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‘Oh, Liz?’ Shauna piped up, a stainless steel water bottle in her hand. ‘I’ve been meaning to ask – is the water here purified?’
‘Ah, yes it is,’ Liz replied.
‘What sort of purification system is used?’ Shauna probed further. ‘It’s just, if it’s one of those cheap filter jugs, they don’t remove fluoride, and you know, fluoride is not as safe as we’re led to believe.’
Liz’s eyebrows rose. ‘Right, well each conference room comes equipped with a state-of-the-art filtration system that’s built into the sink.’
‘Is it a WellStream system?’
Liz ducked into the kitchen and back again. ‘Yes, it is.’
Shauna’s concerned face relaxed. ‘Oh, good. Thanks.’ She filled up her water bottle from the carafe.
Geez, ‘Mother Nature’.Miranda tapped her feet on the bar stool’s foot rest.Can we get back to my Hot Seat now?
As if reading her thoughts, Liz turned back to Miranda. ‘Now, carry your list around with you, so whenever you get an idea, you can add it,’ she said, ‘or if you prefer you canmake the list on your phone.’ Miranda nodded. ‘The other thing I recommend is to make room in your life for a man. This means preparing your living space, and your schedule, for a man to be a part of it. Sleep on one side of the bed, clear some hanging space in your wardrobe, and think of things you might do together.’
‘I think I better add ‘large walk-in wardrobe’ to my ideal house list then!’ Miranda joked, and the group of women laughed.
‘I wouldn’t worry. If your future man is anything like mine, he’ll just leave his clothes on the floor anyway,’ Leanne said with her hands raised in defeat.
‘I hear ya, sister!’ Wendy’s frizzy bob bounced as she nodded.
Miranda tried not to sigh audibly.My man won’t be like that.
After more Hot Seats, including Zoe’s in which she was advised about budgeting and planning a weekly timetable, and Molly’s whose business plan for ‘Glamour Pets’ was given a revamp, a satisfied-looking Cara took her place in the spotlight. Miranda wondered if she realised she had some sort of food stain on the side of her top. Poor woman, probably didn’t get a chance to look in the mirror before she left her house.
Cara knewher vision board was the best of the lot. She spoke about her first attempt at making one, and even brought the pictures the kids had drawn on to give the group a laugh. ‘I only finished it yesterday,’ she said. ‘And two days ago, I finally did something for myself.I used to be a bit of an artist, so I drew this picture of my son, Jacob.’ She held up a charcoal portrait of her four-year-old; freckles littering the bridge of his nose and a cheeky smile emerging on his face – a bit like a children’s version of The Mona Lisa:The Mona Jacob. She’d started drawing in pencil but switched to charcoal as it was quicker. Speed was paramount in her life. If there was an easier and quicker way of doing something, she’d do it. She didn’t understand what the fuss was about those popular slow cookers, for example. Why pay good money for something that cookedslowly? Crazy! Give her afastcooker and she’d pay top dollar.
‘Ooohs’ and ‘Ahhhs’ emerged from the group at Cara’s drawing, and Rebecca sprung from her chair for a closer look. For a moment Cara thought it was to hand her a business card as she’d done to Miranda, but she only said, ‘wow, that’s brilliant’.
‘Thanks so much.’ Warmth spread to her heart. For the first time in a long while, Cara felt like her old self again and savoured this moment of recognition.
After talking about her past in the art world and her missed opportunity with graphic design, Liz instructed her to make time for art every week. She suggested working out an arrangement with her husband or a relative to watch the kids so she could have uninterrupted drawing time. ‘Also, write down all the things you love doing or would like to do,’ Liz added. ‘Start brainstorming ways you can support your own needs. I don’t want you to feel guilty, Cara – a happy mother makes a happy family. Put yourself higher on the priority list, and start saying ‘no’ to some things, so you can make more time for the things that matter to you.’
Having someone tell her to make time for herself made her feel somehow worthier. In the past if she’d tried to treatherself or do something special, she’d feel guilty. Barely an adult when she’d become pregnant, Cara had only ever known being a mum. Her identity tied in with the role of ‘Mother’, making it hard to see herself as a young woman deserving happiness in her own right.
‘I think that’smyproblem,’ Wendy said. ‘Always saying ‘yes’ to everyone. Never putting myself first. It’s like I have this urge to please everyone all the time, does anyone else do that?’ She glanced around the table. Leanne nodded, as did Cara, Molly, and Cass, while Zoe tilted her head to the side as if to say ‘sometimes’.
Rebecca eyed them all as though they were mad. ‘Youcan’tplease everyone, it’s a fact. You just have to do what’s right for you, and stand up for yourself, woman!’ She wagged her finger at Wendy, who leaned back in her chair.
‘Rebecca’s right,’ Liz said. ‘Itcanbe hard to change that habit when you’ve been doing it all your life and people have come to expect certain things of you, but it’s about learning to gracefully decline some requests, while still taking into account the other person’s feelings. And remember, when you take care of yourself, you then have more to give others. Looking after number one is certainly not a selfish pursuit.’
‘Makes sense.’ Cara liked Liz even more now.
She returned to her chair at the table and Liz stood in front of the group. ‘Now, as mentioned in your welcome pack, you’re entitled to attend a bonus workshop I’m putting on tomorrow night. I’ll be taking you all through a powerful process called The Passion Test. Based on the bestselling book of the same name by Janet Bray Attwood and Chris Attwood, The Passion Test is a system that helps you to discover your top five passions – what’smost important to you in life – and how to live your life in alignment with those passions.’
Gina leaned forward, her eyes widening, but Wendy shifted in her chair. ‘I’m no good at tests, Liz,’ she said.
‘No need to worry. This is a test you cannot fail,’ Liz replied with a smile.
‘Shame they didn’t have those sorts of tests when I was at school!’ Wendy laughed.
‘Liz, can I just ask... I’m pretty clear on what my passions are, so is the workshop really necessary for me?’ Shauna enquired.
‘Good question. And it’s great that you’re clear. What I’ve found is that many people are surprised to find, after doing the test, that what they thought was a top passion turns out not to be, or something they hadn’t considered before becomes a top passion. The process is very specific, and gives you a clear vision to live your life by. For example, someone might say their passion is...’ Liz circled her hand a few times ‘...singing. But that in itself is not specific enough. Each passion is put into a statement, so instead you might describe the passion as:‘Singing my own songs at sold out concerts around the world’. See how much clearer that is?’ Everyone nodded. ‘Many people may have singing as a passion, but not everyone will be passionate about songwriting or singing around the world, they might want to stay in their own country and sing at weddings, for example. That’s why the test is so valuable. It helps you put the passion itself into a context that describes awayof living, rather than just something you do. And if singing is someone’s passion, they might even realise on doing The Passion Test, that they actually have a higher passion, like, ‘Travelling the world with my soulmate’, and singing becomes secondary to that.’ Liz heldher palm against her chest. ‘Doing the test allows you to know for sure, in your heart, how you want your life to be.’
Miranda sat up tall. ‘I’m looking forward to it, sounds wonderful!’
