This is what generally happens to me right after Christmas. While I'm trying to decide what to do with all the left-over turkey or agonising over the morality of simply tossing out three unused rolls of Christmas wrapping paper because I really don't have room in my tiny apartment to store stuff like that..I begin to picture the year ahead - and this is what I see. I see a beautifully ploughed field complete with rich soil in neat, evenly spaced furrows, just waiting to be planted with seed from my fertile imagination. I see a blank page just waiting for me to write my dream life on it. I wonder if any of you can relate to this. Yes? The new year is like a magical land of opportunity in its ability to produce whatever I want it to.
Before I know where I am, New Year's Eve is upon me and I find myself with a pen in my hand and a pristine, brand-new journal open in front of me. And then..I START JOTTING DOWN NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS. Am I alone in this? Even though I know that that little bit of jotting is the world's biggest waste of ink I NEVERTHELESS DO THIS.
But not this year. This year is panning out quite differently and here's why. I have discovered that resolutions are useless, meaningless and soul-destroying but that goals are not. And I have found a way to not only set goals, but also, to achieve them! I made this discovery a few weeks ago when I realised that I had actually accomplished a financial goal that I had set myself earlier in the year. I was delighted but also shocked. How had I managed to do this? I decided to sit down and analyse exactly what I had done so that I could repeat the process in future.  And here's what I found out - setting a goal that you can actually achieve is as easy as A, B, C, D - except backwards, so D, C, B, A. Are you with me? Great, here goes.

D = Decide what you want to achieve
Decide exactly what you want to achieve because that is the difference between a resolution and a goal. Don't be vague, as in, "I want to lose weight"; be very specific about the goal you are setting for yourself, as in, "I want to lose 8kgs". Maybe you'd like to own a really good, designer handbag. Do your research, settle on exactly which bag you'd like to purchase and find out what its going to cost you and where you can buy it. Maybe you'd like to get fit. Decide exactly what that's going to look like. Is it going to look like you can run a 5km distance in 30 minutes or less? Or is it going to look like you are stronger and more supple? Have you noticed that for a goal to be realistic and achievable, it must be measurable. If you can't measure it, its not a goal, its a wish.

C = Commit to a deadline
As soon as you've set your goal, decide on the by when. By when are you going to be swinging that handbag off your arm? By when are you going to clock up that 5km run? Its so important to include a deadline in our goal-setting. That information goes into your brain and sets a creative, problem-solving process in motion. Plus, once you've committed to a deadline you know the amount of effort you have to put in between now and then to see your goal achieved. Setting a deadline is also a step of faith. In setting a deadline you're saying to yourself "I have already achieved this goal" and that is not only motivating but powerful in a spiritual sense.

B = Break it down
Now that you know what you want to achieve and by when you want to achieve it, you can decide what the steps along the way should be. If you've decided that you want to be able to run 5kms in 30 minutes or less, by the end of April 2017, then you could follow a beginner's running programme that will gradually build you up to that distance. You may have found out that your designer handbag is going to cost you R20 000 and you've decided that you'd like to have that by the middle of the year. If you save R100 per day, it will take you 200 days to save up for your handbag. Can you do that? In the breaking-down step, you may discover that the deadline you have set for the achieving of your goal is unrealistic..so adjust it until you think you have a goal that is challenging, yet achievable. There's no point saying "I want to be a billionaire by the end of the year" - you're just setting yourself up for failure.

A = Action your decision immediately
You know exactly what you want to achieve. You know by when you want to achieve it. You've broken your goal down into measurable steps and you've seen, not only that your deadline is realistic, but exactly what you need to do in order to meet your goal within the time you've given yourself. So now's the time to take action. The very first thing I did when I set that financial goal earlier in the year was commit it to the Lord. I already knew that my goal was in line with God's will so I prayed with faith and asked God to help me realise it. So do that. Commit your goal to the Lord. Now go and transfer R100 from your current account into a special savings account right now. Great. You're one step closer to owning that handbag. Go and download the Couch to 5k running programme right now, see what you need to do today, put on your running shoes and go do it. You're on your way to being able to run 5kms in under 30 minutes.

As a general rule of thumb, try not to set too many goals at once. Instead, think of your life in terms of categories - faith, fitness, family, lifestyle, work, finance - and select only one goal per life category. Once you've achieved that goal, you can set another one. I'm looking forward to hearing your success story. Until then, I'm wishing you a very happy new year!





SaveSave
SaveSave

What can we learn from the cedars of Lebanon?

I never thought I'd find myself strolling amongst the cedars of Lebanon. Who does? I have to acknowledge; it was a surreal experience that left me humbled. Which is, I'm beginning to think, the very purpose for the existence of these magnificent trees in the first place. I mean, some of them are 2000 years old!

Millennia ago, cedar forests covered the central mountain range of Lebanon, the pocket-sized country squashed between Syria, the Mediterranean Sea and Israel/Palestine that I visited earlier this year.  Slowly, over centuries,  deforestation took place so that today there are precious few of these Biblical trees left. Happily they enjoy special protection now and there is an active reforestation project in place. If you want to adopt a cedar tree, click here. Why not ask someone to give you a cedar tree for your birthday or you could give everyone in your family a cedar tree for Christmas this year. Its a wonderfully visionary thing to do, don't you think? Akin to naming a star after your first-born.

For more than 1000 years this tree has been growing and growing..and it still is. Can't believe I'm standing there, in its shadow.

So..why was it such a privilege to walk amongst the cedars of Lebanon? For one thing, my grandmother had a cedar wood kist in her home and the aromatic fragrance of the Lebanon forests took me straight back there. The wood has natural insect-repelling properties and many people in my grandmother's era kept their linen in cedar wood chests. For another, cedar trees hold a very special significance for Christians. Cedar timber built the temple (1 Kings 7: 2, 3) and God speaks in 'cedar tree metaphors' in many places in the Bible. Having observed these unique trees up close and personal, I'm not surprised at all. We do have a lot to learn from them. 

I love this romantic old depiction of Psalm 1, don't you?

My favourite Scripture verse about the cedars is found in Psalm 92.

"The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar tree in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still yield fruit in old age, they shall be full of sap and very green." 

How do the cedar trees of Lebanon grow? For every ten feet above the ground, their roots go down thirty feet. Thirty feet! One of the trees I saw was 6 600 feet tall; that means its roots went down, what, a 198 000 feet!? Nothing's going to shift that tree, short of a nuclear explosion. The cedars are deeply, deeply rooted. How rooted are you? Do you trust the Lord no matter what? Are you ever to be found in the 'courts of our God', worshipping, entering in to the Spirit? Are you 'planted', as the Psalm says, in the 'house of the Lord', immersed in the life of the church, concerning yourself with the things of the Lord, not the things of the world? If you are, the Psalm promises that you will be 'full of sap and very green'. Indeed, the cedars of Lebanon are evergreen trees. They stand as constant beacons, in season and out of season. If you're not, you may be wondering why you feel so dry, so lifeless, so brittle. The solution lies in emulating the cedar tree, planting and rooting yourself through worship and whole-hearted immersion.

Psalm 92 also says that the one who is rooted will 'still yield fruit in old age'. Its quite something to be dwarfed by a 1000-year old tree that still looks robust and virile and yet that exudes a tremendous sense of experience and antiquity. Men have come and gone - nations, empires - but this humble tree has withstood them all. 

Let's face it, if you're going to be a tree, this is the tree to be. 

SaveSave

What if you only had one day in Larnaca?

How is it that I have been fortunate enough to visit Larnaca, a port city on the south coast of Cyprus, not once, not twice but THREE times? I didn’t plan it, it just happened to me serendipitously.  The first time, I was asked to write some promotional material for an organization based there; the second time I had to attend a conference; the third, and most recent time, I was invited to teach on a video school. It really is one of my most favourite places on the planet. Its buzzy yet laid-back, European yet Middle-Eastern, high-end yet beachy. It's a city full of crumbling charm, historic buildings and quaint neighbourhoods and is exactly the kind of Mediterranean I feel most comfortable in.  

I know three visits don’t make me an expert, but here are my Top Ten things to do if you only have one day in Larnaca.

1.  Go to the beach

If you’re there in summer, you have to go and hire a lounger and an umbrella and do the beach thing. Some of the famous beaches of Larnaca are Finikoudes, Alaminos, Castella, Mckenzie, Ellinas and Yannathes. My favourite in Finikoudes because its so central.

2.  Stroll the Corniche

When in Cyprus, do as the locals do and stroll the seaside promenade. Stop and buy a bag of freshly fried honey puffs (or a grilled corn-on-the-cob or a Papafilipou ice-cream) so you have something to chew while you people watch.

3.  Visit the Marina

Larnaca's 200 berth yachting marina is one of its main attractions. The harbour is lined with lovely palm trees and from here you can view all the yachts and boats - plus you can actually take a boat trip around the bay.

4.  Go shopping

Something I’ve yet to read on any trip advisor-type site or travel blog is..when in Larnaca go shopping for clothes. Whether its winter or summer, the fashion is delicious. Remember, you heard it here first!

5.  Attend a service at St Lazarus church

St Lazarus was allegedly buried in Larnaca after his resurrection and expulsion from Jerusalem. This 9^th century church is devoted to him.

6.  Nose around the old Turkish quarter

One of the great joys of Larnaca is its old Turkish quarter. Quiet, sun-bleached streets and azure blue doorways hide traditional ceramic workshops where you can see potters at work. You’ll find it between the Mediaeval Castle at the end of the promenade and MacKenzie beach.

7.  Grab lunch from Souvalki.gr

The grilled meats here are legend. You can wash it down with a bottle of Keo, the locally brewed Cypriot beer, that is light and low enough in alcohol to ensure that you’re good to go for the rest of the day.  

‪

8.  Step back in time

The Choirokoitia Neolithic Settlement is one of the best-preserved pre-historic sites of the eastern Mediterranean. It contains the remains of a Neolithic settlement dating from 7000 B.C. Located on the main Larnaca-Lemesos road; UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1998.

9.  Have mezze at Militzis Restaurant

If you miss everything else, don’t miss this one! For grilled halloumi so delicious it renders you speechless and unforgettable local dishes such as kleftiko and giant beans, baked in traditional clay ovens called foumo,

10.  Drink a coffee

Preferably a Cyprus coffee, thick, sweet and flavoured with cardamom 

I could give you the addresses for these places but they're all within easy walking distance of each other (with the exception of Choirokoitia) and most locals would be happy to point you in the right direction. 

Here's a short video I put together on my most recent trip to Larnaca. May it prove an inspiration to you! 

ANCIENT MOSAICS, MODERN MOMENTS

Last week I wrote a paragraph into my book Cape to Cabernet, explaining how my protagonist, Ganiet, had discovered her calling to be a mosaic artist. The very next day I ended up at Kourion, an archaeological site near Limassol on Cyprus. And what did I discover there? Ancient mosaics in the Byzantine style.

The paragraph I added to Cape to Cabernet

I’d been staying with a friend at Beit Kama Kibbutz, not far from us, near Rahat, for the summer holidays. We had just finished lunch one day when one of the Hungarian members ran in shouting “come and see, come and see” but because he shouted it in Hungarian I didn’t find out what he said until later. Turned out the enginners who were building a road through one of the kibbutz’s grain fields had hit upon an archaeological treasure.

The Negev is crawling with archaeological treasures so Ella and I didn’t let it disturb our afternoon swimming. The next day at breakfast we spotted a hunky teenage boy and discovered that he was the son of one of the archaeologists. After that Ella and I spent a lot of time out at the site. They had set up a tarpaulin in the grain field where the Byzantine site had been discovered. I remember it being so hot and how we sat in the shade drinking Coke, each trying to outdo the other in impressing Yali, our teen idol, watching the archaeologists working.

The find wasn’t that far under the earth, maybe half a metre, if that. All that time, 1500 years, goats had grazed around it, farmers had tramped over it, grain had grown into it..it had been there, a treasure, yet hidden. As they carefully swept the soil away, centimetre by centimetre, an exquisite red and yellow mosaic was exposed with peacocks and birds and twisted lattice work.
It felt like my role in life was revealed at the same time.

“I want to do that,” I had tried to explain to my parents.
“Archaeology? It’s a good career,” my father had grunted his approval.
“Not archaeology, mosaic.”
“These days we don’t need floors like that,” my mother had said. “We have concrete and carpets and wood.”
“Yes but..”
“Ag Ganiet, Shiloh will come before you get a sensible thought in your head.”

Here's the video of my visit to Kourion

SaveSaveSaveSave

LUNCH IN LARNACA WITH BITTER LEMONS

My all-time favourite book has got to be Bitter Lemons by Lawrence Durrell. Bitter Lemons is an autobiographical work that describes the three years (1953-1956) that he spent on the island of Cyprus, the very place that I am happily (oh so happily!) currently residing in.  Durrell bought a stone house in what is now the Turkish side of Cyprus and earned a living teaching English literature. During that time war broke out among the Cypriot Greeks who desired union with Greece, the British who were attempting to control Cyprus as a crown colony and the Turkish Cypriots who favoured partition. Durrell found himself caught between the warring factions and eventually had to flee.

The book is fabulous, the place even more so. I was last here fifteen years ago. Much has changed in that time but the feeling, the indefinable feeling, has not. I made this little video of the lunch I had on my first day on the island because (well, because I love making little videos about lunch) but also because I wanted to share that feeling with you. But be warned, this is a Greekalicious experience that will make you instantly hungry. For that reason I will also be very kind and share some of the recipes featured, below.

Lamb Kleftiko
The Lamb Kleftiko I ate on my first day back on Cyprus had been cooked for 8 hours in a traditional clay oven. Here's how to make a much tamer version at home. 

1,5 kgs potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
1 large red pepper, cut into strips
1 large tomato, sliced
1 leg of lamb
juice of 1 lemon
1 bulb of garlic, cut in half horizontally
salt and pepper
1 tsp oregano

Heat the oven to 190C. Place the potatoes, red pepper and tomatoes in an overproof dish and season. Put the leg of lamb on top and pour over the lemon juice, some olive oil. Now add the garlic and sprinkle with oregano. Pour over about 200 ml water and cover with foil. Cook for 2 to 3 hours until the meat is falling off the bone.

Greek Salad
OK, so the Greek Salad I had with my Lamb Kleftiko featured the crispiest cucumber and the juiciest tomatoes, grown in the restaurant owner's back yard, plus capers that grow wild on the island..but here's a version that you can still feel proud of. 

3 ripe, red tomatoes, sliced
1 crispy cucumber, cubed
a few dark green lettuce leaves, sliced
1/2 red onion, finely sliced
a handful of capers
1 round of feta cheese
1 tsp of oregano

Mix the tomato, cucumber and onion. Top with a wheel of feta cheese. Douse liberally with olive oil, lemon juice and oregano and sprinkle with capers.

HERE'S HOW TO DO THE WALKING LIFE

When I set out to write Change Your Life This Year , I was deliberately coming against the kind of perfect 'fake' lives that put us all under such condemnation. I believe that most of us do want to add quality and substance to our lives, we do want to improve our lives and keep learning how to do things better, or differently. But none of us need to feel like we've set goals that are so unrealistic and demanding that we couldn't possibly attain them.

In my book I suggest making just one small, positive change to your life every month, that all add up to a lot of change over the course of a year.

Walking for just 30 minutes a day is one of those positive changes that I suggest you try to make. 30 minutes doesn't sound like a lot of time but those 30 minutes are actually rather elusive and difficult to find!

I put together this little video to show you how I do it (most of the time..very imperfectly..) Enjoy!

YOU DESERVE THE GLORY: WHICH VERSION?

I'm busy working on a new course for the ministry that my husband and I work in (King's Cross Training). The course is called Building Stones. It will build upon our essential truths course, Foundation Stones, and will help believers to explore 7 practises to keep their connection with God fresh and relevant.

I've often been accused of being a 'mystic' because of my passionate advocacy for the spiritual disciplines or the exercise of intentional spiritual formation - which really amounts to nothing more than time spent mindfully with God, and a life lived in dependence upon Him. I take that as a compliment because in my opinion, what was the point of being restored to God through Christ, if not to now live in joyful dependence upon Him?

I love this quote from Mark Scandrette, "all of us must find those disciplines and practices, those rhythms and patterns in our life, through which we are able to walk the path towards what Dorothy Day described as "the long loneliness" of obedience." Can you relate to the concept of a "long loneliness" of obedience?

I'll be creating resources to go along with the Building Stones course, like Quiet Time playlists. I know this is an old-fashioned song but I really want it on my playlist. Which version of the old favourite You Deserve the Glory should I use on my playlist? Take a listen and let me know.

Here it is being performed by the woman who wrote the song, Juanita Bynum

Now here is Terry McAlmon's version

And finally, here's a version that I really love. Its performed by a South Indian worship team comprising Immanuel Paul Perli, Samy Pachigalla and Stephan George, so they sing it in English and then two South Indian languages.

Maybe you've come across a better version that you think I should use. If so, let me know. Thanks!

CHANGE YOUR LIFE THIS YEAR: MONTH 4

I'm frantically trying to meet the deadline on my latest novel, Cape to Cabernet - so I don't have much time to research and write my usual weekly blogpost. However, I did come across this fun video that I thought you might enjoy as well. Month 4 in my book Change Your Life This Year is all about walking, walking for just 30 minutes a day. I happen to live at the sea and wherever I walk, its safe and its beautiful - but I'm very aware that not everyone has an environment like that to walk in. If you've been convinced by Chapter 4 that you simply have to change your life by adding 30 minutes of walking to your day, but you have nowhere to walk, then this video might provide you with the solution you've been seeking. What do you think of this new walking routine? Would you do it?

Is it possible to find body products that are kind to the environment and kind to you?

In the book I'm currently writing, Cape to Cabernet, Ganiet, my Israeli protagonist, is given a fabulous smelling gift by her grandmother - a jar of priceless frankincense oil from Oman. I too was blessed recently with a beautifully fragrant gift that is just up my alley - a range of all-natural products; a deodorant, a body scrub and a body butter. They are produced by hand by Rona Mirimi of Verte Natural Body Products. Rona is also an Israeli woman and my daughter bought her products for me as a celebration of the fact that I am so. nearly. finished . Cape to Cabernet.

Although I wouldn't class myself as a health fanatic or a rampant 'greenie' I do believe that the area we neglect the most when it comes to de-toxing, is our skin. We tend to focus more on what we're eating (ingesting). I don't know about you but I really didn't think about what I was putting on my skin when I first started de-toxing my life. My motivation was my grandchildren. I didn't want there to be any poisonous or lethal products in my home in case one of my grandchildren came in contact with it when visiting; so I slowly got rid of products like Jik and Handy-Andy and replaced them with vinegar, lemon oil and bicarb.

It was only later, when I started self-medicating with essential oils, that I discovered how incredibly quickly the skin absorbs almost anything you put on it. You might have heard that parabens and other chemicals found in skin care products are bad if ingested, but they can't penetrate the skin. This is simply not true. You only have to think about nicotine and birth control patches to realise that.

According to an article written by Deborah Burnes in HuffPost "in 2005, the Environmental Working Group published a combination of two studies that found toxic chemicals in the umbilical cord blood of newborn babies. They screened for more than 400 chemicals and an astounding 287 toxins were detected". Many of these, like mercury, polyaromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated dibenzodioxins were most likely absorbed through the mothers' skin into the blood stream.

Some of this absorption just can't be helped. It happens as you go through life. But you certainly can avoid putting poisons on your skin deliberately. Deborah says that her Top Ten ingredients to be avoided are:

1. Parabens
2. Formaldehyde
3. 1,4-dioxane
4. Phthalates
5. Diethanolomine ((DEA), Triethanolomine (TEA) and monoethanolamine (MEA)
6. Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulphate
7. Propylene Glycol
8. PVP
9. Nanoparticles
10. Fragrance

The scary thing is, these ingredients are found in most commercially produced skin-care products, sometimes in disguise. There are two ways to go about avoiding the Terrible Ten: examine every label before purchasing or switch to products that you know are natural and free of the Terrible Ten.

Can I be honest for a moment? I'm not going to stop using Amarige in summer and Hypnotic Poison in winter. But I've eliminated pretty much every other toxin from my beauty routine. And that brings me back to my DIVINE smelling gift. I tested each one yesterday and here are the results:

1.  Verte Body Scrub. It contains only salt, jojoba oil, rosemary and grapefruit, rosemary and juniper berry essential oils. It smells so heavenly, its unbelievable. After using my skin felt smooth and soft.

2. Verte Body Butter. It contains only olive oil, calendula, shea butter, mango butter, vitamin E and sandalwood,patchouli and orange essential oils. As a former hippie, I was in seventh heaven surrounded by traces of sandalwood and patchouli and my skin felt hydrated all day.

3. Verte Natural Deodorant. It is the consistency of solid coconut oil, not surprisingly as it contains coconut oil, shea butter, bicarb, corn flour and essential oils. I applied it in the morning and it worked all day for me. I cannot vouch for whether or not it would be as effective in Summer. I usually use the Pure Beginnings deodorant but I'm just as happy with the Verte product.

So, do I recommend Verte Natural Body Products? I do. If you'd like to order something from Rona you can contact her on roxanacu@hotmail.com. (This is not a sponsored post by the way, I just like her products and think she deserves support. Besides, its not always easy to find all-natural, toxin-free body products and I really enjoy passing this kind of information on where I can).

Aren't you glad I've given you permission to read a classic?

I love reading but its not easy to find time in the day to read a book. It seems like a terrible indulgence, a luxury of self-gratification on a par with eating an entire chocolate cake by myself…especially when there's so much laundry and shopping and cleaning and writing and other responsibilities to take care of.  That's why I took great delight in instructing the readers of my book Change Your Life This Year (book 1) to find time in the month of April to just sit down, with a cup of coffee (and preferably a large slice of chocolate cake) and read a classic. 

In my book, I list my Top Ten recommendations for starting out with the classics and in a previous post, I featured an interview with author Fiona Veitch Smith who also shared her favourite classic reads with us. 

I recently discovered this no-nonsense book-lover on YouTube. I think that Samantha, owner of the YouTube channel Novels and Nonsense, has made a superb set of recommendations of which classics to read on beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, so I do urge you to watch the video below (be aware, Samantha speaks as rapidly as a sten gun so..listen up!)

At the end of the day, reading is about enjoyment, about being transported to another world. Another delightful YouTube discovery this week was this tribute to the classics of childhood by Brian Patten. It's moving and beautiful. 

It leads me to believe that, perhaps, the very best place to start if you're going to tackle the classics, is with the classics of childhood. The Narnia stories by CS Lewis, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, Dr Doolittle by Hugh Lofting (check out my video Lunch with Hugo to see the little row of houses that they used as Dr Doolittle's surgery in the BBC adaptation of the books..its just behind the man who waves at me from his tractor). After all, its never too late to have a happy childhood. 

Who were your favourite authors and what books made an impression on you as a child? 

Here's how you can transform a routine into a ritual

I don't like the word 'routine'. It sounds like something a faceless, nameless army would do. It sounds unthinking and mundane. I prefer the word 'ritual'. A ritual is also something that happens regularly; there is a liturgical sameness to it that is satisfying and comforting. But..there is room in a ritual for something wonderful to happen,  something unexpected and life-changing. A routine is something you do just to get through the daily grind, know what I mean? Whereas, a ritual allows for beauty and discovery in the everyday.

But what to do? Life is full of mundane tasks that need to get done every day. Agreed. Back in the days when I was employed by an advertising agency and went to work in an office every day, I had an hour-long drive every morning to get there. Routine. I transformed it into a life-satisfying ritual by stopping along the way to pick up a take-out coffee and cinnamon roll, by choosing to take the most scenic route and by playing praise music the whole way to remind myself that I am a child of God, therefore I can behave like one :) This ritual probably made the drive about 4 minutes longer, but it was worth it. Instead of dreading the drive every morning, I looked forward to it.

These days, like so many other people in this Internetted world, I am my own boss and I work from home. Here's an example of what my Morning Ritual looks like. It helps me to 'get good things done' like laundry and exercise - but it also adds a whole lot of satisfaction and delight to my day. There is room in my ritual for the unexpected and the Divine to break through. And that, after all, is the whole point of doing ritual in the first place.

How does your Morning Ritual flow? Are you even a morning person at all? I am, as you can see, and I really feel glum if I've gone to bed too late the night before to accommodate my Morning Ritual the next day. Have a happy day!

Here's what it takes to work anywhere in the world

If you like comfort, security, a medical plan, routine and the feeling of being part of a corporate infrastructure, then this post is not for you; but if just reading the headline got your heart racing..stay with me.

I'm writing this post in Bristol, England (that's me standing in Queen Square in the image above and the images below show me browsing books in St Nicholas Markets, affectionately known as St Nicks.) I don't live here but I do visit at least twice a year, to see my editors and publishers and to work alongside my husband in our ministry. Within a few days I'll be back in Cape Town, just in time for my granddaughter's 1st birthday, and a month after that, I'll be in the Middle East. I am what they call, location independent. But it wasn't always the case.

For many years I worked as the Creative Director in an advertising agency. I left home at 6am every morning and drove for an hour to get to work and then did the reverse in the evening. So how did I go from that..to where I am today?

After some analysis, I understood that there are 4 MAIN FACTORS involved in having what it takes to work anywhere in the world. If you think location independence is something you might want for your life, then consider this:

1.  To work anywhere in the world, you've got to really want it

That may sound obvious, but bear with me. You may think you want the freedom to work for yourself and do the kind of work that you can do anywhere in the world; but do you really? Believe it or not, there is a downside to this kind of lifestyle. Like what? Like, no colleagues to have fun with. Like, most likely, no salary at the end of the month. Like, you'll probably be your own boss and not everyone can handle that. Like, travelling (FYI, travelling is not glamorous unless you're going Business Class.) Like, who is watering your houseplants while you're away? Like, you probably won't be able to keep a dog or a cat if you're travelling all the time. Like, what are you going to do with the kids? Once you've answered those questions, ask yourself why you want to be able to work anywhere in the world. Is it because there are certain places in the world you long to experience? If so, make sure the work you do allows for that..or you may find yourself being flown off to the Himalayas when you really hoped to end up in Paris.

2.  To work anywhere in the world, you've got to do the right kind of work

When I tell people this they generally look very glum and say something like "yeah, I should never have gone into accounting". But there are ways to be location independent, even if you have the kind of career that generally is office-bound. There are essentially 3 kinds of people working anywhere in the world. Category A are those who are truly as free as a bird. These are the people who are either independently wealthy or whose work in no way depends on a set location. I am a writer. I qualify as a member of Category A because I can write anywhere in the world. Category B are the people whose work actually sends them all around the world. This is the businessman or -woman who is in France on a Monday and New York on a Tuesday. These people see the world (at least, they see the airports of the world) but they are not as free as Category A people because something outside of themselves is doing the sending. If you see yourself as a Category B person, there is lots of information and help to be found online at websites like http://myworldabroad.com and http://www.goinglobal.com.

3.  To work anywhere in the world, you have to be willing to change

And that brings us to Category C people. Category C people are the most interesting people of them all. These are the people who started out doing location-bound work but then, driven by their desire to work anywhere in the world, either changed careers or found a creative way of tweaking their existing work to make it location independent. I could write 100 blogposts on this topic and still not exhaust it. The bottom line is this, if you want to be able to work anywhere in the world, and you don't have that kind of skill set or job right now, are you willing to change your career and go and study so that you can have the kind of job you can do anywhere in the world? This is a long-term goal. Do you have the kind of determination it will require? Or, is there a way that you can tweak what you are currently doing so that you can do it from anywhere in the world? Sound impossible? Think again. So, you're a nurse. How about signing up to do locum or caring work in another country? So, you own a sock shop. How about turning your business into an e-business? I'm sure you get the idea. Start thinking creatively about what you're doing right now..is there any way that you could turn it into a location independent business? If you want more freedom, more control over your life and the opportunity to live and travel where you desire, and you want that all through a business that you can run from anywhere, then you're probably going to be involved in a digital business of some kind. If you need some help thinking this through, go to http://digitalnomadacademy.com.

4.  To work anywhere in the world, you've got to become a self-starter

Working anywhere in the world is like being your own boss and having your own business with the added stress of doing that in many different locations and of having to organise travel logistics. If you don't know how to manage your own time and productivity, its going to be a disaster. That's something you can prepare for right here, right now by refusing to allow outside forces to manage your time and productivity any longer. Surprise your boss by getting to work early and finishing projects before due date. Amaze your spouse by getting your home 'lock up 'n go' ready. De-clutter and systematise your personal paperwork. Take control of your diary.

Now, more than ever, it is entirely possible to have a location independent career. Technology allows for it, clients are no longer intimidated by it and the world is an increasingly shrinking place that is used to working virtually. But here's the caveat: While there's a lot to be said for the freedom and stimulation it brings, I have to say that the main thing that working anywhere in the world has taught me, is that there's no place like home. Isn't that ironic?

Have a happy day.