Today is Wednesday, which means it’s time for the Inspirational word of the week. (Remember, each week I pick a word that will inspire me to write. I thought of it a few moments ago and only have 2 hours to write about it before I need to go clean house and put dinner together. That’s why I call this blog Current Inspiration!)
Believe: (verb) to have confidence in the truth, reliability or existence of something.
Oh My! :)
With that is my inspiration, I will pull together some of my beliefs to share with you, my friendly blog reader! (I would LOVE IT, if you would share your beliefs in the comments!!)
I believe in good sleep, great sex and true love.
I believe people who expect the worst will not only find it but end up creating more of it.
I believe being happily married depends on kindness, respect and trust.
I believe in smiling at strangers for no better reason than to see what they’ll do in return.
I believe in the healing power of laughter!
I believe a daily 4 mile walk will do more good for a persons mental health than all the pills on the market.
I believe in art, music, yoga, aromatherapy, and meditation.
I believe in living well despite the distractions. I believe in peace, grace and resilience.
I believe having faith in yourself is the strongest magic there is.
I believe it’s everyone’s responsibility to maintain hope and show people that we can get along when we try.
I believe people should NEVER give up being kind to each other. Ever.
And last, I believe it is my duty to enjoy lifein order to show other people that it is possible and to inspire them to try it for themselves.
Wow, that was fun!!!
What do you think? What do you believe in?
I wish you a wonderful week and will be back on Monday with the Inspirational song of the week.
xoxo Pam
p.s. This I believe, an NPR series, is a wonderful way to inspire yourself, and the ones you love. Click the link to check it out!!
Today is Wednesday, which means it’s time for the Inspirational word of the week. (Remember, each week I pick a word that will inspire me to write. I thought of it few moments ago and only have 2 hours to write about it before I need to go clean house and put dinner together. That’s why I call this blog Current Inspiration!)
Enough: (adjective) adequate for the want or need. (pronoun) an adequate quantity (adverb) to a degree that satisfies a purpose.
I was chatting with my Dad on the phone last night and he asked me how that “thing in Ortonville” was going. (Of course, he was referring to the Beets, Beats & Eats farmers market that I help put together and am a vendor at, but he couldn’t remember the goofy name of it!) So I told him that I bring in 2 of my burlap art projects (they’re delicate, so I only bring in two at a time in order to keep them from getting ruined), my Tibetan prayer flags and my massage chair. He was tickled, and not surprised to hear that I make the bulk of my money from the massage chair. This is the man that I worked on regularly as a child. I remember spending as long as an hour every day massaging his lower back because of the pain caused from arthritis. My Mom has a torn tendon in her shoulder from a car accident, so between the two of them, I developed into a very strong masseuse with a lot of stamina. My Dad used to say that my hands were my dowry!
He asked if I do the massage outside of the market and I told him that I usually don’t. “The biggest reason I do the massage is because I know I can make people feel better. Even if it’s only for 5 minutes. If I had to do it during the week, and it got in the way of something else I really want to do, like play a game with my son, or take a boat ride with my husband, I’d feel resentful, and then I wouldn’t give a good massage. This way, the people getting the massage really do feel better, and I’m happy knowing I’ve done some good. That’s enough for me.”
***********
On Monday, I listened to an on-line writers workshop class with Jen Louden. She talked about setting Conditions of Enough. While unlimited possibilities seems like the best way to get what you want, ultimately what happens is that we don’t know how to define the beginning or the end of what we’re working on. This can lead to frustration and self-abuse because we end up over-working ourselves and getting angry that we didn’t accomplish everything! (Listening to this part made my hair stand on end because I recognized this in myself. As a classic work-aholic, I been known to work myself into a frenzy, only to be disappointed that the work itself (like laundry and dishes) is never done. AAAACCCKKK)
By setting our Conditions of Enough ahead of time, we give ourselves stepping stones that show us how to get to where we’re going! BRILLIANT!!! When we set time limits, borders and realistic goals on our energy, we get a proper measure of how much we’ve really accomplished.
Then she said “It’s“important to declare to yourself, (out loud even) “I’m satisfied” even if you don’t feel it! By declaring your satisfaction, you define the end of the project your working on.”
I’m so incredibly happy to have listened to Jen’s words of wisdom, my friendly blog reader. I’m relieved knowing that I’m not the only person who’s done this to herself! I’m even more happy to know how to remedy the situation! Although I have a tendency to fight against “rules” and “structure” I love the idea of stepping stones!
My wonderful son and his friend are asking me to play Monopoly with them, so I’m going to declare this blog post finished and “I’m satisfied with how it’s turned out“.
That’s good enough for me!
I wish you a wonderful week, my friendly blog reader!
And with my 10 year old son banging his head along side me,
I wish you, my friendly blog reader, a Glorious Monday!!!
I’ll be back on Wednesday with the Inspirational word of the week.
xoxo Pam
p.s. A wonderful lady friend, Heidi of Aardvark essentials, is having a contest that ends tomorrow!!!! I just love her stuff and just picked up some Sassypants cream! It smells spicy and totally helped me get through an on-camera interview this past week! (I’ll share the link when I get it!) Seriously!!!Go check out Heidi’s stuff at http://www.AardvarkEssentials.co
That’s not surprising because this is the very first one! A wonderful lady named Bernadette Jiwa has put together a site called Unsip.org to raise awareness and gather support from people who want to make a difference in the world.
By donating the cost of a cup of coffee to a favorite worthy cause and sharing the idea with others, you can be a part of something wonderful!
Make something good happen! Small change can make a big difference!
Today is Wednesday, and instead of writing the Inspirational word of the week, I’m going to write about the 9 Basic Human Needs, in between doing laundry, working on the yard and taking a walk with Tootsie, so I’ll probably break it up into 2 parts.
I found a newsletter on-line when I was home-schooling my son while we lived in Brasil in 2008-9. It was written by Barbara Taylor, a management consultant with 25 years of experience helping people. (Click the link on her name to see her very impressive qualifications!)
In an effort to help figure out what it is we actually need, my friendly blog reader, it’s important to first understand what those needs are. Barbara has been kind enough to simplify them into this article here. (click the link to read the whole thing)
In no particular order, they are
Security = Asks lots of questions and demands more information.
Adventure = Always looking for a new way of doing things.
Freedom = Needs to make their own choices. Resists rules.
Exchange = Works well with others to share values.
Power = Strong leadership tendencies. Good organizers and accept responsibility.
Expansion = Needs to build and grow. Recognizes value.
Acceptance = Friendly and tolerant. Smiling and whistling is normal.
Community = Likes to be around other people. Nurturing and helpful.
Expression = Creative with words, art, or even computer stuff.
According to Barbara, each of us has three primary needs, meaning three needs that are more important than the other six needs, which we also have, but to a lesser degree. When people don’t get their needs met they can become agitated, belligerent, or pushed to use the negative aspects of their needs.
Each person is responsible for seeing that they get their own needs met — this is an “inside job”, not something that is fulfilled by another person.
Two people who don’t share at least one common need will feel little connection with another person and have a hard time relating to them. Close friends and partners will usually share two or three needs in common.
In order to figure out our needs, we need to be honest with ourselves when we look at the above list.
For example, my top 3 needs are Acceptance, Exchange and Expression. Now, admitting this is rather difficult, because I feel like people will judge me for needing to feel accepted. However, in order for me to get my next two needs met, Exchange and Expression, I need to be accepted by other people. In fact, I need to accept the fact that I need to be accepted. Make sense?
I’ve found that when I get mad at myself because I’m not learning something fast enough, I become frustrated and angry which creates a vicious cycle of self-abuse. When I let go of unrealistic expectations and accept myself for who I am, I start to relax and focus on the task.
When my family and I first moved into our house, I felt lost and unhappy. My darling husband was on project in Venezuela, while I was here in Michigan. (click the lost and unhappy link to read more about this) Our neighbors weren’t as accepting as I had been told they would be, so I felt rejected and jealous. (I must tell you, my friendly blog reader, that this is really hard to share, but I will continue on because I believe that somehow, this will help you). In order to make myself feel better, I focused on taking care of my family and home, worked on my art projects and went out and got involved in my community. Although I didn’t realize it until many years later, these actions helped me to fulfill my need of being accepted.
Today is Wednesday, which means it’s time for the Inspirational word of the week.
Influence: (noun) 1. the power to be a compelling force 2. the process of producing effects on another (verb) to move to some action, to affect or sway.
Not only do I sell Tibetan prayer flags, I hang them throughout my house because they bring a positive influence into their environment.
The Tiger hangs in my bathroom. It symbolizes unconditional confidence, a natural sense of satisfaction and fulfillment through disciplined awareness, kindness and modesty. Although I don’t always feel unconditionally confident, I’ve noticed a difference in myself since I started flying this flag. It’s a gentle reminder to help bring me back to who I want to be. This simple flag helps to remind me what I need to represent in order to be a positive influence.
Especially when life gets difficult. Because life is never easy for very long.
Dale Carnegie wrote, “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”
Whenever I start to feel like I just don’t know how I can keep going, I surf over to the communicatrix and listen to Colleen Wainwright sing her song . (WARNING, this song is not for young ears, but its message is very influential) It’s a great reminder that strength comes from the struggle. (It also helps to have a sense of humor!)
Like Colleen so eloquently said “One step at a time. Because there is love on the other side, but the only way to it is through it…”
*Anxiety Scrubber exercise* “Just cause I don’t know now, doesn’t mean I won’t know then…..Just cause I don’t know how, doesn’t mean I won’t know then……” (repeat 4 times while rubbing your finger and thumb together)
Promoting the Ortonville DDA Beets, Beats & Eats has afforded me the opportunity to talk with hundreds of people over the past couple of weeks. It seems lately that as long as I’m talking about the farmers market, I can talk all day. And quite honestly, it feels like I am!
To those of you who see me on a regular basis, I can understand why you’re just exhausted by watching me sometimes. I seem to have a tremendous amount of energy as I chat with people, in person, on the phone, by e-mail and on forums. It’s an incredible wave of energy and I’m glad to be sharing it with you all, my friendly blog readers.
My challenge is to keep focused in the right direction (giving people something special to look forward to in a fun atmosphere) and maintain faith in my mission to become an inspirational artist, writer, entrepreneur, volunteer extraordinaire!
This mission, should I choose to accept it, is to let other people get to know me and learn to accept me for who I am, because I have a lot of good to share.
“Stay open to the balance of energies, show patience for time to do its work. Embrace the place where life happens. By recognizing graciousness, kindness, generosity and bravery, we discover the power to create a better future is contained in the present moment.”
Relax your butt! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!
“If you live the life you love, you will love the life you live” (quote from Soothe your Soul on Facebook)
“Sufficient to today are the duties of today. Don’t waste life in doubts and fear; spend yourself on the work before you; well assured that the right performance of this hours duties will be the best preparation.” Ralph Waldo Emerson(thanks Gretchen Rubin over at the Happines Project blog
“Grace enters when we accept what is.” Carla Blazek
My darling husband is on his way home as we speak!!! His project in Israel is OVER!!!! I’ve been trying to get the house spiffed up in anticipation of his arrival, and I plan on attending the Beets, Beats & Eats in two days as a vendor with my burlap art, my tibetan prayer flags and my massage chair! This weekend, we’re planning on taking in Oxfords Hot Blues and Barbeque, (put on by their DDA! ) The rest of the time, we’re going to just chill out! xoxo
Thanks for stopping by, my friendly blog reader. I’m excited to know you’re there and look forward to seeing your comments below.
xoxo Pam
p.s. I’ll be back on Monday with the Inspirational song of the week.
p.p.s. For those of you who are new, I’ve been posting twice a week for the past year, so please make sure you read the post on the right that says “Read this first”. It carries a lot of my “Flagship” content.
p.p.s.s. Seriously, I’m gonna go clean house! TTFN!
I came across this song on FaceBook (Thanks Tad Hargrave). I’ve probably listened to it 15 times in the past 4 days! It’s truly wonderful and has a great message too! It’s important to know that you’re indispensable…………
(The picture above is of a linch pin, the thing that enables the wheel to stay on the axle in order to work together. Without it, the wheel falls off and nobody gets anywhere.)
I’m excited and nervous all at the same time. There is NO set agenda, it’s just people who have read Seth Godin’s LinchPin and have responded to a nation-wide Meet-up invitation. Nobody else had signed up to host in Oxford, so I stepped up.
This meeting is an opportunity for indispensable people to bring the”thing” that they’re interested in sharing with the world, into a safe environment. In an interview with Chris Guillebeau, Seth Godin talks about what a Linchpin is…..
“…. is the ability of each of us, without authority or permission,to do work that matters, to have an impact and to create a place for ourselves in a society that’s brainwashed us into doing something that’s an easily replaced commodity.” (click the link above to read the whole interview).
I’m also planning on sharing my “Stretch” in order to help manage the natural anxiety that occurs in these situations. Hopefully the other people don’t think it’s nuts, but honestly, I don’t think they will, and if they do, they’re in the wrong place.
I’ve asked everyone to bring their “elevator speech”, business cards or a favorite inspirational quote to share. I’m bringing my “How this works”, along with my business cards and my girlfriends Molly and Debbie.
If you’re in the area and are interested in finding a network of like-minded individuals who want to focus on making good things happen, please feel free to stop in to the Ox bar & grill on Main Street in Oxford.
I hope you have a fantastic Monday, my friendly blog reader, and I’ll be back on Wednesday with the Inspirational word of the day!
Today is Wednesday, which means it’s time for the inspirational word of the week.
Grow: (verb) to form, arise, expand or become united.
Before I say anything else I’d like to offer this little tune that has been bouncing around in my head all this past month…….
“Just cause I don’t know now…..doesn’t mean I won’t know then……….Just cause I don’t know how doesn’t mean I won’t know then…. ” (set it to a walking tempo and let it loop for a few minutes, it’s a wonderful meditation tool)
Speaking of tools……
This timely message came into my e-mail today from Michelle Bernhardt of MyInnerWorld.com …….. “We may feel some uncertainty as our lives continue to change. Often our greatest breakthroughs occur after we experience a paradox or a feeling of insecurity. Trust in whatever is happening. We are moving through a paradigm shift and need to develop a strong inner core. Meditate, pray, walk, dance, write and smile. All these qualities feed our greatness and our strength.” Words to grow by!!
This project has been hanging in my dining room for years. I made it while my husband was working on a project in Venezuela. It reminds me of the difference between change and transformation. You can change your pants, but it doesn’t change who you are. It doesn’t even change the pants! Transformation takes time, tools and vision. Once that transformation has happened, there’s no going back.
As a creative soul, (I know that sounds really new-aged woo-woo and eventually I’ll grow into feeling comfortable with it, but for now, OY! please bear with me!) I strive to share with you, my friendly blog reader, the current inspiration that flows through me. As you’ve seen, making burlap art is one way I do that, writing this blog is another, and just this past week, starting with some very dear friends of mine, I’ve added the Drop the Drama Stretch a couple times a week. It’s a way to practice transforming nervous anxiety into peace, grace and finesse. (Seriously, it’s worth a shot to at least try!)
Feel free to follow along, just make sure you have plenty of stretching room, flat shoes, and a non-binding shirt.
First, we start by standing still and centering our hips over our heels, and then our shoulders over our hips. We hold our hands loosely at our sides as we connect the top of our heads to that spot between our ankles. We focus on breathing and relaxing our butts. (This is the hardest part) Then I start talking…….. Stay open to the balance of energies….. Show patience for time to do it’s work…………………… Embrace the place where life happens…………… By recognizing graciousness, kindness, generosity and bravery, we discover that the power of creating a better future is contained right now in the present moment. (Thanks to Jennifer Louden, Eckhart Tolle and Oprah Winfrey for the inspirational words)
Without lifting our shoulders, we pull our hands up over our heads. We can feel energy starting to move from the hips, up thru the back and shoulders. Now we can feel the energy coursing up thru our arms toward our finger tips! Inhale and allow that sensation to increase. Exhale and relax, keeping our hands over our heads. On the next inhale, we bend over straight at the waist and pull all of that energy off, gently shaking our hands at the same time. That intense stretching feeling at the back of our knees acts as a reminder of how relaxed our back and stomach should be. We allow energy to flow and move as we inhale and come back up while keeping our hands up over our heads. Finally, we gently release our hands back down to our sides and exhale. Relax your butt!
I’ve added a couple of Shiva Nata stretches to this as well, although I’ve only just started doing them myself. Mostly, it’s about giving myself and my friends an opportunity a couple times a week to step away from the stress of daily life, breathe, get centered and feel more in control. There’s no way to get away from stress completely, (I wouldn’t actually want to because then life would be boring), but it definitely helps to let go of the drama and know that we can grow through it!
I’ve really been trying to focus on remembering that life never gets resolved and that creativity is about taking a chance, making an effort and doing the work everyday.
I had a different idea of how this post was going to turn out, but now that I’m here, I’ve grown to like it!
I hope you like it too, my friendly blog reader.
Thank you for following along, and I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments!
