Creating Lena » Wonder Woman Challenge

Monday Challenge Update

Lena — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:17:33 +0000

I’m in to the second week of my Wonder Woman Challenge, and I’m noticing a definite shift in energy. Last week I was really tired, and it seemed like it was crisis after crisis to deal with. I have to say I’m really proud of myself, that even though I didn’t really get a lot of work accomplished until the end of the week, I didn’t stress out and drive my blood pressure sky high. I just dealt with everything as it happened, took a lot of deep breaths and moved on.

The other thing I’ve noticed is that my creative energy is really skyrocketing up in leaps and bounds. I’ve been really out of sorts where my business is concerned and not sure where I want to go with it. Over the past week, however, I’ve had a few new ideas for things that I’m pretty sure I can make a success out of and I’m really excited to start putting those plans into action.

I know I’ve said it before, but it really is amazing what a shift in your mindset can do for your energy and productivity. I’m far from the most productive person on the planet, but I know that by making myself a priority this past week and a half, I’ve seen my productivity really start to improve and I have no doubt that the rest of this year is going to be much more successful for me than the first half has been.

Wonder Woman Challenge Update

Lena — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:40:56 +0000

So I’m a few days into the Wonder Woman Challenge, Take 2, and I’m noticing that by taking just a few minutes to do something every day that makes sure I’m paying attention to my self, other areas of my life are already feeling the difference.

Of particular note in the last few days I’ve lost two pounds, am sleeping better, and have been way more productive in terms of getting business tasks completed. I even got my internet marketing blog fixed up over the weekend, and that’s something I’ve been putting off for months!

It really is amazing how far-reaching the effects of even a small shift in mindset can be.

Starting a New Challenge

Lena — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:46:02 +0000

As you can see by the lack of posts here and on my other blogs, I’ve managed to get myself off track and out of focus yet again.

So I’ve decided that the first step on the road back to getting things done and meeting the goals I’ve set for myself this year is to re-do the Wonder Woman Challenge.

When I did the challenge in the winter I found that I had more energy, I was more productive, and felt much more like myself than I have for the last few months.

I’m kinda tired of loafing around waiting for inspiration to strike, so I’m hoping that this will spur me into taking more action than I have been lately.

Tuesday Morning Nature Walk

Lena — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:32:19 +0000

I’m really loving this getting up early and doing my Wonder Woman Challenge tasks first thing in the morning. This morning, even though I got up a couple hours late, I went out and walked along the river for a bit. And of course I couldn’t go without taking a few photos. :)

Oh, and if you’re wondering if it’s as cold as it looks, the temperature according to the radio station when I got out of the car was -17C, which works out to about 1F.

Creating and Communicating

Lena — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 04:59:10 +0000

So, it’s been a few days. I guess I still have a lot of lessons to learn about communicating and being part of a community. To everyone who emailed and sent messages, thanks for thinking about me, and I’m sorry if I caused you to worry.

For the past few days I’ve found myself in withdrawal mode. I had absolutely nothing to say, and no desire to find something to say. So I did what I’ve done best for the last few years… went into isolation mode. I didn’t check email, didn’t write a word, and didn’t turn my twitter on. It’s been a very reflective few days, and a time for gathering energy to get ready for the changes that are coming.

Today was the day for playing with my creativity as part of the Wonder Woman Challenge. Last week I mentioned that I wanted to start doing something with my photography again but couldn’t find any of the software. I looked for the stuff for hours and finally gave up in disgust. This morning I decided to try again and sure enough, the files were on the first cd I opened this morning. Gotta love the way the Universe works sometimes!

Once I got started there was no stopping me. I spent the better part of the afternoon and evening playing around. Here’s a sample of my first efforts.

I still have to figure out a caption and a quote for it, and it needs some alignment work, but other than that, I’m pretty pleased with my efforts. Not only did I create something, but I kinda worked my way out of the funk I was in. And hey, it got me writing again too!

Another piece of me is free

Another piece of me is free

Lena — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 03:46:57 +0000

Sometimes playing at home really is better than going out!

It was way too cold for me to venture outside today. Frigid temperatures and my angina-riddled heart really don’t get along and I’ve learned to be respectful of that fact. So in order to have my play-time today for the Wonder Woman Challenge, I ended up spending an hour alone in my room with the door shut. Just the act of physically shutting out the rest of the house and saying I didn’t want to be disturbed was really freeing for me!

I had been going through more boxes in the morning and shredding stuff, and had come across a cedar box filled with my Sacred Path cards. I hadn’t touched the cards in almost ten years, and when I opened the box and saw them and smelled the cedar there was a real sense of homecoming. I couldn’t believe that I’ve lived in a city for so long that I’d forgotten what cedar smelled like, and how much I loved the smell.

So when I went in for my hour of alone time, I took the cards from the box and decided to spend my play time getting reacquainted with them. That I hadn’t touched them in so long is a real testament to just how far I have strayed from my right path. (No, that’s not a good thing, just in case you were wondering.) I can’t tell you how much joy I felt when I picked up the cards to do a reading and felt the familiar tingles of energy in my fingertips. And the messages I got from the reading were right on too!

After I finished the reading and recorded it in my journal, I sat quietly and meditated on what I’d learned. Of course, I fell asleep during my meditation and had the best, most restful sleep I’ve had in awhile. All in all it was a wonderful afternoon that opened up another piece of me to be set free — one that had been shut away for much too long!

Challenge Day 3

Lena — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 04:33:02 +0000

It’s been a strange day today. This morning was really productive both in terms of work and taking care of myself. I did some heavy duty cleaning and moving furniture around, the lifting of which replaced my normal workout for today. I was feeling pretty pleased with myself, and planned to do a bunch of writing tonight too, but it’s just not happening. I’m thinking I’ll call it an early night tonight, and start back fresh at everything in the morning.

My Mother Told Me There’d be Days Like This

Lena — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 04:42:08 +0000

And for the most part, I didn’t believe her!

I’ve had two really high energy days and figured I’d just continue on my roll. Getting things done and feeling good about myself are my highest priorities these days.

Snow covered streets

When I woke up this morning I had great plans for day 2 of of my Wonder Woman Challenge. I was going to go to the lake and take some fresh photos, and then I was going to walk down to the bookstore and pick up some books for my reading challenges. Seeing the snow piled up and how bad the roads were pretty much canceled out that idea.

I figured, no problem, for my creative self love today I’ll just work with my photos and do some new cards. Since I already write every day and play the piano every day, I really wanted to do something different. And since one of my goals this year is to create an online store with some of my photography, I figured that was as good a creative task for today as any. Only it’s been so long since I’ve done any graphic work, and I’ve gotten a new computer since the last time I did, I couldn’t find the cd with all my software on it. So no new cards today either.

It seems that the Universe had already decreed that today would be a crash day for me. The best self-care I could give myself was sleep, and so that’s pretty much what I did all day. It certainly wasn’t the day I had planned for myself, but I’m learning that self-care means listening to your body and when it says stop now, it really means stop now. And today I loved myself enough to give myself a day off.

Wonder Woman Challenge – Day 1

Lena — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:09:23 +0000

I’ve been doing the Wonder Woman Challenge for awhile now, but really haphazardly. Yesterday I was challenged to start posting more on the challenge group, and so I’ll be doing that but I thought I’d post here as well because I can add more stuff to a post here than I can in a yahoo group. I won’t go into all the details about what the challenge is… you can read all that stuff on the challenge blog. But it’s really easy and anyone can do it!

This morning I was so proud of myself too. It might not seem like much in the way of a self nurturing activity, but I sat in the doc’s office and waited 40 minutes extra in total amazement that they could be running behind at the first appointment of the day. Most times I would be so upset by the time my turn came that my blood pressure would be sky high and I’d get “the lecture” and more drugs. Today I loved myself enough to stay calm and read a magazine and tune out all the complaining people in the waiting room. The result… almost normal blood pressure! And a big smile on my face.

I think I have to thank Shane Yellowbird in part for that. I absolutely love his song “Life is Calling My Name” and it came on the radio just before I got out of the car. I even waited until it was finished to head in and I’ve had it rolling around in my head ever since. It’s such an amazing song that I just have to share it so you’ll find the video at the end of this post.

The second thing I did was take the long way home. Drove by the lake and down the canal and watched the kids out skating. I thought about getting out to go for a walk but I only had a car coat on since I wasn’t planning on doing any walking this morning, and my heart kinda said no way when the deejay said the wind chill was -18C. So I settled for driving with the windows down and inhaling the sunshine instead.

I feel so peaceful and relaxed today. It’s amazing what fresh air, sunshine, and good music will do for your soul. I’m sitting here grinning away and thinking all I wanna do is get up and dance, but I really do need to buckle down and get some work done now. That way I can love me more with a new pair of boots at the end of the month. :)

Here’s the video… listen to the words, but most of all, Enjoy!