Creative Being

Books that Make a Difference

During the Thanksgiving break, I began reading one of my favorite book series, Anne of Green Gables. I liked it the first time I read it many years ago and several readings later, I still like it. What I noticed this time around though was that Anne was a total Law of Attraction girl. She imagined her life into being and when things weren't as she wanted, she imagined herself into feeling better. She does this over and over, especially in the first book.

"When we got to the train I felt as if everyone must be looking at me and pitying me. But I just went to work and imagined that I had on the most beautiful blue silk dress-because when you are imagining you might as well imagine something worthwhile--and a big hat all flowers and nodding plumes, and a gold watch, and kid gloves and boots. I felt cheered up right away and I enjoyed the trip to the island with all my might"

"Do you know," said Anne confidentially, "I've made up my mind to enjoy this drive. It's been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things you if you make up your mind firmly that you will. Of course you must make it up firmly. I am not going to think about going back to the asylum while we're having our drive. I'm just going to think about the drive."

Another book I had mentioned previously was The Little Princess. This is my all-time favorite book. It wasn't until reading it more recently that I realized that it was a good story about Law of Attraction as well. Little Sarah Crewe behaves as she imagines a princess would, no matter how bleak the circumstances.

Creating the Perfect Job

I read recently that there is no such thing as a "Perfect Job." You have to make it perfect. Last week I was at a counselor's luncheon. A man next to me said he had been watching my college for openings. I told him that my job had been the last advertised job...three and a half years ago and that had been a part-time position.

When I began my job, I started with a couple of duties. I advised students and I managed a job postings board. There were times during the year that were really slow. I began teaching myself about writing resumes. I read books and I joined an organization. Whenever I could, I would get students to leave their resumes with me to critique. Eventually I was teaching workshops on resume writing. I also began learning about how to interview and other parts of the job search.

I had been trying to figure out what I should do with my life for so long; I had read a lot of books on the subject. One day I got an email that described an career decision activity that I thought it looked like fun. I emailed the director of a new program at the college and offered to come do it with her class. That initiative has lead to me teaching career decision to about one thousand students a year!

Because I made my job bigger than it was, my college created a full time position for me over a year ago. Because my job is so much bigger than me, this year I get an assistant.

Like many people, I sometimes long for more freedom. Yet, I also realize that I have had so much good experience through this position. I could have easily just done my job and waited for other people to think of things for me to do. But it is so much better to think of things that I want to do myself.

Little Things Adding Up

Added 11/26/08: Was finishing up at the grocery store yesterday and the clerk asked if I was aware of their cookware promotion. I said that I had noticed it. He pointed out that I had a lot of points. I stopped by the display and saw that I had enough points for three nice pieces of cookware. The register totaled it for $150 before it was given to me for free.

Asked a friend for a recipe. She also gave me a nice box of all the spices to make it with.

Our bookstore at the college had a Staff Appreciation Day. I entered the drawing and won a nice prize.

The price of gas continues to go down.

A free lunch on Friday.

After the free lunch on friday, I had the afternoon with my college age daughter exploring Central Market. Seeing the foods through her eyes. Buying the most beautiful and unusual flowers and purple sweet potatoes! Even though getting out of Houston on Friday afternoon can be a pain, it wasn't too bad.

Enlightening and entertaining evenings with friends that included hearing about other countries and cultures.

Ordered my thanksgiving dinner from my favorite Turkish restaurant. I didn't see him advertising this year but when I called he said he would do it for us. It's turkey and the usual fixings but oh so much better because I don't have to cook. I did this last year and Thanksgiving was a joy rather than a chore. There will be some of his special touches. The turkey is cooked in the brick oven. He'll include his mama's shepherd bread and hummus. Dessert will be baklava.

Whether here in Texas is amazing in November. One day this week, I came home for lunch and took a short nap outside. It was just too wonderful to pass up.

The Nine Intense Experiences

There's a sequence of videos going around called the Nine Intense Experiences. As I watching the most recent videos I was struck by yet another picture that is exactly the same as one I've used in my photo slide shows. Most of my mind movie pictures came from dreamstime.com. But I searched through thousands of pictures to pick pictures that resonated with me. And Brian's video has several of them. I'm a sign person. To me that's a sign that these videos will have meaning for me. He even had my very favorite picture which I couldn't find on dreamstime.com and eventually purchased from istockphoto.com.

As I listened tonight, I was pleased that the ideas behind these intense experiences are more for your spirit rather than looking for another way to fill my pocketbook. I have nothing against filling my pocketbook. Yet, I find myself tired of endless appeals or bonuses to read this or that about achieving or acquiring. Some of the experiences I already practice to some extent. I feel a quiet sense of pleasant anticipation about going deeper. If nothing else, this series of videos has awakened something up in me.

Cleaning

Yesterday, I did something I hadn't had energy to do in months. I cleaned my bedroom. Most weekends I do the public parts of the house. Then I'll start my room, wash sheets, vacuum, and then tell myself I'll finish it after work on Monday. That part hasn't been happening. Books and magazines were piled up on the floor. My work table was covered with pretty much everything. It was a cluttered and dusty mess. I worked on it throughout the day off and on until it was done at 9:00 PM.

I've found in the past that cleaning works remarkably well to clean out my mind. A steady course of cleaning drawers and shelves also works a little therapy on me. It also tends to unstuck my life if it needs unstucking. All in all, its action that has no downside to it.

Since today is a work day, I've decided to just do a little drawer. I'll do a small job every day until I've got all the places I stash things all clean and neat.

Evidence

Two of the slides in my just posted mind movie say, "new sources of income flow into my life...easily and quickly.

On Wednesday, I was presenting and working with several sections of a college class. At one point the students were busy with an activity and their instructor tells me that he thinks I would be a good person to review something or other. I wasn't paying close attention because I was watching the students. The next day, I'm back in another of his classes and he says that he recommended me to his boss to preview the material he had mentioned the day before. I say sure, I'd be happy to help. Then he tells me they'll pay me $75/hour to do it. That was kind of cool cause I was happy to do it as part of my job.

Then last night we got a call from a family member who wanted to give us some money towards our children's college this coming semester. Again, very cool.

Doubling my Income

I was looking through some of the old posts. I was so glad that I wrote them! I found things I had totally forgotten. I found one where I had written:

"One of my goals for this year is to double my income."

I realize that I did that! A few weeks after writing that, my employer unexpectedly created a full time position for me and gave me a raise, which effectively and quickly more than doubled my income for the next year.

I am sitting here amazed with the coolness of my life.

More on Mind Movies

It's official. I really really love making mind movies. I like watching them too but I can easily spend an hour or two tinkering around with my current one. I've made four so far! The first two were with Windows Movie Maker. For the second two I used the Mind Movie Creation Kit. The first two were fun to make and watch. Now that I've used the kit for my second two, the first two seem a little slow and hard to watch.

This is the third one that I've made and the second that I've published. I got the kit on October 29 and had made the first draft of the movie by November 1. I'm calling that my start date. I've committed to myself to watch it at least once a day for 90 days. I aim for two times though.

I  am going to record changes taking place. I've already seen and felt them. I want to write them down because it's so easy to just take it all for granted...which when you think about it is exactly what you want to do. You want to just know that all your good is just going to happen and its going to feel natural.

My Mind Movie

I caught the Mind Movie bug. Several weeks back I heard about Mind Movies. I was looking forward to the "how-to" package that was coming out. In the meantime, I used Ryan's basic directions and began gathering pictures and playing with a movie maker that I already had. However, the day of the big launch, I was evacuating from a hurricane. When I finally got back, had electricity and cable, the launch was over. I had my work-in-progress though, so I've continued to play with that.

Success

I was just looking at my blog and realized that August was the last time I had written anything! Oh, the price of success. On September 1, I accepted a full-time job that I believed would present many wonderful opportunities. And it has. But I'm still adjusting to working the 8 to 5 kind of schedule. This is the first time in my working life, I've had this structured of a schedule. Previous to this, I had the same job (minus some of the cool opportunities) and had much more flexibility about my hours. I liked that!

Last night my husband asked me whether I felt this was a career or just a job. I think it's a little of both. Working in my field has allowed me to find and develop my particular gifts. My work allows me to be of real value in the world. I do believe all people have value whatever they do. I just can't help enjoying the feeling though, that I have made a difference. Every day I get to encourage people as they go towards some dream or goal. I get to practice kindness on a daily basis. I get to learn about myself as I deal with co-workers.

There are days that I wish I was not working, that I didn't have to go in, that I had more vacation. Okay, pretty much every day is like that. Yet, at the same time, every day has such gifts that I don't know how else I would have gotten them otherwise. I've met students and other people that I am so grateful to know.

Along with settling into this job has been settling into Texas. After three years, I can look at this experience and think it's been a good one. I have made what I am beginning to think, might be the best friends of my life. I see my children doing well. Both my husband and I have great jobs. Even our pets are happy here. At the same time, I have this underlying grief for the people and places that I've left. And I don't actually like this as a place to live. Despite an abundance of blessings, that I do count, I feel an unhappiness that exists along with my happiness.