Palm trees and margaritas
(empowered living)

Hi there.

I cannot recommend enough Stephanie Dowrick’s book ‘Free Thinking’. It’s a collection of her newspaper columns captured in themes including ‘spirit’, ‘power’, ‘relationships’ and ‘happiness’. I expect to quote it endlessly and pass on this insight here. “Treasuring the life we have, while we have it, is an essential task of living. Many of us fail to grasp this – and postpone living fully.”

‘Palm trees and margaritas’, the newsletter, is about life, the universe and what really matters. None of us knows how our life will unfold so as much as we are in control, and for as long as we have, empowered living means making sure there is time in our lives for palm trees and margaritas*, however we define them.

It aims to give you five minutes of reflective reading time on the last Friday of each month. How was your month?

*** Life can’t be all palm trees and margaritas, but there are worse game plans.

Karen Morath
karen@mpowercct.com
www.palmtreesandmargaritas.com
April 2007

TIPS

1. Throwing things out (or giving them away) is as much fun as buying new things. And it’s cheaper.

2. Book tickets to a major event at least once a year. They are the things you remember.

3. Develop your vocabulary. The Yanks seem to be reduced to three adjectives – cool, awesome (they say it oar-sum) and good. We need to consciously avoid following in their footsteps.

4. Hand crafts are the heirlooms of the future. If we can find the time, maybe they will be our greatest legacy.

5. Paint your toenails a colour that makes you smile. It’s a cheap thrill. (So is finding a new cologne fellas).

6. Plan for the life you want. Plan time with family. Plan time to exercise. Plan your work hours. And what have we said before about working out what fun is for you and making sure you have some of it?

TO ENJOY LIST

Last issue I didn’t get any suggestions from readers for the ‘to enjoy’ list, so in the spirit of keeping the list alive I’ll include my own tip. The movie Mr Bean’s Holiday is a laugh out loud riot. I took my kids over Easter and proved it’s one for all ages. The quirky Mr Bean character in a big screen, big movie format. Wonderful!

STORIES

1. By some statistical error I became the mother of two teenagers this month. The celebrations seemed like they would never end and I found myself taking six teenage girls on an overnight trip to the beach. I learnt so much, but then teenage girls set quite a pace in the business of enjoying life. I feel it’s important to share some of what I now know. White t-shirts are cool. Red tracksuit pants are virtually teenage uniform. Wearing a beanie on the beach isn’t for everybody but those in the know know it’s the go. Thirteen year old girls don’t watch Bondi Rescue for the first aid tips. Suntans (especially on 15 year old boys) are ‘cool’. Most other things are ‘hot’. Oh to be 13 again.

2. April marks the end of a passionate relationship for me. After seven series, The West Wing has finished. My relationship style is loyal rather than fanatical and I do not have an addictive personality. Yet for many years I have hung on every word of The West Wing’s script, been impressed by the soundness of its characters and seduced by the visual imagery. I have laughed, cried and sighed and now it is all over. Apparently some people go out on Saturday nights, perhaps I’ll explore that. Vale The West Wing – you were one of the great romances of my life. Please email me and share your stories of love and television. Don’t have any? Sure you do…

READER STORIES

1.Reader Nadine went to China in 1986, when she was 21, and met a fellow traveller, an Australian man in his eighties, named Anzac. She learnt a wonderful life lesson from him. “See what you can and buy what you like because you can’t be sure you’re ever going to be in these parts again.” If you have to travel (or get to?) for work or to visit family, add some tourist days where you are or a stopover somewhere on the way back just because you can.

REFLECTIONS

1. “Have you ever noticed that good people sleep better, but bad people seem to have more fun when they're awake?” Woody Allen

2. Is ‘urgent’ to a business person the same as ‘urgent’ to an organ transplant surgeon?

3. Is your music still in you? What are you doing to release it? (inspired by Zig Ziglar)

Karen Morath is a consultant, speaker and writer. Her company M Power works with individuals and organisations to devise empowering communication strategies. Visit www.communicationempowers.com or there’s something to see at www.palmtreesandmargaritas.com

To book Karen to speak on ‘Life can’t be all palm trees and margaritas, but there are worse game plans’ at your next event, you can email her at karen@mpowercct.com or telephone in Australia 03 9817 4111.

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