Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls -- Joseph Campbell

So many people spend their days moaning, complaining, criticizing, gossiping, blaming.

We seem to connect a lot of things that happen to us to outside circumstances:

- My colleague prevents me from doing my job properly
- My partner makes me feel like shit
- My parent's upbringing is responsible for my depression
etc.
- If only I were thinner, then I would find a boyfriend and I'd be happy.

But it's all a question of attitude really.

If you think these things prevent you from being happy and successful, then you are right.
If your mind accepts that you are a victim, then you are.
If you make others responsible for your happiness, then they are.

And as Oprah so rightly says 'We teach people how to treat us'. So if we behave like a victim, we become one and people will treat us like one.

If however, we choose to decide that we will just use such walls in our life to learn from them, to change our outlook on them, to change our attitude and behavior towards them, then these walls will become doors.

What is it that makes you itch about your colleague? And why? Often our reactions say more about ourselves than they do about other people.

We cannot change other people, we can only change ourselves and our attitude towards them.

Sometimes that means speaking up, confronting, fighting.
Sometimes that means being happy despite the behavior, because we realize it is not that important.
Sometimes it means breaking up, looking for another job, moving away.

Sometimes it simply means you have to change a little thing and things start shifting.

Sometimes the easiest way to fight the negative is to surround yourself with lots of positive.

Look around you. What bothers you? What drains your energy? Do you know why?

Do you know how to switch from a complaining victim attitude to an action taking attitude?

What can you do today to make a little shift?

Read more...

A picture of you

Have you ever been asked to provide a picture of what you consider to be your passion/hobby?

Would you consider this an easy task?

I came across so many questions and thoughts:

• a picture is something defining
• one picture is limiting
• how much do I want to show?
• will people know it's me when they see this?

So below is ME. Or at least a big part of me.

I decided to provide a mosaic using the Mosaic Maker:

Go to Flickr.
Type your hobbies into Flickr Search.
Use only the first page of results, and pick one image.
Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Big Huge Lab’s Mosaic Maker to create a mosaic of the picture answers.

Show me your mosaic:

Photo credits:

1. Let your creativity grow!, 2. Color Me!, 3. the 'i got a new camera' shot, 4. Acoustic Guitar, 5. Roadwork girls, 6. Lime & Teal, 7. write me a letter..., 8. Winding Road!, 9. Just another Saturday morning.

Read more...

Departed

Is it the time of year?
Or why is death so near?

Leaves are falling,
the earth is calling.

The sun is not bright anymore,
rain and fog have the winning score.

The trees look faint,
there is no color to paint.

Those who are sick get weak,
prognosis seems bleak.

Leaves fall and return in spring,
people go and just leave an empty swing.

It balances with each souvenir,
of the person we have held so dear.

A moment spent happy with laughter,
never to be forgotten thereafter.

(c) Mindful Mimi - November 2009

Thanks to for prompting this poem on the theme of Departed.

Read more...

True happiness comes from the joy of deeds well done, the zest of creating things new -- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The last few days I have been very creative painting. To the point that there are paint stains on my nice white keyboard :-)

In line with a painting I did a while ago, below is the result of recent creative outpour.

And here is a painting done by my sons today.

Read more...