​You are probably about to give presents to a number of people: it is almost Christmas. Despite we give presents to the same people every year around this time; we also tend to overlook what giving presents triggers in us. If we stop for a moment and we ask ourselves a couple of questions, we may find out a lot more than we think about how we make presents.
If you want, ask yourself these questions with love as the objective is to grow in awareness and expand our capacity to express ourselves and fulfill our potential.

1. Do you like to give presents? 

2. How could you enjoy (even more) giving presents?  

3.  Do you feel free to decide to whom and what to give as a present?  

4. What is limiting your freedom?  

5. How would it be exactly if you were feeling completely free in this area of your life?  

6. What do you want to communicate with your gifts?  

7. Do you have the impression that your message is clearly communicated by your gift?  

8. If not, how could you change that?  

9. What qualifies as a present in your view?  

10. What are the characteristic of a good present for you personally?  

I sincerely hope you had a wonderful journey inside yourself reading this blog and answering the questions. I would love to read in the comment about your experience and I invite you to share this blog if you enjoyed it.

I invite you to enjoy this beautiful piece of poetry, to surrender to the narrator's voice as you receive this 3 minutes of poetry therapy.

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story. 

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. 

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism. 

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass. 

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself. 

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. 

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. 

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy. 


​Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

Online therapy and coaching is becoming an important part of my practice. It provides a lot of flexibility and allows me to offer support to a wider group of people.
When my very first client was meeting me online, I was already then amazed at how much could be achieved via a computer and a camera. And that was only the beginning. As you will see, the advantages of online therapy are many.
These are 10 advantages of online therapy:

1. You can sit in the comfort of your own home: sit on your favourite couch, in the most relaxing and inspiring corner of your home, prepare a cup of tea of your liking and receive your session from your own home paradise;
2. Save travel costs: without ever-increasing costs of transportation, the cost of attending sessions becomes less expensive for you. Either with public transport or with their own transport, 95% of my clients have travel costs associated with attending in-office sessions. The good news is that with online sessions you can save on those costs;
3. Save travel time: it is often underestimated how much time is invested in getting to appointments and back. I estimate that, on average, a client that comes to my office for a 60-minute session invests in total between 40 to 60 minutes travelling to my office and back. Imagine being able to save that time to relax, work, or take care of other important things and still being able to get your session as usual;
4. The world becomes a village: I work in three languages (Italian, Dutch and English) and I’m delighted to be able to work with people from all over the world. I meet many of them here in The Netherlands where I live, that’s true, and it’s part of the beauty of life here. However, I become increasingly aware of how many more people I can help using an online tool for conducting sessions. It no longer matters where you live and work. We can meet online and work together so that you can connect with yourself, and activate your potential.
5. Technically simple: extremely simple I would say. Minutes before the session, you receive an e-mail from me that contains a link. By clicking that link, you join me in an online meeting; a private meeting that I own and where nobody else has access. No need to install any program or go through any other technical hassle. The only things you need to be able to do a session online are:
   1. a computer with a camera;
   2. an internet connection;
   3. an e-mail address.
6. HD Video and audio: I found an excellent platform to host sessions online that offers HD video and audio. The platform allows both you and me to be visible to one another on screen at the same time, makes it impossible to talk at the same time (it’s amazing how this improves the flow of the conversation). It also allows me to share my computer screen with you (think of images I may want to show you for an exercise or visualisation).
7. Booking online: at about the same time I introduced the online sessions to my practice I also added to my website (www.itisallaboutlife.eu) the possibility to book online. It seemed only logical that if you can have a session online that it would be convenient for you to also be able to manage your bookings online. Booking online gives you the following advantages:
   1. You manage your own booking and cancelling of sessions without the need to call me or write me a message;
   2. You get an overview of my available spots for the coming 8 weeks at any given moment;
   3. You receive a reminder via e-mail 24 hours before your session is scheduled to begin;
   4. You can indicate during your booking which kind of session you would like: online, in the office or walk and talk, a therapy session conducted outdoors in nature.
8. Online sessions are just as effective as in the office: I personally have really positive experiences with sessions online and I was pleased to discover the encouraging results brought forth by scientific research confirming my personal experience. The findings are that online therapy is just as effective, if not more effective than, therapy in the office. The online setting not only offers the same familiar, comfortable and safe environment to clients to work on their issues, but also the possibility to do this from the privacy of their own home.
9. Easier to approach: another interesting fact discovered by scientists is that working online is, for many, an easier, more approachable way to get help from a therapist. Meeting online is experienced as less stressful than meeting in person. Because of that, there is a group of people that would never go to a therapist’s office, even if they feel they need help, but would consider an online session with a therapist. What a gift it is for those people that technology, nowadays, offers them all these online options.
10. Blended approach: It won’t surprise you to learn that I also continue working in the office with clients. These means that, whenever possible, you can also opt for a blended approach: some sessions online, and some in the office. My experience is that a blended approach can offer many advantages to clients that enjoy both working online and in the office.

Let's meet online and together work on a creative solution to your current problem.
Book a first complementary session via de homepage of this website (button: booking appointment) or sending me a message: itisallaboutlife.eu@gmail.com. 

What is it that you are not doing because of fear?

What is the project, goal of dream you have been thinking about for a while, but not really done anything about, yet, because of fear?

What would you do differently if you were not afraid?

Who or what could help you overcome the fear?

My intent with these questions and with the video I add below is to activate you, to help you see how much more is possible, if you want. It may be not that easy as reading a blog and being ‘activated’, but I hope it will be a start for you.
In autumn when nature is showing us how to let go of the dry leaves from last year, we can take inspiration and let the atmosphere of the season support our own process of letting go of what ‘it’s ready to be lot gone’ in our life.
Now is really the perfect time as in few weeks a new season is starting, a season of imagination and magic that will invite us to envision what we want to bring in our life for the next year and more.

​True story. The picture of the bison above, I took it myself many years agó and it was scary indeed: no fences, no petting zoo, just me, passing cars and the bison, many of them actually. It is also one the thing I'm most proud about, to this day.

Do you have the inpression that expectations prevents you from enjoying what's in front of you?

How would you feel about letting go of expectations and opening up?
​
How would the relationship with your closed ones be without expectations?

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