Inspire It.

Morning..,.

I admit it, I am a morning person, and I know some of you might hate me right now:)
I know that for many people, the mere thought of morning brings feelings of dread and panic.

However, for me, mornings are the time I get some “me” time.
I like to get up 30 minutes earlier than hubby. He is one of those – “as soon as his feet hit the floor he is go go GO!”

My 30 minutes or so are quiet time.  I like to make myself a cup of tea, read a few pages on whatever book I am currently reading, maybe do some stretches and most importantly THINK!!

It’s the perfect time to focus on myself before life gets in the way and it’s the perfect way to ensure the day gets off to the right start.

Another thing I frequently do is to start the day with meditation. Meditation is a fantastic tool for relieving stress and helping yourself to cope better with the challenges that life throws at you.  So if I know I am in for a busy day, some calming thoughts can prepare me for the onslaught.

Part of my quiet thoughts are often gratitude exercises.  Gratitude is super valuable for being happier and more effective. The problem is that many of us forget to stop and take stock of how far we have come or how good our lives are already. Instead, we tend to overthink and dwell on the things we have yet to accomplish and what we want next.

Spending five minutes in the morning writing down at least three things that I am thankful for (these can be big things or small things), but simply by focusing on them, I will feel more content and happy.

Starting the day with a to-do list is an excellent way to enhance productivity. It’s also a very good way to avoid feeling overwhelmed by the volume of things you need to do.   I tend to make my “Tomorrow To-Do List” at the end of each day.  By reviewing this list in the calmer atmosphere of the morning, I can prioritise the top two or three tasks that will be my “Main Thing” for the day.   Chunking down the tasks into bite-sized pieces makes the day far less daunting.

My morning routine helps me save money too. By knowing what I doing throughout the day, allows me to plan meals, so I rarely have to resort to a rushed takeaway meal.   If my day looks like it will run late, a meal thawed from the freezer stash means dinner can be on the table in a matter of minutes.  Or it might mean packing some healthy snacks in my bag for lunch on the go.

What is YOUR 10/10 ideal morning?

 

Have you heard this term yet?  I have a hunch it will be BIG very soon.

I first came across the idea of “Cozy Minimalism” a couple of weeks ago.  I must tell you, I am HOOKED!!!

Like many of us, I scour Pinterest for home decor ideas and have not ever really nailed down a style that is “me”
I like elements of many styles…
Farmhouse Styles like Joanna Gaines does on “Fixer Upper”

Hampton Style from when the TV show “Revenge” was on

“Resort” style

But nothing made my heart sing.      Hubby and I are not “frou- frou, frilly. pillows everywhere” people

So often, I will look at decorating ideas on Pinterest in magazines and just see clutter and dust collectors, all which translates to far too much cleaning for my liking.

However, on the other end of the scale, I am not really into the starkness of true minimalism or “Industrial Chic”
The feeling I get from this style is somewhat “Bachelor Pad” or “Hotel Room”

THEN!!!   I found   “Cozy Minimalism”
The term has been coined by blogger Myquillyn Smith of Nesting Place   As I read through a number of posts, I could feel myself getting drawn to this simple compromise of stark bare minimalism and over cluttered and busy.
Her ideas have been so popular she has written a best selling book on the subject…

To complement the book she even has a course to follow and create your own Cozy Minimal home.  You can find it here. I have a bit going on right now, but I have signed up for the course.  Here is what Myquillyn has to say about the style…

I am really looking forward to starting this and seeing how our home evolves.   I have no intention of spending a great deal of money ( as usual ?  ) as I am sure I will be able to create the suggested looks with either what I have or with KMart or Op Shop finds.

 

Life is like a road.  There are long and short roads; smooth and rough roads; windy and straight roads.  Many roads are on the map as we journey through life.   There are roads that lead to a life of marriage and family or others that lead to a fulfilling career with our without a family.  There are roads that lead to fame and fortune on one hand or isolation and poverty on the other.  There are roads to happiness as there are roads to sadness, roads towards victory and success, and roads leading to defeat and disappointment.

Just like any road, there are corners, detours, and crossroads in life.  Perhaps the most perplexing road that you would encounter is an intersection.  With four roads to choose from and with limited knowledge on where they would go, which road will you take?  What is the guarantee that you will choose the right one?  Will you take any road, or just stay where you are: in front of a crossroad?

Guess what-There are no guarantees!

You do not really know where a road will lead you until you take it.  There are no guarantees.  This is one of the most important things you need to realise about life.  Choosing to do the right thing ( what even is the “right” thing) all the time would always lead you to happiness.  Loving someone with all your heart does not guarantee that it would be returned.  Certainly fame and fortune does not guarantee happiness.  Fast tracking your way up the corporate ladder by accepting a “favour” from somebody is not always bad, especially if you are highly qualified and competent.   There are too many possible outcomes, which you really cannot control.  The only thing you have power over is the decisions that you will make, and how you would act and react to different situations.

Wrong decisions are always far clearer in hindsight.

Had you known that you were making a wrong decision, would you have gone along with it?  Perhaps not, why would you choose a certain path when you know it would get you lost?  Why make a certain decision if you knew from the very beginning that it is not the right one.  It is only after you have made a decision and reflected on it that you realise its relevance.  If the consequences or outcomes are good for you, then you have decided correctly.  Otherwise, your decision was wrong, but even a seemingly “bad” decision can produce some positive benefits.  Taking the wrong path might turn into “the scenic route” where you discover new things. That bad career move might have given you a skill that you would not have otherwise achieved, or maybe a bad relationship created beautiful children that you cherish.

Take the risk: decide.

Since life offers no guarantee and you will never know that your decision would be wrong until you have made it, then you might as well take the educated risk and decide.  It is definitely better than keeping yourself stuck in a rut complaining that nothing ever goes right, or dreaming that “one day life will change”.  Although it is true that one wrong turn could get you lost, it could also be that such a turn could be an opportunity for an adventure, as you discover more roads.  It is all a matter of perspective.  You have the choice between being a lost aimless traveller or an accidental tourist of life.   But take caution that you do not make decisions haphazardly.  Taking risks is not about being careless and stupid.  Here are some pointers that could help you choose the best option in the face of life’s crossroads:

·           Get as much information as you can about your situation.

You cannot find the confidence to decide when you know so little about what you are faced with.  Just like any news reporter, ask the 5 W’s: what, who, when, where, and why.  What is the situation?  Who are the people involved?  When did this happen?  Where is this leading?  Why are you in this situation?  These are just some of the possible questions to ask to know more about your situation.  This is important.  Oftentimes, the reason for indecision is the lack of information about a situation.

·           Identify and create options.

What options do the situation give you?  Sometimes the options are few, but sometimes they are numerous.  But what do you do when you think that the situation offers no options?  This is the time that you create your own.  Make your creative mind work.  From the most simplistic to the most complicated, entertain all ideas.  Do not shoot anything down when an idea comes to your head.  Sometimes the most outrageous idea could prove to be the right one in the end.  You can ask a friend to help you identify options and even make more options if you encounter some difficulty, but make sure that you make the decision yourself in the end.   Remember there is rarely only one road to any given destination.

Consider this scenario.  You wish to travel from Brisbane to Sydney – you have no time restraints to arrival time.  Will you fly? Will you take a coach?  Will you drive? Which highway will you take?   There are many options, but in the end, all will see you arrive at your destination. Are any one of these paths “wrong?”

·           Weigh the pros and cons of every option.

Assess each option by looking at the advantages and disadvantages it offers you.  In this way, you get more insights into the consequences of such an option.

·           Trust yourself and make that decision.

Now that you have assessed your options, it is now time to trust yourself.  Remember that there are no guarantees and wrong decisions are always at hindsight.   So choose… decide… believe that you are choosing the best option at this point in time.

Now that you have made a decision, be ready to face its consequences: good and bad.  It may take you to a place of promise or to a land of problems.  But the important thing is that you have chosen to live your life instead of remaining a bystander or a passive onlooker of your own life.  Whether it is the right decision or not, only time can tell.  But do not regret it whatever the outcome.  Instead, learn from it and remember that you always have the chance to make better decisions in the future.

·           Take action and make the move.

The next step from making the decision is to take ACTION.  After all, it is no good if you are at the intersection, with the brakes on and you decide to go right and do not move your foot to the accelerator. Without action, you will remain right where you are – good or bad decision.

On my path of life, I am aiming to create a 10/10 life for myself in all areas.

As I read blogs and self help books, I am always amazed at some of the true Rags to Riches stories that abound.

While I have never earned a huge salary , been unemployed for any long period of time or been even close to homeless, I have not often ever though of my situation as being POOR.

Except for ONE DAY. Let me tell you about it.

The year was 1984, I had been working as a photographic assistant in an advertising agency in the city.

For a young 19 year old girl who was newly married, it was a glamourous position. It was very “Mad Men” with the ad execs ( both men and women) in suits, champagne lunches and celebrity “talent” often arriving in the office.

One of my duties at this job was relief receptionist to cover the lunch hour. In enjoyed this and was paid a small bonus for the extra work. All was going well, I loved the people and the job…UNTIL.. I fell pregnant. Sadly 1984 did not have the equality of workplaces today and I was told that it was “not a good look” to have me in the office 🙁

I did manage to find another job form a friend and I was able to work a couple of days a week while some staff members were on holidays.

My husband was working full time and we actually got along reasonably well on the reduced wages. I had been planning on having to reduce our budget to one wage anyway in preparation for the baby’s arrival.

Hubby had found a new job at a large factory nearby, we had a decent car and very little debt. Things were looking good. 🙂 UNTIL.

One Friday hubby came home and said that the factory he worked for closed down over the Christmas break for 4 weeks!! As he had not been there very long, there would be no wages for that time. A Trip to Social Security to see if we were eligible for any assistance proved fruitless. Because he technically still had a job, we were not able to access any benefits. We knew if he quit that job, the likelyhood of getting it back in January was slim at best.

So, together we looked at what we had left and formulated a plan. We would need to cover the 4 weeks of close down plus the one week when he went back to work before the first payday.

We could see we just did not have enough.. So we moved from the house we were in to a tiny one bedroom flat, we backtraded the car to a “sort of” ok one and we felt we were ok. We now had no debt, I paid rent upfront for the duration of the time we would need. All we needed was food, petrol and utilities money.

For Christmas that year, we asked for baby stuff and cash and we were looking OK. We gave family and friends Christmas gifts that I had bought throughout the year, nobody missed out, and I did not need to break the budget. .
We even managed to have a couple of weekends away camping with friends over the Christmas break.

On Friday the 18th of January 1985, the last friday before hubby was due to go back to work. Hubby filled up the car with petrol so he could get to work for the upcoming week and I went shopping with our last $20.

Keeping a couple of dollars aside for fresh milk and bread through the week, I spent that last few dollars on eggs, cheese, mince, onions, frozen mixed vegetables and some potatoes.

The resulting huge pot of mince, onions and veges would turn into the following meal plan for that week :

• Savoury Mince on toast x 2
• Add some tomato paste and pasta from the pantry and have (sort of ) spaghetti bolognese x 2
• Add some mashed potato and grated cheeseon top and call it shepherds pie x 2
• Add some to roast jacket potatoes
• And for the last night whatever was leftover could get a tin of tomatoes added and it turned into “minestrone”

We were quite proud of ourselves for managing so well at such a tough time. We had not asked family for any money at all, and I doubt they knew we were as skint as we were.

It was a stinking hot Brisbane day, so after dropping me back at the flat with the shopping, hubby and his friend were going out to Centenary Pool in Brisbane (about 20 minutes away from where we lived on the North side) to have a “play” They have high diving towers that “boys” like jumping off 🙂
I set about preparing the big stock pot with the mince mixture and by the time it was simmering away, I was sitting down watching TV.

The first indication that we may have a problem that day, was it started raining. Then it rained HARDER, then the wind started. The wind was so ferocious I could see the glass sliding door bowing under the force. Then the hail began. At that point I got scared. 🙁 I was 8 months pregnant, on my own in a TINY flat with no where to go that felt safe.

Hubby and his friend had seen the storm coming from the high tower of the pool and had started heading home they made it roughly half way when they got stuck in the hail. From their accounts the hail was horizontal as it slammed through the back windscreen and broke the front. They were both huddled under the thick carseat covers from our friends car.

When they were able, they tried to make it home and they have both said that when they came closer to our suburb they were both really scared for both their wives. It looked like a bomb-zone.

When hubby got home, he called out for me as he could not find me. When I heard him, I called out and he found me in a curled up mess hiding in the bottom of the tiny linen cupboard/broom cupboard in the flat. It had not been a fun afternoon 🙁

Our flat was totally devastated with not one single window left whole. The place was flooded the carpet was ruined, curtains shredded and our bed was also soaked. When I had a look in the kitchen, that is when it hit me the hardest, my big pot of food for the ENTIRE WEEK had broken glass all through it.

There was no power or phone as the lines were all down. We could not contact anybody to see if they were ok. On the way back from town, Hubby had come through the suburb where my parents lived and said it was very badly damaged there too, but we had no way of knowing if we would be able to go there and the reports we were hearing on the radio suggested we would not be able to get through. The inlaws lived approximately 50kms north and it was getting dark by this stage, so there was not much we could do but put a tarp on the floor to try and stay dry , blow up our camp mattress and attempt to get some sleep.

I remember we had sandwiches for dinner that night.

The next morning we were able to get a look at the damage. What a mess. Still no power. ( it would take a couple of days to come back on) and of course NO FOOD 🙁

This was absolutely the lowest point of my life. I honestly had NO IDEA what we were going to do.

Later that day, our landlord came to see the block of flats ( he owned the whole block) He said we could not stay there and gave us $50 in cash to help out until he could get the glass doors and carpets replaced. He also offered that we would have free rent for the time we were not able to live in the flat.

Not long after the landlord had been, hubby’s Mum came. We packed up what we could and spent the next couple of weeks at her house, before finally returning to a fully renovated flat.

It was quite some time before I could face the thought of making Savoury Mince 🙂

Here are a few news reports from that day

Brisbane Super Storm January 1985
The Big Storm