Busy or not?

Sometimes days go by and I don't speak to a soul. I need this quiet time. The world today seems like such a busy place. Have you noticed that other people ask you, 'are you busy?' When you answer that you are, they usually say, 'good!'. But what is so great about being busy?

I spent many years being busy, but in truth I got little done - not really. I felt stressed and confused as I tried to convince myself that the busier I was, the more likely I was to succeed. Then I realised that this isn't actually the case, and that I wanted a life where I can choose to be busy, or choose to lie in the garden watching the birds - if that's what I wanted.

It wasn't easy to change, and there are still some days I catch myself being too busy. But now, on a day to day basis I mostly choose what to do. The first two days of this week I was flat out, so this morning I decided to go for my five mile run. It was tough, as it usually is, compounded by my legs aching from a 35 mile fast bike ride at the weekend. But I came home, had breakfast and shower and a cuppa and then decided yeah OK, maybe I can do some work now.

My creativity was enhanced. I was able to make quick decisions on a current project and I handed over some work that I was finding time consuming and fiddly. The fact is that when we are too busy, we don't have a lot of room for creativity. Those creative moments can be the difference between a life fulfilled or a life overshadowed by stress.

Which would you choose?

Take care

Jan
Tel: 0800 634 3320
http://www.thepeoplewhisperers.co.uk/

Is it me? Oh god I am talking politics!

Did I hear right on the radio news this morning? Has Gordon Brown suggested that the recession is on its way to recovery?

Sadly, I couldn't find a picture of a flying pig, so had to make do with a tiny pocket sized pig in which to put your savings! Savings? Ha!

Now I am not one for discussing politics, and I am most definitely not one for negative expression, but just lately I have begun to wonder about the sanity of our government.

I agree with the principle that businesses, newly streamlined and more customer focused, may well do better than they did before - maybe. But, really come on guys, we can't just bounce out of a crippling recession like a big black Labrador wagging a wet tail! The very idea is madness.

We crawl out of the big black hole of a recession by hooking a tired finger onto a raggedy bit of chewed up blanket tied to a precarious rock. We bite our worn out old teeth into new projects and refuse to let go, or give up no matter what. We stand unclothed, with nothing but a large medieval sword at our side and challenge 'the world' to just try and knock us down.

Yes, I for one am thinking in a more enterprising way. I have restructured and am retraining in other areas to work towards a recession proof business of the future, but that is naff all to do with GB's input, in fact it is possibly in spite of it.

We have to become enterprising, ingenious and look for opportunities. But when they do, it doesn't mean the recession is over. It just means we are tough enough to deal with it in our own way.

It makes my blood boil when idiots running the government tell us, the people in the 'eye of the storm' so to speak, what is happening out here! Are these drongos encased in some sort of bullet proof purple floaty bubble and only watch loony toons on TV?

So, is it me, or does anyone else running a small business out there feel the same?

Grrh

Jan

New life on a Saturday morning

What a wonderful start to my day! Whilst out in the field this morning I heard a cow making a horrible noise. I thought she was dying, so stopped to watch and listen to see what was happening. I saw her straining, and wondered if she was in calf. The farmer usually keeps them in the barn when they are due to calf, so this was unusual. Anyhow, very soon I saw a calf being pushed from her and relaxed.

But all was not well. The calf was stuck mid section. The heifer was walking around in small circles and had given up pushing {This was 10am and I learned later that she had been struggling since 5:30am}

Telling the dogs to wait, I hopped over the fence and walked over. The calf looked dead. Talking quietly to mum, I told her that I had come to help, I pulled the birth sac off the calf, and cleared the mucus from his nose. His eyes blinked. Hooray, he was alive. I grabbed his wet slippery legs and tried pulling. Nothing. He wasn't going to budge. I had two dog leads in my pocket, so I tied one to his legs and pulled. Nothing. I wrapped it round my waist and pulled. Nothing.

I pulled and pulled but he didn't shift. I removed the rope and wondered about going for help. No. I decided to have one more go. Tying the rope back round his legs, I pulled again. This time I was sure he had moved a little. I pulled again. Plop! Out he came. I cleared his nose again and his mum turned and started licking away the afterbirth. I moved back and watched to see that they were both ok.

What an incredible moment. I felt so grateful.

Ten minutes later I spotted Roger - the farm labourer - in the tractor, driving into the yard. I went and told him what had happened. He said that the heifer was a 'right nasty old bitch', but I was surprised at this as she had been relaxed and calm with me, even when I didn't go away once the baby was born. I believe that when we don't have a history about others our approach is unbiased and so we often get a better response.

I walked back to watch them both, amused to see baby struggling to get to his feet. Falling, time after time as mum increased her vigorous licking, he eventually managed to get up onto all fours. Mum tried to steer him to the teats. He licked on her hairy black chest. You could feel mum's frustration as he tried to suckle in so many different places. But eventually he got it.

A little wet calf on a cold windy morning, hands and coat covered in blood and mucus, but happy as a sand boy! Does it get any better than this?

Beliefs versus inspiration

For many years, I wrote a lot about beliefs. I figured that, to change our lives, all we had to do was change our beliefs. That's still kind of true for me, but over the last few weeks I have been having some different experiences, of the type that has made me question if we actually need beliefs at all.

Some of you that subscribe to my newsletters, know that I often tell stories about how my physical challenges appear to have a dramatic effect on my mental & emotional state. And, I think that my current state of mind has everything to do with my running programme.

I started running in January - for fun. As My fitness improved, I somehow found myself entering races. Having only ever run 3 miles during training, I entered a 10k race and did OK, running the whole way round and I wasn't last. Now, I wanted to stretch myself, and at the weekend admitted to my fiance that I am now considering entering a Marathon in 2010. Oh my god! Did I ever think I would ever have that thought! I thought marathon runners were either bonkers or extraordinary people. I know now that they are just like you and me.

A few weeks ago I developed a hatred for my computer. I spend far too long tapping away on here every day. That week I just couldn't do it. I run an online equestrian products business, and simply completed my orders and then spent the rest of the time appearing to do nothing. It's not as if I haven't done 'nothing' before, but this time I savoured it, I enjoyed every moment and there wasn't a shadow of guilt. It was truly wonderful.

That down time is so important, and I know that it is something that many people would never consider. During that period of reflection, I spent time sitting on my garden wall, watching the lambs and calves with their mums in the fields. The six premature lambs at the back of my house were getting stronger.

They had now formed a 'gang' as lambs inevitably do, and were charging up and down the field. They jumped over the small ditch, leaping in the air, kicking sideways, turning and doing it again. When they were tired they slumped down behind the wall, or collapsed next to mum. I thought to myself that animals are great teachers to show us how we could live, if we were not tied to tradition, money and societal pressures. I turned my thoughts to how I lived my life.

It was at that point that I decided to {try to} give up my beliefs. I stand by my values of honesty, integrity and truth but wanted to explore a life without beliefs. Instead, I decided to allow inspiration to guide me and just see where that went.

It's early days, but I can tell you that my life is moving in a different way. I am calmer, happier and enjoying the flow of seeing what comes next. I don't have an eye on the future anymore, I just enjoy 'right now'. Inspiration has led me to make contact with new people, seemingly out of the blue, and embrace new experiences {good or bad} with passion, playfulness and joy.

Just give it a try. Notice when your beliefs are driving you or limiting you. Once you become aware, then just take a deep breath and allow inspiration to guide you next. It might feel weird at first, but within a short time you will wonder why you never tried it before.

Take care

Jan
Tel: 0800 634 3320
http://www.thepeoplewhisperers.co.uk/