Click Here!

Lesley Rennie

Lesley Rennie

The last few days have seen the media and social networking sites awash with the death of Whitney Houston.  I have been thinking about her these last few days; she was only 4 years older than I am.  I was a teenager going to clubs and I remember dancing to Whitney Houston songs at a weekend.  I have always thought that she had the most amazing musical gift, coupled with her physical beauty; she was destined for stardom.  Her legacy will be her body of work and the daughter she leaves behind.  My heart goes out to the family and fans who loved her.

The sun has now set upon Whitney Houston’s life, although she will be remembered for all time.  The music industry has lost a great artist and her family have lost a beloved mother, daughter, sister and wife.  Who would have guessed that the fresh-faced artist that dominated the pop charts through the 1980s and 1990s would leave our world like this?  Recriminations for the music world will no doubt come.  I cannot profess to understand what a life led in the eye of a camera lens is like; I am assuming that the fame that comes with certain professions like music and film is a double-edged sword.  Whitney Houston and those who were perhaps closet to her may understand the causes that led to her spiral into alcohol and drug abuse.  I do not know enough about her later years to know if she sought professional help for her troubles or indeed, if she ever was able to come through them. 

For those of you that follow me on @twitter and this website, thank you for reading.  I would urge you however to seek help if you suffer from any form of emotional or behavioural issue; mental health disorder, suicidal thoughts, addiction in any form, relationship problems etc.  I have, in the past, had some troubles and have received wonderful help from professionals.  If you cannot manage that just yet, then please do seek out a trusted person who will listen and support you through your dark days.  Connect with me here and seek inspiration for moving forward and finally, don’t leave it until it is too late, like Whitney.

May God bless your soul Whitney.

Happiness does not depend on who you are or what you have.  It depends solely on what you think.

Lesley Rennie

I have been listening to the news this week regarding the former RBS boss, (Sir) Fred Goodwin who has had his knighthood removed. I do my best to keep up to date with the general politics of our country and I understand the reasons the coalition has made this decision. What I find hard to swallow though, is the way in which different forms of media have pulled this man apart.

When he was in post, he was feted, by all accounts by the City for the acquisitions he made. Of course, absolutely no-one does a perfect job all the time and he made some choices within RBS that turned out to be poor. This appears to be the reason for taking away the knighthood. I do not profess to know how Mr Goodwin is feeling this week, but I am sure that their must be some negative feelings for him. Perhaps it is right that the knighthood was removed, but to kick a man when he’s down?

I think certain media forget that behind their news headlines about people, lie the people themselves. And people have feelings and they hurt. This world needs a few people who will not knock others down, but offer them a helping hand to get them back on their feet. Life coaching is just about that; to equip people to be strong in their decision making and beliefs. I hope this will pass for Mr Goodwin and his family and it reminds me to say something nice to everyone I meet, even when I don’t know them.

I met a lovely lady this morning while out taking my dog for a walk and I decided to have some coffee in Windsor. We sat chatting and she confessed a few things that she was trying to work through, so I was able to offer some encouragement and I hope we parted company with her feeling a little more enabled. It allowed me to feel great too.

So, this week, let’s all try to make another person feel that they are special and worth something. Go ahead, say something nice!

Lesley

Lesley Rennie

It would seem that in many forms of media, especially in magazines and online, that youth and its related images are staring us in the face. This is all very lovely, of course, but there are many of us who fall into the categories of our middle years and senior years. This poses the question; is it too late for us? And, what do I mean by ‘too late?’

In this, I mean “is it too late for us to start something new or afresh, like a new career, a new relationship, travel, having children.” Unless biology forbids it, I would say no. There are beliefs that we have that get in our way and obstruct us from following some of these goals, namely, fear. Fear of failure/rejection/upsetting others/looking foolish etc. The list goes on. I too, once lived in this type of fear, particularly that of not pleasing others, and it was not just immediate family or friends, but what appeared to be the whole world! Not any more. It did take some time and work on my part to realise that my greatest fear was not upsetting others, but coming into my twilight years and finding that my life had never really begun.

I now believe that “It’s never too late” as the saying goes. At the age of 43, I embarked on a new career and do not believe that my age will be a hindrance, indeed, I believe that it is a great advantage as a Life Coach, as I have ‘lived‘ somewhat! Many years ago, I read a book by the author Barabara Sher, entitled “It’s only too late, If you Don’t Start Now.”

It is aimed at readers who are 40 plus, and inspires with writing and exercises that imply if you never take action towards your dreams and goals, then yes, it is too late. If however, you decide, at any age, to take action, then it’s never too late.

I would like to encourage you, that if you are reading this, take a look at your dreams and if you are in a similar position to me, please know that is possible and realistic to begin anything from the start, whatever age you are and whatever the circumstances in your life, right now. I would say, that now is the time to look at the areas within your life and your belief systems that are holding you back, and unless you are about to expire from this earth, that it is not too late, that the time has come.

Let me know what some of your goals and dreams are for your life, either as a comment below or on my Twitter feed.

Have a great week,

Lesley

Lesley Rennie

This is the addictive stuff!

So, we are now well into the “New Year” and as statistics go, those of us who embarked upon a new diet and fitness regime, joined a gym etc, have fallen off the wagon! This year, I chose not to make this new year resolution (again!) Instead, I have decided to make a goal, as we say in coaching terms, and adjust my lifestyle slightly to become ‘nicer’ to my body, mind and health.

I don’t want to give up everything, to find I lose weight and yet put it all back on again as soon as I stop dieting and then add even more pounds. This is not living in a fulfilling way. Would anyone agree? Therefore, I’m not going to torture myself and am going to enjoy my food again. You up for that?

No food is banned, which means I can have whatever food I like, anytime I like.  I shall eat healthily and eat a variety of fresh, tasty and where possible, homecooked and unprocessed food. I will let you know how I get on and I would absolutely love to hear from you on the website or on Twitter at @lellierennie if you would like to join me and forget about dieting. Let’s be kind and stop berating ourselves and start living!

I have also decided, as a big step, to stop purchasing magazines and compare myself to the air-brushed pictures inside. I have and never will look like the celebrities inside. I can look like a great version of me though; after all, at the age of 43, I am not going to look 23, am I?!

The first step then, is to cut back on the excess sugar I have been consuming and that is this week’s mission.  Started the day with toast and marmalade (does that count as sugar?) and will have a salad for lunch and a homemade Cottage Pie for evening meal.

Good luck to everyone!

Save up to 60% on Designer Wallets.
at ModaQueen.com

Lesley Rennie

There is an agreement between the people that I regularly come into conversation with, that no-one enjoys being told what to do or being bossed about or controlled.

As grown-ups, we want to be able to express ourselves and voice our opinions without being called into condemnation over it.  If you are a person who struggles to make yourself heard above the noise of others, whether this is partners, friends, family or co-workers, then you may benefit from the partnership with a Coach.  Coaches can be called by many differing names:

• ·         Life coach
• ·         Personal coach
• ·         Development coach
• ·         Success coach
• ·         Business coach

and those coaches who specialise in a certain field will have their own moniker. 

The one common denominator is that a coach will allow you to create your own action plan for your life without interfering with your beliefs.  The benefit of this is that you will be able to find your own answers to the life questions you have and be able to provide your own answers.  You are responsible and your coach will help you to achieve this by listening and devising a plan for you to reach this goal.

In 2012, of which we are now 2 weeks into, what do you want to achieve in your life that you require some help with?  Please feel free to comment and should there be a theme recurring, we can explore these changes together.

Lesley Rennie