My Voice

April 3, 2015 inspiringmax

How do you communicate differently online than in person, if at all? How do you communicate emotion and intent in a purely written medium?

Communication is key. It is at the centre of everything we do. To me all forms of communication need to be consistent—written, verbal and body language. How I communicate is my brand. Working in mental health I nurture moving forward, making changes to encourage growth—both in myself and others.

Several years ago I did not realise how different my written and spoken word naturally were. I had just begun writing my book and given my first draft chapters to my collaborator. After reading them her response was—”the information is great but it needs to be in your voice that is what people connect with.” She was right. My written word was stiff and formal. It didn’t flow and wasn’t welcoming. This was a pivotal point in my writing career long before I started blogging. The way I communicate orally and in writing work when they are the same. My writing voice needed to change.

Now everything thing I write except formal work document as based on a conversational tone—my natural voice. I don’t use the shortened text message for of communication—I don’t like it. If I am writing a text message I write it exactly as I would ask it—clear and concise—so there is no misunderstanding. When using emotion and intent I describe the situation using the writing formula—show don’t tell.

If I am unsure how to phrase a sentence in my voice I memorise the sentence and re write it how I remember it. From my experience this puts it in the order I say it. This is particularly helpful when I am writing speeches. I rarely use long complicated sentences—they confuse me. I like easy to understand communication—in life and on-line.

My experience is by using this method even when I need to say difficult things they are taken well and the change I want is nurtured without the other person getting defensive. My aim is to respect all people I interact with—known or unknown—bringing inspiration and positivity into their world and hopefully brightening their day.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/its-a-text-text-text-text-world/

Inspiration, Knowledge and Travels

April 1, 2015 inspiringmax

Often, our blogs have taglines. But what if humans did, too? What would your tagline be?

I believe humans do have taglines. Everything we say and do is our tagline—what people know us by. We can edit our blog posts to ensure they match our theme. However in our life blog posts the editing process requires more effort and pain is often attached to the changes. Life with our blogs trialing new things and sometimes making big changes brings greater rewards. This can be the same in life. Like in the old adage—no pain, no gain.

For me the similarities between myself and my blog continue. I would choose a similar tagline. My blogs tagline is inspiration through my thoughts, experiences and travels. My life’s tagline would be inspiration, knowledge and travels.

I am a positive person working in mental health. Everything I do is about encouraging myself and others to look on the bright side—developing a spark of hope into a fire that warms you and lights your path and become the best possible version of oneself.

My main areas to focus on include:

Inspiration—stories, quotes, songs, words, books, movies
Knowledge—eating disorder recovery, mental health, parenting, public speaking, life skills
Travels—Australia, Canada, China, New Zealand

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

Wonder Woman

March 31, 2015 inspiringmax

If you were involved in a movie, would you rather be the director, the producer, or the lead performer? (Note: you can’t be the writer!).

I love acting. Bringing characters to life and making them believable. Acting allows you to totally immerse yourself in the character and find things about yourself you didn’t know existed.

It has been many decades since I last acted but who knows I may return to it in my retirement when I have more time on my hands.

My greatest acting moment was playing Wonder Woman to a crowded theatre. At the time I didn’t look to bad either—unfortunately I don’t think I have any photos to remember it by.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/the-show-must-go-on/

My CODES

March 30, 2015 inspiringmax

Have you got a code you live by? What are the principles or set of values you actively apply in your life?

I live my life according to my personal values. They are at the centre of everything I do and are the basis of my motto—be the best version of yourself possible but do no harm to yourself or others. My personal values can be described as my CODES and include:

C

Calmness, Carefulness, Challenge, Commitment, Community, Confidence, Connection, Courage, Courtesy, Continuity, Compromise, Comfort and Change.

O

Open-mindedness. Optimism, Order, Originality and Outdoors.

D

Dependability, Desire, Determination, Dignity, Dreaming, Direction and Diligence.

E

Empathy, Encouragement, Endurance, Enthusiasm, Ethics, Excellence, Experience, Expertise, Expressiveness, Ease, Efficiency, Envision and Exploration.

S

Safety, Self-control, Security, Self-reliability, Self-respect, Sensitivity, Sharing, Silence, Simplicity, Spirituality, Stability, Support and Spontaneity.

Whenever I am thinking whether a decision is right for me—I consult my CODES. If it fits into any of my above values, I will consider the option further. If it doesn’t fit—the answerer is a definite NO!

My CODES simplify my life.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/i-walk-the-line/

10,000 Views

March 27, 2015 inspiringmax

Tell us about a time things came this close to working out… but didn’t. What happened next? Would you like the chance to try again, or are you happy with how things eventually worked out?

Inspiring Max was born on Mother’s day—12th May 2014. I knew nothing about blogging but thought I would give it a go anyway. As a self-hosted blog, I soon realised I had a lot to learn about how I was different to other WordPress.com sites. It was a very slow process. I was frustrated. In July, after completing Blogging 101 I had—34 views, 13 visitors and only 1 follower. So I stopped blogging and prioritised other things.

In late August I was off work sick for a week. I had nothing to do so I popped back to my site. To my surprise I had a few followers, several more views and an Inspiring Blogger Award. I was humbled and excited. Suddenly I got it. Blogging is a long-term journey—a commitment not only to yourself, but also every one who reads you blog. We all grow together and allow each other to reach our own individual goals. By the end of December 2014, my goal was 100 followers. I ended the year with 110 followers and now I have 335. It may have been a slow start but Inspiring Max is on the move.

Somewhere around September I learnt not to focus on the followers but the views. If people were regularly viewing more than one page of my work I was happy. This usually meant they would come back again. The more I connect with my blogging community—the more they connect with me. I view 3 new blogs a day that I interact with. As a result, I am excited to have been viewed by people in 105 countries—many of whom I didn’t know existed. I love the coloured in world map of where Inspiring Max has been.

My advice to bloggers is make sure you have great content and keep going. When you are discouraged visit new blogs. Connect with your community at every opportunity and overtime—your community will connect with you. Blogging is a rewarding experience that has allowed me to grow in ways I would have never imagined possible before. Thank you for sharing my journey. I look forward to our future together. To celebrate I offer you a virtual glass champagne instead of a cigar.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/but-no-cigar/

Play

March 25, 2015March 25, 2015 inspiringmax

Draft a post with three parts, each unrelated to the other, but create a common thread between them by including the same item — an object, a symbol, a place — in each part.

“Mum can we go yet, I want to play?”

“Who or what do you want to play with, Sandy?”

“I want to play with Mary.”

“Mary is visiting her family in Queensland so that is not possible.”

“Yes it is mum she has her mum’s I-pad.”

“Sorry Sandy, remember yesterday I said during the day you play outside while the weather is good.”

“Okay mum I forgot.”

Practical and fun

Life’s building blocks

Alternate way of learning

Your friend

Last night I went to see the new play in town. Great story and the characters were so real. Initially I didn’t want to go but I went as a favour to my friend. She was worried nobody would go. Wrong. It was a sell out crowd and the critics loved it. Simply titled—PLAY—it is the story behind the importance of playing in our adult life as well as our childhood. So when you get the chance don’t forget to play.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/weaving-the-threads/

Pros And Cons List

March 23, 2015 inspiringmax

Write about a time you had a Goldilocks experience, exploring different choices and finally arriving at “just right.”

Our choices shape our lives. But how do we make the right choice—when so many are available. One helpful way I have found to make any decision is to draw up a pros and cons list for each choice.

Take a piece of paper and divide it in half. On one side write your reasons for doing the activity, behaviour or change (the pros) and on the other side write your reasons not to do it or why it won’t work (the cons). Be creative. Even ideas that seem silly or far-fetched can be helpful in the big picture when you make a plan around them.

Once you have your lists—see how balanced or unbalanced they are. Sometimes it may be immediately obvious which choice is right for you. On other occasions—you may find yourself more confused. No problem. Hang your lists in your room or somewhere you can see them regularly for a couple of days. Focus on each option. Does one draw you in more than the others?

If you struggle to choose which option is right for you—give yourself a challenge. Try the most positive one or the option that will give you the biggest reward on completion. Remember, if this choice don’t work—you can always adjust it slightly to make it more practical. Break it down into smaller steps if needed but keep moving forward with your choices. Sometimes— just right— takes a little while to feel comfortable, but when it does it fits beautifully.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/daily-prompt-4/

Fly On The Wall

March 21, 2015March 21, 2015 inspiringmax

If you could be a “fly on the wall” anywhere and at any time in history, where and when would you choose?

Owing to my curiosity I was unable to decide on just one moment to spy on—too many options. Instead I choose an acrostic poem with my various ideas—some are a little out there but the knowledge gained from each experience would have been amazing.

Flying with Amelia Earhart across the Atlantic Ocean as the first woman to go solo

Landing on the moon

Yellowstone’s super-volcano last eruption in 1350 BC

Observing Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel

Normans adventures and conquests

Titanic’s last day

Historic occasion of the Berlin Wall coming down

End of World War II

Womans movement development in the 1970’s

At Gander, Canada the day all planes en route to USA were forced to land there because American airspace was closed as a response to 9/11

Listening to Martin Luthur Kings “I have a dream” speech

Lunch with the royal family just being themselves—no protocol or formalities

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/fly-on-the-wall/

Life in Sydney

March 20, 2015 inspiringmax

What do you love most about the city / town / place that you live in? What do you like the least about it? If you were mayor, what would be the most important problem you’d tackle? How would you tackle it?

I live in Sydney, Australia along with 4.5 million others. It is a vibrant, exciting city visited by millions of people ever year and home to the deepest natural harbour in the world. See my earlier post—Welcome to Sydney here for more information.

Working in mental health I love that Sydney’s specialists and hospitals are recognised on the world map as leaders in research in all areas. If help is needed it can be accessed—something that cannot be said for many places.

My biggest problem living in Sydney is the daily commute. Compared to other cities in the world, it is expensive—although now a little cheaper with the Opal card, time consuming and the buses are unreliable. I mostly use the trains which have improved recently however they are not yet at a level that encourages drivers to get off the road and catch the train. On average it takes me 1.5 hours to get to work on the train. If I leave for work early and leave work late I can drive the distance in half an hour—something I have begun doing a couple of days a week. During my usual hours however the drive will take a minimum of an hour so the extra stress isn’t worth it.

My only solution to this problem is to bring down the price of public transport, increase services and make sure they run on or close to time. Sydney trains has worked hard on this however the buses have far too few routes and buses often don’t show. Only last Sunday I needed to wait for 50 minutes for a bus that should have arrived 6 minutes after I did. If I had taken my alternate train/walk route I would have been home before the bus arrived.

These problems are not insurmountable and commuting would take less time in a smaller city. Smaller cities also have fewer resources something I am not interested in giving up. While 5 minutes to work may be great if I worked in an office or shop—in mental health physical distance can be a blessing in disguise as it gives time between work and home which helps me to wind down after a busy day. Having a view of Sydney Harbour to start and end my day isn’t hard to take either—something I don’t get on the days I choose to drive.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/we-built-this-city/

World’s Best Ice Cream

March 18, 2015 inspiringmax

Vanilla, chocolate, or something else entirely?

During our trip to Canada, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island we discovered a secret—the world’s best ice cream. The brand was appropriately named Cows and decorated in a black and white cow print theme. The weather may have been cold, rainy and miserable outside but wasn’t going to stop us treating ourselves.

The names of the ice cream flavours were also a delight with an unusual twist on the cow theme. I choose Cowie Wowie—vanilla ice cream, English toffee marble,chocolate flakes and moo crunch for my bottom level. On the top I had Moo York Cheesecake—cheesecake ice cream, Oreo and chocolate swirl. My husband choose Cowberry—vanilla ice cream, fresh PEI strawberries, PEI blueberries and raspberries for his bottom layer. He topped this off with Birthday Cake—cake batter base, blue frosting swirl and sprinkles.

The ice cream was amazing. Rich and smooth and you could tell the individual flavours that went into each cone. My regret is that I didn’t choose a chocolate flavour as I usually would which I think would have taken my choice to a new height. Cowie Wowie is their most popular flavour which is why I choose it and I am not sorry I did.

Upon leaving there was a sadness as we realised we wouldn’t be able to try it again as there is not a big chain of Cows stores around Canada. This was a one hit wonder and a highlight of our trip to Charlottetown.

The experience put new meaning to the old quote—”I sceam, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.”

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/32-flavors/