Philosophy: "A theory or attitude that acts as a guiding principle for behaviour"
We all have our individual inspiration, credo, way of living. When you start a business they say you should have a mission statement, a vision. To sit down and put this into words is often difficult, something we don't often apply to our life, although I think we should. We try to live what we speak. Its never easy but it does continuously act as inspiration. About a year and a half ago we were told ABC was closing and we had the opportunity to start something we always dreamed of. You will never get these opportunities at a "perfect" time, you need to make the time perfect. We always believed in involving our community of ladies in the big decisions we make. I remember the days going through all the options for names. It was a big decision to make as we would be "stuck" with it and the options needed to reflect our philosophy. InsideOut was all encompassing, it just sounded right for us, we were glad when you all agreed!
So what is our InsideOut Philosophy? We believe in quality of life, in wellness both in our mind and our physical bodies, what we put in is what we get out. We want to inspire and motivate everyone to live there best life, not later but right now. So much of modern life is consumed with superficial marketing and putting out an unattainable physical ideal that we loose sight of our personal ideal.
"The only person we should ever compare ourselves too
is who we were the day before"
John C.Maxwell
We should be striving to be the best version of ourselves, happier, healthier, kinder people, not trying to keep up with a mirage which will never be reached.
I think it is safe to say that ours is not a neurotypical family. As individuals, we have never really tried to fit in, rather preferring to create our own path when we cannot find one that fits us. For those who have/had kids in the schooling system, you may identify with your kids, and yourselves, being "atyplical". Thanks to modern science it has become quite normal to be slightly not normal :) Our philosophy is born from this celebration of different. Love your unique quirks, celebrate your bodies as they are and as they change. There is no one size fits all. There is safety in conformity, but there is extraordinary satisfaction is living your true self. So while we strive to do and be better, it should be only compared to who we were yesterday.
We are an adventurous family. Everyone that has known us, knows we are always away, either for a day trip or weekend. Our InsideOut Adventures is our way of sharing this passion for adventure with those we know, hopefully inspiring you to get outdoors and in Africa to explore. Years ago we committed to doing every SANPark in South Africa, we have now seen 13 of 19 parks. We have just been delayed in the rest having loved the ones we have seen so much and returning often. We started with day trips, cape point, west coast, deep south, table mountain, winelands near and far, we even did Hermanus and Robertson in a day trip. A few years ago we bought our trailer from close fellow camping friends (they upgraded). The timing coincided with out Namibian accident which had a profound effect on our future choices. We decided we wanted less "stuff" and more adventures, (to be fair the adventures do cost in initial outlay). The value of our time became a priority, choosing what we spend it on, enter minimalism - its not about having less, rather its about making room for what matters more.
"You can't have what you want until you want what you have"
Horace Harris
I was a student when I read this outside a coffee shop. It has stuck with me all the years and I love it. It applies to every aspect of our life and has given us an enormous amount of gratitude for what we have. It reminds us to love and be grateful for who we are today, what we have, both in our bodies and what we own. Have you ever looked at a picture of yourself, younger, and wondered if you could have been less self critical back then when you "more perfect"? Well today you are the perfect you. I guarantee when you are older, one day, you will wish you had the body of your younger self, why should today not be the day you love yourself exactly as you are?
Our lives, bodies and circumstances are ever changing. The best thing we can do is live in our present, live in the now and love what you have because "what you want" is illusive, always moving away as you try get closer. If you live presently and have gratitude to your body now you will be more inclined to take better care of it, today. You will never fully appreciate what you have until it is lost, so don't wait for it to be lost! Whether it is wrinkle or roll, stretch mark or sag, embrace your story, your body. Treat it with love and kindness as we would treat our children or loved ones. The time is now.
This is our Philosophy. This is what we stand for and what we celebrate. We will never be "perfect", but we will always be trying to do better than yesterday, live presently and try make a difference in the lives we are privileged to touch.
Education Focus: Making a change
We often find ourselves stuck in a rut, unhealthy habits. We know we need to make a change but just can't seem to turn that corner. How do you make that change? In this focus I want share some tips in how we can begin a healthier routine, change a bad habit, turn that corner.
Identify the problem. Whether it is a bad habit you want to stop or a positive addition you want to start, know what you want. Often we are not entirely honest with ourselves in identifying our problems, often looking at symptoms and not causes. It is an important aspect of my work and knowing the difference is key. If you do not identify the problem, you will inevitably end up back to the beginning. This is not always as easy as it sounds and sometimes we need to go through a process of elimination.
Research the topic! Ask questions, speak to professionals and educate yourself. Having a support network on this journey can make all the difference. Speak to people who have been on a similar journey. Sometimes we forget to include this and learn the hard way, much later on, that it was not what we expected!
Why do you want this? Motivation, reason, purpose is key to everything. If you do not believe it's a problem, you won't have the motivation to change it! This is the "pro's" list in our decision. Do we want this for the right reasons? Is it adding value to our life? Is the reward worth the cost?
What are the barriers to change? We need to be realistic. We can't always have what we want, barriers can be financial, physical and/or logistical. Once we identify the barriers we need to problem solve how to overcome them!
Keep it real. Sometimes we want to make a massive change, a long term goal but we need to break it up into manageable bits, A five year plan may need short term goals. If your desire is to run a marathon but you have never been a runner, you need to consider the 5km race as a start.
Set a timeline. Rome was not built in a day. You may likely have multiple timelines for different goals in the bigger picture.
Persistence. One step at a time. One day at a time. When you fall off, GET BACK UP!
Celebrate the small victories along the way. Enjoy the journey! Be present in that journey, be mindful, practice gratitude. Often times this is the best part and if we don't pay attention, we miss it!
Change can be scary. Fear is the greatest barrier to change in my work for sure, but it is never insurmountable. Graded exposure, bit by bit, you slowly realise that you are tougher than you thought!
Be the change you want to see in the world!
Mahatma Gandhi
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