5 Tips For Happiness In Your Workplace

In my teens having a job was really about surviving city life - and being able to afford a ridiculous party addiction. In my early twenties it was about exploring industries, figuring out my passions, trial and error. Now that I'm in my - gulp - mid twenties, it's all about 'Am I going to be happy here?'.

Because what is the point of renting out 80% of your life to a place that you have panic attacks about attending every single day?

After all, being a stay-at-home-whatever isn't a luxury for the middle class anymore.

Yuck, I know.

So what if you're not happy in your workplace, and as much as you'd like to be dramatic and resign tomorrow, you can't leave?

This is what you do.


1 // create a game plan

If quitting by the end of today is off the table, unfortunately - and I do hate saying this because these exact words are what my mother told me, and swallowing them was like downing a shot of car battery fluid mixed with razor blades and salt - you have to change how you feel about your workplace.

What worked like a charm for me was producing a game plan. A simple month-by-month type of game plan.

For instance, this month make a project to crush your previous monthly sales history or to arrive at work 10 minutes earlier than your start time. Next month try up-skilling your product knowledge or make an effort to learn more about another colleague you're not that close to yet.

It is a known fact that if you have more purpose for something, you're more likely to create more feelings of engagement and enjoyment.


2 // design a happy work space

Those who sit at a desk, I don't know what's up with you shifty folks but you never seem to do anything with your space. Where's the photos, the magazines, the organised mess, the personality, the arrangement, where's the soul of you?

We do better when we're surrounded by colours, visuals or objects that inspire us. It's a security thing. If you surround yourself with things that make you feel more comfortable, work becomes easier, you feel safer, more open, more cheerful.

Embellish your desk with colour, photos, quotes and glitter. Sprinkle you, all around the office. Get chummy with those colleagues who look like they're good people to hang around with.


3 // make friends

When Scott had been working at his gym for a few months, I got really envious of the friendships he was building there. I loved being a Nanny, but I yearned to socialize, crack jokes, act stupid and chit-chat with adults again. I missed being part of a team.

Making friendships is one of the most important things about creating a happy workplace environment. You bond over menial stuff that only you really understand, you band together when shit gets interesting (A.K.A soul-destroying). Sometimes, the work-friendship crosses over into life-friendship. You never know what could happen!

You automatically gravitate towards the people who match you in personality. Get to know those people. After all, you do spend almost every day with them. They'll make it worth your while.


4 // spice up your lunch breaks

Are you guilty of doing the same thing every lunch break? Are you eating the same food as yesterday, txting your BFF complaining about your day or sitting in the exact same spot?

That was me several years ago. Meatball sub, cosmo magazine and the cold, damp staff room that would make your hair raise on the back of your neck every time a breeze floated by. Blegh.

Changing up your lunch breaks instantly gives you more zest to make it through the rest of your day.

For one whole week, try doing something different when you have your lunch break each day. Go for a walk, sit outside in the sun, go shopping, visit an art gallery, have a lunch date, go swimming, have lunch with a colleague, check a book out at the library or have a nap!


5 // avoid them haters

Haters gonna hate. No matter where you go, there will always be a parade of negative people taunting you to join the dark side.

They could be complaining about the boss one moment and the next they're bitching about you behind your back. Avoid them like the plague. Otherwise, that happiness you crave so much to have at your workplace, is never going to exist.

Bottom line: Stay away from gossip and unhappy people - and if you're one of them, fight for your happiness every. single. day.


xo

Elise

P.S - 21 self-love affirmations.

Manifesting a Fit & Healthy Life (Interview with Lyn MacFarlane of Stilettos & Green Juice)

How many times have you written down 'get fit', 'be healthy' or 'lose weight' on your manifesting lists?

How'd it go?

Like I said in a previous post, when it comes to manifesting some of your desires you're going to need a little help.

So, how would you like some help in achieving those awesome body and well-being goals?

Today I am SO excited to share with you my fabulous interview with the incredible Lyn McFarlane of Stilettos and Green Juice.

In this interview, you are gonna learn some juicy secrets to help you start manifesting a fit and healthy life. So without further ado, let's welcome Lyn!

1) You are a super intelligent and ultra hot health and fitness expert, what made you decide to get into the industry?

Haha, wow can I add that to my bio?

Good health was not something that came easily to me and in my teens and early 20's I battled and conquered several chronic illnesses. It was an incredibly hard fight but I was determined to heal myself so I delved into learning as much as I could about health and healing the body naturally.

Once my body was fully healed I became as active as I could be. I went from not being able to get out of bed to being a complete gym junkie. Every time I lifted a weight I was so grateful for the strength I had!

I had been working in the media and marketing industry but was feeling really deflated by all the huge egos and bullies. I was desperate to move into a career that was of service to people but I was scared to make the change.

I had been training at the gym for 10 years and had toyed with the idea of personal training but the past 12 months I have had so many things align to lead me towards turning my passion into a career. I have learnt so much about nutrition and have personally overcome a sugar & junk food addiction and totally transformed my diet.

I feel so amazing having overcome my addictions that I want to help as many people as I can learn to live a healthy life. I was also seeing a lot of health and fitness programs out there that were focused on trying to look a certain way. You know the typical "Get a bikini body in 12 weeks" BS and I wanted to teach women something different.

I wanted to lead the way in educating women on how to be kind and nurture themselves and to set an intention to be healthy rather than try and look like a bikini model! That was the main inspiration behind my blog and becoming a PT and health coach! 

2) Can you give us a sneak peek into your daily well-being routine?

My daily health formula looks like this:

meditate + green smoothie or juice + eat healthy + exercise + give thanks = happy healthy me!

If I don’t follow this formula I am off balance, lack energy and feel unhappy. If you can only make one change to your diet I always advise people to start with a green smoothie. I make a big batch of green smoothie once a week and freeze it and have my smoothie every 2nd day. You can see my green smoothie recipe here.

Every other day I have green juice (which I buy). I also have a shot of apple cider vinegar every day for digestion and I alternate between spirulina, chlorophyll or a super green supplement (whatever is on special at the store!).

3) What does a typical day's diet look like?

Diet is the main factor in health and fitness so it's important that I stick to clean eating, this means no processed foods, sugar, white flour or dairy (or at least a reduction in these things).

I try to eat good health nurturing foods that are close to their natural source as possible. I actually eat a fair bit as I lift heavy weights so not everyone needs as much protein as I consume!

A typical day of eating looks like this:

• Meal 1: Organic pea protein shake with cacao, banana and chia seed
• Meal 2: Green Smoothie followed half hour later by 2 eggs and 1/4 cup of egg whites scrambled, 2 pieces of spelt toast with avocado
• Meal 3: Chicken or fish with salad, quinoa and wholemeal or spelt bread
• Meal 4: More eggs! Usually 1 whole egg and half cup of eggwhites
• Meal 5: Lean meat, fish or chicken with sweet potato and lots of vegetables Snacks - Almonds, organic dark chocolate, sunflower seeds, coconut oil and cinnamon on bread.
  
  

4) Do you believe that spirituality and food/fitness are related?

Absolutely. I am the type of person that looks at everything through spiritual eyes.

Food addiction is something that comes from fear based ego thoughts and these thoughts are what separate us from love. Separation from love is a downward spiral that is really hard to climb out of but when you let go of fear you let go of your excess weight.

Marianne Williamson states in A Course in Weight Loss that, "Neither poor diet or lack of exercise are the cause of your excess weight. Mind is cause; body is effect. The cause of your excess weight is in your mind".

It's a really in depth topic but I really believe people's struggle to stick to a health of fitness plan is due to lack of self love which is often due to a disconnection from their higher self or a higher power.

5) Alright, now we want the truth! Are you ALWAYS exercising and eating right?

Well I do always exercise. I love it and have to force myself to sit still! (I know I am super annoying like that) BUT- now it's confession time – I just ate a McDonalds cheeseburger meal!! I very rarely eat McDonald's (although I use to be a total addict!) but decided to indulge today.

I eat clean 90% of the time which means that I also enjoy a cheat meal at least once a week. Usually it is something like a burger and fries although I usually choose a healthier version than McDonalds!

I have to be careful not to have sugar every cheat meal because it is so addictive it would be too easy to slip into old habits, but in saying that once you give up sugar you won't want it as much. I think people always assume eating healthy means denying themselves of foods they enjoy but eating clean is a way of life, it is not a diet.

I love to enjoy my social life so I eat clean most of the time so that I can go out and not worry about what I eat or drink. I never want to be that girl who goes to someone's house for dinner and won't eat anything!

6) What are some tips for others wanting to manifest a fit and healthy life?

1. Believe that you are worthy and deserving of vibrant health and a beautiful body.
2. Be kind to yourself.
3. Start thinking and acting like a skinny person. Act like you already have your dream body and do the things that you think you can't do because of your size Meditate on feeling vibrantly healthy.
4. Spend time in meditation repeating the mantra "I am perfect health" or "I am beautiful" or "I am my perfect weight" and visualize yourself living the life you desire in the body you desire with the energy you desire. When I was chronically ill I use to meditate every day visualizing myself roller-blading by the beach with lots of every. I don’t doubt that this played a part in my healing!
5. You also need to really dig deep and ask yourself what is stopping yourself from achieving your ultimate health and weight.
6. Ask yourself how your situation is serving you and start journaling your thoughts on this. This is a big eye opener!
   

7) On those days when we are less than motivated to move our asses, what is something you would recommend to do to counter act it?

The days that you don't feel like working out are usually the days you need to! I always find I have the best workouts the days I walk into the gym really exhausted and unmotivated! I usually walk out feeling amazing!

If you really don't feel like going to the gym try cranking up the stereo and dancing around your living room, or meet a friend for a walk. Try different things to keep yourself motivated.

Also incorporate fitness into your daily life so you won't feel so bad if you don't make it to the gym, such as get off the bus one stop early, take the stairs instead of the lift, walk around the block at lunch, just do little things throughout the day.

If you are having a really lazy week than just make sure you are eating really clean. A lazy week and a lazy unhealthy diet is an equation for weight gain! 

8) What's a biggie thing you want to manifest for yourself this year?

Everything!! I have this strong feeling this is the year it will all happen at once! I guess the thing I would like to manifest before everything else is a life partner and stop the endless cycle of dating assholes!

This is the hardest one for me as I have a lot of blocks in this area. On the other hand I have always been brilliant at manifesting everything else and I really plan to launch a successful online health and fitness empire! One of which will be of service to thousands of women around the globe!

9) Where in the world are you and how can we connect?

I am an Aussie beach girl residing in the beautiful eastern suburbs of Sydney!

I would love to connect and help anyone with their health or fitness so please come visit my website Stilettos and Green Juice sign up to my newsletter or message me on my facebook page with any questions.

If you're in Sydney, I run bootcamps and am available for personal training sessions and if you're not in Sydney you can book a health coaching session with me which we will do over skype and email.

I also have an ebook coming out very soon called "The Skinny Secrets" and I will be giving away a Sneak peak of the book to all those that sign up to my blog.

DON'T Make a Resolution to Lose Weight

Just don't do it. Don't do that to yourself.

There is so much negativity tied up in that one declaration.

1. You're telling yourself you're not good enough now.
2. You're purposely setting yourself up to fail.
3. It makes you feel bad about yourself.

All great indicators not to make that damn resolution.

Instead, make a resolution to work on your thoughts, to better how you feel and do all the fun and exciting things you would do if you were already thin. Stop waiting on the weight. Go to the root of the problem, not the cause.

Believe it or not, those three examples lead to weight loss. Say whaaat? You didn't see anything about weight loss in there!

Yup, training your mind and not your ass and doing before getting is a more healthy way to lose weight but also the fastest way to lose weight..

How do I figure that?

As Marianne Williamson and Tony Robbins both say.. "Your body is a response to your thoughts, not the other way around."

Read that again; Your body is a response to your thoughts.

Your thoughts are the cause of your wanting to lose weight (or gain it), your body isn't!! Poor thing is just responding to what you're thinking.

So my friend, if your resolution is to lose the weight or get fit..

Intend to work on the mind because until you start making changes to your psychology you'll yo-yo around diets and exercise. You'll lose the weight only to gain it back because you didn't work on the foundation.

AND

Give yourself permission to do the things you wanna do when you're thin, right now. That's actually the real secret to weight loss, letting yourself be who you truly are. So stop waiting on the weight and go out and buy that hot dress, become self employed, pursue your dancing dreams and LIVE. The point of life is to LIVE, not wait till everything is perfectly lined up.

Be kind to yourself over these holidays, use my favourite affirmation "I am perfect the way I am as I am"

Don't beat yourself up for not sticking to your daily practice/exercise routine/diet over this period. This time is about relaxation, recuperation and being with loved ones.

Your worth is not tied up in your size, your weight or body image. You are perfect now.

Let's make 2013 the year we stop punishing ourselves. I'm with you on this one too buddy.


Elise xo

The Secret to Living a Vibrant Life

Hello my darlings, today I have a SUUUUUPER something special for you!

My lovely friend Nige has written a guest post for you that is about the secret to living a vibrant life. Nige is a personal trainer (a damn awesome personal trainer!) and in his post he ties in women's relationships with food + self love + happiness. So I think it's a perfect match for last week and this weeks topics - Body Love & Happiness.

Please give a warm welcome to Nige........ *clapclapclap*

There is an individual and collective mind virus sweeping through the western world at this current time that is leaving people paralysed with fear.

It’s called the Denial Virus.

Where I see the denial virus so prevalent is in my work with women, food and their relationships with their bodies.

Now, as a self-confessed kick ass personal trainer, I don’t always deliver a message that people want to hear. In fact, I sometimes get people’s backs up because I have the courage to speak out, breaking the cultural and societal taboos that say for example that we can‘t talk about women being overweight, that you're entitled to treat yourself to cake and biccies on a daily basis, and that it‘s perfectly acceptable for you to hump around far more weight than you ideally need to be.

Obesity is at an all time high, with children as young as two years old being classified as obese, yet we still continue to sweep the issue under the carpet like it’s just something that happens to other people, but not you.

The humongous slice of chocci cake, the sneaky mocha, the generous handful of potato chips, the naughty treat - they all add up. These seemingly insignificant choices quickly gather momentum and speed. Before you know it, you’ve been into three different patisseries, munching calorific goodies along the way… each one building on the next until finally you reach destination fatsville! I’m referring to sugar of the table variety that they often add to biccies, choccy, cakes, ice cream and fizzy drinks - the one that leaves you feeling sexy and free one minute and like a zombie the next.

It saddens me to see you doing this to yourself day after day, because I know that all this comfort eating keeps you from addressing a deeper wound - a childhood wound. Unfortunately, while we continue to avoid the issue, choosing instead to go about our day plastering over the cracks with sugary foods in the secret hope that someone will wave a magic wand and make it all go away.

It doesn't. The crazy cycle lives on.

What started out as an act of self love quickly spirals into a act of self sabotage.

When you eat to comfort yourself you are really hurting yourself.

I repeat: When you eat to comfort yourself you are really hurting yourself.

If these words hit you square in the stomach, perhaps its time you listened to your body, your intuition and that still, small voice - the one that’s whispering to have the green tea instead of the hot chocolate.

The bottom line is this: sugar addiction is utterly lethal. You can defend it till the cows come home but the fact remains that it is as addictive as crack cocaine and until you say no to it, you will continue to feel irritable, edgy and tired.

So, the purpose of this article is to help shine a light on how you can overcome this fear based addiction once and for all and take the positive action that is necessary to help you make lasting change to the way you think feel and look.

The first step to untangling this mess and feeling comfortable in your own skin is to first allow yourself to be where you are with all your flaws. I suggest that you stop whatever it is you are doing and take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror - not just a passing glance but a long, hard look. This is a sober moment between you and the reflection you see staring back at you. I want you to stop fighting with yourself, lay down your arms and surrender. Be where you are without doing anything. Just be with you.

When you look, ask yourself the following question: ”Can I honestly say, hand on heart, that I am entirely happy with the way I look and feel and with what I’m putting into my body on a daily basis?”

You don’t have to hide from the answer. Awareness, after all, is the first step to creating long-lasting change.

I encourage you to take a moment and no matter what you see, let yourself grieve for the part of you that seems like a distant memory. Beneath this apparent craving for sugar is a wounded girl who believes she is unlovable. Her deeper craving is for acknowledgement and love. You have to find the inner strength to reassure her and let her know that she is lovable and then do whatever it is that will help you take a step towards her rather than away from her.

Treat yourself with kindness, not food. Hold yourself. Then muster up all your courage that from this day forward, decide that you will do things differently - starting right now. Declare that you will take better care of yourself. No more excuses - it’s time to take action. Stopping sugar is one of the two most important things you can do in this life. The other is starting to train. This will lead you to a life that is lean, strong and vibrant.

Living a healthier lifestyle is a journey - when you first 'get clean', you may crave the sweet stuff but I just want to reassure you that it will pass - it's just a thought, and you don’t have to act on it.

Remember, the point of power is always in the present moment. You may stumble and fall but what really matters is how quickly you get back up and back on track. Breathe, relax, remind yourself that you are safe and loved and then make a healthier choice - one that is better suited to where you want to go.

It’s the small positive daily changes that we make to the way we think, eat and train that make all the difference. So, if you really want to see long lasting changes in the way you think, feel and look then you have to stop putting yourself last and start telling yourself that you matter.

The next time you are about to reach for the double choc chip muffin, stop yourself dead in your tracks - empower yourself, take a breath and watch your thoughts because it is only by doing this that you will free yourself from the clutches of the sugar monster. Facing your fears head-on is always empowering because there is only love waiting on the other side.

The most vibrant people I know have something in common. They are a pretty inspiring bunch, gentle yet brave, courageous yet surrendered, committed yet flexible, passionate yet receptive. These people don’t make excuses or justify why their lives are the way they are. They know that their lives are created from the inside out, and that creating inner vibrance is their number one priority.

The particular people I’m thinking of also have this in common: They don’t do refined sugar.

I wonder what you will choose today?

Love, Supernige

Biography: Nige's life is a rich tapestry of incredible stories that have shaped him as a trainer, an athlete and a man. He offers something as powerful as it is unique - personal fitness training, online courses and ebooks that will give you far more than just a transformed physique: he will give you your life back. He is also the creator of the motivational free weekly newsletter Kick A$$ Fridays.

[SIDENOTE: Wowwee! What an inspiring slap-in-the-face (but with love & kindness) post that was! I hope you got as much out of it as I did, and remember, all it takes to change is taking one small step in a different direction every day. Make sure to sign up to Nige's kick ass fridays newsletter - it is packed with incredible advice! Elise xo]