Inspiration Saturday

The girl who silenced the world for 5 mins

This clip is a number of years old but still is so relevant for all of us today.

Most of us can't change the whole world but we can make a difference to the community we live in. 

 What are WE going to do to make our part of the world a better place?  

What are WE going to do to clean up our community?

What are We going to do for our starving children of country?



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQmz6Rbpnu0&feature=related

Be inspired!

Severn Cullis-Suzuki is now 32 years old and a environmental activist and speaker.  She is still fighting for our world.

Inspiration

I am constantly amazed by other peoples stories and lives.  They just blow me away with their courage and bravery.

Hilary Weeks a amazing singer and songwriter has written this beautiful piece of music to capture the heartbreak of our stories and the miricle of rising above them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyX-I-um5Kk&feature=relmfu

I am a survivior of an amazing story that I have chosen to rise above.  I am a survivor

of moderate to severe depression.

It could have knocked me back,  I could have taken my life,  I could have left all that I hold dear.  But I didn't I chose to press forward and to hold onto faith.  This song was written for me and for many others. 

Enjoy!!!

Goals

How does one reach goals? especially challenging ones.  I find this a very hard question to answer especially when I don't know where to start.  I would really love to make a go of making a business from my art work but I don't know where to begin. 

I sat down to figure out what things were stopping me from trying to achieve this goal and finding out where to start.  The biggest reason was I could find was fear.  Fear of failure,  fear of not being able to do it,  fear of not having enough time to meet my goals, fear of inadequate skills and fear of rejection.

Fear is a really hard thing to overcome.  As a child the fear of a monster under the bed can be almost debilitating.  Fear is our bodies way of showing caution for a new experience.  But when fear takes over it can be very hard to let go of that fear and work though it.  I still have not worked through a fear of being locked in dark spaces or pinned down  after my brother locked me in a cupboard as a young child. I still irrationally cannot cope when someone sits on me and can't move or when I play hide and seek and the cupboard door I am in closes tight and I can't get out.  Starting a quilt business is a bit like this fear for me, quite irrational but understandable. 

In what ways can I overcome this fear?  I spent some time thinking about other fears I have had and how I have overcomed them.  I use to be scared of the dark and being home on my own and night but I seemed to have worked through these ones.  So I wrote a list of what I did to get rid of these fears.

• I didn't dwell on the fear
• I wrote down my fears
• I tried to experience the fear with someone else supporting me
• I made myself do the thing I feared so I gave myself an opportunity to try to overcome the fear
• I talked about it with a friend and my hubby
• I celebrated the successes. 
• I shared my success with my friend and hubby
• I kept challenging myself until I could regularly go into the dark on my own.
• I kept my imagination from running overtime.

Now that I have written this list I can see that I can use these same skills to work on my fear of failure.  This list helps me to know how to attack the fear and make a go of a business. 

I was surprised to see how well this list idea worked.  Now I wonder what other things I can help myself with.?

New years

I have spent the last couple of days reflecting on the past year and looking ahead to the new one.  2011 was a year of many challenges and ups and downs. I have finished the year exhausted form looking after and supporting people though many difficulties and I have survived another year with teenagers :)  (7 down and 12 to go...one disadvantage of having a large family)  I have spent a few days taking time out and just resting so I can get some energy back again and I am glad to say that I am starting to feel a little more like myself again. 



I love the ending and beginning of things.  I love to look back on what has been but I really enjoy the setting of new goals and having the excitement of new experiences. This year has been no exception.

I want to

• Get fit.  I really want to feel healthier and to have more energy I'm even thinking about running a half marathon.  But we will wait and see
• Progress more with my art work
• Have better relationships with my family
• Have a weekly date with my husband
• Extend my education through reading



I may not get everything done but it is really nice to plan and prepare for the year ahead.  What goals are you making?  How are you going to spend the next 366 days?

Time flies

I am sitting here contemplating where this year has gone.  It seems only yesterday that it was last Christmas and it is here again.  The last 2 weeks have gone by in a blur too.  We have had so much happening, a few dramas and very little blogging.

 I spent last week at school camp.  It was fantastic and I had a blast but it meant very little time doing anything to do with art. The kids were amazing and we had a lot of fun.  I did an art group on one of the days.  I had the kids make a bridge they could stand on out of newspaper and string.  It was a great activity and they did very well.  Most of them got the bridges to work. 

I left a long list of things to do at home while I was away as I had 25 people to dinner on Sunday. When I got home I had a wonderful surprise to find it was mostly completed. They had worked so hard.  I felt so supported and loved.  It was such a relief to know that I had only minor stuff to prepare for Sunday night.  The evening was wonderful.  We had a beautiful meal, shared gifts,  sang carols and spent sometime sharing the wonderful things that had happened to each of us during the year.  I was touched to hear some of the children's expressions of gratitude.  Simple and profound....I am grateful for family,  my friends,  that I have a mum who loves me and that I achieved my highest grades this year.  It was a really special family moment that I wish I had recorded in someway. 

My Beautiful Treasures



They all grow up so fast and these moments seem to melt away into far distance memories.  I found this song by Taylor swift on YouTube about this.  It bought many tears to my eyes as I lose a child to University next year and have another one only home from university for a short time until she finds work. When my children where small it felt like they would never grow out of nappies now it feels like the time has just disappeared into a puff of smoke. I hope you enjoy it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ZDbFxAtNNnU

I am trying to value every moment more so this means sometimes that I have to re prioritise my life to make sure I give value to these important moments in my life.  My art will always still be a huge part of my life but for the past 2 weeks it has had to take a back seat to my family and there special and precious moments. 

Inspiration Saturday

I found this wonderful philosophy today.  It certainly put things in perspective. 

Charles Schulz Philosophy
 

 

    The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the  questions. Just read the e-mail straight through, and you'll get the point.

 

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.  

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.  

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America.  

 4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.  

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winner for best actor and actress.  

6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

 

                           

 How did you do?  

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

       

 

   Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.  

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.  

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.  

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.  

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

 

 

 Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.

 

   

 "Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia." (Charles Schulz)

http://www.rogerknapp.com/inspire/schulzphilosophy.htm

While I was away last week I took time to reflect on how I use my time and I evaluated where I am going in my life.  My life seems to run away into now where.  I feel I am often just chasing my tale and not really accomplishing much.  So after attending a time management for farming women workshop before I went away last week I decided it was time to look at how I use my time.  The principles of the evening where to make goals and then plan your time to meet these goals.  It was a very simple and efficient way to organise time. 



I spent a bit of time thinking through what I want in my life.  I have decided on these goals

• To continue drawing everyday in my sketchbook
• To practice machine quilting 2 times a week
• To spend time playing and experimenting with equipment I already have in my studio.

I am going to try to also

• To exercise  daily so I have more energy to work at my art
• To listen to an play music daily to re energise my soul
• To study the scriptures more to re energize my spirit

My family and I are going to try

• Spend a little more time together
• I am going to have a date with my husband at least 1 time a fortnight (rather than monthly)
• To be more organised at home so I can get on with my art more

I know this will not be easy but it will be worth it.



When I started to place appointments and purposeful planning to meet these goals I found that I have a few pockets of time I can use to improve relationships and improve my art.  Evaluating time this way has helped me to see how well I think through what I do and how well I take time to rest and to re charge. 

Now all I have to do is stick to my plan!

Women

Last night I went to a Farming discussion group for women.  Dairy NZ run groups for farmers to help them in their businesses,  with networking and with support for their systems on their farms.  In this particular area they hold one of these groups specifically for women.  Last nights key note speaker was a specialist on time management. She was amazing and very inspiring.  I learnt a lot about using my time and using it efficiently but one the most important things I learnt was the importance of networking and supporting each other as women.



Each little thing we give and support each other in are big things.  We need each other to be whole.  I think every encounter we have with other women can be a blessing.  We can build up rather than tear down, we can love rather than hate and we can be unified rather than bicker about each other.  We can inspire each other to become better an do better things with our lives.

 

We are blessed now to be able to form relationships with other women across the world through technology.  I am inspired by a friend I met on the sketchbook challenge Dion.  She deals with some very challenging things in her life but still has to time to uplift others though her thoughtful comments and her art.  I have never met her in person but she lifts me up and inspires me.

I have friend that have come and gone in my life and ones that have been around a long time.  I have one friend I met on her first day of school.  We were five.  We have been through a lot of things together.  She knows the meaning of true friendship. 

Why is it with all the wonderful opportunities to help and support so many us spend so much time bickering and gossiping when that time could be spent helping and assisting.  We all have a responsibility to choose to be nice and to choose to support all those around us.

This can be darn difficult and some people are hard to get on with but I have this theory that We don't have to like every body but we can still love them.  I can spend time with everyone just some people I only have time with in 5 second doses and other 5 year doses. 

What ever others choose I can choose to be nice no matter what other women choose,  I lift up even if other pull down and I can love even when others hate.  What will you choose to do? 

Literature and movie review

If you asked my teenagers for their favourite movies or books they would probably say Harry Potter or Pirates of the Caribbean.  I'm not really into scary and blood and gore type movies.  I have seen them all but really it was to support the kids viewing (is that called spying ? he he)  My favourite book of all time and one I could watch over and over is Jane Eyre.  I think it is one of the best book ever written.  It has everything in it intrigue, mystery, drama, romance, clever dialogue, humour and relationships. 



The author of Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte was born in April 1816 to Rev. Patrick and Maria Bronte.  She was the 3rd of 6 children in England.  She wrote only a few works as she died very young.  Jane Eyre was a very popular novel from it's first publication.  It has been relased as a film or t.v series a few times the most recent in March this year.



Jane is an orphan who spend the first few years of her life being raised by her uncle and his wife, a cruel woman who cared about her own children more than poor Jane.  Her auntie sends her away to a charity school with the excuse that Jane was a bad influence on her own dear children,  which in reality is untrue as Jane was a beautiful well behaved child.  The school was of very poor standards and here Jane suffers many hardships and sadness.  When reforms come to the school Jane blossoms and becomes a teacher of good standing in the school.  When she decides to leave the school she seeks a post as a governess with a Mr Rochester.  The rest of the story builds on Jane's impeccable character and her relationship with Mr Rochester and his ward for whom she is responsible for. 

This story has many twists and unexpected turns.  Bronte has a talent for building very complex characters building up a story line beautifully.  Jane's character goes though much refining and is challenged beyond what most of us would not be able to bear. I think Bronte was well beyond her time for discussing topics that were not readily addressed at the time.  For example the hardships of poverty,  mental illness and disabilities. 

This a book that deserves to be read and re read to appreciate fully the depth of language and brilliant story line.

Patience

Patience is a virtue I sometimes lack. 




It is not that I don't try hard or put effort in.  I just think it is one of those things that will always be my struggle.  I have come a long way since I have had a family but I still have a lot to learn. I am a bit like this chicken......

As a child I was very impulsive and wanted things done right away.  I wouldn't get things finished unless it was a short job because I couldn't see the results straight away.  But I could ask question incessantly and never ever paused for a breath (hmmm...actually that really hasn't changed :) I still talk a lot) and I was patient if something really interested me, like a puzzle or a fun game, I always had to win (.....hmmm...actually that hasn't changed much either :) And I always could test others patience but the patience with people was very hard.

I had a strong sense of justice and could never figure out why people made choices they did.   I have learned that everyone makes choices for their own reasons and that that is their choice and that I need to accept and be patient with them. 

Patience is just waiting and keeping time.  it is learning to do it cheerfully and to be nice about it. I thought these quotes really get patience in a nutshell..

What I have learned about patience.....

• Being patient is a state of mind
• Being patient while 6 people are talking to you at once is very hard
• Being patient is difficult after you have found the toilet needs cleaning the 4th time that day
• Patience is a skill that gets well developed as a parent and family member.
• Patience needs to be worked at daily every experience at a time
• As my ability to be patient increases more challenging circumstances present themselves.
• Small things are harder to be patient with than really big things ie The toilet needing to be cleaned v major trauma. 
• It is an ongoing evolving skill
• I find being patient a challenge when I am sleep deprived.
• I am going to not be perfect at being patient in this life and it is O.K.

Jonah days

I am a Anne of Green Gables fan. The books are magical and so beautifully written.  One of the sayings I have picked up from Anne is I'm have a Jonah day.  you know.....those days were nothing goes right.  Everything seems to go to custard just as Jonah's day went. 



I found a list of things that I had written a few years ago of what had happened in 2 weeks in my home.  On the list was a stomach bug that went through the whole family,  a cold that went though the whole family,  My littlest was recovering from plastic surgery and when he came out of the bandage for that he fractured his elbow,  My hubby had put a hoe into his ankle I had cut my finger on a rotary blade while quilting and my grandparent and my husband's grandparents were all in hospital and I was recovering from post natal depression.  It was a Jonah fortnight. 

Life is just like that we all have bad days,  weeks, months and sometimes even years.  Jonah caused a lot of his problems himself, other challenges were out of his control. Sometimes we cause our own problems and sometimes things just happen to us.  Whatever way it happens, none of us are immune to them, whether we like it or not.

We need to have challenge in our lives to help us grow, learn and to develop relationships.  Have you ever noticed that after a tough time you seem to grow more, you have more resources to get over a future problem and more knowledge to help others.  Challenge is vital in the world we live in. 

Getting over challenge can be very demanding though.  I find the hardest challenges to rise above are ones that other people cause me.  When I cause them myself I can make changes,  sort out issues and work though things faster and easier because they are my problems.  Other that are forced on me are much more challenging.  I don't have control over others choices and decisions and how they want to deal with them. For example If I say something to hurt someone I can apologize and make it up to that person but they have to choose whether to accept the apology and forgive you.  If that doesn't happen another set of problems may arise.

How can we work though challenge? The first thing I always do is work out what I am responsible for and how can I fix it? I have learnt it is better to sort things out quickly than leave it?  It just always get harder if it is left.  I don't think about doing it, I just think about what I will do to sort it out.   Face the problem head on.



Others peoples problems aren't as easy especially ones that leave you picking up the pieces.  Open communication helps sometimes but not always.  Sometimes we just have get on and do our best with what we have.  Deal with is in the best manner and the try and move on. I find sometimes in these situations I need a paradigm shift or in other words I need to look at things differently.

Looking at the experience from another point of view or from a different angle can change the experience quite dramatically.  For example challenges with a teenager can be easier if I think about the little child hiding in an adults body or remembering that with all beautiful rose thorns are present too.  Just a small change in my attitude can change an experience.  It will never remove it but it can make it easier to bear.

The other type of challenge we can face is just life's challenges.  For example sickness,  death,  losing a job.  No one is really to blame.  They are things that just happen in life.  Talking to someone,  taking time out,  recharging your batteries when you can and doing something you love, can all all help to get though these experiences.  I find being creative helps me the most. Try and find something that works for you.  We are all different and we all have different needs.  We need to work out what is right for ourselves. 

Remember

“Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging"

Joseph Campbell

Inspriation Saturday

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/11/061115-penguin-shoes.html

"Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their
shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you are a mile away
from them, and you have their shoes."

-- Frieda Norris

 

Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it."

-- Julia Child



corporatecatapult.wordpress.com

The very best thing you can do for the whole world is to make

the most of yourself."

-- Wallace Wattles

You must accept that you might fail; then, if you do your best and still don't win, at least you can be satisfied that you've tried. If you don't accept failure as a possibility, you don't set high goals, you don't branch out, you don't try - you don't take the risk."

-- Rosalynn Carter

 



"You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage - pleasantly, smilingly, nonapologetically - to say no to other things. And the way to do that is by having a bigger yes burning inside."

-- Stephen Covey

Literature and movie review

Every day is a good day by William Pike is an autobiography about the authors experience  of being caught up in a volcanic eruption on Mount Ruapehu (one of NZ's active volcanoes) The extreme courage and positive attitude this man had to face his ordeal is truly amazing and amazingly this book was written only 6 months after his accident. 





Pike's life changed dramatically in September 2007 when climbing on Mt Ruapehu.  His light leg was badly damaged when a boulder from the eruption plowed through the hut in which he was staying.  William lost part of his leg and almost his life.  Pike writes about his ordeal and his determination to still have a full life and to remain positive no matter what we endure. 

I really enjoyed this book.  It left me with hope with what ever life has to offer me.  That no matter what our challenges (and what could be much worse that what he went through)  that we have courage and strength to get up and keep going.  He is a great story teller and descriptive writer who leaves you longing for the next to page to see what happened next. 

P.S.  This is a book published in NZ but can be bought online.  Just Google it.....my answer to everything!

"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."

-- Oscar Wilde

Who are we?  Do we really know who we are deep inside? 

My mother said "That there have been many days were she has sat down and wondered about the answer to this question. Who am I? Am I (here goes it is a long list....)  A mother, wife, friend, sister, community worker, daughter, volunteer, employee/employer (what ever that label might be for you), sister in law, daughter in law, mother in law,  grandmother, great grandmother, auntie, cousin, niece (I spelt this as nice first :) ) church worker,  quilter, etc?"  She said "It is hard sometimes to figure out who you are meant to be because we have so many roles in our lives"  (phew! are you tired reading that list.  I cetainly am)

These are all wonderful roles but do they describe who we really are?  I don't think they do.  The role we often miss or undervalue is that we are a woman, unique, individual special and brilliant. We give a lot of time to the many roles in our lives but do we prioritise time for the role we have as a unique woman.  There is no other person like us in our lives. No one else can have that role, no one else can help us grow and no one else can see the world just we do.  

What can you do today to value 'you' more?  Here's a couple of ideas to get you started

• Sit down for 5 minutes today and think about the qualities you have.  Write them down. (if your house is like mine you might have to lock your bedroom door and put a note on the door saying leave me alone for 5 minutes :)
• Lie on the floor and listen to a favourite piece of music and just be
• Sit and listen to your heart (see if you can find it! it might take some practice)

Good luck and let me know how you did.  I'll let you know how I did too.

Believe in you

I went to the Time out for woman conference today (LDS womans inspirational conference) 

It was amazing. 

I came away believing more in my self than I had done for a long time.  I felt motivated to make a difference and to believe that I,  just one of me,  could influence many people in the part of the world I live in.  

The conference theme was..

Choose to Become....

Think of the possibilities of what I can choose to become....what you could choose to become.  We all have dreams and hopes in our hearts.  Many of them stay there unfufilled. I use the children, time restaints,  lack of skills, others opinions and fear as excuses.  But really there aren't any excuses.  We all have so much potential and skills within us.  I think they are so buried and so deep that they get missed sometimes. 

 Write down today what you dream about and what you want to become. 

I am choosing to become who I was born to be and who I am deep inside.