Celebrating International Coffee Day

October 1, 2021October 1, 2021 inspiringmax

Today is International Coffee Day. So to honour my favourite coffee style, I have described my thoughts and what I love about coffee or in my case a cappuccino as an acrostic poem.

Connecting with others

Getting to know someone new or on a deeper level is best done over a cup of coffee. It is a safe way to spend time with someone be it at work, home or out and about in daily life. I personally also love to participate in Natalie the Explorer’s weekendcoffeeshare for the same reason.

Ageless

Coffee beans were first discovered in the 15th century. Today they are a world wide phenonium and can be enjoyed by everyone. Even if you choose not to drink caffeine you can order your coffee decaffinated. Little ones can also participate by enjoying a babyccino – a cup of frothy milk sometimes with the treat of chocolate on top like a regular cappuccino.

Protection from diseases

Regular drinking of coffee helps protect us from developing Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. It can also help protect against Type 2 Diabetes as well as other diseases including certain types of cancers.

Pay it forward

In many coffee shops in Australia you can purchase an extra cup of coffee which the coffee shop will then make at a later time for someone less fortunate than ourselves. At present with the current Delta outbreak you can also donate $5 to certain websites and buy a coffee for the nurses and doctors working tirelessly in our Covid wards and ICU’s.

Ubiquitous

I love that coffee is literally everywhere. Even driving out in the country if you need one it doesn’t take long to find somewhere selling coffee. We will often stop when traveling as it is a great way to support the locals and get to know what is around the area. We have never found anyone who wasn’t up for a chat.

Calming affects of caffeine

Coffee increases mood by increasing the dopamine levels in our brain. It also helps with focus and energy levels.

Choices

In Australia there are many choices when it comes to your favourite beverage. Although all are varieties of the same 3 ingredients -coffee, milk and milk froth, they are very different?

Expresso
Macchiato
Long Black
Cappuccino
Latte
Mochaccino
Affogato
Piccolo Latte
Ristretto
Irish Coffee
Babyccino

Improves my focus, fat burning ability as well as physical performance

Coffee’s impact on metabolism, focus and physical performance is well documented. It can also help increase pain thresholds and if I need to take Panadol, I will have it with a coffee as it increases its painkilling effect.

Nutrients and antioxidants

Coffee is a brain food and if full of essential nutrients and antioxidants. Like all good things however it is important to remember that moderation is key.

Oppurtunities open for all

I love that anyone who wants to become a barista in Australia can become one. It requires a course and to be good at it a passion for coffee. As a mental health nurse I have seen several of my patients been accepted by their communities despite their obvious disabilities because they made an excellent cup of coffee. In a non Covid world Australians in particular will travel for a good coffee.

I have enjoyed my daily takeaway cappuccino as I wrote this post. I hope you too get to celebrate International Coffee Day and enjoy your favourite coffee today.

Vulnerability

March 21, 2020March 21, 2020 inspiringmax

I love this quote by Brene Brown. It puts simply everything we always knew without realising it. Coming back to blogging after over a 2 year break, I feel as vulnerable as I did when I posted my first blog post – Mother’s Day 2014. Each day however it got easier. As I connected with more people, my feeling of vulnerability lessened and I found my voice.

At present in most of the world we have an unprecedented way of life with restrictions that can change daily. In Australia, life last Friday week was so different to life yesterday. As a result, we accept that next Friday it could be very different again. We are all feeling vulnerable. But we are using the current situation to get creative and focus on what we can do and how we need to change things to get through. I’m a huge believer that many of the innovations that we put in place will become the new norm after the crisis as they will make everyday life better.

What are some of the innovating changes you have made lately?

Celebrating 400

February 16, 2016 inspiringmax

Today, only 21 months after my first post — Happy Mother’s Day, on Mother’s Day 2014, I celebrate my 400th post. This is a milestone I never dreamed possible, so to celebrate please enjoy my acrostic poem — another skill I’ve learnt on my Inspiring Max journey.

Following my dream

Out of my comfort zone

Under the guidance of those who had gone before

Rewarded by new friends in over a hundred countries

Honing my skills with

Unique and positive posts

Navigating my way

Determined to make a difference

Respecting and responding to others

Enjoying the journey

Driven by inspiration

Trusting my instincts

Happy others find my hard work helpful

Passion, persistence and positivity

Open the way for my original

Simple success

Thankful for Inspiring Max’s amazing community

First Blogiversary

May 10, 2015May 11, 2015 inspiringmax

On Mothers Day 2014 I bit the bullet and started a blog. I had no idea where this journey would lead me but I stepped out anyway and the following have been my rewards.

I have met many new friends
I am no longer scared of the internet
Writing daily has helped my word order and editing skills
I have a greater knowledge of countries around the world
I have learnt to reach out to others by leaving a comment on their blog
Understanding WordPress has helped me download my draft copy of my book as an e-book in Pressbooks
I am learning to write poetry
I am learning about search engine optimization
I have been viewed by people in 114 countries some I didn’t know existed
I am learning to fix things on my blog
I am becoming more comfortable using my experiences as a basis for my writing in a public forum
I have learnt to never assume anything and to make my writing clear
Over the 12 months I have had 12, 567 views and have 415 followers
I have learnt that visiting other blogs is as important as writing a post
I have enjoyed several Blogging University courses and learnt a lot from them
The A -Z April Blogging Challenge really tested me but I was excited to join it and complete all posts
I now notice fun blog ideas and can gather the information ahead of time
My audience continues to grow as I learn about traffic flow
Blogging events help us to interact
I have developed and understand my online voice and how it connects with others
I have learned about many new cultures, people, places and things
Finding peace in the blogging community
I have developed confidence with my writing through feedback from others
Learnt to use photos to enhance my posts
I enjoy writing and designing quotes using Picmonkey
I have learnt perseverance—it takes time to find your community blogging
Never give up, keep chipping away at it
Some things you can’t control and who how many people visit your blog is one of them

Thank you for joining me on my journey and I hope we continue to interact over the years to come in the blogosphere. My first ever post on Mother’s Day is here

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/journey/

Making Changes

October 13, 2014 inspiringmax

You wake up one morning and decide something in your life needs to change. You have been thinking about it for a while and suddenly you decide today is the day. How do you make the change?

Firstly, you need to know, what it is you need to change. Is it a big or small change? A small change may simply be a matter of substituting one thing for another e.g. having a glass of water instead of wine during the middle of the week. Other changes may have a bigger impact such as focusing on recovery and improving your mental health e.g. drug and alcohol rehabilitation or eating disorder recovery.

Whatever the reason you want to make the change, it is important to realise the benefits that you got from the behaviour / behaviours, you want to change. If it was a coping strategy, albeit an unhealthy one, you need to find a healthy option to substitute for it. There are no right and wrong answers here. Get support if necessary, do whatever you need to, to find alternative behaviours.

Break your change down to make it clear and easier to start. I like the What, When, Where, Why and How method. I find it makes planning simple and helps with accountability—I can easily see if I have completed the change. For example, using the initial change of wine into water, the plan is:

WHAT – Stop drinking wine mid week without a special occasion to celebrate

WHEN – Mondays through to Thursdays

WHERE – At home

WHY – It has become a habit and my body will function and sleep better without it

HOW – Drink sparkling mineral water instead using a splash of lemon or lime to make it special

If the areas you need to change are broad, break them down into smaller sections. Keep a list and prioritise which changes to make first. Focus on 1-2 areas at a time, as spreading your focus too thin means that you won’t change anything. It takes 3 weeks to change a habit, so practice each area for a month. This way you have the 3 weeks to change the habit and an extra week to maintain your behaviour change. Adding a few small changes together over a month—makes a significant difference to your life.

By constantly reviewing where you want to go and what is holding you back—you are able to keep your life moving forward in the direction you want it to go. Using these skills, when you get to a certain point and you find that life isn’t what you thought it would be—you can simply change direction by making a new plan.

One Lovely Blogger Award

October 5, 2014October 5, 2014 inspiringmax

I would like to thank Cancer Is Not Pink for nominating my blog for this award. I am excited to accept it as an acknowledgment that I am developing a voice my fellow bloggers can connect with.

The One Lovely Blog Award nominations are chosen by fellow bloggers for those newer and up-and-coming bloggers. The goal is to help give recognition and also to help the new blogger to reach more viewers. It also recognises blogs that are considered to be “lovely” by the fellow blogger who choose them. This award recognises bloggers who share their story or thoughts in a beautiful manner to connect with their viewers and followers. In order to “accept” the award the nominated blogger must follow several guidelines:

Thank the person who nominated you for the award.
Add the One Lovely Blog logo to your post.
Share 7 facts/or things about yourself.
Nominate 15 bloggers you admire and inform nominees by commenting on their blog:

7 facts about me:

1. I am just finishing writing a book on how eating disorder recovery is possible—I have worked in the field for over 20 years.

2. I love purple.

3. A possum lives in the gum tree next to our house.

4. I am having a white Christmas this year in Canada, not with family in sunny Australia.

5. Dark, dairy or white chocolate—dark.

6. Disney is my favourite, especially Mickey Mouse.

7. I love the quiet.

My 15 nominees are:

1. LESS©NS LEARNED

2. Expressions of a girl

3. Bleeding My Emotions

4. BRANDYMUZZ

5. BETZCEE RAMBLES

6. JOYROSES13

7. Phoenix Grey

8. The Muservation

9. Faithful Homesteader

10. Live Now – Dream Later

11. Notes Tied On The Sagebrush

12. The Beespeak

13. MISSFRESH77’S BLOG

14. My Own Private Idaho

15. More thoughts, vicar

World Smile Day

October 3, 2014 inspiringmax

Today, 3rd October is World Smile Day. The happy smiley face was created in 1963 by Harvey Ball. Ball states that “World Smile Day is open to every person on the planet. No matter what colour they are, or who they might pray to, no matter what country they live in.”

In celebrating World Smile Day, Harvey simply asks “each person to live the day with a generous heart, do one kind act and help one person smile.”

Google Images World Smile Day 2014

How can you make someone’s day, today? It is the little gestures that make a difference. Use today to launch your new—one act of kindness daily plan. Pay kindness forward and see how quickly your world changes.

Although the following film clip has no bearing on World Smile Day, I couldn’t resist putting it into the post as I think it is a clever part of the movie—Forest Gump.

What do you think?

Have a great day and smile.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/ready-set-done-3/

End Of An Era

September 12, 2014 inspiringmax

Have you ever kept putting off the inevitable hoping something would miraculously change and you wouldn’t have to move out of your comfort zone. It ended today for me. I have known for most of the year that my purple hair had to go. For the last twenty years, I have been colouring my own hair every 6-8 weeks with L’Oreal’s Casting Creme Gloss – Plum. It suited me and I loved being different.

My regular ritual took place in the backyard to ensure I didn’t make a mess by dropping the hair dye. Each time I would recruit a family member to come and check that I hadn’t missed any spots. It didn’t matter who was helping me the conversation usually went;

“A little bit here, turn around, again, a little bit more here, turn, and here. No not there”

“Where then?” I asked.

“Give me your hand,” replied my helper. Placing my hand with hair dye to the ready, they would then direct my hand to where the extra coverage was needed.

“Thanks, now I will be beautiful again” I relied sarcastically.

When completed, my hair did look great again adding colour to my face and instantly lifting it. The problem has been, now it only looks good for two weeks, if I am lucky. After which stage, a major grey strip would develop down the centre of my head, leaving me looking washed out and old.

From today I have joined the long line of women who have someone lovingly attend to their hair with permanent colour. I sat in the chair, watched and waited in awe as the colourist took her time dividing my hair into sections, placing the colour on each strand and regularly checked my grey hair was developing to match my other hair. This was the most attention my hair had received in a long time.

After my new natural brown hair colour was revealed for the first time, I was happy. The experts had chosen well and the colour suited me. I would get over the fact that apparently purple isn’t a strong enough colour to cover the grey so I needed to move on. Part of me couldn’t help wondering what other excitement would come into my life now my purple era had ended and I was brunette again. I do believe things happen for a reason and now having seen the results I wish I had followed through on this thinking when I first realised—its time.

What has come to the end of era in you life? What is stopping you from moving forward with the change you need to make?

Write Twice, Publish Once

September 11, 2014September 12, 2014 inspiringmax

My father taught me an important rule of building is to measure twice, cut once. If you only measure once before you cut and your measurement is wrong there is no going back. As you can edit after publishing, this is not the same with blogging, however, I find that write twice, publish once helps with my writers block and assists the flow of my blog.

By writing on the topic from scratch each time, my creativity often flows in a different direction. There are always some key points that to my surprise, I frequently by chance write identical sentences to cover these topics. This information I take as the core to my topic and build the other ideas from each writing session to complete my blog.

To date, I have found the second attempt to be more creative and fills in the detail. This practice works best when there is a couple of days between writing segments. Don’t read what you have written prior to writing your second draft. Re reading your previous attempt may stop new ideas from flowing as your mind is biased by your words.

Next time you find yourself stuck, give my write twice, publish once technique a try and let me know about your experience.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Fathers Day

September 7, 2014September 7, 2014 inspiringmax

Today in Australia is Fathers Day. The day we honour, celebrate and recognise the role our fathers play in our life. I have put together an acrostic poem acknowledging some of the roles our fathers play in our lives. Can you think of anymore?