A question that pops up for me frequently is – am I still doing what I am doing for the right reasons?

The reasons that were so profound to me at the beginning and started the internal fire that we often call passion...

Passion – a desire so strong it drives beliefs, decisions and finally actions. Passion also has a price – for a lot of people, it is pretty high. It often means to be driven, vocal, to push through boundaries, to be unpopular, and sometimes to be controversial. Passion can be quiet or a roar, but regardless, it is the reason.

Why discuss passion this month? - below are some examples of what I see as passion.

The first person to bring my attention to this word 'should' was Louise Hay. Some of you reading this will know who she is and her fabulous company. Hay House produces books, audio books and seminars and runs events all over the world on self empowerment. I remember listening to an audio book by Louise in which she talked about the magnitude of the disempowerment that the word 'should' had on an individual. Since then, I have been quite sensitive to it and another word 'can't', which also sounds like another obscene word with very similar letters.

What do these words mean to me?

This month’s blog goes out to all the instructors who have ‘been around’ for a while.

At a recent Gymstick H2O workshop, I had an opportunity to reminisce about the good old days of group exercise instruction. That was when it was called Aerobics. Dawn, and instructor of over 30 years and I had a little giggle and chat about how ‘it used to be’ and since then, I have had flashbacks of how much the group fitness industry has changed. Here are my top 5 changes, some of them I am glad it has and others I miss dearly.

1.       Ok, we have to start with the obvious – Lycra!! I started when the full bottom leotard was fashionable, that became the French cut and then the G-string. I loved these outfits so much that I had them especially made and had hundreds of pieces. They were multi coloured, velvet with the amazing cut outs and bits of lycra strips to hold everything together. I still have 2 outfits for those dress up classes and surprising always find them comfortable – miss this one (I know, embarrassing, but true).

Very shortly after we are born there are a lot of 'firsts'.
Our first big breath, our first cry, our first feed. Then it is our first smile (genuine), first step and our first word. We actually have hundreds and thousands of first experiences in our tender years. Then there is our first friend, our first exam, our first kiss, our first car, our first job. By the time we hit our 30's those firsts really start slowing down. A lot of the experiences that we encounter become variations and in fact, when we have a 'first' experience, it is usually more challenging to deal with.
I am now in my 40's and recently experienced a 'first' which has really challenged me... in a good way. I am a beginner again and what am I beginner in?