When you think of it

Mixed media with caption “You will change the world by loving yourself”

Are you good at taking care of or loving yourself so you feel your best? Few of us are. Many of us have been brought up to think it is self indulgent, that it is undeserved or that or is a sign of weakness. This idea becomes ingrained and is hard to uproot. It is all well and good to be helpful, but running yourself ragged to do so is counterintuitive to the ability to help. You can’t change the world if you have nothing to run on anymore.

Which brings me to how you can refuel. That topic is one for a full book, but there are a few ways that can be mentioned here to get you thinking.

1. Exercise- an age old favorite, just get moving. Each day is best, as our bodies are designed to move and stretch. A regimented workout, bike ride, even jumping jacks on a regular basis will be of benefit. Keeping moving will help as you age too.

2. Nature time- absolutely a necessity, a walk through a park or in the woods can change your whole mood. There is forest bathing for those wanting to soak in nature in a meditative manner. Fresh air a.ways helps blow away the cobwebs and bring a sense of well being.

3. Nutrition- it is so obvious that junk food doesn’t provide the strong fuel our bodies need, but it is so easy to slip into the bad snack habit. I know I am guilty of it, and almost always feel the worse for it. You don’t have to go totally, full on “grown in my garden” diet, just make a few fuel changes you can love. Your mind and body will love you for it!

4. Brain play- the pandemic has unfortunately made binge watching and streaming too common. Let’s be honest, most shows are basically more junk food. Remember the “garbage in, garbage out” line? It is even more true now. Treat your brain to some quality input. Good music, different music, reading, puzzles, or simple DIY tasks. Get those neurons firing and develop new pathways.

5. Indulgences- if you can swing it a massage is a wonderful way to show yourself some love. So are proper fitting new footwear, fresh sheets or clean, unstained clothes. Indulgences don’t need to be huge and expensive, they just need to be meaningful to you.

Will loving yourself actually change the world? It sure can! When you feel good about yourself, you life and that you are worthy of good things. When you hold those ideas, and live them, you are going to move through the world and you will find you have more than enough energy, spirit, love, time and so on to share.

How will you?

Mixed media with “make life sweet” caption

I plan to make life sweet this final weekend in September by having apple cider. It is that time of year, and cider is really suited for the fall months only. Come Christmas time and it isn’t quite the taste I am looking for. I will also create some art, plant some day lilies, pet my cat, go to the farmers market, and make some good meals. I might even get some soft serve ice cream before the stand closes. Nothing fancy, but all add their own sweetness to life.

Atras

Mixed media using purple, deep red, yellow and orange

I didn’t know what ‘Atras’ meant. Since it is printed on a sewing pattern I was thinking it might be a sewing term, but it means ‘attracted’. Such are the mysteries of sewing, as I can’t see where that word would make sense. Mixed media offers its own mysteries as you create each piece, that is the fun of it. You start out with an idea, work along on the piece, and end up with a creation that you didn’t see coming.

It can be hard for people to get started in mixed media as the process seems too willy nilly and free flowing. It requires taking a leap into the creative whirlpool of color, texture, composition and layers. I love to help people take that leap and see their finished creations.

Time lapse video of mixed media project

Beginnings

Mixed media piece in vibrant colors

After weeks of planning and work I have my new site launched. It is a beginning, a place to move forward from, a whole new direction. Beginnings are comprised of many small beginnings rolled together, each one building on the ones before. Often the assumption is that there is just one moment because it is a big event that fills the screen, the tiny parts get overlooked that contributed to it.

I am now onto the next start of this new beginning by keeping the momentum up and creating more projects and videos, in addition to promoting the new site. It will take work to stay on top of all of it, but I am determined to make it a success. Luckily my definition of success isn’t in the 7 figures with a big staff and HQ! My definition of it is that success will mean I can work from home, increase my income, and not have to worry about finding caregivers as an out-of-the-house job will require. Being able to do that will spell success to me.

http://www.wildbirdcreative.com

It is knocking

Mixed media piece with “opportunity” phrase

Tomorrow should be the launch day for the new site. A couple last minute tech wrinkles delayed it a few days, but the knocking has resumed. Some might say I have an audacious goal, others might think it is small, I tend to be more in the first camp. It is a big undertaking for me, to take things in a new direction and make that leap. Anyone who has gone after a big goal knows the feeling of going from planning and building to setting it free in the world. The feelings swing wildly and the energy too. I am as ready as I will be though, my web designer has done a fabulous job making an eye catching and easy to navigate site, I have my project collection underway and ready for more courses. It is the end of all the preliminary steps.

It is funny how things can be going along in what you think is the right direction and a casual comment can bring a real lightbulb moment, illuminating opportunities you weren’t even thinking of. Suddenly a whole new set of options present themselves, washing away the old options. The whole mindset shifts. That has been what has carried me along, giving me the incentive to try another way of doing things.

And so, fingers crossed, tomorrow starts a whole new way of doing things, a different way to help people bring creativity into their lives. It will be a lot to add to my plate, but manageable if I stay on task and keep the big goal in sight each step of the way.

As it comes together

Mixed media piece

The holiday weekend meant a pause in the final run through before the new website gets launched. Of course there will be little things after that to tweak a bit, but I am going for making progress instead of waiting for perfection. Doing that would mean I never get it started at all.

I still have a short laundry list of things to wrap fir the newest online class, but tomorrow is a free day just for that. Video work, editing, uploading and checking. It has become a part of my weeks. And then the hope is it will become a more regular part. My ultimate goal is that I will ease out of my current job as the courses will replace, hopefully exceed that income. That will allow me more flexibility and less need for caregiver involvement. It’s both daunting and exciting.