the season of Late Summer....

in Ancient Chinese traditions Late Summer is linked with the element of Earth.
This energy of Earth and the season of Late Summer is one of balance and harmony - the balancing between the Yin and Yang energy,
and the harmonising of the Feminine and Masculine.....

Late Summer is also a great time of Celebration!
Celebration for the harvest, symbolising our gratitude and appreciation
for the gifts bestowed by the Earth. Traditionally this balance occurs between
the first harvest and the last fruiting of the Season!
In the Southern Hemisphere, Late Summer occurs from
the 31st January to 21st - 23rd March which is the Autumn Equinox.
(Late Summer occurs in the Northern Hemisphere from
the 31st July to 21st - 23rd September which is the Autumn Equinox)

This is the time to reap the rewards of our efforts.
To manifest our prosperity as a result of our hard work and productivity
begun in Spring, and followed through during the Summer.
To achieve the success we have worked to attain.

This is the time to Celebrate with Gratitude and Appreciation
all we have strived for, achieved and accomplished.

Colours of Late Summer are....   those that relate to the Sun,
being yellow in all it’s saturation, the lightest orange to burnt amber’s and golden hues.

[ Yellow ] [ Orange ]

Celebrate with Gratitude and Appreciation

However little you may think you have accomplished through Spring and Summer,
Late Summer is a time to Celebrate the very essence and miracle of being alive.

Close your eyes for a minute and imagine a range of mountains with valleys. On the left side of your imagined picture are the small hills and little valleys, and as you move across to the centre of your imagined picture the mountains get higher and the valleys get deeper.

Now, imagine that your mental picture of mountains and valleys, represents the Seasons of Nature. In the valley is Winter and on the slight uphill is Spring, halfway up the summit of the mountain Summer begins, and flows to the top of the mountain across the crest into Late Summer. So no matter how small your mountain, you have journeyed to the crest and it’s time to enjoy the view and celebrate your accomplishments.

Time moves on for everyone!

Life is short, no matter how long you live, and the decisions you make right now will have an impact on you. Your choices right now, active or passive will impact the rest of your life and your life to come. So no matter how much you feel you have failed in your efforts, and how little you think you have achieved in your endeavours to aspire towards success.... Take heart, you have reached the summit of the Seasons, and as the Earth celebrates her bounty in the richness of the Late Summer harvest..... Celebrate the moment and enjoy the gifts that abound by being grateful for your life and appreciating all you have.

If you refuse to give yourself credit for all that’s good in your life, how can you ever expect yourself to create more.... to be motivated to continue striving to reach your dreams... to daily do what you need to do to achieve success?

So celebrate!
Celebrate Who You Are!
Appreciate your life and all you have!
Be grateful for the miracle of your Body, the incredible Mind you have and the awesomeness of your Heart and Spirit!

Because you are Unique and Awesome!
Simply, flipping Amazing!

Late Summer Blooms!

If your Spring was so chaotic.... and your thoughts and schedule just left you confused, and Summer a rush of work, deadlines, appointments, exams and traffic jams.... plus of course the office parties, (traditional Christmas fare) or December overindulgence at all the braai’s, family holidays and partying till midnight with friends.... and who could forget bringing in the New Year (or remember those New Year resolutions ;o) - My Gosh it’s already March, what happened to February?? (or August in the Northern Hemisphere)??

Stop worrying..... let it go and move on!

Anyway, February and March are a much better time for contemplating and reflecting on your resolutions or aspirations, so do something different this year [ Read More ]
Or Get Started another way with our [ One Step At A Time ]

Just Remember!
Some people bloom late. Some very late. And some, very, very late. They all bloom.... eventually, and the longer it takes, the more spectacular it is!

Be Spectacular!
Be a Late Summer Bloom!

I love me, I love me more, I love me morest??

If you remember as a young girl or teenager experiencing your first crush.... then you might remember the uncertainty that comes with this first bloom of new and unique feelings... and you might even have tried that playground tradition with your friends, of pulling petals off a flower one by one to the chant of ‘He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me....?

And if the last flower petal happened to be ‘He loves me not!’ - deciding it was a stupid idea anyway.... Or if the last flower petal was ‘He loves me!’ - how exciting the possibilities could be?.....

The challenge to celebrating who you are and what you have achieved,
is first acknowledgement..... (and we just know how difficult that is to do ;o).
The challenge to loving ourselves, our (entire) Body, our Mind, our Heart and Spirit, is unconditional acceptance..... (Oh wow, Yes indeed! That flabby tummy, those thunder thighs.... that rounded bottom and the overflowing hips)..... Impossible you say!
What about that embarrassing moment (the one you have never told to another soul), the scuffed knee, the lost deal, the mistake you made that cost hundreds to fix, the broken heart and lost dream.... hidden in the deepest recesses of your mind - never to be resolved, acknowledged or simply forgotten and definitely never to be accepted.

You see as long as we fail to celebrate our life (all of our life experiences) and who we are (all of who we are - Body, Mind, Heart and Spirit), as long as we struggle to love ourselves (all of who we are), we can never be grateful or appreciative of our body, and as long as we fail to appreciate our body with gratitude we can never love ourselves, and despite the diets, exercise programs and other extreme type things we might try.... I believe it’s only when we start to love ourselves - the imperfect and the perfect bits, the embarrassing moments and the shining successful times, the sadness, tears and the laughter... When we realise that all of our life - every single moment has had purpose, and that all the bits of our body are a miracle in wholeness - when we are grateful and appreciative of it all, then we can acknowledge and celebrate who and what we are, and only then can we achieve and maintain the body we desire, deserve and have dreamed about!

You do have to take a chance... a chance on YOU!
Just like that first crush when your feelings bloomed for the first time, this too might be a first and unique experience.... You do have to discard the ‘love me NOTs’
- Completely!

So, take a chance!
And even if “I love me, I love me more, I love me morest” is too much of a mouthful for you right now.... Start with what you do like and appreciate about your life, be grateful for the good bits, and build on that. Focus on what makes you enjoy life, what tickles your fancy and makes you laugh. Find what inspires you.

Start with what you are thankful for!
Just say Thank-you!

Celebrate!
Celebrate Who You Are!
Appreciate your life and all you have!
Be grateful for the miracle of your Body, the incredible Mind you have and the awesomeness of your Heart and Spirit!

Late Summer Celebration - An Active Choice!

If you really want to celebrate positively during Late Summer make an active choice and try the following exercise:

1. What are you grateful for?
2. What do you appreciate?
   and
3. What do you love about your body?.... and Why?

The first two questions might be a lot easier than the third question, and during the course of compiling the information for the Late Summer articles, I was really struggling with my chaotic life, my physical body and how I was feeling. Fortunately, I have WhyWeight subscribers, and I asked them to share their feelings and feedback relative to the third question. Their feedback was inspiring and I found I shared a lot of the same feelings and responses, it became much easier for me to acknowledge my own positive feelings and emotions about my body, because of their sharing and caring.

"What do you love most about your body?".... and "Why?"

• My eyes, I think they are a true reflection of my soul - Pat
   
• Hi, Lots of things, my hands, my feet, my breasts, we won't discuss the other side of the coin! Why should we, this is positive Wednesday! As I get older I find it easier and easier to ignore, the other side of the coin.
  Thanks for the Question. Kind Regards, Elizabeth
   
• Hi Mands, To be quite honest the only ‘real thing’ I love on my body are my ankles.  Why you ask? They just happen to be ‘slim’ and they look good in heels. The ‘other bits’ on my body I tend to ignore.  Most of my body parts are going south and I just happen to have the family Thunder Thigh problem so I focus on the tiny but good bit.  I can hide the thighs with a few well-chosen articles, indulge in my weakness, and buy strappy sandals. Problem solved!!! Enjoy Alison
   
• My face: It's beautiful, as I'm often told, and I feel that despite my dissatisfaction with my body's proportion overall, on a 'good day' I'm still able to place my best foot forward. My hands: As boyish as they appear, I love my long fingers and their ability to make accessories dance. Donna
   
• My legs, because they are long and slender and despite my lack of grace they allow me to dance, Mands
   
• I like the fact that if I do lose weight there will be parts of me that can be so much more comfortable in clothes I wear, and will feel better doing activities with my child. - Kathy
   
• What do I love about my body and why? It has to be my feet - I still have them in this life. They put up with the extra weight I burden them with. They ooh and aah and give the game away during reflexology, so no secret is safe with them. They are really appreciative when they are professionally pedicured. 
  To my feet --- both of them. - Janet
   
• What I love about my body - that it is this amazing, complex, fascinating what do you even call it, machine, organism, vehicle, that works incredibly effectively and which animates and embodies my life force and consciousness. What a blessing it is to be an embodied being!
  Love Laina
   
• Actually I am getting to love all of me, even the "wobbly" bits! But my eyes, skin, hair, shoulders, boobs are top of the list, Love Di
   
• For years I concentrated on the 'bad' aspects of my body.  Recently, I've taken up belly dancing and for the first time I'm enjoying my body! To tell the truth, I'm getting pretty comfortable with it! Mariana
   
• I love my body’s shape! Throughout the years it has always been very forgiving. Well, just the other day I realised I was over 20kgs over-weight! Looking at such an incredible amount you would’ve thought I’m a very podgy girl hey?? Huge bum or terrible thighs…. Well, actually I wasn’t! And I’m sure if some of you saw me you would’ve never believed how OVER weight I really was. Yes, I was big, but I’ve always been lucky enough to pick up weight very evenly throughout my body. Yes, it does mean that when I’ve picked up so much I can’t even zip my boots up over my calves but at least I don’t look like a ball and still keep quite a curvy figure. Since my shock shock horror horror – I’ve dropped 12kg again
  – THANK YOU MANDS! (my pleasure, it has been a wonderful, fun and enlightening experience for both of us - Mands ;o) – and I’m now only 7kg over my ideal weight, but yes, I’ve kept my curvy figure…. I just seemed to loose weight as evenly as I pick it up.  So what I love most about my body is its shape!
  Regards, Madeleine

As I read through all your feedback I realised that although each of your answers is unique and different, I actually share the same beliefs with all of you. Pat, I love my eyes too as the do reflect the depth of my soul, and people love to tell me how absolutely expressive I am because of my eyes. Elizabeth I love my hands and feet..... and I am beginning to accept that my breasts are two sizes bigger than they ever were before.... and like you I would rather focus on the front side *Grin*. Yip.... Alison my ankles are trim and slim... and I also have a shoe fetish *Giggle*...

Most people tell me I have a beautiful face and an awesome smile.... to often I have disregarded their compliments because of my own insecurities, until recently I decided to explore the possibility, so thank-you Donna! Janet, how we abuse our feet by the long hours we spend standing, walking, running.... bare feet, in slops, shoes, takkies and heels and how well they respond to just a little TLC... and always take us where we need to go! Laina, Di and Madeleine our body's are an amazing miracle that allow us to experience all of life despite what they look like, how much we weigh or what our size and shape are..... We can smell the scent of a flower, touch it's velvet petals and feel the breeze on our face. We can taste the delicious fruit of Summer and enjoy the sunset at a braai. We can cuddle our children and hug our family. We can read our emails and share the inspiring and funny ones with our friends. Mariana I decided to start Karate again, something I did for many years as a teenager and have once again discovered how much more comfortable I am in my body and with growing confidence in the way I move and express myself my weight eased off and has been stable for nearly a year... and more importantly I am down two sizes and I am firming up and trimming down *Grin*.

When I first asked the question "What do you love most about your body?".... and "Why?" my answer was simple, and my list short!
"My legs, because they are long and slender and despite my lack of grace they allow me to dance," And I do love to dance!

After reading through your feedback I realised how much more I loved about my body and even though I started saying thank you to my body and making a concerted effort to be grateful for all it provides.... there is a lot more to be thankful for!

So here is the challenge:

Focus on "What you love most about your body?".... and "Why?" ....Read through the list of feedback to get ideas on how you can increase your list of what you love about your body, and for just one week do the following:

1. Spend one week saying only kind, caring things to yourself. 
2. Focus on what you love about your body, and why!
3. Say thank-you at least ten times an hour -- direct five toward yourself and five to the world at large. (Say thank-you to the WhyWeight subscribers for sharing of themselves - Pat, Elizabeth, Alison, Donna, Kathy, Janet, Laina, Di, Mariana, and Madeleine. If you feel uncomfortable at first following this idea.... remember that there will be others doing the same!).
4. Compliment yourself (and others) each time an effort is made. 
5. Compliment your body and thank your body for what it does and allows you to experience.
6. Notice all the wonderful qualities and characteristics about yourself and those around you.
7. Remember what inspires you and Be Inspired!
   Remember what makes you laugh and Laugh often!

One week.
You will never go back.

(Set your alarm as a reminder, or make a reminder on your cellphone. Email yourself everyday with just the word 'Thank-you'! Make notes and stick them up - In the car, on the fridge, next to your bed, in your handbag, in your purse, on your desk.)

Just one week!

I guarantee you will feel better about yourself and more comfortable in your own skin.
I promise you your weight will decrease and your confidence will increase.
I know that you will love your body more and it will respond by trimming down in size and firming up in shape.

Prove me wrong I dare you!
Prove me right by sharing what you experience! *Grin*

Thank you to all of those who emailed a response to the questions I asked.
Thanks Pat, Elizabeth, Alison, Donna, Kathy, Janet, Laina, Di, Mariana, and Madeleine for your feedback and participation.

I look forward to hearing from you.
Love and Laughter to you and yours!
Mands

Email: [ mands ]with the subject line
“What I Love about my Body? and Why?”

To really be active in how you Celebrate your experience, expand the exercise by writing your answers to the question “What I Love about my Body? and Why?” on a bright yellow piece of paper or card. Add pictures to make it visually stimulating and vibrant, keep it in a place where it will remind you what you love about your body, add to it when something new happens. I loved the feedback I received from the WhyWeight subscribers so much, I made a graphic for the website to always remind me and you, “What I love about my Body!”.

Ask The Right Questions!

Life for us all, is sometimes confusing and chaotic.... and we struggle with the answers to the questions we have? I realised that I was confused and struggling with my life, because I was asking myself the ‘Wrong’ questions, rather than that I had no answers!

It was a simple perspective shift that enabled me to go from feeling confused and struggling with my life, to being serene and feeling joy within and excited about what was happening in my life - despite the chaos and the struggle to get things done!

I literally went from feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope, to feeling like there was purpose and magic to what was happening, I felt the opportunities to grow and expand my perspective and outlook. I now know in retrospect that I was trying to “DO” to much and as a result was accomplishing very little - so I stopped and just enjoyed the moment.

I had been asking myself “Why I felt no inspiration to write?” and “Why, I was so uninspired and had no new creative ideas?” - there were no answers to these questions, and the more I struggled with the questions, the less inspired I felt and the more elusive the answers seemed to be.

Then, in a moment of stillness I just changed the questions to:

“What Inspires me?”
- I had so many answers I spent an hour just allowing them to fill me, it was a profound memory I will always treasure!

I had been asking myself “Why, I was so unhappy?” and “Why, I had stopped laughing?” - in essence my work was coming together in such an awesome way, my husband and I who have always been close, happy and in love - are experiencing new depths to our relationship, my children are doing well at school and are happy and well adjusted, and despite my job being very challenging, pressurised and stressful, I have huge support from my family that allows me to cope....... so again in a moment of inspiration I realised I had been asking the ‘Wrong’ questions and so changed my focus and attention by simply changing the questions to:

“What makes me happy?”
“What makes me laugh?”

The answers filled me with so much joy and happiness and the very idea had me laughing out loud. I was fulfilled with a profound gratitude and appreciation for all I have and enjoy, that the little things that were making me unhappy simply no longer applied.

It was a very uplifting and empowering experience!....
and I still smile each time I think about it!

With this new insight, whenever I start doubting and feeling the slightest bit negative, I take a minute to focus and give attention to the ‘Questions’ I have, and usually discover that I am asking the ‘Wrong’ questions - or asking them in a negative way, (or with a negative perspective) - then I realise I have a choice to change the questions I have to a more positive perspective, with magical results!

Here are some ideas you can play with:

• The ‘Wrong’ questions: Why do I dislike (hate) my body (legs, arms, tummy, thighs etc.). What would I like to change about my body?
  - The Right Question: What do I love about my body and Why?
   
• The ‘Wrong’ question: Why am I unhappy?
  - The Right Question: What makes me happy? When am I the happiest? What makes me laugh?
   
• The ‘Wrong’ questions: Why am I so stupid? Why did I make such a stupid mistake?
  - The Right Questions: What are my strengths? What am I good at?
   
• The ‘Wrong’ questions: Why can’t I get anything done? Why do I always procrastinate? Why do I always fail?
  - The Right Questions: What have I achieved so far? What have I done today? What have I accomplished this week, month, season, year?
   
• The ‘Wrong’ questions: Why am I so afraid? Why am I so weak?
  - The Right Question: What courageous things have I done in my life?

You might discover you struggle a little with the last question: “What courageous things have I done in my life?” - Ask your partner, children, parents, relatives, friends, colleagues, and you will probably discover how much courage you have and the courageous things you have done even if you have to see it through someone else’s eyes! Just asking another person that question about yourself will be a bold and courageous step!

I was having so much fun asking the ‘Right” questions, and finding the experience so profound and empowering, once more I decided to ask the WhyWeight subscribers for their feedback and feelings on two other questions...

What inspires you?.... and Why?
What makes you laugh?.... and Why?

The response was amazing, inspiring and filled my inbox and my office with laughter!

In Celebration, Gratitude and Appreciation for all who share with me, you inspire me by reading this and continue to inspire me with all the emails you send.

Love and Laughter to You and Yours
Mands

Email: [ mands ]
PS. The graphics below are large, so please be patient while they load.

Autumn Equinox
I decided to celebrate the Autumn Equinox by going out and exploring nature with one of my friends and my daughter. We took a trip up the coast, driving from Gordon’s Bay (Western Cape) to Betty’s Bay along the coast line. We stopped for brunch mid-morning and continued up the coast to Kleinmond, where we explored all the tourist shops and bought locally made products. It was fun to get out of town and do something different, laughing, having fun and enjoying the moment. It was staggering to see the black mountainsides (just beyond Rooiels) that had been ravaged by fire just a few months before, where even the trees were completely blackened, charred without the slightest sign of life. Although houses remained, they stood isolated in circles of black, scorched earth. Later in the day we visited the penguin sanctuary at Stony point and spent an hour, amidst the very cold, blustery wind watching the antics of the very entertaining African Penguins (formerly called Jackass Penguins). After a day out and about, and an early night sleeps, I spent the following day, reflecting on my life during this special time of Autumn Equinox. [ Read More ]

"What inspires you?".... and "Why?"

(Additional Feedback in plain Text)

• Lots of things but here are a few... Faces:  They tell their own story without speaking. You can see what is and what was.  You can see the present and the past with a hint of the future. You can see the spirit guides drawing nearer or waiting patiently. It is a "real-time canvas". Angel cards:  The messages encourage, uplift and confirm as well as give an element of fun to the day. Oprah Winfrey: Many an Ah-Moment has occurred whilst watching the Oprah Show.. Having the pleasure of proving my critics wrong especially when it comes to limitations set on me by them. To your very best, and mine as well... Love and laughter Janet
   
• Oprah Winfrey - her generous heart and spirit, her way of touching and inspiring people to make the best of themselves. And as I grow older, life, and Spirit, inspires me too. Each day is new, a gift, untarnished, for me to take and make what I can of it. And every day I look for a miracle and somehow I always find it. Love Di
   
• Spirit, nature, music, dance, people, especially people who love me, sunshine, kindness. - Laina
   
• Good music and positive books inspire me. They stir good feelings of joy, love and hope. I know that life is a journey, so these too help me enjoy the journey and realize that there is more to life than challenges. - Dudu
   
• My family inspires me. My husband of 4 yrs. is naturally driven to progressively move forward and does not believe in procrastination.  He's not only extremely supportive of me, our family, and our endeavours, but always has a positive outlook on life. Before meeting him, I was generally the opposite.  A horrendous procrastinator who exudes stress, stress, stress.  However, his positive influence has affected my outlook on life's situations, and I now am able to see the glass as being 'half full'. My two lovely children also inspire me.  My son who's soon to be 4, has a brilliant spark that shines so bright within him, that people can't help but notice and love him. His thirst for knowledge, achievement, and a strong desire to make his parents proud are traits that I love most about him.  My daughter who's 3 months old is the most beautiful little girl on the planet, and I see the same spark illuminating in her as well. My family inspires me to greatness.  It is because of them that I am honoured to be alive. - Donna
   
• Well what inspires me is the realisation that with passion and a bit of fun and relaxation anything is possible. Hope you are keeping well.  Great to hear from you again. In Love and Light Col
   
• Wow! My smile, it is so warm and honest. And I’m very generous with it. - Sonto
   
• My friends and family especially those that have managed to face life head on and deal with, and put problems behind them. I have a degree which at the moment only about 6 friends and family members are holders. Some have dealt with illness and some with emotional problems (e.g. divorce) but when we have reached a ‘new lifestyle’ on the other side I have deferred upon them the degree of TC (Tough Cookie). - Pat
   
• Hi Mands, The thing that inspires me is love, the love of my good man, my beautiful daughters, my sister, my good friends, my adorable dogs and cats, who needs anything else. Kind Regards, Elizabeth
   
• My strong connection to the universe inspires me….talking and connecting to the angels….angel cards….angel numbers….feeling that I’m never alone and can do anything I set my heart to do. My man inspires me – he never lets me lay low for too long. He sees someone so great in me that I sometimes think he is delusional ;o) but he never fails to tell me how proud he is of me or shows me how much other people look up to me. He allows me to dream and always encourages me to dream big!! And then you…..you have inspired me so much over the last few years! With your stories, the exercises, the encouraging emails and quirky questions that make you think ;o) – you inspire me to know me! Thank you for that!!! Regards, Madeleine

Each of YOU inspire me, Thank-you! Mands

If you would like to contribute your answers and share your feedback, please email:
[ mands ] with the subject line ‘Inspires’

"What makes you laugh?".... and "Why?"

• The sound of my son, laughing until his "insides fall out" or "like a drain" as he so aptly puts it; (unabashed full throated belly laughs) - the thought of my husband or my kids even attempting to tickle me - am incredibly ticklish; the thought of trying to put on a leotard; my daughter explaining to the dogs that they cannot sleep in her bed (cot) cos her dolls are in there..... Bevskins
   
• Watching my dogs or cats playing - they are just like children and find endless ways to amuse themselves. People who sweat the small stuff - such a waste of time and energy. Billy Connolly, Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean), Bill Cosby, Billy Crystal, Barry Hilton - I love good comedians!!!
  Anyone who has a wonderful belly laugh makes me laugh!
  Spirit makes me laugh out loud when I receive messages/confirmations when I least expect them. Love Di
   
• Hello Mands, what a great question! In fact +3 years went by without having a good laugh, and one day I asked myself, “girl when last did you have a good laugh?” That brought me back to consciousness, to the realisation that I was losing myself, practically. When I started laughing again, my 5 year old daughter (who inspires me everyday) said, “mom, you like laughing a lot, especially you and grandma!” I said, “Baby laughing is beautiful and healthy.” I have friends who’d call me wanting to hear my laugh because they say it is so natural and hearty that it seems I make no effort to do it. So in a nutshell I laugh at everything, I laugh at myself, and I laugh at life. Life’s good with laughter………Laughter energizes me. (I remember in high school I used to get punished for laughing a lot!) Sad hey? Dudu
   
• My beautiful man always makes me laugh…. He has a knack of making me feel better when I’m at my worst! My own mishaps make me laugh….. sometimes not at the time, but I tend to always find a way of giggling at my own insecurities or mishaps. You know what else….my delegates! (You remember that I train for a living) I seem to have an opportunity to laugh every day as a delegate brings a quirky comment or shares a funny example. I suddenly realize how an absolutely precious thing that is!!!!! Regards, Madeleine

Thank-you! All of you.
Mands

If you would like to contribute your answers and share your feedback, please email:
[ mands ] with the subject line ‘Laugh’.

Feedback

Hi Mands
Thanks for the effort you have made and will continue to do.
It is people like you with a positive attitude that make all the difference to those who are negative. And I am sure that you have touched so many people hearts with this exercise that you have done as well as change peoples mind-sets.

WELL DONE KEEP UP THE GOOD POSITIVE WORK.
Kind Regards
Cecilia