What is balance?  It's difficult to say exactly what constitutes a balanced lifestyle, as it means different things to different people.  However, I can indicate signs of imbalance:

• low energy levels
• mood swings
• fatigue
• angry outbursts
• ill health

If you are experiencing one or more of the above, there is definitely work to be done.  All of the above are merely signals from your body suggesting a change of direction. Isn't it funny that, as a society, when we're hungry, we eat; whereas when we are experiencing ill health or extreme emotions, we are less quick to move towards a solution.

I would recommend implementing at least 2 of the following, if not all of them:

• seeing a nutritionist, as you may be lacking in certain nutrients
• meditation (to relax and clear your mind)
• yoga (positive for the mind and the body)
• change in career
• more sleep
• exercise
• spend more time surrounded by nature
• take a holiday/ short break
• give up stimulants (caffeine, alcohol, drugs)

As a coach, I am constantly working on myself in order to be the best that I can be for my clients.

One of my greatest strengths is re-gaining balance. Ironically, my star sign is Libra and our greatest challenge is purported to be 'maintaining balance'.

I wonder how many of you feel in balance? Of those of you who answered 'yes', I wonder how many of you are un-aware that you are actually out of balance.

After several years of research, I have developed several strategies for re- gaining balance. Unfortunately, I am yet to find one that ensures that I don't go out of balance in the first place!

Occasionally, life gets the better of me and at these times, I give myself the gift of time. I read an inspiring book, buy myself flowers, meditate more regularly and eat more healthy and nourishing food.

What do you do?

I would love to hear your responses. Please do fill in the comments box, below.

All negative emotions can be interpreted as fear. Fear that 'you're not good enough', fear that 'he won't like you', fear that 'you'll make a mistake... Or worse still, fear that 'you'll get hurt'.

These fears might manifest themselves as anxiety, fatigue or anger, but when interpreted, fear will still be the culprit.
I have a way to release fear:

1. Admit- be open with yourself and anyone else involved.
2. Question: keep asking yourself questions, using: where, what, how, for what purpose, what specifically ( not why- it encourages excuses)
3. Voice: tell someone your fears- this will help you to admit them, take responsibility and aid resolution.
4. Let go: let go of any fears you have made peace with by repeating the above process until you feel at peace.

5. Love:
The only thing stronger than fear is love. Maybe you can't feel it on request, but love is a verb. You can cultivate a sense of self love through your actions towards yourself. You can demonstrate love to others by listening, being supportive or giving a helping hand.

One of the easiest and most gratifying ways to show love is to be kind to strangers- offer your seat to someone on the tube, help them carry a heavy bag, offer directions to someone who appears lost...

Once you have taken these actions, you will feel more positive emotions. It may not happen straight away, but you will succeed if you persevere.

As I often say during seminars, you have no limits except the ones you create yourself. With a bit of training, you can do practically anything you set your heart on.

I often ask:

Could you run a marathon tomorrow?

- maybe not?

If your life depended on it, could you run a marathon 6 months from now?

Something inside of you may be screaming 'no!!', but the answer for most of you, should be a resounding 'yes'.

The only limitations we have are the ones we create ourselves, in our own minds.

6 months ago, I signed up for the London marathon. The biggest battle was not just the race itself, but the months of training leading up to it.

Prior to my training, I had never run more than about 7 miles, so you can imagine the endurance it took to work my way up to 17 miles during my pre-marathon training... And then to 26.2 on the day. I did it because I had made a commitment to myself.

On the day, I went through every imaginable emotion. At times, I was in serious pain, but giving up just didn't enter my mind.

Somewhere between 18 and 20 miles, I hit the wall. My whole body was screaming and my mind became hazy. I kept going for what seemed an age, but in reality was probably about 10 minutes. I was being carried by the spirit of the other runners and the crowd. Finally, I had to stop. I stretched for a minute or so but stopping seemed to make the pain even worse, so I battled on. By the time I reached mile 21, I was feeling brilliant again. I've never felt so focused. My eyes were fixed on the horizon and my body seemed to be moving of it's own accord.

When I crossed the finish line, I didn't just let go of limiting beliefs about the marathon, I let go of layers of limiting beliefs about not being able to do x, y and z. I proved my endurance to myself and my ability to complete something no matter what.

Thought for the day: Set great goals and feel your strength increasing as you achieve them.

A big thank you to all those of you who supported my chosen charity. If you didn't get a chance, but would still like to, you're in luck, my campaign page is open for another 3 weeks:

http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/FrancescaGordon-Smith

Best wishes,

Francesca

When I was a child my mother always used to say, 'prepare yourself the night before'. This sounded very dull to me at the time and I rebelled. I chose not to listen because I wanted to do things my way. That's not to say that her way wasn't the right way, it just wasn't MY way.

A few decades on and I'm slightly less stubborn than I was then. It's been hard for me to let go of MY way. Yet, after years of suffering from lack of organisation and preparation I was finally forced to admit that my sweet, and lovely, mum had been right.

Sometimes being 'right' doesn't necessarily make you happy. On these occasions, it is a good idea to concede and listen to other people. Afterall, as Einstein so aptly put it, 'the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results'.

There comes a point in every woman's life when she must listen to the wise words she refused to accept as a child. For me, preparation is now an integral aspect of my life. When I don't prepare the night before, my days are often chaotic at best.

When I say prepare, I mean doing all the things I need to do in order to fall asleep with the belief that the next day will run smoothly. This could mean anything from choosing and laying out my clothes to meditating or coaching myself. Whatever it is that I am drawn to do, the important thing is that I go to sleep thinking positive thoughts.