Welcome to INSPIRE-A-THON Thursday!
I hope that Andy Dooley managed to inspire you last week – I am going to his Vibration Activation Workshop in Brisbane on March 3rd and cannot wait to finally meet him after stalking his Facebook and Youtube for MONTHS!
Someone else who I am really excited to say hello to at this event is Kat Dawes, who will be a guest speaker at Andy’s event!
YAY!

Coincidentally, Kat is here to INSPIRE us for this week’s Q&A!
Kat INSPIRES me because she is always in the NOW!
Every time I see her, she is dancing, skipping and singing her way through the markets, chatting and laughing with friends at healthy restaurants and has a constant smile on her face!
Here is what she had to say when I asked her a couple of quick questions a few weeks ago

Kat Dawes
Founder of NOWism

Firstly, tell us a little about yourself:
My name is Kat Dawes, founder of a global movement called NOWism.
I promote the Present Moment for a living.

What is your biggest tip for anyone looking to transition to a healthier lifestyle?
You are what you think.  Thought precedes all actions, healthy and unhealthy.  Take care of the consciousness 1st, then the inspired right actions will follow.

How do you take time out for yourself?
I take time out where ever I am.  I believe in creating the correct interior condition is the only thing that brings true peace.  But no doubt, it is also nice to visit the beach or the rain forest etc to help nurture the interiority.

What is your ‘go to’ food?
Well, for me that is a forever shifting landscape, like the NOW.  I follow what my body says in the moment (my body, not my ego) so sometimes that will be fresh fruit and vegetable sometimes it is cooked vegetables.  For me the main ingredient is Presence.

What does an average day of food look like for you?

BREAKFAST:  Fruit, a smoothie sometimes organic coffee.  Water

LUNCH:  A salad with lots of nuts and seeds. Water.

DINNER: Something warming, lentils, tempeh, vegetables. Water

SNACKS:  fruit, coconut water. Water.

DESSERT:  raw chocolate, coconut icecream, ojas builder. Water.

What is your favourite inspirational quote?

 Pain pushes, until the vision pulls. Rev Dr Michael Bernard Beckwith

What is your biggest tip for having a balanced life?
Balance comes from having an intimate relationship with your Source.  Learn to listen to your inner guidance.  It is always there, the only thing that changes it you receptivity to hear it in the moment.

What song motivates/inspires you the most?
There are so many.  Music speaks directly to the soul.  At the moment I love Feel So Close by Calvin Harris.  I play it really loud in the mornings when I drive my scooter into Ubud Bali.

Your favourite foodie photo?

Created by the Master Chef Cynthia Louse!

Where can we find you to keep inspired?

WEB SITE: www.nowism.tv

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/pages/NOWISM/111750905503897?fref=ts

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Kat_Dawes

INSTAGRAM: katnowism

Hey guys!
I’m sorry I have been so quiet lately, it isn’t like me to not have much to say!
My life has literally taken a sharp turn in a completely different direction and I have been hanging on tight with both hands as it pulls me along. It has been an amazing week with lots of new friends, food, experiences and opportunities popping up everywhere!
I just want to share with you that in the last couple of months I have been really up and down – lots of breakdowns with binge eating, self esteem, relationships, exercise and my overall happiness.
I know that life can be hectic, and it is so easy to feel overwhelmed, upset and depressed about your current reality if you are working a job you hate, feel like you are stuck in debt, in an unhappy relationship, feel like your diet and image doesn’t reflect who you really are and especially when you don’t like what you see in the mirror.
GOOD NEWS!
There is a cure for this ‘life rutt disease’!

It’s called
YOU!

I have been pointing the finger of blame at everyone and everything around me in the last couple of months for everything I have been unhappy with in my life.
It was my jobs fault, my friends fault, my boyfriends fault, my lack of finances fault, my bodies fault…everyones fault but MINE!
Last week, I had a major breakthrough…I realised I can CHOOSE my way of being, in every single second of the day. I can CHOOSE my thoughts, my reactions, my actions and who I will be.
Since I have got that, and taken responsibility for all of the times and circumstances that I have been out of integrity with the person I want to be (Inspiring, Compassionate, Healthy, Fit, Understanding, Loving & A Contribution to other people’s lives) so much has changed for me! It has been 5 days since I took responsibility for myself and my life has been crazy! I have a new job opportunity in a field of work that i LOVE, I have met amazing people who I will be working with on very inspiring projects, I am comfortable to be in my own company (which has been a long time coming), I have purchased a guitar and can already play half a song and my happiness just keeps GROWING!

I had been expecting and seeking other people to ‘help’ or ‘fix’ me – to make me feel better.
I know a lot of people do this, we use drugs and alcohol to deal with or avoid intense emotions that are unpleasant to feel, we get addicted to having intimate relationships with others to validate ourselves (and when these relationships end we become clingy, needy and feel completely lost and alone), we do crazy and dangerous things to our bodies to look a certain way in hopes that we will be accepted by others, and we say horrible, hateful things to ourselves that we would NEVER say to the people we love.

Are’t we CRAZY!
Yes and No.
We are HUMAN.
We need to stop making ourselves feel guilty, not good enough and wrong.
I just want you to know that if you have felt or currently feel this way, you aren’t alone.
Also, YOU can change it.
YAY!

I will post more about this, and have Kat Dawes (creator of NOW-ism) sharing more about this in this weeks
INSPIRE-A-THON Thursday post.
Until then, start having a look at the areas in your life you are unhappy, look at the people you blame and look at where you want to be. Write it all down so it is looking back at you and start taking responsibility for yourself.
I wish for everyone to be happy and content with themselves and their lives, and I hope that me sharing and being honest and open about my personal stuff can help

I will chat to you again soon, until then, here is some food porn and vegan activities photos.
I hope you are having a beautiful day/night – wherever in the world you are xxx

My bulk order of Luvju’s from Loving Earth

Ground Cafe in Buderim

Ground Cafe in Buderim

Ground Cafe in Buderim

Ground Cafe in Buderim

Ground Cafe in Buderim

Ground Cafe in Buderim

It’s Rawsome Cafe – Rosmount

Ground Cafe in Buderim
Pumpkin Pie

Ground Cafe in Buderim
Sprouted Break and Salad

Ground Cafe in Buderim
Raw Vegan Mexicano

It’s Rawsome Cafe – Rosmount

It’s Rawsome Cafe – Rosmount
Raw Vegan Burritos

Realistically Raw Food Workshop at Studio 34

Raw Vegan Chocolate, Banana and Maca Ice Cream

Rory (aka The Whole Food Dude) and I eating Ice Cream!

A post run Beet-tox Salad!

Tonight’s post is a ‘pay it forward’ kind of post.
I am lucky enough to have crossed paths with an amazing, kind hearted, hilarious, generous and positive person in the last couple of months.
Ben has added so much to my life, more than he will ever know. For my 21st birthday he bought me tickets to Singapore and shared his love of travelling with me. I am so grateful for that incredible experience and feel like I cannot ever say thank you enough.

I was really excited to hear today that Ben has made it into the final 7 for the Face of Aussie Backpacker.
If he wins, he will get to travel around this beautiful country taking photos, videos and making amazing memories – I couldn’t think of someone who deserves this more than Ben. He is up for anything, takes risks, lives on the edge and is always out to inspire. I am so grateful to have such an inspiring person in my life and I know that Ben would be super grateful for every single vote.
I have a lot of beautiful support on my blog, and I would love to pay it forward!
So I have decided to ask each person who reads this post to do me a 4 click favour?

1 – If you could head to the Aussie Backpacker website here.

2 – Head to the vote section

3 -Click ‘Like’ to like them on Facebook

4 – And then click ‘Like’ next to Ben’s photo to ensure him a vote.

I would be so grateful if you could share this 4 click favour with your friends and ask them to also pay it forward. It is very rare that I get so involved in these kinds of things, but honestly Ben deserves this amazing experience.

I hope you have had a beautiful day/night, wherever in the world you may be.
I am so grateful for your help and support
xxx

Vote For Ben
xxx

I am so excited about this new project on my blog!
I am a HUGE blog reader – I am constantly searching for INSPIRATION on other peoples blogs, in other peoples videos, in quotes and in affirmations.
My mission with this blog is to create a space of
LOVE
SUPPORT
INSPIRATION
MOTIVATION
HEALTH
LAUGHTER
GRATITUDE
FRIENDSHIP
&
ACCEPTANCE

I will be adding more and more to my blog in 2013.
I want you to feel like you have a place to go when you need support, to talk about anything that is upsetting you, or inspiration, or motivation etc
SO!
The first part of this project will be launching next Thursday – exactly one week from now.
It will be called
INSPIRE-A-THON THURSDAY!
In the last month, I have reached out and contacted all of the people who inspire me – each of them for different reasons.
I asked if they would be interested in contributing to my INSPIRE-A-THON by answering the questions in a template I had made.
The response was soooo positive and I am so grateful and humbled that some of the most INSPIRATIONAL people in my world have been so kind to help!

Only one more week to wait until I can start sharing these inspiring Q&A’s with you!
I decided that Valentines Day was the perfect day to start these as this will be my first Valentines Day being single in 3 years, and in that time have noticed that I have become dependant on other people loving me in order for me to love myself.
We need to love ourselves before anyone else can right?
My goal is to work on my self love this year, so that when someone stops loving me – I don’t feel like there is something missing.
SO!
I will be having a romantic evening with my laptop and my first INSPIRE-A-THON THURSDAY for a big dose of
LOVE!

Have a beautiful day/night – wherever in the world you are xxx

I finally ventured out of Australia for the first time ever last week!
Ben (Vegan Abroad) surprised me for my 21st birthday with tickets to Singapore, which was officially the best present ever!
It was a quick 5 day trip which was jam packed full of tours, markets and navigating our way around the city in search of Vegan Friendly eateries.
I am so grateful that I had Ben with me to show me the travelling ropes, give me tips on what to do and what not to do and to laugh with – he made my first foreign adventure so fun
We took sooooo many photos, and I believe that a picture tells a thousand words, so you’re about to get 100, 000 words (in picture form)
Firstly, we needed some healthy vegan snacks for our 8 hour plane ride – so we whipped up some dehydrated kale chips the afternoon before our flight (pictures and recipe in link above)

Anyway, here is our trip in photos.
I hope this inspires you to travel, eat vegan food and LOVE your life!
(I would also like to point out that all food featured in the photos below are vegan, but some are quite processed)
Eat food, not too much, mostly plants
Have a beautiful night – all food diary entires coming tomorrow xxx

xxxxxx