Did you know that the average life expectancy for your children is approximately 10 years shorter than your own? Here, in this passionately delivered TED talk, Jamie Oliver shares his perspective on what’s happening right here, right now all over the Western world – parents, schools, society – we are feeding children with food that ultimately will damage their bodies and affect their health. And it’s happening all over.

Two years ago, my cousin died – her body just couldn’t take any more. They had to get special equipment in to lift her body out of her home into the hearse to take her to the funeral home. When she was buried, she took up two plots rather than one. She was 42.

Facts About Projection from Studiocanoe on Vimeo.

What a lovely film – someone who truly loves doing what they do…thank-you Tem.

Do you love what you’re doing so much you’d make a short film about it??

Over on my art blog michellerumney.com, I just turned the page to Week 4  - Developing a Sense of Integrity of the 12 week Artist’s Way program. Snoozily reading my way through this week’s chapter last night, I reached the end of the chapter and thought – “that sounds like a pretty easy week – there aren’t so many exercises as last week… all you have to do this week is “Reading Deprivation” – that just means to not read anything… that sounds ok…” … and then I went to sleep.

This week I seem to be aware of about ten different paths or programs or challenges or number of days that I could be joining in with, to benefit myself as a human being and also the readers of this blog and the participants in my workshops and groups. They range from the Philosopher’s Notes 50 Day Challenge, to Escaping Mediocrity’s 30 Days to Changing Your Game to Darren Rowse’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog (that I’ve been on and off doing for ages – Darren, it’s brilliant – maybe I just don’t want it to end!).

My post yesterday, where I talked about Shadow Artists was, of course, only one version of ‘my story’ – a story of struggle and what was missing. The way we tell our personal stories – to others and to ourselves – has a great impact on how we go forward in our lives; whether that story is empowering or whether it keeps us stuck in an endless loop, doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over.

Are you doing what you love? Something that you’ve dreamed of doing? longed for?

Or are you doing something close – in the same industry but a different role, in a field which gets near to, but isn’t actually what you’d like to have done?

How close are you to the Big Hairy Audacious thing you’d LOVE to be doing? (not necessarily the thing you think you can do or should do)

Are you indeed a shadow xxxxx?
(insert your dream you eg. artist, photographer, actor, surgeon, politician, journalist…)

We had fun in my Writers Group this week – we each did our own Annual Review! Yes, I know ‘fun’ and ‘annual review’ aren’t usually words that go in the same sentence. But hey, Chris Guillebeau from The Art of Non-Conformity is at the heart of this one, so they do!

"Transforming The Light" oil on canvas - work in progress

Not only was it fun, but the process was surprising and really useful too. Chris does a review every year at this time – he doesn’t wait until the New Year to look forward and make plans for what’s ahead. Last night in my monthly New Moon Energy call with Donna Heath, I learnt some more reasons why this part of December is a great time to plot the year ahead.

Playing The Prosperity Game last night, (Day 60 – woo-hoo!) I came across this quote from Abraham-Hicks and thought it was so pertinent and uplifting that I’d spread the joy! Have a great week everyone!!

“You just have to be who you are. The best you can do is be certain that you are connected to your Source Energy, and let everybody else figure it out for themselves. Some of them will adore you, some of them will hate you — and none of it has anything to do with you. Choose what feels good to you and leave everybody else to choose what they want. Don’t spend any time saying, “They should choose differently and they’d feel better.” Instead say, “They’re choosing whatever they’re choosing; I’m choosing what I’m choosing, and I’m feeling good while I’m choosing it.” And let that be the end of it.”

Sonia Choquette works her magic in this wonderful workshop on Spirit. Sonia has her audience singing, breathing and raising their vibrational levels. She explains the 6th sense, living as a creator, listening to your spirit, emptying the brain and the differences between the 4 chambers of the heart.

Ideally, watch this with someone else so that you can join in the exercises – become a Diver and a Container to be able to hear your True Purpose…
Sonia asks; What is your best creation in your life so far? please share your comments…

Last night brought us a New Moon and with it new energy. I’ve been doing a monthly energy call with Donna Heath, a wonderful astrologer who I interviewed in the Journey’s series earlier this year. (click here to listen to our call). Donna described this moon’s Scorpio energy as one in which, as the days become shorter than the nights, is good to use to look inwards – into the dark recesses of our minds and souls…

“Don’t wait to figure it out – start…
You can’t go wrong here, because there’s power in just getting going. Do something… You can’t make a mistake here – just get on, like live, come alive!”

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Hoorah, I posted my first little YouTube/Blip.tv extravaganza today – a clip from the interview I did with the fab Brian Johnson from Philosophers Notes – sooo much fun – thanks Bri!! combined with a whirlwhind visual overview of all 100 titles…

and for fun, here’s a question for you!!