I’m in love.

I thought I was in love with a particular colour and design combo but I am really just in love with the design.

I’m in love with the MOJO Monday Sketch from week 103.

I have made up a few cards with this design and as I look at them displayed around the craft room, I find a SMILE crossing my face. 

After having success with a Card Map design, I rediscovered my Enthusiasm for card sketches and chose a new one, from the MOJO Monday range, for last week’s Stampin’ Afternoon with the Girls.  My favourite Designer Series Paper, from the Annual Catalog was Floral District.  The combination ~ Fabulous!

Another Mother’s Day Card ~ FABULOUS Colours!!: Rich Razzleberry, Baja Breeze (soon to be retired) and Daffodil Delight … Mm Mmm.

A new colour combo ~ Rich Razzleberry, Lucky Limeade and Daffodil Delight ~ with my favourite “Sassy Salutations” stamp set.

A variation on the Razzleberry/Daffodil/Limeade combo with a trim of my all time favourite ribbon (since retired): Rich Razzleberry Polka Dots.  This one is my favourite so far …

And then, I needed some cards for a couple of men so came up with this fabulous combination: Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie and Rose Red.  Josh said they weren’t very ‘male’ but when I told him who they were for, he agreed – Great Choice.  I’m calling this my ‘sensitive new age guy’ combination.

A Sassy Salutations Cupcake Birthday, using the Cupcake Builder punch …

And, my other all time favourite stamp set, “Friendly Phrases” with the awesomely fabulous Owl Builder Punch.  This card is my favourite.  Not sure if it’s the colour combo ~ I LOVE it! ~ or the Owl ~ I LOVE it! ~ or the button ~ I LOVE it! ~ or the sentiment ~ I LOVE it! ~ or just the whole lot together!!  It just ‘pops’ and is a bright spot on my shelf.

How much fun can one card sketch bring?  LOTS!

Enthusiasm blog post #9.

Nature. In all her glory.

Well … maybe not ‘all’ her glory but certainly the colourful parts!

Autumn Foliage ~ Marysville, Victoria

Red Flowering Gum ~ Dubbo, NSW

Beautiful Shapes at the Beach ~ Queensland

Sun Setting ~ over the Golden Highway, NSW

Butterfly ~ overlooking the Yarra River, Victoria

Maybe, I need to say that JOY Is … COLOUR because I am also Very Enthusiastic about Shades of Colour and Hue … These photos are just what I keep in my “JOY Express” folder, for Pleasure.

Ahh.

JOY Is … That Which Brings Me Pleasure.

Enthusiasm blog post #8

Do you ever have “WOW” days?  They’re the days when everything which crosses your awareness is simply ‘Wow’ in essence, message and energy.

I had one, yesterday.  From the first moment I turned on my computer to check Facebook and Emails over my morning cuppa through to late afternoon, each part of the day brought a Gift of Acknowledgement or Wonder or Awareness or Appreciation or Love.  It really was the Most Inspiring and Humbling Day I have had.

I was gifted with the return of an old friendship connection.

I was gifted with incredible praise and appreciation.

I was gifted with clarity and awareness.

I was gifted with INCREDIBLE Happy Mail.

I was gifted with the Sharing of Love.

I wondered how and why those things came to pass ~ as you do!    I had some Kickass Clarity the day before, felt some ‘old’ attitudes/patterns of thinking change for the better, and experienced some freedom of thought that was refreshing.  The Law of Attraction took care of the rest.

What you put in, you get out.  Simple.

This was what I shared on Gentle Warriors, last night …

So, I am.

I was laying in bed, last night, wondering if I had run out of ENTHUSIASM posts to share and thinking that after sharing what’s inspired me and Brought Me JOY I was about to start repeating my stories.  Then, I got up this morning and JOY has been drifting down upon me like a misty rain filled with rainbows.  ENTHUSIASM is alive and well in the world of Michelle!

Today’s Fat Mum Slim prompt is “Need”.  Immediately, I thought: ‘I need to read‘.  So, my photo today is what I am reading.  In turn, that brought into clarity my ‘need’ to read in 2013.  I am So Glad I created a Pinterest Board to keep track of the books I’ve read, this year, as now it’s getting harder to remember them all.  I have totally, thoroughly enJOYed exploring new genres ~ I used to be a hardcore thriller/action reader with a few historical fiction books thrown in for variety.  Now, I am immersing myself in Romance and Erotic Fiction (since discovering Sylvia Day!) and, amazingly, a ‘thirst’ for Vampires.

Riding on the skirts of Being Enthuisastic, here are some of the photos I have enJOYed sharing, during the May Photo-A-Day Challenge set by Chantelle from Fat Mum Slim:

Day 14 ~ Need

Day 13 ~ Sunrise/Sunset

One of the most inspiring experiences I had on our recent Road Trip through NSW was watching the sun setting.

Day 11 ~ A Smile

With my Gorgeous Friend, Jenny, at my Past Lives Workshop.

Day 10 ~ Stars

I use different coloured Sticky Notes, in different shapes, for organisation.

Day 9 ~ A Snack

Food to inspire a disinterested eater!

Day 7 ~ Something Beginning with “F”

My Fingers!

I’m enJOYing the mental and creative challenge of finding a photo each day which represents Chantelle’s prompt and loving the ENTHUSIASM I feel for seeing my world through ‘different’ eyes.  I also love that a bunch of Gorgeous Folk on Motivational Magic are ‘playing’, too.  It’s a fun way to share little pieces of ourselves in an ‘enthusiastic’ group.   

Thank You, Fat Mum Slim!

Enthusiasm blog post #7

Book number 5 for the month and already, having only finished it a couple of hours ago, I am ready to re-read.

I’ve been exploring the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of the books I’m reading: “what” attracts me to this genre and “why” do some books speak to my soul more than others.

The only answer I have come up with, for now, is that they meet a need in me which is not being met in any other way.  I really like ‘real’ books, those which explore relationships as if we are living through the eyes of the character as well.  Ok, at the moment, I am very swayed by Romance Fiction and Erotic Fiction and I think that’s because they are ‘neat’ and ‘tidy’ and semi-predictable as well as exciting.  They are completely OUT of my everyday life.  Which is only a problem when I read a book like “Slave to Sensation” and it overwhelms me to the degree that it is going onto my MUST READ AGAIN list. 

This book has Changelings, Psy, romance; it has story and adventure which are sensual and evocative.  The leading man is GORGEOUS (like “Gideon Cross” Gorgeous!) and the leading lady is strong, if supposedly broken.  It’s not predictable nor tedious.  I did have to close the book up tight a couple of times so I could have a moment to Catch My Breath.

Thank You, Nalini Singh!  LOVED it!

I love, love, love the reading I am indulging, this year!  I LOVE that I have found my JOY for Reading, again!  I Love that everyso often, in the middle of a pile of ‘random’ books, one just JUMPS OUT at me and captures me entirely.     FanTasTic!

Enthusiasm blog post #6

I find it interesting how the Signs around me all seem to ‘point’ in the same direction, or at the same thing.  This morning, TRANSFORMATION is the card I drew for Gentle Warriors and within moments, there were 3 or 4 other comments or happenings which supported the message that today is literally about Change!  Love that! 

Of course, signs are all in ‘the eye of the beholder’, in this case MY eye.    Paying attention to messages from the Universe seems to be a good practice in which to engage – and each time I do ‘engage’ I realise that I would benefit from doing it more.

I’m reading “The 4-Hour Work Week” by Timothy Ferriss; the current chapter is all about Productivity.  My life’s theme appears to be all about Productivity, too.  When I get the Transformation message, as well, I know change is afoot. 

I am also currently attending a Productivity Boot Camp, once a week, through an online webinar.  How fascinating that in this week’s session we were exploring how to become More Productive and that is partially supported by the book I’m reading.

Interestingly, having done my next Medicine Wheel One Year Layout for June ’13-May’14, the theme for the year is ADVENTURE.  This is a big ‘change up’ for me and very much supported by the approach to life shared by Tim Ferris and by the Productivity Boot Camp webinars.

Signs, abound!

So, I am immersing myself in this world of Efficiency and Effectiveness.  I have stepped out of ‘complacency’ mode – that’s the space I end up in when I stay in ‘one place’ for too long – and opened the door to a world filled with options.  All of the learning I am doing is sharing the same message: Change It Up, Step Up, Get Off Your Butt, Be the Best Me I Can Be.

As is the way, that is exactly the message I have shared with clients, this week.  Hmm.  Looking in the mirror and seeing the same wisdom needing to be applied to myself.

Statements from Tim Ferriss’ book jump off the page at me: “Being busy is a form of laziness – lazy thinking and indiscriminate action.” (p. 75)  Oh My God!  That describes my life!  I am always busy!   If I am not busy physically, I am busy in my head either feeling guilty or creating new ‘must do’ lists.     Definitely time to Change Things Up!

The Productivity Boot Camp webinar shared a simple and easy plan to follow for Effective Productivity: Organise Your Space, Business Plan, Organise Your Time, Prioritise To do List, and Accountability.   I did like the way John Sanpietro made it clear and simple.  I didn’t really like finding that I am not as efficient nor as effective as I thought I was.    Yet … I did like the clarity I received about this and the inspiration which allowed me to feel motivated rather than complacent!

My intention, now, is to work out just how resistant I am to change … how to Be More Effective in my business/busy-ness/life … and to test out how I can Have-My-Cake-And-Eat-It-Too by applying the principles of the 4-Hour Work Week. 

Watch this Space!

I am really enJOYing ENTHUSIASM month!   Everything around me seems Brighter and More Dynamic, at the moment, and I am sure that’s because I have fully embraced the energy of ENTHUSIASM, my final month’s theme of this Medicine Wheel Journey.

It is definitely easier to feel Enthusiastic when I am playing with paper which is filled with colours I really LOVE.  The Floral District Designer Series Paper has been my most favourite of the SU! Annual Catalog’s options, this year.  The Rich Razzleberry/Baja Breeze colours of this card, my most, most favourite.

Have you noticed how much easier it is to be Enthusiastic when you are Inspired?  Have you noticed how Being Inspired encourages the Feelings of Enthusiasm?

I always enJOY creating a card from someone else’s design.  My current design-of-choice is Mojo Monday Sketch #103 … once I had worked out proportions the card came together really easily.  The hardest part was choosing which design to use for the central block!  Of course, Mother’s Day has made that easier ~ Flowers!

Another part I enJOY about making cards is creating a beautiful insert for the inside of the card.  I love the idea that the beauty on the front of the card is continued through to the inside. Sometimes, I am less inspired (less ‘enthusiastic’! ) when I get to the inside and only do a simple insert.  This time, I was enJOYing playing with the colours and the patterns so added a little more …  Really, the combination of Baja Breeze, Rich Razzleberry and Daffodil Delight is simply gorgeous!

Finally, in some ways I think the envelope is the Most Important part of the card making process.  This is the part seen by most people, so I love the idea of Sharing a little Moment of JOY with the postal service people, too.  With this particular envelope, the postie gets flowers, as well!

The gift of Being Enthusiastic is stimulated by FABULOUS product which all coordinates ~ from Stampin’ Up! ~ and awesome ideas from people who love to Design Sketches ~ Mojo Monday ~ and that in turn allows me to SHARE My JOY for Making a Difference in people’s lives.  How wonderful is it to go to your letterbox and find something so creative and beautiful inside?  I know I love receiving Happy Mail …

I am totally lovin’ ENTHUSIASM month!

Enthusiasm blog post #5

It’s a really cold and crisp morning, here.  Wow!  I’m sure the temperature has dropped a couple of degrees since I got up!  As I sit at my desk, I can look out to the garden and see my beautiful marigolds shining golden splotches of colour in an otherwise cold looking vista.  Today, I have chosen Marigolds for my focus on Mother Earth and Celebrating Mothers Week.

This week is all about Sharing Love with the prompt of Mother’s Day, next weekend.  I wanted to think about what the broader aspect of “Mother’s Day” was rather than focusing on the commercial application.  I have mixed feelings about this celebration; I think that’s because my mother shared mixed feelings about it with me when I was growing up.  Now, I can’t really get clear about what Mother’s Day means to me. 

Having spoken with a lot of mums around me, I have noticed that they don’t really take credit for the amazing kids they have raised.  My sense is that the token gift or incredibly big gift doesn’t always convey the message that we mums need to hear and take on board: we are doing the best job we can!

So, I decided that I want to Share the Love, this week.  And, I extended the challenge to Motivational Magic.  There are several people all focused on Sharing Love throughout the week leading up to Mother’s Day with me, and it’s FUN!  Today, I explored the history of Giving Flowers ~ really interesting and traditionally more meaning was conveyed than we probably are aware of in our giving of flowers now.  That’s been a bit of fun learning!

I am making Affirmation Cards to send out.  There are a bunch for the mothers I want to acknowledge and another bunch for Sharing Love and connecting with Mother Earth.  Basically, I just want to Make A Difference, this week, and I’m springboarding off the Mother’s Day energy.  I love Sharing JOY (in case you didn’t already know that! ) and one of the things I have noticed Making a Difference is Positive, Uplifting Happy Mail.   A byproduct of Sharing JOY with others in mind is the ENTHUSIASM I experience when I am Creating Something.  Just having pieces of paper with beautiful colours and patterns on them, brings me immense JOY.  Focusing on ENTHUSIASM, this month, gives me the freedom to indulge in JOYful activities.  All round, it’s a fabulous week to be Celebrating Mothers and Mother Earth!

This is definitely ENTHUSIASM post number 3 because I am Very Enthusiastic about the AMAZING comments I have received from my Gorgeous Friends regarding my foray into The Kickass Life World!

The interview I did with David Wood is now LIVE and ready for your Listening Pleasure!

Here are some of the comments my Gorgeous Friends shared …

I just finished listening to this…fing amazing, I loved it, you kickass Michelle and you do it beautifully x ~ Michelle

Michelle, you are inspiring, a great interviewer and a moving motivator!!!! So proud of your interview. You kicked ass with your listening intensity and sling shot responses. Know this… the world is a better place because you chose to turn around rather than fall down, you climb the mountain of negativity with ease and you are there to lend a hand to those who wish to join you. I have a big space in my heart for you. Move over David, Michelle is coming!! xxx ~ Melva

Just listened to your interview….. You are a NATURAL! So when are you starting up your own podcast for Everyone to listen to, “what’s the name of your show”? Well done, so so so happy for you hun! ~ Amalia

Michelle, you are absolutely amazing. I am so proud of you. I LOVE how you listen, and how spot on your questions are, and how you guide the interview. I’m usually not a fan of David’s podcast, because he trails off and talks about himself too much, but this one I thoroughly enjoyed thanks to YOU. x ~ Lilli

THANK YOU!  Thanks to all those who have listened and to David Wood for the opportunity.

I heard mention, last week, the idea that every experience someone was having was “ticking a box”.  Not sure where or when I heard it.  This morning, it drifted back into my awareness as I was contemplating my day.  Exploring it as an Approach For Adventurous Living I noticed that it sat very comfortably with me.  I think I am going to adopt this awareness and concept of ‘ticking boxes’.

One of the things I spend vast amounts of time thinking about is ‘what next’.   I like to understand where I am at now and how I am feeling/why I am feeling that way.  At this stage of my life, I have a foot in two worlds: one is still firmly in my role as ‘at home mum’ while the other has begun to step forward into the next ‘world’ of ‘no dependents’.  It’s this new world which occupies most of my thoughts ~ what does it look like and ‘how’ do I do it?

If I think about all the things I have experienced and the influences I have explored, the idea of Every Experience ‘ticking a box’ allows me to feel that I am living an adventurous life.  That’s not how I see things, normally.     Over the years of being a mum, I have seen the world through the eyes of living from my home, within my home, within the small world filled with children/school/husband and routine.  I have been living in a very full yet ‘small’ pond.  That was ok because I didn’t have the confidence or self-esteem to be any more than a Great Fish in a very small and contained reality/pond.

Now, I am older and wiser and more experienced.  And, I want more experiences.  I am unsure about ‘how’ that looks or will pan out, going forward … 

Over the last few weeks, I have been exploring the idea that perception colours my forward momentum.  My first world, that of ‘At Home Mum’, is very inwardly focused.  The kids, the house, the gym, Facebook, blogging, Gentle Warriors ~ all things which are neat and tidy and familiar.  If I turn my awareness outwards a whole new reality and perception becomes available and visible.

Which brings me to the idea of Every Experience Ticks A Box.  I didn’t know I had boxes that could be ‘ticked’ until I heard that idea, last week.  Now that the seed has been sown, I have looked back at some of the things I have done which seem quite ‘momentous’ in hindsight.  One of those is taking Kels to Adelaide, last year, and having the experience of attending a Dream Catcher Workshop and doing a Bus
Tour of the City.  One of my favourite memories is the hour we spent in the State Library ~ my second capital city library experience and one which has captured a corner of my heart as being a place I felt very comfortable being in.  That ticks a box I didn’t know I had.  A bright spot in my memory.

Today, I consciously begin my Forward Journey with a sense of Adventure (my theme for the upcoming year).  This is a New Awareness for me.  It’s liberating and exciting and comes with tingly sensations in my heart and gut.  Even better, my awareness has shifted.  I can have a life filled with experiences with ease.  Each one of those contributes to my learning and wellbeing and sense of ‘me’, simply by thinking about Ticking the Box … 100 Things (at least!) to Do, Be and Have in my lifetime!

Adelaide State Library ~ September 2012