Because of the wind, voices did not carry well;  so I only said a few words of introduction and the others have written their thoughts in the card: so here they are in written form, people’s thoughts including those who weren’t able to be present, but had asked to be included in our celebration

Introduction, after washing of hands and welcome

“The Spring Equinox concludes the winter that has passed, and welcomes the spring to come.

This year, the wintery weather reminds us that Spring rather than a time of easy gatherings, is a time for using one’s reserves, sustained by the  promise of renewal, and emergence. It is a time for initiating new ideas and projects, a time when we are required to exercise creativity, great patience and perseverance, effort to nurture new projects, and hope that the seeds we have put in the ground will sprout and grow and bear flowers and fruit.

Planting a seed is an act of faith, I remind myself  this every time I put seeds  in the ground; and when  I see them germinating, I am always surprised as if witnessing a miracle, for what is this immense energy that can produce a living plant, no matter how small the seed, if not a miracle?

In the same way, in my work, I find myself instructed by what I learn while gardening: I find myself planting new ideas, and even more often- and perhaps more compelling- is the task of uncovering what is already there, the treasure within, hidden by apparent “weeds”, old, disempowering habits and thoughts, which obscure who we are, hide the qualities and gifts we have, the genius that inhabits us and guides us towards our purpose in spite of our prejudices and even blindness to acknowledge to ourselves what we have already manifested. Take advantage this Spring time, to look for the evidence, the manifestations of who we are, celebrate the talents we already possess and give thanks for all the gifts showered on us.

We have gathered the rosemary, let it be a symbol of memories of regrets and thoughts that bind  us to the past, and placing it into the fire let it be transformed into feelings of acceptance, hope for the future and gratitude for the abundance that is all around us, in this beautiful planet. 

Guiding thoughts  sent by various participants:

“ We are fortunate to be surrounded by abundance. It’s about looking at life and knowing that we have everything we need for complete happiness and then being able to celebrate each and every moment on Earth ( Wayne Dyer)

“ Abundance is nothing we acquire, it’s something we tune into, If you connect in your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place”(Lao Tzu)

            “The beginning, which is thought, finds its end in action. The fruits are first in our thoughts, but only in the end, are they truly seen. When you have done the work and planted the tree, when the fruit appears, you read the first words.” (From Rumi A Spiritual Treasure compiled by Judy Mabey Mannavi II 970:2)

 “The most precious thing in life is uncertainty. In everything no matter what, uniformity is undesirable. Leaving something incomplete makes it interesting, and gives one the feeling there is room for growth. (From Essays in Idleness by Kenko, a 14^th Century Japanese Buddhist priest)

This reading “about uncertainty” proved especially suitable for the day, for the weather brought in a sense of uncertainty and the fire was difficult to light, but then- thanks to Zoran’s efforts and competence-, the flames actually burst out as we were just ready to leave the circle and plant the seeds, so our twigs were indeed burnt and transformed and next morning I gathered a beautiful amount of ashes which I put on the plants. Thank you Zoran, again.

“Be patient towards all that is unresolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves. Do not seek the answers that cannot be given, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. ( Rilke)

Wattle Song  by Jim Lowe was played.

Poem in Italian by Enza Do I dare translate?! 

 “ I wish you a shell full of surprises: green, turquoise and colourful fishes; May Spring bring awesome colours, crystal clear flowing waters, love”

Thank you everyone for such lovely scrumptious food and drinks

Blessing the food: “In this food I see clearly the presence of the entire Universe supporting my living and my life. And I give thanks” (A Buddhist blessing)

Quotes participants have written in the card:

Happy Spring Equinox: may the harmony of the Universe be with you.

May we all love in joyful spring!

New Beginnings with a change in the season.

Happiness to us all.

…I always feel a little enlightened and uplifted.

The Earth laughs in flowers.

A time to remember acceptance, love and compassion, as an integral part of every season.

Let us all have health and happiness in equal amounts!

Happy “springlying with love”

Love to see new life come from dry branches with big hope for the future

May spring bring the joy of colour and laughter with the flowers in the garden and the wind blowing gently through the branches.

A blustering wind welcomes change.

Thousand blessings: may we all be healthy and happy.

A lovely gathering of people to celebrate the Spring Equinox: love and thanks. Enjoy the Spring

This course will benefit parents, couples, counselors, teachers, students, supervisors, business and sales people, anyone interested in and determined to improve their communication skills in all areas of their life, relatiionships, business, sport, study etc.

For further information please email me and we will arrange a ten minutes complementary chat.

And why do metaphors work, when you want to introduce a new pattern of behaviour?

Here is an example in which we can clearly see how using a metaphor purposefully, helps us learn about our habitual behaviours, in this case in the context of decision making process.

A client of mine, -we’ll call him James- and I were working on reducing his stress levels experienced when taking a decision. Since James runs his own business, these moments are very frequent and it was important to find a more resourceful way of making decisions with confidence.

James discovered, during the coaching sessions, that he was used to taking decisions, ad hoc, in what he called a spontaneous and intuitive manner; he would seem to take quick decisions, moved by some external demand, or offer, but he seemed to have no strategy for assessing how the new decision would fit in with the whole business, nor how to measure the benefits or disadvantages of the new decision.

This, he felt, caused him to change his mind several times and even go back on his own decisions having to cancel and face up to penalties etc. for breaking a contract. Naturally this aggravated the already considerable stress levels experienced every day.

Having worked with James for a while, I realized that James felt proud of this style of decision making, because it had seemed to bear success in the initial stages, but as the business had reached a second stage in its growth, this habitual behaviour had become a limiting habit. However James was not quite aware of these limitations and he was not embracing the idea of other ways of making decisions finding all sorts of reasons to defend his habitual behaviour.

As a business development coach, it was my aim to show James, in practice, firstly, how in fact he took decisions, in general, and then show how important and ultimately beneficial it would be to use the nlp method of goal setting, or Well Formed Outcome.

When we set a Well formed Outcome, or a goal, you go rhough the following steps:
• make a full assessment of the present state,
• express in the positive what you want (your desired outcome,
• visualize it as accomplished, in all the modalities and submodalities,
• consider what new resources you might need to achieve this new outcome,
• set ways of measuring when you have achieved your outcome and
• create ways, or rituals, to give feed-back to yourself by celebrating your success.

I see a “new decision” as a new resource which would then become a factor in creating the final vision, the result you want.

So back to James, the opportunity presented itself, one day while I was visiting him at his home. James was particularly “active and creative”: he had many projects in mind, from house renovation, to gardening, to introducing a new software into his business.

While we were talking, he decided to prune an orange tree which seemed to have been neglected for a long time.

James appeared enthusiastic and eager to cut down those old branches, but from his body language, I soon realized that he had no vision of what the tree would look like at the end of his chopping and cutting, nor indeed into what shape the tree would grow in the new season.

At the same time I realized how this activity, pruning the orange tree, could be used to work on his “decision making style”, we could use this activity to illustrate the shortcomings and the consequences of his habitual “ decision making process”

So I eventually stopped him in mid task and asked him which branches he intended to prune and chop out, and what he thought the tree would look like in the next season, when it put out new growth.

James could not answer those questions, and he quickly realized that he would need to have a mental vision and a plan for what he was going to chop and what he was going to leave untouched.

So, we spent some time imagining the look of the tree once the pruning would be finished, and then created an image of how the tree would look like with new growth, in the following season.

We then looked at the tree from different perspectives, while he was pruning and I kept prompting James to keep checking with his interior vision of how the tree was going to look like at the end of the pruning.

It did not take long for James to realize that this activity, “the pruning of the orange tree” was a metaphor for his decision making process: the session then turned to finding parallel situations and meanings in two contexts, with amazing results: a practical gardening activity turned into a very important life lesson in decision making, with immediate results: a new decision making style with which James carries out challenging decision, and in fact, all of his business.

And why do metaphors work, when you want to introduce a new pattern of behaviour?

This will be the topic of another article, where I will explore linguistic meanings and philosophical notions of metaphors.

I ask myself: why have I waited so long to do this?

I am so delighted and excited to have made the trip to Ningaloo Reef, to have snorkeled for the first time in my life and seen such marvelous underwater creatures and singular coral formations, some, according to the local guides, occur only on this reef, such as the “bommies” coral formations that resemble earth mounts separated by deep canyons rich with tropical fish.

And then I actually snorkeled in the ocean and swum along the whale shark.

I had read all the literature about how these gentle giants go their own way and are no threat to humans, and had fresh in my mind the instructions, given to us by the supervisor, of the distances swimmers need to keep and the protocol to be observe around these magnificent  creatures.

I could also feel the excitement of all on the boat, even the spotters and the guides were excited and eager to get into the water as soon as the signal was given that a whale shark had been spotted.

I went into the water with the second group; felt the depth of the Ocean, darker and deeper and much stronger than the water on the reef in the gulf, colder as well, but still as warm as the waters I remember having experienced in the Mediterranean Sea many years ago.

I became aware of feelings of fear and activated my memories of  other times when I had overcome fear and brought to fruition successfully what I had committed to, the state I invoked was similar to the state of walking the fire.

When I actually took a sight of the whale shark I first thought I was looking at sand at the bottom of the sea, but when I realized it was the whale shark I was so surprised and amazed that I took a deep breath- through the nose- thus inhaling a lungful of salty water, of course.

Suddenly my state changed and for an instant I felt fear and helplessness. and an instinct to flap my arms and legs, feeling utterly out of place.

A young swimmer next to me-  (who later revealed himself as being and expert white water rafter expert, no less!)-  helped me calm down, re-adjust my mask and snorkel and,  when I was ready he took me by the hand and we continued snorkeling and looking at the whale shark.

It was at this stage that I recovered my resourceful state, started enjoying breathing rhythmically through the mouth and the silence underwater: this moment of acceptance and surrender to the larger element, the ocean, brought about a feeling of communion and oneness.

Even then, I was aware that it was not courage, but acceptance and surrender which was delighting me and allowing me to stay calm in the ocean, and to appreciate the magnificent “show” The whale shark was moving fast, yet, I could see the details of its spots, its gills and the chunk missing on its tail: it seems to go on forever!

Later, I learned that this whale shark, we swum with for about ten minutes was a juvenile, around six meters long! Six meters, it looked as big as a tram, moving graciously and silently but quite fast past our group.

How do I feel?

I feel great, very happy to have given myself the chance to experience this adventure, and I feel very grateful to be able to add this exciting and affirming moment of communion with the elements to my most empowering memories.

For more information on the Ningaloo Reef google Ningaloo Reef W.A. you’ll find all that the area of Exmouth and Coral Bay has to offer including motels, safari trips. Dive with whale sharks etc.

I certainly recommend it.

Also google Whale Shark Research or ECOCEAN to view some fantastic photographs and read about the current projects to study this magnificent creature. Enjoy.

I will put up some photos on my web site, as soon as I can and the video taken on the day by the resident photographer.  www.excellenceinlife.com.au

During my long career I have helped hundreds of people to bring change in their career, grow their business, start a new one relationship or heal an old one. And I consider the format of Life coaching the most effective way to bring about the changes you want, in all areas of your private and work life.

More About Antonina

When would Coaching be of benefit to you?

• Are you wanting to develop your business, or create a new niche?
• Do you feel stressed, pushed for time, and yearning for more meaning in your work and relationships?
• Do you wish for some one to listen to you with respect and work with you on a new direction, a new career, or a new relationship?
• Do you want your efforts to yield superior results?

Then Life and Business Coaching with me will give you the support necessary to bring the changes you want in all areas of your life and add competence and strategies to make this happen in an ecological, healthy, and easy way.

I am focused in assisting you develop the motivation and the strategies needed to achieve superior results and the format of Coaching is, in my experience, the most effective way to achieve this.

Why Antonina Bivona

I am committed to supporting you in achieving excellence in your life by bringing your values and your actions into alignment and getting the results you desire, in a do-able, elegant way. My Life and Business Coaching, as well as my courses are guided by this wish, and :inspired by the following thoughts: Are you wanting excellence in your life?

“Excellence is not an event,….it is a habit” Aristotle

“An unexamined life is not worth living.” Socrates

“My Actions Create My Life!” Antonina Bivona

Why Neuro-Linguistic-Programming (NLP)? What is NLP?

I love learning and sharing my knowledge and experience with people who are willing to welcome excellent results in all spheres of their life.
NLP is at the cutting edge of learning/teaching technology.
With its emphasis on getting results through appropriate behaviours NLP is, in my experience, the very best methodology available for using our brains purposefully and more consciously in order to increase our ability to achieve superior results, in all that we do. More about NLP

Whether Life, Business, Executive, or Professional, Coaching, is about you becoming clear on what you want, finding ways of achieving your desired outcomes, and your dreams, changing the behaviours that have limited you in the past, and developing strategies to get you where you want to be.

To align your values with your every day actions is the most powerful way to manifest excellence in your life:

More about  What happens in Coaching Sessions

Here are some successful stories from my clients More Testimonials

A Letter from a valued client

One of my many valued clients, Amelia, suffered two life threatening accidents with her husband and later her daughter. I will let Amelia explain how my life coaching helped her achieve exciting results both with her family and for herself.

Dear Nina,

I would like to take this time to acknowledge all that I have learned from your courses and how valuable they have become to me in my everyday life.

As you are aware I have had 2 major life incidents happen in the last 2 years, one being my husband having a motor bike accident where he received head injuries leaving him with part brain damage effecting his personality (and moods) memory and emotions. Your support and help in teaching me new ways to communicate with him have been invaluable and has opened me up to being aware of how I can effectively communicate to all that come into my life – again the Meta-Model has provided me with a powerful resource that I can always at anytime reach for.

My second major life incident was one year later when my daughter was a passenger in a serious car accident and sustained life threatening injuries. Again your valuable support and knowledge in the giving and teaching of the required skills for me to be of valuable assistance to my daughter’s recovery both physical yet more importantly her mental welfare in getting through her ordeal.
I am really happy to inform you that since she has been seeing you privately on a one to one session, (It’s been 4 now) her anger has subsided and she has a calmness about her, her communication with me has improved and she is far more patient and actually listens to what I have to say and thinks before replying and what she has to say is quite profound. Our relationship has improved so much, and she does not see herself as the victim anymore.

With love and gratitude,
Name and address omitted to respect privacy

I thank Amelia for her generosity in sharing this personal experience, you can read many
other stories of success in Testimonials.

Are you curious to see more strategies and every day tips showing you how easy it is to get started in improving your life in a do-able, easy way? Read my news letters
Click here for News letter

Are you serious about wanting to bring superior results into your life? You are welcome to contact me on my email and suggest a time for a chat: I will personally call you within 24 hours. My email address: antonina@excellenceinlife.com.au