pic found at: http://tatielle.tumblr.com/

The promise of a new year always fills us with a sense of excitement and anticipation for what’s to come, in the same way as when I open a brand new journal, I’m all kinds of excited ’bout what adventures, thoughts and feelings I’m going to fill it with, but the last few days, on top o’ all that new year anticipation and excited- ness, I’ve been feeling jittery – I have SO many big, beautiful things to accomplish this year, that my belly flips from super-excited to crazy – underlined three times – anxiety in nano-seconds. The good news is that I’m not the only one, The Barefoot Doctor, who I’ve mentioned a gazillion times and will continue to mention a LOT mainly because I heart him x 1000, sent out a newsletter with an explanation o’ this jittery feeling – we’re totes connected.

He said: “…if you have a sense you have to raise your game and you’re wondering whether you’re up to it, seems to me you’re not alone.

The key lies in loving the jitters, then confidently forming a vision of the actual desired outcome to whichever situation you’re
thinking about, and to invest your chi and presence in that vision, knowing that what you focus on grows…”

See? This dude is THE shit.

So that’s what I’m doing. It seems that double, triple, and even quadrupole dating, my big, beautiful effalump-sized dreams and goals for 2012 is proving to be rather anxiety-inducing – clearly I would be rubbish at having an affair – so I am calling them all up individually and I’m scheduling us all a li’l get-to-know-each-other ‘date time’ on the calendar. It seems ’til now, I’ve had trouble simply dating one idea at a time, I’m an idea ho, and that’s just silly because while Lisa-love is infinite and ever-reaching, spreading myself – pun totally intended – so vast and wide can sometimes makes me a li’l, well…sloppy with the idea love. Both myself and my date lose interest and the potential of a fire-starting relationship o’ awesome love stuff turns to a mouthed ‘I’ll call you’ as I shut the door behind them on their way out, and we all know how that one ends, right?

So this year, I’m giving all my projects and ideas their own designated ‘chi time’, a time where I light a few candles and over a delicious meal of magic, inspiration and chutzpah, I’ll simply ‘make out’ with that one particular idea/project. We’ll spend a little time whispering sweet nothings to each other, we’ll whirl like dervishes together and then we’ll, y’know, get to it. We’ll do it. We’ll make the magick happen. Yes, there’s no question I will date other ideas, there are far too many delicious ones in my head NOT to, but from here on in, I will no longer entertain the concept of a daily idea threesome/foursome/infinite-some. I am now a one-idea-at-a-time kinda girl, giving every single one the dedicated Lisa-love it deserves – let me tell you, the Lisa-love is goooood shit – giving it the opportunity to unfold it’s potential, share it’s possibility and woo me with it’s wonder.

Happy New Year, SASSY ones! Here’s hoping this year is your most amazing, kick-ass year yet, I plan on making mine exactly that!

As part o’ my 100 things to do in 2012, I’ve decided to take a photo-a-day for each and every day o’ 2012 – a pictorial journal o’ SASSYville if you will, I posted about it today on my FB page and lots o’ my gorgeous gal-pals were like ‘this is an awesome idea, we want in!’ so, because I like to think of myself as the gift that keeps giving, I’ve set up a Facebook page: The SASSY photo-a-day challenge o’ awesomeness - catch title, right?! So we can all share our moments and get a sneaky peek into each others lives during this year of complete and total amazing-ness!

Okay everyone, here’s a quick ‘how-to’ participate in the SASSY photo-a-day challenge o’ awesomeness…

1. Create a new album on your account and name it “The SASSY photo-a-day challenge o’ awesomeness” – catchy title, right?

2. Take a picture and upload it to this album.

3. Label it with the day and date and write a caption.

4. Publish your album and make sure to tag us/upload onto this page

Come join in the fun at The SASSY photo-a-day challenge o’ awesomeness - let the pictorial documentation o’ 2012 commence!

Happy festivities, Sassy ones!

I think I have celebrated every single mid-winter festival this year and it has been truly awesome – feasting, rituals, family and friends – truly the most perfect-o way to spend the darkest time o’ the year and celebrate the return o’ the light – hurrah! Christmas Day, the 25th, as well as being a day where I ate an obscene amount o’ mince pies was also the start of a new moon phase, and each new moon, I pull a tarot card to guide me through the cycle, this moon cycle? The Six o’ Disks.

I have a gazillion new ideas that will be put into action in 2012, and this is the perfect-o card to support my success. I work with the Thoth tarot and as you can see from the picture, each disk has a planet on it, now if you’ve got BIG plans o’ action for 2012, you can use these planets and the lessons that they teach us as a six step formula to success in any area o’ your life…

1. SATURN: Saturn shows us that success can be achieved through discipline and step-by-step procedures – just like this one!

2. JUPITER: encourages us to be open and flexible to options and opportunities – don’t set anything in stone, keep your options open and always be aware of opportunities that have your name on them!

3. VENUS: Venus reminds us that success is sustainable as a result of following what has heart and actual meaning in your life – what makes your heart sing? Whatever it is, be sure to follow it’s beautiful tune…

4. MOON: reflects back to us that success is attainable if we remain authentic and speak our truth – this is a biggie!

5. MERCURY: the planet o’ communication reminds us that success is truly obtainable if we align the context and timing of ALL our communication – for starters, think about what you say, when you say it and how you say it – it’ll make a HUGE difference!

6. MARS: reminds us that if we put a constant and consistent flow o’ positive energy into personal and professional issues rather than sporadic over-the-top dramatical energy into random situ’s – success, sweet thing, will be yours!

My girl-crushes are wide and out-stretching, but right now, I am crushing super-hard on my gorgeous, gorgeous Goddess-gal pal, Miss Leonie…The reasons for this love fest? Well, where’s a girl to freakin’ start with this lady o’ loveliness, that would be a blog post all of it’s own, but mostly, Leonie cups my heart in her beautiful hands, holds it firm and tells me everything is going to be okay, simply by being real and true and speaking from the heart…J’adore this woman.

My main reason for expressing the Leonie love today though is because she’s the creatrix o’ my most favourite end o’ year/start o’ new year tool – the ‘Creating My Goddess Year workbook and planner’ which I spent last night charging with full moon magick…

Each year, I print it out, choose a journal (any excuse to buy stationery, although this year I’m using a beautiful journal gifted to me by my BFF, Miss Cheryl) and then stick in the pages – voila, insta-goddess yearbook!

I’m not the only person who digs my Goddess Yearbook, Grendel the cat is obsesso with my new book, sitting on it, pawing at it, clearly he’s feeling the goddess love, why wouldn’t he? He’s got me as a mumma!

I LOVE this creation o’ awesome, mainly because it gives me an opportunity to really think about, and wholeheartedly celebrate all the goodness of 2011. And ohmystars, there’s been so many – moving in with, and swapping commitment rings with my hot viking beau, my BFF having a beautiful baby boy, seaside roadtripping, celebrating all the major sabbats in Glastonbury with my gorgeous fam, taking big steps to start my generation GRR revolution – then, and this is the best bit, letting go and releasing the bullshit stuff. I ADORE this bit. I write mine out and then I release it by burning them, that’s because that’s how I roll, but just writing them out is more than cool too. Then you can move onto the juicy ju-ju – planning 2012! The workbook is filled with over 100 pages of everything a girl needs to help her dream, manifest, set intentions, plan and cultivate an amazing year!

I’m currently working on the wrapping up o’ 2011 so that over Hanukkah and yule, while enjoying yummo food, giving thanks, and spending time with friends and fam, I’ll be able to get clarity on what I want to 2012 to look like – what I know for sure is that there will be a lot o’ pink, natch., my dreams will be big and beautiful, and will involve lots o’ smooch time with my hot viking, it would be rude not to, he’s delicious – but apart from that, I have a LOT o’ visualising to do, and will be doing it in the pages o’ my book o’ wonder in a beautiful warm cave of love and laughter in Glastonbury…happy sigh.

Get your copy o’ this rainbow-painted workbook and planner combo for the bargainous price o’ $9.95 from www.goddessguidebook.com you owe it to yourself to make sure 2012 is your year o’ awesome and this is your absolute must have tool to make it happen!

Now, I am still very much in love stuff with my kindle, it is a thing o’ beauty, but there are some books that I want to own in beautiful hard copy so I can touch, feel and smell, y’know?

As it’s the season o’ festive cheer when apparently we show our love by buying things, which I don’t altogether agree with, but I DO like books, so if you ARE looking to spend your money, I am currently coveting the following…(HINT, HINT)

Domestic Sluttery by Sian Meades £8.33

I have been a fan girl of the website, Domestic Sluttery for a few years now, so I’m all kinds o’ excited about their beautiful book o’ loveliness, mainly because they tell me how to create a deliciously gorgeous home while unapologetically cutting a few corners – hurrah! The book is a logical expansion o’ the blog, full of lifestyle tips and with a more in-depth look at home interiors (Hiding the Evidence, Design Porn etc.); food and drink (e.g., Veggie not Virtuous, Baking for Beginners); style and beauty (Fashion Lust, Crafty Clothes etc.); and living (e.g., Fabulous and Thrifty, Sluttery Travels). The word ’sluttery’ is used in it’s traditional form, to mean ’slovenly, a little messy’ – that’s me, that’s absolutely me! Sian Meades and her domestic sluts will teach you the quick and easy ways to do domestication on the hop. And, most importantly, will reveal how to make a damn good cocktail!

Chic on a Shoestring, by Mary Jane Baxter £9.95

I am a wannabee craft-girl. I covet home made crafts more than anything in the world, but making them myself? Not so much. But this book looks to be the book that might change all that up! It’s filled to the brim with easy-to-make projects which I can use to revamp my wardrobe and update old items. I desperately want to make the ribbon corsage I saw on a recent flick through and maybe a Floribunda brooch to brighten up a t-shirt. Might also try the shoelace necklace too, I’m not sure, but I think Mary Jane Baxter may have reawakened my creative-girl instincts. The ideas are imaginative and useful, and use materials which are probably kicking around the house somewhere. Instructions and illustrations look easy to follow, and thankfully, you don’t need a sewing machine for most o’ them. I totes want this!

Style Me Vintage Make Up, Belinda May £5.59
If you didn’t know by now, I am totes in love with all things vintage, and very much like to indulge in retro glamour. Whether you want to a look you can wear day-to-day, or one for a special outing or occasion, this book has all you’ll need to recreate the decadence and fun of vintage styles. Filled with step-by-step instructions, tips and techniques, and detailed photographs for make-up from the 1920s to the 1980s, Style Me Vintage Make Up provides everything you’ll need to create authentic looks – whether you want to look like Marlene Dietrich, Marilyn Monroe or Madonna.

So, if someone might like to send my beau, BFF and fam this link, that would be awesome!

This year has seen me start to get serious about creating a SASSY business brand. Now, I’m a suck-it-and-see kind o’ girl, which has worked for me ’til now, but I want the SASSY brand to rock it out in the business world, and for sure, I don’t EVER plan to play by the rules, but you do need to know the rules in order to break them, so I’m getting savvy. I’m seeking out brands that I heart, working out why I heart them, I’m writing a business plan, and I’m reading EVERY business book I can get my mitts on…I’m not going to lie, some of them are incredibly boring-snoring, but others, like my current read are freakin’ AMAZEBALLZ…

Enter Innocent our story and some things we’ve learned.

This is the most kick-ass ‘business’ book I have EVER read. Fact.
Innocent was started by three friends in 1999 and now they have completely taken over the smoothies market in the UK and some other major countries. I am a huge fan-girl of their products, they’re a li’l bit pricey, but having read about the manufacturing process of these absolute fruit smoothies, they really shouldn’t, and couldn’t, be priced for less.

Innocent REALLY practice what they preach. And if the book reflects in any way their day-to day operations (which I’m pretty sure it does), their ethical ethos drives everything they do. Even the book itself is published on 100% recycled paper with vegetable-based inks.
It’s such a great read. The boys are happy to share what went well for them, as well as the things that didn’t and their honesty is positively infectious. The main reason I’ve love Innocent is for their cheeky copy on each bottle. This book is written by the dude behind this copy so it’s smart, funny and to-the point.

It’s packed full of advice for entrepreneurs, ’start small, but DO start’, but beyond that, it’s a story about entrepreneurial success. From three guys thinking ‘Hey, it would be really good to go into business together’ to ‘Hey, Coca Cola’s invested £30 million in our company and we can still run it as we want to’.

LOVE this. A lot.

Buy your copy of Innocent: Our Story and some things we’ve learned from the Store o’ Sass now!

Despite my unbridled love for the land o’ the free, I’m not an American-o, and while I like to think I have an attitude for gratitude every single day, I really am rather fond of the American-o’s love for their day o’ thanks, so I’m totes jumping on the bandwagon and riding the thanks train all the way to gratitude land…

My biggest thanks is for my beau and our soul fam. I feel nothing but total and utter love stuff when I spend time with them, and I mean when I actually spend time with them, when I’m present, in the moment. When we listen to each other, share our hopes and dreams, support and nurture each other, laugh – loud and often, smile, eat and cry together. I’m so grateful that I am surrounded by awesome people – inspiring, motivational, loving people. I spend SO much time on my ‘puter working, building a career, taking calls, that in order to REALLY appreciate the amazing people in my world, especially that hot Viking beau o’ mine, I need to pull the plug on all things techno and plug into the people that matter, because people make memories, ‘puters don’t.

Happy Thanksgiving American-o’s, everyone else, give thanks to the people in your world who matter, no matter what day it is!

Well, are you? Is it a question that you’ve ever stopped to ask yourself? Am I being kind? This book, Am I Being Kind, by Michael J Chase kinda stopped me in my tracks because I like to think o’ myself as a kind and caring girl, in the world, yet I’d never actually asked the question.

Do it now.

I’m a li’l bit in love with this book. If you ask my mumma, she’ll be sure to tell you about my obsess-o need to make the world a better place as a kid. I’d pick up litter – I was like a freakin’ womble – I’d nag incessantly not to use aerosols as I didn’t want the ozone layer to get bigger, I was a kid possessed, then I became a teen, felt an unhealthy need to fit-in and got caught up in the joys o’ consumerism, but as an adult I’m slowly returning to my planet obsessed childhood. I may not dress like a hippy and wear patchouli oil (although I do love it) but I very much have a hippy heart. We simply MUST be more kind. To ourselves, to others, and to the planet. Kindness is like a magickal ju-ju that creates love stuff in abundance, it’s like the gift that keeps giving and giving – what’s not to love about that?

This book is a huge helping o’ awesome sauce. The author, Michael J Chase shares his slightly harrowing personal story, including abuse and attempted suicide and shares why at the age of 37, following a life-changing epiphany, Michael ended an award winning photography career to found The Kindness Center. what motivates him to be kind to others, and his need to spread the word. He believes that the key to happiness and living a great life is about being o’ service to others. High fives to that, MC!

Kindness is the key to happiness – but with all the pressures of work, finances, relationships, parenting and health issues, living a kind-hearted life isn’t always easy. Inspired by the Dailai Lama’s philosophy that “world peace must develop out of inner peace” Am I Being Kind shows you how by simply asking yourself ‘am I being kind?’ you can change your life, and the lives of those around you.
Am I Being Kind is being published to coincide with UK Kindness Day on the 13 November 2011, and gives simple lessons that anyone can implement!

UK Kindness Day encourages everyone to perform at least one act of kindness or a good deed – cool, huh?! After all, kindness is free to do and we all know that it really can make you feel good!

For more information about the day you can visit: www.kindnessdayuk.com

Buy your copy of Am I Being Kind by Michael J Chase at the Store o’ Sass – it’s really rather fabulous!

So, I’ve been given a gentle nudge by a few minxettes to update y’all on my weight release journey that I started earlier this year…

Now I’m nothing if not honest, so here’s the deal.

Firstly, I got complacent.

I’d released 56lb – hurrah – and thought to myself, do you know what? I can take a break now, surely? The doctor was pleased with me, I was feeling lighter and brighter in myself and I deserved some time out, right? Wrong.

Y’see, while the releasing weight bit was actually do-able, the head and heart stuff? Well that’s a whole other plate o’ food…

I might of released some weight-age, but what I hadn’t done, was change up my story. Y’see, when your story remains the same, yet you try and change up your behaviour, life falls out o’ whack. Now, as a life coach and girl who helps others to transform and grow, I felt a bit o’ a failure. Why hadn’t I realised that to shed the poundage for good, I had to change my thinking, my programmed beliefs about food and my body? Thing is I had realised, it’s just that, well…that shit’s hard work.

Now, I’m not afraid o’ hard work, not at all, in fact I thrive on it, but when it involves having to do some digging into the deep, dark shadow-y stuff that I’ve spent a substantial part o’ my life trying to keep locked away, well, that’s crazy hard. So for a few months, I ignored it, but when, like me, your weapon o’ mass-self-destruction in life has been self-sabotage, you’ll know that, unless you put down your weapons and make self-love your weapon o’ choice indefinitely, you’ll start to hear the whisper o’ seductive self-sabotage-y-ness in your ear. Now, I know ALL about self-love, I’ve written books on it, yet, it still feels like something I dabble in. I LOVE the skin I’m in, yet I still seem to struggle with feeling worthy enough to be healthy and happy in the world, which is why it’s words o’ sabatoge-y-ness were sounding a li’l something like this:
“You don’t think you can actually be a size 14, do you?”
“You might as well eat a chocolate bar, because this healthier happier you isn’t really you, is it? It’s not like it’s going to last, is it?”
“You’re from a council estate, what makes you think you can be someone who’ll be able to eat organically and nutritionally, who do you think you are?
I slowly felt myself slipping back into my old attitude of despair, thinking I had absolutely no choice but to accept defeat, give up on myself. Then, something clicked. I was standing in front of the mirror and I made a decision.
“I am not accepting this. I am no longer playing at this level now, I’m healthy and happy, and I want more of it.”
So I did ‘the work’.

In fact, I’m still doing ‘the work’ and I’m thinking that I’ll always be doing ‘the work’.

Some of my belief systems around how worthy I am o’ success and happiness are so hard-wired and need a LOT of work, but that’s okay, because I’m a girl o’ SASS – Spiritual, Authentic, Sensual & Sensational – and girls o’ SASS know how to lock and load their awesomeness to make amazing things happen. Fact.

So, I’m now locking and loading. I gained 11 of those 56lb during the self-sabotage-y wobble (I’ll be writing more about what to do when your weapon o’ mass self-esteem destruction is self-sabotage next week) and I still have 3 stone-age to release to make the doctor types happy and to substantially ease the Endrometriosis, but I’m on it. I’m eating yummy, healthy nutritious food, I’m reading lots of books about emotional eating and transforming thoughts, learning all about how to eat to balance my hormones which’ll aid healing my Endrometriosis, and swimming, belly-dancing and burlesque-ing, I am a girl o’ SASS after all!

EXCITING NEWS: Sassy Minx is soon to get a swanky new look to coincide with the launch of my brand new book series, SASSYology, to make sure you don’t miss out on all the updates, news and most importantly, freebies, go ‘like’ Sassyology over at FB and ‘follow’ me, I’m Misssassyology, on twitter!

Since taking a taster course back in the summer, I am having a full-on smooch-filled love affair with all things belly dance. Who wouldn’t? It’s the dance o’ the goddess, it’s beautiful, magical and mesmerizing, it’s also freakin’ hard. REALLY freakin’ hard. So when my belly dancing teacher announced that she ran a two hour fitness and dance class each Thursday, I was super-keen to sign up. The fact that is was being hosted at the local university didn’t phase me at all. Well, until I actually walked through the door to be greeted by over 70 late teens with super-toned bodies and not many clothes on.

Now, I know I’m a confidence – self-esteem coach and all, but I got a belly wobble. Not the kind that I could pass off as an actual dance move, but inside, deep down, where all that past conditioning lives and the story-telling ’bout all things life-y happens. It awoke the grump-a-tron, she of bad-mouthing and toxic thoughts, and within minutes, the internal convo went a little bit like this:
‘Seriously chica, what are you doing here?’
‘Look around you, these girls are super-fit and ready to work out for an hour, you on the other hand, will be sweating within minutes.’
‘Do you really think you can compete with these girls? Go home now, with your dignity in tact.’

A few years ago, the grump-a-tron would have seriously won out. I’d have grabbed my bag, turned right back around and walked out of there as quickly as I could.

‘Cept now, I answer the bitch back. Hah.

My convo went something like this:
‘Yep, those girls sure looked fit and fabulous, and I want to BE fit and fabulous, so it actually makes sense that I was in that room, right?’
‘And of course I don’t bloody look like them, they’re 18 years old, I’m 32 – 33 in 2 weeks time, all cards and presents gratefully received! – comparing is a no-win contest that we’ll NEVER win because there’s always someone thinner/taller/younger/richer, delete as applicable, than us, I’m me, I rock, I love belly dancing, now bring on the lesson!’

Yep, I stood at the back, but I was there and I was doing it. Yep, I did some serious sweating, but it felt freakin’ amazing and even when the super-fit, Lycra clad 18 year-old bronzed beauty stood next to me gave me a back-pat of pity and told me ‘not to worry, I’d pick it soon enough’ I smiled and took it as positive encouragement.

Oh, that last bit? That’s a lie, because for a split moment, I wanted to punch her on the nose. HARD.

What? It was only for a split second and then I smiled and took it as positive encouragement. Anyway, while I did leave the class a li’l broken, don’t EVER get it twisted that belly dancing is easy, it’s absolutely, positively not, I also felt a whole lot of awesome, and that, quite frankly, is the most important thing of all.

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