This was in my letterbox.

A BEAUTIFUL GIFT from two BEAUTIFUL WOMEN.

I am experiencing GREAT JOY … and feeling Immense Gratitude.

Thank you, Trudi!  Thank you, Kylee!

I’m inspired by the Builder Owl Punch.  Love it!  Loved having the moment of inspiration, last week, when I created the centre image for my Mojo Monday 103 card with the Owl and now I have changed it up a little and used it for my Thank You cards. 

As well as loving the Owl character, I have revisited my stash of patterned papers and reconnected with the JOY Real Red polka dots brings!  A simple Thank You note can look striking with the smallest amount of effort.  Ok, the Owl building was a bit time consuming and I really don’t like working with ‘glue’   but the outcome is absolutely worth it!

Then, because my ENTHUSIASM was high, I made some more Owls …

… and I decorated the envelopes, too (I think that might have become my almost favourite part!) … because I could.

In fact, I think I get Most Pleasure from decorating envelopes!  I love how easy it is and how the WOW factor of the handmade card is highlighted. 

Thanks Stampin’ Up!

Enthusiasm blog post #11.

Can you be Enthusiastic about things that really p*ss you off?      

Probably not …

But, I wanted to write about something which allows me to feel ENTHUSIASM and for the life of me all the things which came up were situations which irritate me.  I do feel strongly and passionately about a bunch of them; that in turn made me wonder if I can experience “Reverse Enthusiasm“?

I guess not.

Maybe, though, if I ‘air my grievances’ I will find my Enthusiasm, again.  What do you think?  [I confess that I am connecting with my Enthusiastic self, already! ]

Scroll down if you really don’t want to hear about the things which p*ss me off …

Things which really annoy me (ok, the feelings of Enthusiasm are beginning to filter through … don’t need to use “p*ss” me off, now) …

• Being questioned about my decision once I have made it.  This happens periodically and basically I say something along the lines of “I’d prefer not to …..” and the response from the other person is “Why not?!!?”   In this case, it was a preference for not sharing something which involved me and I was challenged about it.  Frustration Level 2 (out of 5).
• Being put in a position to fight battles other people won’t fight for themselves.  Ok, this is a big one because it involved my kids … and people who whinge and moan about situations yet won’t get of their butts and do something about it.  I especially don’t enJOY being put in the position to defend my kids, AND myself, while dealing with other people’s sense of inadequacy.  Mother Lion stuff, this is.  Frustration Level 3.5.
• Saying one thing and doing another.  A bit less of an issue except when it happens to someone important to me.  Very frustrating to sit and observe behaviour and action being incongruent.  Frustration Level 1.  When it impacts on me, like I have to be involved with that situation because the other person has decided to compromise their own wellbeing – and mine … Frustration Level 4. 6.
• Lack of Commitment in others.  Frustration Level 1.
• Lack of Commitment in Stepping Up in a shared environment.  Frustration Level 2.
• Lack of Respect.  Frustration Level 5.

Interestingly, the ‘feeling’ in my gut when I think about these issues is similar to the feeling I get when I’m Enthusiastic.  The difference is that feeling frustrated brings a frown to my face.  Experiencing ENTHUSIASM brings a SMILE to my face.

In that case, I think I can feel “Reverse Enthusiasm“.  That’s the time when those things which occur to provide the Balance in life make their appearance.  And, it makes me more aware of those things which allow me to Be Enthusiastic and JOYful.  There is a place for ENTHUSIASM and Reverse Enthusiasm.

Enthusiasm blog post #10.

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