Movement

This blog has moved. I decided to dive into wordpress and move onto my own domain.

http://www.mrkiddle.co.uk/blog/

Check it, y'all.

Miliblogging

What would you say if you had to keep your blog post/email/whatever less than five sentences long?

You'd have the same resources - including time - to write a shorter body of text that would give the same impact.

What are the benefits to the reader? What would you have to do differently?

I've got some thoughts on this, but I'd like to hear yours first:- maybe add one or two to the end of this post as you're here, I'd be very grateful.

Creativity and Happiness

I've mentioned before about how I think exercise is part of the bedrock to happiness, at least in my life. Another one I confirmed recently is social experience; being involved in some sort of community of people where interactions are personal and based on an often deep history of the group's dynamics. And I believe that a healthy diet is a third supporting pillar of a contented life.

The fourth area that needs some attention, it seems to me, would be creative output.

This might be in the traditional senses of art, writing, music. It may be photography, woodwork or some form of spiritual dance. Or maybe it's computer programming, scientific research or deriving mathematical theories. But it's something that gets your brain cycling through ideas and scenarios, creating new neural connections and really working out.

I look at the really contented and happy people in my life and they all seem to have some aspect of creativity going on in their hobbies or jobs.

And for those of you who are wondering, I do believe that creativity can be learned if it's practised often and enough. But you don't need to be "good" to get anything out of it, you just need to get your mind in the right gear.


Questions? Comments? Opinions? I'd love to hear them! Please leave all of your lovely feedback in the comments section below :)

Rules

Sometimes there are Rules. They're sort of unwritten, unspoken Rules. And those are the worst kind because their invisibility makes them harder to bend or revoke.

For me it feels a bit like being in a spectral prison that I'm not entirely aware of, but can sense the restriction, and obey it. The guards, walls and bars are all ghosts, because they're made of the Rules. But sometimes I catch a shimmering outline; a ghostly edge that makes me stop and think.

Another way to think of it is being stuck watching a familiar and painful play put on by your life, and you can't do anything because you're just the audience.

I hadn't really thought deeply about this until last week when I read a post on Lucy's blog*. Then I started asking questions.

Because what if I'm not just the audience?
What if I knew what my captives looked like?
What if I realised I'm in The Matrix?
And what if I faced the Rules?

If I can do this, things start to change. I can start to interact with the rules. I can ask them what they are. I can ask them why they're there. And what they need. And maybe I can let some of them go.

And then I realise this is the sort of NVC-inspired stuff Havi has been talking about all along.

^{* I do realise that this isn't the way Lucy was talking about rules, I'm just taking the concept and applying it to my own life.}

Velvet Rope

One of the things I fear is that my friends will see this blog and think that I'm Not Cool for writing it.

This blog is a place where I can just let my inner hippy run around naked, collecting proverbial wild berries and talking about the benefits of acupuncture. So to speak*.

Everybody has an Inner SomethingThey'reAshamedAbout, right?

If you think my blog kind of sucks then that's fine, it's probably not written for you. It's written for me and anybody else who finds it helpful in any way.

If you don't like it I hope we can still hang out on Twitter or Real Life or wherever.

I just wanted you to know.


_{* I don't actually do any of those things. It's just my poetic license.}

Patterns

When I first came across The Fluent Self (surely you must know about that by now) I thought it was great, a really fresh look at changing habits and looking at life. And from reading Havi's blog I've come in contact with some fantastic things like NVC and Shiva Nata.

But I never really thought about my patterns. In fact I never really thought I had any._{(Despite posting about them twice? Yeah, I'm about as confused as you).}

But recently I've come to the realisation that, actually, probably, I have a lot. But I bury them away beneath the desert island that is my mind.

I have small patterns, and slightly larger patterns. Patterns of work, play, thought and relationships.
Patterns to do with giving up, patterns to do with self worth, this weird thing involving clicking my teeth.

What I'm really hoping for now is that on this new adventure doing the Dance of Shiva I will start to learn more about myself and my patterns. So if and when the epiphanies come I'll be sure to share!

Ok, I'll shut up now.

Tapping Magic

I was meant to write this post yesterday, but it hadn't been written. Or conceived for that matter. Because I have been a little down in the dumps, not quite knowing why.

But this evening I remembered - and then I kicked myself because this isn't the first time it's happened.

You see, I am a wizard. And the source of my magic is exercise. I come back from a run and am full of zest and lust for life.

Forms of Power

Maybe your power comes from somewhere else. But I wouldn't be surprised if it was exercise or some sort of active activity. Just watch the lives of many big names and they all have some sort of regular workout going on. Let's look at a couple of my idols:

Jonathan Mead
Mr Mead, who runs Illuminated Mind, is big on his martial arts: he's a practitioner of Jeet Kune Do - an art (and philosophy) founded by none other than Bruce Lee.
I also hear he's a keen drummer, which is a big workout in itself.

Havi Brooks
Good old Havi, of The Fluent Self, follows the Dance of Shiva. Again, an activity which has a bit of a spiritual side to it. But an activity none-the-less. And she just radiates amazingness.

This is just one component of leading a happy and successful life. But to me it seems to be one of the most important.

You
So how about you? Is exercise also the source of your power, or do you have some other place you tap from? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!