Blog: My mission in life...

I don't need to say much more that Maya Angelou has not already said in the quote above!

Her statement says everything about which I live my life. Long ago I recognised that I'm not just a survivor, but I am someone who has thrived! And, like most of us, I have had my fair share of childhood incidences, events that have challenged me to the point of no return. But return I have and with a vengeance! However, rather than get angry or end up in victim-mode, I have used these challenges to grow stronger! 

What events in your life have been 'opportunities for growth'? 

I believe attitude and resilience play such huge parts in the outcomes of our lives. I came into this world with a very positive, naively idealistic, fierce 'can-do' attitude. The more something or someone tells me not to or that whatever I'm doing won't work, the more I rise to the occasion. I also bounce back from setbacks or 'failures' every time. It doesn't take me long to get back on my feet...literally in recent times with a broken leg three months ago! 

Not my dog or my vacuum cleaner, but appropriate!

As you may or may not have noticed, it's been a few days since my last blog post. I'm going to take you on a slightly different ending to such a fiery start to today's post!

I'm continuing on with this post in reverence of doing NOTHING. No work, no scheduled events, no structure...nothing AT ALL...for just a morning, or just an afternoon, or just a day...

I've done that here and there over the last few days. I had such a hectic end of last week/beginning of this week period that I nearly lost the plot (not really, but it felt like it). So, Thursday was ANZAC Day here in Australia and of course, one does nothing work wise on that day. I'm not into parades or getting up at the crack of dawn so I just relaxed and did NOTHING. It felt great! I also knew that many of the business contacts I needed to call would have been on an extended long weekend...so...I...did...NOTHING on Friday and Saturday either! 

But all good things must come to an end...all this nothingness did eventually lead to frustration and for some reason, my dog picked up on my lack of activity (thriving) and became frustrated as well...for whatever reason he had, he barked more, quietly woofed more, paced more and generally made me feel anxious! He'd been walked, fed, loved, on my lap, out the back, out the front and nothing seemed to calm him down. And then I got angry! In an effort to vent my frustration, as well as drown out his for-no-purpose-that-I-could-see-barking...I VACUUMED!! As an aside...in relation to an earlier post on my lack of procrasticleaning ability, I figured out what does motivate me to clean...ANGER...PURE ANGER!! I got physical with the dog hair (on the floor, not on him) and my vacuum cleaner and when I was done, three containers full later, I felt great! It was the first time I got behind and under furniture since breaking my leg.

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I felt so good after getting the vacuuming done that I went back to the reverence of NOTHING...at my local café, with a cuppa, a comfy couch and a book on manifesting...tee hee hee...

This morning I took an extra big walk to the beach with my dog and I have taken you, dear reader, on a bit of a winding path from thriving to nothing to anger to vacuuming and back to nothing again...and what to make of it? NOTHING of course!

It felt good to let go of obligations this weekend. It felt good to sit and read a book that doesn't directly relate to my work. Being self-employed brings with it trepidation at letting go of the reins for a while, but I've recognised that it's vital to do so. Calculated down-time is no different to taking that first plunge into self-employment, not really. It's risky to drop the balls for a while but I do feel more energised for consciously choosing to put the balls down for a while. 

This ties into Maya Angelou's quote nicely though. Thriving doesn't mean going, doing, or being in action 24/7, it also means responding to physical cues to slow down, rest, laugh, and play.

And so...

For another day, I am passionately yours,
Ava

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