What I feel drawn to is something I think I learned at an ISM Course. As far as I remember, I did not do well with it back then, so I "felt" stupid - self-image! :)

I want to look at the self-images of the people I interact with and bring it back to myself: what is MY self-image I see in the mirror?! For example, somebody wants to teach me how to live, he has the self-image of a "consultant". And how do I call this forth? Playing stupid, or helpless?!... And so on. :)

Exciting news!

Our iconic course "The Journey of Adjustment" is again on offer!

Where? Bucharest, Romania
When? 5 to 8 November 2026
Introducing Irina Marsh

The full course presentation, practical information, and registration details are available here.

Please enjoy Lady Elizabeth's poignant sharing!

With all my love,
(BH)
Milen

~~~

My dear friends,

Happy Month! Happy August!

Many moons ago when I signed up as an accountancy articled clerk, we used to have a joke amongst we clerks about our Principals
“Old accountants never die they just lose their balance”. Lol!

Little did I know finding balance in MY life was going to become a challenge of a lifetime for ME!

Once I completed my 5 years articles I was “poached” by an audit client and into the world of commerce and exploitation I went, and ultimately into the corporate world. There I climbed a ladder I didn't even know I was climbing! When I woke up in the madness of that dream I realised I had become a workaholic - of my own making 🙁

To counteract all the hours at work I had always tried to balance things out with exercise, but when I could not find aerobics classes at 6:00 in the morning or a squash partner at 9:00 at night I realised that the only way for me to be active and get some vestige of balance was to start road running - and running I did!

I became an LSD runner as we called ourselves – “long slow distance” runners. Lol! I had found a new addiction! Ultimately, I was running 90-kilometre road races (Comrades Marathon) - and being challenged at work for being less than productive 🙁. Of course I had created this rod for my own back. With this criticism I perfected the art of being a victim which called forth my wake up call. I took a deep breath and jumped off the cliff!

I left the corporate world and lo and behold when the student is ready the teacher appears. Here I was on my quest to get balance back into my life when Théun Mares challenged me to start teaching the ISM courses!! This direction was a complete 180° turn from what I had been doing - and there went my balance again as I embarked on my next career, my Path with a Heart! 😊❤️

Along with this career change a new physical activity was required as I was challenged from what or whom I was running away! Oh dear! Lol! Into my life appeared a yoga teacher who introduced me to hot yoga – and my next addiction was born! Lol!

That is until last summer when some strange physical imbalance occurred whilst visiting Varna, the subsequent result being physical imbalance and loss of physical strength. I have come full circle – “Old accountants never die; they just lose their balance!” Not funny! Lol!

And this is where my social image born out of my self image** is to be tackled. My movements in yoga are now awkward. However, I happily went back to yoga classes when I was back in Cape Town these last few months because I had a new yoga teacher who'd never seen me “do yoga” before and therefore any little improvement in my classes he would remark on and encourage me.

Yet I've come back to Varna this year and I'm avoiding going to class because the teacher here knows me and has videoed my practice in her studio - when my body has been in “perfect” balance, so to speak.

This little social image inside me says she's going to judge me! Crazy 🙁 I know the first time that she sees me she will welcome me back – unconditionally.

Therein lies MY challenge and my gift 😊

So this month is a month to tackle this challenge and bring this part of my life back into balance as well.

And I intend to have fun with it because if learning isn't fun why do it? So join me in our theme this month my friends and let’s have fun tackling the challenge of sh(r)edding our self image** to pieces! Lol!

With all my love and fun and laughter,
(Big hugs)
Elizabeth

** The social image is the SYMPTOM of behaviour, whereas the self-image is the CAUSE of that behaviour! In other words, your social image is HOW you project your self-image into the world around you! So what people see is not really the self-image, but rather HOW you behave as a RESULT of your self-image. That 'how' is your social image, technically speaking, your personal history. So erasing personal history starts with looking at HOW you come across to others! So ask yourself this question, "Am I WANTING people to RELATE to my social image, and therefore my self-image, or do I WANT people to RELATE to THAT which is behind my self-image."