In the last few posts we raised some pretty big questions about life, the universe and everything.

I’ve given you some ideas on how you might find answers to those questions.

If you’re still at a loss, or your brain is racing and full of ideas, perhaps it’s time to slow it down and gain some focus.

Meditation is a fantastic tool, not only for finding focus, but it will help you relax and can have significant positive effects on your health.

You may think that meditation is just for hippies, or spiritual types.  In fact, anyone can do it and there are a lot of resources to teach you how.

So, what is meditation? The simplest explanation is that it’s a way of emptying your brain of the constant noise of thoughts by using the rhythm of your breath as a focus.

Relaxing you brain through meditation allows it to have a rest and, with regular practice, you will improve its ability to process information and make decisions.  You will learn how to dismiss unimportant and distracting thoughts, as well as identifying what is really important to you.

Some great ways to start meditation include:

• Buying, or borrowing a book, for example “An Illustrated Guide on How to Meditate” by Matthew Johnstone;
• Buying or borrowing some CDs with guided meditation and relaxation exercises;
• Enrolling in a short course at your local community centre or TAFE;
• Practicing yoga in a group, as this often includes a meditation component.

Happy meditating!

You’re in your 30′s and single, your career is everything.

You’ve been building your skills and reputation for years now, your work may feel easy, but the passion is no longer there.

Or perhaps you feel stifled.  Your ideas feel tired, you are not excited about the new project and you are no longer interested in learning about new trends in your chosen profession.

Does that sound like you?

If it does, maybe you are asking yourself, “Am I in the right job?”, “Am I working for the right company?”, or “Am I working with the right people?”

Being dissatisfied with your career could simply mean that you need a new challenge with a new company, where you can learn new ways for doing things and meet new people.  Or perhaps you would like more responsibility and are ready for a big promotion.

On the other hand if:

• you’re constantly bored, or
• frequently sick, and
• groan at the thought of yet another day at the office,

then perhaps it’s time to re-examine your life goals and aspirations.

This doesn’t mean you have to quit your job immediately and look for an alternative career.  Especially if you’re not sure that that career might be.

Some things you can do include:

• taking a short course at your local community centre of TAFE college in a subject you are interested in,
• looking for a similar job in a different industry, or a different job in the same industry, which uses all your transferable skills, as well as giving you the opportunity to learn something new,
• make an appointment with a professional career counsellor, who can help you explore some options,
• if you have a hobby you are really passionate about, explore the possibility of making it into a full time career and a sustainable source of income.

The possibilities are endless…

For many career women, particularly single women, the big 30 kind of sneaks up on them. You are busy building your career, or exploring the world, or perhaps building your social networks (otherwise known as partying).

Before you know it, you enter your thirtieth year and something starts to happen in your mind.  Your biological clock may start ticking louder and louder, or your childhood and adolescent dreams may resurface as you ask yourself,

• “Am I really where I wanted to be?”
• “Is this how I imagined myself at 30?”
• “Have I done what I thought I would do by now?”
• “What happened to my dreams?”

It is no surprise that the book “Eat, Pray, Love” proved to be such a resounding success around the world.  Women in their late twenties and early thirties closely identified with the author as she put her life on hold and began exploring her goals and dreams.

Apparently a lot of women tend to enter some form of therapy or self-development as they reach their thirties.  They may feel a vague sense of dissatisfaction with their lives and want to explore ways of improving their lives.  Perhaps they come to a fork in the road and really need to question who they are and what they want to achieve.

So what can you?

Talk to friends about their life goals.  Try to remember your aspirations as a child or young adult.  You may want to decide on some milestones you’d like to achieve before you turn 30.

• Perhaps take that trip you’ve always dreamed of.
• Learn a new skill you’ve always wished to have.
• Start saving for a deposit for your dream home.
• Consider whether children figure in your future and how you might change your life to accommodate that commitment.

Perhaps now is the time to follow your dreams….

Mid-life crisis at 30?

For many career women, particularly single women, the big 30 kind of sneaks up on them. You are busy building your career, or exploring the world, or perhaps building your social networks (otherwise known as partying).

Before you know it, you enter your thirtieth year and something starts to happen in your mind.  Your biological clock may start ticking louder and louder, or your childhood and adolescent dreams may resurface as you ask yourself,

• “Am I really where I wanted to be?”
• “Is this how I imagined myself at 30?”
• “Have I done what I thought I would do by now?”
• “What happened to my dreams?”

It is no surprise that the book “Eat, Pray, Love” proved to be such a resounding success around the world.  Women in their late twenties and early thirties closely identified with the author as she put her life on hold and began exploring her goals and dreams.

Apparently a lot of women tend to enter some form of therapy or self-development as they reach their thirties.  They may feel a vague sense of dissatisfaction with their lives and want to explore ways of improving their lives.  Perhaps they come to a fork in the road and really need to question who they are and what they want to achieve.

So what can you do?

Talk to friends about their life goals.  Try to remember your aspirations as a child or young adult.  You may want to decide on some milestones you’d like to achieve before you turn 30.

• Perhaps take that trip you’ve always dreamed of.
• Learn a new skill you’ve always wished to have.
• Start saving for a deposit for your dream home.
• Consider whether children figure in your future and how you might change your life to accommodate that commitment.

Perhaps now is the time to follow your dreams….

Thelma & Louise is an all-time classic movie that every woman needs to watch at some point in her life.

It’s the perfect movie for a girl’s night in, watching with a bestie or sitting on the couch with a bottle of red, a box of chocolate truffles and a handful of tissues.

(It also has a very young Brad Pitt in one of his very first major acting roles ….sigh…)

One of the main themes and inspirations throughout the movie is Thelma and Louise’s growing appreciation of who they are as women, and realisation of the strength they have within themselves.

Along with some serious mishaps and terrible judgements along the way, it’s a journey of discovery.  They develop recognition of their own self-worth and the ability to overcome the things in life they thought they have no control over.  They learn that they most certainly can overcome whatever they choose.

What it can – and does – teach women is that they have an intrinsic strength that enables them to defeat anything that life throws at them. Yes, even the most horrible and heinous of actions against them.

It shows that friendship is an incredible resource and important thing to have in your life.

It demonstrates that life can throw anything at you at any time, and you will probably always make mistakes – and some really dumb ones at that – but nothing is insurmountable.

Mostly, however, it shows that we can get so caught up in our own heads that sometimes we think we can’t ask for the help we need … and asking for that help could be our ticket out of the hole we’re digging for ourselves in that moment.

Lastly, and don’t underestimate the importance of this point, it can teach that wearing headscarves in open-topped cars is not a terribly brilliant idea.  Make a note of that.