How often do you check in with where you connect with the earth? We walk over hundreds of different surfaces every day which, paired with an interesting pair of shoes, can make a thoughtful image
Where have your feet taken you today?
Come back tomorrow for more tips!
Today’s shared story comes from healthy living coach Heather Lentz, who transformed her life and started doing what she loved after her car was hit by a drunk driver.
[Image courtesy of Heather Lentz]
On May 3, 2009, I was in a severe car accident caused by a drunk driver. As a result, I was hospitalized for 5 days and had brain shearing, internal bleeding, bruised kidney, bruised liver, rib fracture, fractured vertebrae, fractured tibia, cervical sprain, rotator cuff tear and extensive soft tissue damage. This was a major turning point in my life. I decided that something positive had to come from this accident, so I began to focus on healing myself. My goal was to get back to the condition I was in before the accident.
I started on a healing journey. I went to physical, occupational and speech therapy appointments almost every day for over a year. My pain slowly decreased and I began to get my range of motion back. I also quit smoking, quit drinking alcohol, quit drinking caffeine, quit drinking pop, started taking supplements everyday, started exercising, started walking 5Ks and lost 30 pounds. Even though I had experienced a lot of progress, I still had shoulder pain, back pain and constant headaches. I decided to look into other ways of healing. I began acupuncture and shiatsu massage.
I tried thai massage, cranial sacral massage, blocking, rolfing, yoga, hula-hooping and even colon hydrotherapy. My healing journey brought me to the Muskegon Yoga Center. I practiced as many days as I could and still continue to. As a result my muscle strength and flexibility have improved, as well as the connection with my body and my soul.
My goal has shifted, I want to be in better condition than I was in before the accident and in many ways, I already am.
At the Muskegon Yoga Center I was introduced to High Quality Supplements and a 5-Day, Low-Glycemic, High-Fiber, Sugar Cleanse. I wanted to get my cravings under control and lose more weight. I was amazed that after the first day my residual pain from the accident had greatly decreased. I also tried a Healthy Low-Glycemic Energy Drink and loved it. It gave me energy all day without the crash and was a nutritional alternative to high sugar energy drinks. Then I tried the Preservative-Free Skin Care and I couldn’t stop touching my face. The idea that my skin could be nourished with holistic products free from chemicals and parabens, fit right in with my plan to be healthier. I love these products so much and want to tell everyone about them.
When I discovered this company, it was like a light bulb went off. My passion is to help people heal and Be Healthy is my vehicle to do that.
People always tell me that I should write a book (maybe someday I will), honoring all the people who helped me heal along the way and include everything I have learned, how to deal with the insurance companies, what it takes to heal yourself and different modalities to get you there. I want to be an advocate for others, to teach them what I have learned. I no longer regret being in the accident, because it helped me change in ways I never would have. It was the Universe’s way of telling me that I needed to follow my passion and do what I love.
Although I am still on my healing journey, I am ready to take others along with me.
I unexpectedly ended up here in a place where I can do what I love…help others heal and Be Healthy. My business, We Be Healthy, is dedicated to supporting others in their journey towards a healthy lifestyle. I help you Be Healthy by sharing what I have learned – from low-glycemic cooking (and eating) to preservative-free skin care; from reducing your toxic load to creating a healthy home. I am not a doctor or nutritionist, but I have been through a life-changing event and learned a lot along the way.
I truly hope you will learn ways to make positive changes in your life and find a way to do what you love too!
Find out more about Heather and her business ‘We Be Healthy’ on her website or connect on Facebook.
The sky offers so many surprises – but sometimes we are so busy we forget to look up
Look up when you are out and about today – what do you see?
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Tomorrow 17-year old photographer Ffion Atkinson shares her story. More tips throughout the week!
We often notice only those things we choose to notice, and zone out thing we inherently dislike. Although I love sunny flowers, I am not generally a fan of bright yellow. So I went in search of it, and found so much waiting for me.
What is your least favourite colour? Where can you see it around you now?
Come back tomorrow for more tips!
Often we have a natural inclination to try to fit an entire object in the frame, however big that might be. Try to resist that sometimes (especially if photographing something quite ordinary), and go for bits of an object instead. Sometimes the results can surprise you – and end up much more artful. The image above is of part of a beautiful ceramic serving dish I found in Greece.
What ordinary things around you have beautiful parts?
Come back tomorrow for more tips!
Today I am thrilled to be able to share this interview with photographer, storyteller and conflict management professional, author of the wonderful blog ‘Stories of Conflict and Love’. Harvard graduate Roxanne has ‘lived, loved, laughed, worked, photographed, and agonized in Latin America, East Africa, the Balkans, and the Middle East’. We talked about seeing the world differently through the lens of a camera, life in post-conflict zones and about the role of creativity in making the world a better place. Dive in…
Image via storiesofconflictandlove.com
This is one of the oldest ‘rules’ of photography, but it is so powerful when you consciously try to use it.
Imagine your viewfinder split into a 3×3 grid of nine same-sized rectangles. Try to place the subject of your photo along one of the dividing lines (above), or in a place where the grid lines intersect (below).
What rules do you like to break?
More tomorrow!
For the next two weeks this space will become a place for celebrating photography – and I hope you will stick around for the party!
I love photographs. Memories captured, beauty preserved, promises unspoken.
My Dad is a trained photographer and apparently one of my ancestors was the first ever photojournalist! I have been taking photographs for years, with all sorts of different cameras. In the Do What You Love e-course go out and about in search of beauty and explore what kind of photographers we are. This has made me reflect more on what kind of a photographer I am. I am fascinated by the way the subject matter of my photos has changed hugely at different times in my life.
When I was younger I used to take pictures of everything (and often process them in my Dad’s dark room in our garage, marvelling at the magic as the images emerged in the developing solution). In my early twenties I travelled a lot on my own and lived abroad for several years – in this period I mainly took photos of landscapes and buildings.
Then I spent several years working for UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) and found myself drawn to people’s faces, especially those of children in developing countries – and food (in street markets etc).
More recently I seem to take more random pictures of details – my feet, textures, the sky – and I can’t stop taking pictures of flowers lately. Funny how it changes over time.
I am drawn to simple photos that show raw beauty – whether in the subject, the colour or the feeling of the image.
In the next two weeks I am going to share some of my favourite tips, along with interviews with fantastic photographers (Roxanne Krystalli, Christine Boyd and Xander Neal).
I hope you will also join in and share your own tips and tricks. And if you fancy getting out and about a bit more with your camera this month, why not join Susannah Conway’s ‘August Break’?
So tell me, what kind of a photographer are you?
PS If you want to start seeing the world in new ways, why not join the Do What You Love e-course. Registration is open now!
Today’s shared story comes from Jenny Shih who believes in doing work that matters and living a life you love.
Some sacrifices aren’t sacrifices at all.
Two years and two months ago I quit my corporate job because my heart and soul told me it was time to move on. Co-workers, friends, and family saw me as foolishly sacrificing a nice, steady paycheck, great benefits, and 10-year career with a solid professional reputation for some wishy-washy “follow your heart” baloney. But I knew that I would be sacrificing my life, my zest, and my sanity by not leaving.
On the outside it looked like a sacrifice. On the inside, it felt like freedom.
It’s true, income was not guaranteed and success by any measure was also uncertain. My heart and soul were aching so badly every minute I was inside those office buildings. Every cell in my body longed for something more meaningful than working for a company that manufactured high-tech office products. I needed freedom. It wanted to make a difference in the world.
For the first six months after I left that job I was scared out of my mind. Most days I was so afraid that I wasn’t able to enjoy my newfound freedom. I was afraid I would have to return to a job to pay the mortgage. I was afraid I would fail at starting and running a business. I was afraid of the shame I would feel if I had to crawl back to that company and ask for another job, especially when I was so clear that I couldn’t work there any longer. But I still new it had been the right choice.
As time passed and I calmed my fears, I began to feel the freedom I created for myself. Every day I wake up knowing that I am in charge of my day. I get to decide when, where and how I work. Yes, I am reliant on myself and my own work for income to pay the bills. There are days when it’s still scary, but I have no regrets.
Leaving my job, something that looked like a sacrifice to others, was not a sacrifice at all. The real sacrifice was working in a job that was killing my soul. It would have been a sacrifice to my whole being to not listen to my need for more meaningful work. I would have sacrificed my soul and my sanity to stay at my corporate job, and that was a sacrifice I wasn’t willing to take.
Jenny Shih works with women entrepreneurs with world-changing ideas they need to unleash in the world. She is the creator of the idea flight kit, a free guide that covers everything you need to get your idea up and flying. You can find Jenny at jennyshih.com. Image courtesy of Alex Demchak.]
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“Life-changing”, “Revolutionary”, “Awe-inspiring”, “Transformative“ – just a few of the ways former participants have described the Do What You Love e-course.
Do you fancy some of that in your life? Do you want to get closer to identifying your true passion and finding a way to do what you love, for life? Then this is for you!
The Do What You Love e-course is open for registration now. The adventure begins on September 26 but places are limited so book now to secure your place. This is the last time it will run this year.
This is your chance to join a global tribe of like-minded people who will support and encourage you to find your way.
It could be the most influential six weeks of your life…
It feels like such a privilege to share this interview with the incredibly talented up-and-coming fashion designer and artist Cristina Adami. A recent graduate of Central St Martin’s School of Art and Design, Italian-born Cristina is literally a ‘rockstar designer’, having created costumes for Florence Welch, lead singer of Florence and the Machine, for the band’s latest tour, and recently established her own label. Cristina’s gorgeous ethereal work caught my eye at a fair in London recently. It is hard to describe just how beautiful her work is – light as air, romantically wispy, other-worldly – so I asked Cristina describe it herself, and tell us how she has gone about making her way in the industry. I am delighted to share this fascinating insight into Cristina’s world.
[Image: Lewis Buchan]