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Question: When was the last time you let yourself create something just for the sake of the art itself? Not with, necessarily, a view to making it available for public consumption (although that may happen), but to give yourself more free reign over what you are creating? [Read more…] about For the Sake of the Art Itself
The last week has been hard. Learning that I had tested positive for COVID-19 knocked the wind out of me. Not having the energy to do much of anything gave me lots of time to think or, perhaps, brood. What am I doing? Am I still on the right path? Is this where I am supposed to be? Still, I do not have an answer to any of those questions. And, in a way I had not expected, I ended up lost. When I started feeling better, it felt like I was spinning wildly. No longer acting with intention, I did not know where to start — or if what I have been trying to do even mattered anymore.
We all face challenges in life. I like to believe that how we react to those challenges defines, in part, who we are and who we can become. I reminded myself of that as I started to get lost in my brooding because I did not want to feel like I had hit a dead end. Really, where I am now is a part of my journey, but I do not have to let it be the essence of that journey. Instead, I can change the direction and, consequently, my thoughts and how I see myself in the world. To do that, though, there must be one principle that rules my life: intention. Because, as Oprah Winfrey writes in The Wisdom of Sundays, “Thought by thought, choice by choice, we are cocreating our lives based on the energy of our intention.”1 [Read more…] about Be Intentional
I honestly thought that it would not happen to me. Until it did. Yesterday (Wednesday) morning. When I tested positive for COVID-19.
For some [definitely erroneous] reason, I wanted to believe that I was immune because had I not done everything right to escape it? When the Ontario government lifted the mask mandate last March, I kept mine on because I work in a public-facing customer service position. In fact, I wear two masks and gloves. In the grocery store, on public transit, at the pharmacy … I still wear a mask. My mask only comes off when eating lunch and upon my return home. I put on a mask even for the short trips down the hall to the garbage and mail rooms. I did not want to take any chances. [Read more…] about The COVID Paradox Redux
We live in crazy times. Not necessarily crazy, but so much different from when I was a child. Technology has changed how we live and work. Politics are more divisive, and uglier, than I can remember. It is a me-first world, and trying to keep up can leave you exhausted. And through it all, we are trying to follow our own path, do what we love — be a beacon of hope in a world seemingly turning in on itself. To do that, I used to think that it was important to bring balance to our daily lives.
I was wrong. [Read more…] about The Creative ‘Balancing’ Act
In my recent four-part blog series, “On Becoming a Digital Minimalist,” I wrote about how I was changing my relationship with technology and how I use it. The ultimate goal — and a constant work-in-progress — is to live an intentional, purpose-driven life where I focus on what is most important to me. It means cutting out the noise and chatter to work in a distraction-free state.
But it cannot be all work and no play. This lesson was — again — brought home to me when, this past weekend, I was so exhausted I could barely focus. I also ended up breaking my streaming rule, watching three movies. Too tired to think and focus, it was a constant battle throughout Saturday just to keep my eyes open. [Read more…] about Crash and Burn