The wellbeing Coraline brings us

Here are a few pictures of Coraline with our neighbours whilst we were driving home from the #bapsawards.

It's funny that the night before Coraline was born, and the night before her first birthday, a ladybird visited us, and then one alighted on Kevin's hand on the day of the BAPS Awards.

My old lifecoach taught me to pay attention some years ago, when two dragonflies landed on my face in Bass Lake, California, and she said, "look up what they mean!" I don't generally see ladybirds in day-to-day life.

We think of the ladybird as Coraline's "symbolic animal". Apparently a ladybird is a teacher. It is a bringer of luck and happiness to all around it, and a reminder to live your own truth, to live with joy, and to be open to receiving gifts if you get out of your own way.

When I went up on stage to receive the award the host, Carrie Grant, asked me a couple of questions about the fact I had won the "Wellbeing" Category. She asked whose wellbeing I was writing about. I said that it was about all of ours and “it's about the wellbeing Coraline brings to us". I think, for us, the wellbeing comes through being aware of our approach to life each day and realising how it really creates your experience of life.

I remember saying to Carrie Grant, "it's all about attitude".

I'd add one step further to that now, and say it's all about perception too, and knowing you can choose your perception.

For us, it's also about knowing that thoughts are just thoughts, they are not you, and if you are in a loop of thoughts, you can just allow them and not enter into a dialogue with them.

It's also about language, and how this shapes your experience. If you really listen to what you say, you see how it shapes your experience.

What shapes it all; gratitude. That sets your mind up.

And acceptance (unless it's something you want to get up and change).

That’s what we’ve learned works for us so far, and there’s much more to learn. But I think we’ve got a pretty good teacher. #wellbeing #ladybird