Category: Writing

Attitude of Gratitude

- celine Leave a comment

The NDIS independent price changes have come to a head and it’s becoming most topical now in my industry. It’s a frightening change, but suffice to say – this scares me, unbelievably so.

But after the initial panic of realising this change was coming – coupled by the fear that is spreading throughout the industry I decided to take a step back and think. This event is out of my control, what will happen, will happen and when it does I will have to make some choices; but it is important to be patient, and meanwhile learn all the rules so that you can make the best decisions.

So instead of being ruled by fear, I have decided to cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Because in the end all I’ve got is me.

Things I have to be grateful for:

  1. Being loved and supported.
    Sure, sometimes Jeremy says the “wrong” thing when he’s trying to make me feel better, but you know, at least he tries. I have loving and supportive parents, a fantastic sister, wonderful friends and a good strong team at work.
  2. Myself
    I know it sounds conceited, but no one backs me like I do. I’m smart, resourceful, patient, brave and disciplined. I know that what ever decision I make I will win or learn. I never lose.
  3. Strong female role models
    There is no way I would talk to myself like that if I haven’t been influenced by strong female role models in my life and also in the media. The thing that comes to mind this evening is a little dramatic but it’s a line from the last episode from season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer; where the villain says (and I’m paraphrasing here) – “you’ve got no hope, no friends, no weapons; what’s left?” and Buffy’s answer is “me”. It reminds me that I am in NO WAY at the end of my rope, and even if I was I still have me left.
  4.  “Crappy to Happy” podcast
    Honestly, I’ve been listening to it everyday this week and it’s reminded me of how important it is to keep things in perspective. It’s reminded to be mindful as it helps make better decisions, and to take care of myself so I can be of better service to others.
  5. That I own my own business
    At the end of the day I control the fortunes of my business. Things will fluctuate but that is part of what being in business is all about. I will learn to ride those waves. Owning a business is not something I have to do. It’s something I get to do.

Gee, this gratitude thing really does work, I feel better already 🙂

Bring on the storm.

 

 

 

Why I Write

- celine Leave a comment

On the way back from Hong Kong, I was perusing the the magazines in the airport lounge and I came across a magazine called ‘Womankind’ (Aug-Oct 2017). This magazine had a lot of interesting articles and one of the things that stood out to me the most was the Editor’s Letter. In it she wrote:

“We expect to be gratified with sights, sounds and tastes. Nothing need wait any longer… to be instantly gratified means to shun activities that take time, discipline and commitment” – Antonia Case.

She followed this up by giving examples of what we do to make things ‘faster’ such as dining out instead of preparing a meal, watch a movie rather than read a book. We’ve even made catching up with our friends ‘faster’ and ‘more efficient’ especially with the amount of social media we consume.

The article got me thinking. Am I speeding through my life? What activities am I shunning that require time, discipline and commitment? It occurred to me that writing is one of those activities.

Constructing a blog post, writing a piece of creative writing or even a proper letter to another person is a form of self expression that takes time, effort and discipline to complete. I realised that I usually gratify my need to express myself with short messages and pictures on “Facebook” – or the aptly named “Instagram”. Rarely do I take the time, as I am now to truly share and reflect. So I’ve resolved to write more – because I believe that the only way I can truly express myself is to allow myself to put the time and effort into thoughtful creative pieces.

This October, I signed up for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). It is a writing challenge in which one has 30 days (Nov 1- Nov 30) to have written 50,000 words – preferably in a novel form (but to be honest, they’re not that strict). What appeals to me most about this online event is the community of writers that I am meeting and the new things I am discovering about myself.

So far I have constructed the outline of my first novel – I’ve come up with so many bumps along the way (and I anticipate there is more to come); it’s frustrating and annoying. In the last month I learned that instead of trying to force the story to go my way, I could to take a tangent – you know write something else – perhaps not about the novel and allow it to be less “perfect”. I was surprised to find that diverging from “The Plan” – especially when you are hitting road blocks – can lead to unexpected epiphanies, interesting discoveries and more creative solutions. I also realised that this is not just true about writing a novel, but also life. I’m feeling less anxious when things don’t go exactly according to my “Grand Life Plan” and I’m learning to take the tangents and make the most of them. After all… the trip to Hong Kong I took this October was one of my life’s unexpected tangents – and I feel like its already allowed me to hit upon some epiphanies, discoveries and solutions that I wouldn’t have found had I not allowed myself to take the journey.