In 2002 I went through an horrendous season in my life following the birth of my son.

This article, Out of the Blues,  was featured in Pearls Women’s Magazine published in 2007 in Perth, Western Australia.  It is my story of how I overcame post natal depression.

Download now by clicking here Out of the Blues. PDF 504kb

If I were a door mat, it would be okay to walk on me.

If I had no name, it would be okay for you to call me names.

If I were unable to think for myself, it would be okay for you to fill me full of what you think.

And if I were a child, it would be okay for you to try to discipline me.

However, I am not a door mat, so stop wiping your feet on me.

I have a name, so I don’t need your labels.

I can think for myself, so allow me the space to form my own opinion.

And finally, discipline yourself…cause I don’t need a new parent, the previous ones stuffed up just fine.

I like me just the way I am!

We’ve probably all read the books like Stephen Covey’s The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People – which incidentally is brilliant just in case you haven’t read it! – where he tackles the issue of prioritising.  However, it is one thing to know it all in theory and entirely a different thing to practise it all the time!

Which brings me to the whole point of this post…

Why is it that To-Do Lists just seem to never get any shorter?

I mean you start off with 10 items and you work your way through them meticulously and by the time you start to make good progress, another  10 items have arisen to take their place!  It hardly seems fair.

I have been using the To-Do function on my computer.  It creates this lovely space for me to type in the task, some info, the timeframe.  It pops up and reminds me about tasks and it is driving me absolutely nuts!  Why?  Because when I set up the task I have an idea of when I would like it to be completed, however, in the meantime a thousand other things have arisen that have pushed out my timeframe.  That is, unless it is an ultra urgent item with a firm deadline.

So I was talking to Kiera and it occured to me why this was.  I have four children, and they continually harass me about what they want me to do and when they want me to do it by.  They remind me daily leading up to their birthdays, their sporting events, their social engagements, their concerts…even getting them to school daily.  I am so REMINDED OUT!

Consequently, after pushing the snooze buttom so many times that it literally was driving me nuts, I have abandoned the To-Do List function altogether.  After all, even when I have completed the tasks it still shows them there with a line through them just to confuse me!

Before I had children I had a very simple system.  In Tray – Out Tray.  If it’s in the In-Tray, it’s to do today.  If it can’t be done today, then it is in the long-term projects tray.  At the end of the day, I worked hard to ensure my In-Tray was empty or close to as possible but that was before I had four children, a household to run, a business, a community association and a husband to care for.

I guess being a very visual person, a simple list, that has an alarm that is sensitive to my mood swings might work.  Can someone please invent a to-do list that is telepathically controlled and updates automatically and only reminds me when I have the space in my heart and life to respond?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on To-Do Lists.  Do they work for you?  What do you use?  How do you manage getting all those odd little things done effectively.

I look forward to reading your response!

But here I am.  A mother of four children.  43 years of age and I find myself heading up an International women’s association.  How did I get here?  When did my passion for women grow?  Why am I doing what I do?

Well, for one, I am a woman, so I guess it is going to come as no surprise that I understand how a woman thinks.  Consequently, it is no big jump to think that perhaps I would want to work with what I know.

Secondly, I started a women’s magazine.  I didn’t set out to choose to do that, it just came and tapped me on the shoulder and I said yes to the opportunity.

But I think I really started to develop a heart for women (in a very pure way) as I started to hear their stories.  I was galvanised by the powerful stories of women who were taking action, in their own little worlds, in a positive way and I didn’t just want to tell theirs, I wanted to become my own story.

So I made the decision when I resigned from Pearls Women’s Magazine where I was co-founder and co-editor to start a women’s organisation that was focused on the whole “women can” philosophy.

Women are amazing creatures I have learned.  We can partner together and create amazing community events.  We get things done.  We make the magic happen in life.  We are creative, intelligent, patient and enduring in our vision and purpose.  We don’t have to be caught up in ambition, in bickering, in trying to climb over each others.  I have learned that it is a very precious thing in life to actually support another woman to see her shine!  In fact, this is how I came out of post natal depression after my fourth child was born; by reaching out to help others I became well myself.  I love this part of Women Can International Inc and I love this part about my business, The Creaticians.  It is an honour to see other’s shine.

I find myself surrounded by women who are amazing voices on women’s issues.  I hope to share their stories with you through this blog over the next months because they are TOTALLY inspirational to me.

So it seems that life has chosen me to represent women and to work with them in a passionate way for their betterment.  I don’t really understand it all.  I don’t know why I feel driven to surrender so much of myself and to sacrifice my time, but I just know that there is a reason and a purpose and this is my pathway for the time being.  So while I am on this pathway, I shall give it 100% of my best efforts.

I’d love to hear about what life has chosen you to do.  Please comment.

When I started working from home in 2008, it was more a decision I made based on lack of options. I  had four children, was separated at the time and my children were going through a very difficult relocation to a new school, a new house, without the security of their father.  I was being called into the school more times than I would have liked, so having a regular job was near on impossible.

That’s when I got creative and decided to use my computer to generate an income.  I started out by doing whatever I could to help out my friends.  Type up a resume, design a DVD cover.  Whatever I could.  Out of that I grew a business providing business support services including webdesign, graphic arts, publishing, video promos and business mentoring and training.

I’m not suggesting that everyone could do what I have done as I do have advanced skills in a few areas.  However, if you can type, then you might find that you can provide a Virtual Assistant type of service working from home.  Working my own business now is the best decision I made because it affords me the flexibility to respond to my children’s needs.  In fact, it would be nigh on impossible for me to do a regular job, as with four children, I am called out to the school at least once a week for something and then there are the days when the children are sick too.

So if you are wanting to find a business that works for you, my suggestion would be to sit down and write a list of the skills that you have and look to see what kind of work from home business you can build.  Think about the kinds of things that you do naturally in your day.  Do you organise a household, do you make phone calls, do you manage a budget, do you type letters, do you research important information etc.  These are all skills that are valuable in a business and you may have more skills than you think.

I’m always happy to throw a few ideas around with you.  At the end of the day though, a work from home business is a lot of hard work and sometimes takes a long time to build up the business to a point where you are getting a decent return.  If you’re prepared for the long haul, it can be very satisfying.

There are always ways to make money, it’s usually just a matter for finding the way that works best for you.  Good luck!

Tonight I went to see the movie, Avatar. What an absolutely spell-binding film. It is not that it is a new story, for the storyline is very similiar to the children’s story, Fern Tree Gully, however, the cinematography, the character development, the music and the sheer magic of the scenery is breath taking.

As I walked out of the cinema I felt a bit like Jake Sully climbing out of the machine that connected his paralysed body to that of the strong warrier alien man. I felt as though I was on the wrong side and I desperately wanted to go back and continue the connection.

The love union between Jake Sully and the princess of the alien tribe was the usual woman falls in love with the rebel bad guy, then brings him through into full warrior manhood, choosing him over the loyal and dependable chosen future leader of their people.  But there were some beautiful touching moments and the woman in the role of teacher was endearing.  Also loved that the true power of the people were the women, with the men as figure heads.  Seemed much more life like than some men probably would like to palate, but true none-the-less.

I also loved the nuances between the scientist (Rose played by Sigourney Weaver) and Jake Sully who started out as oponents but ended up as close team mates.  A true union of brain and brawns.

No doubt there will be a sequel. How could you not revisit such a sublime piece of film making. Bravo Cameron for a very enjoyable theatre experience!

What it lacked in originality in the storyline, it made up for in cinematography, music and emotion.

Rating:  4.5 stars

Firstly, I have witnessed the whole journey for these two.  I was there to take the photos when they were training.  I witnessed their throwing up after pushing themselves hard in the gym; their attempts at dehydrating fruit and vegetables to keep them nourished as they walked; their wives anxious anticipation of their departure and then their glee at their eventual return.  I saw it all and I stand in awe of these two guys and their family who have put everything on the line to film a documentary of Perth’s beautiful South-West in the hope of inspiring others to get out into the world and have an adventure.

Geoff Quinsee is 51 years of age.  He is an enlisted Sergeant in the Australian Army, currently not actively serving due to an injury.  He is working in the private sector and is a team leader in an Engineering Company in Perth.  He also works casually as a Physical Trainer and Life Coach.  We have shared many sessions where Geoff has put the hard questions  to me, passed me the tissue box and told me I can do it!  He has really been instrumental in helping me to expand my horizons and to pursue my dreams with confidence.

If you can imagine it, Geoff is regimented, structured, self-disciplined and very grounded.

Enter Lee Hancock.  Lee is 31 years of age, a father of four young children and someone who lives life day-by-day.  He is a fly-by the seat of your pants type of guy and you can imagine how hard it was for him to knuckle down and do the disciplined preparations necessary to get physically fit for this HUGE challenge.

But both walked the full distance and emerged stronger men for the experience.  I’m sure we will hear funny stories over the coming weeks.  Feel free to pop over and have a look at all the wonderful pictures from their journey and I’m sure there will be some clips up soon of the footage they captured for their documentary on their site and their free membership site.

Keep your eyes open for the End2End Adventure  Bibbulmun Track documentary due out in 2010.

Hayley Solich - "Within us all lies seeds of greatness but it is up to us to plant those seeds, to water them, to nurture them and to ensure that they grow to fruition."

A young man stood in a room with the Master who had been teaching him for most of his life. He turned to the master who was suddenly very serious. The Master spoke. “Son, I have taught you all that I know but now you must learn from the one who knows you better than any other. This one has all the answers to all your questions. This one can teach you how to overcome every obstacle that stands in your pathway. This one has the amazing advantage of knowing who you were, who you are and who you will be. Are you ready to meet them?”

The young man was excited and looked around the room but could only see a door. He thought, they must be waiting behind that door. He looked back to the master and said, “Yes, Master. I am very excited to meet them.”

The Master sighed in his satisfaction, although there was a twinkle in his eye that hinted that already he knew something more than the young man did about who was waiting behind the door.

“When I introduce you to this person, my Son, you must promise that you will remember to respect them, to listen intently to what they have to say and to embrace the wisdom that they possess.”

“Of course, Master,” the young man replied. “I will honour them as I have honoured you.”

The Master nodded and smiled his approval. Then gently took the young man by the arm and led him to the door. Turning to him he said, “My Son, I am very proud of you and I know you will journey well together. I will leave you now and when you are ready, open the door and embrace the new wisdom coming to you.”

The Master turned and left the room. The young man stood looking at the door, hesitating. He was anxious to open it and embrace this new person into his world but at the same time, he was sad to be letting go of his Master. After a moment he walked forward and turned the knob pulling the door open expectantly.

The young man was shocked to find that there was not a person behind the door but rather, a mirror. He came face to face with his own reflection. Following the shock of the realisation of what the Master had said and done, the young man smiled. For he realised that what the Master was saying was, “You are enough. Enough for now. Enough for tomorrow. Within you lies all that you require to obtain success.”

In life we stand in the room and the door lies in front of us. Are we going to have the courage to open the door and embrace the mirror? It reflects back at us an image of our lives. Are we willing to look deep into the mirror and to embrace what we see – oursevles and realise that we are more than enough for today, more than enough for tomorrow, more than enough for both the good and the bad that may come into our lives?