Posts Tagged ‘Encouragement’
Two Fuses Of Hope
For 20 years my heart has been angry. Day to day, I’ve been a calm, rational, sensible, grown up (sometimes more than others) like anyone else. I’ve grown. I’ve matured.
But underneath, I’ve been screaming. And much of the time, I was too deaf to hear my own subconscious.
When I was a kid things happened at home and outside of home which did me a lot of damage. Betrayal, mistrust, fear all became part of my soul. And the injustice at people who’d hurt me not being held accountable, being let off the hook fuelled a bitterness and resentment in me.
It began as righteous anger. But it quickly got out of control. I grew up, but my anger didn’t. A 15 year old wanting to be heard but constantly ignored. Hurt, betrayed and bulled, with no resolution.
And he’s been angry ever since.
Read MoreEpisode 57 | Kent Sanders & The Artists Suitcase
Kent Sanders – author, coach, teacher, blogger, joins me today. Kent shares his own creative journey and about strategies he has discovered which can help artists overcome fear, take action in their creative path, and be more productive in their creative life, which he calls his ‘Artists Suitcase’. Kent shares honestly and vulnerably about his…
Read MoreWhy It’s Easier To Believe In Others Than In Ourselves (& What We Can Do About It)
“Believe in yourself”.
How many times have you heard that mantra preached to you? I’ve lost count of the times I have.
I think a more accurate, helpful phrase might be
‘Trust In Yourself’
You see I’ve always a great believer in encouragement. I’ve always been an optimist when it comes to other people. I have great belief in others potential. I love to encourage others, and I have great confidence in others ability to grow and thrive.
But I have none for myself.
Read MoreEpisode 54 | Christine Sine & The Spiritual Rhythms Of Life
Christine Sine of Mustard Seed Associates, blogger, author, missionary & gardener joins me today. Christine shares her fascinating journey which took her from Australia all over the world, led her to found Mustard Seed Associates, a Christian charity, create and grow a blog and co-create several books. You’ll also hear about how she discovered a…
Read MoreEpisode 32 | Andy Gray & The Karma Shema Drama
Today pastor & author Andy Gray shares his own powerful story, and talks about the revolutionary yet Biblical idea of Shema. Shema means to hear, and Andy passionately explains how God wants us to hear His call to live lives overflowing with God’s love. A love which was to be on our lips every morning,…
Read MoreEpisode 28 | Lorna Kopp On The Links Between Creativity, Vulnerability & Faith
Lorna Kopp (aka Lorna Faith) is my guest today. Lorna, a writer, author & coach, shares her story and we talk about the importance of vulnerability in creating authentic work. We also discuss how her faith has impacted her creative work, and the power of encouragement.
Read MoreIrregular Intentionality: Making Sense Of Our Busy Lives
Blogging has been tough for me for a while. In truth, for nearly a year. Even though I had a break which was meant to help, on reflection I didn’t use that break as effectively as the one I had in 2014.
The recurrence of this issue though, has shown this problem was far deeper.
And I have absolutely no doubt what the real problem is.
It’s an issue with time management. An issue which many of us struggle with, and has become a major issue for me. I’m simply not creating enough space in my life to cultivate the habits, like free-writing, which help me find my voice & inspiration.
And I need to do something about it, or I’m not going to achieve what I’m capable of. Because if we don’t manage our time effectively, we won’t realise our full potential – in any area of life.
Read MoreChristopher Reeve & Why You Are A Superhero
I’ve always loved superheroes. As a child my hero was Christopher Reeve’s incarnation of Superman (left). I wanted to be him. His ideals, his values, his belief in our ability to be better as people. And of course, his super powers.
Now of course, as an adult I know I don’t have ‘superpowers’ like comic book heroes.
I’m just a writer. I’m just me, with all my insecurities, and imperfections. I’m not perfect. And a lot of the time, I think I’m nothing special.
Don’t we all?
But I was watching a superhero movie today, about Spider-Man – an ordinary guy who gets powers, and still has all his insecurities, fears and imperfections despite that.
And I felt God speak to me quietly, and tell me that I do have a superpower.
Writing – as only I can write. Being me.
Read MoreWhat Is Calling? – A Podcast Series
Calling. It’s a word more and more of us are thinking about, and using in our day to day lives.
Calling speaks to our desire for purpose and meaning. It causes us to ponder what we really wish to do with our lives. It whispers to us in our imaginations, and makes us wonder whether our life might just be about something bigger than ourselves.
Calling and vocation can, however, be easily misunderstood.
So every day on my podcast this week, I’m going to be unpacking this subject, and these a bit more.
You see, many often talk about calling in terms of one calling for life. These
Read MoreLiz Gilbert & Why Our Calling Doesn’t Have To Pay The Bills
Author Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir ‘Eat Pray Love’ sold 10 million copies. But what many people don’t know, is that she was a ‘successful’, paid writer before that book. Maybe not to the degree that she is now, but still relatively successful.
But even so, as Gilbert shares in her recent book ‘Big Magic’, she only gave up her day job once ‘Eat Pray Love’ went huge. She had been freelance paid writer before then, but had kept a day job the whole time.
Because she saw – and still sees – writing as her calling, her vocation – whether it’s her day job or not.
Which highlights one of the biggest and most dangerous myths around calling:
That to pursue a vocation or calling means it has to become our day job, our primary source of income – otherwise we’ve failed in our calling.
And it’s a total lie.
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