What if you believed you were PERFECT, JUST AS YOU ARE. 

Not when you have lost the last 5 kilos. 

Or finally cleared out the garage like you have been saying for 18 months. 

Or finished that qualification you have been slogging away at. 

Or made up with your sister who you haven’t spoken to for years. 

Or baked all the cupcakes FROM SCRATCH for the school fete and run the tombolo. 

BUT RIGHT NOW? 

The weight of “who we should be” is a heavy thing to carry around each day. 

Truth is, there is no “should be”.

We are all a permanent “Work In Progress”.

We will never be done, finished, complete

We are perfect imperfect works of progress at all times.

And we wish away so much of our “now” happiness carrying the weight of who we feel we “should be” or how our life “should be”.

Should is one of the heaviest words in the English language and I would like to ban it. It makes us feel unnecessarily bad about ourselves!

Who you are right now is just perfect, you can take that from me.

Put the weight down.

And have a very happy day.

PS. Celebrate yourself here and now with some real self-care action, my book “101 Self-Care Ideas”. Grab it for just $17 NZD / £7.50 GBP!

The post The heavy weight of “who we should be” appeared first on Louise Thompson, Life Coach, Wellbeing Writer and Speaker.

Sounds simple, can be hard when we have conditioned ourselves to a lifetime of finding ourselves wanting and relentless internal criticism. You know how that goes I am sure.

I came across this awesome image (which sorry I cannot find the original source to credit the artist, if you definitively know let me know), which if we could channel even 20% of the energy in this drawing it would improve our self-esteem no end.

Ready?

Isn’t that gorgeous?

Your mission today, is to go tell yourself “OMG, I am too cute!”.

Guaranteed to make you smile.

Instant internal self-esteem ripple effects to be had.

Try this one daily!

And have a great day.

The learning: self-care doesn’t have to be complex to be impactful. We don’t need a 19-step plan we won’t follow. Sometimes we just need to talk a wee bit nicer to ourselves.

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“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now”.

So good, yes?

What do you wish you had started 5 years ago that you had continued right through to today?

• Small monthly contribution to an investment plan?
• 5 minute morning journalling habit?
• Weekly phone call to your Gran for 10 minutes?
• Joined Wellbeing Warriors and done the 2-minute daily challenge each day
• Stopped eating processed sugar or drinking alcohol?
• 7000 steps a day whatever the weather

Who would you BE now if you had done those things every day/week/month for the last 5 years? If they were baked into your being and your life now? How would your body/bank account/happiness/connection be after 1825 days / 60 months / 260 weeks of continuous low-level investment?

Literally WHO WOULD YOU BE NOW?

Whoever she is, remember that proverb we started with

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now”.

And start today.

Here is the perfect image for this principle:

The post What if I could wind the clock back 5 years for you? appeared first on Louise Thompson, Life Coach, Wellbeing Writer and Speaker.

If you are a Southern Hemisphere reader (shout out to my Aussies and Kiwi’s!) I hope you are still on your holibobs, and enjoying the sunshine  and if you are currently Northern Hemisphere like me where the world return to work on the 5^th January and it feels like the 83^rd of January right now… keep going!

Here’s a fact that makes me feel better: by the end of MARCH the sun won’t be setting til 7.30pm, not long to hang in there! The sun has such a big impact on my mood:  I always joke that I am caffeine and solar powered  Do you relate?!

I hope powerful few words for you today if you (or someone you know, feel free to forward this on) is having a rough time:

One of the hardest lessons in life is accepting the fact that some situations will never go back to how they were. 

The longer we wrestle with trying and wishing we could just “go back” the unhappier we will be. We can get totally stuck in a vicious cycle of non-acceptance.

Acceptance of something treasured ending or breaking or changing is one of the hardest leaps to make in mind and heart.

However peace, hope and new beginnings are on the other side of that acceptance.

Sometimes we can ONLY go forwards.

We might not want to accept that what is, IS what is

But fighting it is what keeps us trapped in heartbreak

We keep reinjuring our own hearts by wishing it to be another way

The truth is, when things break or change irrevocably – even if we don’t like it, in fact, especially when we don’t like it, acceptance is the way forwards.

Sometimes we simply have to accept that things will never go back to the way they used to be.

Even though that is the hardest thing  to accept, there is relief in it. And relief is always taking us in the right direction.

If you are immersed in a tough but unchangeable situation right now, dear reader, I promise you acceptance is the way out

Sending you much love today I wrote this for you, with my brain and my heart and over a decade and a half of coaching wisdom, not AI: just as good life coaching should be. It’s becoming an AI jungle out there, so be careful what you are reading, and who (if anyone) is actually writing it!

The post If life is kicking your butt a bit read this one appeared first on Louise Thompson, Life Coach, Wellbeing Writer and Speaker.

Now the frenzy of Christmas is past, the tree is down (sob!) we get to breathe in the clean air of this fresh new year and think…I wonder what this year will bring? 

The truth is it will be a mixed bag like every year. Some people and situations will surprise us in the very best of ways. Some people or situations are going to shock the hell out of us in the worst of ways. Such is the human experience. Some of this we simply cannot predict, and we will need to roll with it, as we always ultimately do, grounded in the knowledge of our own capability and resilience, and that the world is largely a benevolent place to be.

So, the unpredictable we can’t do a lot about… however, the predictable we CAN. How we show up for ourselves in 2026 really does matter. The energy. The consistency. The intent.

So much of we will get in 2026 is not so unknowable. It’s not potluck. It’s not a mystery. It’s actually deeply predictable:

Will you bring good boundaries and an open heart to your relationships? 

Will you bring commitment to show up consistently for your body in the gym or the trail? 

Will you bring your patience to mentoring your staff or playing with your grandchildren? 

2026 may be 20% mystery, but it will be 80% a sure thing based on what we bring.

So, if you want to know what 2026 has in store for you, grab a pen and scribble down the answer to this question:

What am I bringing to this New Year? 

I (real human me!) wrote this blog for you (not AI) and it’s from my heart to yours, just as it should be.

The post I know EXACTLY what the New Year will be bringing you… appeared first on Louise Thompson, Life Coach, Wellbeing Writer and Speaker.

Be. Kind. To. Your. Mind.

Find something that works for YOU to switch it off.

Might be baking

Might be running

Might be one of those meditation colouring books (so not just for kids!) (that’s why I include a new design each month in the Coaching Academy!).

For me, nothing breaks the chatter in my head like smacking the boxing bag. Real hard! Everything else just melts away. 

Whatever your thing is, engage in it with enthusiasm and consistency and (crucially!) without guilt.

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Have you noticed how much (especially as women) we tend to over-apologise and say sorry when it’s not actually required?! It’s a weird habit, and one worth revising. Things I am no longer apologising for:

Not always being available (time, attention and energy are limited, it’s not personal, it’s just freaking MATHS)

Prioritising the things that matter (to ME)

Not giving an answer right away (it’s ok to think about it)

  Working at the pace that’s right for me on voluntary projects (it needs to fit in with my life, not the other way round!)

When it’s not actually MY FAULT there is an issue! (why the hell am I saying sorry – YOU say sorry!)

Forget the bubble bath. This. Is. Real. Self. Care.

The post STOP apologising! appeared first on Louise Thompson, Life Coach, Wellbeing Writer and Speaker.

How about we stop waiting for summer? For the kids to be older. Until we drop the last 5kg. For Friday. For the weekend. Until the exams are over. The reno is done. The mortgage is paid off. The house is bought. The deposit is saved. Until she behaves herself. Until the flights are booked. The work is done. The boss says yes. The campaign is over. The treatment is complete. The project starts. The term finishes. Until we have some space. Until we have some time. Until they sleep through the night. Until he/she says yes. Until we can afford it.

How about we stop with the waiting? If we are not mindful, happiness can be deferred for so many good, and not so good, reasons. Daily life can become a mental ticker tape of things to get done, and days to be got through, before the big ticket milestones fall into place. We can become so focused on the future that we forget to connect to the tiny moments of joy that are inherent in the now.

It is a great truth that, as much as there is always something to appreciate in the worst of times (if we dig really deep, it will be there), conversely, there is always something to complain about in the best of times, if that is where our focus goes.

It’s up to each of us to figure out which way we want to habitually look at the world.

Choosing to stop waiting to be happy can be one of the most powerful choices we can ever make. We can miss so many everyday moments of happiness accessible right now, this minute, when we are in wait mode for the significant jigsaw pieces of life to fall into place.

We can choose to be happy now when we breathe in the aroma of our fresh cuppa. When a small hand slips into ours at pick-up. That we have people to share a meal with at the end of the day. For the nourishing food on our plate. That we have incredible gadgets to clean our home that prior generations spent their whole day doing manually (my granny had a mangle in the outhouse for goodness’ sake!). That we just messaged a friend 12,000 miles away on the other side of the world in three seconds on our phone. That our sheets smell clean and fresh. That we breathe such clean green air and don’t even think about it. That our body is walking, talking and seeing effortlessly. The sunshine on our skin. The breeze in our hair. The smile of a stranger. The unbridled glee of a child at something so small. The dog was so happy to see us home.

When we are waiting for the big jigsaw pieces to fall into place and rushing to the next thing, we can chronically overlook the tiny moments of joy that are only accessible now, now, now. It’s the little moments that light life up.

Look up people, look up. Happiness is right now.

The post Are you missing these tiny moments of joy? 😍 appeared first on Louise Thompson, Life Coach, Wellbeing Writer and Speaker.

You know I am BIG on any milestone opportunity to press pause, and check in with ourselves and the summer/winter solstice is as good a time as any, with the added spiritual nod to connect with the cycles of nature and to tap into our own inner wisdom.

Here are a few ideas to use the solstice this year to create a marker for personal development:

• REFLECTION QUESTIONS. We are six months into 2023. What has been the high-light? What has been your low light? What are you proud of? What has surprised you? What do you want to AMPLIFY in the second half of 2023?
• CONNECTION WITH NATURE. Go take your shoes off and stand barefoot on the grass! Studies have shown walking barefoot in nature increases endorphin flow, and decreases stress by over 60%. The solstice is an excellent reminder that our connection with nature is not just a nice to have once or twice a year on holiday, but an essential part of how human beings are MEANT TO connect and recharge.
• CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES COME ON. Ritual is important. Humans are wired for ritual. Raising a glass to celebrate the abundance and good times and achievements of the first half of 2023, sets the tone (from a Law Of Attraction perspective) to welcome in and attract MORE good times in the second half.

The post Positively manifest a new chapter this Solstice 🌙 appeared first on Louise Thompson, Life Coach, Wellbeing Writer and Speaker.

I am the Queen of Finding The Silver Lining. The Duchess of Making Lemons Outta Lemonade. The High Priestess of Making The Best Of Things. I believe we have so much more room for optimism in our daily lives than we tend to create. I believe life is our life coaching laboratory and we can learn and improve so much just by approaching the day to day with consciousness: observing the patterns and meaning in what is going on around and inside of us. However. Recently a good friend lost her husband and so there is also that. Another friend has breast cancer and undergoing chemo. Many of you have recently lost your houses or livelihoods in extreme weather events. I’ve just heard that a friend’s sister-in-law has sepsis and has lost both her lower legs.  Both!

Sometimes you simply cannot put a positive spin on things. Sometimes things really are just bloody appalling. And it’s okay to let them be horrendous and not pretend otherwise.

Sometimes there is no hidden meaning for us to wrestle with.

Sometimes people trill “It will make you stronger!” and “it’s all happened for a reason!” in a well-meaning fashion that totally subverts the scale of your personal tragedy…. it’s okay to want to high five them, in the face, with a chair.

Sometimes you need to know it’s okay not to have your game face on. It’s okay to find a quiet corner and try to absorb the blow.

In order to rally (and you will) you need to acknowledge and feel the sides of your loss – the breadth and the depth of it. But what you don’t always need to do is find a hidden meaning.

Sometimes crappy things don’t have a purpose. They are just crappy. And that’s how it is.

Sometimes things don’t make sense in the moment, and they may never do. There is no hidden meaning or purpose. They just are.

You can drive yourself bonkers trying to work out why it happened to you, or how it will ultimately serve you, or what you inadvertently did to make it happen in the first place or what the hell it’s supposed to mean.

Here’s the thing. Periods of intense suffering are part of the human experience. I wish it were not so but it is. Transcending those periods are also part of the human experience. Those that do that with the most speed and grace are those who acknowledge the reality and scale of what’s occurred and don’t bury it in burgers or booze or pretend it’s fine when it really is not.

It’s okay not to always be strong and to let your game face slip for a time. You don’t have to always be strong. You can drop the mask of hardihood for a time. It’s okay.

Sometimes bad things just happen. They come. You endure. You rise. You move on. Maybe not the same as before but onward you will go.

There doesn’t need to be a hidden message or for it all to make sense. Maybe it will, ten, twenty years hence. Maybe it was all for a reason. Or maybe, it wasn’t and it won’t.

So you will get through. You cry. You get seriously unproductive for a while. You drop a few balls. You reach out. You hunker down. You endure. And then you move on.

Sometimes things are just bloody shocking. It happens to us all at some point, in a variety of hideous guises. You don’t need to find a purpose for it; you need to persevere through it. Look for your perseverance. It’s there. Be strong: keep going.

P.S. If you want support from me in the form of weekly answers to your questions and personal dilemmas, as well as an incredible community at your back and more coaching tools than you can conceive of then do check out my Life Coaching Academy. It’s the gold standard in strategic personal support and I’d be honoured to assist you through whatever is going on for you. You can also check out my VIP package if you need help. I’m here

The post What if it DOESN’T happen for a reason? appeared first on Louise Thompson, Life Coach, Wellbeing Writer and Speaker.