the Best Life You Can
With Lorraine Blackley
How Lorraine found her Best Life
I was born and raised in a small rural country town in New Zealand and from an early age felt my inner voice did not marry with the outer expression of my life.
When I left school I chose to go Nursing, studying for 3 years and qualifying as a State Registered and Obstetric Nurse. Nursing was good but it was not the right fit.
I decided to follow the New Zealand tradition and do my big OE, overseas experience. For
4 years I had the most eye opening, adventurous and life changing experiences. From traveling through the Sahara, off road, to District
Nursing in London on a push bike. My life began to deepen.
In Search of Purpose and Meaning
On my return I stumbled on psychodrama where I developed a love of psychology and performance. I embarked on 3 years of psychodrama training, specializing in Group Process.
It was at this point that my inner voice found a way to express itself. I pursued as much learning as I could around personal development attending courses on: Touch for Health, massage, meditation, working with grief, coaching, drama, communication skills, mediation, conflict resolution, energy work, vision quests, sweat lodges and many other human development experiences, including a 2 year live in group process training and a 3 year training in creativity and spiritual education.
Desire to Consolidate my Life
I met my husband on a psychodrama retreat. We married, started a training company, bought a house and had 2 children. I thought this was where I would find success, happiness and my Best Life. Instead I was strung out, stressed out and found myself declaring my life to be a nightmare. Eventually I left the marriage and left the business. Life defining moment.
Ask and You Shall Be Given
It is when we are at our lowest ebb that we call out to the universe, or pray to God for help and there is always a response, if we are open to it.
For me, it was a book. "The Path of Least Resistance" by Robert Fritz. In essence Fritz was advocating a creative approach to life in the same way as an Artist or Musician approaches their creative work. The book outlines a way to make life happen, based on principles of creating, and puts you at the helm of your creation.
This was an epiphany and everything had to change. It was at this point that the tide turned. Over the next period of time I utilized these principles to change my life from overwhelming chaos to my Best Life.
We Teach What We Most Need to Learn
As I mastered the principles of creating in my life, I started a coaching business called Creative Adventures.
The business flourished with individual sessions, workshops and retreats where people learnt to bring about the outcomes they wanted in their lives.
In 2000 I developed a year long program for Artists known as, 'New Space' which ran successfully for 7 years, benefiting the lives and careers of 289 Artists.
"Just been granted 20,000 for script development
from the NZ film commission. A lot of this success has been from your teachings of pushing the envelope and
doing things differently." Scott (New Space participant).
"thank you thank you thank you- you really have made a humungus,
positive and indelible mark on my life". Kirsty (New Space participant)
Do What You Love and Your Best Life Follows
2009 I wrote and published a book, "Creative Adventures in Manifesting Reality". An illustrated guide to use a creative approach to achieve what you want.
“Your book is amazing. Just
looking at it helps me understand not only myself but my relationships. It gives me a clear understanding of life
patterns and how they can free you or restrict you.” Margaret Mary Hollins Director of Tapac
Other Programs I was involved with:
Co teaching on the Creative Enterprise Diploma at MAINZ (Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand) for 2 years.
Specialist coach and facilitator for 10 years with the ART Venture, a unique, year-long acceleration program for entrepreneurial people working in Auckland’s creative sector. ART Venture brought together the arts, business, education and investment communities to back high-achieving creative entrepreneurs and producers.
FutureMakers for 2 years, as a program developer and facilitator, championing the development of creative artists, producers and educators from within the Faculty of Creative Arts and Industries at the University of Auckland.
Produced a magazine app for Apple Newsstand called, "Follow Your Heart".
Created a 9 week online course called Midlife Makeover to support people, who were facing changing times, to take stock, reset their sails and head into the next phase of life.
I would absolutely and completely
recommend this course to anyone, on any walk of life... Jenni Abdelnoor (Midlife Makeover participant)
A powerful catalyst for change and extremely powerful course. I wish all my friends could do it. Chris Beckett (MM participant)
It was a challenge at times, but in so many ways inspiring and an eye-opener.
Lorraine is a fantastic life coach and has an amazing ability to relate to a
variety of people. Katja (MM participant)
Midlife Makeover ran successfully for some time, until it became a catalyst for change, for me.
Dreaming into being, My Best Life Ever
A first step to creating your Best Life is to visualize
it. When you can see it in your minds eye, when you can feel it in your
bones and you can speak about it to others - it can happen. A powerful tool to achieve this is the, "Best Life Ever Exploration".
Lorraine's Best Life Ever Exploration
I would write that I live on the coast in a resort like setting with a swimming pool and the sea on my doorstep. In a conscious neighborhood with lovely grounds, that I don't have to look after. There are walking and biking tracks all through the town and surrounding countryside. I am fit and healthy.
I have plenty of money. I follow my intuition and do work that I love. I have a great relationship with both my children. I spend time with my Grandchildren. I am relaxed and enjoy my life. I socialize with a circle of like minded friends. I take exciting holidays, both overseas and around the country. I have a special friend with whom I share holidays and adventures. I feel happy and lucky. My life flows easily.
When I wrote these things they were all a fantasy. If you imagine the opposite to all that I have written, then that was my life. I could not believe my Best Life Ever could happen, nor imagine how it could possibly come about. But come about it did.
I now live that life and if I can find my way to my Best Life, you can too.
The Best Life Ever Exploration, is a very powerful manifesting tool. So many of my coaching clients are surprised at how their 'Best Life Ever', miraculously morphs into existence.
Check it out Best Life Ever Exploration template and instructions.
Other Best Life resources: Things you love to do. Gratitude Journal. The Power of Imagination The Science of Getting Rich 5 transformational life hacks to make life better.
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