#100happydays

#100happydays Day 78

For the past ninety days I have been participating in a photo challenge called 100 Happy Days run by - you guessed it - the 100 Happy Days Foundation. (You can check out the website here.)

The challenge they are putting to us all is "can you be happy for 100 days in a row?"

I have been sharing my photos on Instagram   Each day I take a shot of something I like or I feel grateful for. While I have missed a handful of days I can genuinely say I have really enjoyed this challenge. I like the practice of taking a simple moment and acknowledging happiness in my everyday life.  I look forward to reflecting back on this collection of photos and discovering an optimism I may not have been 100% conscious of at the time.

#100happydays Day 73

Can I say I have been happy for 100 days in a row? No I can't. The past three months have thrown me a number of significant difficulties way beyond my control.

Can I say I have received 'more compliments from other people' or 'fallen in love'?  (as the foundation claims can happen). No!

Can I say I have experienced some kind of happiness  - no matter how fleeting - each day of the past 100? Yes I can.

So why don't you check out this challenge - it takes about a minute day! If you are already taking part in #100happydays I would love to hear about your experience.

Be happy with what you have and are, be generous with both, and you won't have to hunt for happiness - William E. Gladstone

#100happydays Day 72

Buddha says this....

A quote for this day

Found on Instagram

Why not ...... play with playdough?

Today let's use our hands and play.

"Oh but playdough is just for babies and little kids!"

Really?

If you are a ceramicist, a potter or even a pastry chef you will be very accustomed to the pleasures and frustrations of using your hands to create.

For the rest of us experimenting with playdough can be the next best thing.

It is very cheap to purchase. Just one pot is all you need. A few cookie cutters. Something cylindrical (for a rolling pin) and away you go.

You can even make you own playdough at home.

Mould it. Shape it. Squeeze it. Cut it. Roll it. Smell it.

Just start warming up that dough in your hands and off you go.

You might be surprised by how calming and soothing this activity can be. Have fun!

When you have clay in your hands, it's hard to avoid making birds - Eva Zeisel

Top ten acting tips for everyday life

In an acting class or coaching session with me you will hear the following ten instructions repeated over and over again

Really listen 

Really answer 

Whatever you do do it one hundred percent 

There is no character - it's just you 

Trust you are enough 

*Say what you mean mean what you say 

Live truthfully and fully with your given circumstances 

Work (and live) in this moment - moment by moment 

There is no such thing as nothing - even nothing is something 

Be simple and specific

All of these quotes are words of the great acting teacher Sanford Meisner. (Except this one *which is more mine).

While these quotes are the foundation of an acting technique, over and over I have encountered these themes through out my studies of psychotherapy and philosophy.  So often my students reveal how their acting class has a positive effect on their everyday life and more specifically on their relationships.

If you have the time and resources to take an acting class, why not? Or you can simply focus on just one of these 'tips' and apply it to your life.

I'd love to hear about your discoveries.

Stop acting as if life is a rehearsal. Live this day as if it were your last. The past is over and gone. The future is not guaranteed - Wayne Dyer

What's on your (creative) bucket list?

A few weeks back I was listening to the radio in my car while waiting for someone. I know - so old school of me! Anyway I caught a great interview with Gale Edwards. She has just directed the Ibsen play 'Ghosts' for the MTC. She said she has been wanting to direct this play for thirty years - that it's been on her 'bucket list'. And as it's a 'classic' it requires everyone to step up.

I really enjoyed listening to someone with quite an established and diverse career discuss future desires, ambitions and what one could say 'unfinished business'.

This got me thinking about the concept of the creative bucket list.

Do you have one? What do you want to accomplish creatively before you 'kick the bucket'?

Are there projects you dream about?

What stories do you want to tell/play/direct/shoot/write?

What 'crafts' have you yet put your hand to?

I must confess my list does not automatically spring to my mind. It is something I will need to reflect on - quite a bit I think!

So tell me - what is on your creative bucket list?

We give advice by the bucket, but take it by the grain - Tom Stoppard

will.i.am. I.am.a.fan!

So did you watch 'The Voice' showdowns on Monday night?

I recorded the show and have just viewed it. 

What I really like about this type of program is the coaching element. As a director, teacher and coach I love any opportunity to get a peek into other people's process (especially those who are internationally and commercially successful). While I think this year 'The Voice' is too over produced and is starting to feel like a reality TV show this showdown episode gave some great insight into how to (and how not to!) coach a performer. 

I was so excited by the coaching style of will.i.am. and I think one of his contestants delivered the best performance of the night. I really am getting why this guy is referred to as a genius.

will's instructions to his team were simple, specific and so doable. Totally doable. 

Do this here (singsong it, falsetto). 

Do it like this (stab it like 'benny and the jets'). 

Have fun (I can't sing good like you but I have way more fun than you). 

I was also inspired by his creative interpretation of the songs. I think he really demonstrated the concept of making something your own. 

As I write this I can hear the alternative argument in my head. 

'I don't like it when the director doesn't give me the space to discover it for myself.' 

'I don't like being told move here, say it like this, look this way.'

You know what? Just doing something one hundred percent will open you up to discoveries you will never have imagined.

It does not matter what your creative pursuit is or what role you are in (director/actor, coach/client, expert/fan girl) - simple and specific and doable instructions (directions and guidelines) give the foundation from which creatives can improvise and create...... anything!

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated - Confucius

Why not ...... take an afternoon nap?

It's Wednesday and the middle of the working week so why not take an afternoon nap.

Go on.

Grab a rug and a cushion and get comfy on the coach.

Close your eyes and perhaps drift off into the land of zzzz.

Or get really decedent and jump into your bed fully clothed for a little snooze.

(I like to keep the windows and curtains wide open and take my socks off.)

Sleep isn't necessarily the goal here. Just 20 minutes time out. An opportunity for quiet reflection. An afternoon daydream. A chance to recharge your body and de-stress your mind.

The artist SARK has written a whole book devoted to the art of napping!

If you do happen to actually sleep the benefits can be great especially if you follow some dos and don'ts here.

I wonder if you will allow yourself the luxurious gift of a nap. Let me know.

I like to nap. I do like to sleep. Sometimes I sleep in between takes - Jodie Foster

NO EXIT: a workshop

I will be running a new acting workshop at the end of June.

It will be based on the play No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre.

I am very excited by the concept of this workshop. It has been brewing away with me for a number of years and now is the right time to deliver it.

I really hope you can join me. Even if we haven't worked together before this will be a great place for us to meet.

If you would like more information please email me - simoneyoungblog@gmail.com

Hell is other people - Jean-Paul Sartre

Why not ....... get some sunshine?

I know - this one is a real challenge as it is totally out of your control right?

No matter where you are in the world hopefully you will find some sunshine somewhere sometime.

When you do get out there and enjoy those rays on your skin.

While the dangers of the sun are well documented it's very important to remember how beneficial sunshine is to our health too. Find out more about this dilemma here.

I was lucky to catch some sun today - what about you?

Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away - Elvis Presley

Why not ....... do a jigsaw puzzle?

It's Wednesday and a great day to do a jigsaw puzzle.

Not matter if it's simple or complex just get a jigsaw out and start doing one. The benefits for your brain and creativity are amazing. Don't just believe me check out this and this.

Don't have a jigsaw puzzle hanging around your house?  Pay a visit to your local op shop or Kmart and grab yourself a bargain.

Or you could make your own puzzle by downloading a template like this one.

Take it easy on yourself to begin with. Keep the image of the puzzle in sight. Then challenge yourself by trying that puzzle without the picture.

Did you have a favourite jigsaw puzzle when you were younger?  Do you still enjoy puzzles today?  Let me know how you go.

To me acting is like a jigsaw puzzle. The jigsaw puzzle is of the sky and all the pieces are blue. Out of this you have to create a human being and put it together - Henry Winkler

Baby it's cold outside...

It is the first day of winter in my part of the world. It has rained all day.

Usually I would stay inside and avoid hair frizz. But today I did something different.

I kept my plans to meet a friend for breakfast at an outdoor cafe. We enjoyed a delicious meal and fascinating conversation. Then we went for a casual stroll in the lightly pouring rain as my daughter jumped into as many puddles as she could find. It was so enjoyable. The air was still and fresh from the rain. No one around. So peaceful.

It got me thinking. Perhaps this June and this winter could be different to the Junes and winters of the past.  You see this time of year can often bring many uncomfortable feelings for me.

I begin to reflect on the year so far. Then I start to worry. I worry about how am I going to keep warm enough in the cold. How has half the year flown past so quickly. How will I accomplish all that I had planned for this year. How much weight I could potentially gain. How low will my mood be at the end of the season.

In the Northern Hemisphere people have summer and vacations to look forward to in the middle of a year. Their winter is filled with traditional celebrations and festivities that compliment the freezing temperatures.

But here Down Under I do not think we have anything to look forward to unless you are an avid skier and trek to the mountains for snow season.

This year I want to change my relationship with mid-year and winter.  I am going to try something different - whenever the moment invites it and with purposeful intention. I am going to seek out festivals I have never attended before. I am going to spend more time outside. I am going to play in those puddles too. I know the uncomfortable feelings will revisit me. I also know they will pass - especially while I am keeping myself really busy discovering the beauties of this season.

So how do you experience June and Winter? Any suggestions on how to survive this time of year? I would love to hear from those of you who thrive in the cooler months.

People don't notice whether it's winter or summer when they're happy - Anton Chekhov