Every Sunday I get myself in a state that I have to blog about ‘project body’. It’s amazing how someone calls for your help and you end up finding out something so important that you needed to hear for yourself. I do hope that’s the case with everyone, because those moments are so rewarding.
It’s nearly 10pm and I’ve been sitting with my laptop on my lap for nearly 2 hours, doing everything but blog. Then Greggie needed me for a while and we chatted about his dad, his life and … well, life in general. I hope my messages to him helped, because his message to me has this blog flowing with such ease.
Weight! Weight! Weight! I’m back to being obsessed with it and because of that it’s chaotic and far from on track. He reminded me of the path of a journey and that the road is filled with turns and the occasional tripping over a stone. The conversation made me realise that there’s more to the journey of ‘project body’ than weight and that I’m missing so much of my precious moments by turning my focus to it at the end of every week. Especially after the week I have had and the precious journey that I’m forming with my SELF.
I had my first official session with Vanessa A’wakan on Thursday and when I reflect back I think of just how alive with possibility and open to receive I felt at the end of one hour with her. The time was filled with explanations of so much that we misunderstand when it comes to manifesting our realities. I’ve always battled with the concept of someone touching a table and saying ‘this isn’t real’, even though I know there is truth in that. When Vanessa said that the ‘spiritual’ definition or real is something that is eternal, then it all fell into place for me. It was refreshing to finally understand the very density of the air around us and how our immigration has to be born from something, therefore it is real. If we choose to access it or not is a different story.
The whole time, my journal sat by my side. We spoke so much that Vanessa asked me to return with it next week, but to keep on writing. Keep on writing: “I love you Jodene and everything is going to be okay.”
I climb into bed, next to the man I love, every night and I write that. With every letter I feel the emotions and thoughts that come up around a sentence that is as true and real as I choose to make it.
It’s only been a week and a bit, but I can already feel the impact of such a profound statement. When I first started say it, all I would reflect on where the places I felt things were going wrong, the money I can’t seem to manifest, the work I can’t seem to generate, the brakes that need changing and the frustration I see the man I love deal with as he fights to make enough to see his kids at the end of the year.
Slowly, just as any healthy relationship should go, I have started to feel a little more truth with each passing night of my writing exercise. The irony is that it’s been a hell of a few weeks. I always say that the things we need to deal with are presented to us as we open the Pandora’s box and I’ve still managed to remind myself of my own self love … with the thoughts getting more positive each day. Admittedly, I’ve tripped over a few stones and everyone around me (me included) has managed to introduce some interesting stumbling block and chaos into their lives, that sent me rolling a little down the hill and wonder why, if I love myself so much, all of these things can be impacting my life. Then I am reminded of Vanessa’s words …
It’s time to start thanking the you that was and loving the you that is … so a little letting go and welcoming in that all begins with an ending of a day filled with the ability to say “I love you (insert you own name here)” and mean it.
With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour
I can officially feel it … silly season is here!
I know because of how I’m feeling tonight. I had such a great day but I’m too tired to share it. No, that’s a lie … I’m not enthusiastic enough to share it. The point of this blog is honestly right, and today I honestly just want to end this day.
No, I’m not miserable or depressed. In Yiddush (old form of Jewish slang) we say ‘gatvol’. There’s no real other way to describe it but if I had to try, it would be that enough is enough. It’s the ‘I’m done’ feeling … and it doesn’t really have to be for any reason.
I still think that it’s because the end of the year is so close, it’s been one hell of a 2011 and this damn heat won’t break in this town.
So I’m taking my ‘gatvol’ ass to bed so that I can wake up with a better feeling, because I’m or radio 2000 again bright and early in the morning.
With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour
That a grocery store has opened in the neighbourhood might not be big for many, but for me, it’s all about memories that have been made and that are being made in the moment.
Pat and I have been counting down the days until the friendly Spar opened up less than 600m away from us. Secretly, I’ve been having flashbacks to my childhood and have been watching so many of my father’s traits that Pat shares. I’m still trying to figure out whether it’s because all men are the same, but I’m not letting myself take away from the specialness of me finding a man so much like my dad.
Compliment?
Even when I want to throttle him, I remember wanting to throttle my dad too. The same sense of humour, critical eye, shopping experiences, silly comments … so much!
My mom spends half her day laughing at the resemblance but the truth is, it’s magical to see the similarities and I’m sure it pulls at her heart to both see the man she has lost and the one I have gained.
Today was the cherry on the cake and I’m fighting back tears from the memories it sparked of my childhood and the love I saw my parents share. So we were on our way to dinner, but when we saw the open Spar, our plans changed without us having to say a word. My folks were famous for never missing an opening of a store and my dad was even more famous for filling the trolley with things on special … that we might not necessarily need.
As South Africans we all know Bull Brand, but I don’t know if I ever told you that my dad started herding cattle there and worked his way up to MD of the company. I grew up on tinned vienna sausages, tinned meatballs and spaghetti and corned beef.
I haven’t had that in nearly 25 years and tonight I felt like I stepped into the time machine and ate something that tasted like childhood.
I miss my dad like crazy right now, but I’m also so overwhelmed by love for Pat, that I can feel myself living duality.
I used to say I never wanted to be with anyone like my dad and I heard people echo that so often. I’m sure there are many people out there who don’t want to have men in their lives who represent their dads and I’m sure I wouldn’t blame them, but I have blessings to count at the end of each day … and this is packed or a tin full of gratitude for the similarities.
With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour
It’s early but I’m exhausted. I remember the old days of being the workaholic and being quite happy to go to bed at about 2am. I also remember the old days of not caring what time I went to bed because it was just me and my physiotherapy pillow.
Now it’s different …
Firstly, I’m exhausted because the days seemed to have turned to silly season and a time that I thought would be quite are actually crazy busy. I’m not complaining but everything is taking me out of my comfort zone and to be honest, I’ve been anxious all day.
Everything is making me anxious and that in turn is making me exhausted.
Why?
Because I can feel I’m being braver, more open, more receptive to all that life has to offer and I can feel things starting to shift … into a good space. So my ego has decided to tap into that old belief that when everything is running smoothly, something is bound to go wrong. Trying to change that pattern is totally exhausting and all I want is my pajamas.
I have been waking up a little weary in the mornings. It’s that back to school feeling when everything around me is so exciting. I don’t want to get up or get out of my pajamas but the universe (remembering we are the universe) has coordinated early morning meetings every day this week. Cleva plan … and I must admit, it’s working.
But still, pajamas and my man are calling!
Sweet dreams or have a beautiful day … depending on your soul choice and the place you call home!
With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour
I’m dealing with my childhood issues.
I’m watching how so many of my money and my self worth moments of crisis stem back to the believe that I wasn’t responsible enough to follow things through.
I’m blessed that I can speak openly with my mom and that I don’t have to rehash my life’s issues with my siblings, but they will tell you that it was their belief … I wasn’t responsible enough to carry things through. My teachers didn’t have much faith in me either and my life was pretty much a battle with having to fight for some kind of belief in me.
I’m now at the stage where I’m trying to get myself to understand that I don’t need anyone to believe in me but myself, but it’s a tougher ride than I realised. I’m getting very wounded by everyone’s support for me because it sounds very similar to my family’s lack of faith in a whimsical little girl who lived in my fairy tale world.
My fairy tale world is still the same and only my age has changed, but I’m still feeling it. I’m still feeling people tell me I can’t cope, I’ve taken on too much, I can’t distinguish when it’s too much, I don’t know what to do first … and my demon are all surfacing.
How do I know? Because I got out of bed at 9am today. I woke up feeling like a little school girl who didn’t want to face the world.
Luckily, the combination of Vanessa A’wakan, Jax_Inspires and my own self worth, I got up and turned this day into something quite spectacular. I accumulated amazing prizes for the #FollowSA event and have set up some brilliant business meetings for the next few days. I’ll be back on radio 2000 this Saturday morning and I will be talking about the charity Twitter auction hosted by Lifeology.
My downfall will only be one thing … If I do anything to prove myself to anyone but myself. If it’s not about me and I don’t find my own self pride in all I have on my plate and all that I can do with it, without dropping the ball, then I may as well be that 17 year old again, thinking nothing would come of my life.
The only place this rule doesn’t apply is with maths … now that I suck at! No really! I admit and I really don’t care. Well, except when I miss a week on this blog and discover I’m supposed to be on day 684 when I’m still hanging around on day 678 … how? Where? What?
Either maths sucks or I suck at maths
With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour
The last hours of the day are beginning to feel frustrating and I’m finally learning to put myself in a position of turning that around a whole lot faster than I used to.
The shadow of the day wasn’t much at all. There was some gross food and horrid chai tea, with a realisation that some relationships aren’t meant to be. The rest of it was filled with positive and moments that money just can’t buy. That’s important right now, because it’s coming to the time of the year that business owners dread … the long months ahead where our services won’t be needed. That’s why I’m grateful that there are a few burst of opportunities that are coming from all directions before Santa arrives. Thanks to the combination of supportive people, I’m remembering that money is created when you focus on all the things that money can’t buy … I love how smart the universe (remembering we are the universe) was when they thought up the concept of irony.
So my day starting with waking up next to the man that I love. Something shifted this weekend and I am grateful for the amount we communicate with each other, in complete honesty. I keeps bringing us closer and money can’t buy the love or the special messages I’m receiving from my friends who can see how our relationship has grown.
I got a Direct Message from Miss Earth SA on Twitter today. I get messages from a whole lot of people, but there was something so humbling and honoured about her praise for my work when she is doing such incredible work herself. Money can’t buy a moment of genuine acknowledgement when the journey has been a long road … I’m so sure Miss Earth SA can relate.
Greggie and I went for our business coaching with @Jax_Inspires and that moment when she said, “something’s different … something’s shifted!” … wow! Something has shifted and I can so feel it, but for someone so dear to me to notice, well money can’t buy the realisation that self reflection and self introspection can have such outward results.
There was some yada yada along the way but money can’t buy the moments when business partners are so insync and don’t need to verbalise much to make sure their business is safe and in good hands … our own!
I had a whopper of a week on Twitter last week and this Tweet goes out without me even know it. I’m in the process of being very conscious that I’m building an online image and persona and money just can’t buy that Tweet that I received at that unexpected moment going … “wow girl … you are an inspiration to us all!”
My plate is full, between the final #FollowSA event of the year, some exciting work for an entrepreneurial school, dashing between last minutes year end meetings and planning the social media strategies with my existing clients (okay so I’m getting money from clients but money still can’t buy the feeling that I’m getting money from clients). Then, through it all, Lifeology is having a charity event in honour of Nkosi Johnson, the little boy who changed the way that our country view and handles aids and orphans. 10 years after his passing, his legacy lives on and when my friends gather around a table and Greggie asks them, “What are you getting out of it?” and the response is … “we are supporting our friend, Jodene!”
Wow!!!
Money can’t but that and I’m so blessed and grateful to the amazing friends, Michele, Jacque and Kim who have opened their heart and given of their time to make this event, where charity and social media collide, a part of their agendas over the next few weeks!
And now I’m taking myself off to a bath with candles, incense, bubbles and the gift I promised myself once a week … time for me … something else that can never have a price tag.
What happened in your day that money just couldn’t buy?
With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour
In 1991 my grandmother passed away in my bed. My mom sat with her as she moved from one lifetime to the next and at that moment my life would never be the same again. After receiving a book on Jewish death and dying, my mom had the first urge to explore the mysteries of life and before long, we were sharing a very powerful journey.
As the spiritual part of my delved into every avenue of questioning and spirituality, my physical life took a back seat, where I’ve never quite managed to have the two worlds collide in harmony. My weight was always a trigger for me, but it’s only been since ‘project me’ and my conscious decision to journal my relationship with my body, that I’ve notice how the weight is only a catalyst to a far greater relationship I am destined to have with myself.
My journey took a dramatic but soul connecting turn when Rory Jean-Jacques partnered with ‘project me’. I’m still drinking his herbal remedy and the cravings aren’t there, but my body is still in turmoil and calling for me to pay attention to a few undiscovered areas of my life. Believe it or not, there seems to be a very arrogant part of me, who just can’t believe that I’m not ‘healed’. I look at the years of self discovery and spiritual work I have done. I look at my journey with Tantra, The Goddess and so many other amazing aspects of spirit, yet I still haven’t met ME.
The connections I have made on Twitter has taught me to take the suggestions of people to meet and so many of them have been life changing. It’s no surprise that the Universe (remembering we are the Universe) would send me the gift of a recommendation from Rory to meet Vanessa A’Wakan.
Vanessa is an internationally trained shamanic mentor and qualified Louise Hay Facilitator. She has been facilitating life-changing workshops in England, Scotland and various cities in South Africa for the past 25 years. Today, Vanessa travels to Hawaii once a year for intensive shamanic training and a retreat on the volcanoes with the Huna shamans. A healer, mentor, teacher and spontaneous channel, Vanessa believes that all beings have an inherent spark of magnificence. She has spent the past 25 years leading others to experience their aspects of self and it with humble blessings that I welcome Vanessa as a partner of my ‘project me’ journey.
This going to be a journey that I will blog about, but the initial meeting was a magical experience that started with something I am all too familiar with … numerology. Amazingly, I still don’t know Vanessa’s formula but her analysis was a story of my life. A perfect tale of the spiritual journey I have been on for so many years, the potential impact I know I can (and will have) on the world, but the constant chaos. The 5 … the number of chaos and they the light side that can be filled with balance and creativity. Hence my overwhelming excitement and anticipation as these sessions unfold with Vanessa.
She gave me an incredible daily exercise to do and I have been waiting to share it with you. Each day, she has asked me to find that one moment in my day where I am conscious of and feel the ‘joy’. A moment of joy can’t be too hard to find, but it’s made me aware of just how unconscious we truly are in a day. How very far from ‘present’ I can be at some times and how far from my purpose I stray in those moments when I’m not wondering ‘will this be my moment of joy?’
I can’t believe how much happiness, faith, courage and passion has filtered into my life in the short week that I have been more awake and conscious just by remembering to find my moment of joy.
My relationship with Pat has been so much more alive and real. My opportunities have opened up so many doors and I am far more clear on my purpose and my career direction. There have been countless moments of gratitude, happiness and faith, that I know I would have missed if I were not learning the technique of staying in the now.
The amazing thing is that I have done countless work that should have given me the gift I am learning through Vanessa, but what is our journey of ‘project me’ if we didn’t remember that timing, soul connection and faith in the process is vital for the tools to resonate and work with us.
On the other side of the coin, there is a part of me that I know every well but still need to understand the reason why, but I’m eating like crazy. I’m eating things that I know I shouldn’t even though there are no cravings. This is just bad choices and it’s always linked to my spiritual journey. So for now, I’m being kind to myself and watching my moments of joy, knowing that the one thing I do have is a great faith in myself and my willingness to see this journey though.
I wish you would join me in finding that one moment in your day that brings you the most joy. Journal it. Blog about it. Tweet it. Share it with someone … and live the life is your project me story.
With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour
I’m one of those who does believe everything happens for a reason, although Greggie does always remind me that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. On the other hand, I always think about the time the cigar will be smoked and know that that occasion or moment is always unique in itself.
So last night was a scorcher and after an awesome night out with my very dear friend @LizaSutherland, we returned home to a blackout. It’s an everyday thing in SA, so I whipped out the blackberry and used the very nifty ‘torch’ application to guide us to bed, in the sweltering heat. The bummer was that we just bought a fan that afternoon and didn’t have the pleasure of indulging in the coolness … so I went to bed without blogging.
I could have asked for a better planned turn of events because, had I blogged yesterday, my story would have been totally different from the one I really want to tell.
I’ve been blessed with incredible people in my life, but one of the fundamental teachings of Lifeology is that everyone needs someone to believe in them. I have that too … a lot of people. But it’s not the quantity that counts. It’s the moment …
It’s the moment with one particular person (in the pool of people who believe in me) that sparks a change and sets the course of a totally new (or just re-ignited) reminder of my purpose and my journey.
Of course I met Liza through Twitter. If it weren’t for meetings like that, I would have been nearly as passionate about #FollowSA. I feel as though we have been friends forever and last night, while my man chatted to her man, we had some times to truly just be and connect.
In all the belief my friend has in me, and all the words of advice, support and praise, it took me a night filled with heat and mozzies to find the realisation in a seemingly normal chat amongst friends.
On Thursday night I spent ages putting together my talks and courses to start promoting to everyone. I was so proud of everything I put to together and boastfully sent them off to someone who asked for them and then to Greggie. I was proud as punch about putting together talks that I know people want. But Pat always says, “I want never gets”. I did the one thing that is so far from ‘project me’ that it’s scares me to know I can slip so far away from myself. I did what I think the world wants and not what I am most passionate about. I climbed into the collective and begged everyone to look at me.
This morning is totally different. I will be sending a mail out to Greggie and the other person I sent info off to and I will be telling them that my new talks will be coming through to them. I will tell them to hold all their horses and wait for my signal to share the real Jodene, the unique Jodene, with the world.
In a nutshell, I put talks together about the ‘hows’ of social media and I forgot that I’m not the ‘how’ girl … I’m the ‘why’ girl! I didn’t even mention FollowSA or Project Me in any of my talk options, but instead, I became the generic of the very things I know people WANT. They will get it… from other sources … and that will be perfect. Because once they have it (and human nature always works this way), they won’t know what to do with it. That’s my calling … that’s my place in the world … That’s my purpose.
What’s yours?
With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour
They say your biggest fears come upon you. They also say that you … okay, it’s not the whole world, but I definitely create chaos when there could very well be calm and peace in my life. It’s not a crazy external chaos where the world looks at me as though I’m falling to a million pieces. It’s the silent kind that I create in my head and that filters through to the rest of my being.
Today has been one of those days where everywhere I look there is hope, success, opportunity and acknowledgment. On Sunday I will share a very special ‘project body’ blog about the journey I am now on with an amazing Soul Whisperer, but in the meantime all I want to focus on is what I am accustom to doing to myself in the good spaces.
I read a Tweet the other day that said the universe was born of chaos, so when things are running smoothly there must be something wrong. I’m beginning to not like everything and hear and the pearls of wisdom from gurus and other super wise people out there.
Tonight I’m going to a gala dinner in honour of Afrika Ubuntu, spreading consciousness and awareness on the 11th of the 11th … 11 … 11 … It’s kinda on the other side of town and since my GPS has proved to me that it likes freaking the shit out of me, I’m a little unnerved about driving home after the silent prayer for Africa at 11pm.
This is where the advice and teachings of the Soul Whisperer step in. All I have to do is focus on the gifts I can see all around me right at this moment. My home, my cats, my mom, #FollowSA flowing with Tweets, quotes out to potential clients and a man that I love and adore … and phoned to tell him I love him. He was in the middle of a photo shoot and I could hear that he knew I was in one of my ‘airy fairy’ states of having to cope with life, but he humoured me and mumbled and ‘I love you’ with people all around him.
The peace came in waves, but was easily distracted by my concerns of not having enough time to service the clients I’m quoting, Not being learned enough to be teaching what I know I’m great at … so I focused on the washing that was blowing in the odd gusts of wind on this sweltering hot day.
Then it happened …
Our new home has a real fairy garden. It’s along the side of the house and is shaded by treees. We plan to turn it into a little sanctuary with a bench and I want to make a fairy village. Pat thinks I’m mad but I know he’ll lovingly help me make it happen.
Because of the shape and the dense trees, the wind gets trapped (I think that’s how it worked because I didn’t listen much in school) and whirls around until it howls at the top of it’s voice.
Now that worked …
That stilled my mind. That hushed my ego and related to my soul.
I have always know that there is something very innocent about me and that my hard exterior (just ask Pat if you haven’t seen it) keeps me super safe from feeling as though I’m being too vulnerable. I believe that whenever we take a look at ourselves, that very things we don’t want to see creep up behind us. That’s why the very innocent part of me gets totally swept away by the miracle of wind and imagines the story it would be telling it.
I admit … with the pride that I took a moment for myself … that I listened to him for ages. I leaned into my office chair, close my eyes and listened for ages. I imagined my fairy garden came to life and slowly designed it in my head. At that moment I had enough time to do all my work and still create the garden. I had enough money to pay all my bills and still buy everything for my garden. I had enough patience to carry me through my day and then potter around my garden. I had enough love to fill me, everyone around me and there was still enough to pour into my magical garden.
I’ve written a children’s book and in it, the passes on very special messages to all the animals of the forest. A friend of mine once said to me that the book had more messages for me than I realise … she is right!
With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour





















