I am in total heart-thumpin’ love with the concept of life being a whole lot of lessons to help me learn, grow and be…well, kick-ass and awesome.

I know the importance of taking lessons from my own messy and stressy situations – even if sometimes it’s a really, really hard thing to do, I devour biographies so that I can live and learn from the lessons of my most favourite leading ladies and I store quotes in my journal like, “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible!’” that I then repeat like a mantra when life gets a little too real life-y.

I sound positively virtuous, don’t I? Like I’ve got it all completely figured out – c’mon, I am a life coach y’know, it would be rude and wrong if I didn’t have life pretty much in the bag, wouldn’t it? Now, it’s super-cool when you know what you’re supposed to do, I’ve got a vanity case – pink, natch – of tools and techniques that I know will sprinkle my world with glitter and sparkle, that will make life as sweet-as-sugar – if only I actually used them. Y’see, the magic, the really, really good stuff, can only happen when you do the learning, engage in it and fall head over Westwood’s in love with it. It’s like having the most kick-ass beauty kit that guarantees to create the most sparkly-gorgeous face of wonder and delight, and then never, ever using it. Now that would be just plain silly, right?

Yep, even me, li’l miss butt-kick-giver, needs a butt-kick of her own to make sure I sprinkle the sparkle on a daily basis, and recently that butt-kick came in the form of a rather fabu li’l book called Life Lessons – Things I wish I’d learned Earlier by Lesley Garner, and now I’m a li’l bit in love. With a book.

I’ve given myself a sore shin whilst reading this book, because, like the title suggests it’s filled with things that will make you literally kick yourself wishing you’d know it sooner. There are some lessons that you may already know, and the book will act as a friendly li’l nudge to do something about it and there are some, like The Art of Self-reinvention, Is it ever too late to change? and Set Your Compass to Love that will feel like Lesley has chosen quite possibly the most pointiest V.Westwood shoes in the entire world and is kicking you repeatedly with them.

Is it ever too late to change? describes the intoxicating effect that a trip away in unfamiliar places can have on your idea of yourself and your world. Lesley recommends a trip to Paris, and g-friends, I could not agree with her more.

I thought last new year’s eve was going to pretty sucky, I’d just split with my beau and I was feeling very sorry for myself, until Miss Aimee suggested New Year in Paris and we booked the next day. Let me tell you, that trip was sprinkled with laughter, fun and a whole lot of magic that you will only ever find in Paris. If Miss Aimee and I had collected the amount of compliments we received in one day alone, we’d be able to fill an entire journal, we went to see beautiful ladies dance topless, practiced our French with varying success, visited swanky art exhibitions, met the gorgeous Miss Marine creator of Miss Sugar Cane goodness, ate yummy food, were chatted up at Jim Morrison’s grave – seriously, some people have no shame – and on New Year’s Eve I kissed a beautiful, beautiful Italian boy who gave me a tour of Paris as seen through he’s big brown Italian-o eyes – now that, most definitely shifted my ‘poor me’ perspective of myself and my world!

Reading Life Lessons £8.99 published by Hay House, is like drinking the biggest mug of hot chocolate topped with cream and marshmallows – dee-freakin’-licious – with an extra shot of chutzpah!

Now, I’d love to know what your biggest life lessons are, or have been – sharing is caring, sweet things!