MishMash: Musings on books and personal development

Last night at our flat we were bored and we got a little crazy. We pulled back the furniture, plugged in the Xbox Kinnect and played some crazy sports-based games as a form of flat bonding. And it was great! So much fun! Yet, dare I say it, it is the kind of thing I normally avoid. Just like dance, just like writing fiction. It feels too risky, it feels too much like hard work, and way out of my comfort zone. Part of the problem is I like doing things well. And these things do not come naturally to me. So more often than out I choose not to partake. Even last night my flatmate had to coerce and drag me to give it a go. I was content to watch, and cheerlead and laugh on the sidelines, but do it myself? Oh no! However eventually I gave it a go, and I had so much fun. Of course at the beginning I felt so awkward, but slowly that awkwardness was overtaken with a sense of freedom and wild abandon, things my carefully controlled and structured self rarely feel. In that moment the free

So I have a confession to make: I am something of a lone ranger. Always have been, probably always will be. I grew up effectively as an only child, as my older brother was placed in permanent foster care from the time he was born. My home environment was very abusive and dysfunctional and how I dealt with this was by retreating into my own internal space, the bubble of my soul where my organic self could find freedom, calm and protection. To make matters worse, I am an off-the-charts introvert, despite having a big heart and loving the people around me. There are obviously many benefits to being this way. (Check out Susan Cain's talk 'The Power of Introverts' if you need a reminder of what some of these are). However there are some obvious downfalls too. I can be too serious, too self-absorbed, and I can forget the power and gift my presence can be in the lives of others around me. Check out the following case in point: My friend's birthday party So a friend of

Two nights ago I had the privilege of attending a public lecture given by a woman named Eva, the very last remaining Schindler's List survivor. She spoke of living in a Jewish ghetto in Poland, being in concentration camps including Auschwitz as a little girl (she was 2 when the war started), near escapes from being killed, and witnessing horrible, despicable things. Being grateful for life itself Overall the theme of what she said though was "I am a child of miracles". What an amazing statement. Here is a woman who has seen the very worst of life, but was still grateful for life itself. Here was someone who had every reason to see herself as a victim, but instead chose to see herself as a survivor. Here was someone who could have very well chosen to close herself off from life and others, but instead was being open and vulnerable and letting us all see her pain. That got me thinking! The power of affirmations You see recently I have been listening to Loui

I have tried to lose weight for years, and recently I discovered my own personal answer to why I couldn't lose weight: I had Hashimoto's Disease. (Now not all of you will have Hashimoto's Disease of course, but what my condition has taught me contains great wisdom that can help YOU finally get your weight under control - keep reading). So for years I kept putting on weight or being unable to lose weight and getting frustrated with myself thinking it was all my fault. I had messages running through my head like "You're so fat and lazy, Michelle. You're undisciplined, and unmotivated", all this despite the fact that I didn't eat very much and I worked out frequently. Here's the deal - it wasn't my fault, and it isn't yours either! Let me explain. Now that I have learnt that I have Hashimoto's Disease I have learnt that in order to reverse my symptoms I need to eat completely gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free to stay healthy. And i

"A state of being in which the individual exudes energetic enthusiasm, contagious levels of positivity, and takes it upon oneself to create and engender a successful, excited, and constructive environment in those around them." -Definition as provided by Urban Dictionary Don't you just love discovering new words? I do.  Which brings me to a question: how can I be most constructive to you? Is there anything you would like me to write a post on? Leave a message in the comments and let me know.

One of the key human virtues that has the power to heal the world is tolerance . Please do not misunderstand me - I am not saying we should be tolerant of murder, rape and other traumatic and violent acts. What I am talking about is tolerance of people. This means accepting the fullness of human experiences and beliefs that people may have/hold. Too often I hear people making black and white statements about what people should believe, and how people should be. Such views are narrow and discriminating and place us in a position of alienation from others. Of course it is important to have your own opinions, values and beliefs - that is what makes you you - but my point is this: every time we step into the world of shoulds we start segregating ourselves from the world, and from love. One of the things that people often judge me for is the fact that I don't want children. "Oh, but you should want children," people say, "Children are such a blessing". Agree

Turning 30 is an event that a lot of women fear. Today, Erin Kennedy of mythirtyspot.com features a piece I wrote about what turning 30 means to me. You can check it out here:  http://www.mythirtyspot.com/search/label/project I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome visitors from Erin's site to my blog. As you can see this is a brand new project of mine that I am just getting off the ground. If you want to stay connected please subscribe so you will get email notification of future posts. Photo credit: Birthday cake  by Will Clayton  on Flickr.