Over on my art blog, michellerumney.com, I recently started a great 12 week self-coaching program called The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. It’s aimed at blocked or recovering artists, writers and creatives but as we’re all Creative, Resourceful and Whole, I think it would benefit anyone who follows it. I’m now in week 3 – Recovering a Sense of Power.

Here’s a great exercise for working out what core beliefs you carry around deep in your mind that just might be holding you back from achieving the success you know you’re capable of. So, the next 20 minute window you get, sit down and do this;

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.”

How Much Do You Love Yourself?

(thanks to Alexandra Jaye for sharing this video on her fab My Goddess Life blog/site).

Of all the things Bob Proctor taught in a 3-Day seminar I attended in London last summer, one that’s stuck with me most is his attitude towards himself – he loves and accepts himself 100%. How cool is that? Paul Martinelli tells a story about traveling with Bob and walking through a section of an airport where there was a huge wall, all mirror. Bob walked right up to it and kissed his own reflection ‘mua, mua, mua, I love you so much!’ and not a bit embarrassed when everyone else stopped and stared. That’s 100%.

Friday. WomenWorks’ local monthly meeting. Beautiful setting right on the ocean. (thanks Viv!) Sunshine. 16 Women. One presenter: Fiona Akers, looking gorgeous as usual. For an hour, she entertained us and got us thinking about the way we all communicate with each other, specifically, on how we can improve our communication skills using 3 simple colours.

Fiona, with her many years of experience in management and working with teams, maintains that the problems many of us encounter in our dealings with others are often due to the style of communication – the way we say things – rather than what we are saying, and that style is down to our personality type.

Last night, we had some terrible news. Yesterday, our 6 year old son’s teacher, Juan, left school early – he went home, jumped from the 5th floor and died. The school is closed today. Everyone is in shock.

And all I have is questions.

Why?

Why?

Why?

How does an adult make sense of someone’s suicide, let alone a child? Was he so desperately unhappy? Lonely? Imbalanced? Unloved? Unfulfilled? Angry? Frustrated? Did he need a ‘reason’? Was it a call for help? A statement? A communication? Was it a negation? Was life so meaningless? So pointless? So unbearable?

Thanks to Brian and his team at Philosopher’s Notes for these great books full of inspirations. Get your Wisdom On!

You reap what you sow….

1. “Whenever you feel ‘short’ or in ‘need’ of something, give what you want first and it will come back in buckets. That is true for money, a smile, love, friendship. I know it is often the last thing a person may want to do, but it has always worked for me. I just trust that the principle of reciprocity is true, and I give what I want.”
   Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert t. Kiyosaki

Smile and the world smiles with you, but laugh in the wrong place or in the wrong context and the world may just get a little upset.

This week I’ve upset TheO, our four year old son, twice by making this error ‘it’s not funny mama!’ he said as I laughed when he did something cute, and off he went, all upset and cross, thinking that I was laughing at him, rather than what I thought I was doing, which was laughing with the pure pleasure of watching a child do things their own way. Laughter of Delight, I’d call it.

Oh, those fab Philosopher’s Notes! A dose of these a day really gets my thinking into the right gear (thanks Brian!)…

Our youngest son, TheO, celebrates his 4th birthday tomorrow and, aware of treasuring those precious childhood moments while they’re actually here, I’ve been watching him all week getting excited about it all… and still being 3.

Blissfully unaware of any possible limitations, he thinks Big naturally. He climbed onto the biggest rock at the beach (and then couldn’t get down), he insisted on joining in with his older brother’s music class though he’s two years too young to go, and he takes charge of us regularly, even though he’s the youngest and smallest member of the family, telling us all where to sit or what to do and taking care of everyone.