The creative process of and gardening 3

 Ultimately, both gardening and creative endeavours are about beauty and expression. They allow individuals to cultivate something meaningful, whether it's a lush garden or a captivating piece of art or writing.

Visual Beauty (Painting): Painters express beauty through visual elements such as colour, composition, and texture. Their art captures scenes, emotions, and abstract concepts, appealing to the viewer's sense of aesthetics.

Emotional Beauty (Writing and Poetry): Writers and poets create beauty through words that evoke emotions, thoughts, and vivid imagery. Their works explore human experiences, dreams, fears, and hopes, touching the reader's heart and mind.

Symbolic Beauty (Gardening): Gardeners cultivate beauty through the arrangement of plants, colours, and structures. Gardens symbolize growth, life cycles, and the harmony of nature, offering a visual and sensory experience of beauty.

Personal Expression: Creatives express their unique perspectives, beliefs, and experiences through their work. Each piece of writing, painting, or gardening reflects the creator's voice and identity.

Universal Themes: While personal expression is vital, creatives also tap into universal themes and emotions. They address love, loss, nature, identity, and social issues, creating connections with diverse audiences.

Impact and Influence: Creative works have the power to inspire, educate, and provoke change. They spark conversations, challenge norms, and contribute to cultural and artistic movements, leaving a lasting impact on society.

By exploring seasonal cycles and the essence of beauty and expression, creatives and gardeners alike deepen their understanding of their craft and its profound impact on individuals and communities.

In summary, the creative process of a writer, poet, or painter shares many parallels with the act of gardening. Both involve:

1. Planting seeds (idea generation)

2. Nurturing and pruning (research and editing)

3. Watering and fertilizing (inspiration and feedback)

4. Harvesting and displaying (publication and exhibition)

5. Caring for the garden (continuous learning and improvement)

By recognizing these parallels, creatives can draw inspiration from the natural world and cultivate their own creative growth.

Runners High

When I was young, I was a middle-distance runner, half-mile and mile and I was good at it, but I trained hard. Every day and every weekend I would go out and run. When I was training and running on the weekends I would run a marathon and I enjoyed it and it was fun. At the time we did not know about the runners high. 

"'Runner's high' is a phrase that we use to describe the feelings of psychological well-being that are associated quite often with long-duration, rhythmic-type exercise, and marathon running certainly falls into that category," says Cedric Bryant, Ph.D., chief science officer for the American Council on Exercise.

Why runners high make an athlete feel good, and what's happening in the body when those positive feelings wash over a person, however, it is anyone's guess.

"For a long time, people believed the answer lay within the whole endorphin argument -- with the long-duration exercise you release endorphins, which have a morphine-like effect on the body and therefore may be responsible for the feelings of well-being," Bryant suggested,

Why runners high make an athlete feel good, and what's happening in the body when those positive feelings wash over a person, however, is anyone's guess.

"For a long time, people believed the answer lay within the whole endorphin argument -- with the long-duration exercise you release endorphins, which have a morphine-like effect on the body and therefore may be responsible for the feelings of well-being," Bryant suggested.

While it's a good theory, Bryant explains it doesn't necessarily hold water.

"While our circular levels of endorphins might be up, whether that impacts a person's psychological outlook output directly is probably not that likely," says Bryant. "In some studies, when the effects of endorphins have been blocked chemically, people have still experienced this high, so the whole endorphin argument has been called into question."

With endorphins largely out of the picture, researchers have looked at other types of neurotransmitters that might have a role in affecting a person's mood. 

At this point there are a number of theories about what gives athletes the “runners high” but my point is that a “runner's high” doesn't come from just thinking about running. Same thing for a manifester's high. If you want the experience, and thrill of a runners high start running: on your mark, get set GO!

Key to Creativity--a good nights sleep

Finding your passion is also about using your creativity. Many of us, do not believe we are creative, but all of us have some hint of creativity. You have probably had experiences of creativity yourself.  Perhaps while talking to a friend, going for a walk or reading a  magazine article, you find yourself suddenly inspired with an idea  that solves a problem totally unrelated to the conversation, scenery  or article That is creativity.

Most of us thing that creativity is about when we generate creative ideas as potential solutions to a problem in an  active way. Active creativity occurs in brainstorming sessions where  we are actively generating ideas; while mind mapping; when we are  sitting at our desks trying to figure out how to make a business presentation more compelling to a client; and in any other situation  where we are actively trying to solve a problem.

In fact, one could argue that all creativity is the result of  previous efforts at active creativity. The author who dreams up an  idea for a novel may not have actively been looking for a new novel  idea. But, since her profession is writing, you can be sure she  frequently does actively seek new ideas.

Likewise, the scientist who, through sudden inspiration, invents a  new chemical or technology or theory, will almost certainly have been  actively looking for such solutions in the past. Indeed, passive  creativity seems to be one approach our mind takes towards solving  problems

Research carried out by the University of Luebeck in Germany found  that sleep seems to be an essential ingredient for creativity, which confirmed what many people have long  suspected: sleeping on a problem can help you solve it more  creatively.

Although the exact process is not clear, it seems that the  biochemical process of the brain restructures memories before storing  them during the night. This restructuring most likely allows our  minds to see problems in new ways and so bring new solutions to them.

Inspiration alone will not give you ideas. You  need to break down your problems into creative challenges and  actively try to solve them. But, if the solution does not come through the usual idea generation channels, one of the best  creativity tools you have available is to put the problem to the side of your mind, so to speak, and give your mind a chance to add new  input and surprise you with passively creative ideas. A good night's  sleep along the way will only help

Release your creativity

Try some of these methods for 30 minutes each day to release your creativity:

1. Think back to your childhood. Did you have an active imagination? Maybe you pretended you were a teacher or a doctor. Perhaps you played as if you were the greatest skateboarder in the world.  Assuming certain personas is a good way to show your creativity.

Right now, imagine yourself as the best worker at your job. How would you look, dress, and behave? What would you say to others? How would you relate?

Visualize that you’re the best at something for at least 10 minutes each day.

2. What are you good at? For the next 10, 20, or 30 minutes, consider your various skills, talents, and knowledge base. Then pick one skill to focus on. What makes you good at this particular ability?

Maybe you think you’re excellent when it comes to following instructions. You listen well. You pay attention. You quickly pick up on what’s expected of you.

Perhaps you’re intrinsically motivated, which means you’re internally motivated to complete a job to the desired specifications.

When you know what you’re good at, you feel confident. And when you’re confident, you’re not afraid to try new things and experiment (which are aspects of being creative).

3. Let your mind fantasize about something in your life. Maybe you’d love to buy the big house on the corner or experience the serious love relationship you yearn for. Give yourself 30 minutes to sit back and fantasize.

Think about what that house looks like on the inside. Picture the face of your potential mate.

4. Carry a written copy of your top 3 life goals with you. Giving yourself permission to dream and reach for your desired goals enhances your ability to ponder how you can achieve them.

You hold the creative keys to pursue those goals however you choose. Let your mind run free with it. Think about these questions: what can you do today, tomorrow, next week, and next month to go after what you want?

5. Identify someone you like or respect very much. Spend time thinking about this individual. What is it about them you like? How can you be more like them? Pick one characteristic you’ll work on emulating for the next month.

For example, if you like John at work because he smiles all the time and seems to consistently be in a good mood, perhaps you can begin to behave in the same ways.

Trying on new personal characteristics allows you to stretch yourself creatively to see what you can do.

6 Ways Unleash Your Creativity

Although it’s true that some people are more creative than others, everyone can be inventive and original in their own way. Your creativity is inside you now. Perhaps it’s just waiting for you to tap into it.

Try some of these methods for 30 minutes each day to release your creativity:

1. Think back to your childhood. Did you have an active imagination? Maybe you pretended you were a teacher or a doctor. Perhaps you played as if you were the greatest skateboarder in the world.  Assuming certain personas is a good way to show your creativity.

Right now, imagine yourself as the best worker at your job. How would you look, dress, and behave? What would you say to others? How would you relate?  Visualize that you’re the best at something for at least 10 minutes each day.

2. What are you good at? For the next 10, 20, or 30 minutes, consider your various skills, talents, and knowledge base. Then pick one skill to focus on. What makes you good at this particular ability?

Maybe you think you’re excellent when it comes to following instructions. You listen well. You pay attention. You quickly pick up on what’s expected of you. Perhaps you’re intrinsically motivated, which means you’re internally motivated to complete a job to the desired specifications. When you know what you’re good at, you feel confident. And when you’re confident, you’re not afraid to try new things and experiment (which are aspects of being creative).

3. Let your mind fantasize about something in your life. Maybe you’d love to buy the big house on the corner or experience the serious love relationship you yearn for. Give yourself 30 minutes to sit back and fantasize. Think about what that house looks like on the inside. Picture the face of your potential mate.

4. Carry a written copy of your top 3 life goals with you. Giving yourself permission to dream and reach for your desired goals enhances your ability to ponder how you can achieve them.

You hold the creative keys to pursue those goals however you choose. Let your mind run free with it. Think about these questions: what can you do today, tomorrow, next week, and next month to go after what you want?

5. Identify someone you like or respect very much. Spend time thinking about this individual. What is it about them you like? How can you be more like them? Pick one characteristic you’ll work on emulating for the next month.

For example, if you like John at work because he smiles all the time and seems to consistently be in a good mood, perhaps you can begin to behave in the same ways.
Trying on new personal characteristics allows you to stretch yourself creatively to see what you can do.

6. Experiment with a new creative activity. We cultivate our creativity by engaging in creative endeavors. So, buy a block of clay, a jewelry-making kit, or some paints and canvases at your local arts and crafts store and have at it.

You’ll likely end up spending over a half-hour daily on your new pursuit. But, that’s okay because you’re expanding your mind along with your skills.
If you’re feeling timid and unsure about how to start, sign up for a beginning art class just to see what happens. Working with your hands and mind together opens up new avenues and can get your creative juices flowing.
You can release your inner creativity and imagination by devoting just 30 minutes to any of the above strategies or try a combination of 2 or 3 of them.

Believe that you are a creative individual and prove it by doing something each day to cultivate your imagination and originality

The above was written by By Matthew Bass on April 16, 2014 and published at SuccessGrove.com

Do you believe in Santa?

It is interesting to me how my grandson is developing as he approaches his third birthday, so I thought I would do some research on how a child's mind develops and share some of what I found. We can see how children’s minds develop in stages by looking at what they cannot do at different ages. Following the discoveries of psychologist Jean Piaget in the mid–twentieth century, development experts have recognized many ways in which children do not think like adults. For instance, preschoolers consistently believe that a tall glass can hold more than a shorter one, even if the shorter glass is significantly wider, and that there are more books and toys if they are spread all over the floor than if they are stacked away. Not until about school age do children realize that different people can have different knowledge of the world. And researchers are still debating when  children can clearly sort out the real world from what they vividly imagine. Experience plays a role in moving children to the next level of cognitive development, but it seems that the brain has to be ready for that step as well. Parents and teachers can hurry a young child along only so much.

In movement, memory, and other functions, therefore, you will see your child develop preliminary skills, refine them, and then build on them to achieve more advanced skills. Inside your child’s brain at this time, neurons are firing signals, selected synaptic connections are growing stronger, and myelin is coating the nerves to make them more efficient. What educators see is potential: the more your child uses his or her brain, the more it grows. How can you facilitate this process? You can enrich your child’s environment and encourage him or her to explore it (even if that results in a few mistakes).

Child-development experts are recognizing the importance of imagination and the role it plays in understanding reality. Children’s imaginary friends are part of a healthy childhood development, which helps them learn more about their environment and build the connections in their brain to practice independent, autonomous thinking, so they gradually develop decision-making skills and master self-discipline. Parents should encourage their children’s creative and imaginative processes rather than threatening them with punishments.

Dr. Woolley's group at the Children's Research Laboratory has conducted a series of studies involving Santa, the Tooth Fairy and a newly made-up character known as the "Candy Witch" in order to examine the age at which children are able to distinguish between real and fictional entities and how they process contexts and cues when dealing with them.

In one study involving 91 children, Dr. Woolley asked young kids if a number of people and characters, including Santa and the garbage man, were real. She found that 70% of 3-year-olds reported that Santa Claus was real, while 78% believed in the garbage man. By age 5, kids' certainty about the garbage man grew, and Santa believers peaked at 83%. It wasn't until age 7 that belief in Santa declined. By 9, only a third believed in Santa while nearly all reported the garbage man was real.

So, "if kids have the basic distinction between real and not real when they're 3, why do they believe in Santa until they're 8?" says Dr. Woolley.

The researchers found that while children as young as 3 understand the concept of what is real and what isn't, until they are about 7 kids can be easily misled by adults' persuasive words or by "evidence." They hold onto their beliefs about some fantastical characters—like Santa—longer than others, such as monsters or dragons. Most of the kids in the study were Christian, and the numbers of those who believed in Santa would likely be smaller if there were children of other religious backgrounds in the sample, says Dr. Woolley

Logically, from what young kids observe, it makes sense to think that Santa is real, says Dr. Woolley. And Santa and the trash collector share certain characteristics. Both are people whom kids have heard about but have likely never met before. There is proof for Santa's existence—the gifts that appear on Christmas morning—as well as for the garbage man's—he makes trash disappear—even though kids don't usually see them in action. A 5-year-old has the cognitive skills to put together the pieces of evidence, but because the pieces are misleading, he or she comes to the wrong conclusion. Younger children may not have the cognitive skills to put the pieces of evidence together, so may in fact be less likely to believe in Santa's existence. The realness of some other characters, such as Sesame Street's Elmo, can perplex kids because they know Elmo is a puppet, but does that make him real or not?

All children are wired and ready to learn during their progress through childhood; it is important for parents to acknowledge and understand when children are using their imagination.

Inspiration can be found with Persistance

 Posted on the Portfolio of Inspiration site here:

In May of this year, Pixar animator Austin Madison kindly hand-wrote the following open letter to aspiring artists, in a bid to inspire them through times of creative drought. It’s a lovely, eloquent letter, and in fact contains advice valuable to people in many a creative field. It was written as a contribution to the Animator Letters Project

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Postive Attitude

Are you constantly bombarded by thoughts of negativity? Plagued by feelings of insecurity? Do you see everything in a negative manner? The reason for this lies deep within your heart. You are what you mentally and spiritually eat. If a person drinks alchohol on a daily basis, odds are their body will be affected in some way. They may have liver issues, develop cancer or incur some other type of health problem directly related to the amount of alcohol they have consumed. In the same way, a person who constantly feeds themselves negative thoughts will simply turn into a negative person.

This is the time to go on a diet. A diet of positive attitude food. You have to literally stop feeding your mind negative things. Ask yourself is this thought negative or positive or negative? What do negative thoughts look like? Well, they start with can't rather than can, no as opposed to yes, will and not won't. The Bible speaks about taking every thought captive. The problem in our society has become that our thoughts have taken us captive. We have begun to let our thoughts control us.

A great way to know what we are negative about is to ask those people who are closest to us. You can ask your spouse or another person in your life who really knows you how they would rate your attitude on a scale of 1 to 10. 10 being super positive and 1 super negative.

Ask this person to be totally honest with you. You will benefit from their honesty even if it causes you pain. Ask this person what it is that you specifically say that they perceive as negative. Write down what they say and look at the actual words. Now is the time to be honest with yourself. Those words are a reflection of what is inside you. They are who you are.

The great thing is that you can change. It is as simple as making a choice to do so. You must decide to replace the thoughts of negativity with thoughts of positivity. Decide what words you will change the negative words on your paper to. Once you have done this, make an effort to insert these new positive thoughts in your mind. You will begin to notice a positive change taking place in your life. Your family, friends and co-workers will all notice it as well. They may not know what is different about you. But they will know that you are not the same person that you were.

The items which are causing negativity in your life could very well be the news, movies, constantly replaying tragedy in your mind and the list could go on. These things should be eliminated if you want your new mental health regimen to be a success. The news is very negative and does not help someone who is trying to rid their mind of such thoughts.

When you are feeding yourself thoughts of death from a war or gunshot or car accident visually the outcome will be negative. I do believe there is a time to grieve over the death of a loved one. However, if a person constantly replays this negative event in their minds it can lead to depression. The person who has passed away is not coming back and we must close that chapter in our lives and move on to the next chapter. This is a difficult task which can only be done by making a decision to proceed with our own life, no matter how hard this may be.

You can do it. You can and will have a positive attitude, if you simply take the steps outlined above. You do not have to be what you were in the past. You can be different in the future. The choice is yours. I know you will make a positive one.Much continued positive attitude success

Acceptance

I was first thinking , when exactly does one start to yearn for acceptance?

•  Is it when we are born?
•  Is it when we first feel the pain of non-acceptance?
•  Is it when we begin to be challenged in sports?
•  Is it when we fall into the ever talked about `peer pressure`?
•  Is it when we fall  in love?
•  Is it when we start a new job?
•  Is it when we become a new member of a family?
•  Is it when we move to a new city or country?
•  Is it when we write our very first book?

 I believe it is all of the above, when people  feel the need to be accepted, they will do leaps and bounds to succeed in this quest.

•  Athletes and body builders will take drugs to win..winning=acceptance.
•  When we fall in love , our entire being wants to feel accepted by our mate.
•  Authors will spend hours and hours to write the exact words to please their readers and go to great lengths to publish their creation.
•  Becoming a new member of a family whether it be through marriage or adoption will create a need to be nurtured as one who genuinely belongs.
•  Starting a new job is a definite acceptance need, we need to fit in so we can relax and apply ourselves 100% to our job.
•  Moving to a new country or city or even just a new neighbourhood, is very challenging for us and to be accepted and fit in, is a very important step in our settling in.

 
Lets not forget` Peer Pressure` , that's a tough one, children just getting started in high school suffer the most with this one, hormones are swinging and their emotions are so sensitive. The fears that they have struggle with for the year before is all up front and  they have a whole lot of reality to deal with. To fit in and be accepted by their peers is more than half the battle.

Being a baby has a world of need to be accepted and see our parents smile when we please them. The pain of non acceptance for the first time cuts like a knife. It may wound us for life, creating a scar that we grow with forever. All these worries ,  needs and desires are in all of us that live and breathe.  Some of us feel the hunger for acceptance less than others.  Some of us cannot live with out acceptance , we become obsessed in our thinking, trying anything we can to fit in.

Do you read the words "self esteem" in anything I have written here today. Yup and it is in every sentence. The need for acceptance somehow effects our self-esteem which in turns affects our emotional stability where jealousy , worry and anxiety seed from.. If you know the feeling of non-acceptance or low self-esteem, then you know how controlled you are by the worry that follows them and how much of your life is imprisoned by that other mind.

Low self-esteem and non-acceptance are exactly that, `another mind` and one can actually feel them at war . It reminds me of the good devil and bad devil scenario. Trust me here it is no fun for the person that is imprisoned by it, not only do they have to balance the two minds, but they also have the guilt that they feel when they see what the result of the battle in their heads is doing to the people around them.

 So if anyone out there knows a person that suffers  from non-acceptance or low self-esteem, HUGG  them and please try to have more patience and understand that they are not having a picnic and that if just saying , "stop it" or "just don`t think about it"  could  stop it, they would in a heart beat. We all need support and acceptance to get us through our lows. Kicking someone when they are down, never ever helps them to get up. 

Thoughts becoming alive

We are where we are, because of our thoughts in the past. Thoughts become things. We consciously or subconsciously always think about something. The problem is that we usually think more about things we don’t want, than about the things we want. It doesn’t matter if we want or don’t want something, we’ll get what we mostly think about.

Try to observe your thoughts for a day or two. Do you mostly think about the things that you worry about, you don’t want them to happen, you are afraid of, or do you mostly think about pleasant and wonderful things?

Your present situation is the result of your predominant state of mind in the past. And you are creating your future now. Your future will be like your predominant state of mind now.

The past is gone. You can’t change it, but if you are dwelling on unhappy past now, you aren’t feeling happy now, and you are creating unhappy future.

Because you’re creating the future now, only the present is important. By having predominantly happy and positive state of mind now, you’re creating your happy and positive future. You can attract whatever you want in your life: happiness, wealth, perfect health, love and wonderful relationships.

But you can also attract things and situations that you don’t want. Actually we do it sub consciously all the time.

Because you are energy, you are like a magnet;   everything is energy, you, your mind and your body. But you can control your body, and you can also control your mind.

Your mind can be your best friend or your worst enemy. If you don’t control your mind and allow it to dwell on negative thoughts and feelings, it’s your worst enemy, because it creates your unhappy future. If you control your mind, it’s your best friend, because it becomes your best friend which will create your great future.

Of course lives of most of the people are a mixture of happiness and unhappiness because of their flickering states of mind. Now, because of knowing and understanding yourself and your dreams, you can start creating your happy future and be sure that you’ll get what you want in life.

Choices

All that you create or do not create in your life- comes from choice.  Embrace and understand the dynamics of this essential ingredient of power.  You suffer when you dis-empower yourself by feeling that you are not in control of your destiny.  Freedom lies in understanding that you choose everything!  Even in "inaction" there is a choice.  In reality there is no true inaction or stagnation.

You can justify your situation by proclaiming, "I have no choice" "I cannot do anything to change my circumstances" "there is nothing I can do" etc. That is a false belief.  You can "choose" to allow the outer world to affect how you see your situation- yet; there is never a situation in which you do not have power and a choice.

With each choice, there is a consequence and an energetic price that must be paid.  So, it is not that you do not have a choice- you are only choosing which energetic price you choose to pay.

If you are currently in a working situation in which you are unhappy, you can make several choices. 

1. You can choose to stay because you are fearful of change, of the economy or whether or not you can find another means of income.  The price you will pay for this choice is continued feelings of boredom, anger, hopelessness, lethargy and depression.  Eventually this feeling will affect other areas of your life.
2. You can choose to stay- yet, change the energetic of how you see your situation.  The simple act of using an empowering thought form can create a dramatic change in how you see your situation.  "I will stay in this job because it is providing me with an income at this time.  I will keep my eyes open for new opportunities and know that this is a temporary situation and I can choose again at any time".   
3. You can choose to leave the job with the understanding that you are a creative being and can manifest a new source of income.  From an outer view, this looks as if it is the most "expensive" choice in terms of energy.  Yet, on another level it is not.  What is required is a profound faith. 

 The first of these three examples is actually the most "expensive" for to continue to live under such circumstances will rob you of your life force.  The most gentle of the three is the second option and the most daring and magical is the last.

The same wisdom applies to relationships (both platonic and romantic)

1. You can choose to stay in an unhappy, stagnant or abusive relationship. You can continue to complain about how miserable you are and how you cannot leave the relationship for various reasons.  You can justify and make excuses for your circumstances- yet; all the while you will continue to live in anxiety and pain.  You can choose to continually dream about what else may be out there for you- yet, never giving yourself an opportunity to explore the possibilities.  The price for this choice is an uncalculatable amount.
2. You can choose to stay in the relationship with the affirmation of "I love this person and I choose to communicate my feelings with them to help bring about the needed changes.  I will focus on the positive qualities and begin to let those be the guiding force.  After a period of time, if I am still unhappy and see that the situation will not change, then I can choose again". By doing this, you empower yourself by knowing that you are staying because it is YOUR CHOICE- not because you have no other options.
3. You can choose to leave the relationship and understand that this choice may lead to some pain and loneliness for a short time.  You may feel sadness and loss, yet with that will come an undeniable sense of freedom.  The level of your anxiety, negative thoughts and feelings will diminish, making way for a higher vibration of life affirming energy.  Your affirmation would be "I am choosing to leave this relationship/friendship because it is not contributing to my joy and ultimate happiness. I know it may be painful for a little while- yet, I also know there are billions of people on the planet and numerous opportunities to meet new friends and lovers."

The same principle applies to what you view as "missing" in your life.  You want to create a business, prosperity, a new job or a relationship yet you see that nothing is manifesting in your life.  You can CHOOSE how you see your situation.  You can make conscious choices as to how to get to the place you want to be.  Statements like "I will never work for myself, I do not have the means to create my own business." "I will never find a good job", "I will never meet my soulmate/twinflame", "I will always be poor", "I will never get what I want" - all reinforce the CHOICE to create more of the same. 

Choose creative and life affirming statements and thought forms and watch how your life is transformed.  Once you know you are making the choice you will make your choices to help create your desires. Here are some choices you can decide to make

1. I choose to take steps to immerse myself in the knowledge and learning I need to start my own business. 
2. I choose to put all my energy to creating what I want.
3. I choose to KNOW that there is a wonderful abundance of potential life partners and friends in the world for me. 
4. I choose to attract individuals who I will enjoy being with. 
5. I choose to embrace HEALTH and vitality.
6. I choose to feel good.
7. I choose to allow prosperity to flow into my life.
8. I choose to allow my spiritual insight and faith to be my guiding force.

Open your horizons Part 2

The constant preoccupation with one’s self prevents one from having experiences, real, enriching experiences. Affirmations of being good, or getting “gooder” by the day, is such a preoccupation that too often turns into self-criticism, intensifying the labels of what’s wrong with oneself. When that’s the main theme of one’s existence, then what do you think this person experiences? Occupy yourself with experiencing things.

Turn your attention outward rather than toward what you think to be your deficiencies. You may be unhappy because you don’t have: you don’t have money, you don’t have youth, you don’t have health, you don’t have beauty, you don’t have a sex-partner, you don’t have parents, you don’t have a job, and the list goes on and on. Life can pass you by and you won't notice that you forgot to live and experience. As if this wasn’t serious enough, the consequences of focusing on what we miss are even more morbid.

About 99% of humans fear uncertainty and lack of stability. However, when you look at the lack, then that is what you increase since you create your own reality by focusing. By putting your attention on things, you make them real. So when you put your attention on a lack, you increase that lack. In order to feel stability — which is a feeling, an attitude, and not something objective — you ought to change your attitude. You are not confronting immediate life threatening problems. You are afraid of the future, afraid of how you will perform in the future. To solve this problem, think of uncertainty in a different way: try to learn to live with uncertainty

 How? Through faith in knowing you belong; faith in yourself. The wider your scope of activity becomes, the more uncertainties you will face. Learn to live with uncertainty and then you won't need to shrink the sphere of your activities and interests in order to entomb yourself in certainty. Expand, have faith, and then you can live with uncertainty and live well, feeling stable in spite of uncertainty uncertainty.

Know that you, the real you, can never be hurt, only the role, the possessions, the temporary part. That is indeed a leap into the spiritual realm. Faith. When you have faith, your attitude changes, and you won't view uncertainty as an unwelcome guest. When you have that attitude, then you will have freed attention to work with and expand into more stability in your everyday life, without pressure, without feeling that doom hangs over your head, which was placed there by your own self in the first place.

Stability is due to control. Life is one big uncertainty, which you cannot control. What you can control is your attention, which when controlled can guarantee your stability even within uncertainty. This ensures that you can live well in uncertainty.

Happiness could be a few blocks down the road, once you can control your attention and when you know where to direct it. If you are bored, uncreative, or you feel life is a drag because of all those things you have to do, put your attention on things that really interest you, and then you will be able to enjoy your life in full. However, this is not always as simply done as said, because you may feel you have to do those things you don’t enjoy and you have no choice.

The main lesson to learn is to handle energy, which includes knowing where your attention is aimed at and controlling it. This teaches you to look and observe, to see others including their problems and desperation. This is exercising control over your energy.

When you are familiar with the techniques of controlling your attention, you can become a virtuoso with abilities that may seem supernatural to those who don’t know how to observe. Your memory and intelligence will improve as well as your creativity. First, however, you need to learn to focus. Focusing is the ability to concentrate on one thing for a long time (long defined as relative to you). It is putting attention on something, investing your energy as stated above. It is also paying attention to detail. When you can lock out the automatic mind chatter, then you can start splitting attention and focus on more than one thing at a time, thereby creating a kind of field, which is very creative in all respects. That’s when you get insights, connect between things you have not connected before.

Splitting your attention allows you to trigger things within an area in which you focus and then things happen. This focus allows you to see the nature of things as a process, the relations within a certain complex structure, and from there you can easily create changes by changing the dynamic aspect, the relations of the complex structure. Then the whole structure changes somewhat as seen from your point of view. Try to visualize this paragraph, even in meditation, until you get it. This is the result of the ability to focus, which of course starts, as I have stated, with a laser-like ability to center, locking out all other noise.

Controlling the wanderings of one’s attention is controlling awareness, which is the access code of consciousness. Our attention is the most basic dynamic aspect of our creation

Creativity

People seem to have the misconception that only a select few are able to unleash a steady flow of creative genius. That is not true at all. The fact is, creativity is very much like a muscle that needs to be exercised in order to consistently give out great results. If you don't practice harnessing creative thinking, this skill will very much atrophy into inexistence. But keep working and this skill will soon come to you in a snap.

So how do you unleash your creative thinking? Well, the first thing is to become a human leech. No, we're not talking about just sucking the blood out of every living being available, we're saying that you should take in as much knowledge and learning you can find. Read everything available -- good and bad, and keep your mind open to the infinite possibilities of the universe. The more you know, the more you'll want to know, and the more your faculty of wonder will be exercised. Prepare to be amazed at little facts that add a bit of color into your life.

Focus on a creative activity everyday. Yes, it's an effort. Even doodling is a creative activity. Don't let anything hinder you. Mindlessness may be a creative activity, but for people who are just starting out to unleash a little bit of creative thinking in their lives, it is helpful and encouraging to have concrete evidence, that, "hey, what I'm doing is getting somewhere." So why don't you try it. Practice drawing for a couple of minutes each day. Bring out your old camera and start snapping photos like crazy. Keep a journal and make a point to write in it religiously. Another cool idea is to write by describing something with your five senses. Try to avoid vague adjectives like "marvelous," "amazing," and "delicious." Before you know it, you'll have built yourself a tiny portfolio, and you'll be amazed at the growth you've undertaken after amassing all those works of art. Who knows, you might actually take to liking those things you do everyday. Pretty soon those things will become a part of you and you'll be addicted to these creative exercises.

Think out of the box -- or don't. Sometimes, constraints are actually a good thing. Limitations discipline you to work within your means. It enables you to be more resourceful. Creative freedom is great, but limitations enforce discipline.

Try something new everyday and let your experiences broaden your perspective. Explore a new district in your neighborhood. Spend an afternoon in a museum to which you've never been before. Talk to someone on the bus. Open up to the people around you. As you thrust yourself out of your comfort zone more and more each day, your sense of adventure grows and so does your zest for life.

Think about this, when was the last time you did something for the first time? If it's been a while, I tell you, you've been missing out on a whole lot of experiences that could've added to your growth, emotionally, mentally, physically, or spiritually. Why don't you try bungee jumping today? Not only will you learn, but you will also have plenty of stories to share, enabling you to practice your storytelling skills and making you the life of the party.

Embrace insanity. No, not to the point of practically admitting yourself into the mental ward. As John Russell once said, "Sanity calms, but madness is more interesting." Exactly! Every creative thought was once deemed insanity by other "normal" people at one time or another. Luckily, that didn't stop the creative geniuses from standing by them. The thing is, sanity or being normal confines people to think... well, normally. Withink limits. Creativity is essentially breaking through barriers. Yes, this includes the bizzarre and the downright strange. I'm not saying that you yourself should develop a creative personality. That might go haywire. An example of a creative personality would be George Washington, who often rode into battle naked, or James Joyce, who wrote "Dubliners" with beetle juice for an intense fear of ink, or Albert Einstein, who thought his cat was a spy sent by his rival (or in thinking creatively in this case, the term could probably be "archnemesis.") It's important that your creativity doesn't get you detached from the real world completely.  Unleashing your creative thinking will bring about a new zest for living life.

Creative Loafing

Have you tried creative loafing? It is a good excuse to relax, and also a great way to come up with new ideas and solutions to problems. How does one creatively loaf? Just relax, open your mind, and use one of the many idea-generating techniques.

A Creative Loafing Technique

My favorite technique is one that is best for generating new ideas rather than solving specific problems. It can be used in any area of life. It is simply the imagining of new applications for existing ideas.

Once, while laying on the couch, I saw an advertisement for a company that uses a dog to find mold in your house. You may know that dogs can be trained to sniff out almost anything. There was even a news story a year or two ago about a dog that could detect if you had cancer.

What was my first thought? "I wonder what else dogs could find by smell?" The first idea that came to mind was to use dogs to find other pets. They find lost people so well, so why not have a service to find lost pets? just one sniff of the cats favorite rug, and the dog is on the trail.

A Creative Loafing Example

You can certainly use your relaxing times to just randomly ponder things, but why not put creative loafing together with a good idea-generating technique. Then you can lay under a tree and have an endless stream of creative new ideas. For this "new-application technique," just start with the essence of the idea, and look for new ways to use it.

For example, you might lay there and think about the pneumatic tubes that deliver your money and papers at a bank's drive-through. The essence is a cartridge that delivers things through a tube using air pressure. I imagine the same thing would work for human transport. Could you ride "the tube" to the next city, or maybe make this into an amusement park ride?

Look other aspects of an idea too. For example, these tubes allow several customers to be waited on at once. Where else do they need this? A fast food drive through comes to mind. Perhaps pneumatic tubes would spill drinks, but the idea of multiple car lanes can be used. Several drive-through windows, radiating out like spokes, at different angles, would allow three different lines of cars.

If you want to practice using this technique, just lay back and...

- Imagine three new uses for pedal-power.

- Imagine two new uses for magnets.

- Think of a new application for Darwin's theory of natural selection, outside of biology.

Can you see how easy it is to come up with new ideas? Why not learn a few more techniques? Then apply them to personal problems. Finally, to make the best use of your creative loafing time, keep a notebook or your personal recorder ready.

There is magic in the moment

There is always beauty or magic in the moment

If you allow yourself to experience the magic, outdoors or inside, no matter where you are, you can stop and watch the magic unfold around you or you can hear the  music for your soul, in your mind and drown out the voices that don't allow you to see or hear the magic in life, that is around you. Ever watch a toddler experience life their eyes light up at the new wonders they see, hear and experience. we used to allow oursleves this magid, and we can again we can do it anywhere.

There is no bad weather, just inappropriate clothes or expectations. The temperature today would have been bliss in March, right? (Please adjust the examples to fit your region.)


There is no – It’s cold -- like a fact. Cold is a judgment. It may be below 50 F (10 C) but cold or hot is up to you. Pleasant or nasty is your expectations, not the temp.

You can say legitimately, “I’m cold and I’m tired of endless gray days.” or you can say, "I'm cold, but the endless days of gray will soon be gone and blue sky's will soon be here" The weather and the day just IS. Get it?

This is an  example of the adage – Pain is guaranteed, suffering is optional. Weather happens. I inflict my own unhappiness with an internal story that the weather is supposed to be some way that it isn’t. If you want to capture the magic in the moment, change your internal story and fall in love with what’s right here, right now.

Metro Theater

I had the opportunity to go see the final play at Metro Theater for the year "Twentieth Century", which is a wonderful comedy about Theater people. The pacing of the play was well done, the comedic lines delivered with passion and just the right amount of overacting made for a wonderful evening. There are many talented people who work together to put on a play and I would like to congratulate all of them for providing a wonder evening.for the audience.

Metro Theater is one of the gems of Vancouver, this non-profit theater company puts on a wonderful season, and in my mind is one of the best value for money entertainment package in the Vancouver area. Here is some information and prices about next years season, from their website

CHANGES to the 2010/2011 Season!


News & Updates - Metro News of Interest

Written by Cheryl H

Along with a NEW season of plays comes some changes to make your Metro experience enjoyable!

Metro Theatre is making changes to keep up with the times. Change is sometimes as good as a ... well, a change! We are all pretty happy with the changes that will keep Metro's audiences and casts happy. You will note that we have announced our new 2010/2011 season and along with the 7 plays we have listed, we will also be doing a Broadway musical, 42nd Street! The 2010/2011 season will consist of 7 plays and a musical! That's a lot of bang for your buck, with the new 2010/2011 ticket prices listed below.

- One of the big changes for Metro will be the changes to the PERFORMANCE DAYS for the 2010/2011 season. We will no longer be having Wednesday evening performances starting with Brighton Beach Memoirs, but will have performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings (8pm curtains), as well, we will be continuing with the 2 Sunday matinees per production. Each production will start on a Friday/Saturday, followed by four weeks of Thursday/Friday/Saturday. Sunday matinees will be on the second and fourth week Sundays (2pm curtains).

2010-2011 Ticket Prices:

Season Tickets: Adults: $129.00 + $15.48 (HST) = $144.48

Seniors/Students: $109.00 + $13.08 (HST) = $122.08

Web Coupon: good for Thursday performances ONLY - 2 for $27.00 including HST

5 Pack WITH a Musical: Adults: $103.00 + $12.36 (HST) = $115.36

Seniors/Students: $ 88.00 + $10.56 (HST) = $ 98.56

5 Pack WITHOUT a Musical: Adults: $ 94.00 + $11.36 (HST) = $105.36

Seniors/Students: $ 79.00 + $ 9.48 (HST) = $ 88.48

Single Tickets (not musical): Adults: $ 20.00 including HST

Seniors/Students: $ 17.00 including HST

Musical Tickets: Adults: $ 32.00 including HST

Seniors/Students: $ 27.00 including HST

Pantomime Tickets: Adults: $ 23.50 including HST

Children (under 12): $ 14.00 including HST

here are 21 things to remember

I am not sure who gave the following to me, but I have it pinned to the wall in my office and I read it every day I hope you enjoy this

21 things to remember

1. No one can ruin your day without your permission

2. Most people will be about as happy, as they decide to be.

3. Others can stop you temporarily, but only you can do it permanently.

4. Whatever you are willing o put up with, is exactly what you will have.

5. Success stops when you do

6. When your ship comes in....make sure you are willing to unload it

7. You will never "have it all together."

8. Life is a journey....not a destination. Enjoy the trip!

9. The biggest lie on the planet:  "When I get what I want, I will be happy."

10. The best way to escape your problem is to solve it.

11. I've learned that ultimately, "takers" lose and "givers" win.

12. Life's precious moments don't have value, unless they are shared.

13.  If you don't start, it is certain you will not arrive.

14. We often fear the thing we want the most.

15. She or He or laughs.........lasts.

16. Yesterday was the deadline for all complaints.

17. Look for opportunities...not guarantees.

18. Life is what is coming..........not what was

19. Success is getting up one more time.

20.  now is the most interesting time of all.

21. When things go wrong......don't go with them.

Notes from the universe

Notes from the Universe is an interesting site and one that I enjoy. Here is a note that I received a while ago, which I thought was worth thinking about.

Throughout the hallowed ages, those in the unseen have always marveled at the accomplishments and creations of humankind. Whether a sandcastle or a skyscraper; a painting or a poem; they're humbled by your ability to reflect, to engineer, to craft, and to create something that has never before existed within time and space.


But it's not the creation that impresses; these all exist here to the nth degree. It's the persistence and determination of the seemingly mortal dreamer who steadfastly holds a new thought in mind, either of the creation or of its inevitable success, and moves with it, even while the rest of the world is content dreaming their father's dreams.


This is what is admired; not just because it's so rare, but because it is so, even when such innovative potential lies within all.

Cool, huh?

The Universe