We’d all gathered in the conference room in the Cliffs Hotel. It was exciting to meet some of my fellow coaching course “cadets” as Martha Beck coaches in training are known. We helped ourselves to coffee, and chatted, excited for the day ahead.

It took me a while to notice that Martha had appeared and was sitting on the platform at the far end of the room ready to start. She was observing us all and caught my eye. This was the only one to one contact I had with her that day.

She’s a quiet person, an introvert I’m told, but when she started speaking I was hanging on her every word.

Near the beginning of her talk she said “We live in a culture where everything has to happen fast. It doesn’t last”.

That’s what I’m talking about!

Martha reminded us that the mind is a terrible master, but a wonderful student – we can use our mind to work out problems and that’s great, but when our thinking runs away with us – heaven help us!

Everything happens through peace – we can manifest anything we want if we are in a peaceful state.

Most of us are focussed on problems and fear. Focus on on your own joy – self explanatory!

People think they need a recipe for living. That’s the problem, there’s no recipe – there’s no instructions to follow, have faith and trust in yourself.

Striving for magical experiences doesn’t work – you are not 100 per cent peaceful – striving equals stress, not magic.

Everything comes from the emotional state that you think will be created by circumstances – don’t wait to get what you want before being happy. Be happy now.

Everything that happens in the outside world is teaching us to wake up – YES!

All quotes are Martha’s, with an explanation as I understand it and where I felt it was necessary. Some may be paraphrased, I was scribbling as fast as I could whilst trying to take it all in.

And then I bent a spoon!