Around here-Inspiration through the lens

Hey Inspiring Souls,

Are your eyes and heart open to what inspiration and beauty is all around you?

Take some time this week to notice, with your camera (mine being my camera phone) or simply just noticing it and appreciating it.

Here are some things I have noticed and “captured”

Yes this last one is my strawberry it was full of hearts!

Here is to living Inspired, Creative and Empowered

Heather

Notes- Little Inspirations

Hey Wonderful Souls!

I was in Church with my family on Easter and I noticed in the handout they had there was a sheet of paper that said “Notes to My Soul” I love that!

Some of the notes to my Soul would be:

Trust

Shine

Your ready

Breath

Leap

Listen

What would the notes to your soul say?

Here is to living Inspired, Creative and Empowered

Heather

Around here- Inspiration through the lens

Hey Inspiring Souls

It’s amazing all the things we pass up on a regular basis, maybe even daily and don’t even really notice. Take a little time today to open your eyes to what inspiration, beauty or stories are surrounding you and capture them, maybe in notes, lists, through the lens or just taking it in along with a deep breath.

Here are some things I have been noticing lately (The door is one  of the ones I never noticed but passed many times!)

Jelly Heart

Here is to living Inspired, Creative and Empowered

Heather

Outside the window-Inspiration through the lens…

Hey Lovely Souls

Here is some recent Inspiration I have captured through the lens-captured outside the window

Notice…Mindful/Creative Prompt!

Hey Beautiful Souls!

It’s so easy to go on automatic these days, zipping through our days, hours, weeks, etc… That we often don’t even notice so many things going on in our lives,bodies, relationships etc..

Something that will help in the shifting of that to being mindful and on purpose is to Notice… Notice what lights you up, what makes you mad, what makes you feel good and what makes you feel not so good (activities, people, food etc..) Notice the messages that life is constantly giving you.

Some ways to starting Noticing more mindfully are:

-Gather words, images, ideas etc and put them in a journal

-Start a pinterest board or 20

-Grab a journal (or a document on your phone/computer) and start capturing some of these things that you  notice.

-Slow down long enough to check in with yourself, with your mind and body notice what the message may be

-Use your camera (any camera including phone cameras)  to take notice of the inspiration and things around you.

Take Notice of: 

-Notice what words you are always drawn to

-Notice what things you hear that you think oooh that would be amazing or I would love to..

-Notice what foods make you feel good, nourished really fed and on the flip side notice the ones that make you feel heavy, yucky, guilty etc.

-Notice what people make you feel lifted up, good, comforted, listened to, empowered – Notice what people make you feel frustrated, annoyed, drained, badly

-Notice where the disconnect between what you say you want and the actions you take (or don’t take) are.

-Notice what inspires you

-Noitce what makes you laugh

-What makes you mad

Notice how amazing life is in so many ways, even through the challenges

For me lately I have been noticing more and more things including: A shift (this one is hard to explain but I can totally feel it, in a good way!), I notice how my body is used to having a certain (at least) amount of water and when I neglect to do that for a few days I can feel it, I notice how I am not feeling as great lately as I would like, I notice more moments of bravery, I notice lingering issues from things I thought I had moved on from, I notice that I am constantly drawn to certain images (Including, meditation, Buddha, flowers) I notice that I am coming up with more and more ideas and am tired of just sitting on them, I notice the books I have been reading lately that I am really soaking bits of them in..

Those are some of mine, what do you notice?

Here is to living Inspired, Creative and Empowered

Heather

Right now the weather is…

Hey Inspiring Souls

Todays post is one in the 3 areas I was talking about in this post. It focuses on being in the moment..

It’s a simple question really, but that is the point of many of these questions on being mindful, it pulls you into the moment and helps you notice things that would otherwise pass us by much of the time.

Right now the weather is…  Describe this in as much detail as you can, emotions, colors feelings whatever.. We often say it’s cold, it’s sunny just using one word to sort of sum it up.

I will start ;-D right now the weather is..

Crisp, peaceful, calm, cold, the calm before the storm, dry, fading to black..

This is one of the many questions in my Journey to Mindfulness Journal, you can find out more here.

Here is to living Inspired, Creative and Empowered

Heather

Surrendering to here and now…

Hey Inspiring Souls..

Lately surrendering to here and now has been on my mind.. I am working on trying to be more mindful of my life and I have noticed something. I am constantly in the future of what is to come, what I want to create and what is not right here right now.. For example much of what is on my mind lately is 2011 what I want to do, create, explore , let go of etc.. Now please don’t get me wrong, I am a list maker and a planner.. There is nothing wrong with that, and I do need and want to take some time to reflect and plan and dream about what is to come. But when that is at the constant cost of what is right now, there is a problem.. at least for me..

This season in general has a reputation of being full  chaos.. So do our lives, our health our schedules.. So I am simply suggesting for us to slow down, surrender to what is.. Not give up, but surrender into it… Notice …

Surrender into the process  and moments of

Healing

Laughter

Connection

Sounds

Tastes

Textures

Just allow yourself even a minute to take any of that in.. and surrender to it.. you just might be surprised..

Here is to living Inspired, Creative and Empowered

Heather

ps: the image above on this post was one of those times where I was noticing I was in the moment of what was around me and noticed for the first time a little patch of green on top of a bus stop!

Moments.. Inspiration through the lens +

Hey Inspiring souls.. I have some inspiration through the lens today for you, but the image goes along with the words as well.. I call it Moments.. we are so often caught up in the to do’s, the drama or whatever we just don’t take the time to stop for even just 1 minute or less and notice what IS in that moment.. This was how I responded to that.. and I think I will do that at least weekly for my project 365! In fact I think I will start a flickr group for it! I will post in the comments when I get it all set up!

Candlelight

Husbands feet in my lap

Husbands breathing

Door shutting

Car going by

Clock ticking

Feeling introspective yet peaceful..

That is how I felt, what I saw and heard in that moment.. How about you can you capture a moment in an image, words ( both or either) I would love if you shared it with me..

Here is to living Inspired, Creative and Empowered

Heather

PS: Look this week for the Journal prompt, and also a post on journaling and how to “define’ it!

Black and White Inspiration through the lens

Hey Creative Souls! Today I have some inspiration through the lens. I am not at my usual place to be able to type out too much of a post! Here is some inspiration through the lens today.. No rhyme or reason other than the are in black and white..

Taking time to notice light  , patterns etc all around me..

Look this week for a post on:

-Starting from where you are

-A new creative prompt

-More on my mindfulness journey

Here is to living Inspired, Creative and Empowered

Heather

Noticing.. Mindfulness

Hey Inspiring Souls!

I meant to write this post last week, but I did not , it was still brewing..  So I will spew it out as best I can today, migraine and all!

I love music I find it really powerful and I am fairly mindful of what type of music, well the messages the music I listen to has.  Seeking out some new songs lead me to a few songs that I had a strong reaction to one particular song..( and I will share it with you.. )

That got me thinking more about mindfulness and  how that ties into noticing… As some of you may know my word and goal for this year is to listen ( to my life, my body, those around me, inner guidance etc) Sort of along the same lines I am starting to notice more things. Notice my reaction to things, emotions, good and bad.

I am not suggesting you analyze everything to death, I am saying that just take some time to notice your reactions and emotions to things. And jot it down in your journal, just even a note or two. Think about why you are reacting in that way.  This will make you more mindful in general but it will also help you tap into the messages your life is giving you.

So that is what I am doing.. Here is the song that brought that to the surface more, it made me get emotional, teary eyed. And I realized that I want to be able to think of some of these words as true for me. I want to dream bigger and not play it so safe anymore.( more on that in another post)

How about you, do you notice your reactions to certain, music, people, foods?

Here is to living Inspired, Creative and Empowered

Heather