Riknlee's Blog

Looking back, looking forward….

riknlee — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:09:54 +0000

In one of my earlier blogs some weeks back, I talked about how I was waiting for my celebrancy application to be reviewed. And how I was playing the waiting game. I wondered what ‘waiting’ does to your psyche…..

And in the last blog I said that I had other news and the news is……….
my application was accepted! So I am now a civil marriage celebrant! And I should probably begin advertising myself by adding the letters CMC after my name! I am using so many exclamation marks today BUT only because it is so clear to me that goal setting does work and lately I have realised that I have reached the goals I have set.

How did I get here, you might be asking?

In December of 2008, just after I started working again and when my baby was about 10 weeks old, I saw an ad in a local paper about becoming a celebrant in 2009. The course was offered online and it was affordable for me. I didn’t really know how I would manage to find time to actually do it but I was determined to make it happen. I am someone who likes to have challenges and things on the horizon. I become passionate about something and it dominates my life, to the point of obsession.

Now just as a bit of background, I am notorious for starting things and then not finishing them, but this seemed so attainable. A six month course, online. Perfect. ‘One assignment at a time’ was going to be my approach. I also had the mentoring of my uncle’s girlfriend who is a celebrant and she willingly gave me her personal stories and legal knowledge. It was sooooo helpful, but she didn’t do the course for me. In fact, she was really impressed at my ever increasing understanding of the laws and regulations etc. I soon experienced how quickly the tutor marked my work and it was great because you could just zoom onto the next bit. The course was a mixture of teaching essential laws and other celebrancy issues, but I was surprised that a large part of the course was really getting you to set up your own business. And I was marked on that too, so I really had to make it up as I went.

I have 3 older daughers and I thought they would willingly double as a crew of actors but they weren’t very co-operative but my mum and my uncle came for a visit once so I quickly roped them into being actors in video which I had to submit to the school. And I really have to thank my husband who stayed awake with me til way later than he wanted to, playing his guitar and just generally keeping me company. He was also very helpful in translating my clumsy word use into sentences which read well and got my point across. I felt sometimes incapable of accessing my brain after having my baby and feeling as though I had dumbened down somewhat. Those of you who have had a baby and remember the first few months afterwards could probably appreciate and relate to what I am trying to say here. Although while we are on the subject, I really should acknowledge how fantastic my baby was. Only once in his life has he kept me awake for hours in the night and that was recently so I think I was really lucky, or, just have a great baby!
So I got an email from a celebrancy association but thought nothing of it, and at the beginning of October, I was starting to get worried that maybe I didn’t become registered after all. I was getting scared. They told me that it might take 3 months to process my application and if I didn’t hear back, to assume that my application had been unsuccessful.

However, I rushed to the letterbox one day, to find a big A4 envelope from the relevant department and my heart skipped a beat.

And there it was – the news I had been waiting for – I was accepted and am now a registered celebrant. So here I am 4 weeks after getting the news, acknowledging that my goal has been reached. This is something I can do til I become quite old.

So my conclusion is – dreams do come true. Of course you have to be prepared to do some hard work, or at least some work toward it, draw on your helpers and people who are there for you, stay up late, and visualise what you want. Make it happen. Become focused – single minded – determined – get passionate – feel excited – wake up – do what you want to do

Well, that is my story for today. Thanks for reading, and please feel free to post comments and let me know you have been here. If anyone wants any help with goal setting/achieving, affirmations, visualisation – all of that stuff – just let me know – I would love to help

take care
Lisa

The home business game part II

riknlee — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:50:28 +0000

Hey guys,

Well last time I posted somthing here I went into some of the things I most dislike about working at a ‘normal’ job. In case you didn’t read it, scroll down – and I talked about the ad that I placed – well, calls are still coming in! But the last person I spoke to was a no show when it came to the appointment. But I don’t hassle. I sent him an email to say that he had missed the appointment. In my mind, if someone can’t keep an appointment, I am disappointed BUT there might be a very good reason for them not being there. However, if after a couple of days, they haven’t rung to reschedule, I LET IT GO. And my friend Andre tells me to say a four letter word, but it isn’t what you think it is. Oh, alright, I will tell you what it is -NEXT-

And that isn ‘t disrespecting anyone either. I simply don’t have time to sit around lamenting or hassling on the phone. I just move on. Really, it is their loss. Or it just wasn’t the right time…however I am getting sidetracked from what I wanted to say.

So, I posted on Facebook that I felt I needed a new approach. I wrote that Friday, as I had exhausted all my newspaper ad leads – and the very next day, my answer came.

Now, I mentioned earlier that I feel like I am navigating a maze right now in my home business, and this new turn in the maze represented a direction which seemed like the next logical step. But once I took that step, there was a whole staircase where yet another different maze waited.

In case you are wondering what I am referring to, it is a website, or 4! It is brilliant – just what I have been wanting and quite cheap too. I had been looking at websites and some lovely people from Facebook had even tried to help me with setting up various forms and things but it just wasn’t feeling right. Then someone else tried to get me onto another system, but the price scared me. Andre to the rescue again, who thought the price was too high. So I left it, and I am so glad I did.

But what to do with a website? I have never had one before! I don’t even know what things were/are called to ask for what I want or enquire about certain things. And I don’t mind admitting to that. I am a mum, who has been busy being a mum while the internet has just taken off – and as far as I can see, there has even been a language which has developed in cyberspace -webinars, blogging, blogroll, pingback, the list goes on. In case you haven’t noticed or know me very well, I LOVE THE INTERNET, yes, I can say that I am addicted, but get ‘traffic’ to my website? Well that is another story altogether.

So I am still learning whilst in my maze, but I can tell you, I love learning. Challenges fire me up and this is a massive challenge for me. I am doing it on the go, around my kids, husband and around my part time job. And really, I might be laying it all out on the line here but I can only be honest.

I have more news for you, but it will have to wait til next time. Until then, I invite you to visit one of my sites.

http://www.momswithaplan.com/lisafoster

Love

Lisa xxx

Lisa Begg

Create your badge

Anyone wanna play the home business game?

riknlee — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:52:00 +0000

Hey, how are you?
I hope everyone has been healthy and happy.

It has been a while since my last blog. (that sounds like confession, doesn’t it?) However, I have been extremely busy navigating my way through the home business maze. And learning so much along the way.

October has been a crazy month with a massive special offered by my business, so there hasn’t been a moment to waste in getting the word out. I put an ad in the paper and have been inundated with calls. I have had over 30 calls I would say and they still keep coming. Little did I know that my teeny tiny ad was also listed on the internet so people were having it emailed to them based on job search criteria.

A lot of these people have been desperate for a regular paying job rather than a home based business. And it is crazy because these people are so used to the mentality of being paid to work for someone else; leaving the house, going to work, clocking on, getting paid for the hours they work, clocking off, going home exhausted and paying for child care fees etc etc. ‘Work’ doesn’t really have our best interests at heart, does it?

Now, I don’t mean to disrespect people or workers, employers or even ‘work’. Some of my most fun times have been at ‘work’ with my co-workers!
My own gripes with traditional ‘work for someone else’ work have included
*feeling undervalued
*having to work overtime and not get paid
*getting overlooked for promotions
*feeling worried about getting fired due to absences related to children’s sicknesses
*not having anyone to mind the kids on school holidays, days off and sick days
*not being paid enough
*needing qualifications to get a decent job
*travelling too far for work
*working too many hours
*not being paid for the work you take home
*disliking co-workers
*the high cost of child care
And I am sure every reader could add their own grievances to the list.
So for all the people who called and said they were looking for regular paid employment, I suggested that they keep looking for that, but to consider the added income stream that a home based business would bring.

Well, I will leave it there for now as I dont want this to get too long and I have a lot to tell you, so until next time
take care
Love
Lisa xx

The party

riknlee — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:09:37 +0000

G’day again, I feel like I have had a very very crazy time lately. My mum came to visit to be here for baby’s birthday and then went home only days later. There was a few days of intense cleaning and last minute shopping. Then there was the naming to organise and then there was the big day. I did a crazy trip to the toy library in the morning, picked up my mum from the station and then we all got ready for the party. I dont know what came over me but I bought 4 dozen rolls, another dozen small rolls, and two loaves of bread, 8 chickens 4 salads and 4 cakes, jelly and cakes for the kids and extra food for the vegetarians and hot food for the kids.
Massively overcatered! WE have only just finished eating all the leftover chicken and salad, and I gave some away to people as they were leaving. The naming went well, and I wasn’t as emotional as I thought I would be. I did cry when I heard my daughter’s poem It was so beautiful. And it was pretty intense to stand up there, kind of like getting married. We had the same celebrant actually who normally does weddings but I asked her to a naming for the experience. It was really good but I felt it was a bit long, but that might have been because I was in it and I felt the pressure of people wanting to eat or leave or whatever. Anyway, the party went well and later Hadley was out the back covered in sand and water and having a ball. All the kids were having a ball out the back in the sandpit. Then we opened the presents and had cake and sang the happy birthday song and before you knew it people were leaving. It was a great day though. Then we cleaned up and I got to watch my footy team get thrashed but I fell asleep very early into it.
That’s all I have for tonight
Until next time
Lisa
xxx

So emotional right now

riknlee — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:35:39 +0000

I have just been writing my little boy’s naming ceremony tonight and I am overcome with love for my little boy. I look forward to the naming ceremony but at the same time, I know I will probably be so upset by emotions that I will probably cry through the whole thing, but I dont care. I have only invited people along that mean something to me or my baby boy. There is a bit of a history before his birth that makes him so very important and special and wanted. Everyone here loves him to bits. He has the BEST personality and we all adore him so much. WE cannot imagine life without him. Sharyn you are welcome to come too if you like. Saturday 2pm here. Anyway goodnight all. I might post the ceremony on here at a later date. Babies are so beautiful and so innocent and precious, they make me so emotional and so protective, I just can’t explain.

In other news, my newspaper ad has created about 7 calls today and it is a very good learning process to me. Went to a great thing tonight too. Can’t really go into detail except it has to do with my new business and it was very confirming and confidence building. Life has changed that is for sure,
I’ll keep you posted
Til next time
Lisa xx

My first newspaper advertisement

riknlee — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:56:44 +0000

Hello, from hell, aka, my day job. Ok that is a bit extreme but that is how it felt today when I had a child who just kept crying. It was only his second day here so it is understandable, but my head, oh, what a headache! Try as I might, that crying really did my head in. He ended up quietening down but I thought at the time that this would be extra motivation for developing my home business. This will push me to go down paths I might have stared at previously and thought ‘nah’……..And then, at about 5.15 the phone rang and it was someone ringing in from the newspaper ad I placed this week in the local paper. She was keen to know what it was all about so I made an appointment for tonight to share it with her over the phone (it really is a home business)

My ad worked! I think it was the first time I had ever put an ad in the paper. Especially an ad in the positions vacant section.
I know my paper doesn’t get delivered until later in the week so that will be the case for a lot of people too. All I keep thinking is ‘there has to be others out there looking for something more in life, looking for change and looking to take control over their own destiny. There has to be like minded people out there – out of all the houses in all the suburbs – there has to be’ It is just a matter of spreading the word to them, and letting them know that they CAN do this. And it really isn’t hard. It is as hard as getting online, or picking up the phone and ordering your own products and wait the 2 days until they arrive on your doorstep. And when you come home or look out your window or the postie rings your doorbell – there is a box there all for you and it’s like Christmas! But that is nothing compared to when you open the box and see all the wonderful goodies; things you have never seen before and wont see in shops!
I am very tired and have a slight headache from my crazy and draining, yet encouraging Monday.
Talk to you soon
Lisa xx

All organised

riknlee — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 13:49:09 +0000

Ok, I have gotten smart and decided to just get catering in for baby boy’s party. Chickens, salad, bread, chips, children’s food, and vegetarian food.

ON another note, I used my floor cleaner last night

I cannot believe this product is only $10 something! Tonight I tried it on my tiled floor. The tiles are grey and the grout was a very dark grey. I have tried many times to clean this grout – with bleach and a toothbrush, which takes AGES and isn’t very pleasant, and also a steam mop. And with the bleach, well, I have several white spots on my carpet from bleach dribbles. So tonight I tried it and I was amazed. The dirt lifted right out of the grout! Then I found that if I swished the cleaning water onto the tiles and left it for a few minutes, the dirt would literally lift out before my eyes. And the dirt actually pooled together away from the grout and on top of the tiles; I took photos I couldn’t believe it. One or two rubs with a normal mop and the grout was the same colour as the tiles are, light grey. It is 3 in the morning but I am just so proud of my floor and of this product. I am driving my husband mad, by telling him to come and see the floor, come and see the dirt. Then I got out two white towels to dry the floor and the towels came up soooo dirty, I couldn’t believe it. I am so amazed with this truly Magic product. I have NEVER SEEN MY FLOOR SO CLEAN IN ALL THE TIME WE HAVE BEEN HERE. I am in awe of this product.

til next time

bye, Lisa xx

The psychology of waiting

riknlee — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 05:14:40 +0000

I am getting a bit nostalgic as I see my little boy grow up. Next weekend he will be one year old. This time last year, I was waiting to meet him. My due dates were all over the place. I had about 4 all spread over almost 2 weeks. It was quite frustrating but at the same time, I had a sense of peace knowing that there was nothing I could do but surrender and just wait, which is often very hard. In fact, I would like to hear what readers have to say about ‘waiting’. There must be some kind of psychosis induced by waiting. I recently put in an application to become registered as a marriage celebrant – 2 months ago! Honestly I didn’t know how long I was going to be able to tolerate the waiting. I know, I have to embrace the present moment, but still, how many of us can actually be comfortable waiting. I can still remember waiting for Christmas morning…….

Anyway, I still rush to the letter box to see if the letter has come. And I felt that same sense of waiting this time last year. My mum came down to be with me to help with the house after the birth and she ended up waiting 10 days for him to arrive. I look back on that time as sacred and special. My little baby’s final finishing touches were being done. But it also got me thinking about what goes on in there. At what point does the baby/mum’s body say ‘enough now, it is time to leave’. Obviously it is a build up of hormones which triggers labour, if natural, but to me it is fascinating and I love to think about it.

We are having a party for his first birthday and I really don’t know how I am going to prepare for it. I am cooking a chicken curry, a beef dish (dont know what yet), rice, a pumpkin soup, lots of yummy fresh bread, sausages in bread for the kids and a cake shaped like a truck (maybe) which I am cooking. Then there are decorations to organise. Maybe I should keep the girls home from school to help out. It is the last day of term anyway. I will give that one some thought.

Thankfully all the waiting for that letter has been completely forgotten by starting my home business. It has consumed my every available waking moment – mostly. I realise I am the sort of person who needs something to strive toward and focus all my energies into/onto. Like where I am isn’t where I want to be, except it is. All the same I have a vision and a plan and every day I do SOMETHING to get me there.

If anyone knows about the internet advertising and webpages, can you please send me a message. I have a tonne of questions.

Thanks for reading my blog..

til next time

Lisa xx

The elusive present moment

riknlee — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 05:17:26 +0000

How many of us live in the present moment? Are you there now? Or are you thinking about something which happened yesterday, last week, or last night? Or is your mind thinking of the future and what you will do tonight, this weekend, or next year? It is tricky to stay in the present moment, that is for sure. Or in fact, to stop the head replaying things from the past, or words to songs, even conversations!

I know my mind NEVER goes quiet. It keeps me awake sometimes with it’s loud thoughts. I have been feeling a bit stuck today. A bit like everything has the same deadline and it is all crashing together in a contest to see which issue will dominate my mind and my actions. I guess looking after an almost 1 year old baby while trying to run 2 businesses and being a wife and mother to 3 other children is definately a challenge. But as challenging as it is, I feel so alive right now. Feeling alive is all part of living in the present moment, isn’t it?

My feelings of frustration are here to remind me not to live in the future but be here for the now. Bring it all back to the now. It seems to be all I have.

That is my thought for the day

Until next time, I have a baby to attend to

Lisa xxx

A new mentor has appeared

riknlee — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 12:14:27 +0000

More divine intervention? Or am I just in the right place at the right time? I am not sure it has anything to do with any accrued good deeds or anything. I don’t know if the gods are shining their light upon me right now, but I have been given a great gift. And it has only been about 24 hours but I do believe that it is due to the quality of the Company I am involved with. A company whose mission it is to help others achieve their goals. So far my experience has been exactly that! A caring, supportive environment so that even someone on the other side of the world has the time to help me out.

Last night I met someone online and we have had a 24 hour typing relationship. Before you jump to conclusions, I want you to realise that it is strictly professional. My hubby said he was fiine with it as long as we kept our hands above the keyboard which we all thought was funny. I thought he would get a bit jealous about it, but this person (my mentor) is amazing. He is such a fountain of information that I have been literally like a sponge and just soaking up his teachings. And the reason he is helping is because of the ‘helping to achieve other’s goals’ philosophy at the core the business. It really does live up to it’s name. Both at the company and the people who decide to represent it. I really hope down the track I can be of as much help to others as these two people have been to me.

So, to my two wonderful mentors, thank you so much. I am a willing sponge here to take direction and take a good hard look at myself and work on the things I need to improve upon. I do want to help others acheive their goals and it is with this sentiment that I speak to everyone and share with them how my company can help you reach your goals.

My weekend has been taken to a new level due to my mentor on the other side of the world. I feel completely better about things and I am feeling so much more on track than before meeting him.

So thank you Mentor 1 and 2, you have been amazing and I appreciate you both so much

Until next time

Lisa xx