spark of life

Today I faced the cloud of doom I call mediocrity yet again. Great relief to find I'm perfectly happy to make the stance not to fit in that "comfortable" bracket. I have my pride. Hurray! 

So is it worth hanging on to what we believe in? I think so. If we sell out, cop out, lose out, or 'smile out' then what the heck are we doing here anyways? I hadn't planned on becoming a planet drone with a Wallmart sticker across my face. In any case:always a good thing to figure out what we want to define us and if we don't get too excited about what we currently see: to devise an Evil Plan to remedy our situation! We have times when we get discouraged. We look at other people who just pop dazzling electricity like a regular bowel movement. But in all things amazing: we too can share something worthwhile by just finding our own voice. (Read here why we can and why it matters.)

As my friend Ivan Campuzano says: "Doubt is just a word that explains the desire not to participate in life". So: in short: we need to simply do what we need to and want to. This also means doing crazy stuff and stupid stuff which could be embarrassing stuff. It's all part of it. Ivan has written another beautiful post about "sharing your gifts". Read it here and decide to pursue at least 2 of his list today. Sign up for wild water rafting, singing lessons or finally go and knock on the neighbors' door to say hello.

Because changing our perspective and adding onto it with unhampered enthusiasm shapes the world. Literally. What excites you? And then: how can you help other people feel more awesome? Because making other people feel better about themselves always make you feel better too. (I see daily proof of this when tending my goat and cattle herd. Evidence stares you in the face below. I love it when I see them smile. They can you know.)

Yes my friends: we can do it! Hang on to that spark of life before thinking about retirement and settling for something. Today's the day.

karma

Whether you believe in Karma or not

Life has a way of shaping itself

As you see and feel it

in your mind

in your heart

Choosing now

to simply be

and accept all there is

releases the struggle within.

Nothing out there can hurt you

only the inability to understand the bigger picture

that makes you experience pain

and creates all struggle

Karma is a name for pattern in motion

It's just a label

Don't worry about its stories

Just feel what is right for you

and let go of that which no longer fits you

Simply be..

And feel you're way through it

You are your own guidance.

Trust that.

Trust your self.

That's all there is.

source karma idea: Eckhart Tolle

poem: Mirjam Spronk

photo: lookANDsee

skills

My weeks have been busy and chaotic. Most people have that so nothing new there! Now and again I come back to a Dutch book about writing. It's excellent and extremely funny. Why is it? Because the writer writes in a way that draws me in; it's extremely compelling. I love to write.

Who qualifies us to be good writers? Does it even matter whether we are "good"? Perhaps not. I have found that writing for so many years on emails and my blog that certain skills have "upgraded". Practice makes perfect so they say. Developing any skill this way would.

So start doing what you want to learn today. Is it singing? Is it making art? Is it car racing? Is it perfecting your game efforts online? Is it taking up crochet? Is it gluing garden gnomes together and building kinky sculptures? Is it grooming poodles? You never know unless you try.

Me, I'm just a potato head :)

source potato info: via Bitrebels

I AM

I do experiments all the time and generally do not tell anyone. I find it helpful to see what one action does or what a particular attitude does, what results things have especially regarding the way we think and feel. The only way to find out is by trial and error. (Don't worry I only experiment using myself and no I'm not a mad bunny, my parents had me tested.)


Being sick and getting better is a 'good' experience. Not only is having the flu again been educational for me last week, it was also experimental, in the sense that realizing my ability to swing back to allowing 'wellness' in to my system made me discover that our mind has tremendous power in creating wellness. It's no mumbo jumbo. We can literally make ourselves better or we can literally make ourselves sick. The difference is awareness and conscious choice. Often the reason why we get sick is because we are not aware of how much effect our 'thinking-feeling' ability has on our body. (I like this particular video on how we get sick - or better: here)


One film maker had a very deep felt experience after he'd fallen of his mountain bike and got very very sick. Things went so incredibly downhill that they couldn't go down any further except to die. Tom Shadyac found then that he wanted to live. He slowly recovered and got so well again that he could take a crew of 4 and venture out in to the world to ask the question: "what is wrong with the world, and what can we do about it"? He asked physicists,  philosophers, artists, even Archbishop Tutu. 


The result is the inspiring non fiction film documentary " I AM " now released.

During the making of this documentary, which is quite different then his previous works when filming with Jim Carrey, he discovered not only how many things are right with the world, but how deeply and literally we are all interconnected. There is actual science there too to show how we are interconnecting. It seems the better we understand this and come to grips with it, the more we will thrive and ultimately "feel better". 


I am definitely going to see this movie. How about you?

back to school

Whether you actually will go back to school to study or not: keeping an open mind always has benefits. Some scientists will explain in great detail how certain synapses in the brain are activated and new pathways are built and so on. As I'm not a scientist but a communication designer I will just stick with this:
the willingness to learn is as important as actually learning something itself.


Before we decide to walk mount Ruapehu, mount Cook, mount Kilimanjaro or climb a horse, we have to decide to simply wanting to put one foot forward. We then actively start to carry out our made decision to "move". With the moving the action starts and things are getting into motion. This is the start of the Process. Then there is the "doing", the walking the riding the sweating the absorbing of that which we are interested to do, to acquire experience which provides us insight, which inspires us, which provides knowledge, and ultimately joy and wisdom.


Do we have to go to school to do all these things? Sometimes yes sometimes no.
The good news is that now free education is available. Yes, the time of online schooling is well and truly here and the best news is that you can attend, when you like and it doesn't cost you anything except your time.


From fastcompany: Udemy; a free online university for all.
"GAGAN BIYANI Cofounder and president, Udemy Palo Alto, 23, is connecting the eager-to-teach with the eager-to-learn through Udemy, the Academy of You.


"There are millions of experts everywhere, and we provide them with the tools to share their knowledge online. Udemy gives instructors the ability to use video, PowerPoint, articles, and blog posts to build rich courses. They can even host virtual conferences with students. People spend $9 billion on casual learning each year, and another $20 billion on continuing and professional education. We can catalyze that market to move online, and provide forums that create in-depth learning experiences about everything from Thai cooking to calculus to Esperanto. We launched in May 2010 and more than 2,000 courses have been created. We're introducing a pay platform so our instructors can decide if they want to charge for their courses, but we expect 80% will remain free. The education industry is very top-down, but this has the power to change that."

So there you go, if you are keen to learn more and were unsure how to go about it: Udemy might be just right for you. If you always wondered how to go to a club and dance cool: here's the tutorial :) > click here

treatment

I like writing about people, not about individuals in a gossipy manner, but how all of us are exploring this vast universe, our world, our private thoughts, our interactions with others. One of my goals is to offer information about these explorations to many people who are looking for it, to meet others and to share knowledge. I would be the first to say: hello you! I'm learning too!

If you would live by yourself all the time, like a hermit, what would you learn really? Don't we learn most when we are interacting with others? At times, the more friction, or upset, the more we can learn, although I wouldn't advocate starting arguments or wars in order to achieve that progress. I read somewhere that the people who challenge us the most, who touch us deeply or simply piss us off beyond belief, are our best teachers. I think this is very accurate.

Instead of perceiving other people as the ones who I'd never like to see again and stay far away from, I have found that it actually doesn't bother me anymore, quite literally too, if I do run into them on occasion it's all fine with me. This is a funny thing and surprisingly: offers great freedom. I can actually wish them well, even if I choose not to be friends with them anymore. I guess we can only be "free" from those, if we have learned to let go of the notion  that we somehow have to "be right" at the end of the conversation, or the silly idea that we always know best. I prefer to think of it as a wise and mature approach, and whenever I catch myself being stuck in an "ego" debate I try to look past whatever it is and "get over it" by realizing I'm being petty or that I don't know all the details.

Being right has never brought anyone anything, except ignorance and arrogance. Haven't we got better things to do? Aren't all of us here to do the same thing? To experience, to grow, and to have fun in a loving and preferably more or less safe environment? I like the idea of treating everyone I meet as if they were related to me in some fashion. This automatically meant I would treat them well, support them in whatever they do and help them if asked for. I will not ask them for anything, as I have all I need inside of me and everyone has got enough to do already. Still, many manage to surprise me with their love, friendship and honesty. To me, that is the most valuable thing of all.

asking hard questions

Whether you're in business or not: do you ask the hard questions? I find I'm doing this more and more across the board on all sorts of topics. I was having a chat with my dad the other day on the phone about this. What matters really? And what doesn't? This past year I've changed quite a bit. Asking the hard questions is part of my (learning) process. Having fun is one thing, doing something great with a more long term scenario in mind is better. I'm reading an excellent book at the moment by Tony Hsieh: delivering happiness.



So starting something is one thing, carrying it out and finishing things is important to actually get somewhere. This I'm finding more and more and it's exciting to see my focus come into action and create tangible results as well.
Tony's advice to building anything sensibly is this:

1. Decide. What do you want to do?
2. Culture & Values. What is it about?
3. Commit to transparency. Build your Story, be genuine.
4. Chase vision not $. Big bikkies are nice, but that's not why the game is played.
5. Build relationships. Meet and treat :)
6. Build your Team. (Find co-conspirators.)
7. Think long term!

One of the hard questions I'm wanting to answer today is: why would my designs and creations matter to others? What benefits do they really bring? And do I really want to become a goat-cheese maker in the future?

When we have focus, and are driven, and learn to not spend fluff time on all sorts of projects that get out of hand, we have fun and grow. Ask the hard questions, you will be surprised by the answers.

because there are goats...

Want to travel and eat good food? Have you heard of WWoofing? It has been suggested to us to become Wwoofing hosts once the farm is fully "goatified". Why WWooff? Well "because there are goats" that's what... of course! Waha. Great vids.







We have heard mixed messages about the WWoofing experience when we came to New Zealand, and Nico and I decided not to go there but pick apples instead, where we learned many things, mostly which was unexpected. And yes the memories are quite extraordinary, and give inspiration too for the future. But hey, it's also hard work being on a farm and mostly it's doing simple things, including manure scooping. Good thing goat poop is so clean really, bless them.

Back to basics

I have tried to narrow down what topics I write about. Truth be told: I like quite a few things which could confuse people as I shift from one field to another.

So... what the heck do I do? Really?

A creative whizz popsicle like me tends to enjoy:

• communicating with others: what makes you tick?
• connecting people (network beastie)
• design: whether it's 2 dimensional or 3 dimensional...
• live the good life (farm)
• writing + learn in whatever capacity

So by implementing all of the above I enjoy doing my interior styling and advice work, chat to clients, network with people both in and out of the industry, design for New Zealand fabric company Hemptech, design my new line of jewellery for Bonvivant, write my blogs and also post on Businessblogs. I enjoy looking after the farm animals, they rock, especially the goats. And I learn, every day, or as my husband says: I have my moments :)

So I'm grateful for all of you for bearing with me, as I am finding my way in building my business and work, how to shape my blog, enjoy being happy at home, and write to you about various things that occupy my whirry brain.

All I can say is: I hope you're enjoying your life as well! Feel free to email me if you fancy a catch up or chat online: I can be found on different social media for your convenience. Have a good one!