Feeling overwhelmed, be the fish....

I bought some new fish the other day. I love watching them swim around I find it inspirational, however for some reason when we buy groups of fish, they gradually 'move on' to warmer waters and we end up with one or two lingerers that the rest of the family lose interest in and continually beg me to buy more, newer, brighter fish.

My response is always the same, it wouldn't be fair on 'Gobbo 8' and 'Harry 10' (yes, creative blog aside, my children seem attached to particular names for their fish....good thing really since it makes their fragile little lives more replaceable with Gobbo 9 and Harry 11!).

Anyway, my creative point is that sometimes staring into the watery surface at glistening fish scales, coloured rocks and uneaten goldfish flakes one finds the positivity of life (and the cycle of death).

Those little guys swimming around, and around, and around, is a bit like a positive pick-me-up. Sometimes you feel overwhelmed like you are swimming around and around and around, but take some time to reflect on the ripples of life and the coloured rocks below and let go (a 3 second memory helps!). You could even try breathing with an open mouthed guppy fish face if you wanted a laugh!

Watch, lose yourself for a few moments, come back refreshed and ready to collect your thoughts so you don't have to keep swimming around and around and around.

When you get overwhelmed - pause, change your thoughts, reassess your priorities and move forward again.

Celebrate your success

You know the funny thing, we set our goals (if we are the clever ones...we even write them down and focus on them!!!), but we never set our success measure.

It is vitally important to know where you're going - we've all read the analogy about getting in the car and driving on a whim and arriving anywhere, or getting in the car and looking on the road map to know exactly where we are going to make sure we get there the best way possible.

Well your arrival is your success - but in goal setting do we celebrate our success and our arrival at our goal appropriately? Do we take the time to set small and achievable goals and celebrate the achievements along the way? If you don't then you might just lose momentum for the next goal....

Keep your momentum by celebrating your success!! Hurrah....

Are you on the Energy Bus?

I have just finished reading Jon Gordon's book The Energy Bus, 10 rules to fuel your life, work and team with positive energy.

One of my most expensive habits is buying books and reading reading reading ~ it means that I am constantly infused with new ideas and thoughts to think.

This is one of the quickest, but most meaningful reads I have picked up recently and as always seems the case for me ~ timely. Do yourself a favor and beg your library to order one or buy one to have forever...the message is delivered in a way that is not trite or sappy and really resonated with me.

Best quote? "Do not focus on the future because the future brings only what the present gives it. Rather focus on the path. Keep your head up and your heart full of joy." We only have one life - live it joyfully! That's not to say that bad things don't and won't happen but it's the meaning you attach to them and the way you move forward from them that determines the path ahead.

So what will it be? Henry David Thoreau suggests that most men "lead lives of quiet desperation" ~ do you chose desperation or joy?

Feeling the urge....

I created this blog to inspire me to think about being creative more often, only problem is that I think creative thoughts at odd times, and when I sit down and decide to do the biz I find myself high and dry.....but as with all new things it is also a matter of forming the habit to blog daily.

For now I'm taking the pressure off and writing when I feel the urge, I may even tweet instead but I have to investigate that one!

But one habit that has been brewing in our house is for me to spend 5 minutes with the kids at the end of the day and get them to write 3 things they achieved that they were pleased or proud of over the course of the day, one thing they didn't handle so well and how they could have done it better, and 3 things they plan to achieve the next day.

It's had mixed reactions. Miss 9 3/4 loves it, Mr 12 1/2 is not so keen and was practically in tears the first night (yep it erupted into some kind of power struggle) but after 4 nights of it he knows the routine and that avoidance is not an option....he also seems to be enjoying it just a little.

I am hoping that my little social experiment will prove that reflecting on your achievements will set a nice precedent and that they can look back when they've had a not so good day and see that it's not always doom and gloom. So far so good......

What are yours??????

Consider me your fairy godmother.....make 3 secret wishes, write them down in your journal.....keep wishing and take steps towards creating them.

Oh yeah did I mention that bit? You gotta do the work towards your goals - but journaling them helps make them real. I promise it does!

Problems Problems Problems

Problems happen - there are always going to be challenges in your life. The key is to deal with the issue as best you can, but from a place of calm not stress.

Identify it, break it down and create strategies to solve it. Once the problem has been solved you might want to journal about it. Just a few line about what happened, how you dealt with it, how to stop it happening again if appropriate - and then.....LET IT GO!!!!

Holding on to negative thoughts and feelings benefits nobody - least of all yourself.

So have your problems - they are a sign of life - deal with them and journal it away.......ahhhhhh after the day I've had I know I will be writing a HUGE journal entry tonight......technology can be a joy and a curse all at the same time - but that's for another blog!