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Mindful in May: Clear Mind For You, Clean Water for Others

April 24, 2013 — 2 Comments

Friends and family have been telling me for quite some time I should speak to a psychiatrist and whilst they are probably right, that isn’t why I’m posting this interview with Dr Elise Bialylew.

I thought you’d be interested in what Elise has to say because as well as being a medical doctor she is the founder of Mindful in May.

It’s a brilliant initiative which invites people to commit to a month of meditation practice for 10 minutes a day, whilst also helping raise money for Charity: Water (the same cause I gave up my last birthday and alcohol for 12 months for).

In Inspiration charity : water, clear-minded creative, clear-minded creatives, dr elise bialylew, elise bialylew, meditation, mindful in may

What I Think About When I Read About Running

April 16, 2013 — 14 Comments

‘Persevere’ is the motto of Leith, now a part of Edinburgh.

I was extremely saddened to hear about the tragic events at the Boston Marathon yesterday and my heart goes out to everyone affected.

I’ve never been to Boston, but my grandparents lived and worked there for a number of years after they emigrated to the States from Ireland so I feel a strong connection to the City. Plus, Mel and I (and a few of our friends) had joined the ranks of the long-distance running community only the day before, when we ran the Rock n Roll Edinburgh Half Marathon. So I feel an affinity with the runners too, who were simply trying to do something positive and achieve a personal goal.

Yesterday’s events certainly put our minor complaints about the Edinburgh wind and rain and the rather poor organisation at the finish line of the half-marathon into perspective. Suddenly, I am appreciative of my many blessings instead.

“Reaching the finish line, never walking, and enjoying the race. These three, in this order, are my goals.”

Haruki Murakami

In Clear-Minded Classics, Edinburgh, Experiences clear-minded classics, couch to 5k, half-marathon training, haruki murakami, rock n roll edinburgh half marathon, what i talk about when I talk about running

The Ditch the Day Job Video Diaries: Oslo Slow Travel Special

April 12, 2013 — 4 Comments

Yesterday I posted the third Mountain Shores podcast, recorded in the sunshine on a mountainside in Oslo. If you want to know how we came up with that name and what it means, have a listen! (you can also see all of my photos from the trip).

Meeting up with two of my blogging pals in real life for the first time felt like a pretty momentous occasion, so I also decided to base a special episode of the Ditch the Day Job Video Diaries around the trip, and also to make it public (if you want to see previous episodes, you can subscribe to my free newsletter).

In Ditch the Day Job Diaries cakes, chris guillebeau, end of the world party, fabian kruse, jd roth, michael nobbs, oslo, the ditch the day job diaries

Mountain Shores & Slow Travel in Oslo – a Podcast

April 11, 2013 — 6 Comments

Mountain Shores – our view as we were recording the podcast.

The ‘podcast with no name’ now has a name. Here is the Mountain Shores Podcast episode 3, recorded in Oslo with my co-host Fabian Kruse and our regular guest Michael Nobbs.

We met up in Norway to attend Chris Guillebeau’s Party at the End of the World, to celebrate the fact he achieved his goal of visiting every country in the world by the age of 35 (it was also his birthday).

We talk about slow travel and taking time to make deeper connections (even at crazy parties), how we are each making April awesome in our own way (and feeling a little awkward about using that word) and of course, cakes!

In Mountain Shores Podcast awesome april, cake, chris guillebeau, end of the world party, fabian kruse, michael nobbs, mountain shores podcast, oslo

Adventures in Self-Publishing

March 8, 2013 — 6 Comments

Self-publishing still has a bad rap amongst some writers, who see it as ‘vanity publishing’.

That’s good news for the rest of us, who see it as a brilliant opportunity to get our work out there without having to wait for permission from traditional gatekeepers.

Obviously though, if you are self-publishing, it’s important to maintain high standards.

Artisan Authors

According to Guy Kawasaki, author of APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur (Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk), self-publishing at its best is akin to artisan producers such as makers cheese or craft beers. It might not be ‘hands on’ in the traditional sense, but done right, Kawasaki believes it’s an artform all of its own (listen to this great interview on Blogcast.fm to find out more).

In Tools/Resources amazon kindle, kdp select, Kindle, publishing, self-publishing, the ditch the day job diaries

Reflection, Planning & Tiny Steps – a Podcast

February 27, 2013 — 3 Comments

In our 2nd (as yet unnamed) podcast, Fabian Kruse and I chat to our guest Michael Nobbs about his new book Drawing Your Life.

We take some time to reflect on how 2013 is shaping up for each of us so far, following what Michael suggested could be a Month of Reflection and Planning in January and a Month of Tiny Steps in February.

We also delve deeper into the process of choosing a small manageable activity that allows you to get at least 20 minutes of creative work done each day – which isn’t quite as simple as it sounds!

In Mountain Shores Podcast, Podcast a month of tiny steps, drawing, drawing your life, fabian kruse, friendly anarchist, illustration, michael nobbs, Productivity, sustainably creative, tiny steps, writing