Meditations on Maui

Finally, after some champion-level procrastinating, this project is happening.  This year the Visual Meditation of the Week will be a page from the year-long Meditations on Maui; 52 photographs and meditations to take you through a year of self discovery and change. Starting with Beginnings this week, stay tuned to see more of Maui and follow along.

They’ll be going up here free of charge and then hopefully into download-able and printed book forms before too much longer.  If you like them please share and get the word out.

Thanks!

Technorati Tags: Maui, meditation, photography

Beginning

Real, lasting change comes from within.

Looking inward can be like standing at the edge of the jungle…  without  bug repellent.

But there is beauty in the tangled vines. And there is beauty in you.

Are you ready to explore?

Technorati Tags: looking inward, loving yourself, Maui, visual meditation

Re-energized in 2011

I can’t explain it – it’s cold, wet, and dark but I’m finding the motivation to get up and get work done before I head off to the day job. 2011 is going to bring great changes and fruition to a lot of people I think. The last few years have been about germination and now it’s time to get out into the sunlight.

This week I’ve gotten my Facebook marketing going – still not sure how I feel about it but being a loner isn’t all that great for marketing (unless you’re a reclusive film star.) I’ve also gone ahead and finally purchased InDesign, Adobe’s solution to all things layout and the secret behind well-crafted e-books.  The selling point for me was when I did a little research and learned that Amazon provides a free plug-in. You can go straight from your finished file to selling for the Amazon Kindle with a click (possibly two) and not lose any of your hard work.  I can’t wait to try it out.  And crossing my fingers that my marketing skills have improved enough that at least a few people will find it when it’s out there!

I’m finding ways to expand my horizons through my other interests as well; following up on things I learned about last year after they had passed. Like the rock-hounding geology class – where to look for unexplored riches. And I’m learning to make cheese.  There’s nothing like learning a brand new thing to see how far you’ve come in other areas!

Technorati Tags: motivation

Your computer IS your diary

My computer has been running sloooowly for quite some time and I’ve known the cause too – way too many giant image files on the hard-drive. So over the last week or so I’ve started cleaning things out (although the pictures are still there…)

I’m a little shocked at what I’ve found lurking in My Documents and sub-folders from thumb drives. All the things I’ve tried that didn’t work, the lists I’d made three or five years ago, in other words my life in digital snapshots.  It’s been a good reminder of how much I’ve learned, and how many steps I’ve taken towards my goals. Especially the ones that didn’t work out – primarily because as I deleted the file I realized that I had tried hard enough and thoroughly enough to know that I didn’t care to pursue that particular avenue further. It was done.

Now I’ve reclaimed gigabytes, ready for new adventures and projects, and a “spring clean” feel to my desktop. When was the last time you really went through your personal files, the pictures, the projects, the favorites in your browser? You might be surprised at what you find and what you make room for.

Technorati Tags: authentic happiness, getting organized

Resolving to be more persistent

There are times when I think progress has to wait until I feel fully self-confident in every move I make. Uh-huh. It certainly explains why not too much progress has been made lately. But… I’m resolving to change that and push ahead with the course already charted.  It’s not like nothing has happened. I know what I need to do that will require some social courage – networking and selling!

The last few weeks have been busy with foundation stuff- getting the day job going so that the bills get paid and my free time can turn to the real career. Establishing new patterns can take a lot out of you but it’s a necessary step.  Not to mention adjusting life to having a puppy – who really isn’t much trouble but does seem to add extra time to every task at hand. Now with the holidays near, I know how important it will be to stay focused.

So this next week is going to be about getting the pieces moving, finishing up some photo editing and really sticking to my established posting schedule. We’ll see:-)

Technorati Tags: persistence, resolutions

Ambiguity and the Butterfly Effect

Thursday night when I was driving home on the freeway, something caught my eye. I looked, thought, debated and finally took the next exit to circle back.  There was a cat in a narrow section of grassy median between the ten lanes of 60 mph traffic. It was clearly alive and unhurt but that didn’t seem like it would last too long. Naturally it didn’t want to be rescued by me when I pulled over and braved the center shoulder (probably not the smartest thing on my part) so… I called 911.  It felt extremely foolish to call for a cat on a freeway but they did take it seriously.  I will never know what happened to it – it was very young. Was it rescued? Did it run into traffic? Did a hawk take it first?  I really dislike not knowing and it still feels a little like I’ve become an official crazy cat lady to have made the effort.  So why did I? Because as I drove past the first time I realized how I would feel about myself if I didn’t try. Nobody else even seemed to notice it in the 20 minutes it took me to return to that spot. The odds weren’t good for a happy outcome, but do odds really impact our decisions to help? I hope not. I don’t expect to ever know that cat’s fate but I’m still hoping it turned out well.

It’s made me realize how many things we don’t do because we won’t know the end result – ever. But surely something changes in the universe when we make the attempt. The Butterfly Effect is that notion that the smallest imperceptible change will set great things in motion. I’d like to think that my reluctant willingness to appear foolish will do that, but it never seems to make it easier.

Technorati Tags: Buttefly effect

What questions do you ask?

I was reading something recently that pointed out that you can’t evaluate something without asking a question. In thinking about that I think it’s true – I certainly can’t think of an example where you don’t ask at least one question; will this car keep me safe, can I afford it, will he make me bored, does he like me and so on.

So when you evaluate things in your life are you asking positive questions or negative ones? why me? or how can I make this work for me? Start by just noticing that you are asking questions – then delve deeper!

Getting back in the swing of things

Ok, it’s been a while – longer than I realized, actually.  But that was kind of the point.  I took a break from posting, not because I was tired of it but because it felt necessary to re-evaluate.  What am I trying to accomplish? Are my efforts going in support of those goals or just keeping me busy and distracted?  I think it’s part of any journey to need to stop and evaluate the trail ahead the choices being offered and the like.

I’ve decided I need to be more focused in what I’m doing but that I wasn’t that far off from my goals either. I’m going to cut down on how often I post to a couple of times a week but also really work on some of the side projects and provide some advance visibility to them here, starting with that meditation book I’ve been toying with for over a year!  So stay tuned…

Technorati Tags: achieving goals

The No Excuses Project: Finding the strength to climb mountains

Excuses come easy for things that are a means rather than a goal.  That’s where truly being fit falls for me – I basically couldn’t care less. Until it means not being able to get to that mountain side where rumor has it rare gems still hide deep in the earth. Then I really care! So how to keep that in focus on an average day when all other priorities seem higher?

The first thing is to combine it with other projects from the obvious (losing weight) to the less obvious like treasure hunting. It’s a little like parking at the far end of the lot to get more walking in, not a huge deal but it adds up.

The second thing is to up the effort of working out (more inclines, and the like) and lastly to spend one day a month (the whole day) out doing real exertion from hiking to whatever – pack a lunch and plan to sweat.

The hardest part is simply to fit this in with everything else – getting rid of excuses doesn’t magically create more time in the day. It just means you don’t waste what you have.

Believe it or not – this post concludes the year. Next week I’ll do some wrapping up and reflecting on what I’ve learned.

Holding myself accountable

• The garden – I could wish it looked a little better but basically things are on track
• The house projects  – progressing slowly but also in the works
• Chores – doing better
• Treasure hunting – amazing what you can do by mail these days.  Making definite progress
• Travel – trip all booked for a week in San Diego; that will probably be it for this year.
• Friends and family – a little behind in email but otherwise on track
• Romance – doing a little more inner work in that area and feeling good about it
• Writing – a bit behind here
• Photography – progress on getting things out and researching more opportunities
• Jewelry – an off week except for identifying next steps
• Losing weight – a much better week for exercise and hey, the jeans are fitting better already
• Medical – off the dentist for that crown this week (next doctor after that’s all concluded)

Technorati Tags: common excuses, getting things done

The No Excuses Project: Getting fit

It might seem like the goal of getting fit is the same as losing weight and I suppose they can go hand in hand. But there are plenty of skinny people out there that can’t make it up a steep hill and that’s what makes it distinct.

Not being skinny can even serve as an excuse for getting to this later. Unfortunately it’s not something that can be achieved sporadically – lifting weights or going on a hike once every two months will not get you a cumulative result. Without a doubt, I don’t have time and I’ll get to it later have been my favorite excuses for not making an effort. And yet as goals go this one plays into so many of the others from travel and treasure hunting to photography (got to get up that mountain!)

Next week: The steps to make it happen

Holding myself accountable:

• Treasure hunting: more research and concrete plans for San Diego
• Travel: on track for a week exploring San Diego in September
• Writing: no action this week but clear steps outlined for the next few months
• Photography: research and submission for a multi-leg competition (I guess finding these things a week before the deadline beats a week after)
• Jewelry: a quiet week except for planning next steps
• House projects: a week off to recover before tackling the closet again
• Garden: keeping up with the plan
• Losing weight: finally making some strides to forging a  new exercise routine
• Friends and family: on track for making time to socialize
• Romance: made some changes to my environment with more to do

Technorati Tags: excuses, getting things done

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