Where is your happy place?

Along the winding paths of a country lane, the dawn just beginning to break, the birds starting their morning chorus, the world wakes up around me and I am present - not just in the world but in my body, my mind and my soul.

For each of us we may have a place that brings a sense of joy, peace or inner happiness, but it’s not just about the place, it’s about you. Allowing yourself space to be, to breathe deeply and to be truly yourself, this is your happy place.

So many people are searching for happiness that is portrayed by others on social media, remember most of us only post our happy days, there are few and far between that show you the other side of their lives, the days when they feel stressed, sad or lonely. We are only getting snippets of the lives of others and life can’t be defined by those images.

I love to see how other people are spending their days, but never compare my life to theirs personally or professionally, we are not living their lives and they are not living ours. As individuals we admire others when they do something that we would love to do and instead of feeling left behind, ask yourself “what is stopping me from doing this too?” When you see what others are doing, see it as inspiration to do something similar but in your own way. I for one get loads of ideas on places to visit from other people’s stories. I love finding a new adventure!

As the New Year approaches, I don’t set myself any unrealistic goals. To be alive and appreciate each day is the greatest goal we can have. As we do this, we start to feel more self-aware and in turn we progress onto doing what helps us feel good about ourselves. If we continue to dwell on what went wrong in the passing year, we get stuck in the negative attachments of the past. Let’s try and move on one step at a time.

It’s not about being better than you were last year, but simply allowing yourself to feel better in all that you do.

Ask yourself three simple questions

  • What activities do I most enjoy doing and how can I plan to do more of them in 2020?

  • If I had one dream that I could achieve in the coming year, what would it be?

  • What’s stopping me?

    By answering these questions it will help you identify where you can adjust your thoughts and focus on planning to bring about more of the positive aspects of what you want and love doing. This is the starting point

  • Identify

  • Focus

  • Plan

    There is no new you, only the you that wants to try something new. You are an accumulation of your thoughts, emotions and beliefs, when we understand this, we learn that every thought and feeling has an impact on our behaviours. Happiness is an inside job, I could be in the middle of a bog covered in muck and feel so much joy, not because of where I am, but for allowing myself time and space to be just me.

    Wherever you are, be present!

    Sharon Fitzmaurice

Do words really matter?

I received this beautiful email from a lady yesterday and it made me realise that in sharing my story, it is having an impact on other people's lives in a positive way. 

"I heard you speaking on Dublin City FM with Danielle a couple of weeks ago and your voice went straight into my heart. I can not tell you how your words inspired me with your calm strength in all that you have come through. I immediately went online and ordered your book, I couldn't wait to read your story and as I did, it opened up so much healing for me. I had felt lost and alone in my pain and hearing you that day made me feel like someone understood what I had been feeling for years. I devoured your book, I just could not leave it down. My heart felt at times as if it was going to burst with sadness and then with joy. I am finally starting to feel free. I have since booked an appointment to see a counsellor in my area, it's time to let go of the past, I have lived there long enough. I am now excited for my future. I want to join you on your Camino walks next year as I have not only kept my pain hidden, but also the real me. I was afraid of not being good enough. I now know I am good enough. Thank you Sharon, you may never fully realise the impact your story has on others but I am letting you know that it has changed my life. I hope I get to meet you in person someday, maybe on the Camino trip or on one of your healing retreats, but know you are never far away from my thoughts and that they are full of gratitude now. Diane"

As I told Danielle Serpico of Mind Matters on Dublin City FM , I started writing my book as a way to release my own inner feelings and thoughts, to help me break free from being a prisoner of my own painful past. I never truly believed I would go on to publish my book, it is like it took on a life of its own and people really resonated with my experiences, or certain aspects of my past that had affected me on so many levels where I had at one point contemplated suicide.

Sharing my story was allowing my real self to be seen -flaws and all. It helped people to understand that we are not alone in our pain and struggles, that no matter what you go through, there is someone else that has shared a similar experience and have too wanted to create a change in their lives, but weren't sure what steps to take. For me the more I opened up and shared my truth with whomever wanted to listen or read my story, I found that my story became their story. It was now a gateway for some people to open the door of the past and start to acknowledge that they too were a prisoner of their past and it was time to step out into the open to reveal themselves.  This is not always that easy as there is a certain amount of shame and guilt associated with hiding our dirty secrets of the past and fear of being judged by others is the biggest thing holding us all back. 

I promise, like all of you, I too was so scared of revealing my true self and telling everyone what I had endured, not just by the choices other people made, but by the choices that I made at a time of now knowing or understanding anything different. It wasn't until I started to explore my inner self and become more aware of who I was at that time and who I truly wanted to be. I was learning who I wanted to become, it was like reinventing myself, from a person that had no self-belief or self-worth for most of her life, now she was going to step out into the unknown and take it one day at a time. It was the best step I have ever taken but I had to take it one step at a time!

I read books by Anita Moorjani, Dannion Brinkley, Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra and so many other wonderful teachers and authors that had inspired me to stop looking outside of myself for the solution and to start looking within, their words helped me to feel empowered and secure in the knowledge that maybe I could get through this stage of my life where I had only felt darkness and they helped me find my inner light. Their words helped me. I found tools and techniques that helped me heal and I learned and studied them without realising that I would go on to use them in my own wellness practise to help others to this day. 

For me, words have such power. We can use them in a positive way to help and inspire others. Since my book was published last December, I have given many interviews and written blogs and posts about how I felt many years ago and how I feel now.  I am not numb anymore, I can now really feel with a passion what I want to do with my life, who I want to help and how I can make even a little difference in the world. This is not just because I published a book, no, this is as a human being. We all have the power inside of us to share a positive word with our family, friends, colleague, or even a stranger. When we are online to support the people you are in contact with, give them a thumbs up, show them that their words matter. Human interaction has become something of a novelty in our society, let's try and bring it back into fashion and be more open and aware of each other. Take the time to really listen to each others words and share your stories. 

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Sharon Fitzmaurice is a Holistic Wellness Coach & Author based in Co. Galway. She facilitates clients and groups in workshops, training and retreats to help promote self-awareness and personal development through mindfulness, meditation, clinical hypnotherapy, reiki, talk therapy, and also speaking at public events or seminars on helping you awaken your potential. 

Let's make it a January to remember...for all the right reasons

Yes it is a new year and you are probably bombarded with ‘New Year, new you’ advertising and may feel as if you have to change in some way!? Try adding something instead.

Do what feels right for you. You are fabulous just the way you are and if you are feeling not so fabulous at the moment, just ask yourself what one thing you can do differently to make things a little better in your life. So for many of us we want to be healthier, so what does that entail? If you are continuously focusing on what you DON’T want in your life, you will get more of the same. Try changing your mindset around what you DO want in your life. For example : I want to be healthier this week/month/year so I going to add more walking or exercise to my daily routines. I want to clear out my system as I feel bloated or sluggish, so I will add more fresh foods to my daily meals. I want to learn more not just to help me in my work life, but to develop personally, so I am looking at some courses for the year ahead. I love learning and it keeps the brain active. Plus it is great to set yourself a challenge just for the fun of it.

January is just another month, but for some people they have always told themselves the same story that they ‘hate’ this month and it is a real ‘downer’ after the Christmas, it’s not, it’s just what you tell yourself that amplifies that feeling. Just look at each day as a brand new day, what can you do in each day to make it a little better? I went walking this morning with a friend and even though it was raining before we started off, we didn’t use it as an excuse not to go. We fill our minds and then our lives with excuses, which in turn block us from moving forward. If you hear yourself making an excuse today, ask yourself why you are stopping yourself?

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So I am giving you all a little challenge, I want you to find one new thing that you can do this week that will change the way you look at January. I am starting new classes and running workshops and retreats this month, so I have so much to look forward to, if you haven’t planned anything yet, maybe it is time to start looking at something that will give you a boost and time out for yourself. We have 24 hours in the day, use one of them for You! Don’t keep putting off living your life. It’s not about failing or succeeding, it is simply about trying. How would we ever know what anything is like if we never tried it?

Here are a few simple starting points, the more you achieve the simple steps in adding more positive change to your life, the easier it will be to take the next step in adding something a little more adventurous :-

Read a new book

Do 10 minutes stretching every morning

Eat more greens

Arrange to meet a friend for a chat

Arrange a date night with your other half

Go to the park with your kids

Bring your dog to the beach (I did that yesterday)

Empty out your wardrobe and recycle your clothes by giving to a charity shop

Join a new class and meet new people, this helps build your confidence and self-esteem

Plan ahead so you have something to work towards in your career, personal life and relationships

Go to bed a little earlier a few nights each week

Start meditating - it has been the greatest benefit to my life

Be gentle and more compassionate to yourself

Take it one step at a time

Whatever way you look at this month, try to remember that it is just another month. The choices you make today will reflect in your tomorrows.

Let me know what you are doing to add more to your life this month.

Have a wonderful January everyone.

Enjoy your journey

Love Sharon


Sharon Fitzmaurice is an Holistic Wellness Coach, Speaker and best selling Author based in Co. Galway. She works with clients through one to one Reiki & Hypnotherapy Sessions helping bring about positive change within their lives. She also teaches Reiki therapy so that others may use it for their own well-being and moving forward in their personal and professional lives. She regularly runs workshops on self-care, meditation, mindfulness along with weekend retreats to provide an environment to guide others on their journey of self-awareness and personal development. She has spoken at private and public events, sharing her story of overcoming adversity and helping others to awaken their potential.