Africa, Renee Beck, founder of personal growth and business development company Pink Lemon, has all the expertise and experienced needed.

The Cages We Live in!

June 24, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Nontobeko Mbuyane

I am currently reading a book by Glennon Doyle titled, 'Untamed.' It’s the first time I am reading anything by this author and frankly I didn’t go through any reviews prior to this read. The title of the book just captivated me and surely as an untamed one myself, I thought let me see what it’s all about. And oh gosh, I felt as if it had changed my life, not because it made me think of all the things I was capable of, but because it made me realize how capable I had already been.

Making a necessary change

May 30, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Eldari Visser

I think we are surely all extremely “bored” by the whole Covid 19 pandemic, although we cannot change the heartache it brought. We still mourn loved ones and we still pray for the world. Let’s talk about a bit of a different point of view today. As hikers, we know that we can go and hike the same road and see many different sceneries every time, although it stays the same route. Somewhere you get that urge to do something totally new and different. The exact same can and maybe should happen in our finances and our businesses.

My own truth will set me free

May 16, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Andiswa Silinga

There are times in life where we look for validation from other people, whatever we need to do has to be supported by somebody else for us to believe that it is the right thing to do.

Lessons from a Lifetime

May 16, 2021 Melanie Hawken

By Paula Quinsee

Have you ever drawn up your Life Line over your lifetime? Drawing up your life line is a great way to identify both positive and negative experiences in your lifetime that have contributed to where you are today.

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