Personal Growth Princess » Inspiration

Princess Ring…a royal gift from Alicia Smith [video]

Nina East — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:50:19 +0000

I just received the most delightful gift from Alicia Smith – a long-time colleague and lovely supporter of PersonalGrowthPrincess.com.

It is a ring shaped like a crown. I made a short video of it so you could actually see it in action, as it were.

In the video I also mentioned the place you can get it if you want one…or if you want to send it to another princess in your life. The site is Personal Growth Cards – it’s an innovative card and gift service. You really have to see it to believe it!
You can select a card that will then be printed, written in your own handwriting (if you want), have a real stamp applied, and then mailed through the regular postal service. It’s pretty amazing. And for less than you can buy a card anywhere else. Gifts, of course, cost more, but it makes it so so easy to send a special, delightful gift to that special someone.

Anyway, take a look at the video. You’ll see how delighted I am!

What do you think? Who would you like to delight today???

1 Degree of Difference – Heat Up Your Personal Growth

Nina East — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 20:35:24 +0000

At 211 degrees, water is hot………..At 212 degrees, it boils.

And with boiling water comes steam. ………….And steam can power a locomotive.

So many times it is that one extra degree of effort in business and in life that separates the good from the great.
The beauty of this idea of 212° – or one degree of difference – is not only the simplicity but all the places you can apply it in your life.

So what kind of life are you living? Are you living and growing in a 211⁰ style?

Or have you amped it up just a teeny-tiny fraction and are living and growing at a 212⁰ level?

You can apply the concept to that extra degree of service, the extra degree of attitude, the extra degree of leadership, kindness, commitment, focus, perseverance and the list goes on.

So what would be different if you went up just one teeny-tiny degree in your focus on personal development?

What would you be capable of?
What would you do?
What would you stop doing?
How would your life be different?

Take a look at the 212⁰ movie, published by Simple Truths, a company that sells inspirational and motivational books, gifts, etc.
(Simple Truths was started by Mac Anderson who founded Successories.)

And while you’re at it, watch this other inspiring movie!
I’m a little partial to it – not just because it starts with sunflowers (which are my favorite) – but because it is about finding joy.

Share your thoughts or reactions in the comment section below!

Quote for Strong (sassy!) Women

Nina East — Fri, 21 May 2010 18:35:42 +0000

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the ground each morning, the devil says, “Oh crap, She’s up!”

-Author unknown

I don’t know who the author of this quote is – even after Googling the heck out of it. My apologies to the original author – and if it’s you, let me know!

BURNING BRIGHT – Extraordinary Women of KwaZulu-Natal [Book Review]

Nina East — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:30:30 +0000

This 5-Minute Personal Growth Book Review was submitted by guest reviewer, Helgaard Botha.

This wonderful book is about celebrating the extraordinary women who hold societies together across the world, billions of strong and determined women constitute the glue that holds societies in crisis together and the rock on which values are built. Often, these are ordinary women who become extraordinary simply because they persevere day after day, doing the things that they believe need doing. Mostly, what drive them are the examples of their mothers and grandmothers and their desire to do the best for their children. A new book, BURNING BRIGHT: Extraordinary women of KwaZulu-Natal, celebrates 12 such women from KwaZulu-Natal, one of South Africa’s largest and most rural provinces.

KwaZulu-Natal, on the east coast of South Africa, is a province of a thousand hills and valleys that has been ravaged for decades by apartheid’s underdevelopment, poverty and HIV/AIDS. It is also the home of the proud Zulu nation and probably best known for fearsome Zulu warriors of the past and proud men of the present. Yet BURNING BRIGHT proves that KwaZulu-Natal is also home to courageous and compassionate women whose stories must be told.

The book combines the sensitively written stories of these women with rich imagery. Dramatic, full-page portraits of the women’s faces combine with photographs of their hands to capture the essence of what each woman is. In each chapter evocative landscapes, ‘local colour’ photographs and old personal snapshots open a window onto the diverse parts of KwaZulu-Natal where the women grew up. A map shows where the childhood homes are.

BURNING BRIGHT is an affirmation of the positive way of life that manifests itself in the stories of these women. All the stories show a pervasive sense of community; a rootedness in the soil of this province, the key role played by mothers, grandmothers and schools in instilling solid values; the impact of apartheid on women’s lives and their dreams for their country’s and children’s future.

The backgrounds of the women are diverse. Among them is Anna Cele, a feisty, big-hearted domestic worker; Devi Rajab, newspaper columnist and psychologist; Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, principled politician; Ntsiki Biyela, South Africa’s first black woman wine-maker and 2009’s Winemaker of the Year; Leona Theron, the country’s first black woman judge and Peggy-Sue Khumalo, former Miss South Africa and now investment banker. They also represent the different races that make up the province’s rich cultural ‘mixed masala’. Most of the women are Zulu, but mixed race ‘coloured’, Indian and white women are included. Together, their stories paint a picture of rich, diverse childhood experiences across KwaZulu-Natal.

Virtually all of these women have overcome enormous challenges to get to where they are today. What is extraordinary, and what makes them true role models, is their ability to persevere. Winemaker Ntsiki Biyela sums it up in her story: ‘I have walked and fallen, and the important thing is to stand up and start again. I believe that that is what a role model is. There is always a chance that I’ll fall again, but if I can get up afterwards that’s okay.’

One of the most fascinating aspects of the book is the strong common threads and shared values that connect the women’s stories. Each story also has three distinct sections, written in different voices, which provide complementary perspectives on who these women are and what moulded them. The stories open with the author’s perspective on the specific woman and what makes her extraordinary. Next each woman tells her own story in her own words, sharing her dreams and reflecting on the influences that made her what she is. Finally the story takes readers into diverse corners of KwaZulu-Natal to visit the places where each woman comes from.

For Wilna Botha as the author, these visits to the childhood homes of the twelve women, scattered across the entire KwaZulu-Natal, was the most rewarding part of writing this book. She explains: ‘I came to KwaZulu-Natal having lived on the starker plains of the North-West Province, the Free State and Gauteng. Maybe that is why I was continuously overwhelmed by KwaZulu-Natal’s dramatic landscapes as we drove across countless hillsides and dropped down into many valleys while searching for the childhood homes of the women in this book. This book is also a tribute to this extraordinary province of hills, valleys and rich Zulu culture.

THE AUTHOR – Wilna Botha is a former investigative journalist, communications specialist, researcher and college lecturer. In the 1980s and 1990s she won national awards as South Africa’s medical journalist of the year, as runner-up to education writer of the year and for health reporting. Since 1993 she has contributed to rural development across KwaZulu-Natal as director of MiET Africa and now Africa!Ignite. It is this experience that put her in touch with a number of extraordinary women who were the inspiration for this book.

THE PHOTOGRAPHER – Pippa Hetherington’s ability to tell a thousand-word story through a single photograph has achieved widespread recognition. Her work has been published in Fair Lady, Marie Claire, Real Simple and leadership. She has also undertaken projects for the Global Water Partnership, WWF- The Green Trust and 25:40. Pippa’s heart is in the visual image. Her work is deeply influenced by her travels through Africa and the environment and social development of South Africa. She intimately captures the soul of her subjects with empathy and lasting integrity.

*****
Would you like to see this book, or others by this author, summarized as part of your membership in PersonalGrowthPrincess? Make a comment below and let us know why, or why not.
*****

Helgaard Botha normally concentrates on property development matters but was touched by this moving book on the life’s of ordinary people in Kwa-Zulu Natal in South Africa. He now shares his time between Mauritius and South Africa. He has lived amongst the rolling hills of Kwa-Zulu Natal for the last 25 years and calls Durban his home. After years of endeavour he still hasn’t found a consistent and reliable golf swing. He has recently acquired the license to operate the renowned Fine & Country Estate Agency in Mauritius. Helgaard can be contacted at http://www.fineandcountry.mu

BURNING BRIGHT: Extraordinary Women of KwaZulu-Natal is available from leading South African bookstores and electronically through Kalahari.net at ZAR 228 (including VAT). For more information visit http://www.africaignite.co.za/

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Nina’s Inspirational Video

Nina East — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:10:21 +0000

Everybody needs a video to inspire themselves, right?
I took a class with Rob Schultz to learn how to create my own slideshow video.

How do I use it?
I watch it every morning before I get going with work – and periodically through the day if I need a pick me up. I always feel energized and psyched when I listen to it.

I share it here just to inspire you to create your own.
If you want to create one, take Rob’s SlideShow Challenge class!

music by freeplaymusic.com. for personal use only.

Finishing Strong – getting back up when it’s impossible

Nina East — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 15:46:06 +0000

Nick Vujicic

I’m not really sure how to introduce this video, other than to say Wow!

I’ve gone through some tough times over the last 3 years…tough enough that I wasn’t sure how I would get back up after

falling. And then I meet someone like Nick Vujicic.

A picture (or video) really is worth a thousand words.
Or, rather, a video is worth a thousand hopes.

Since I can’t seem to import it, just follow the link: Nick Vujicic.

Your Identity = Your Comfort Zone

Nina East — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:36:46 +0000

Do you know who you are? I mean..really know who you are?
If you aren’t sure, take a look at your life and it will tell you exactly who you think you are. Why does that matter? Well, because it also tells you who you will become because it identifies your personal comfort zone.

This video from Tony Robbins (welcome to the world of blogging, Tony!) can help you get real with yourself about who you are, why that matters, and how that can end up sabotaging you.

Tony says “The strongest force in the human personality is the need to remain consistent with our identity.” If that’s true, that means all of our actions (an inactions), conscious or subconscious, are designed to keep us aligned with who we think we are.

It also means the reason we sabotage ourselves is because we are moving outside our comfort zone. In other words, when things are going really great for you, that’s wonderful – you’re happy and on cloud nine…until it starts to seem like things are going too great…too great for someone like you, that is. Sound familiar?

Who came up with this notion of “too great” anyway? Well, in your case, it would be you. In my case it would be me. It’s almost like having a set-point that we migrate back to, even when we’re telling ourselves we’re getting what we want.

How do you change this? After all, if the desire to remain consistent with our identity is the strongest force, how in the world do you change it?

The first step is to do things you don’t normally do. Take a look at the video for the rest of the clues. Your identity will thank you for it.

Here’s the video, plus other videos worth watching. Enjoy!

Limiting Beliefs – all self-imposed?

Nina East — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 21:46:58 +0000

A good friend of mine, Dr. Eric Schneider, just sent me this video. I was so impressed, I had to share it.

It is a huge reminder about what we can do, if only we will stop thinking about why we can’t.

Enjoy!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Big Bowl of Self Esteem

Nina East — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 19:49:16 +0000

Who couldn’t use a big bowl of self esteem? It’s the perfect gift for the personal growth enthusiast!

Last Christmas my wise-beyond-their-years cousins gave me just that, a big bowl of self-esteem. It’s labeled as a cereal bowl, but truthfully, it’s quite large. Maybe a cereal bowl for a linebacker.

On the outside it says “Big Bowl of Self-Esteem”, and on the inside are a bunch of positive statements. Such a FUN way to start the day. When I searched online to send one to a friend of mine, I also ran across other bowls – more great inspirations for the personal growth enthusiast!

There’s the You’re a Goddess cereal bowl with spots on the outside and statements worthy of a goddess inside.
There’s the You Rule cereal bowl – similar to the goddess bowl, only without the goddess-like language.
And the Archetype cereal bowl, with a distinctive Diva flair.
And, of course, what collection wouldn’t be complete without the Chicks Dig You and the You The Man cereal bowls?

[All these links are through Kaboodle.com, so if any of the links get broken, just go to Kaboodle.]

Enjoy your big bowl of whatever!