I miss Oprah. I know we’ve still got episodes from last year screening every day at 1pm. But it’s just not the same.
No fresh possibility of couch jumping, car giveaways or the annual episode that used to make me cry and squeal in equal proportions: Oprah’s Favourite Things.
There was a book on the final Oprah’s Favourite Things – her Ultimate Favourite Things 2010 – that caught my eye … in between the iPad and the Le Creuset Cookware set, of course.
Marianne Williamson’s A Course in Weight Loss.
Bestselling US self-help author Marianne Williamson is coming to Australia as part of the I Can Do It! Australia 2011 retreats
“We all know that it’s a spiritual issue to help you get your mind, body and spirit aligned,” says Oprah, the woman we’ve watched for decades very publicly battle her weight demons.
It got me thinking, maybe Oprah’s finally found the key? The thing that helps her make peace with her love of food.
So, I did what thousands have done before me. I went online and bought the book that Oprah told me to.
(Have I mentioned before that I’m a marketers’ dream? I’m that easy!)
The said book didn’t take long to arrive but it did take me a little while to summons up the courage to open it. But then I happened to flick open to a page and this quote got me in:
Perhaps you are someone who feels a need to sabotage yourself when things get too good. Perhaps you’ve made a subconscious decision that you should allow yourself only this much success, or this much money, or this much physical beauty … perhaps you grew up afraid to break through barriers your parents didn’t break through, or were ashamed of being successful when those around you weren’t, or were concerned that you’d lose someone’s love or approval if you dared to have the life you really wanted.
Without going all Oprah on you, I’ve long had a battle with my weight. Other people joke about losing their shape after the kids. I sometimes join in the joke but the truth is I lost my “shape” when I was eight or nine. Even before then I was never the skinny rake that most of my friends were. On top of that life-long blessing, for the past 12 years I’ve had a diagnosed thyroid auto-immune condition – and not the one that makes you lose weight. Fun stuff.
The frustrating thing is, I eat an incredibly healthy diet. My kids complain A LOT about the lack of junk food in our fridge and pantry and my husband still has pangs for his former life that consisted of work lunches of Big Macs and cans of Coke, followed by a trip to the vending machine for a 3pm Mars Bar.
But – and it’s a big but – I have a love/hate relationship with exercise. I generally love it but it doesn’t always love me. The wrong type of exercise can make me physically ill, thanks to that aforementioned auto-immune condition. And often my lazy-arse mindset gets in the way of any exercise love anyway.
It’s that mindset – whether it’s tied in with food or not getting up off your butt – that Williamson pokes a big stick at in A Course in Weight Loss.
There are 21 lessons for you to work through (I’m still a work in progress!). If, like me, you could do with a bit of a spur on, then the fact that Williamson will be in Australia next month might just be the motivation you need to get started on your journey.
Williamson is part of a stellar line-up of Hay House authors delivering life-changing lectures at the I Can Do It! Australia 2011 events in both Sydney and Melbourne.
In Williamson’s lecture she’ll address the question of spirituality and weight loss, helping those attending to surrender their weight forever. I like the sound of that.
And I’m going to get a bit new-agey on you here. Williamson’s lecture addresses the true causal root of your weight-loss issues. Apparently it’s like a forgetfulness, which has confused not only your mind but also your body, making you reach for that glass of wine . . . and reject the freshly squeezed spinach, cos lettuce and lemon juice.
She says, once you’ve got your mind back on track, your body will reclaim its natural intelligence as well.
I want me some of that.
——————————————————————————————————————-
I Can Do It! Australia 2011: A weekend retreat for your soul
Friends of mine attended this HUGE event last year and have already booked for this year. And it’s not difficult to see why – two days featuring not only Marianne Williamson but some of the world’s most inspirational speakers.
Louise L. Hay, whose concepts on positive affirmations are so profound; Deepak Chopra, the leading force behind mind-body medicine; Doreen Virtue, if you ever wanted to know anything about angels and how to work with them in your everyday life Doreen is the authority. Everybody is looking for more happiness in their life – Robert Holden is the guru of happiness. John Holland is a medium extraordinaire and Denise Linn has the most unbelievable guided meditations that actually assist you in identifying a past life. Whether you believe in past lives or not, the guided meditations are so good that you come out of them so motivated in your present life. I’m sure they’ll never be able to bring all these people together again, under the one roof and at the same time. Don’t miss it!
Sydney: Saturday July 30; Sunday July 31. Earlybird tickets $295 for the weekend and are available until June 30
Melbourne: Saturday August 6; Sunday August 7. Earlybird tickets $295 for the weekend and available until July 6
——————————————————————————————————————-
This competition has now closed! WIN: Hay House and Styling You have five (5) copies of Marianne Williamson’s A Course in Weight Loss book (rrp $19.95) to give away. Entering is easy. Simply leave a comment below telling me about the worst diet you’ve ever been on. Entries open on Thursday, June 23 at 7am and close on Thursday, June 30 at 8am. The winners will be drawn at random using random.org. They will be notified by email and the names listed here.
——————————————————————————————————————-
I’ve noticed that there was lots of responses to the Marianne Williamson post, all of them about weightloss, just wanted to make sure that you think about all the other parts of her message. It’s more about attitude to food than losing weight and trying hundreds of different diets. She’s appearing with the most incredible authors in the field healthy lifestyle. Louise L. Hay, Deepak Chopra, and Robert Holden. There’s also an opportunity to become a Hay House author and see your book published around the world. For information about the I Can Do It conference visit hayhouse.com.au and at the same time have a quick at The Writer’s Workshop. I’d love one of my followers to become an international bestselling author.
