2011: The Year of Audacious Self-Care!

Photo (c) iStockphoto.com/Ann Marie Kurtz

Welcome!

I'm hosting a year-long program of Audacious Self-Care to build a community that will soften the blow of the recession somewhat for all of us. It really bothers me that now, when folks are looking for ways to rise above the recession and have to great lives anyway, many of them can't afford assistance with their goals!

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I don't want us living "lives of quiet desperation," as Henry David Thoreau put it. I like this quote by Thoreau much better:

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."

I know we can all do this despite the recession! Even if you've suffered losses because of the recession, I believe in your power to overcome them and "Live the life you have imagined."

I developed the Audacious Self-Care program so that you can participate in many no-cost and/or reasonably-priced activities. It's this simple: if you want in, you're in! The program itself has no enrollment fee, and you are not obligated to participate in any part of it that has a fee if you're not comfortable with that.

I discussed the Audacious Self-Care program in my 11/22/10 post, along with some goal-setting tips. I encourage you to take a look at that post, too. And later this month, I'll be posting more about goal setting and how to pick the best goal-setting system for you.

Audacious Self-Care is a theme that I'm very passionate about, and I believe it's the perfect one to focus on during the recession! We'll be covering four topics, one for each quarter of the year, keeping in mind that self-care is world-care, and world-care is self-care!

1) The Possible You

2) Take a Look Around: Your Immediate Environment

3) Boundaries and Bridges: Your Interactions with Others

4) Audacious Contribution and Stewardship

Please note: I am not harvesting emails through this program, and there is no official sign-up. Just jump in wherever and whenever you want!

I would love to hear from you in the comments section of this blog! I know we can help each other by reporting our success stories, asking questions, giving advice, and making observations right here on the blog.

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The Audacious Self-Care Community needs your input! I know it will be worth your time to support and be supported and inspired by this community.

I'd like to call upon my five blog followers to step up and get the conversation started. Many thanks to spiritcoach, denagrad, decory, Hazel Dugz, and pf_black44!

For blog followers and non-followers alike, please share your thoughts with us about our current topic, The Possible You. Here's some food for thought: Close your eyes and imagine the best possible you. Describe the scene, including sounds, sights, who is with you, what you're doing, and how you're feeling.

At what level of belief are you that you are actually heading there? 50%? 85%? (If it's zero, don't worry. We'll help you bump it up!) What evidence is currently in your life or in your personal history to support your belief? And finally, what will your self-care need to look like in order to support the possible you?

Most of us have a desire to make the world a kinder and gentler place, and that starts with being kinder and gentler to ourselves! As Daniel Pink, the author of Drive, says:

"...the secret to high performance and satisfaction in today's world is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world."

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If you would like a more personal venue, I also encourage occasional brief email exchanges (scleaver@dejazzd.com) at no cost and with no strings. You can even send snail-mail if you wish! :-) The address is Susan Cleaver, P.O. Box 586, Douglassville, PA 19518-1121.

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Speaking of snail-mail, I publish a quarterly, two-page newsletter that is complimentary. (If you live outside of the domestic US, I may ask you to help with the postage, though!) Just let me know if you'd like to receive it and where you'd like it to be sent.

The Audacious Self-Care Community is going to be a great inter-developmental source of fun and support, even if I do say so myself. ('See? I'm already a bit audacious!)

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All my best,

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Susan

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P.S. to local folks: I'll be teaching an accelerated, reasonably-priced version of Audacious Self-Care for the Boyertown Area School District's Continuing Education Program. We'll meet for one hour on each of the four topics.

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We'll cover one each week for four Mondays, starting on March 14. Contact me (scleaver@dejazzd.com) or the District for details.

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***One more thing: Please spread the word about The Audacious Self-Care Community! The more people we have involved, the more wisdom we'll have to share and the more folks we can help. Thank you!***

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***All of Susan's posts are copyright of Susan Cleaver.***

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***Proud, active member of the TriCounty Community Network, http://www.tcnetwork.org/.***

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What We Gain from Losing Our Clutter

My Latest Decluttering Report and Two Resources for You

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I'm Half-Way to My Goal of 100 Clutter-Zapping Hours! I logged 11 hours since my last check-in for a total of 50 hours in 4 months. I've done most of this in 30-minute segments and even some 15-minutes segments (when I'm feeling tired, overwhelmed, or under motivated). Using small blocks of time is key for my success. 50 hours is the equivalent of one work week of 10-hour days. I can confidently say I would not have had success with that format!

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Here's What I'm Gaining as I Lose My Clutter:

~More space to create.

~Visual calm.

~A feeling of being on top of things.

~Order.

~Space for new things to come into my life; room to grow as a person.

~Better organizing habits.

~An opportunity to be a better role model.

~Better energy...for my space and for me. (Four months ago, the bamboo plant on my desk was languishing, despite having adequate sunlight and water. Now it has three new sprouts of growth on it!)

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Check Out These Two Great Sources of Info and Inspiration!

~When Organizing Isn't Enough: SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life, by Julie Morgenstern (hardcover or audiobook). This book is a valuable resource for folks in transition, whether the change is welcome or unwelcome.

~www.RealSimpleRealLife.com This site features inspiring before-and-after photos and practical tips.

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Please drop by the comments section and share your organizing success stories!

Thanks,

Susan

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P.S. This blog has an alter ego! It's my light and inspiring bimonthly snail-mail newsletter, "Susan, Unplugged....Your 'Slow-Tech' Source for Creative and Healthy Living Tips." It's complimentary within the US. To request it, contact me by email, snail-mail, or phone: scleaver@dejazzd.com, P.O. Box 586, Douglassville, PA 19518-0586, USA, or 610-385-3766.

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***All of Susan's creative4life posts are copyright of Susan Cleaver.***

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Talking to Volleyballs and Beyond

This post ties into my last topic (June 2), about imagination and journaling, even though I didn't plan it that way. So much the better! I credit my subconscious with much of what ends up here on my blog, anyway. :-)

Remember Tom Hanks' character in the movie "Cast Away," who was stranded alone on a deserted island? Taking on an imaginary friend (in his case it was a volleyball, animated only by his imagination) was probably the sanest thing he could have done! Refer back to my June 2 post for more about imaginary friends and how this helpful psychological tool grows with us and shows up in different forms at different stages of our lives.

If you remember the details of the movie, you'll recall one conversation in particular that Hanks' character, Chuck, had with the volleyball that saved his life. Chuck was preparing to commit suicide, when he imagined the ball (whom he named Wilson) advising him to test his method of demise first. He did so, and after the test clearly failed, Chuck had a change of heart and decided to focus on staying alive instead.

On the movie site, http://www.imdb.com/, Wilson the Volleyball is listed as a character, played by himself. :-) He even has a short bio on the site! He's also mentioned in the awards list for the film. The Broadcast Film Critics Association named him "Best Inanimate Object" for 2001, while the Teen Choice Awards recognized Wilson and Tom Hanks for their on-screen "chemistry"! MTV Movie Awards nominated Hanks and Wilson for "Best On-Screen Team."

Most of us who have had imaginary friends in some form have had ones without movie credits, but they may have served an important function in our personal lives, as they did for Chuck.

The whole concept reminds me of Gestalt Therapy (see my June 2 post), but Chuck didn't have a name for it. He just developed his relationship with Wilson in a seemingly spontaneous way that his instincts led him toward to safeguard his sanity and clarify his thinking. He even had arguments with Wilson, and complained to him about the "laxative effect" of coconut milk! :-)

Maybe your "Wilson" is your journal or what you call your Muse. In any case, never underestimate the power of the imagination. As Einstein said, it's "more important than knowledge." And Einstein did all right for himself!

Imagining the best for you,
Susan

P.S. Two quick reminders:

*'Didn't quite get to your spring cleaning before spring slipped away? Join us in tele-space for the complimentary Summer Cleaning Dig-In Tele-Party this Saturday, June 28, from 9 am to noon Eastern. Contact me by Friday at scleaver@dejazzd.com for the call-in codes and more info.

*This blog now has an alter ego! No, I don't call it Wilson! :-) It's my snail-mail newsletter called "Susan, Unplugged...Your 'Slow-Tech' Source for Creative and Healthy Living Tips." It's complimentary in the continental US; elsewhere I'll ask you to pay for the postage only. Contact me at scleaver@dejazzd.com and give me your snail-mail address to receive this light and informative newsletter. Thanks for being part of my self-development and learning community!

***All of Susan's creative4life posts are copyright of Susan Cleaver.***

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