Day 19. Thinking Pink Thoughts Today

I'm in the throes of completing this month's issue of the newsletter I write for several Mary Kay directors in my area, so please forgive me if my mind is filled with many pink thoughts this week. 

The more I learn about the woman herself Mary Kay Ash the more I admire her for the vision she had for enriching women's lives, and the more I desire to catch some of that vision for myself. Here are a few of my favourite quotes by her. I hope they add some 'pink' inspiration for living your own life for others more beautifully today.

ON BEING KINDER...
"My goal is to live every day as if it were the holidays --
to be kinder, more gentle, more loving than ever before to everyone I meet.
If you will pledge with me to do this,
then we can indeed change this old world for the better."

***

ON CONSTRUCTIVE ACTION...
"Be careful not to confuse mere activity with action.
You can put in a lot of miles running in place --
but you will stop right where you started.
The secret is constructive action.
(Place) a value on your time and (learn) to balance
and budget your time.
Treat it as if it were gold, which it is."

***

ON TEAMWORK...
"Teamwork allows each person to be valued and

appreciated by others while contributing to the Company's success."

***

ON SHARING...
"We are the recipients of countless gifts from friends of the past.
We remember these friends with gratitude and try to

pass on to others something of what we have received."

***

ON HOW TO TREAT OTHERS...
"I have learned to imagine an invisible sign around each person's neck
that says, 'Make me feel important!'
I never cease to be amazed at how positively people react."

***

Wishing you glimpses of heaven in unexpected places,
Brenda

Day 18. Starting Fresh: Five Questions To Ask Yourself

"As you begin to live a more positive life, it simply makes sense that you take a look at your dreams and goals to see if you are living in a way that will best allow you to accomplish them." Chris Johnston, 101 Greatest Life Lessons, Inspiration and Quotes From Joel Osteen

With September being the time of year that often inspires me to start fresh on new projects or re-start old ones, I will often ask myself these questions to rekindle the spark of inspiration and to help me organize the work I want to accomplish.

1. Have I gone on an Artist's Date recently? (see my recent post about the Artist Date) When life feels a little uninspiring, I look around at my week's events only to realize I haven't done anything fun or creative for a while. So I plan a date with myself to re-stock my inner well of inspiration -- maybe take a walk in the falling leaves, visit the local greenhouse or flower shop, stop in at an art show, or the local library to browse. It's all fodder for stimulating the creative juices.

2. Have I included something on my list to which I look forward working on? Yes, there are things we need and should do, but there's nothing worse than staring at a list of not to inspiring have-to projects to kill any joy or eagerness to get started on the day. Make sure there is at least one thing that you are eager to start.

3. Have I layered my days with a variety of tasks, places, and people to help keep my interest? Just doing one project all day long gets dull and tedious. I don't know about you, but I need variety to keep me sparkling with enthusiasm. (See my post It's All in the Layering for a closer look at what I mean.)

4. Have I gone out? When I feel a little sluggish in my efforts to get going, I get going ... right out the door for a walk in my neighbourhood. Or, sometimes I head to the local stationery store for paper and a new pen -- I chat with the clerk and smile at other customers, I see something new for my desk, and suddenly I feel revitalized and ready. It's sounds funny, but it works for me.

5. Who is sharing the journey with me? I stay in touch with people who inspire me or encourage me. I have a number of people in my life who do that for me, but I have to give stars to my friend Vaun. She's vivacious, keenly motivated, and energetic, and whenever I need a boost of inspiration, I touch base with Vaun; I'm sure she has enough energy and bubbling ideas to booster start a whole army of world-weary soldiers.

“Throwing away ideas too soon is like opening a package of flower seeds and then throwing them away because they’re not pretty.” ~ Arthur VanGundy, Ph.D. (Idea Power, 1992)

Here's to new beginnings and fresh starts,

Brenda

Day 17. September And New Beginnings

It happens every single year. No matter how many seasons pass, when September rolls around with its hints of crisp, cool mornings and falling leaves, there comes with it a feeling that a brand new year is about to begin ... a year abounding with wonderful possibilities.

I used to love heading off to school armed with sharp pencils, pristine scribblers, and new crayons. I would feel a shiver of delight as I'd reach for the new reader and textbooks being handed round to everyone in the class. Even though I felt a little nervous on those first days, I loved finding out where I was going to sit amongst the neat rows of desks and to know it was my desk ... my place for the coming year. Along with that, there would be the secret hope that maybe this year my clean scribblers would stay neater, tidier, and less dog-eared longer. And, maybe this year math wouldn't be quite so scary, and the boy I liked would like me too.

Of course, we're not heading off to school anymore, but for me my inner clock is still tuned to September as the start of a new year. I often still celebrate this first week by gathering up new notebooks and pens, picking up the routines and schedules I'd thrown to the wind back in July, and I begin to dream and plan for my 'new term' of creative work, abuzz with renewed motivation and energy.

School,
Effort, and
Play.
Trying your best
Each hour of the day,
Making new friends,
Being good as you can
Exciting discoveries,
Reading books with a friend."
~  Boni Fulgham 

I like this little bit of poetry by Boni Fulgham -- seems that not that much has changed from our old school days -- we still try our best, make new friends, explore new discoveries, read books.

Does September indicate a new year for you? What kind of plans do you have for this fall?

Wishing you a wonderful September,

Brenda

Day 16. Book An Artist Date

Photo by Luke Brugger / unsplash.com

Julia Cameron, author of her popular book The Right to Write says that she often has writers and other creative artists come to her wondering why their work dries up just when it was all going so well. She says:

"Very often work dries up precisely because it was going so well. We have simply over-fished our inner reservoir without having taken the time and care to consciously restock our storehouse."

My dad used to enjoy going fishing. He'd load up the truck with his fishing gear and spend a day by a quiet lake reeling in his quota. And my family would enjoy the fruit of his labour -- a fine feast of fried trout or perch or pickerel. But then, as the years passed, he'd often come home empty-handed, and disappointed, even though he'd been fishing all day. The lakes were being over-fished and so the fish had become scarce.

Sometimes that's exactly what has happened to our inner lives; they are like over-fished lakes. If we keep dipping into our inner ponds -- giving and giving and giving out -- but never taking time to restock, our imagination and source of inspiration eventually dries up too.

How Do We Restock Our Inner Wells?

One way is to go on what Miss Cameron calls an Artist Date, a once-weekly solitary expedition away from the usual routine and do something festive that interest us. To find a place that lets us experience lots of sensory images. For instance, in the middle of winter, one of my favourite places to visit is a greenhouse or conservatory to take in the fragrance, colours and seasonal displays. I always come away rejuvenated.

Updated link added March 2015: Here is a link to a blog post Julia has recently written that further explains The Magic of Artist Dates.
 

The next time you feel your creativity drying up, why not schedule an Artist's Date and restock your inner reservoir.

Creatively yours,
Brenda

Day 15. Labour Day Celebrations

Happy Labour Day! I must admit I've never really questioned why we have such a holiday. It was a day off from the office, to spend it doing something fun with family or friends, what more was there to know? But today I thought I'd click onto Wikipedia.org to see if I could find a nutshell sketch of the history of Labour Day here in Canada.

Historical Tidbits About Labour Day

The celebration of Labour Day has its origins in the eight hour movement, which advocated eight hours of work, eight hours of recreation, and eight hours of rest. (aka as the 40-hour week movement)

According to National Union of Public and General Employees, the historic parade for workers' rights was held in Toronto, Ontario on April 15, 1872. I share an excerpt from this site regarding Labour Day:

"Today, Labour Day is often more associated with fairs and festivals, and a last summer weekend at the cottage, than with what it was meant to be -- a heartfelt celebration of workers and their families...

Today we take paid holidays, safe work places, medical care, unemployment insurance, fair hours, union wages, and 'the weekend' for granted. But how many of these advances would have happened if it were not for the long-forgotten heroes who fought so hard to to make unions, and Labour Day, a reality in the first place?"

Because of their vision and sacrifice, decades later I can still enjoy these benefits. Now that I know, I'm happy to express my thanks and gratitude to all those people over the past century who helped pave the way to improve the lives of working Canadians.

Hoping you can enjoy a day off from your usual labours,

Brenda