Here's to Our Health SSSs!

"The best six doctors anywhere,
And no one can deny it,
Are sunshine, water, rest, and air,
Exercise and diet.
These six will gladly you attend,
If only you are willing.
Your mind they'll ease.
Your will they'll mend.
And charge you not a shilling."


~ Nursery rhyme quoted by Wayne Fields, What the River Knows, 1990

Posted via email from savvysassyshe's posterous

Back to Work...

So, after spending an amazing time in Perth with the family and other loved ones, I'm back in Sydney-town and back at the JOB...

It was so wonderful seeing my sister (Liane) and her partner (Russell), my dad who normally lives in Europe, good friends and the extended family. Plus I was showing Perth off to the Man (i've already said that we have to go back because there was so much we didn't fit in, in the 10 days we were there).

So the time totally flew but there were many highlights from Perth:

• Seeing the wonderous Pinnacles again after many years
• Music, lots of Live Music! Wolves (the awesome band Russell is in), The Chemist set next door to our new apartment @ The Ellington Jazz Club
• Seeing my apartment for the first time. Liane and I bought it earlier this year and i've only seen pictures and the mortgage payment coming out of the bank account!
• Bali Reunion, with some of the wonderful friends that attended Lauren and Paul's Wedding in October
• Perth Sunsets - pics to come!
• Xmas Eve, the billions of presents we all gave and received and the absolutely scrumptious Christmas meal Dad cooked!
• Blow up pool party at Russells'
• Playing crazy fun card game with aunty, uncle and cousins
• Multi-cultural farewell lunch with French onion soup (thanks to the Man), Peasant Stew (thanks to Nic), portugese cake (thanks to Aunty) and garlic bread (thanks to me!)

So wherever you were for your holiday season frivolity, I hope you had as an amazing time as I managed to have!

Make it as you wish SSSs!

xo Arienne

Screw Others' Expectations For You

You need to follow you own path
It can be so easy to be led down a certain path because someone says its such a great opportunity. That you are so lucky because you get to do a certain thing, or be in a certain relationship or work in a certain place. But is that where You really ant to be? While it may look like an opportunity that someone else would jump for, its not necessarily the right one for you
Listen to yourself, after all you're the one you answer to in those quiet moments.

Make it as you wish SSSs!
xo

Post Update: I wrote a blog post for 10thousandgirl that relates to just this, that I posted on SSS.

On Death & Dying

I found out today that my Oma (that's Grandmother or Nanna or Gran or whatever you term may be) passed away yesterday in Holland. She was my step-father, Lane's, mother.

She had a stroke a few years ago and was living in a nursing home, unfortunately in an almost uncommunicative state. For all the years she was there my Opa would still leave his house everyday and sit with her. That is true love and dedication. I am sure he is lost at the moment but hopefully also happy that she was finally able to let go and move on to wherever spirits go when they pass.

Lane was always very close to her and would go to Holland from Perth regularly to visit and pass by if on business in Europe. As would my mum and little sister Tatiane. I know the last few times he saw her, he told her that it was okay to go, if that was what she wanted. He wanted to let her know that he would be okay.

My sister Liane and I went to visit a few years ago (funny aside, the poor old lady whom Oma was sharing her room with, didn't know we were her grandchildren and thought we were there to rob them...). It was quite hard and emotional to see her lying in her bed, when the last time we saw her she was still the strong woman she was.

I really needed to take the time to stop and honour her. Wishing I had known her better and giving gratitude for the huge impact she had on Lane. Acknowledging the life she lead, knowing that she was a woman, whom I'm sure had dreams and goals and I wonder how she felt about life.

It has just reminded me that life can be short and one of the reasons I wanted to start SSS was so that I can become an old woman who can look back at her life and be proud. Be proud of the fact that I tried everything I wanted to experience, rather than thinking of all the things I should have attempted and regretting that I didn't have the guts to seize the opportunity. Because I think that must be one of the worst feelings in the world...

So thank you Oma for all that you did and for having this effect on me today.

Make it what you wish SSSs!

Arienne x
Empowering women to create the inspired life they want through a template for life. In warm spirited community

The Sartorialist

So The Sartorialist Scott Schumann was in Sydney on Tuesday the 8th December 2009 for his book signing at the Sass & Bide store.

I'm glad I got there early as the queue grew alarmingly long behind me. To be more time effective I actually brought some work for me to peruse while standing for the 45minutes or so I was there for (ooooh, good multitasking Arienne!). Though I have to say I did a lot of 'beautiful people' watching too!

I have him to thank for inspiring me to actually take action with SSS and start my blog. Within a week of discovering his blog, I started mine, so I really wanted to take the time to go there, buy his beautiful book, get it signed and thank him in person.

Though my interests don't strongly lie in fashion or photography (though I enjoy both), his creative eye and his view on the world is moving to even those outside these areas. I told this to him but I have to admit I did stumble over my words a little! That's a pic of me and Scott and a picture of a small part of the line when I was leaving!

I would like to think that when SSS gets better known that people will take the time to let me know if something SSS has done has helped them in some way.

Who would you like to thank and give gratitude to? Go on, make a point of doing it!

Make it what you wish SSSs!

Arienne x

Empowering Women

Savings?...What Savings...????

I know, we always hear that we should be doing something with our money - save, invest, buy property, stocks, bonds - and we KNOW we should do something about debt and credit, but never get around to it. We never get around to creating a PROPER savings account (the one linked to our EFTPOS account does not count - it should be named 'spendings!'), we never educate ourselves on what investing is and how we go about it.

Well, things are going to change!!!! Finance, well...at least to me, seems like this big dark hole that I know I should look into, but it just seems like such a daunting area - I don't know where to start and I don't know who to ask.

The reason SSS is here is to help us improve in all areas of our lives. Finance being one of them. This is a huge area to look into. I don't have all the answers, well, I don't have many (yet). But one thing I know is that money gives us FREEDOM.

I've 'virtually' met some interesting women who know about finance. One of them is Anneli Knight. She writes a blog for The Age (Melbourne's main newspaper) and I have just bought her new book Flirting with Finance which I am looking forward to receiving this week. She mentioned in one of her emails that don't we "wish we all knew at 16 if we saved $20 every week til we were 21, then $100 every week for the next 5 years after that, then we'd have more than $40,000 saved up by the time we turned 26!"

Well I wish I could have just started something like that rather than waiting for later (2 weeks ago) in my life (I sent that information to my 14 year old sister, let's hope she does something about it! Don't worry, I'll be on her back in a non-nagging, supportive and encouraging way!).

But as they say, it's better late than never! So start an automatic savings plan. They (the experts) say pay yourself first. So save 10% (or whatever amount you can afford) out of each of your pay. Schedule the automatic deduction for the day after your wages normally hit your account (and before you can spend it!). I've set mine up with ING

Go on and do your future self a favour and put some money aside, you can decide later what it is for (a huge holiday, starting your dream business, an emergency fund). Set yourself a timeframe and have your SAVINGS account set up by the end of the week - lock it in Eddie!

Make it what you wish SSSs!

Arienne x

Childhoon Inspirations...Rekindled

Pearl Jam were a real childhood inspiration. Their music and lyrics helped me dream, plan, listen and write poetry from my teenage heart. And I was [insert teen girl voice] like totally in love with Eddie (yes, that is a very blurry picture of him I took last week).

I saw them on Sunday 22nd November 2009 in Sydney (I saw them some time in the late 90's as well in Perth) and it rekindled that wonder about the world that can easily go missing nowadays.

I dug out that book filled with those words I wrote and it brought me back to two different times. One of the family trips to Europe and I continually listened to 'Vs' and then that balcony in Bangkok I used to sit on when I listened to every lyric of the 'Vitalogy' album. And I felt that intense wonder I used to feel when I really listened and felt and was touched and inspired by something.

What were your childhood inspirations? What can you do to rekindle those feelings?

Make it what you wish SSSs!

Arienne x

Compliments for all!!!

Its such a nice feeling when someone you know, let alone, someone you don't really know, pays you a compliment out of nowhere!

It can really make someone's day when you notice something about them and comment on it. I know I have been guilty in the past of thinking something really nice about someone, but not letting them know, either because I thought they might think I was strange, or because the moment passed.

So if you do want to compliment someone, just do it! You will make them feel amazing and you'll feel great too knowing you had a part in making them feel good.

Did you know you can also pay yourself a compliment? You know those moments where you did something really well or you've put a lot of effort into getting ready for a night out - you ARE allowed to stop and go "wow...I do look pretty good" or "good on me...I did a great job!"

When was the last time you randomly paid someone a compliment? And what was the situation? How did it feel? How did they react? Go and spread the cheer fellow SSSs!

Make it what you wish SSSs!

Arienne x

Perfectionism Cont.....for Gents too!

And I would like to add that while SSS is generally aimed at young modern women, gentlemen are also welcome, as are those that are not so young and not so modern.

Come one, come all!

Perfectionism

So...I've let my perfectionsim take over a little - but at least I'm realising it and catching myself when it happens and that's half the battle (and those of you who know me well are probably wondering ...what perfectionism????)

My little notebook has received A LOT of entries to do with ideas for blog posts, but I keep wanting them to be perfect, so I look at the subject from all angles and keep re-drafting and then not posting.

So I've made a decision. I will post anyway! They may not be perfect and answer every possible question you may have at that moment, but I hope they will capture the gist of my meaning and the essence of what I'm saying comes through.

Which means you will be privvy to a whole lot more (are using those three words together redundant??) SSS posts Ladies!

Make it what you wish SSSs!

Arienne x

Inspiring Photos!

Sometimes just looking at a beautiful picture can fill you with inspiration.

I took this picture of pink frangipanies (or as a girlfriend calls them, frangi-fannies) on my first trip to Bali for my gorgeous friend Lauren's wedding in October this year.

Get inspired Ladies! Do you have a photo that fills you with inspiration when you gaze upon it? If so, use it as your wallpaper, tape it to a mirror or in your organiser or place it in your wallet to remind yourself of a goal or to receive a 'hit' of something special!

Embrace inspiration when you can

Inspiration can pounce on you at the most inconvenient times. The past few days it has been jumping out at me while i've been at my J.O.B, which is not very convenient! But even then, I recognise how important it is to capture these moments.

An inspired idea, thought, solution or memory can pop into your mind while you are walking around, in the midst of a conversation, or even while...ahem...you are powdering your nose. Make it a priority, in that moment, to make a note of it (you CAN write on toilet paper, you may have to get creative with what though!).

If you can, take a couple of minutes and jot down what you are feeling or about that idea so you can come back to it later at a more convenient time. If you don't do this, the moment can be so fleeting that you forget about it, or you do the whole 'i know there was something important i was supposed to remember' while scrunching up your face and pinching the bridge of your nose.

Do yourself (and your improved life) a favour and carry around a notebook. I'd hang one around my neck if I could find one stylish enough!

Ciao fellow SSSs
Arienne x

Waiting for everything to be perfect...

Do you ever find that there is a moment when a cliche you've heard numerous times over the years start to make sense?

A penny drops, something comes and smacks you in the face or you realise you've been struck by a dawning realisation, and you say...AHA! I really UNDERSTAND what that means now...

Well my cliche-to-reality is 'Don't wait for a time when everything is perfect' because that time will never come! I've tended to fall into over-planning and never actually doing, or having the paralysis of analysis disease. I'm sure some of you know that feeling - having to dot every 'i' and cross every 't', have a Plan B (and then a Plan C-H as well), that you'll actually start once you've finished ....insert 'x' here...and then you never really get anywhere because the perfect moment, the perfect time, the perfect plan isn't there...yet.

Of course there needs to be a balance between being under-prepared and over-prepared but, sometimes you just need to get started. Take a cautious plunge! Dive in head-first after checking the depth!

So without a website, business card, logo or special photo but with a lot of spirit, ideas and enthusiasm (and a Facebook account - details to come!) I have decided to start here. Step 1 of Savvy Sassy She. It feels good, no actually it feels great!!!

So, get invovled and get thinking! My question to you is: What do you finally need to start? Leave your answers in the comments section.

Introducing Savvy Sassy She

Want to be more proactive about your life? Rather than getting up and doing the same thing over and over again and then all of a sudden realising that a year has passed and you haven't moved forward in the important areas of your life? I know a lot of awesome women in my life, but we all have so much potential that is lying dormant, buried under our everyday lives.

What if there was some sort of guided way of moving forward in these areas - finance, relationships, health, career etc in a fun, interesting and holistic way with a great group of women?

I came up with the idea of SSS when I was looking for something out there that would give me some sort of framework to bring together all the parts of my life that I wanted to work on. I couldn't find it out there in a way that was supportive and fun. And that's what SSS is all about!

The first step is the hardest, but I've just taken it... Welcome to the Blog site of Savvy Sassy She!

I want to start to build this fun and supportive community here before SSS is officially launched so it can be tailored to YOUR interests and requirements. After all, it's YOUR life! So please make a comment or suggestion as we go along, tell me what's important to you in your life, what you want to know more about, what inspires you...

This will be a place where I can muse on what I think is important, ask questions, give and get inspiration and motivation and listen to your ideas.

Woot woot here's to all the aspiring SSS out there - let's see what we can do together!