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August 2006 Newsletter: Carving out
the space
This
Confidence newsletter is sent each month to subscribers of
www.yourmostconfidentself.com from Kate Burton and Brinley Platts,
the authors of "Building
Confidence for Dummies" and creators of the Your Most Confident Self
website.
Carving out the space
It’s that time of year to take a break, and ideally to find some physical and
mental space for yourself. August has arrived, holiday time for most of us
living in Europe. Perhaps you’re heading off to find some breeze at the beach or
the hills. Or perhaps, like me, you’re currently working away while others are
chilling. This year I told myself: "stay at home, enjoy the garden, and let
everyone else scramble with the crowds through the airports." Given, that I’m
writing this from Starbucks in Piccadilly, as London temperatures are blazing
over 30 degrees and the garden is suffering badly from the hosepipe ban, I’m
questioning the wisdom of my decision. And yet, I’ve found there’s plenty of
creative space to be found amidst the hubbub of it all.
Last weekend, I took a break at a writers’ workshop in the Ribble Valley, a
green and luscious area of northern England, that’s well worth exploring. This
was a gift to myself ‘me for me' space: time out to taste a different
experience and go with the flow. The American writer Bill O’Hanlon ran the
workshop - a funny, engaging and enthusiastic man who charmed us with his
stories, knowledge and generous energy. We each found new ways to tell our own
stories, to uncover the passions that inspire us, and I came away with a wealth
of ideas for compelling new books. Above all, I was reminded of how much can be
achieved in just a few regular minutes of real creativity.
You may think that to deliver your block buster project you need a big, long
space of time. Actually you don’t, and you may like to play with a different
approach by giving yourself creative breaks in seven minute chunks of time. In
seven minutes, you can do much more than you think you can: like me, write a
page of your book in a busy café. In seven minutes a day, a 70,000 word book can
be completed in less than a year. The same seven-minute trick applies to drawing
a sketch, composing music, taking a photograph, practicing a dance sequence or
martial art move, meditating, planting a garden and learning a language -
whatever sparks your interest. Set your timer and try it. Find out what happens
when you commit to seven-minute chunks to strengthen your creative muscles each
day.
And as you release the creative space, notice what happens to your confidence
levels. You’ll be stretching yourself, treating each day as a learning
experience and building an increasing sense of purpose as you move in the
direction of your own interests doing what’s important for you.
Before signing off we want to share with you a beautiful poem sent in by Sarah B
in response to last month's letter on winning love. It is by the great Caribbean
poet (and Nobel Laureate) Derek Walcott and beautifully sums up how we are each
destined to regain our first true love as we grow in self-acceptance and
self-confidence.
Love after love
"The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other's welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life."
Go on take a break and have fun. You deserve it. Every day.
Best
wishes
Kate and Brinley
kate@kateburton.co.uk
Building Confidence for Dummies by Kate Burton
and Brinley Platts
Neuro-Linguistic Programming for Dummies by
Romilla Ready and Kate Burton
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