Daily Prompt Archives - INSPIRING MAX

Way Out

November 30, 2014 inspiringmax

You were caught in an avalanche. To be rescued, you need to make it through the night. What thought(s) would give you the strength to go through such a scary, dangerous situation?

As an Australian, I am unfamiliar with avalanche safety procedure. However, I won’t be giving up easily. In this situation, I am assuming that I am alone and know that help is on the way. With this in mind, my first thoughts are the same as in any crisis.

Start by doing what is necessary. In this situation, what is necessary is to stay alive. Breathe. Breathe deeply and regularly. This is will keep me calm. The other essentials for life are to remain warm and awake. These will also be the only things possible, so I will focus my thoughts on reasons to live. I will do this by reliving special memories, making future goals and planning a holiday. Anything that is positive and pro-life.

Negative thoughts are out. I believe in positive thinking and all my energy is harnessed in a positive direction.

Yes.

It has worked. I can hear help coming. Now to put my goals and plans into action. Thanks for the reminder of how precious life is and how easily it can change.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/under-the-snow/

Beating My Fear

November 25, 2014 inspiringmax

When was the last time you took a risk (big or small), and pushed your own boundaries — socially, professionally, or otherwise? Were you satisfied with the outcome?

Technology scares me. I don’t understand it and it scares me. I had wanted to start a blog for several years and had done my research. I knew WordPress was the platform to use and in the long run I wanted a self-hosted blog. I didn’t know how to do it, but Google would show the way. Happy with this knowledge I woke up last Mother’s Day and decided today was the day—viola Inspiring Max was born.

I can still remember the feeling of posting my first blog post. It was awesome. I had taken my fear, turned it on its head and created something I was proud of.

Through my blogging journey I have developed my online voice and become more confident. When I tell people about my blog they look surprised, often stating that they would love to have one but don’t understand how they work or they think blogging is too difficult.

For all of my professional life, my private life has been hidden. Now with blogging, I am finding the balance. Although now to most people I blog anonymously, next year when my book is published—my identity will be revealed. I have adjusted to this by putting a little more of me into my blog. It doesn’t scare me now. I have grown with it. I followed Walt Disney advice when starting my blog and it has changed my life.

Feel the fear and do it anyway—you never know where your journey will take you.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/envelope-pushers/

Storytelling Is Powerful

November 24, 2014 inspiringmax

What makes a good storyteller, in your opinion? Are your favorite storytellers people you know or writers you admire?

Story telling connects us with people, shows others something about us—who we are, our values and attracts attention. As a Toastmaster, I use stories during my speeches to give the audience something easy to remember—a takeaway message.

I believe to be good story-teller you need to believe in your subject. It may not be your story, but if you are repeating it without passion, it will turn into a—you had to be there story that nobody wants to hear.

A well told story brings a point home. For example, I could tell you I had a natural sense of direction.

Your reply maybe “so what, so do I.”

Or, I could tell you one afternoon my sister (4) and I (6) wanted to play with our friends. We were bored. We lived in the bush and had no-one to play with. So, after getting permission to go and visit our friends after lunch from our parents—they thought we were all going and didn’t realise I meant kids only, no adults—we set out. It took us a couple of hours to arrive because we stopped to play in the park on the way.

After completing our 4.2 kilometre adventure via busy main roads and windy back streets into suburbia—we were greeted by our friends mother. She was not happy. She was convinced our mum was playing a joke on her. We couldn’t possibly have done what we said we had. But we did. Once she believed us we still didn’t get to play with our friends—we had to find our parents.

The story shows my natural sense of direction. It doesn’t just tell. This allows the audience to imagine two little girls walking hand-in-hand crossing busy roads. To emotionally connect with them, by seeing them as their own children or grandchildren—bringing the audience into my speech through my story.

I find the more personal the story—the more I can believe the author or speaker. Stories change vulnerability into empowerment—they can be life changing.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/spinning-yarns/

Books Glorious Books

November 23, 2014 inspiringmax

Whether it’s a trashy TV show, extra-pulpy fiction, or nutrient-free candy, write a thank-you note to your guiltiest guilty pleasure.

Books are my greatest pleasure. There is no guilt attached however, as I deserve to indulge in whatever I choose. I love to go into book stores all over the world. Looking at local and international books and see how they differ from Australia. On my first trip to New Zealand I brought home 10 second-hand books and very little else.

My book choices depend on my mood. A quick glances at my bookshelves shows the following genres:

Self-help
Computer
Health
Self-improvement
Management
Travel
Cookbooks
Coffee table
Reference
Biography
Australian literature
Comic
Encyclopedias
Dictionaries
Comedy
Janet Evanovich
Jackie Collins
Danielle Steele
History
Coaching/Mentoring
Atlas
Dummies Series
Children’s
Dr Seuss
Roald Dahl
Languages
Memories
Mixed other fiction

After I retire, my ultimate goal is to have a home library. A designated space specifically for reading—with a comfortable chair, a fireplace and a window to the world. Now that will be an even greater pleasure.

Photo Credit: Google Images

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/grateful-and-guilty/

Circle of Life

November 22, 2014November 22, 2014 inspiringmax

If your life were a movie, what would its soundtrack be like? What songs, instrumental pieces, and other sound effects would be featured on the official soundtrack album?

I love Disney. I find their songs very empowering. Circle of Life from the Lion King reminds me that life is a journey that never ends—there is always something else to be done. Everyone and everything on the planet plays a part—no one is an island.

“From the day we arrive on the planet

And blinking, step into the sun

There’s more to see than can ever be seen

More to do than can ever be done

There’s far too much to take in here

More to find than can ever be found

But the sun rolling high

Through the sapphire sky

Keeps great and small on the endless round

It’s the Circle of Life

And it moves us all

Through despair and hope

Through faith and love

Till we find our place

On the path unwinding

In the Circle

The Circle of Life”

The circle of my life has been an interesting one. It has taught me many things. The older I get, the more I realise the rewards I received from the various difficult mazes I have been through.

I have had the oppurtunity to see most official versions of The Lion King— animated, stage show as well as the Disney Theme park version. I enjoyed them all and they left me warm on the inside, reminding me of the importance of family.

Like in The Lion King, everyone has a support team surrounding them to help in times of need. Thanks to everyone who has been on my support team over the years and helped make my life what it is today.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/cue-the-violins/

Perfect Day

November 21, 2014November 21, 2014 inspiringmax

What’s your idea of a perfect day off: one during which you can quietly relax, doing nothing, or one with one fun activity lined up after the other? Tell us how you’d spend your time.

Today is the first day of my 7 week holiday. I am excited. Next week I will be traveling to Canada with my husband for our first white Christmas. I am looking forward to exploring new areas, cultures and ways of life.

However, today I plan on enjoying the peace and quiet of my home while nobody else is here. This is my idea of spending a perfect day off. I work full- time with people, so on my day off, I like to recharge under my own rules. Mostly this involves sitting at my computer—oblivious to the rest of the world. I do really know what is going on around me—through years of training in observation, but I don’t get involved unless I need to.

Since I recommenced blogging in late August—I start every day on my blog. Excited about who has visited, any comments made and also what others have written on their blogs. I spend as much time visiting as I do on my blog. I love the interaction and inspiration. Blogging allows me to interact with others according to my time schedule, not somebody else’s and this I find relaxing.

The other way I enjoy my day off is working on my book. Having a large chunk of uninterrupted time to work on it helps me see my progress. At present I am on the last stages of editing, which is nowhere near the fun of writing it. I find it tedious and boring. But when it all comes together, editing is like learning to drive—a necessary evil that requires a lot of concentration—with a great reward at the end.

Thanks for calling in and visiting. You help to make my day off perfect. All I need now is some sparkling wine—just to top it off.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/still-or-sparkling/

Wonderfully Weird

November 20, 2014 inspiringmax

We all have that one eccentric relative who always says and does the strangest things. In your family, who’s that person, and what is it that earned him/her that reputation?

In my family, over the years every member would have taken the strange crown at various times, myself included—but no one holds it alone or regularly. We are all individuals and allow each other to be themselves.

Often described by the younger generation as a weird family compared to their friends, we try to hold family functions 3-4 times a year. These times allow us to keep up with each others busy lives, relax and plans for the future. Sometimes, it is fun to relive memories and help put together the details of the past forgotten by some.

Our family is large so inviting the relatives makes an instant party. Always keen for a party, we guarantee success—fancy dress included if requested or sometimes just because we felt like it. You can also rely on some high jinx to pop up. During my 40th birthday party our concrete aboriginal ornament was removed our house—later found in another family members bed. This began a journey of about 12 months of him traveling around various family members homes—creating fun stories to tell about how or why he was there until he finally returned home to us.

Having fun and being yourself is important in family. It’s the strange and weird moments that I remember with fondness. I am personally pleased that in our family the weirdness or strangeness belongs to all of us—not just one person.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/cousin-it/

Now Not Then

November 19, 2014 inspiringmax

Is there a period in your own personal life that you think of as the good old days? Tell us a story about those innocent and/or exciting times (or lack thereof).

Now are the exciting times of my life. While I remember some fun things I did, they were usually surrounding by many other things I don’t wish to remember. My other problem was I couldn’t afford to do things my friends were doing such as traveling—the down side of buying a house when I was young.

During my younger years, I learnt many things from my mistakes as well as those of others. My life was full of difficult times, but I have always developed through them and they have made me the positive person I am today. I use these experiences in both my personal and professional life and they form the basis of my life’s patchwork quilt.

You cannot change what has happened in your life. You can however, change its impact on your future.

The next 6 months are going to be exciting. Next week we are going to Canada for a 6 week holiday—my first since I was 16. Then, on my return I will begin the journey of self-publishing my book—Inspiring Hope.

I am happy my current days are the preferred days of my life. Afterall, they are the ones I can control. Focusing on the past keeps you looking back—not moving forward which is the way I choose to go.

Dream, believe, achieve—this phase is paying dividends in my life and I plan to keep these exciting times gathering momentum daily.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/salad-days/

Life With Purpose

November 16, 2014 inspiringmax

Present-day you meets 10-years-ago you for coffee. Share with your younger self the most challenging thing, the most rewarding thing, and the most fun thing they have to look forward to.

“Well hello,” I said to my younger self. Thanks for taking the time to meet me. You think you are busy now. When you move to Sydney next year, your life is going a lot busier—with purpose. As a mother, your time will rarely be your own, as the kids sport goes to the next level. It is fun and makes you proud—but it controls your life.

The next 10 years are both difficult and rewarding. The difficulties are both personal and professional and are not things you have any choice about. Your role of getting yourself and others through these times, makes you a stronger, more confident person. It also makes you a better teacher and mentor than you ever thought possible.

When things get tough, remember the tough get going. Stop and think about the goal to the challenge you are currently facing. Break it down into simple steps and follow the advice in this quote. It is powerful.

You join Toastmasters for your own personal growth. Initially, although you can speak in public you waffle on, which minimises the impact of your message. Learning to hone your skills improves your life in many ways. There will be times when you consider giving up, as you are too busy—don’t. Remember to make time for things that develop your confidence. As the difficult stage of your life comes to an end, you will suddenly notice how easier things are for you as your confidence shows.

Somewhere in the next 10 years you decide to write a book based on your knowledge of what, why and how eating disorder recovery is possible. Written for those living with the disorder, their family and friends as well as professionals. You start this journey in 2009 and plan to publish it next year. Feedback to your original daft is that it is a thorough book and what the market place needs. Writing has turned into a love as you discover your voice that others can connect with—on this blog and through the pages of your book.

After you turn 50 and the children have become happy, healthy and independent—you begin to travel as a couple. Your holidays both at home and internationally are no longer be dictated by sporting commitments. This is a great experience and adds to the patchwork quilt of your life. Believe in yourself and enjoy your journey.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/good-tidings/

By Hand

November 15, 2014 inspiringmax

What’s the best present you’ve ever received that was handmade by the giver, not store-bought? Tell us what made it so special.

I love hand made gifts. They take time as well as thought and make me feel special. Over the years, I have received many and cannot judge any one as better than another. I love them all. Each had specific meaning to me and I struggle to be able to throw them out—even the paper crane a patient made for me with the words tough love and smiley faces remains at my desk—energising me when work is difficult.

These two vases are an example of my hand gifts. The pottery one was designed and thrown especially for me during a friends pottery class. The second was hand painted by my sister-in-law for my 40th birthday.

My father has made me many presents—recreating ideas he sees and crafting them in wood or metal. I was the only child I knew growing up who had a wooden skateboard with her name etched into it. I still own it but I no longer ride it.

Thanks to anyone and everyone who have ever given me a hand made gift—including food. It makes me feel special and is appreciated.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/by-hand/