Blog 5 - Introducing Gerlinde & her magic “DELETE BUTTON”

Me & Gerlinde (2008)

The first of my “Precious Juicy Women” friends I’d love to introduce is my long time friend from Margaret River, Australia, Gerlinde Watson. I adore Gerlinde unconditionally, she’s one of those friends you can go for long periods without talking, can be completely honest with no fear of being judged and someone to turn to for support in a real crisis. GOLD. Gerlinde is so natural, objective, intelligent, is General Manager of a big wine industry company, handles huge responsibility and pressure, is passionate about gardening and dressage riding, and in my observation – passionate about living life on her terms.

Gerlinde and one of my boys Beau,
pottering around her veggie garden. 

One of the most valuable gifts of wisdom Gerlinde has given me is the idea of a “DELETE BUTTON” !! One time I was staying with her, we were talking about stuff she was doing to change her life at the time - simple tweaks to increase her happiness. One of these areas was WASHING DISHES ! - she resented washing up dishes after a long days work, and they accumulated in piles as she invested her precious available time in other things. Her exact words were she was going to “PRESS THE DELETE BUTTON” on washing dishes and she was going to buy a dishwasher - a really simple change she could make immediately to make a positive impact on quality in her life.
  

Gerlinde riding Indigo, one of her
Warmblood dressage horses.

Yeah! – I loved her idea of a DELETE BUTTON – it totally resonated with me and I started to consider all the things I could press the “DELETE BUTTON” on in my life too, and there were lots. That was about 10 years ago and I still think about the delete button regularly and as I get older and design my life more and more into the shape I want it to be I have become very selective about what I do, who I let into my life and what I let impact me. The concept of Gerlindes “DELETE BUTTON” is always present as a quality control tool in my little bubble of a world. 


Another take on this “delete button”  idea was reinforced again just recently as I read a comment from Linda Parelli  (Parelli Natural Horsemanship teacher). Linda was reflecting on the idea that the brain absorbs things unconsciously – almost like osmosis just by being exposed to things regularly. She used the example of how as a kid she never participated in her mums cooking lessons yet as an adult her mums style of cooking and healthy approach to food completely rubbed off on her. This revelation reinforced to her the importance of being careful as to what / who she exposed herself to as it would rub off on her brain, and as I read, it raised my awareness greatly of the importance of protecting ourselves from “rubbish” which can pull us off course or away from our beliefs. So again Gerlindes “delete button”  is so relevant as a way to protect ourselves in daily life.


These ideas are very congruent with the concepts of “The Secret” which is a DVD about the “Law of Attraction”. Put very simply it says – what you think about and focus on- good or bad, you attract – so be careful …the finger should be always very close to “Delete button” and used liberally.   

So thankyou precious Gerlinde, what a wonderful “Juicy Living” concept.  I really hope lots of people can pinch this idea like I did and are busting to rush off now to press that “DELETE BUTTON” with conviction to refine quality levels in their worlds too. xoxo

Blog 4 - What makes your Atoms Fizz ? (Precious Juicy Women Trait #3 – Consuming Passions as a Driving Force)

After activities that meet basic survival needs such as generating income for food & shelter and essential roles such as parenting etc, what really gets your atoms fizzing and makes you move – in a hurry, with momentum and juicy massive enthusiasm? For me and in my observation, for my “Precious Juicy Women” friends it’s CONSUMING PASSIONS.

I find that when you focus on your passions and integrate them into your daily rhythm – including if you can - what you do for a living – you tap into a massively positive force of energy and productivity flows almost effortlessly. For example – picture in your head the struggle of a fish trying to swim upstream, then imagine turning that fish around and watching them get instantly swept off down stream just by the flow of the current – they wont even really have to swim – just correct their direction and make sure they breathe!! That is kind of how tapping into consuming passions on a daily basis affects my productivity.  I just get swept off by my juicy current everyday and stuff a tremendous amount in without much force on my part. In fact most days the only thing that makes me put “tools down” is that I’ve lost daylight and cant see outside anymore and have to switch hats to tend to the needs of my family. 

I see this beautifully in action for a lot of my ““Precious Juicy Women” friends also as I observe women – some with immense family loads taking on huge enterprising / corporate challenges and responsibilities who in my view are driven by their own personal passions.

As one of my mentors/ teachers Anthony Robbins says “emotion = motion”. It really is about tapping into passion. There are other forces in play such as human needs and values etc and in some psychology circles these passions are referred to as  “the Why” or a “Quality World Picture” or “Blueprint”  I’m not fussed what the technicalities are, I am only concerned with HAVING THEM as they act as a juicy driving force in my life and I know cause me to move almost on autopilot. 

Of course for people who’s lives are being dominated by some other forces now such as such as ill health, grief, financial difficulty, relationship strife or are living in an environment under threat such as war etc, this will sound indulgent and luxurious and wont be a priority. But you also have to ask, what part does these consuming passions have in retaining wellness on all levels and contributing to a more harmonious world. I’d like to think that living my life driven by consuming passions, I am contributing more positively to quality in the world.

In conclusion, the  purpose of sharing my views on "consuming passions as a driving force" is that if you feel like you don't have much MOJO or JUICE going on in your life, perhaps reflect on what might turn you on, latch onto it and use it as a driving force for good. It will transform your life and get you moving like that little fish being swept downstream. You will also feel like your life has purpose, is meaningful, is progressive and that the "work" you are doing everyday really is worthwhile, it certainly does for me.