I have two goals this year that are really important to me: to run a 10km race in April; and to complete my second book. Getting fitter and living healthier has been a goal for quite some time, and writing my second book has been two years in the making. But the end goals has always just been slightly out of reach. So, it’s time for a change – it’s time to make new (and achievable) habits and it’s definitely time to make them stick! I agree with James Clear – the end goal should be about living better; and health, relationship, personal and work goals are important, but money...

I have been struggling with the process this year. Although writing me second book, which will follow on RETIREMEANT – get more meaning from your money, has been prominent on my vision board this year, I have been extremely frustrated with the process. At times I felt that I haven’t achieved anything to get me closer to my goal. So this is what I’ll be doing differently next year: I will focus my energy on the enjoyment of writing daily – no matter how many words I put down; and I will enjoy my conversations with clients, listening to their insightful stories that will be included in...

I know I have. Or let me rephrase that – I am trying not to. I try to remind myself every day not to waste time over-thinking, not to find excuses before I get going. Because the perfect moment may never come. Marie Forleo, American life coach and author of Everything is Figureoutable says: “You don’t have to be perfect; you just have to get it going.” I have just finished reading her book and loved it! It gave me one more reason not to make excuses and to keep moving forward. This year I undertook to launch the Dare to Lead™ leadership programme at my company, Chartered Wealth...

I am doing a meditation series on gratitude at the moment, and this morning I thought about my late dad. I suppose it’s the package or running and meditation that made me think of him – he ran 21 comrades, so when I run, I somehow feel close and connected to him. Today was a bit overwhelming. I reflected on my dad, and the shame and anxiety I felt as a young girl growing up in a family where money was used to control. If you’ve read my book and blogs before, you’ll know that I freely share my story with money. It’s hard to own up to the fact that I had such a dysfunctional family life...

It takes courage and the willingness to be vulnerable, to lead an authentic life. To show up and lean into these moments that make you feel uncomfortable. And it is often here, in these brave moments, where we grow and learn, and create growth for the people around us. We find many excuses in every day moments to avoid feeling uncomfortable. But it is in these moments that you can begin to challenge yourself and ask: What will I choose today? Courage or comfort? We all have different reasons for falling back into our safe comfort zones; “I did not want to cause offence,” “a little white...

Meeting Brené was even more fabulous than what I expected it to be! Combined with meeting my long-time, far-distance mentor and guide, I got to learn and travel as well – two hugely important parts of my life! Arriving at the Dare to Lead course filled me with extreme excitement and anticipation. I had been looking forward to this moment for what seems like forever! We were 120 attendees in total, all sharing the same level of enthusiasm and awe and, without fail, every single one of the delegates agreed that the week’s experience and learning far overreached the initial...

The Modern Elder Academy I have shared my four wisdom learnings on Facebook together with my retreat photo album (click here to access my Facebook page.) Honestly, the photographs just don’t do it justice. With his past hotelier experience, Chip has built a sanctuary on two acres of beachfront property where the desert meets the sea, under the gaze of nearly 2 000 km high peaks. He has managed to include the WOW factor in a truly authentic way with top quality service perfectly enhanced by the Mexican desert surrounds. Our group consisted of seventeen people, diverse enough for...

I have often thought that my age should count for something. I may not know it all, but surely my wealth of experience (or dare I say, wisdom) could be applied and shared in a more meaningful way? I do realise that there are things I do not know, such as my children knowing more about social media than me. After all, it’s generally the younger generation that we default to for help when setting up a new phone or an email account. This quote by Michael Dell, founder of Dell Technologies comes to mind: “Try never to be the smartest person in the room. And if you are, I suggest you...

Your life has everything to do with you and what resonates with you; it’s about your dreams. It’s about allocating your money – and your time – on things that are important to you. Your journey is an individual one, with twists and turns, ups and downs, but most of all, it should also be filled with things that make you happy. Your money should be structured in such a way as to enable the life you envision for yourself. Most of us really are just too busy doing things; so busy that we don’t have time left to enjoy things. We are constantly chasing deadlines (and trust me, there is...

Looking back at 2018, my dream was to re-align the elements of my life with who I am – to be fearless in following my flow. I designed my Bucket Wheel® items around my 50th birthday celebrations and called them my five fabulous things for 2018. Each symbolised one “thing” for each of my five decades. I am pleased to report that I ticked them off one by one. Not only did I have the most fabulous year, I got so much more than I bargained for. My first fabulous thing was throwing a 50th birthday dinner party at home to honour the special people in my life. The real gift here was having the...