In an effort to encourage Little Miss to exercise her writing muscles, I have shared some freewriting prompts for her to use.
Unfortunately, the idea of freewriting and blogging is lost on her. She is nervous, hesitant, perhaps a tad bit anxious to bleed on the page – perhaps thinking that she would be criticized heavily. I promised to be kinder and less critical of what she writes. To prove this, I will also join the challenge so that my writing muscles are also stretched.
It has been too long since I wrote anything of substance.
In true freewriting and blogging form, I shall simply jot down what comes out of my stream of consciousness nary a concern for style, grammar, or form. Just a reminder,
Freewriting is a technique in which the author writes their thoughts quickly and continuously, without worrying about form, style, or even grammar. Alongside brainstorming, freewriting is typically used early in the writing process to collect and manifest one’s thoughts.
I figured that since nobody reads my blog anyway, this is just a good place for me to do brain dumps – as usual. 😉
In today’s fast-paced world, women often feel pressure to juggle multiple roles and responsibilities, from work and family to social obligations and community involvement. However, the constant demands of modern life can take a toll on women’s physical and mental health, leading to exhaustion, burnout, and stress-related illnesses. That’s why it’s important for women to slow down and prioritize self-care.
When women don’t slow down and take time for themselves, they can experience physical health issues related to stress. High blood pressure, heart disease, and chronic pain are just a few examples of conditions that can result from chronic stress. By slowing down and taking time to rest and recharge, women can reduce their risk of these and other stress-related health problems.
Mental Health
The demands of modern life can also take a toll on women’s mental health. When women don’t slow down and take time for themselves, they can become overwhelmed, anxious, and depressed. Slowing down can help women manage stress and prevent mental health problems. Activities like exercise, meditation, and spending time with friends can help women relax and recharge.
Self-Care
Women are often caregivers for others, whether it’s children, aging parents, or partners. However, women also need to prioritize self-care. Slowing down and taking breaks is essential for women to recharge and avoid burnout. Self-care can include activities like exercise, reading, or simply taking a bubble bath.
Work-Life Balance
Women often struggle to balance work and home responsibilities. Slowing down and taking breaks can help women manage their time and energy more effectively, leading to better work-life balance. When women prioritize self-care, they’re better equipped to handle the demands of work and family life.
Creativity and Productivity
Slowing down can also boost creativity and productivity. When women take time to rest and reflect, they can come up with new ideas and solutions to problems. Taking breaks and slowing down can also help women avoid burnout and maintain high levels of productivity over the long term.
Overall, women need to slow down to avoid physical and mental health issues, prioritize self-care, balance work and home responsibilities, boost creativity and productivity, and maintain a healthy and fulfilling life. By taking breaks, practicing self-care, and slowing down when necessary, women can create a more sustainable and fulfilling lifestyle. So, the next time you feel like you’re spinning your wheels, remember the importance of slowing down and taking care of yourself.
You’re eager to get the new year off to a great start because it’s a brand-new year.
You commit yourself that this will be the year that you grow your company or improve professionally. You make a list of resolutions and then get started!
But before you know it, you’re back to carrying out your routine in the same manner and reaping the same results.
So what can you do to maintain your course and accomplish your objectives? Here are some pointers to get you moving and make this your finest year yet!
Make a plan. Once you’ve decided on your objective(s), move backward from there so you can see exactly what has to be done to reach your destination.
Establish attainable and precise objectives. Making your aim unachievable is the best way to ensure failure. Be selective when creating your goals. It is preferable to advance one item a mile than ten things an inch.
Compile a list of new abilities you’ll need. To advance in your profession or keep up with the times in your industry, you’ll probably require new skills. Make a list of the talents you’ll need to acquire this year and devise a plan for achieving them.
Steer clear of repeating prior mistakes. Continuing to act in the same manner after failing to obtain the desired consequences won’t alter the result. Instead, adopt a different strategy.
Outline your objectives. Inform trusted friends, family members, and coworkers of your goals so they can be supportive.
Ensure that your objectives are quantifiable. What is measured is accomplished. Keep a record of your accomplishments and treat yourself occasionally.
Adjust your course as necessary. Do not be reluctant to change your route if you discover that you are going in the incorrect direction. Objectives are not fixed in stone. Changing your objectives as you go is acceptable.
Maintain a healthy balance between work and recreation. Most of the time, our jobs and work come before a lot of other things in our lives. There is no stopping work. The most valuable asset you can accumulate is free time. Consider this before deciding to pursue your passion!
Plan some time just for you. Set out some time on your calendar to get away and avoid distractions.
Request assistance if things aren’t going as planned. Admitting that you need help is not a sign of shame.
Most of all, remember that it is okay to make mistakes and learn as you go. Here’s to fruitful and kickass new year!
Creativity is a fickle thing. She’s like the waves of the sea on a sunrise painted with pretty hues of pink and lavender, with touches of blue and cyan here and there. Inviting, inspiring, coercing.
“Come create with me,” she says. “The possibilities are endless. Come and make this idea a reality.”
And so, we go…
Some are hesitant: touching her surface, dipping a toe, a foot, and then perhaps wading in until she reaches the calves. Some run to her with abandon, embracing her waves, going under. Under.
Some feel confident, sure, and happy with her. Then she decides to become cold. Icy cold. Unwelcoming. Waves rage and cause people to run. The water turns dark, unsure, and dangerous. Some still welcome the change, the darkness, and the chaos, while others are caught helpless and have come ashore.
Creativity is a fickle thing.
We cannot control her. We must ride her waves, and listen to her voice. We must practice and learn to either receive blessings and enlightenment or face chaos. We must learn to turn what she gives us into something or learn to sit and wait until she becomes more welcoming.
Truly, the life of a creative is full of promise and beauty, but often at the mercy of Creativity’s fickleness.
I’ve written entries almost every day for the past week or so. Yet they languish in Drafts. Some are half written, left hanging due to a child screaming for more juice, or a husband who has asked something or other.
Drafts. Something akin to blog purgatory, where one sits waiting to be processed. Like those books found in the “The Library of the Unwritten” by A.J. Hackwith (review to follow), they once were stories that were meant to be shared with the world — or maybe not.
Some days, I find myself thinking why I should still bother to write. Yet, in the middle of a busy cafe or on the road under the pouring rain, the stories still come. About the child who stood in the middle of the road soaked in the rain, with foul stagnant water past her ankles, begging for a few hundred riels, or the guy who sits on the top floor of the building nearby, topless day in and day out. Or perhaps the story of the little girl who asked rolled on the floor of the store in front of the bank, because her parents would not buy a chocolate bar. The parents’ reactions are priceless.
So while I sort through the muddle of stories in my mind, they rest in Drafts waiting for a time to come into fruition.
