A – Australian Fun Facts

What better way to start the April 2016 A – Z challenge than with some fun facts about my amazing country, Australia.

  1. Our population hit the big time this year when we made it to 24 million people.
  • Australians love to shorten words and add an O to the end, for example ambulance driver becomes ambo.
  • The first selfie was taken in Australia.
  • The box jellyfish kills more people annually than sharks, stone fish and crocodiles combined.
  • Australia has over 10,000 beaches. you could visit one a day for 27 years.
  • The Emu and the Kangaroo are on our coat of arms because neither animal can walk backwards.
  • On Christmas Eve, 1974 Darwin one of Australia’s capital cities was destroyed by cyclone Tracy, a category 5 cyclone.
  • In 1973, the Australian government spent $1.35 million dollars to purchase Jackson Pollack’s Blue Poles. At the time, this was a very controversial decision, however it is now recogised as a great work of art, worth all the money and more.

Blue Poles

 

  • Melbourne has the world’s largest Greek population outside of Athens.
  • 83% of Australia’s population live within 50 kilometres of the coast.
  • Since 2012 Australia has been recognised as the world’s most obese nation with 26% of the population obese.
  • Australia was the second country in the world to allow women to vote.
  • Australia has the world’s large supply of camel’s with one hump and exports them to Saudia Arabia.
  • Tasmania has the cleanest air in the world.
  • There are over 150 big things in Australia.

 


Perspective

We each inhabit a specific vantage point from which we blog. What’s yours?

Inspiring Max is inspired by my thoughts, experiences and  travels. It is a mixed blog that aims to think outside the square and encourage its viewers to consider a different way of looking at life. My blog is represented by a gray double rainbow that reminds me that even after the darkest storms comes the rainbow to assist us to change our perspective. Some of the values that I aim to share on Inspiring Max are

Positivity

Empathy

Real life

Sharing

Practical

Expressiveness

Creativity

Thoughtfulness

Individuality

Variety

Empowerment

 

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Share Your World 2016 – Week #8

What household chore do you absolutely hate doing?

I hate doing all house hold chores which is why I pay a cleaner. They enjoy it, are definitely better at it and the stress is removed. I love to come home the day the cleaners have been and just sit quietly and smell the clean silence. It rejuvenates me to think about the blogging and editing I can do at the weekend.

What was the last URL that you bookmarked?

I don’t know what this question means so I guess I don’t do it. I am really only an amateur when it comes to this technology.

Close your eyes. Listen to your body. What part of your body is seeking attention? What is it telling you?

When I closed my eyes I did so at my computer desk and put my head in my hands. At this time my body began to tingle and my head began to slightly ache. I think it was telling me thanks for stopping and are you going to feed me soon as my blood sugar levels are dropping after a long day computing and working. Message correct. I felt better after food.

Would you rather have a two-bedroom apartment in a big city of your choosing or a mansion in the country side in the state or country where you currently live?

If I could afford to not work I would rather be in country New South Wales. If I had to work I would rather be in apartment in the city close to work. I of course would be happy to give working in Canada, London or USA a go if I met the qualifications.

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

Last week I was grateful for the support I received during a tough week. This week I am looking forward to putting all the little illustrations back into my book before I review it with my collaborator. Editing is such a long process.

Share Your World – 2016 Week 8

 


Celebrating 400

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

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Some Say Love, It Is A Razor

Take the third line of the last song you heard, make it your post title, and write for a maximum of 15 minutes. GO!

Bette Midler’s The Rose is my favouirte empowerment song. I love to lie on the floor, in the dark and listen to it played—loud and proud. This song motivates me and reminds me risks are worth taking and growth takes time and nurturing.

As one of the opening lines of The Rose, the third line “some say love, it is a razor” uses vivid powerful imagery. A razor like love can be a positive or a negative experience. It can

  • Tidy new hair growth
  • Trim a mustache or beard
  • Transform faces, legs and other body parts
  • Terminate a life

The secret is to trust the the person in control of the razor—yourself included.

If you are scared of ever bleeding from a razor cut—you will never know the freedom and beauty that comes from feeling your freshly shaven, clean subtle skin.  “Feel my skin, it feels so soft” are words often used by many of us to share our experience with others. This invitation increases the intimacy between us and often leads to love.

 

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/cant-drive-55/


Keep Believing

What is the one thing at which you are the most afraid of failing?

In general I look at life through positive thoughts so I don’t think about failing.  I believe in myself and my ability to cope with what life throws my way. If something doesn’t work out the way I planned I look for the lesson for it, make a new plan and move forward. I believe focusing on failure and what I can’t do doesn’t help and fogs up my view of my reality.

This week many things that I couldn’t control came into my life and I was reminded of the above inspirational tweet. It would have been easy for me to focus on the negative aspects however, as challenging as this was, I continued to focus on the positive and believe everything would work out. I focused on what I could do.

To succeed at not letting what I couldn’t do interfere with what I needed to I acknowledged my fears, feelings and frustrations. These were the basis of the negative things that could happen and because I am a big picture person I made a small plan—just in case. That done with support from those around me I focused on the positive. I kept believing that everything would work out.

Now as I start a new week I am grateful that things are moving forward in the right direction and non of my fears transpired. In hindsight, I am happy my mindfulness and positive thinking worked out and should a similar situation happen again, I will again follow John Wooden’s advice.

If you find yourself  focusing on what you can’t do, take a moment believe in what you can do and see where it leads you.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/must-not-fail/


Inspiration, Knowledge and Travels

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

 

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


Quebec’s Holy Door

On our recent trip to Canada I passed through Quebec’s Holy Door at the Bascillica of Notre-Dame de Quebec. The Holy Door was granted  to the people of Quebec by the Pope to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the first Catholic parish in Northern America (Canada and USA)—at one time the largest Catholic parish in the world.  The Holy Door opened on the 8th December 2013 and closed on the 28th December 2014.

It is one of only seven Holy Doors  and the first Holy Door opened outside of Europe—four in the Vatican, one in France and one in Spain. The door itself is made of bronze and weighs about half a tonne. The external side of the door has Christ on the front and the internal door has Mary sculptured into it. Upon entering should you choose you place your hand in the hands of Christ and pause mindfully for a moment.

The Holy Door must be entered from the outside in and leads into the small chapel at the side of the Bascillica. After its closure on the 28th December 2104 the Holy Door was sealed to be opened again in 2025 when the next Holy Year was expected. However on 17th March 2015, Pope Francis announced that a Holy Year of Mercy will begin on 8th December 2015 that will close on the 20th November 2016. During this Jubilee all seven Holy Doors around the world will be opened.

The brochure stated “this door is open to all persons of good will. For Catholics it is a pilgrimage, a sign, a passage, a kind of spiritual preparation.”

Despite not being Catholic I found passing through Quebec’s Holy Door quite a spiritual experience. Although it was not the purpose of my trip to Quebec City—it was one of my highlights. The fact that I entered on Boxing Day—the day after Christmas Day made it more special for me. If you are traveling in an area next year that has a Holy Door consider adding it to your travel plans. Once closed the Holy Doors will all be sealed again until the next Jubilee Year possibly 2025 as originally expected.

 


Weekly Photo Challenge: Wall

Share an image of a wall that reveals something about a place, people, or you.

Mural of Quebecers

The mural of Quebecers has brought to life this wall in Old Quebec City. It is the most amazing mural I have ever seen.  Painted in 3D by several artists in 1999—it includes all significant events, architecture and people in the city’s colourful 400 year history.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/wall/


I See Something

http://youtu.be/rffLyHrLqMs

This years World Championship of Public Speaking was won by Dananjaya Hettiarachchi. In his award winning speech, Dananjaya tells the story of how people believing in him, changed his attitude to himself and as a result his life.

Have you ever had the joy of improving someone’s life by believing in them. The more they don’t believe in themselves, the more powerful someone else’s belief can be. Start by telling someone you can see potential in what they are doing or could do. It is this belief that can and will change lives.

If you are someone who needs direction to change your life, seek out people who believe in you and can guide your way. We can all improve our lives by seeing something in ourselves and setting the bar a little higher to reach that next goal.

Be inspired today to see something in everyone. Be that glimmer of hope that can turn into a bush fire of potential. Who knows were it will take you or them?