I’ve been a fan of Kate Bush for more years than I care to remember.  One of my favourite tracks is “Sat In Your Lap”.  One particular lyric has, sadly, always rung true for me.

I want to be a lawyer. 
I want to be a scholar. 
But I really can't be bothered. 
Ooh, just gimme it quick, gimme it, gimme gimme gimme gimme! 

​I am very good at setting goals and sticking to them.  I am great at creating concrete action plans and delivering them.  But somehow this all falls to pieces when it comes to learning.  I am a butterfly flipping from one course to the next.  Jack of all trades, master of none.  I am totally addicted to learning, or should I say the idea of learning.  I just want instant results.  So, with apologies to Kate Bush.

I want to be play the guitar.
I want to play piano.
But I really want it right now
Ooh, just gimme it quick, gimme, gimme, gimme,gimme!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a total beginner, and I have put in hours of work on both instruments covering, scales, arpeggios, chords, (although barre chords still evade me, my old fingers just will not obey!)  But I’m still not good enough. 

I don’t want to be a 10,000 hour expert, I just want to be able to sit down and play. Play well enough to be able to improvise a bit and impress my friends.  The problem is, I get so far, then I lose interest as I stop making progress.  I just want it all now!  

I have to be honest and say my learning addiction and behaviour pattern extends beyond music. 

Fortunately I am able to feed my addiction with online training providers.  I particularly love FutureLearn.  I love their courses - far a start they are free, so I don’t have to feel guilty about not staying the course.  They are not too long (typically 4 or 5 weeks) and don’t take too much of a time commitment (typically 2 hours per week) but they still give you a good insight into the subject. 

I’m currently working my way through three. 

• Using Creative Problem Solving, from National Chaio Tung University;
• Physiology: The Science of Life with the University of Liverpool; and my particular favourite, 
• Bonnie Prince Charles and the Jacobites with the University of Edinburgh. 

 Whether I will actually complete any of them however,  is open to debate.

Click the link above now to have a look at all the free courses they offer.

​​Which brings me to today's new adventure.  I start yet another Piano Course - Learn Jazz Piano: 1.  Begin with the Blues, with Ray d’Inverno and the University of London.  It’s a six week course, so by Christmas, I will be playing like a Blues master. 

Hopefully!

Watch this space.

Off to tinkle the ivories, have a great day!

​Audrey

Is it really possible to change your life?  Of course it is.  Richard Bandler asks, “Who is driving your bus?”  So who is making the decisions in your life?  Think about it, maybe it’s time for you to take charge.  I see too many people who are very clear about what they don’t want in their life.  They maybe hate their job, or are in a failing relationship that they can’t change or let go of, or any one of a million other things.  Maybe they have gotten used to letting other people make decisions for them.  Its easier to blame someone else if things don't work out. 

But often they have no idea of what it is they actually want.

 5 Things You Should to Kick Start Your Day!

Meditate

Give your brain a boost, increase your focus and be ready to face whatever challenges life throws at you

Exercise

Even 15 minutes will kick start your metabolism and boost your energy levels for the rest of the day.​

Did you know that the Spanish have two different words for “To be”?  Why would you need two separate words to simply say, “I am”?

The first word is Ser, which an attribute, while Estar describes a state.  So what’s the difference?

Reiki is a method of working with energy that can be used for your own benefit or for the benefit of others. Here in the West, Reiki symbols play an integral part in how the practitioner works with the Reiki energy. Click to read my ezine article which explores Reiki symbols and their use.
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​Warning - link to free gift below!
One of my great passions is helping people to achieve success and reach their true potential, after all life is too short to not define and reach your smart goals.  But saying is very much easier than doing.

​I know a lot of people who seem to have tried everything, but are still not able to make the breakthrough.  It may be fear of failure or even fear of success, maybe they feel overwhelmed. 

Morning all, I’ve been doing a bit of work on the website.  I had hoped to have a big ‘Ta Da’ Launch, but things are taking a bit longer than expected.
So, to keep you going I thought I would give you a bit of Flash Fiction.  This brief for this was write a short story in 100 words or less.