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Daily Motivation – Week Two

Day 8

Feeling Lucky.

 

Javea Fires 2016

 

It has been a very stressful few days for on Sunday night my parents were evacuated from their home in Javea, Spain, without being allowed back for any belongings, when they found themselves in the epicentre of a huge forest fire.

Last night they went back home after spending three nights at friends and their house, amazingly, has been untouched by the flames. I have no idea how this miracle happened as the seaplanes cannot fly at night and the fire ravaged the area for nearly 24 hours. There are five houses in their road, they are the second in, and the last one in the row closest to the mountain burnt down; that is how close they were to losing everything. You may have seen the shocking pictures in the media.

I am grateful for so many things today.

  • Grateful that my parents’ home is still standing.
  • Grateful for a Facebook group (link below) which has provided such detailed information all through the day and night about what has been going on on the ground minute by minute. Run by volunteers and with literally hundreds of posts per minute this team has been AMAZING in coping with the situation.
  • Grateful for FACEBOOK, who connects us wherever we are in the world, what an amazing time to be living in.
  • Grateful for the firefighters and pilots who have worked around the clock to keep so many people safe, and who have fought so hard to keep properties safe. The clip was filmed yesterday in Javea; the planes were filling up from the sea and helicopters from villa pools; experts in action. Click the image above to watch
  • Grateful that, unbelievably, nobody has been killed or injured in this tragedy.
  • And finally I am grateful for humanity; how in times of adversity we pull together as a human race and HELP EACH OTHER. Why though can we not do this all of the time? Why does it have to take a catastrophe for us to see each other at soul level?

Gaining Perspective.

We are all the same; looking for love, peace, acceptance and balance. What if we could pull together like this without the drama, without the calamity, without the loss?

At the moment it takes a disaster for humans to unite, but I see and have begun to live in a world where everything is based upon CONNECTION. We are all one, and we can speed up our planets awakening by being:

  • More LOVING to ourselves
  • Bring more PEACE into our own own lives
  • ACCEPT ourselves for who we are; you are perfect right now
  • Bring BALANCE into everyday of your life

Be the change people and lets make the outpouring of connection that I have witnessed, from afar through a Facebook group, NORMAL in our day-to-day living.

Sending so much love to everyone that has been affected by this tragedy xxxx

https://www.facebook.com/groups/costa.blance.fire.weather.watch/

Day 9

09/09/09

 

The Worst And Best Day Of My Life

 

A date I will never forget.
An end
A beginning
The best day of my life
The worst day of my life
And a whole load of wine.

I was in a super bad place seven years ago; drinking most nights, hungover whilst teaching yoga and meditation, stressed about being seen drunk by my students, dreading drunk photos of me popping up on social media, not remembering what I’d said/done the night before and addicted to not just alcohol but also over the counter pain medication (codeine).

I couldn’t pick up the phone for the debt companies train their staff to not get off the phone until some money has been paid, and there was not enough to even feed me. I was lucky because I had a secure roof over my head as I was living in my parents flat in Hertfordshire (they have lived mainly in Spain for the last 20 years), but there was nothing else guaranteed. I was surviving on fish finger sandwiches (have you noticed how cheap crap food is?) and red wine.

I didn’t really know quite how bad it was until I innocently walked into my accountants office on another matter and he sat me down and advised me that bankruptcy was actually my only option….

The following is taken from my first book ‘If You Could Have Anything…What Would It Be?’, published by Influence Publishing 2012. Click here for more information.

Chapter Five: Creating A Space For Yourself Away From The Madness

The end of the financial year was fast approaching, and Meg had been putting off making an appointment with her accountant. Not only was she dreading facing the actual losses that her company had acquired, but she didn’t even know how she was going to pay her accountant. She knew it was a mess but it was much easier to pretend it wasn’t happening.
As the deadline got closer Meg had absolutely no choice but to pluck up the courage to make the appointment, which was scheduled for later in the week. Meg took along all her paperwork (she was very good at keeping everything organised) and with a heavy heart sat opposite her accountant Neil.
“Meg it’s good to see you” he said
“Yes good to see you too Neil, but I’m afraid things have got much worse since the last time we spoke.” Meg was surprised how good it actually felt to be honest about her finances, rather than the customary “yes everything is great” nonsense that she would say to people in passing, if they asked.
“I had feared that would be the case Meg and I’m really sorry to hear confirmation of what I suspected” Neil continued “Let’s have a look at your profit and loss spreadsheet and why don’t you run through what’s going on.”
The two of them sat for around half an hour breaking down all the figures when Neil suddenly said something that stunned Meg.
“I think you should go bankrupt Meg”
The words hung in the air for what seemed like 10 minutes before Meg finally replied
“You are joking”
“No Meg you have got over £30,000 of debt through this business with no way of paying it back, and you have no assets. It is my advice that this is by far the best course of action for you.”
They discussed bankruptcy further, with Neil providing some information about the government debt helpline for Meg to take home with her.

One of Meg’s friends worked close by and she found herself gravitating towards his shop laden with this heavy information.
“Bankruptcy!” Jon said
“I know it’s insane isn’t it” she replied
“It’s very drastic” Jon stated
“I have a lot to think about and he’s given me a website to look up, so I’m going home now to do that.” Meg said her goodbyes and as she walked home she felt like she was floating above the ground, and everything around her seemed out of focus. She could not believe what she had just heard, bankruptcy, really? It was crazy.
When she got home she looked up the information Neil had given her and started to learn about bankruptcy. After she had slept on the idea, Meg was ready to call the helpline and get even more details about this course of action.
Once Meg had given Christine the breakdown of her debts, Christine told meg
“You are the ideal candidate for bankruptcy. You do not own property, a car, have any assets at all in fact. What this means is that you make a very clean break and do not have to pay any of the £30K+ debt back.”
Christine had been more than helpful.If You Could Have Anything

How do you tell your parents you are about to go bankrupt?

Meg was slowly coming around to the idea that this was in fact the right thing to do and somehow had to break the news to her parents. Everyone wants their parents to be proud of their achievements, so telling them that your business has failed and you have over 30 grand of debt is hard. Meg knew this was going to be a tough phone call because her Dad’s best friend was a retired accountant! As soon as she said the words and ‘bankruptcy’ hung inside the phone line somewhere between them, her Dad said……..

You can buy the paperback here, and kindle version here.

Enjoy!

In the lead up to the court case I was in pieces; unable to concentrate, unable to see my future clearly, unable to smile. Ironically 09/09/09 fell on a Wednesday and I still taught my Tuesday evening meditation class the night before and I remember feeling sick, feeling like a fraud for being a failure and knowing that as soon as I said goodbye to my students I was going to be purchasing wine and getting very drunk.

I arrived at the court for my 9am appointment hungover and feeling ill.
There were six of us declaring bankruptcy that day with varying stories, but to be honest I don’t really remember much of it. All I could think about was getting home and having a drink to soothe away the disappointment in myself, yet paradoxically I was also beginning to feel a magical feeling of freedom creeping back which I hadn’t felt in a very long time.

A heavy weight that had been overwhelming me for a long time had been lifted and I walked out of that court room a different person to who walked in. But I still went home and drank, and would do so for a further three years. However my life had just taken a dramatic turn which would mark the beginning of a new page, where I would harness my innate power without the shackle of debt and begin to live my life from a place of conscious creation.

Now seven years later when I look back on this period of my life and how I thought alcohol was supporting me I can see that it was taking even more away from an already desperate situation. I now deal with the stresses of life in such a different way! And in the recent drama of my parents getting caught up in the Spanish forest fires,

I DIDN’T EVEN THINK ABOUT HAVING A DRINK

It didn’t cross my mind.
It’s gone.
My support now is meditation;
A simple swap from something that was killing me to an activity that calms and expands me.
You can have that and it’s what I share on my programmes: how to get and then continue on the journey to freedom

Day 10

The Question.

 

 

I got asked the question (“What is the Quantum in QS?”) over in the private forum a few days ago and thought mine, and some of the other members’ responses may interest you:

JO:
Particles act differently when there is someone watching, which ultimately means that WE affect energy.

This means that life doesn’t just happen TO us, rather it happens BECAUSE of us.

As I write this I am sitting on a packed train; there are at least 100 people just on my carriage. And we are ALL having a different experience:

– Some are sleeping
– Some are watching movies on their devices
– Most are on their phones!
– A few are looking out of the window
– A lot are reading the Evening Standard
– Quite a few like me are on laptops
– And the girl opposite me has bitten all the skin around every single finger whilst I’ve been writing

We are ALL experiencing this space in a different way, and the reason it’s different is WHAT WE ARE THINKING AND BELIEVING.

We can ONLY experience what we believe.
So you cannot experience freedom in sobriety if you don’t believe it exists. Someone couldn’t win an olympic gold if they didn’t think they were capable of it; and most don’t even attempt it because it’s too far out of reach.

We are taught that to stop drinking excessively is difficult and we will struggle, so if we believe this then that HAS to be your experience. What QS is doing is explaining the science behind freedom in sobriety so that you can believe it and then create it for yourself.

There was something in me that knew I could experience freedom even though no one around me was giving me the permission that I am giving you now. As a bit of a stubborn cow and rebel (I got married in black!) I was determined to achieve what everyone told me was impossible: freedom in sobriety. And now it’s your turn, to have the evidence right here in me and to take this knowledge and BELIEVE yourself.

YOU are the creator of your experience, no one else.
YOU decide if this journey is hard or not.
If you believe that is has to be then it will be.
But, if you DARE to go against what society says you can walk this path with me of ease and grace, and the amazing thing is that SCIENCE BACKS THIS UP!

So if particles will only act as you direct them to, this means we are building our reality and RIGHT NOW is the time to begin to create EXACTLY what you want to experience.
How frigging cool is that?!”

SOPHIE:
“…essentially appyiing quantum theory to the meaning of life. Quantum theory being the theoretical basis of modern physics that explains the nature and behavior of matter and energy on the atomic and subatomic level (which is mindblowing!!). So to me what it’s all about is seeking to understand the nature of self, that we are all one (made of the same atomic building blocks), we are all part of the same thing, that everything is possible, reality is what we believe it to be, that connection is the essence of who we are. Quantum sobriety is the quantimization of sobriety. That’s my take.”

VICTORIA:
“Quantum Theory being all about how things are made and the mystery of how something can appear and reappear is like changing our energetic structure to rebuild ourselves.. The atoms which compose us ARE made mostly of space and so reassembling ourselves is easier than some may have you believe… Thats how I see it”

The level of support member to member is phenomenal; I’ve had an uber busy week and didn’t get in to the forum to answer the question for a few days but you can see that Sophie’s and Victoria’s answers were spot on and the member that asked was more than happy.

Does it make sense to you?

Day 11

How’s Your Head?

 

SMUG

 

So it’s Sunday morning and I’m sending this out to you before 7am having got up as I do everyday at 5:30am. I’m sober, I’m full of energy, I can’t wait to get my day started.
But I can assure you that it hasn’t always been a bright eyed and bushy tailed Jo first thing on a Sunday morning.

Sundays were my nemesis up until the age of 40 which is when I saw my very first sober one, and I have to tell you that it was weird. Add to the fact that I’ve not had children and therefore not experienced the abstinence time of pregnancy = I had never seen this hour before!

Now I love it.
This weekend we have a houseful of those on retreat, and I am the only one up. It’s quiet inside the house as I watch and listen to the dawn chorus playing outside; like the performance is just for me. I feel so grateful that I am witness to this every morning; this sacred time that only a few choose to experience.

Long gone are the days of hanging all day, of headaches and binge eating to compensate for the abuse that occurred the night before; all in the name of ‘fun’. I’ve said goodbye for good to that world in favour of a heightening of my senses and an opening to all that the natural world offers. Why on earth did I deny this for so many years?

So yes today I am SMUG
Every Sunday too
It is the day that I get to revel in my sobriety success, for the shift is brimming; my new life overflowing with joy, pride, and a feeling that thank god I opened my eyes and my heart in time to witness this beautiful morning…..

Day 12

Monday Already?

 

Monday Morning Blues

 

I spent twelve years commuting into central London to the same building everyday, so I know what it’s like to be in the ‘rat-race’. Up at 6am, leave the house at 6.45am, start work at 8am, finish at 6pm, home at 7.30pm, cook dinner, get stoned, have an argument with my then boyfriend, go to bed, up at 6am, leave the house at 6.45am and the whole thing would start again like clockwork.

No wonder I needed to escape at the weekend

I needed a release from the depressing routine of not just mediocrity but ultimately from a life that was slowly killing me; a job that wore me down; a relationship that was unhealthy on every level; and BECAUSE of these two main factors, the drink and drugs that came at the weekend to relieve the dissatisfaction that was coursing through my veins.

I was numbing out on a grand scale; obliterating my mundane reality and taking myself for a few hours to a place where I felt free, at ease and happy. On drugs me and my then partner even liked each other, on drugs there were no problems and I took more and more so that this sense of contentment could last.

But Monday morning always came,
and with it my colourless existence returned

Up at 6am, leave the house at 6.45am, start work at 8am, finish at 6pm, home at 7.30pm, cook dinner, get stoned, have an argument with my then boyfriend, go to bed, up at 6am, leave the house at 6.45am etc…..

Looking back 20 years I can see it wasn’t the drugs that were the problem, it was the job and the relationship; they were the wounds that created the desire to numb out. So change them and I would be well on the way to reinventing myself, which is exactly what I did.

I left the job in April 2000
I left the relationship in 2002
The journey to freedom had begun…..

I then entered a period of my life where I changed a lot of my external situations; moved to Thailand, broke off the engagement to above boyfriend, started working for myself etc.., and immediately discontent lifted and I became happier. The true work had begun and I started to also do the inner work; yoga and meditation which connected me to my essence, my true nature, to source.

And then once you are living from this place it doesn’t matter what day you wake up for there are never any blues…

I love the fact that today is Monday

It means that a new group of people are arriving at the retreat centre.
I love Mondays in the exact same way as Sundays or Thursdays and you will NEVER hear me say ‘thank god it’s Friday‘, for if you are wishing your life away for the weekend you are not living, you are just surviving, and that is not a place I want to be ever again.

So QS is my roadmap to this place of freedom in my heart that YOU can find too. We are ALL meant to live from here; to enjoy every single day of this amazing life, not just the weekends, and I want to show you how to do that. So are you ready to give up the Monday morning blues forever?

 

Day 13

The Complete Contradiction Of Alcohol.

 

I had an email from someone who receives this Daily Motivation blog over the weekend and he sent me a quote which I’d like to share with you, author unknown.
It captures exactly how I feel about alcohol and also what I have witnessed in both myself and others. We began our monthly five day residential QS retreat yesterday and it is exactly the following that we will be tackling today; to remove the conditioning around our addiction to a poison….

Memories Of Alcohol

“I drank for happiness and became unhappy.
I drank for joy and became miserable.
I drank for sociability and became argumentative.
I drank for sophistication and became obnoxious.
I drank for friendship and made enemies.
I drank for sleep and wok up tired.
I drink for strength and felt weak.
I drank for relaxation and got the shakes.
I drank for courage and became afraid.
I drank for confidence and became doubtful.
I drank to make conversation easier and slurred my speech.
I drank to feel heavenly and ended up feeling like hell.”

We Are Conditioned To Think Like This!

It’s no wonder we are playing out these stories because in every card shop, at every wedding, on each birthday there is a societal expectation to celebrate with a drink; to commiserate with a drink (how can one substance have the opposite effect?). How can it give us energy so that we are the life and soul of the party AND relax us?

We Are Being Told A Lie!

It cannot do both of these things. We are being lied to, just like the cigarette companies did a few decades ago and look how the world has now opened up to that now. We are now witnessing the same awakening around sugar; at last we are hearing the truth more and more; sugar kills and makes you fat.

Next it will be alcohol.
Eyes wide open to the fact that it KILLS and takes away.
It gives you NOTHING in return yet promises to give you much.
Which fabricated story are YOU running?

  • It relaxes me
  • It gives me confidence
  • It helps me to sleep
  • It keeps me awake
  • I can’t have fun without it

Now take away the story and believe what I am about to say:

YOU ARE ENOUGH WITHOUT IT

I’ll talk more on this tomorrow….

Day 14

You Are Enough Already

 

You Are Enough

 

We are at the mid-point of this months residential retreat and once again this pattern is coming up; a feeling of not being enough. And whether it’s something that we’ve picked up on from our parents, our friends, the media or our partner it is like we become glued to the past. Stuck to an old pattern unwilling to move forwards and evolve, this belief will quite literally hold you back from not just sobriety but success in all areas of your life.

It is the one element that I see time and time again and it quite literally is like a lead weight around your feet in the middle of the ocean: you are not going to get anywhere.

So the answer is to reach down and cut away the cords that are attached to the load holding you down, so that you can set yourself free and create the life of your dreams; that is what we will be doing today on retreat. We’ve gone back and got the ‘why’, and for the rest of the week we’ll be creating the ‘what now’ but right now today it’s about switching things up and making the decision that whatever happened to you in the past, whether that be loss, abuse or simply the arrival of a younger sibling which completely changed the equilibrium of your world, is no longer going to define you.

Right now you can do that.
Make the decision.
Choose a different reality.
Make today different.

The day you realise that you are as worthy as me or anyone else.
The day you understand that WE ALL have a backpack of baggage we carry around which holds us under the surface; never to truly live our potential.
The day you take off the burden and realise that it no longer has to be your story; that in fact you can rewrite the script anytime you want:

Right now you can do that.
Make the decision.
Choose a different reality.
Make today different.

What are you waiting for?
Why are you living in the past?
Why not come and join me in the world of unlimited potential, a life that is literally WAITING for you to shift your mindset so that you can live your dreams.
Success, sobriety, love: abundance in all categories; all waiting for you to collect, believe and live.
Make TODAY that day….

Quote’s Of The Week

In this section you will read something that has been said by one of the Quantum Sobriety Online Programme members over on the very lively private forum:

 

“I’m grateful that I’m back on the road to freedom, grateful for this beautiful day and the love of my family and friends, grateful to be part of this amazing group. Love, peace and potentiality”

Karen, Online Course Member, UK

 

“I tip my hat of to anyone that writes a book. I’ve just finished yours. Fantastic read at the right time for me. So poignant to me and as I told you this morning has inspired me to do something special. Thank you. I recommend this read.”

J, Online Course Member, UK

 

“I am 200 days sober on this beautiful morning thanks to first myself through choice, then to Quantum Sobriety by going on the retreat and then to this forum for its understanding of pain and pleasure. You see what you believe.”

T, Online Course Member, UK

 

“From my heart now it all seems so obvious. I now feel connected to everything and it feels brilliant….I’m grateful to Jo and QS for provding me with the tools to stop drinking and running away from it all and to re-ignite my inner flame of enthusiasm and passion for the nature of knowledge, reality and existence”

Sophie, Online Course Member, UK

 

“5 months sober today. To anyone who is struggling… keep meditating and believe in yourself. You CAN do it and it WILL get easier, lots of love. This side of life is so much better”

Dara, Online Course Member, UK

 

“Just love reading all your posts and the amazing results you have. I am saving up to go on a retreat which I know will be lovely. I gain so much from you all and want to say thank you! Being here makes me feel I have friends that understand.”

Barbara, Online Course Member, UK

 

“Nearly had a full on meltdown this evening…..Anyway very suddenly I just calmed and thoughts to ease me came flooding into my mind, because I have got used to feeling good and letting go much easier of stress and it is absolutely so much easier without alcohol. This would have been a huge trigger for a midweek glass of wine or 3. No more. I get it totally, it absolutely does not help stress. It numbs and makes it harder to deal with.”

J, Online Course Member, UK

 

 

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