Why not ............. sing a rainbow?

Hi there, it's been awhile. I was enjoying my time doing nothing. How about you?

Today I am sharing with you a song that has a lot of meaning to me.

It's called 'I can sing a rainbow.'

This song is a favourite from my childhood. It was the first tune I sang to my baby.

If you do not know the tune check out this version by Delta Goodrem.

I love to sing this song with full voice and a smile on my face. Anytime, anywhere. I sing the song from memory. Here are the lyrics I like to sing.......

Red and yellow and pink and green
Purple and orange and blue
I can sing a rainbow
Sing a rainbow
Sing a rainbow too

Listen with your heart
Listen with your heart
And sing everything you see
You can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, sing along with me

Red and yellow and pink and green
Purple and orange and blue
You can sing a rainbow
Sing a rainbow 
Sing a rainbow too

Whenever I sing this song I feel pure joy. No matter what - my mood will instantly shift.

So I invite you on this Wednesday to join me in singing this delightful tune. 100%. I would love to hear about any songs that bring sunshine to your day.

Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud - Maya Angelou

Why not ............ do nothing?

The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing - Socrates

Why not ........ #fmsphotoaday?

Hello there and welcome to another Wednesday challenge!

If you are a bit of a social media junkie you have probably heard about Fat Mum Slim's photo a day challenge. If you have no idea what I am talking about read on.....

Over two years ago an Aussie blogger Chantelle Ellem aka Fat Mum Slim started a photo challenge apparently for one month as a creative project for herself and her blog readers. Almost immediately the whole virtual world caught on and now over 13 million photos have been shared across the various social media platforms.

How do you join this photo challenge?

Get a copy of the monthly prompts (from the blog or @fatmumslim on Instagram) and start snapping! If you want you can join the rest of the world and post along. Or you can simply take a photo each day inspired by the daily prompt and do with them what you want! Make a slide show, a hard copy album, a poster collage, fridge magnets - anything!

You can also get an app Little Moments (designed by Chantelle and others) which not only sends you a reminder of the daily photo prompt, it gives you heaps of fun tools to make your photos extra pretty.

Can you take a photo everyday for one month? If you do please let me know where you post your photos. Enjoy!

Every photo you take communicates something about a moment in time - a brief slice of time of where you were, who you were with, and what you were doing - Kevin Systrom

#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