The Art of being Organised

Image courtesy of www.present&correct.com Over the last while I have slowly, and I mean very very slowly, been getting things organised again. It feels like it all just slid away over the last few months and despite some half attempts to put it right it just never felt sorted. So today, having found myself awake since 4am due to fits of coughing as a sticky cold and throat infection loses it's grip, I am finding an energy returning. It feels alien, and yet it feels oh so good. So one of the first things I tend to do in a bid to organise my space, is to change my space. This can have mixed results and takes effort. Luckily the heavy lifting and moving about occurred before the cold, so at least that moving chore is over and done with. What did get left aside was a massive pile of papers, tons of pencils and oversized folders with no home. As an artist, it is amazing how much paper you can accumulate and it really takes time to go through and edit it down properly. Some bits of paper are throw away scribbles and warm ups, but there are some gems that help you see your progress and development, and my version of tidy can sometimes mean chucking everything. In my early morning internet browse I came across this site called www.present&correct.com. It was like a rainbow shone straight into my room and onto the screen. It is a nerdtastic site for all things to do with being organised. One item in particular is what has sparked this new revolution to set my files in order. It is the tiered pencil case which holds 4 levels of compartments and keeps things in their place. It spoke to me and reminded me how much calmer and balanced I am when my space is in order. That goes for the files on my computer too, they're in need of a revamp and the hard drive wouldn't mind the clean up probably. So in light of my return to some energy, I am aiming to clean, organise and put files in order. Perhaps it might be good use of your time to look around and see what mess you're putting up with. What drain on your energy is occurring that could be fixed with some time and attention? What type of space are you working in right now? Is it clean, clear and uncluttered? Do you know what's on your PC? All I do know is that there is an art to being organised, and it is worth practising it.

Holistic Fair, Kettle Hotel, Swords

Just a heads up that Katie Burtons Flower Remedies will be featuring at the above event, and will be promoting a range of remedies as well as other products infused with various remedies. I highly recommend that you take some time to go visit this if you can, as it looks like it's going to be a really varied and interesting fair. You can check out her facebook page here - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Flower-Remedies/143670662390938 and her website is www.flowerremedies.ie (for some reason bloggers links are not working so please copy and paste links into your browser)

What are you forgetting about yourself?

As we get older and more responsibility appears at our feet, it is very easy to start sacrificing aspects of what you do or enjoy in order to get other tasks done. I can only imagine what this must feel like having a family to contend with as childrens needs will almost always come first.
One thing that interests me however, is how certain aspects of ourselves are dropped without us even knowing it. When was the last time you read a good book or listened to your favourite music? How much would you consider this a frivolous time waste or a luxury of spending time in a way that you don't have?
It amazes me how many times we allow this to happen, until one day we wake up so to speak, and find ourselves with a lost sense of self. It happens. It then takes effort to revisit what made us excited about the world, and in doing this we see how many small pockets of joy we discarded in order to look after someone else or just get the job done.
I've attached a link which reminded me very strongly of the importance of retaining aspects of ourselves that bring us joy. In this case it is music, and the simple act of hearing some songs that were from a mans youth, puts him back in that state of happiness.
It's very easy to let things slide and give up joyous things unconsciously. It's even more important to salvage these jems and ensure they're part of your every day being so you remember who you really are.
LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKDXuCE7LeQ (and if that doesn't work check out the side bar for the youtube video of 'Old Man in nursing home reacts to music from his era'.

My Tree is NOT for sale

(Image taken from http://coilltefarmforestryinvest.ie/Coillte_Investment_Schemes/146)

Facebook is normally a good place to catch up with friends while avoiding some hard work...but this morning I found a message calling me to join a cause in relation to Trees.

Ireland used to be full of wonderful green trees which unfortunately were not kept as a valuable part of our country. They were in the way of ESB poles & housing estates...removed in the name of progress.

In the period of growth brought on by the Celtic Tiger, mindless culling of trees to make way for dull, souless apartment blocks or toytown housing estates became something of a sore point for me. I felt helpless watching it and also felt decidedly heartbroken as some of the trees being cut down could have been avoided.

Our remaining forests and woodlands are currently being used as currency by the government. In 2000 the people of Ireland were given a tree to celebrate the Millenium. Now it appears that this gift is being taken back.

On this occassion I don't want to roll over and play dead about it. I want my tree to remain in place, with its roots firmly in the soil and with it's branches providing a home possibly to any number of creatures.
So today I'm asking people to go visit http://www.causes.com/causes/654077-my-tree-is-not-for-sale/about and if possible JOIN.

Being able to take a stand on this when so much of what has happened in this country feels like its beyond your control or grasp, makes me feel good. IT's a small stand, granted..but it is still a stand.

I want to see a positive impact from this cause because, well simply put...
I LOVE TREES.

Flower Remedies

(image taken from www.google.ie)

Over the years I've tried a number of different approaches to helping oneself heal or mend from various things life throws at you. These curveballs can be serious humdingers if I do say so myself and can knock you off balance in a small or very big way.
During these stressful periods, I've found aromatherapy and flower remedies to be a great help. You may be familiar with rescue remedy, it's more well known and seems to be a cover all distresses type of mix.
In the past year I've begun to use the help of specialists in these fields. Prior to this it was more of a self diagnosis using online sites such as Back Flower remedies. From various descriptions you'd figure out the best flower for the distress and then buy an independent batch of it.
I'm finding it much more productive to go to a specialist in the field though. Having someone familiar with flower properties and someone that create a remedy tailored for your own needs at that time, is invaluable. It is something that I now put down on my list as 'self care' instead of it being a luxury indulgence.
Luckily enough I have a specialist in my locality who is absolutely brilliant at her job, Katie Burton, and she runs the http://www.flowerremedies.ie locally.
The difference it has made to my own mental health and wellbeing is definitely measureable for me. Katie also uses Reiki to assist with balancing your energy to facilitate healing which combined with the flower remedies is a powerful combination.
For me personally, knowing that I was allowing my mind and body to process difficult emotions and release them safely with the assistance of properties from a mix of flowers, really helped the healing process of working through grief in many ways.
Many people may shy away from such options and consider them too far out, but the healing properties of flowers and herbs isn't something made up in the last decade or so. I feel it is more a return to a wise way of operating, using nature to restore balance in body and mind. It is defintely something I recommend you at least give a shot once in your life. :)

I need a montage!

(image taken from http://www.allfamousquotes.net/stress-quotes/)

Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.
~Chinese Proverb

So this is a week full of interesting challenges to say the least. A recent return to study has presented me with a variety of little mountains to climb in the last while. Learning new programmes and catching up with new technology linked with the course has been testing in between fighting my own demons around study.
I'm not unfamiliar with deadlines, but had forgotten about the level of stress that can occur in those headless chicken moments! Just when you think you're moving forward and ticking the box of getting something done, you get feedback. Sometimes it's not easy to hear it but you've gotta hear it. So this week was the feedback of 'bin it'. Knowing and admitting when something isn't working is good. You know when you've put your best foot forward, and deep down you know when you haven't. Sometimes you present things dressed up as your best effort, when really it's a job finished fast to just get it done.
What feedback shows is that people care enough to actually take the time to call you out on this. They can see it isn't your best work or that you're nearly there with the idea but just have to tweak it.
It's reassuring to know there are people in your life that are happy to do this. In case you've come across a similar situation, here are some questions that you can always ask yourself. Although I wouldn't consider my situation a 'hard time', the 3 questions by Deepak Chopra do help to get your head straight and get out of the ego mindset:
1. Is this a problem I should fix, put up with or walk away from?
2. Who can I consult who has solved the same problem successfully?
3. How can I reach deeper into myself for solutions?

It's probably best that you go visit the site to read the questions and Deepaks response in it's proper context. Either way, they're great questions to use to regroup and refocus to move you away from feeling sorry for yourself and into taking positive action.

(Copy and paste the link -http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Deepak-Chopra-Advice-Handling-Hard-Times)

Understanding Emotions

(image courtesy of http://wiaob.blogspot.com/)

Oprahs site can be unbelievably hard to navigate through as there are so many links and brilliant bits to read it's easy to end up far from the original page you wanted to view!
Subscribing cuts this problem out to some degree. So this week I found a brilliant article in my emails from the site about understanding your emotions surrounding reaching for your dreams.
As a coach, when setting goals for myself or with a client, the focus can be more placed on motivating and maintaining a positive frame of reference to get to the end. Via this article however, the flip side of this was examined. It made for some really thought provoking reading!
What really struck me is how often people, myself included, just won't LET themselves get what they want. They have the goal, they go for it, and then they stop short. They give it a shot but perhaps don't fully succeed, then the goal/dream is left alone with citings of valid reasons for why it wasn't meant to be.
So by falling short or giving up, what emotions are we resisting or dodging? Even when it gets hard, what are we most scared of and what are we avoiding?
There are 4 approaches to dealing with it, and I recommend giving it a shot (copy link to go to the page - http://www.oprah.com/spirit/How-to-Reach-Your-Dreams-Understanding-Your-Emotions/3).
It can be really refreshing to sit with yourself in honest conversation and greet the fearful emotions that hold you back. It may not result in you rocket launching yourself into your goals but it does lighten the load and get you moving again.

Seek truth and you will find a path. ~Frank Slaughter

We do not err because truth is difficult to see. It is visible at a glance. We err because this is more comfortable. ~Alexander Solzhenitsyn