I think we might be hogging the sunshine a bit on the island as we have had another glorious day. Every so often I have a day off from everything and today has been one of those days. The morning was my miserable attempt at being a 'domestic goddess' but from lunch onwards it has all started to hang out! I have had a wonderfully long lunch with a very dear friend. The more we talk the more points of connections we find. Us girls do need our friends. Lunch then turned into coffee and I think Russell at Coast thought we had taken root.
I am still reading this book about a guy who lived without money for two years. His name is Mark Boyle and the book is called The Moneyless Manifesto. He has also just written an article for Postive News. I am guessing quite a few of you will be familiar with this publication but if not just click on the link. I have been a big fan of the newspaper for quite some time. The premise is positivity but with a solution focused outcome. One of the questions that I have been asked often since this project began is 'how do I stay so positive?' The answer is easy. Where possible, I surround myself by positivity and I feed off that. I love positive people because I love their energy. I am not sure I was always a positive person but I am now and that is all that counts. I don't live in the past or the future as Buddhism has taught me how to live in the present. This took me a long time to grasp as I am a natural planner. The first lessons in learning to put planning in a more balanced context came from Waverly Fitzgerald in her book Slow Time. I have spoken about this book before and I am quite sure I will again before this blog challenge is completed. Throughout my studies with Waverly I developed a keen interest in the lunar cycle. You can find out what stage the moon was at when you were born and that begins to tell you something about where your natural flow of energy occurs. I was born on a full moon so it is no surprise to me that I am at my best at this stage of the cycle. In the days before the full moon the fullness is building and that is a time to be in preparation. I already knew this was where I was most comfortable and after the full moon I am less connected with what is going on around me. I even applied this knowledge to my growing tasks. Where possible I plant according to the lunar cycle and also engage in certain jobs as they fit in with this cycle. The Gardner's Calendar is a good place to find out more on this methodology.
As with everything I do I didn't simply follow all the advice as it wouldn't work for me like that. I never just 'download' anything because I am always far too full of questions. That said, I don't expect to find answers for everything either. My rationale is that if the moon is powerful enough to control tides what else is it doing? So, these are the areas of knowledge I have drawn on to build my life as it is today. I see balance as my single most important thing in life. I work hard to ensure my balance stays in tact because I want to enjoy whatever life has to offer.
I don't do well with negativity; in fact I think I might be allergic to it. When I led big teams in my previous life I used to say don't bring me a problem unless you can also offer a solution. Positive News does just that and it is an inspiring read. Annual membership is only £15.00 and it has a unique model of distribution that allows this positivity to reach as many people as possible. It is, of course, flooded with 'green' issues but they are forward thinking and believable. It is an inspirational read because it is evidence based and I like that. When I was an early student of Buddhism I was very sceptical about life after death until I worked through the research carried out by the current Dalai Lama. He has spoken to very young children at length about their memories of events that happened before they were born. The only way they could know the details shared was if they were actually there. I am NOT suggesting that we should all share the same belief system or, indeed, that we should all believe. I am just talking about my spiritual research as a way of illustrating that I never 'just accept'. I am not just accepting the challenging words from Mark Boyle about his experience of living without money for two years but I am totally fascinated by his achievements. I will try and do a decent review of his book when I am finished.
I was interested to read a short piece in the current Positive News written by a psychologist. His brief is to analyse how Positive News reflects some of the principles of positive psychology. He then makes the natural leap to improved well being. That brings me back to Neuro Lingustic Programming (NLP) that I have already written about. I don't believe life is easy for anyone and we all have our things that continue to test us. Perhaps we can do nothing about these things but we can do something about how we deal with them. So, I surround myself with positivity and I live a happier life as a result. I live with Buddhist principles of living in the present while accepting that no one else is responsible for my happiness; that is down to me. I use tools along the way to help like NLP and meditation which both help to build a strong inner core from which to operate.
Lots of external references today that I do hope might be of some use to some of you. I was talking with my lovely friend Angie today about where this blog might take me. I can see the themes starting to emerge quite naturally and I may well take these further in the future. I usually let the future present itself now and so we shall have to wait and see. I think of the future as my 'Christmas morning' when I get to open all the lovely presents from Father Christmas. Lucky me!
Until tomorrow. xx Picture is of a flower order I did for a customer yesterday and I loved it so much I wanted to keep it. I didn't, of course! xx
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