Empty Head Syndrome

I'm sitting here on day nine of a 30-day #blogyourbrand challenge and I'm done. Apparently, I have reached the day when there isn't anything in my brain capable of forming an intelligent post. So I have resorted to writing about the inability to write. I think that may be a great example of irony. I have heard it said, "When you have a writing assignment you should force yourself to sit down and write even if the thoughts aren't there." I'm beginning to see this may have been good advice. At least it's working when I don't have a specific topic I'm tasked with. It appears to me that what I mistook for a case of writer's block was really only a case of empty head syndrome.

I wonder how many other tasks we put aside because we think we have to be in the right frame of mind, or completely ready to take them on when all we really should do is start the task. Are there times when the burden or dread of having a task before you weighs more heavily and takes a bigger toll on you than stepping into it and completing it? 

I am a list-maker and sometimes I have been known to do something not on the list and add it only so I can experience the joy of crossing it off! I think tasks can often hit me the same way. 

If I would create a list of small steps towards completing the task, it's likely that I'll be more successful. Every check of the box brings a sense of accomplishment and a shorter path to completion of the goal.

I'm hoping I'll feel more prepared to write my next post, but I do feel that perhaps somebody out there will be encouraged to know they are not alone in what should be an Olympic sport - procrastination.

Weathering the Storms

It seems the world has been filled with nothing but uncertainty and negativity for several months now, and a heightened amount of hostile and tragic acts in the most recent weeks. Regardless of what your own political, religious, and/or personal views are there is a unanimous feeling of awe at the weight of this burdening loss. 

We have lost people of all ages, many professions, many nationalities in numerous locations across different continents. There is an undercurrent of grief and fatigue as I look across the people that surround me. There is a question hanging in our midst asking, "What can I do?" For some, they are asking what they can do to stop the hate. For others, it is a rhetorical question stemming from discouragement.

Some may cling to the thought that this too shall pass while others feel overwhelmed and paralyzed. I urge you to take the next step that seems right for you. If it is time for you to get involved, then do something that can make a difference, but don't complain if you're not willing to do something about it. 

If it's time to show love, then go back to the basics and invite a neighbor for dinner or take them cookies. If you need to start small, invite them over for dessert on the patio or ask them to meet you for an ice cream cone at your local spot. If you are hurting then reach out to others who may feel the same and discover together how to heal and move in a positive direction.

We CAN weather the storms together and we will survive these days. Take them one at a time and look for the good in each day, in each person. Much like the carving in this photo I took at Granville Island in Vancouver BC, we may show a little wear from our trials of life, but we will survive.

Growth Requirements

Nourishing Dewdrops

If we reflect back to our school days, we may recall the components necessary for grass and plants to grow. While I can't teach a botany class, I do remember that you need sunlight, soil, oxygen, and water for sure. I'm sure there is much more to it, but the bottom line is that there are a number of requirements for growth to take place.

It's not really any different for us. I doubt any of us are so happy with the way things are that if we're honest, we would say we don't want to grow or develop any further. I hope we are all continually looking for ways to challenge ourselves to grow, whether it be personal development, business expansion, or growing physically or emotionally stronger.

I have a list of growth-related goals I put in place for 2016 that span all areas of my life. One key piece is the reminder to focus on these goals. I have been known to go for a month or two without looking at them and guess what? No growth! What about you? Do you have something you are working to improve upon in your life this year?

Do you know what the pieces are that will contribute to your growth? Do you have friends that challenge you or hold you accountable? Do you have the goal written down and do you reflect on it regularly? Just as it is for grass there are any number of contributors to growth and I hope you'll take a moment to reflect on what you need to nourish that growth in you.

As I flipped through my photograph collection preparing for this blog post, I realized that taking photos is one of the things that feeds my soul, nourishes my creativity and peace, and helps me find balance. I also noticed from the dates on my photo files, I have not done this for entirely too long. This is an added growth requirement to help me reach goals for my business and professional life. What are yours?

A Moment of Bliss

This moment has unfolded to be an unexpected time of tranquil restoration in a hectic and emotionally traumatizing week. As I sorted through pictures in a somewhat frantic manner, looking for something to blog about this one stopped me with a moment of calm. 

It looks so blissful. As I began to type I realized that the keystrokes seemed louder than usual, as if they were screaming at me with each click. I stopped for a moment, staring at my screen, and finally realized there wasn't a single sound surrounding me. I am at home, in the middle of a neighborhood usually very heavy with traffic, neighbors, children squealing, and the three construction projects in my immediate vicinity. Yet today, at this moment, not a sound.

It struck me how sad it is that it is now the quiet I noticed, instead of the chaos. We have become so comfortable with the world around us that the blissfulness of this quiet seemed out of place and I was a bit uncertain what to do with it. I know it won't last so I stopped to treasure it a bit before typing resumed.

It made me feel responsible for sharing this time with you. I felt like I was now charged with bringing you all into a time like this, to ask you to find a moment to put yourself in a "time out" and listen for the quiet or watch for the physical beauty that surrounds you. Like this tulip photo, is there something you can see right now to let wash over you and bring you some bliss?

It's okay to stop every now and then, to pause for a moment of reflection or solitude. We are strongest when we take the time for balance in our lives. Go take a peek outside and see what awaits you. I guarantee everything will still be waiting for you when you get back.

Shine

Are you trying to do it all? Are you spinning so many plates that you are waiting for one to fall? Do you juggle so many balls you often forget what day it is and where you're supposed to be? Do you get your identity from your job, your spouse or the random opinions of strangers? Do you feel that you must shine in order to be accepted and loved? Do you fear failure because you fear what people will think of you?

I think it's time to break this mold, this terrible but comfortable habit that keeps us from living a full life - the life God intended for us.

There are so many reasons we may hide our cracks, pretend that all is well, and not allow anybody to know we don't always shine; pride, feelings of inadequacy, emptiness, history of abandonment, selfishness. Perhaps we fear being judged or ridiculed by those around us. No matter the cause, I challenge all of us to stop, and allow others to see who we really are. 

I am confident there is somebody waiting to discover ALL of you, and love you regardless. I know that God loves us unconditionally, and exactly the way we are. I hope you know that also, and a deeper hope is that you can accept that love and stop worrying about looking like you have it all together.

Being 100% authentic is far more valuable than shining all the time.

"Shine" by Jan Krist

She buries the problems but they grow and bloom again

No one need see them she will deftly pretend

Playing her high cards best foot forward every time

For who will love her if she does not shine?

Hopelessness dogs her but she will not give in

She will reason fear away again

A full and leaky vessel she hides the cracks behind

For who will love her if she does not shine?

She tries to pull herself from difficult requests

Works to be satisfied with just doing her best

'Til someone doubts her courage and she struggles with resign

For who will love her if she does not shine?

She tries to pull herself from rejection's debris

And the more she pulls the less she seems to be free

When did this all begin? Was there one point in time?

And who will love her if she does not shine?

Who will love her? Shining

Who will love her? Shining

Who will love her if she does not shine?