Category: Creativity

Coming back to reality after a week down south and a beginning of the year full of special trips has been a little overwhelming.

Saying goodbye to Charls parents was really hard, living a life where grandparents live overseas is difficult but a journey many have to walk.

My little Libby has grown 8 teeth this month, 6 of which came in one week, so our sleep is broken and restless.

My little man Max has his four year old molars coming through even though he is only just over three.

Teething, Saying Goodbye, the cold winter air has just made me a little uninspired this week.

I am so grateful for the unbelievable experiences I get, but I’m also tired.

Can you be tired and happy, feel completely grateful and sad all in one morning?

I think so.

Seasons of grief and seasons of happiness often come all at the same time.

When you are desperately wanting something so bad that it grinds your soul and then someone close to you gets that very thing you are desperate for.

You are happy for them and the milestone that has developed in their life and at the same time you are deeply mourning the development of this same reality of not getting what you desire in your life.

Sometimes life is just hard work.

We can be happy and sad in one sentence.

We can be grateful but still disappointed at a loss at the same time.

A little thought that has been floating through my quiet time is this…

I am very rich.

Not financially (although if in comparison to the global picture in fact I am.)

Not in my possessions, with a mansion, cars not needing a service, boats and things.

Not because of the fashion that hangs in my cupboard.

I am rich because of the friends I hold dear, the experiences that make up my memories, the opportunities that keep on availing themselves.

I am rich.

And although this week has been a little grey and sad.

And although I have many friends going through desperate times.

We are rich, even though we may feel a little poor.

Perspective is a powerful thing my friend.

And sometimes life is just difficult. The best thing we can do is grow with it.

Stretch with it.

Make the season that tries to take us out, be the very one that defines us.

Keep moving forward.

Even when you feel like running away.

 

 

This morning as I walked the bay with my two little companions, I watched a very old man, take his dogs for a walk. He made my morning. He was quirky, he had his hat on backwards, he had a style that was telling anyone who noticed that he didn’t give a rip what anyone else thought of him.

He had embraced his unique and I assumed he is old enough to not to care at all.

You see the man who changed my morning was driving a bright red dingy boat, just a couple of metres off the shoreline, while his two dogs pounded the beach.

With a wave and a hello, I watched him trace the shore with his dogs in his boat, he was running his own race.

This short little encounter got me thinking how much we worry about what others think of us, especially in the arena of creativity and business.

A little idea, a lot of courage and as we put our ideas out there, we are so worried that we may stand on someone else’s toes.

We worry that someone might criticise, we worry that someone may not like, we worry that someone thinks we have copied their idea.

Lately I am becoming more aware of how important it is for me to run in my own lane.

Not to look to the left or the right.

Not to worry about what others think.

That I need to be true to the very essence of who I am and the passions I am developing in my life and stop caring so much about what others think.

What would you do if you weren’t so afraid of others?

What would you try if you didn’t cater to the crowd assessing?

What opportunity would you take up if you stopped worrying so much?

We will never get today back again and some seasons of our life we just need to look straight ahead, don’t look to the left or right and have a big fat go.

Do you want to be happier?

Then run your own race and stop worrying about what everyone else is thinks.

 

 

 

There is a trap that holds so many of us captive. It is a very silent, sneaky one.

It can trip us up at an unsuspecting moment.

A quick flick through the newspaper, a little read of a magazine, a scroll through a beautiful instagram feed, maybe even a read of this blog.

Comparison.

It kidnaps us all at some point in our lives and holds us for ransom until we find the bounty of perspective once again.

Look at her life, she has it all together.

What if she actually knew what I thought of her?

If only I had what she has then everything would be so different.

“How much time he gains who does not look to see what his neighbour says or does or thinks, but only at what he does himself, to make it just and holy.”
Marcus Aurelius

Mothers Day is not a fabulous celebration for most women. There is a fair amount of comparison lurking beneath the surface, waiting to capture the heart that dives into its depths.

“Look at what he bought for her, all I got was this crappy macramé pot plant holder.”

“God, I miss her so much, if only I could have a celebration like what they are having.”

“My Mum never did that for me, why should I even bother.”

“If only I was a Mum, then everything would be different.”

Comparison is a thief that steals the joy of our everyday moments. It is like a ladder competing with our neighbour that ends up nowhere. The problem is that we have missed the amazing view that is surrounding us. We loose perspective of the beauty that is very present.

If days like Mother’s Day are difficult for you, I understand and I see you.

Take time today, to remove yourself from the place where comparison robs you of your joy.

Remind yourself of the beauty in your season for today.

Remind yourself of the perfection in the ordinary moments.

Remind yourself that you are loved, you are graced and you are fearfully made.

Try not to watch the feed of everyone else’s highlight reels and let comparison steal you away this year.

Acknowledge your today and give thanks for hope in tomorrow.