10 of the best New Year’s resolutions …

10 of the best New Year’s resolutions … Why we never keep them … and thoughts on how perhaps we could!

1. Most of us should try to eat less …..  but stop the fad diets and simply eat half of what you would normally eat. My eternally slim grandmother's advice certainly goes a long way - it does require discipline however but not too much effort and change to your lifestyle and certainly makes sense to go on and give it a go. 

2.  Pledge to exercise more. We must invest in our health so I suggest that you find something you enjoy doing and stick with it. For me it had to be Pilates. I have watched my partner and children take out gym membership after membership, attend once and falter.

The three days a week that I have committed to Pilates has got to stand me in good stead as I age. Sure it lacks cardio but at least I'm doing something that puts me in credit each and every day and over the last 12 years my regular weekly commitment has even got me amazed.

3.  Do not sweat the small stuff, learn to say less, not to enter the high volume conversations and keep calm. Give everyone the benefit of the doubt and do not over think things.

You will be surprised at how good it feels when you truly do master this.

4. Be a lot more philanthropic … Give your time to people and organisations in need around you.

Put the heart and balance into your life.

5. Connect more. Connections with others simply advance your abilities and thinking; open your mind and think outside your own boundaries. Scratch the surface of a subject that interests you and enter a whole new world.

Always be learning, there is no excuse not to, the internet enables an endless possibility of knowledge and connections. 

6. Make this the year that you work, whether if be in employment or in business, towards doing something you love. Life is too short not to and you can never be great at something if you don't love it. 

7. Get creative. Take on a project with a long life and an interesting outcome and that gives you a new focus. 

8. Plan a holiday. Regardless of destination it’s all about the moments, the planning, the new experiences and it doesn’t have to be at a huge expense.

9. Aim to get really good at something, something you enjoy already, that if you practice and apply yourself may see you gain expert status. Remember it takes 10,000 hours to become a renowned concert pianist …surely there’s something on your horizon  

10. Conquer a fear, one that has stupidly sat there for your whole life and simply needs to be overcome. The power of the mind is an amazing thing, For me it’s going to be my innate and unexplainable fear of needles.

I am woman. Hear me RAW

Hardly a day goes by that the media’s headlines do not feature some reference to female abuse in our country.

One of the most sickening cases this week has come with the arrest of the father of a 15-year-old Muslim teenager after allegedly beating and detaining his daughter, and forcing her to hide her facial injuries beneath a burqa.

I cannot and will not stand by while we as a nation continue to undervalue women. I surround myself with some of the most capable women New Zealand has to offer through business and other organizations every day and I have made it my personal priority to ensure they respect and value themselves as I do… but I cannot be there for every woman in New Zealand.

It is a fact that in this country we have a frightening underbelly that continues to erode the quality of the lives of a significant number of families in our communities.

Women continue to be the victims of a cycle of negativity, hopelessness and violence. Like frightened puppies that are treated with distain and cruelty they seem not to be able to break free, desperate to find affection and a place to belong.

We all know a friend, a colleague or a family member who at one time in their lives has been a victim of this violence. The emotional and physical abuse that they endure become their norm. A black eye, repeated rape, emotional blackmail / manipulation and the constant physical threat contrive and conspire to make for a broken soul.

These are the women that are charged with bringing up their next generation – our country’s future. 

Invisible to most and more sadly invisible to even themselves; it is these women who turn to Women’s Refuge as a last resort; looking initially for some respite and at best, a way out of their destructive cycle of life.

So how do we make a real change…

In 2014 I will be launching RAW (Reclaiming Another Woman). It is a simple yet effective concept that allows women like myself to agree to mentor / walk alongside a woman that is ready to try to exit Women’s Refuge and begin to re-build her life, we will be piloting this in the Waikato

I was recently introduced to a woman from refuge who inspired this entire cause and who will be my own first personal mentoree. When we first met she shared with me her harrowing story of a life of abuse and neglect. I left our first meeting feeling extremely raw and incredibly fortunate… hence the namesake.

Through RAW, myself and other capable women will set aside the time to lend a guiding hand and perhaps become a trusted ear and a confidante. With this one-on-one support, from someone who will never judge but always listen and has certainly lived a very different life, I know that these women can begin to identify new pathways forward, begin to explore a range of new options and hopefully ignite some very necessary self-belief.

This is a model that simply requires one woman to care enough to give some of her time to another woman.

The ‘mentor’ offers company, support and friendship and together they can endeavour to break what is an extremely vicious and destructive cycle within this country.

Programs in place today in New Zealand appear to have varied success in getting women to stay out of the situations they have left. 

RAW's goal is to change this – one woman at a time. 

Contact Aandrea@strettonclothing.co.nz to learn more about RAW

12 tips to lose a KG without having to do anything at all

Many spend their life battling their weight demons and now that we are heading into Christmas and all the events and yummy goodies, we will be even more challenged. 

Here are 12 of my best tips to lose a KG going up to Christmas without having to do anything at all…

ONE
Reduce coffee intake - especially if you have milk. Try green tea (it even tastes great cold).

TWO
Buy a body framer in black.
http://bit.ly/1eNnv64

THREE
Order My Food Bag. For $139 it’s great value for four healthy meals.
www.myfoodbag.co.nz 

FOUR
Plant vegetables. They grow quickly and look so good you will want to eat them.
www.gardengrow.co.nz

FIVE
Walk more. It’s warmer so think about your carbon footprint and beat the feet or join a walking group.
www.wonderwalkers.co.nz

SIX
Cut sugar. Just take out one thing a day and replace with fruit.

SEVEN
Drink diet drinks - not full sugar or better still, water.

EIGHT
Have almonds in your handbag. They’re a great go-to snack. I love the tamari ones.

NINE
Get a new hobby. The renewed focus takes your mind off food.

TEN
Buy a wrap dress… then who knows what weight you really are as it will always fit.
www.flipitfrock.com

ELEVEN
Watch Jamie Oliver's video on pink slime… you will never eat a fast food burger again.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wshlnRWnf30&noredirect=1

TWELVE
Eat slowly. Practice being the last one to finish.

How do you make your business STAND OUT? IT'S SO CROWDED OUT THERE.

 

How do you set your business apart when there are so many others doing the same thing?

CAPTURE YOUR AUDIENCE'S ATTENTION

I pick up the Kia Ora magazine. It’s another day and another plane trip to the capital. Electronic devices have to be turned off so I'm forced to read. I don't have anything with me so I reach for the airline’s magazine. It flips to the story of Nice Blocks detailing two blokes endeavouring to enter a crowded market with a healthier choice of ice blocks and ice cream.

A couple of years back two mates started on a mission to create a better summer treat for their children. Today the natural and organic treats (that also hold the title of the first certified Fair Trade ice block range in the world) can be found in stores throughout New Zealand.

Lately I have also been a happy recipient of the My Food Bag goodies that are dropped at the gate every Sunday evening with instructions and contents for four of the week’s meals. I loving the massive tick that this has put into my week of tasks. And I am also assisting two start-ups determine their point of difference as they commence their entrepreneurial life. And daily I am forced to consider the main product drivers that we offer as we take to the social media platforms to entice more people to buy our frocks rather than those of my many competitors.

So what do we need to do to really make our business models fly from the start? How do we set ourselves apart in crowded markets?

GIVEN THAT THERE IS VERY LITTLE THAT IS NEW OUT THERE, SUCCESS IS OFTEN ABOUT RE-INVENTING TRADITIONAL BUSINESS MODELS

Take My Food Bag… success has been about taking away the pain, the weekly ‘what do we have for dinner’ question that we all dread and the nightly supermarket shop that many of us have fallen into.

So take one celebrity chef, the poster girl for healthy eating, Nadia Lim, one business guru, Ex Telecom CEO, Theresa Gattung and Cecilia Robinson, another smart entrepreneur who has concepted the idea and had the foresight to gather others around her and to all intents and purposes the business model is flying. Simple really. Identify the pain points for your target market and remove them by creating a robust business model. 

Let’s look at Nice Blocks… they are all about a healthier alternative to ice blocks (plenty of us that would and should make that choice if we could). They have jumped on the sugar band wagon and while they don't profess to have removed all sugar, they certainly are providing heather options and interesting flavours so now at least you have another choice. 

Then there are the skateboard ramps that my son has created as his first entrepreneurial venture. Our defining feature is the art work that we have placed on the side of the ramps as yes, there are others in the market that have constructed the same ramps and offer them for sale on Trade Me (the platform we have chosen) at similar prices. So will the original art work affected by our awarded graffiti artist be enough to drive the business model?

What about the doggie day care business that I am passionate about supporting (after all I love dogs) and really do see a need for great dog care in every town that even borders on extreme, in regards to the offerings for those that can afford it and let’s face it, there are plenty of us out there that will indulge if given the right platform.

SO WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO SET THIS SERVICE APART FROM SOME OF THE OTHERS? 

As we do know that it’s not a new idea. For this we have looked at experiences… what can we do with the dogs in the time that they are in our care that makes sure that we are the day care of choice? And let’s not forget also that this choice will also be about the operator.

Yes, the marketplace can be overcrowded but if you have a great product and promote it well the people will come... in order to be irreplaceable one must always be different - Coco Chanel.

Dream big... Is meeting someone like Beyonce really out of your reach?

I'm so often approached by dreamers. Women with great ideas but they're so nervous of taking that next step. They continue to come up with objections and reasons as to why each idea they have will fail and as a result they simply don't believe that anything they start will be a success. 

Here's my simple recipe for success and...

HOW TO MAKE THE ULTIMATE COME TRUE

It’s Sunday morning and I’m casually trawling my Facebook page and there is an optimistic post from Kiri Nathan, a wonderful designer that I am supporting asking anyone that has a contact for Beyonce who is in town performing at the moment to pass on her details, as she'd like to gift her some pounamu as well as invite her to dinner. I ‘LOL’ as I suggest we all did, liked the post and got on with my day. So a week later imagine my surprise when my astounded partner called out… ‘Hon, come and watch this… Kiris' on the 6 o'clock news… something about meeting Beyonce’. Unbelievable! Yep, she did it. A happy set of incidences lead to Kiri being able to present a pounamu and cloak that she had woven to Beyonce at the conclusion of her last concert.

This truly does show the power of simply putting it out there and daring to dream big. Knowing that you can achieve whatever you set out to do as long as you push hard enough. Consider any gold medal winner and their aspirations; thinking from the front foot always. Most of us would never have thought this big.

You and only you …

10 OUTSTANDING gift ideas for the woman who has everything

Believe me these are different. You need to read this! 

Yes it’s that time of the year again. Unfortunately for all these around me they not only have to consider a suitable Christmas gift (I would be happy with just their time) but my birthday also falls in December as well. 

As I watch the ones who are closest to me struggle with the ‘what do I get her’ question, I am incredulous in that I believe there are so many wonderful things they could give me that they overlook in their quest to get the ultimate material gift that in most cases I already have in duplicate. So here it is team… a blog on what I consider to have been my best gifts ever (and some received by others) over the last 15 years (I can't remember back much further) and hopefully this may help some of the other hapless males and children of significant others find the ultimate gift…

ONE

You can never underestimate time. I love to do stuff with the ones I love. Find a movie, a show, an excursion… plan it and make it happen. Surprise me!

The day that we took of midweek, went to Waiheke and long lunched at a small vineyard while the rest of the world toiled is wonderful memory for me. 

TWO

Capture a special moment. I love my children and my dogs. It’s as simple as that really. So the light boxes that have been created for me with these images on them have been my best gifts ever. A great causal shot by our pool of my two children with the two dogs that I adore has got to be one of my best presents (Tony found an old sleepy head light box when doing a shop fit to set it all into).

THREE

Trade Me… I'm obsessed and I'm always putting stuff on my watch list. It’s a massive clue guys. You will see a trend and can often discuss the list without her knowing what is happening or find similar stuff. An old Lynch print that I don't have would be a perfect gift. I'm also a fan of Sabner and Trechnichof and love flamingos at the moment… all things you can decipher from my Trade me watch list.

FOUR

What about writing and illustrating a book? They cost $50 to print digitally in hardcover.

I put together an illustrated story around our two dogs, Jam Jam and Paris (now deceased) for Tony’s birthday. It’s a great gift. You don't have to be able to draw, just add images (photos) that work and make up a story using meaningful characters.

These might be special moments in your life… the kids on a family adventure or a significant family holiday. I created a book for all the participants in our Indian trip last year… a photographic journey matched by letters from all the women on the trip that detailed the significance of the trip to them.

FIVE

Hold a small surprise party. Plan it without their knowledge and invite the most special people. The ones that she connects to all the time and serve her favourite food and drink.

SIX

Contract a video company and film a mock TV pilot. You may even have a friend that is great on a video camera. Find something that they are passionate about and create a reality TV show around it. These are all about characters and moments rather than celebrity. You never know… you may just be the next food truck… what a success Michael van de Elzen has been.

SEVEN

Create a great piece or art or buy one. Take a risk. This doesn't need to be a painting, it may just be an old car bonnet with a word as I got. Think outside the square. Look for interesting and different ways of creating art. You may be able to do this yourself. 

EIGHT

Arrange a meeting with a profile person that she aspires to or you know she would love to meet. You never know what may happen if you just put it out there. Approach the person and make a request, endeavour to set up a quick 20 minute coffee… look at the result that Kiri Nathan got when she put out there that she wanted to meet Beyonce.

NINE

If she is your partner, make a private declaration of love. One of the best that has ever happened for me was a huge red heart on the ceiling of our bedroom. This was made up of hundreds of small red hearts that pieced together to form a large heart. Each small heart had a love message in it.

TEN

Bombard her with flowers for the day. Imagine how wonderful it feels to get several bouquets delivered throughout the day to your place of work… just because you love her. 10 huge bunches ought to do it!