...But She had Wings...

Recently I met up with my mastermind group of incredibly talented ladies from Leonie Dawson's Amazing Biz and Life Academy. Our mission for the day was to creation a vision board for how we see (or want to see) our businesses.

I've been giving a lot of thought to what I want the direction for my little biz to be. I've jotted down lots of words, ideas and feelings (both what I want to feel and what I'd like my customers to feel), and then found pictures that seemed to convey those thoughts.

It got me really thinking about where I'd like to be in a year or two or 5 years down the track, and what I can do for my customers. It's all about what I can do for you.

What Do I Have That Can Help You?

Now I'm a bit of a hippie tree-hugger save the planet,  ooh

yeah I love dolphins, rainbows and unicorns kind of girl, and so I really want to integrate that into the future of my business, so that's the kind of ideas I wanted to put into my vision board. I love peacock inspired colours and just colour in general, so there's an element of that.

I've also added inspiring words and snippets from song lyrics (can you pick the song?) that fit into my theme. I'm Allowing my business to be successful and giving myself Permission to receive all the abundance that comes with it.

I want to do my little bit to help the planet, so I want to

use Eco yarns that are Earth friendly and sustainable, don't use fossil fuels, have gentle dyeing processes etc. And I've added those images to remind me of where I want to be and why I'm doing it.

I've also added lots of butterfly and wing images which are aligned with my Butterfly Lady range of inspirational sayings and drawings (which I've made into a series of gift cards) and a snippet from one of my favourite quotes at the moment: 

'When she transformed into a butterfly, the caterpillars spoke not of her beauty, but of her weirdness. They wanted her to change back into what she always had been. But she had wings.' 
-Dean Jackson

OOH I love that quote to bits...

Thanks for letting me share this vision board with you and my vision for Jacqstar. What do you think? Did you spot the song lyric? Have you ever made your own vision board or have wanted to make one? Let me know...

Love always,

Jacqui xx

Always remember to bring your own glitter!

The other day at work, I was chatting with a woman and her little daughter, when I happened to glance down at the child's sparkly shoes and said to her, "Wow I love your shoes, I wish they came in my size!" We all had a little chuckle and my manager, who had been nearby said to me, "you and your glitter!" And it's true, I love my glitter, and sparkly/shiny things in general, it's my thing. But it's not just about wearing sparkly things, I like to think that I bring my own special kind of 'glitter' to work with me. And strangely enough, I had heard this expression only a day or two before, from the ever lovely Leonie Dawson:

No matter where you are and what you are doing

Take glitter. Make magic.

Miracles happen to those who create it.

We're not meaning the term glitter literally (unless of course you'd like to throw some glitter around everywhere you go - hey, that's fine if you do, to each his own), we mean your own special brand of glitter/ sparkle/ sunshine/ happiness/ good vibes. What do you do at work (or at Church, Uni, school, your local mother's group, your weekly AA meeting, etc.) to make everything a little bit brighter? How do you make it a bit more fun and make it more bearable for yourself and your colleagues? 

I'm a joker, I love to have a joke with the customers and my workmates, I'm also an incessant singer, and I change the lyrics of the songs to shoe songs (I work in a shoe shop for those of you who don't know). One of my favourites is, (in my best KISS impersonation) 'I was made for lovin' shoes baby, shoes were made for lovin' meeeeeeee' or maybe a bit of Elvis - 'For I can't help falling in love with shoes...' You get the idea.

You may not be quite so silly. You might be the one who's smile lights up the whole room; who makes everyone else feel like smiling. You might be the only one that laughs at the boss' really bad jokes or doesn't complain at work. You might treat everyone with a little bit more respect than everyone else and that makes the difference!

How can you bring your own unique brand of glitter to the world?

• Bring some home made sweets or biscuits (with smiley faces) to work/ AA meeting/ Mother's Group
• Bring some pretty flowers to brighten up your (or someone else's) office
• Be positive when all around you is negative
• Wear a silly tie that makes people smile 
• Dance
• Sing
• Smile
• Laugh
• Be your own unique self and don't be afraid to sparkle.

and remember...

I'd dearly love to hear your suggestions, and ways you already bring glitter to the world.

Love,
Jacqui xx

2013 - my year in review



Happy New Year and Merry Christmas to you!

I'm sitting cross-legged on my floor in my spare room (also known as the junk room, or as I prefer to know it, the 'craft' room). I'm going through my 2013 Create your incredible year calendar and workbook .

It's time to look back before I can look forward.

I can't know where I'm going if I don't know where I've been and how I've got to where I am today. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason, good and bad, and if I don't acknowledge it, I'll never learn from it and move forward.

'Cause that's what life is all about - moving forward.

Getting a bit better every year. (I hope. At least that's the plan.)

I have to say it's been an exciting year. I have an amazingly wonderful boyfriend who supports and encourages me with all my dreams and schemes. My little biz is chugging along, bit by bit, and I've found a group of like minded women in Leonie Dawson's Biz and life academy, who encourage and  run ideas off each other so we can all reach our collective goals.

A few of the goals I have achieved this year (drum roll please...)

* Having Internet free days so I can work on my art and not get bogged
     down by non important things
* 200 likers on  Facebook (at this date I'm actually at 214!)
* Meditation classes - I've been going sporadically this year - must do it
    more regularly next year
* Opening my heart to love (an extremely personal goal) and allowing myself
    to receive the love that was right in front of me. Also being able to
    properly reciprocate that love.

Of course there's plenty I haven't achieved, a few I didn't really start and some things I thought I wanted at the beginning of the year, and now I'm thinking that they don't matter so much any more. That's OK, life is ever changing and your interests and goals should be fluid to reflect this.

So now I move on to setting my goals for next year, and I'm really excited about it. It's wonderful to think about what I will have achieved this time next year when I'm looking back on 2014 in review.

Now it's audience participation time. What are your big (and not so big) plans for 2014 - I'd love to hear about them.

Love,
Jacqui xx



How to achieve your goals

Hello my Lovelies,

 

I've always believed that if you truly want to achieve something, you write it down, and share it with the world. Make it public and it will happen.

 

It's true, try it. Even if it's so big you don't dare to believe it.

 

Even if it's so tiny you think it's not worth putting down on paper or telling anyone about it.

 

Even if you're a bit scared to share it in case someone thinks it's silly (if it's your dream it can't be silly now can it?)

 

Last year I shared my 100 dreams (part 2) (here's part 1 in case you missed it) and number 34 was to learn Burlesque dancing. I had every intention to get around to doing it (one day) but life got in the way and it didn't happen this year.

GUESS WHAT??????????

For Christmas I got this:

A totally unexpected (well, it shouldn't have been unexpected because I wrote it down and made it public and told the Universe that's what I wanted) gift from my boyfriend's Lovely Sister. She did some research and looked at my blog and decided she wanted to give me the Burlesque lessons I wanted.

Thank you
                                Thank you

THANK YOU!

 

It goes to show that you need to write your goals down. You don't have to do a blog and tell the world - put a picture of what you want on your fridge (new car/ cruise/ new dress - whatever) and if you (or others) see it every day there's far more chance of it happening.

 

Don't hide your dreams, put them out on display. It'll happen :)

 

 

all my love,

Jacqui xx

I Believe...

 I believe in old fashioned creativity.

 I believe in getting your hands dirty- gardening, cooking, finger painting.

 I believe that giving hand-made gifts means so much more than just  
   buying  them at the shops even if the quality isn't as good).

 I believe that growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

 I believe in manners.

 I believe that everyone is creative and contributes something wonderful     to the world.

 I believe in miracles.

 I believe in singing and laughing and dancing (sometimes all at once).

 I believe in unicorns.

 I believe that if you believe in it and want it badly enough it will happen.

 I believe in bright colours.

 I believe in releasing my inner child as often as I can.

 I believe in just giving it a go, even if it's a total failure (failures aren't   
   failures, they're lessons).

 I believe in sitting on the floor.

 I believe in stretching.

 I believe in hugs.

 I believe in YOU


 What do you believe in? I'd really like to know.

Just breathe...

Tonight I took my own advice.

 I posted this on Facebook about a week ago, and thought it was a great idea, but somehow life and doing 'stuff' got in the way. Tonight, as I went downstairs to turn off the lights and close up, I had the impulse to go outside and look up at the sky.  It made me feel so much better.

Not that I wasn't feeling good before, I'd had a great night, was feeling good about everything, but somehow this took it up to a level I didn't know I needed. I didn't realise how much I was missing being outside and feeling the elements. I'm such an Inside Girl - I work in an air conditioned, artificially lit shopping centre, drive to and from work.  I'm in most nights, so to be in my backyard, feeling the breeze on my skin, taking deep breaths and smelling the perfume of  my jasmine plant was magical.

And yes, looking up at the stars (the few that are visible from my back yard) made me feel small, yet part of the whole universe at the same time.

I'll be doing this more often ...

I'm so excited :)

I'm excited!

Can't you tell??

I've done something I've been thinking about for ages but I finally got off my butt (so to speak) and did it. I signed up for Leonie Dawson's Incredible Biz & Life Academy. I've mentioned her before and I've liked her Facebook Page, but my little biz has been going nowhere of late so it was time to make a decision and invest in my future.

For the next 12 months I'll be a part of an online international women's life, soul and business group. I'll be doing e-courses and have mentors and forum groups who will give me the (virtual) kick in the butt I need to get things done. And I'll be blogging about it on my way through, letting you know what I'm doing and how things are going, thereby making myself accountable for some results.

Also, I've signed up to be an affiliate so if you decide you'd like to sign up to the Academy or buy any of her other amazing products through me, I'll get moolah! (I like moolah, it's good) I just wanted it all upfront that I will be advertising how great Leonie and her products are, and why you'll see links to her site pretty much everywhere!

My first e-course starts on the first of October and it's The Business Goddess E-Course It's a 5 week business course on how to make money online, 100+ ways to market magically, mindfully & joyously, and how to stay sane & joyful when business gets BUSY!

I'm so excited to be studying something, I even went to Smiggle and bought a cool folder to put my worksheets in - I'm such a stationery nerd :)

That's it for this update but I'll fill you in on how I'm going week by week with my courses.

Ciao Bella,

Jacqstar xx

My 100 Dreams Part Two

Hello fabulous people,

I can't believe it's the end of July already. The nights are long, the days short and the clothing warm and fabulous. I love hats and scarves, and knee length coats. All in an effort to stay warm though, as I HATE being cold. Nothing a nice hot chocolate can't remedy  :)

Time for me to share with  you my next 20 dreams. I must say it's hard for me to get to 100. I'm ok at big huge wonderous goals, but the little achievable ones are more difficult. That's because it's easy to say 'I want to go to Paris and speak fluent French' and write it down on my list because I know that's something that won't be happening this year - it's a long term goal that I can put off for a little while, but all the little things are far more achievable. I've got no excuse to put them off, and that makes them scary. 

If I put the idea to paper (or blog) for the world to see, I'm accountable for achieving as many of these dreams as possible.

 

WHICH IS THE IDEA FOR DOING THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE

 HOLD ME TO IT!!!!!!!

21. Dance in the rain

22. Get my face painted

23. Go to the Science Centre

24. Have my Tarot cards read - done already yayyyyyyyyyyy!

25. Go on random drives with no set idea where I'm going - I may or may not have done this under the guise of being totally lost!

26. Learn to make pottery

27. Learn to paint with oil paint

28. Wear more green

29. Publish a book

30. Sell a painting before the end of this year

31. Go to hot yoga

32. Go on a wine tour to a vineyard

33. Do a wine appreciation tour???

34. Learn burlesque dancing

35. Sing in an open mike night

36. Climb a mountain

37. Sing every day - I pretty much do this already, but it's a habit I want to keep through the rest of my life :)

38. Appreciate what I have each and every day - I try to do this but I need to be reminded sometimes

39. Do aqua aerobics

40. Stretch every day


I'm working on these and the rest of my goals, and it's making for an interesting and varied life. Last year I couldn't plan for the week ahead let alone the year. I had no goals, and no real dreams for my life. It's amazing what a difference it can make to you if you think about all the little (and big) things you'd like to do. Places to go, things to see, stuff to learn. There's so much out there in the world, let's get out there and experience some of it :)

The Halfway Mark

 

Hello my little yellow bubbles of happiness, how are you?

 

 

 

I live such an exciting life.

   On the Edge.               

                     

I'm off the chain baby!

I'm such a wild child that this afternoon I - wait for it - sorted out all my wool and catalogued it!!!!!!!

 

 

 

                     I know!!!!!! - what a crazy gal I  am! You wish you were me don't you?

 

 

This is my drawer of reds/pinks/ purples which had just been sorted, and then all the blues and greens that I just dumped onto the floor ready for sorting. I've got all my colours sorted into different draws to make it easier to find them. Life is much easier this way. And I'm a Virgo, and we like things to be neat and orderly...

Anyhoo, I've been buying wool randomly for several years and it was time to take stock of what I have and how much I've used. I also tidied up the balls, rolled all the little loose bits together, the half balls of the same colour that somehow end up not being fully used.  I'm in good shape with the wool, it's just all the hats and scarves I've made I need to sell now or at least add an extra room onto the house to store it in!

Maybe it's the full moon, but I was energised and wanted to get all sorted and tidied and just to know what I had. I even managed to go through some old half-started (or is it half- finished?) projects and recycle the wool and even threw one out that was not redeemable at all - I was holding on to it for ages (years) thinking that I'll get back to it, I'll undo all the wool and re-use it etc. etc. etc. But I never did and I feel so much better for just getting rid of it. It's like a weight off my chest and a bit of space reclaimed in my cupboard! And it's good Feng Shui :)

Around the time I was sorting out my wool, my boyfriend was at his place sorting out his finances. He  went through his bills, looked though his accounts, did a catalogue of what he owed, what he spent and what he saved. He looked in every dusty little corner, taking stock of the Good the Bad and the Ugly in regards to money, then culled a few expenses that he didn't need and cut back where he could. It's that time of the year where we need to take stock of things.


It's almost the end of June; the 6th month of the year.

The halfway mark.

How has your year been so far?

 

Have you done some of the things you said you were going to do? Have you done any of them? Can you even remember what your plans were way back in January?

 

It's not too late you know, you've got another six months to go until the end of the year.

That's absolutely ages!!!!

 

Now is the perfect time to look back on the last 6 months, take stock, and look forward to the next 6 months. Look at your resolutions/goals/plans objectively. Air them out, so to speak, unroll them, sort them out, dust them off and

GET CRACKING!!

let me know how you go,
Jacqui xx
 

 

 

 

 

 

 



my 100 dreams :) Part one

I've been inspired.

The wonderous Leonie Dawson, is teaching me how to be my own Creative Goddess. She's eight shades of crazy in a magical glittery rainbow fairy dust kind of way, but I like that.

(I think I might want to be her when I grow up).

Anyway...

One of the many things I'm doing this year is goal setting. Big ones, small ones, mundane ones like writing down fabric softener on my shopping list so I don't forget it - MAKING the shopping list so I don't forget the fabric softener and only come home with chocolate biscuits. There are so many things I want to do with my life and I've come to realise that if I don't write them down I'll either forget about it or keep pushing things to the background and never get them done, then get totally frustrated that I didn't achieve anything this year AGAIN!

If you write things down you give them importance. It's tangible and if it's somewhere you can see them on a daily basis it becomes a priority. It's constantly on your mind, you're thinking about it, wondering how you'll do it, when you'll do it, in what way you'll do it. And magically, you'll start making plans to actually do it!

SO, one of Leonie's suggestions is to list 100 things you want to do this year. Small, medium, and incredibly huge dreams. Some so crazy you think there's no point putting them in writing cause they'll never come true. Some just  take a bit of planning, or putting on your daily to-do (or grocery) list. Now, 100 is a lot, and I'll let you in on a secret - I'm only up to number 34 so far. I've got a ways to go, but hey, it's only March and I've got the whole year to add more things and cross a whole heap off the list too.

 

What I've decided to do is let you in on my list and share 20 with you every couple of months. I'll also update you on how the last 20 are progressing.

MY FIRST 20 DREAMS FOR 2013 ARE:

 

1. Go to the Melbourne Cup - I've been to Melbourne lots of times, but never for the   

            Cup!

2. Go back to painting lessons

3. Say Yes! (I'm more of a say no then regret it later kind of person)

4. Go to Meditation lessons

5. Keep eating healthy

6. Be involved with three market stalls to sell my products

7. Get my car loan to under $10,000 (have already made a start to this one and have

         increased my weekly car repayment)

8.  Get Jacqstar Creations to 200 likers - If you haven't stopped over and had a look

        at my Facebook page yet please do and help me achieve this goal :)

9. Sing jazz in a jazz club

10. Visit all the Australian capitals (so far I've only been to Brisbane Sydney

        and Melbourne)

11.  Take drawing lessons

12. Go to a wine tasting tour around the vineyards somewhere

13. Release my inner bohemian

14. Go to G.O.M.A three times this year and see the latest exhibits

15. Travel to Egypt

16. Learn to speak Fluent French

17. Travel to France and live there for a while and really learn the language

        and soak up the culture

18. Paint my nails in bright crazy colours

19. Go to the Planetarium.

20. Do the Bridge to Brisbane again this year.

Now, as you can tell, I'm not going to get all of this done this year. Some, like the moving to France are lofty plans, but it's one of my dreams and it if doesn't happen this year it's going on my list of dreams each year until it does come true.

Here's where audience participation comes in. I'd love for you to share some of your goals/wishes/dreams for the year with me. If I can help in any way I will. AND... if you can help me achieve any of mine please let me know.

Now it's your turn...

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