Posted on Leave a comment

Others opinions

20140406-131538.jpg

How easy is it to judge others?

How easy is it to think you know better and know what’s going on in their worlds?

I think social media makes it easier than ever before to judge, criticise and blame others.

You know what I find so difficult? Is that Christians are often the worst.

We find ourselves on high pedestals and often fall harder because of this pious place that we locate ourselves. Thinking we are living a good, productive, holy life.

I am not immune, I have sinned and fallen short.

7 1-5 “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbour. Matthew 7: 1-5 Message.

Oh wow.

What can I say after this?

Personally, one of the biggest downfalls of judgement in my life, is that I fall prey to worrying and being consumed with others opinions.

When I have heaps of opinions about other people, I fall prey to the reaping of this thought pattern in my own world.

The more I worry about what other people think, the more I judge what others are doing.

It goes the other way as well.

The more I judge people, the more I worry about others opinions.

It is a Ferris wheel of emotion and guilt. It is a terrible place that I feel stuck and want to get off the ride as soon as I can.

I found this quote this week and it is everything that I want my life to be about these days…

‘I want to be around people that do things. I don’t want to be around people anymore that judge or talk about what people do. I want to be around people that dream and support and do things.’

Amy Poehler

This means for awkward conversations, when you say ‘Sorry I don’t want to talk or be like this’. It means for stricter blocking and unfollowing on social media, it means for shorter coffee catch ups with some people.

I don’t like politics

I don’t like gossip covered in the honey of ‘debriefing’

and I am far from innocent.

I want move mountains, I want to see people set free, I want to make a difference.

None of these are possible when I spend my days judging others and hiding in the shadow of worrying what other people think of me.

Tomorrow.

Smile

Amanda

20140406-133611.jpg

Posted on Leave a comment

Passion Illuminates!

20140405-170915.jpg

I had a Skype mentoring session this week with a blogger and I came away from it focused and full of clarity.

That’s what I love about openly sharing what you have learned about something, you never walk away poorer.

Creatively I want to help others, I have no problem telling anyone the lessons I have learnt from this blog and writing, because it always builds me.

I remind myself why I started this project.

I refocus myself on what matters.

As I encourage others to live an inspired life, I become more inspired.

When you compete, compare and greedily hold back your lessons from others, you start to live a more bitter and smaller world.

In this session on Skype I was talking about routine in blogging, finding your audience and clarity about your purpose.

I gave the writer the following advice;

1) Make a regular commitment to what days you are going to publish and write. It builds your audience and creates a routine to when your reader is coming to your website.

2) Clarify your audience. Write a paragraph about your reader. Who is it that you are writing to? Do a little drawing, a brainstorm, a word cloud about your target audience. This will bring a clarity and passion to your writing. When you are focused, you will bring your best.

3) Create themes, that clarify your values. Recently I have brought themes into my week. The photo shows them below.

These themes have helped me so much in my focus, passion and clarity. They are my values for this season and they provide great impetuous for my writing.

These three points can help you in any creative pursuit you have.

Is it in decorating your home?

Is it in your daily devotions and journaling?

Is it in your song writing?

Painting?

Business?

When you find your passion and bring clarity to your process you will burst with inspiration.

Speak tomorrow

Amanda

20140405-170044.jpg

Posted on Leave a comment

The thief comparison

20140404-195216.jpg

Comparison is something that eats away at our hearts slowly.

It is a thief that steals our joy, peace and promises for a better tomorrow.

When we spend our days comparing ourselves to one another we don’t allow ourselves to discover who we truly are.

I grew up the daughter of an identical twin.

Over and over, season through season, we watched our Mums struggle with comparison and competition.

They navigated its poison well, but I am still so aware of the difficulty it imposes.

Yesterday I started an online course with Brene Brown. I have been a little addicted to her writing this last year and I stumbled across this course and decided to have a go.

It is all about living a wholehearted life and allowing creativity to inspire and heal those parts of us that have been suppressed and broken.

The course walks slowly through the book I finished a few weeks ago called ‘The gifts of imperfection’.

Two of the exercises we were given today was to draw a self portrait (mine is above), writing a few words beside it about what we believe about ourselves.

Then another exercise was to write down our creative wounds, scars that have held us contained in our creativity (I went back to a day in my journal that I missed and reclaimed that little blank page of failure). We were to write in red pen words that have impacted us from our upbringing. Words that have been spoken over our lives and our creativity

Some of my words were;

Too much

Too loud

Too fat

Too pushy

Too messy…

Things that had been spoken over my life that caused me often to compare myself with others as I created.

As much as I love blogging, it is like a double edged sword. The comparison to others online, the negative criticism, the competition, so easily can take over and affect my output.

Brene asked us to paste over those scars with bandaids and then write words of recovery and belief in their place.

I wrote words like

enough

strong

leader

loved

purposed

and more.

It is amazing how much comparison robs us of our peace. It is a thief. It steals from our today and plunders our tomorrow.

What are you spending your days comparing yourself to?

Mummy bloggers?

The type of prams others have?

The house you live in?

The job you have?

Someone’s instagram account?

When we live in a place of constant comparison we are paralysed from making changes that are necessary to live to life of creativity and inspiration we were designed to.

You are a creative being, even if you don’t believe that you are. You were created in the image of the most amazing Creator.

Maybe you need to do a couple of these exercises as well and post them in your 365 journal together.

I am scared and excited about this 6 week course I have now embarked upon.

I hoping to embrace my imperfections and continue along this inspiration journey of 2014.

See you tomorrow.

Amanda

20140404-201521.jpg

Posted on Leave a comment

Sky through clouds

20140403-191345.jpg

The last few days have seen a welcome change of weather in our part of town. A little grey, a little cloudy, a little colder and just a little more like winter.

I spent the day in the city with three different friends (two in this photo) who are going through their own journeys of healing and recovery. One could say winter seasons of challenge and courage.

Whilst driving from hospital to home to respite centre, I was listening to an album given to me on Monday night and I was so moved by the words of a song.

Don’t Be Afraid from beautiful new album from Cate Williams ‘The Dance of Life’

Don’t be afraid, though the world has shut it’s ears to your cry and you feel like you want to die, come over here and let Me heal your broken heart and you’ll no longer fear I’m here to rescue you. I’ll carry you through the night time and the crazy storm. Pick you up, so your feet don’t touch those angry thorns and I’ll hold you when every anchor falls away. Cause a love like this will help you see the sky through the clouds.

As I sung and played this song on repeat I was so overwhelmed at the journey’s of many people in my life at the moment.  I found such perspective in my own battles whilst thinking about the journey of faith they are each on, step by step they are trusting for healing and recovery.

Little by little

Step by step

Moment by moment

Brave decision after brave decision.

Despite the struggle all of them are choosing to see sky through clouds.

Amidst trouble and pain, the stories, the laughter, the resounding echo of faith that surrounded all of their speech.

It brings great perspective to me, to watch people who are grappling with difficult times step out and believe that change and new days are ahead.

People who are in the midst of crazy storms, that still their hearts and lives and look for the sky through the clouds. (there is a video link on this photo of Cate Williams below with another song from her latest album ‘Hold the Keys’).

cate

Rescue

Recovery

Beauty

Pain

Peace

Faith

Trust

Are you struggling to see the beautiful blue promise of sky through the dark, grey, rolling clouds?

It is okay, but despite the pain, despite the diagnosis, despite the clouds, the sky is awaiting to breakthrough and bring you into a new day and season.

He awaits

He promises

He guides you home.

Posted on 7 Comments

Your struggle

20140401-192815.jpg

In the land of all things creative, when you are struggling to find the answer, keep looking.

I need to be completely honest here.

I did not even write one word for my next book ‘Yestember‘ in the month of March.

I read.

I grappled.

I thought.

I talked.

I listened.

But nothing on paper.

I collected other peoples stories (of which I am still needing 8 more)…

But I didn’t even write an opening sentence.

I found quotes.

I started a branding.

But no words.

See the problem I have, is that I am not interested in writing another cliche line, that disappoints and confuses those who are single.

I am not interested in publishing something that doesn’t help.

When I was single and especially over 30, I read some of the most appalling books, that I was so desperate to get answers from.

I don’t want to produce answers, I want to provoke questions.

I don’t want to give a 3 point sermon that frustrates and belittles.

I don’t even want to minimise or maximise the season.

I am trusting the struggle right now.

No struggle = no thought.

So essentially I failed March inspired majorly.

Like not even one word after 30 days.

But I am trusting the struggle and staying in this uncomfortable place.

What struggle are you having to produce something great?

Stay in that place of restlessness until you breakthrough to that new place of promise.

Speak tomorrow.

Struggle town.

Amanda