Life Is a Choice and the Choice Is Yours

By Rhiannon Rees

Did you know that the subconscious mind makes decisions up to fifteen times faster than the conscious mind? Imagine accessing and willfully harnessing that level of power! What would you do with it?

In this book, Rhiannon throws ego in the doghouse and invites ten leading world specialists to generously share with you what they have learned over a lifetime. All so that you too can be happy!

Gain precious wisdom from Alistair Horscroft, star of the The Life Guru.

From cultural expert and sublime storyteller, Jeremy Yongurra Donovan, who has shared stages with Louise Hay and Eckhart Tolle. Learn through his extraordinary tale how accessible it is to discover the light burning inside us.

This book is a firecracker! Designed to explode all the myths that hold you back and set fire to the false paradigm that dreams are to be dismissed, a warehouse of tips and information that will help you to harness your happiness, walk in the direction of your dreams, and set yourself free! Life is a choice and the choice is yours. The only thing you need to ask yourself is, are you ready for this kind of success?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Release date: Aug 27, 2015
• ISBN: 9781482832846

Book preview

Contents

Overview

Introduction

User’s guide

Chapter 1: Awareness of Self is the Beginning

Chapter 2: Faith and Belief

Chapter 3: Seven Days

Chapter 4: Daily Consciousness

Chapter 5: Passion, Dreams and Goals

Chapter 6: Communication

Chapter 7: Love and Money

Chapter 8: Leverage

Chapter 9: Embracing your identity - Samantha Sanderson

Chapter 10: Grace, Spirituality and Meditation

Chapter 11: Gratitude

Chapter 12: Coaching and Mentoring

Chapter 13: Homeopathy and Murray Feldman

Chapter 14: Traditional Chinese Medicine -Sunny Lee Dr TCM

Chapter 15: Alistair Horscroft

Chapter 16: Overcoming Trauma – Alan Brast

Chapter 17: Psycho Therapy Guy Vicars

Chapter 18: Naturopathy Emma Sutherland

Chapter 19: Adlerian Therapy

Chapter 20: The influence of Culture Jeremy ‘Yongurra’ Donovan

Chapter 21: Conclusion Rhiannon Rees

Chapter 22: Client Testimonial

About the Author

Businesses, Awards and Media Appearances

LIFE IS A CHOICE

AND THE CHOICE IS YOURS

By

Rhiannon Rees with Dr Alan Brast, Jeremy ‘Yongurra’ Donovan, Murray Feldman, Arrow Gonsalves, Alistair Horscroft, Dr Sunny Lee, Mandy Nolan, Emma Sutherland and Guy Vicars.

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Also by Rhiannon Rees, How to Climb Mount Everest in Sandals, Best-seller 2011.

Author contact info:

www.Rhiannonr.com

Thank You

Here’s who did what in the team:

Thank You

There are so very many people to thank for so very much. Firstly, there’s my family, my friends, my clients, my son’s school and all the many beautiful parents and children who attend it. I’d like to thank my team who worked with so much dedication on this book. And to every person I have shared life with – you have all had a hand in creating this.

To the contributors who have given their time for you, the reader – with all of my heart, I thank you. And it is with my heart that I give this book to you.

May it be a catalyst in creating the VERY life that you know you DESERVE.

I am thankful for every minute of my life; every experience I have ever had either good or bad. It has been a life full of a huge variety of experience and for that I am truly grateful. Throughout this, I have opened my heart more and more and more and let go of ego to the greatest extent that I could. Loving-kindness has been something that I have held very dear and it has helped me maintain my path.

Love, love, love to all. May you find contentment on your path.

Epigraph

In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.

- Albert Camus

Foreword

Have you ever wondered if you are truly living life within choice or within a mould you believe you have to live in? Maybe you’re thinking you’re the only person with a non-functioning family or wondering why you continue to beat yourself up, over and over again. Do you ever wonder why you are on this earth? If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then you will be reading this book more than once and for many years to come. (Don’t miss out on Rhiannon’s live events! Visit: www.Rhiannonr.com)

Rhiannon Rees, author of this book, has been helping me through life for over twenty years now and I can say that I will never have enough praise for her, her teachings, her writings and her wisdom. This book will help you to face yourself, to realise where you can make changes and also to find the strength to accept what cannot be changed.

If you’ve ever struggled personally, professionally, or just want the answers that seem so hard to find or pinpoint, then consider this a guide to help you see exactly what your greatest strengths are. Exercises provided in this book will show you ways to improve your life. You’ll need to be truly ready to look at and examine yourself, your strengths, your weaknesses and to know that at the end of the day we are all loved and we all have a reason for being here. Remember, it is said that, Out of four million souls ready to be born, you were chosen.

Do you know where your life is going or where you’ve been? If not, then this book will serve you well. I promise it will move you in ways you never thought possible, give you fresh eyes to see the possibility of ever-lasting happiness. It will open up your soul to all you can be in this lifetime and feel honoured to have lived your life through both the good and the bad. I cannot find the words to describe the tragedies Rhiannon Rees has been through, but still she continues to help so many others each day.

Life is a Choice and the Choice is Yours. Get ready to start the journey of a lifetime, get ready to be moved, mentally, physically and emotionally and to completely open up to the choices you are going to make. No matter whether you are young or old, if you are looking to change your life, then I can promise you that this book will alter your thinking and your attitude and your outlook on your self.

It has been my honour to not only read but also utilise the information in this book in my own life. It is an even bigger honour to share this life with Rhiannon Rees, the most courageous woman I have ever met. I don’t know too many that could ever come close to following their dreams more than Rhiannon Rees- Author, Coach, Intuitive, Mother, and the most Successful Woman I know. Thank you Rhiannon for sharing your wisdom with the world.

- Marie Cochrane

Canada

Overview

The mind is everything, what you think, you become.

- Buddha

L ife is a gift, a gift that comes however, with an expiration date and unpredictable time frame in which you have to live it. Despite this daunting fact that we all eventually come to terms with, life is the single most important gift you have to nurture. How you live your life, how you use your gift - is a personal choice.

Living your life to the fullest is not a new concept. Having dreams, goals and passions is not a new concept. Consequently, the paradigm for having dreams in the 21st century has become stale. Having a dream has become cliché, foolish - something only acceptable for a child to have. Your having a dream however and making it your reality, will never become cliché or fruitless, rather quite the opposite. Living your dream is genuine and original. It is your dream after all. Maybe you think living your dream is too difficult, too scary. Maybe you think your dream is too out of reach, too unrealistic. Your life is already more valuable than you believe, you already have more choices than you can see, and you already have access to the most boundless form of power, which is to make the decision to live your dream. The truth is, you won’t get any closer to your dreams by simply pining for them. How to find, where to look, and how to make your choices are the backbone for this, my second book: Life is a Choice and the Choice is Yours.

My name is Rhiannon Rees, and I am an award-winning executive, an elite performance coach and advisor who works from a place of intuition with a sheer passion for business success and personal and professional experience. I believe that it is possible for people to find success and attain their goals by pursuing their life, first as a choice and second, as their dream. (Visit www.Rhiannonr.com for more information on coaching.)

Whether you are worried you don’t have the means to achieve your goals, you don’t know where to look, you’re not getting what you want, or not living the life you think you deserve, my new book Life is a Choice and the Choice is Yours, will illuminate the path to your choices and show you how to make your dreams a reality. I will share my personal experiences, professional tools and strategies and my arsenal of resources and references. I will share with you the very same resources I used to create my dream life, so that you can live the life you desire.

My corporate journey began with a marketing position at Colgate-Palmolive, leading me to later work as a Public Relations Consultant for the Minister of the Environment and Product Manager for Pacific Dunlop. Here I managed $40 million worth of accounts across eight different companies. Eventually, I gained employment at a multinational publishing company. This was an industry in which I had no experience. I started out with not a single customer, but within three months booked 600 clients with over a year’s worth of appointments! This resulted in a million dollar turnover during the next twelve months. I then went on to co-own a wellness retreat, my speciality being homeopathy, employing 35 staff, built from the ground up. But it eventually came tumbling down on top of me.

This is where my journey really began. I lost my husband to his second identity as a woman, my business was failing and I lived homeless and penniless in a tent with my three-year old son. This, after five miscarriages. This, after my brother’s suicide. This, after growing up in an abusive household without my mother.

Once I had failed in every aspect of my life, the purpose of my life became clear to me. Buddhists have a saying, "Only the chosen few have the opportunity of true tragedy as it is only by experiencing this that one can know true joy in every cell of their being". Sometimes to improve our life we need to lose sight of the shore before we can make it across the ocean. Sometimes we need these hardships to gain knowledge. Sometimes we need a shove to activate the power that resides in all of us, no matter how weak or strong we feel, no matter how ordinary or unimpressive we think our lives may be, no matter how impossible our dreams may seem, our life is our choice.

For the next twenty years, throughout my suffering I searched for answers by studying human behaviour at university while getting certified as a business coach under ActionCOACH. I attended numerous personal development courses, such as NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) courses with Tad James, Robert Kiyosaki’s ‘Money and You’, Keith Cunningham’s ‘Keys to the Vault’, Chris Howard’s ‘Breakthrough to Success’, Lorel Langemeier’s ‘Cash Machine’ and the ‘Unleash the Power Within’ course with Anthony Robbins. Feeling compelled to share my skills and findings with others, I spent a total of eleven years in tertiary education studying human behaviour and personal development.

Watch your thoughts: they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny. - Lao Tzu

My clients all have goals, yet through coaching, I have found they also have blocks they are not aware of, blocks that hold them back from achieving their dreams. Their dreams will be built to the limit of their ‘holdbacks’, almost like a glass ceiling. Until the ‘holdbacks’ are removed, they are not able to surpass this level of performance (more of that later).

My book will show readers how to identify their blocks and help remove them. The reader will be able to connect the dots and make what seems impossible, possible. Coaching has taught me that we are very capable of mapping out the steps to our dreams, yet we have blocks that stop us from getting too close to achieving our goals. I believe that discovering and removing these blocks will allow you to access your inner power and open you up to a multitude of choices. But how do we do that?

My first bestseller, "How to Climb Mount Everest in Sandals" is the raw and tragic story of my life that has, after hard work and personal development, evolved into the dream of success and happiness I had wished for my life. I share my experiences, losses and the climb that has inspired me to embrace my ordinary life, as extraordinary, and I inspire the reader to do the same. In this, my second book, "Life is a Choice and the Choice is Yours," I will guide you through to living the life of your dreams with help from my very own professional compilation of mentors and specialists; the very same ones who helped me and also those I respect for the great work they do with their clientele. I feel truly blessed that they all agreed to freely give their wisdom and lessons and expertise to help YOU, the reader!

I will provide the tools you need, chapter by chapter, with personal experiences, guides, how-to-tips, exercises and resources. I will share with you the strategies you may choose to propel your life forward into establishing your dream as your purpose, your reason to live and the choices you have to live it. Of course, there are many ways that you can attain ultimate freedom and happiness. I am touching on those resources that had the biggest impact in my life. Not all of the resources are in here as that demands a much more intensive and deeply confronting study of self that I do with my private clients only. They are the bravest of the brave. For they MUST achieve success, often their very survival and their success and happiness depend on it.

My life was hardly a walk in the park, stacked with blocks and obstacles, beset with issues that could have easily limited and potentially prevented my progress in finding and establishing success and happiness. Limitations I could have easily let compress (whether slow or fast) my life, my life that felt small, old and unimportant. After years of squirming, fighting, sometimes even consenting to my own misery, I finally made a choice. My choice was to get out from underneath the compression. That choice was mine. Your life too is a choice and it is your choice. So what will you do with it? What dream will come of it?

There are THREE critical messages in the book:

• Get real with who you are. Be honest — I mean REALLY HONEST. This is the only key that allows you access to unlock and unleash your inner power to dream realistically, wholesomely and wholeheartedly.

• You don’t have to do it alone. YOU HAVE LOTS OF HELP! I have hand-selected a team of experts to help you, you specifically, to heal, to set goals and to live your dream. If one form of therapy doesn’t suit what you need at a certain point in your life, there are many more to choose from and you will continue to gain knowledge.

• THE LIFE OF YOUR DREAMS CAN BE YOURS (for real). You can build and create the life you deserve. You have the power to choose to live fully and you have all the tools you need within you. This book is a resource guide packed with numerous varieties of therapies and suggestions to assist you in moulding your goals and reaching your dreams. You just need to make that first step in choosing something other than what you are doing now. If you are not happy now, what choice, what decision, what action could you make that may propel you into an entirely different journey, a journey of possibility and choice, a journey that could grow your abundant choices mentally, emotionally, spiritually and financially?

Life is a choice and the choice is yours. So, what will you choose? What will you choose right now in this moment?

Just for you

I have put my heart and soul into this book for you. I cannot stand to see anyone in pain nor stand to see suffering, yet I know how valuable pain and suffering are.

If you really want to change your life, if you are really ready to give up your crap and ‘get over yourself’, then I want you to read this book with some questions in mind. After all, the quality of questions you ask yourself will determine the quality of life you lead. I also know that if you are not having fun, enjoying yourself or finding the ‘silly’ in things and events, then you have very much missed the point, the point of life.

So here are some questions to keep in the back of your mind as you read your way into a new life adventure and a new possibility, a new way to live. What do you want? Really what do you want? If you could have anything in the world, what would that be? Who would it be with, where would it be? When would you have it? What day would you get it and how would you feel when you knew it was yours?

If you could do absolutely anything in the world, anything at all, what would that be, how would you feel doing it, who would it help and what legacy would you leave because of it? If you could go anywhere in the world, when, where and how often would you go? Who would go with you and what would you do? Who would you have tea with? What experience would you have that would blow your mind?

How would you feel living the life of your dreams? How happy would you be? What adventures would come your way? What surprises would you receive? Who would you kiss? Who would you dance with? Who would you laugh with? How much money would you have in the bank?

Living in your dream house, how would that feel? What books would you read? What movies would you see? What would your perfect day be? What would your perfect life be? What praise would you receive? How much love would you feel? How would that feel? How much energy would you have? What car would you drive? What plane would you fly? Who would you meet? What circle of friends would you be included in? What would you say on your deathbed? What would be the most special moment in your life? What dreams would you live? Those dreams would then just be the way your life rolled. How would that feel? How real would that be? When will you begin?

Right now, your subconscious is already beginning the life of your dreams. Now read on and notice when the lights go on for you.

Welcome to your life. It is the one you always knew you deserved.

I love you all.

Praise for, "How to Climb Mount Everest in Sandals."

This book is a gift. Whether you identify with Rhiannon’s struggles or strengths, courage or perseverance, the wisdom she has learned and the joy she shares cannot help but inspire.

- Gillian Anderson, ‘Scully’ from ‘The X Files’, ‘Hannibal’ and ‘The Fall’

The end of the book came much too soon. I wanted to hear more, learn more, be involved more in the intriguing story of the life of one very courageous woman who simply does not accept the word ‘no.’ ‘Impossible’ was just a catalyst for her to keep going. I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next.

- Melinda Siegmeier, Journalist, ‘Gold Coast Bulletin’

The woman who has changed so many lives. For people looking for peace, encouragement and a deeper understanding, Rhiannon will take you to a higher level of ‘life’ showing how powerful each and every one of us is. This book will touch your soul on every level. Rhiannon has changed my life in so many ways and is, incredibly, an angel on this earth and the closest to God that I have ever come.

- Marie Cochrane, Sales Representative

"There is a huge amount of power to be extracted from Rhiannon’s life story. It’s a journey defined by learned wisdoms that emerge from a life of hard knocks. How many of you have lost your birth mum to a catastrophic situation? Had an innocent childhood ripped away by sexual abuse? Built a seemingly stable marriage that went bad, weirdly bad? Created a house of bricks and mortar only to lose it to a tent for you and your young son’s shelter? Rhiannon knows better than anyone that life can be tough. Her story is honest, raw and vulnerable and a testimony to the fact that if you think it has to stay that way, you need to think again. Today Rhiannon moves from a place of personal responsibility, anti-ego wisdoms, gratitude, abundance, success and a whole lot of tough love insights that are peppered throughout this book. Read it and take them with you to treasure.

- Eloise King, ‘Soul Sessions’ Founder and Journalist for ‘body+soul’

About the Contributors

I have been fortunate enough to gain assistance from a variety of experts - psychologists, counsellors, doctors in alternate medicine, highly respected and well-known homeopathic teachers and an expert in suicide prevention. (The latter is a relatively new subject and is still in its infancy. However, I found it so very enlightening and in keeping with today.) Within this book, I share a treasure trove of tools and wisdom gained from these experts. Choose the strategies that work for you, absorb as much as you can. Be brave!

Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.

- Helen Keller

• Mandy Nolan is a Comedienne Extraordinaire contributing to the chapter on ‘Daily Consciousness’. Multi-talented Nolan is an accomplished artist, journalist, scriptwriter and memoirist. She is also an expert on all matters feminine, from the contrasting vulnerability and callousness of a woman’s heart, to mother’s worries about daughter’s replicating their own disastrous early forays in love. She is the author of three titles including "What I Would Do if I Were You"; "Boyfriend’s We’ve all Had and Shouldn’t Have and her latest comedic missive: Home Truths". She is also a regular columnist for the Byron Shire Echo and Sydney Morning Herald reviewer, Bruce Elder, called her Australia’s wittiest comedic columnist.

• Embracing Your Identity. Samantha Sanderson shares the story of her gender identity disorder and why she decided to undergo Sexual Reassignment Surgery. She says, Looking back, I believe it was my creation of this false persona that led to many years of depression. Find out who you are, live to be that person without shame. Make it your very first priority in life.

• Dr Alan Brast (Ph.D.) is a 70-something-year old legend who has been working with victims of suicide, rape, abuse, grief, incurable forms of cancer, AIDS and other medical/psycho traumas for the past 25 years.Hehas been a medical trauma suicidologist in California for Contra Costa County since 1979. He is on the staff of John Muir Medical Centre as a private contractor facilitating cancer support groups as well as being a member of the Physicians Advisory Council for their Women’s Health Centre. Board certified in suicidology, he teaches in the graduate schools of two universities and conducts a lecture series on a variety of topics for the hospital and a myriad of other venues. Dr Alan Brast says, I find a lot of reward in helping people through the darkest areas of human suffering, how to understand and cope with life’s darkest traumas like grief, suicide and abuse. It is satisfying to know that my patients and their families can then integrate this learning into their daily life.

• Jeremy ‘Yongurra’Donovan is renowned as one of Australia’s best keynote speakers and storytellers. He is also a didgeridoo player, aboriginal artist and sacred healer. Jeremy travels the globe captivating audiences as he shares the wisdom of the oldest living culture on Earth – the Australian Aboriginal culture. He often shares the stage with big names like: Louise L. Hay, Dr Wayne Dyer and Eckhart Tolle.Jeremy Donovan says, Nurturing your roots, your culture and your heritage helps you understand WHO you are. Wisdom is not printed - it is shared. I love seeing people achieve self-worth, self-importance and self-belief, it is freeing. Through sharing, healing and understanding your roots, you can change your story.

• Murray Feldman (MCH, RSHom, CCH) has been studying, practicing and lecturing in homeopathy since 1977. Murray studied for three years in India and graduated from The College of Homoeopathy in London, England. Murray lectures internationally and has taught in England, Finland, Ireland, Israel, Japan and the United States. Murray is the founder and director of the Vancouver Homeopathic Academy and is vice-president of the Canadian Council for Homeopathic Certification. Murray has also co-authored, "Homoeopathy for Children" published by C.W. Daniel Ltd., London, England. He currently spends most of his time in India, with his beautiful wife Susan. Murray Feldman says, People come to homeopaths for a wide variety of complaints from anxiety, fears and other mental problems to asthma, skin problems, haemorrhoids, neurological disorders, menstrual issues, etc. Learn how the body and mind function as one totality in health and in disease.

• Alistair Horscroft has an honours degree in philosophy and qualifications in natural medicine, exercise physiology, clinical hypnotherapy and coaching. He studied Sanskrit, Egyptology, and meditation, as well as both Western and Eastern philosophy from school age. He is a television presenter, professional speaker and product creator who originally shot to fame in the public eye with his hit series, The Life Guru aired on the Discovery Channel. With over twenty years of training and practice, he is considered a leading authority on behavioural change as well as the practical applications of Eastern and Western philosophy and modern psychology for peace of mind and emotional, mental and physical well-being. Detailed in his program - Mindtraining™. Alistair Horscroft says, Tool kits are useless unless you understand how to use them. Learn the elements of modern psychology and how to apply the practical use of the mind’s processes to live a full and free life.

• Dr Sunny To Chi Lee (B.A. (Psych), BGS, Dr TCM) is an acclaimed master of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). He apprenticed under his father in TCM and herbal medicine. He received TCM training at the renowned Institute of Chinese Medicine in Hong Kong. He graduated from PRC National TCM Academy. He practices acupuncture and herbology in Vancouver, BC. He is a third generation practicing TCM specialist. DrSunny Lee says, I feel that so many of today’s diseases especially that of cancer or terminal sickness, could have originated from the imbalance of body, mind and spirit. Medicine is not necessarily the panacea of some illnesses. Our body is a blessing, and we have the obligation to care for and appreciate it.

• Emma Sutherland (N.D.BachHSc) is a fully qualified Naturopath having completed four years of training in herbal medicine, nutrition and homeopathy as well as a Bachelor of Health Science in Complementary Medicine with membership to the Australian Traditional Medicine Society. Her areas of expertise include preconception care, infertility, IVF natural health support, pregnancy nutrition, nutritional and herbal medicine for pregnancy and postnatal health, homeopathy for pregnancy, labour and breastfeeding and natural children’s health. Emma’s book "50 Foods that Will Change Your Life", will inspire you to nourish yourself with highly nutritious recipes. Her popular online Community Cleanse helps bring Mojo to the women of the world. Emma Sutherland says, Eating correctly is one part of the puzzle. Health isn’t just a standard line, you need a holistic approach to your life in order to be the best you can possibly be. Learn how to fuel your immune system and you will always feel young, healthy and vibrant.

• Guy Vicars is a counsellor, psychotherapist and relationship expert who has been working with individuals and couples since 1994. He works with all areas of relationship, depression, anxiety, stress, change, workplace/career issues, communication skills and family of origin issues. Guy also holds the position of National President at the Australian Association of Relationship Counsellors, lecturer at the Australian College of Applied Psychology and Delegate and is a Member of Council at Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia. Guy Vicars teaches us that, We have faults, but we are not faulty. Find your intrinsic personal value, take responsibility for your emotions, work through the differences and balances between sex and love, and you will have the power to nurture all of your relationships. What a difference that would make.

Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. - Henry Ford

So here you are…happily reading along and then all of a sudden WHAMMO! There is a HUGE mistake! Not just a tiny mistake but a mistake that cannot be ignored. Are you kidding? The page is upside down. As if that could have gone unnoticed and uncorrected! And now I have to turn the book upside down, read the page and then turn it back. Really? And, I was just starting to get into it. I don’t even want to read it now. Blast!

How many times have you had the experience when you thought something was going to work out one way and it didn’t? In fact, the way it worked out was not something that you truly could have prepared for. So, you have a reaction, much like the reaction you are having right now, because this page is not going to YOUR plan. Don’t you get it though? Life is one BIG change and it works out in ways that you CANNOT even begin to imagine.

So while you are getting upset about the incorrect page, you are also draining the battery of valuable energy that you could be using on something that you enjoy. So why would you allow experiences in life to literally take your life away?

Now, take stock of the situation at hand. This is just a page, it is not life threatening, once you turn the book back around, you will be right where you were. Unless of course there is another upside down page. No, I didn’t do that to you this time.

If you had a reaction to this, just know that you really need to get ‘over yourself’ as you are simply giving valuable energy away and allowing a silly little page to determine your happiness.

So, now that you know this, what one thing can you change to guarantee that next time there is a ‘page turner’ you don’t get caught up in it? Roll with life and maintain your focus on those things that are truly important and you will see that over time, you will be much happier!

Now turn the book back around and away you go!

THANK YOU

Introduction

It is better to conquer yourself. The victory is yours, it cannot be taken from you, not by angels or demons, heaven or hell. - Buddha

S ome time ago I wrote the book, "How to Climb Mount Everest in Sandals ." It was the story of one life, my life. It became a