Today I felt a heart-wrenching body/mind/soul disconnect...I felt so sick, so out of sorts, so despairing of what i was doing and what I was listening to.....and the wonderful thing is that I know that this yucky feeling is such a gift. It is an indicator of being out of alignment with my true sense of self.

I won't go into too many details - out of respect to the people I was interacting with.....suffice to say I was sitting in a government institution talking about things I no longer love with a passion.

My intuition came to my rescue - while sitting in the foyer I flipped randomly to an article about butterflies. Random? No divine! Here is what I read:

"As it turns out the caterpillar has to virtually die before the transformation can begin."

Powerful stuff! I have felt like that....I know I am in transition...I know this because my clients tell me this is how they feel all the time...but until now I haven't really felt it - not for 8 years or so. Not since I last shed my skin. Back then I hung so tightly to a role that had outlived its purpose that I got shingles!

So I'm sharing this with you now in the hope that my story of transition helps you with your own journey toward pursuing things that make you feel good.

The lesson is to listen to your body barometer - how you feel matters. Our own personal guidance systems will steer us toward the things that give us light. If we didn't get to a point of such incredible discomfort I doubt we would have the impetus we need to change. Know that everything begins with an idea. But this idea needs hope, faith, courage and often huge amounts of time to re-emerge anew. Someone once told me that the struggle is what gives the butterfly its colour.

Today after feeling so blah, I didn't allow myself to get discouraged by saying "I can never make my dream to study architecture happen." I kept looking at ways to make it happen, I kept feeling optimistic, I kept my sense of expectation and then while trying to steer myself away from discouragement in quick succession came divine interventions:

1. Two people emailed me about renting my property for 1-2 years. This would free me up so much. I can then live in my self contained apartment without mortgage worries - esp as my daughter is going to study overseas (in Christchurch!)
2. A dear friend from over 30 years ago face booked me yesterday and then unexpectedly today sent me a logo concept for my new venture "the colourgirl" - I felt instantly uplifted! He got me! He got my vision! He knew what I wanted to say visually that I didn't know how to write with words. His talent, passion and initiative restored my hope!.


The moral of the story is keep the faith and look in the direction of your dreams - find a way to kept distracting yourself from feelings of entrapment. When you are in the vibration of hope you are a far cry from the vibration of despair.

"Change is the end result of all true learning. Change involves three things: First, a dissatisfaction with self-a felt void or need; second, a decision to change-to fill the void or need; and third, a conscious dedication to the process of growth and change-the willful act of making the change; Doing Something."
Dr. Phil

2009 is the Year of the Ox - a sign which symbolises prosperity through fortitude and hard work. Those born under the influence of the Ox or Buffalo are said to be fortunate as they are stable and persevering. The typical Ox is a tolerant person with strong character. Apparently not many people can equal the resolution and fearlessness that the Ox exhibits when deciding to accomplish a task. Ox people work hard without complaints at work or at home. They know that they will succeed through hard work and sustained efforts, and do not believe in get-rich-quick schemes.

For those of us not born with these traits - we can learn a lot from the stable, non-complaining, perservering Ox this year and in the uncertain years that follow.

The most excellent news for those prepared to dig deep, push past fear, and work for our rewards this is a year in which many of us can and will prosper!

Bring it on!

Interested in finding out more about Chinese Astrology?
Check out the following site - you can even get free readings:

http://www.findyourfate.com/chineseastro/chinese.htm
http://www.discoverhongkong.com/chinesenewyear/eng/html/night_parade01.html (watch the New Year festivities
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_astrology
http://chinese.astrology.com/

You can also have a personal Chinese Astrology reading with my good friend Alice Morris- not only is she an expert astrologer she is also a very accomplished and passionate health professional. She knows a thing or two about happiness at work and finding your authentic vocation too:

"My parents wanted me to be secure in my life in China and their expectations like most Chinese parents were for their children to get a good education and get a high position job so I studied accountancy for 5 years and worked for a big wholesale electrical appliance company as a senior accountant, a job position in which I was the envy of many people at the time.

Even though this was a very successful job and I was considered a success I was not happy in doing it.

In 1990 at the age of 29, I decided to move to New Zealand to follow my dream of understanding true health.
This was the perfect opportunity to start doing Chinese medicine again."

You can learn more about Alice's services and her fascinating life story on her web site http://www.thewayofnature.co.nz/about-us/alice

How will Barak Obama fare this year? Astrologers predict a very good year!

The full manuscript is now in the hands of the publisher. By mind February we should have a firm commitment. Interestingly they were a little worried that the current recession may dampen sales. “With people staying put in their jobs we wonder if there will still be a need.” Staying in a job that you don’t love, or even like, is even more of a reason to concentrate on finding ways to be happy@work. Plus, sadly, as I reminded them – 1/3rd of employers expect to lay off more staff.

Motivational guru Brian Tracey sums it up well when he says, “The reason why choosing the right career, why doing what you love to do is so important, is because unless you really care about your work, you will never be motivated to persist at it until you become excellent. And until you become excellent at what you're doing, you can't move ahead.”

Live is too short to stay in a job that robs you of passion, zest, energy and confidence.

Make a comittment to find a more fulfilling alternative today!

I am preparing my next book "How to survive without a job" and given the pressing economic climate thought you, or someone you know, may benefit from a sneak preview.

As Denise Linn writes in her book Sacred Space, "Our homes are mirrors of ourselves. They reflect our interests, our beliefs, our hesitations, our spirit and our passion. They tell a story about how we feel about ourselves and the world around us. A home is more than a place where you can interface with the universe. It is a crossing point in time and space that can attract or repel energy."

Our homes can bring a sense of regeneration and hope. It can be a place of safety - a sanctuary from all that threatens or overwhelms us. It can be a place where you can retreat and recharge during uncertain times, a place of calm in a world full of turmoil. Importantly, as psychologist Abraham Maslow points out - our home fulfills our primary need to feel safe and secure.

So it is especially worrying for me to see and hear of so many people being forced from their homes in the wake of the credit crisis. I cannot help but wonder what these men, women, and children feel as the one constant sanctuary in their lives is forcibly ripped from them. How they must suffer. While perhaps there may be some truth in the view that people should not take on more than they can afford, these are not times for people to be smug and say, as one man was recently quoted, "serves them right." Many people have lost jobs that once allowed them to service debt. Others have been lured by banks and finance companies into excessive mortgages - many people were offered $120% loans for example. Others purchased houses with over inflated valuations to begin with.

Tough times call for compassion. Tough times call for a helping hand from all stakeholders - banks and finance companies included.

SAVE YOUR HOME
Click here to read a draft from the chapter called "Save your home." It would be excellent to gain some feedback from you. Perhaps you have been faced with losing your home at some point in your life. If you have I would dearly love to hear from you.

Are any other solutions you are aware of? I have emailed this to my own mortgage lender for their comments also.

I am sure you agree, as indeed US President Barak Obama is signalling in the States, banks need to offer more humane, proactive assistance to home lenders to protect them when the everyone is under such strain

Look forward to your comments and I hope this is of help

Labels: achieving goals, Happiness

SAVE YOUR HOME


ACT NOW!

Paying your mortgage
Don’t let money worries strip you of the one thing that give you a sense of security – your home. A mortgage is a loan secured against your home, so if you can’t repay it and you get into arrears, the bank or building society can sell your home to get back its money. If you are worried you may not be able to pay your mortgage act now. The following practical strategies may help:

Speak to your mortgage lender – It’s common during times of financial stress that many people see their banks as the villain, especially when the news if full of stories about banks tossing people out of their homes following mortgagee sales. Be proactive - treat the bank like the partner it is in the house. A forced sale is in nobody’s interests. - Tell them about your current situation and ask them if they have any solutions that may help.

Work out a budget
List your income and your spending. This will help you work out where your money is going, and plan for the
future. Advice agencies may be able to help you with this or you can use the online Budget calculator – see Useful
Contacts. Use this plan to help you pay all your essential bills first, such as your mortgage, utility bills (electricity,
gas, water), insurances, council rates and housekeeping.


Pay what you can. Even if you can’t pay the full amount, you should try to pay as much of your mortgage payments as you can afford. This shows your lender you are willing to make an effort to pay,

Refinance. Take advantage of lower interest rates and /or shift to interest only payments until you get back on your feet.

Check your insurance If you can’t pay your mortgage because your income has fallen, you should check whether you have any mortgage payment protection insurance. If you do, find out if your policy covers your circumstances and make a claim right away.

Benefits
You may be able to claim some benefits to increase your income. Contact your local Work and Income
office or speak to an advice agency – see Useful Contacts.
If you claim Income Support or The Unemployment Benefit, your local Work and Income office will normally give you an accommodation supplement to help with your mortgage repayments.

How much you will get on the Accommodation Supplement will depend on:
• your income
• your assets
• your accommodation costs
• your family circumstances
• where you live.

If you or you partner are 65 or over

If you or you partner are 65 or over, you may be able to get New Zealand Superannuation and a SuperGold Card. You may also be able to receive extra financial help.

Help with housing and living costs
You may be able to get help with housing or living costs such as:
• essential house repairs
• rent, board or mortgage payments
• rates and rates rebates
• overdue power account
• buying household appliances and furniture.

Living alone? You may be able to get an ongoing extra payment on top of your NZ Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension, when you maintain a household on your own. You may also get this payment in some situations, when you have a spouse or partner, or are not living on your own.


Get money advice
Some advice agencies specialise in money problems – they can give you free and independent advice to help you plan and solve your problems – see Useful Contacts.

Generate income from your home
Brainstorm and list as many ways as possible to generate money from your home.

Some things I have done successfully in the past include:

• Renting my house out temporary on a holiday homes website. It costs nothing for the first few months to list it and could generate $250 or more a night. You could go and stay with family or friends while people are renting your house.

• Starting a business from home – start up costs don’t need to be high and you can claim many expenses related to running your business from home. My mother made ends meet by trading second hand furniture from our lounge. Wendy Pye started her publishing empire from her garage

• If you have a garage, as I did, rent it out. The extra $50 or so dollars can go along way.

You could also:

Rent the house out permanently and go and rent somewhere cheaper

Take in a boarder. Friends of mine had foreign students stay with them. They were paid to provide two meals a day and a roof over their head.

Sell your home and rent it back
Some companies offer to help you if you get into financial difficulties with your mortgage payments by
buying your home and then renting it back to you for a fixed period of time (six months or more). These
are sometimes called ‘flash sales’, because they can buy your home quickly, sometimes within a week, but
more usually between three to four weeks. You may also hear them called ‘mortgage rescue’, ‘rent-back’ or ‘sell- to-let’ schemes.

These schemes are not regulated so you may not have access to complaints and compensation
procedures if things go wrong. They are not the same as ‘home reversion’

Things to avoid
Many financial advisors caution people from taking out a loan to pay their debts. Think seriously before taking out a loan to cover your repayments. These loans can be very expensive and are often also secured on your home, putting it at greater risk. The same advise goes for consolidating credit card and other debt. Far better to have a bad credit rating than to loose your home. If you are thinking about getting a further loan, speak to one of the advice agencies listed in useful contacts.

Things you can do to pay off your mortgage arrears

You could think about any of the following:

Start repaying your arrears as soon as you can. Arrears can often lead to extra charges, so will increase the amount
of money you owe. Paying them off quickly may mean you have less money for a short time, but it will be
cheaper in the long run.

Make extra payments. You can pay off your arrears by paying a bit more each month than your monthly mortgage payments. Just make sure you can afford the extra amount. Even if your mortgage lender doesn’t think you’re offering enough, pay the extra amount anyway. Tell them why you can only afford this much – they may not be aware of your circumstances and it looks better than not paying anything.

Add the arrears to the mortgage. You could ask your mortgage lender to consider ‘capitalising’ your arrears. This means adding them to your total mortgage balance, spreading the arrears over the remaining period of your mortgage. Your monthly payments will increase because of this. Your mortgage lender is unlikely to agree to this if you’ve failed to stick to revised repayment arrangements in the past, or if the balance of your mortgage, including the cost of the arrears, comes to more than the house is worth.


Extend your mortgage period. Most mortgages are paid back over 25 years. If you have a repayment mortgage and you’ve been paying it back for a while, you could ask your mortgage lender to extend the remaining term to 25 years
again. This will reduce your monthly payments, but you will be making them for longer – perhaps into your retirement. Also, you will be paying more for your house overall. This is more difficult to arrange if you have an interest only loan.

Ask to delay paying your arrears. If you can now manage to meet your monthly payments, but can’t afford to pay anything towards the arrears, you could ask your mortgage lender if you can delay paying arrears for a time.
For an interest-only mortgage, you can also consider:

• Taking a payment holiday. For example, if your mortgage is linked to an endowment policy and you can’t afford both sets of payments (the interest payments on the loan and the payments towards the endowment policy), you could ask the endowment policy company if you can stop paying the endowment policy for a while. You will have to arrange with them how to make up the backlog of payments once you restart your policy.
• Cashing in or selling your endowment policy If your endowment policy has been running for several years, it may have built up a reasonable amount that you could use to pay off your arrears. This would mean cashing in or selling the policy. If you did this, you would have to take out a repayment mortgage, or find some other way to make sure you repaid the money you borrowed.

Before you cash in an endowment policy or change to a repayment mortgage, you will need to speak to your mortgage lender and the endowment company. If you cash in your policy early, the value of your policy might be considerably reduced. You should think carefully before you do this, and first ask your endowment provider how much you would get.

Sell-up. As a last resort If you can’t afford your mortgage payments and you think this situation won’t change in the long term, you could think about selling your home yourself. However, before you do this, think carefully about where you will live.

You may not get help from your local council with finding a place to live if they think you have made yourself intentionally homeless.


The main thing is don’t panic – specialist advice agencies can help you sort out your debts and plan your spending.



Useful contacts


Budget Advice and assistance

Work and income http://www.workandincome.govt.nz. Helpful information about a range of income support solutions and entitlements

Family Budgeting Service www.familybudgeting.org.nz
For free budgeting advice for families and individuals. Look in your local white pages under “budget Advice Service” or visit their web site.

Citizens Advice Bureau. www.cab.org.nz For free, independent information and advice on general financial matters, including your rights as a consumer.

General money matters

Retirement Commission http://www.sorted.org.nz/
Sorted is New Zealand’s free independent money guide, run by the Retirement Commission. It’s full of calculators and information to help you manage your personal finances throughout life. Check out their web site to see how interest rates chances might affect your mortgage with their Mortgage repayment calculator.

Banking issues
Banking Ombudsman
Phone 0800 805 950
www.bankombudsman.org.nz. You may wish to contact them in relation to over-charges or to complain about excessive break fess or other concerns

Generating income from your home
www.holidayhomes.co.nz or holidayhouses.co.nz. List your home to rent on a temporary basis here

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-me-property/index.htm. Rent your home out, or find somewhere else to live on a more permanent basis here

Business.Govt – sponsored by the New Zealand Government this interactive website provides a wide range of information and support, including links to organisations who provide free seminars and training to those thinking of setting up a small business. Visit the website at www.business.govt.nz

Labels: achieving goals, Happiness

“The economic recession is bad enough, but a relentless news cycle is making it worse”, writes author Eric Weiner. I couldn’t agree more. Recent research suggests that a vicious cycle can take hold – the more your read about recession, the more likely you’ll suffer from gloominess or bouts of anxiety. This is turn negatively impacts consumer confidence, which in turn affects spending, which is turn affects businesses, which in turn affects jobs.

The sad reality for many people in 2009 is this recessionary talk and media emphasis looks likely to escalate. For this reason I’ve decided to make the focus of this thread “gladrap” - positive signs in the current economic climate.

More money in your pocket
Countering the recessionary gloom are some factors that will provide some positive relief for people, including lower fuel prices, lower official interest rates and mortgage interest rates, and personal income tax cuts.

Inauguration of Barack Obama
January 20, 2009 is the date of the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. Here’s hoping this very wise and powerful man can restore some sensibility, compassion and co-operation to international relations


International Year of Natural Fibres
The United Nations General Assembly declared 2009 as the International Year of Natural Fibres IYNF
The IYNF is intended to cover a wide range of natural fibres, of animal and vegetable origin, and with uses ranging from luxurious apparel to traditional and non-traditional industrial uses. The focus will be on emphasizing the positive qualities of natural fibres. Personally I’m a big fan of natural cloths all ready – they feel so great next to the skin.

Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009 for more interesting events occuring in 2009

Less will be more Many of us having been living well beyond our means for many years now. Some people blame the Banks for being so free with the money and now being so ruthless in asking for it back. Some say they set people up to fail. The good news is, if people are willing to see it this way, is that the current credit crunch will force to simplify their lives. Finally perhaps we will see a move away from rampant consumerism and our throw away lifestyle for something more lasting - like community, friends and family.

Authenticity
According to the author of Future Files Richard Watson, when life around us is uncertain, we want authenticity to give us a sense of security and control. He predicts a rise in the value placed on authentic people, authentic, uncomplicated products, tradition and unflashiness. Sounds good to me

Over the holidays I received a call from the Publishing Manager of the company who is interested in publishing "Happy@work: job hunting for mid-lifer's+" requesting the full manuscript of the book. This is great news as it means we are that much closer to getting the book out to market. The timing couldn't be better given the thousands of people looking for work in the wake of redundancies.

I'm off on a family holiday to The Sounds and will be working on corrections that my fabulous proof reader picked up, and hope to be able to confirm a definite publication date when I return mid January.

In the meantime don't forget you can download free chapters and pre-purchase a signed copy from www.cassandragaisford.com - click here to be taken straight to the link

As the financial crunch continues to take its icy toll more and more people will be faced with the prospect of losing their jobs. If job loss and continuing job insecurity is causing you to lose sleep at night the following tips may help:

1
Go immediately to your local unemployment office. Since you won't be bringing in a pay cheque for an undetermined amount of time, it's important to get your unemployment benefits moving. Don't be too proud or feel embarrassed. These benefits are designed to help people just like you who need a safety net during times of turmoil. You have been paying into these benefits via taxes, and now is the time to take advantage of them. Find out what you're entitled to so that the money can help you out.

ReStart is a package of payments and employment and job services to help if you’ve recently been made redundant from full-time work. Click here to find out more

You may also be able to get this if you're self employed and entitled to Unemployment Benefit.


Step
2
Start your job search right away. A lot of the recently unemployed figure that it won't be so difficult to find a new job and decide that now is as good a time as any to take that vacation or relax. This is a dangerous trap you don't want to fall into. The employment market is precarious, and the sooner you get back out there, the sooner you'll be earning a steady income again. Some good sites to register with are www.trademe.co.nz and www.seek.co.nz - you can list the types of work you'd like and have job alerts sent to your in-box

Step
3
Create a plan for your spending. No matter how you look at your budget, your bills need to be paid, and you have less money now to accomplish this. Make a list of all your regular expenditures and all your sources of income. Also list areas where you spend money on non-necessities, and plan to cut them out. For extra help log onto www.sorted.org.nz or visit your local Family Budgeting Services office. The NZFBS also has a new nationwide free-phone budgeting service. Dial 0508 BUDGETLINE (0508 283 438) between 8.00am and 4.30pm to get:
► instant access to an experienced budget adviser
► free, confidential, personal budgeting help
► more information about how a local budget service might help you

Step
4
Stay away from credit. This includes credit cards, loans and home equity lines of credit. As a general rule in the credit game, you shouldn't borrow any more than you are able to repay, and without your regular income, your ability to repay is minimal. Save your credit cards for absolute emergencies, again referring to your new spending plan to cut out luxuries. In saying all this tho, if the only way for you to survive through a short-term financial pressures is to increase borrowing there's nothing wrong with relying on a bit of credit - just don't go silly with the cards and buy things you don't need.

Step
5
Rely on your family and friends. Not necessarily for financial help, although if it gets to that point and they offer, you should consider accepting. But your family and friends may be able to provide a network of contacts in the working world and emotional support when times get tough.

Step
6
Utilise your savings account. Hopefully, you've been putting money away into an emergency fund. Now is the time to use it. Circumstances such as surviving without a job qualify you to tap into your savings. If you don't have a savings account, take this as a learning experience and start one when you begin your new job. If like ,many people you don't have a bean saved and are asset rich but cashflow poor I don't see anything wrong with drawing equity from your home to help ride you through a rough patch. What goes down will come back up again - many people predict the recession to last 2-3 years max.

Step
7
Consider a part-time job. Although a part-time job may affect your unemployment entitlement, its benefits far outweigh this factor. It will keep you busy and stave off depression and make you feel useful and productive. It may open up an opportunity for full-time employment, and if not, it shows other potential employers that you're not lazy.

Step
8
Employ yourself. Many successful people have gone from redundancy to self-employment and earned huge money as a result. Wendy Pye is one example which comes to mind. IF you are receiving a benefit you may be eligible for assistance.

Step
9

Retrain. An economic downturn may be the perfect time to retrain. Once you've finished chances are the economy will have bounced back and you'll earn wonderful money doing something you love. If you are receiving a benefit you may be eligible for the Training Incentive Allowance and therefore have a large chunk of your fees and living costs paid. Click here to find out more about this allowance