Do You Have Time to Play? by Ginny Lennox

“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.”

Kay Redfield Jamison, Contemporary American Professor of Psychiatry

When I found the above quote I really liked it. I agree with this quote but I also believe that it’s not only children who need to play but all people. No matter how old or how young we are, we all need to take the time to play. It helps us to relax, to get to know ourselves better, and it allows our creativity to blossom.

When you look at your day or week how much time is left to play? Can you arrange your schedule to allow time to play? I was someone who forgot how to play for a long time. I became so absorbed in my job that I forgot to leave time for me. It was only after retiring, that I realized that I hadn’t seen the sun rise or set for a very long time. I went to work in the dark and came home in the dark not because I had to but because I had become so consumed with my job. I had not really enjoyed the change of seasons or just relaxed unless I went away on trip for the specific purpose of relaxing or seeing the color of the leaves. If I had built some time for play into my life, I am sure I would have felt better and probably would have been much more productive.

It is easy, even when you are retired, to become so involved in projects that you forget to take time for yourself and to play. I made that mistake once but I am trying not to do it again. Now, I make sure there is time to do something just for me every day. When I paint, I feel like I am playing. When I write, I feel like I am playing. And when I am taking pictures I can get lost for hours just playing with my camera. It would be easy for me to become too serious about any one of these things. I tend to like things to be perfect. But when I see that happening I step back, take a deep breath, and remember how much more fun it is to play than it is to be perfect. Then I pick up the paintbrush, the pen, or the camera and begin to play once again.

How do you play? Playing is not something that comes naturally to me so I would love to know what you think of as play.

Ginny believes that each and every day is filled with special moments to be enjoyed and treasured. On her blog, Special Moments in Time, she encourages everyone to recognize and celebrate their own special moments each day.

play by Angel Young

play

Such a small word. And when we were kids wasn't it easy, spontaneous, wonderful. I was lucky enough to have a rural upbringing and my childhood was full of barns which in turn were full of straw bales. It may not sound like much to work with, but we built houses, palaces, tunnels all manner of canvases in which to play our broad fantasies! Wow. What a gift! I'm so glad for those days and that freedom....

And freedom - isn't that what we're really talking about here, what we are trying to capture? But some how we've prioritised work over play, over our own emotional and mental freedom. That work can take all sorts of different forms - work-work, house-work, other people's priorities, not to mention kids and their work - which is of course - play!

I think with this you have to start small. Don't wait for the perfect moment of complete freedom. Sneak the play in!!! Start doodling, or get those magnetic poetry juices working each time you go to the fridge. Take a picture of your breakfast table this very day! Start a one-print-a-day finger painting. Whatever you can do to get you going - whatever you can do to get past the you-must-work-all-the-time censor.

You will be amazed at what you can achieve! Ah how the light touch of that freedom feels! How it makes your heart flutter! And life with all it's variety needs these flutters, your heart needs to know you care about what it loves. It needs this nourishment. So indulge a little - you have permission - at least from me! But the challenge is take that step yourself - and play! :0)

Angel lives in the UK, and is currently enjoying a sewing fad and a love of film photography.

Courage by Ginny Lennox

Since I began my love of photography, I have resisted learning a lot about the techniques involved in taking pictures. This is very unusual for me because teaching and learning are as much a part of me as is my name. But I knew that at least for awhile I just wanted to enjoy the process and learn by doing rather than by reading or being taught what to do. Last December I finally decided it was time to take a class on how to correctly take a picture. Let me be sure to say the teacher was excellent and very kind when discussing our pictures. Before the class I really liked the above picture. I liked the way the water sparkled and the way the waves curled. When I brought my picture to class to share, I learned that the sparkles were really blown out spots and that there was probably a better way to take this picture. Because I tend to be a perfectionist, this definitely changed the way I viewed the picture.

This Sunday for an online class I am taking, I was asked to choose a picture from my inspiration file for an assignment on Intuitive Photojournaling. As I was looking through my pictures, I was again drawn to the above picture and to the sparkles on the water. That was when I was reminded once again that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What may be a blown out spot to one person can be a sparkle to me. And that's ok! So no more worrying about techniques. For now it is enough to be outside with my camera, taking pictures, and enjoying each and every special moment!

What does the above post have to do with this month’s theme of courage? I think a lot. As a person who tends to follow the rules, it is often hard to be comfortable breaking them. But if I want to see my own individual idea of creativity grow that is exactly what I have to do and that takes confidence and courage. Courage comes in all sizes and shapes. When I think of someone who is courageous, I think of a soldier going to war, a policeman stopping a criminal, or a fireman rescuing a family. I think of a shy person speaking to a large group or a timid person learning to say no. For each of us courage may look or feel a little differently depending on what we are doing or where we are in life. As a person who is learning to be more comfortable with her own individual sense of creativity, it takes courage to say, “My picture may not follow the rules of photography but that’s ok. It still looks great to me!”

Ginny believes that each and every day is filled with special moments to be enjoyed and treasured. On her blog, Special Moments in Time she encourages everyone to recognize and celebrate their own special moments each day.

Be (You) by Aimee Cavenecia

Very little of what you think & do is actually you. Trust me on this. And if you don’t, test it out for yourself. Set a timer for every 30 minutes one day. When the timer goes off, write down EXACTLY what thought you were thinking when the timer went off, & write down what you were doing at that moment as well. You will be sadly surprised to see all of the thoughts that are based on programed or learned untruths, & how much time (or rather, life) is spent focusing on either work (for the sole purpose of making money) or guilt related busy-ness.

Don’t you want to free yourself of this? Aren’t you tired of being someone other than yourself?

You might ask: “What is being me?” or “What is being free?” or “What should I be doing if not working for money or doing things because I should be doing them?”

The first two questions are great, but the last one answers itself.

What Is Being Me?

Being you is beautiful. It’s when you don’t need to do anything, or be anything. It’s when you just know, without question. It’s when you follow your feet & your feet follow your heart (& your mind just tags along for the ride). It’s when you trust that you are supported. It’s when you feel so much love, that you can’t believe that much love is possible! It’s when you wake up in the morning free & empowered & relaxed. It’s when you are free to be! —- To put it simply; your beingness (not your doingness) is you being you. The way you love unconditionally is you being you. When you are silent & at peace, this is you being you. Those moments of freedom, simplicity & bliss are all you.

Now you have another question: “But what about when I’m enraged or angry, this is also me! Isn’t the me that isn’t at peace, or isn’t being love, or isn’t oneness or awareness me as well? What about when I am depressed & I am suddenly able to create great works of art, this is also me! What about when I have lost a loved one & I am in tears, this is also me! What about after I’ve been taken advantage of & I’m full of anger & resentment & fear, this is also me! -- No, that is you under the influence. I don’t argue that those are also beautiful states of humanness filled with emotion. I don’t argue that the contrast of those feelings or experiences bring a richness & a texture to life. I don’t argue that the contrast between painful experiences & enjoyable experiences lead us to a greater appreciation. I don’t argue that the terrible experiences in our lives make us stronger & (hopefully) wiser. I don’t argue this one bit. I’m in full agreement with you. But where I draw the line is by seeing that & telling you that, these are not pure states.

When I say they are not pure, I mean they are forced by outside influences. They were not created out of thin air, something brought them on, & that something was outside of you. The states that I talked about previously, when I described what it’s like to be you truly being yourself, those examples are of you in all of your pureness & wholeness, without anything extra. Without the influence of anything or anyone. —- Example: When was the last time you were completely enraged for no reason? When was the last time you felt cheated by nothing? Yet I can come up with numerous examples of when I smiled or even laughed for no reason at all. -- Do you understand the difference? Truly being yourself is unconditioned, while not being yourself is.

Everyday I get some sort of impression of someone who is suffering. It can either be from the media, or on the street, or from a friend or family member. The one thing they all have in common is that they are suffering over things that aren’t within them. They are suffering over things that have nothing to do with who they truly are. And they continue to carry these pangs or these burdens as if they have to -- & they don’t! Just as simply as they picked them up, they can let them go. But -- only if they can see that they are holding on to something that isn’t real.

What Is Being Free?

Being free is being fearless. Fearless from the guilt & the ties & the programmed way of being that you were raised to live with & live in. The ways that have been ingrained in you that you see as truth (because it’s what you have experienced or seen), but it’s just you playing a record. These songs (experiences, lessons, traumas, or habits) have been ingrained in you like a grove in a record, & unfortunately you can’t help but to play these tunes over & over again.

Like I said before, some of these songs built out of pain are beautiful. These dark experiences have made you beautiful & strong. But they are also painful to carry or play out repeatedly (be it in your head or in your life —- same thing). You are enslaved to these false ideas if you can’t stop playing their tune. They run automatically as a way of being & dominate your life & experience. It’s like being trapped in a vicious cycle.

Freedom is being free to choose. To start from a place of unconditional beingness, of unconditional love —- a place of nothingness. To be able to choose freely & live spontaneously in the moment is freedom. Having clarity, feeling at ease, being self-sufficient, experiencing wholeness, connectedness, love, joy, peace —- to be able to be these under any circumstance or situation is freedom. It’s power! And this power is who you are when you are just being —- you.

Do you want to try it? Do you want to create a radical change in your life? Do you want to unlearn what you have been taught? Do you want to unplug yourself from the outside & tune into what’s inside?

This can happen overnight. This can happen in an instant. This can be a spontaneous realization. But I’m not going to promise you that. I don’t think you or anyone else has any control over it. That sort of instant awareness is Grace. It can only be granted; not bought, not taught, not learned, & definitely not pushed to happen. You can only get it when it is given, & only Grace can give it. That being said, what I can promise you is a gradual uncovering of your own truth. Yes, your own truth. You will know truth when you hear it, or see it, because you will feel it. Not in an emotional sense, or in a dramatic sense, but in a heartfelt resonance sense. You’ll just know without question & you’ll never forget. You may fall back on your programmed automatic way of being from time to time, but you’ll never forget who you are.

[The blog text is an except from my new ebook, Revolutionary Being. It will be released in the spring of 2012.]

[Pssst! After putting together this blog post I found a really great video by Mooji that I feel ties in really well. Please give it a look for additional thoughts on this topic: VIDEO LINK ]

Aimee Cavenecia (also known as AimeeLovesYou) is an author & activist who is currently igniting a Bliss & Self-Mastery revolution through her weekly blog Sunday Is For Lovers. Aimee's life-work is to share her insights on Seeing, Loving & Being (SLB), as well teaching meditation to people globally via the internet.

It's Okay by Nolwenn Petitbois

I am sharing this page with you because I feel like I was just the tool for the message. The channel so people could read these words. So people could know it is ok to feel whatever they feel. I wondered a lot if I should or should not share this with the World. The page isn’t pretty and people can think I am weird of saying that these words did not come directly from me. Maybe they do come from my Higher Self, my Inner full of Wisdom me. Maybe.

Courage is, for me, about letting go of what people could think of me, of what I do. Courage is the freedom to be myself, to stick to my values and to my beliefs. I used to rely a lot on others, to know how to think, how to act, until I realized I was just a copycat of what they wanted me to be and that it actually was not really me. I am learning that it really does not matter eventually because there will always be someone to think negatively, to judge my actions. And I am not responsible for others’ thoughts, only of my own (and it’s plenty already ;)).

It says:

It's ok..:

to be mad
to be sad
to wanna give up sometimes
to feel like today is the worst one in your life
to have big hope and small dreams
to scream at the top of your lungs just to LET it GO
to smile when you feel like breaking down
to join your hands in a prayer to Whoever would just listen to you
to cry and ask for help
It's ok to have and express whatever emotion pass through you
(it just means you're alive)

Nolwenn Petitbois is a Mixed Media artist who believes in the power of positive thinking and Gratitude. She has for mission to turn sorrow and negativity into something beautiful and meaningful. She loves taking photos of her everyday life to remember, she also is a foodista obsessed with Japanese cuisine. You can find her at Inner Voices, purchase some of her artworks in her shop Inner Worlds) and enjoy her videos on Youtube.

Take Courage on Your Hero’s Journey by Glenda Myles

"When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." Henry Ford

I’m used to physical discomfort. After a car accident, my physical body was broken, bruised and traumatized. It has taken years to get it back into reasonable shape. I have given up on the idea that I will be the person that I was before the accident. It’s often like that in life changing events. There is your life before the event and your life after the event.

But that kind of discomfort is not the focus on my post today. Recently, my discomfort surrounds change and transformation. I am trying to change my life; to release my fears and thoughts of inadequacies that are holding me back, keeping me from living my best life. These are not external factors. It is all within my own mind. I am the only thing holding me back. Sometimes it takes external forces to force us to acknowledge it.

I have been feeling very uncomfortable these past few months, so much so that at times I wiggle in my seat. I can feel myself getting “antsy”. What’s going on that’s making me so uncomfortable? I’m scared. I worry. “What people will think. I’m going to fall flat on my face. Fail. People will think I am a fraud, that I’m not good enough.” I let that inner voice go through its spiel. Then I sit quietly. I connect with my own Truth. I take a deep breath. And I remember. I have nothing to fear. have been doing this work for a long time and I am very good at it. This I know. Everything is going to change, it always does. That’ s life. Change is inevitable. So, isn’t it better to control the direction of the change? To make it a change that brings into reality a life that you love to live?

We are all on our hero’s journey, whether we want to be or not. Some of us are just more aware than others. Two movies come to mind (both of which I recommend), Finding Joe and May I Be Frank. Finding Joe is about the Hero’s Journey and how all great stories regardless of culture or language are about this journey. It talks about the great work of Joseph Campbell and how we all can live our bliss. And May I Be Frank is a documentary of one man’s hero journey to transform his life not only on the physical plane but the emotional and spiritual planes as well. It centers on Frank Ferrante, a man that is transformed on many levels. It is a powerful story of hope and love.

Transformation and living our bliss takes courage. It takes diligent and persistent attention to our thoughts, words and actions. It is about constant vigilance to ensure that we don’t allow our egos or inner critics to get the better of us. Sometimes we must close our eyes, take a deep breath, and connect with our inner Truth. Then we must move forward regardless of the fear that we may be feeling.

Take courage.

Glenda at Myles Ahead Studio is a professional marketing strategist working to bring more creativity into business and make more ideas come to life.

What if You Don't Know What Your Dream Is? by Andrea Schroeder

I get this question a lot.

And I think it's a lot less about "What if" and more about "Why don't I know what my dream is?" and probably more importantly "Where can I find my dream?".

If you don't have a dream and don't care about not having a dream - well then you probably aren't reading this anyway.

If you don't have a dream and you do wish you had one - I believe that wish for a dream is actually a sign that you do have a dream... it's just buried under some other stuff right now.

I'm going to share some possible scenarios of what could be happening here and some ideas for what to do with them:

Scenario 1: You know what your dream is, but you are scared to admit it to yourself or to others.

This is completely understandable! Having a dream is scary. Having a dream and going after it means everything could change. Having a dream and going after it means taking big risks. By not admitting that you have a dream, you can avoid all of this change and risk and uncomfortable stuff.

And yet - well, it's still uncomfortable, isn't it?

In avoiding change and risk you also avoid the joy of the dream come true. You avoid the adventure and excitement of the creative dream path. And mostly you avoid doing the thing you really want to be doing.

Your dream isn't a superficial thing. It's important. It comes from your heart and your soul. It's tied to your purpose for being here on this planet.

Avoid the dream and it will not go away. It will only grow more and more difficult to avoid.

But all that stuff you are avoiding? It's real too. And it's scary. Pretending it's not there is not a good plan.

What may work here: Admitting it very quietly by writing it in your journal. Start to give the dream just a little bit of space. You don't have to tell anyone else about it and you certainly don't have to do anything about it. Just give it some space to be and see what comes of that. Baby steps.

Scenario 2: You know what your dream is, but don't believe that you can have it, so it's kind of uncomfortable to think about it.

Awww. First I just want to give you a hug.

Everything I said above about your dream is true:

Your dream isn't a superficial thing. It's important. It comes from your heart and your soul. It's tied to your purpose for being here on this planet.

And also:

Avoid the dream and it will not go away. It will only grow more and more difficult to avoid.

That last part is even more true in this case. Your dream is really important and it is asking you to work through your fear that you don't deserve it or can't have it for some reason. It is asking you to believe.

What may work here: Asking "What if?" What if it was ok for me to pursue this dream? What If if was ok for me to have this dream? And some gentle journaling about deserving - What do I think I deserve? What would have to happen in order for me to believe I deserve more?

Forcing yourself to go after your dream won't be helpful here, working on changing your mind about what is possible for you will be helpful. Taking some slow baby steps towards your dreams may be helpful too - sometimes that "I don't think I can have it" starts to fade when it sees evidence that you really can have it.

Scenario 3: There is so much that you want to do, that you can't pick just one to identify as "your dream".

Well this is actually a fantastic situation to be in, even though it doesn't always feel like it. I really believe it's better to have too many ideas than too few - I always have waaaaaay more ideas and dreams than I can possibly work on.

Sometimes this "I have so much I want to do I can't commit to one thing" is just a way of sabotaging yourself, usually due to one of the fears mentioned above, so you may want to check those out and see if any of the ideas there feel like they may be helpful to you.

If that's not it, then what is happening here is a bottleneck. Too many ideas, too little time/resources and nothing can get through. You relieve the bottleneck by choosing some dreams to work on now and putting the other dreams aside for now.

If the thought of putting some dreams aside makes you freak out a little: look at what is really happening here - the bottleneck is essentially putting all of your dreams aside because none can get through.

If you focus on one or two dreams for now, and actually bring them to life, then it becomes much easier to go back to those other dreams and bring them to life as well. With each dream come true you become more experienced at bringing dreams to life and you open up new possibilities for how to bring your dreams to life.

But still, choosing can be hard.

What may work here: Asking yourself Which dreams am I most passionate about? can help to narrow it down. If you start to work on the dream that you are most passionate about - all of that passion can help to make it happen faster, so you can get back to the other dreams.

Or you can ask Which dreams feel the easiest to work on right now? which is, of course, the easier way to go. Pick the low hanging fruit. Start with the easy dreams and work your way up. It could be that nothing feels easy but something is bound to feel easier than the others.

It can be hard to put some dreams aside. I have a notebook that I put all of my ideas and dreams in. This way it doesn't feel like they are lost, they are waiting for their right time to be brought to life.

And sometimes, because creative dreams are magic, those dreams sitting in the notebook come true all on their own. Because they're been taken out of the bottleneck! Dreams stuck in a bottleneck tend to not come true.

Scenario 4: You really just don't know what your dream is:

Ask yourself: If I could have anything you want, what would it be? If you had no limits. None at all.

Where would you live? How would you live? What would you do? How would you spend your days? How would you feel? What kinds of hobbies would you have? What would your social life be life? Your romantic life? Your finances? Your health? Your creativity? Your spirituality?

Somewhere in all of that there must be something you dream of. Something you want to build in your world.

Your dreams are about so much more than wanting things to be different than they are. Your dreams are how you express your purpose and authenticity and uniqueness. Your dreams are healing. Your dreams can make a huge difference.

So there is is. Four possible reasons why you don't know what your dream is and what to do about it.

Does that answer this question for you? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

With a paintbrush in one hand & a glitter-gun in the other, Andrea Schroeder lovingly mentors men & women who want to lead creatively abundant lives — and do ‘impossible’ things, with ease & joy. Express the greatest parts of who YOU are, at www.CreativeMagicAcademy.com.